are you insured are young people buying life insurance life life insurance types of insurance

It seems like everyone these days is shopping around for whole life insurance quotes !! My parents talk about it, my relatives always bring it up, even my married friends have all started rushing to procure life insurance ! Last year my uncle from Australia was talking about funeral insurance !

A couple of years ago, on the advice of a financial advisor, I purchased a life insurance policy and it seemed like a good idea at the time.  Little did I know that there were so many terms and conditions that were applicable when it came to payment schedules etc.  It’s taken me a while to understand the different types of life insurance policies actually available in the market.

Just this morning, a friend of mine in the US told me that she was using a company called Aptus Insurance to get life insurance quotes online and then compare them against the various ‘types’ of life insurance policies on offer.

I’ll give you a quick summary since I’m no expert on the field but I suppose it’s important for all of us to at least be aware of what is out there :

1. Term Life Insurance: it’s considered as short term insurance because the policy is only effective for a specific period of time, i.e. a year.  It also needs to be renewed each year.
2. Permanent Life Insurance: offer both a cash pay-out and built in savings plan; and also offers many tax benefits.
3. Whole Life Insurance: is similar to permanent life insurance, and is generally a cheap and simple style of taking insurance.
4. Single Premium Life Insurance: basically you make a lump sum deposit payment and do not have to make premium payments for the remainder of your policy; and this type of insurance can also be used as a collateral against a loan.
5. Universal Life Insurance: is similar but more flexible than whole life insurance.  You can choose how much of your premium goes towards your policy and how much goes into your interest gaining savings account.
6. Variable Life Insurance: is the most robust and flexible policy available with a guaranteed minimum pay-out.

Wow ! That’s a lot of different types of life insurance ! Of course every country and insurance provider has other types of policies also available but like I said – this is just a gist.

I know most people my age haven’t even given a thought to life insurance policies.  I’m fortunate that my parents have secured my future by having purchased the relevant policies.  That also means that they have thought about how to provide my siblings and I with financial stability after they die ! My parents have obviously planned well in advance; but with me turning 30 in a few months – I’ve not even thought about securing the future of my going-to-be children.  Sometimes I wonder how we as the new generation will survive ?

Whilst browsing around, I came across the Insurance Information Institute which has a plethora of information that helps one understand what types of insurance are available and what they all incorporate.  Do check it out when you get a chance.

What are your thoughts on the subject ? Have you got your life insurance sorted out or have your parents done that for you ? Do you know if your parents / guardian has taken out a life insurance policy for you?  If you don’t have any life insurance, how likely are you to take a policy ?

I realize none of us want to think about death – but it is inevitable and we should start thinking about whether ‘our death would leave anyone in financial difficulty?’ … if the answer is yes (and it could be your spouse, partner, family, siblings, even children) .. then I suppose its time to look into getting some Life Insurance !

Further Reading

1. Are You Protected Enough ? in Business Today
2. For the Recently Widowed, Some Big Financial Pitfalls to Avoid by Ron Lieber for the NY Times
3. Tracking Down and Collecting Unclaimed Life Insurance by Paul Sullivan for the NY Times
4. Consider Keeping Life Insurance by Anne Tergesen for The Wall Street Journal
5. Scared to Death of Life Insurance 

lack of time life random thoughts such is life time flies

I can’t believe we’re already in the first week of October !  In some ways I feel like the year has literally flown by .. and the past 2 weeks … I don’t know where they went !

In India there have have been 2 long weekends; 26th – 28th September and 1st-3rd October .. and I was working through BOTH of them …. Highly productive for me, but draining at the same time.

I also feel like I’ve been on a bit of a roller coaster the last few weeks … It’s been incident after incident that’s been hitting me in the face and on some level it has obviously  affected me.

My colleague AA – who I have mentioned a few times before -  left the company on 23rd September.  I knew for months that he was looking at a change in jobs and when he finally made the decision to move – as much as I was expecting it – it was a surprise and upsetting.  Not only would I lose a great colleague to work with – but also one of the first ‘friends’ I had made within my office.  I have worked with him for exactly 2 years and the office feels weird without him sitting behind me.  

24th September was the mark of 2 years of me having worked with my current employer … Normally such things are celebratory for me – but it actually slipped my mind … till the end of the day … I realised that over the years I have made an effort to remember any significant dates that hold meaning to those close to me … and funnily enough – other than my birthday – I can’t say that anyone has gone out of their way to remember something significant to me.

6th October was emotionally numbing ! My boss, mentor, and friend – HA – announced his departure from the company (ok he didn’t but our CEO said it on his behalf) ! I was in shock – so much so that I had to excuse myself, grab some tissue and dab away at my eyes … and then of course got on the phone with HA who was laughing at my reaction.

I spent a great deal of time with him in his cabin and we were just generally talking about what his plans were and how he is going to take things forward in his life.  It’s a new beginning for him and I’m very happy for him because I know that he has the Midas Touch :)

Taking these two departures into consideration, I am left wondering ‘so what now for me’ …

 

blogging blogs feelings life love perceptions reflections relationships serendipity thoughts universe writing

Do you know what the word Serendipity means ?  It’s such a sweet sounding word right ?  It means – a fortunate accident.  Dictionary.com describes it as an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.   Wikipedia states Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.

 

I was flicking channels earlier today and came across the movie Serendipity – which is a movie that I’ve always been fascinated by.  I watched it – after quite a few years; and it mad me smile back to a few incidents over the past few months; and made me very glad for my actions of last night.

 

Quite a few months back – I met SK – and it was an entirely random encounter.  We had met online; got talking online; eventually graduated to text messages and then finally on the phone.  We had not ‘met’ each other as yet.  So we met.  We had planned to go for a long drive and just chat.  Driving anywhere in Bombay can become a long drive – but we were being adventurous – let’s go somewhere else.

 

I basically drove almost 100 km outside of the city limits with a complete and utter stranger who I did not know anything about aside from what he had told me online and on texts etc.   I even lay flat down on the curve of an uphill road risking being run over by cars that could be driving around.

 

The reason I tell you about SK is because he introduced me to the concept of metaphysics.  You have probably heard the term – but may not know about it  - I was pretty clueless about the subject myself.   SK has now started a Blog which I would definitely recommend checking out when you get a chance.

 

Here’s an excerpt from his blog which really touched something inside of me.  I have been feeling restless and slightly incomplete; in the sense that I have been wanting to do something but haven’t done it – and after reading SK’s blog – I knew I just had to do whatever it was that was on my mind.

 

Whether its praise, love, criticism, money, time, space, power, punishment, sorrow, laughter, care, pain, or pleasure… the more you give the more you will receive..

So indulgence is the best thing to do…

Don’t say No… Just go into it and experience the moment….

It’s just being like a river… Following a direction … keep flowing… you may wander different routes but you will reach the ocean at last (that’s the goal)… but if you go stagnant… there will be dirt settling over you….

A flowing river always depicts strength, beauty, health, and freshness…
So we just need to flow… Never stop… do everything that comes your way… coz if it’s come in your way… It’s for you…

 

Pretty deep huh ?  As I said – these words struck a chord somewhere inside of me; and that in turn has helped me settle the internal volley of words going on inside of my head and I have finally taken my own self-advice.

 

I emailed the man.  I just put my thoughts out on paper (well on gmail) and have sent it across to him via cyber space and told him how I feel and that it would be nice to know how he feels about the situation.   I don’t know if I will hear from him; if he will ever respond; but at least I have done what I had to do and told him.  Now it’s up to life – fate – destiny – karma – whatever you want to call it – to determine the outcome.

 

I sent that email around 4 a.m yesterday; and now I feel like my Facebook status … I am letting myself go to the universal energy flows … wonder what this ride is gonna be like !!

 

The series of events which led me to send that email included having written the email almost 3 weeks ago but never actually sending it out; then reading SK’s blog the night before; finally being able to just send the email out; and to top it off – watching the movie Serendipity today post the email etc. 

 

Here’s a memorable quote from the movie which I feel sums up how I feel about my actions.

 

Life is not merely a series of meaningless accidents or coincidences, but rather, it's a tapestry of events that culminate in an exquisite sublime plan.

blogging blogs cricket life movies rambling reflections Scrubs tv shows writing

Morning all !!

 

It’s 6:00 a.m. in Mumbai and I’m wide awake ….I haven’t gone to bed as yet from last night.  I’m feeling slightly better.  Can’t believe I stayed home on a Friday night … then again in the condition I’m in – what else could I do ??

 

NC has been hanging out with me almost every day since I’ve been unwell … we chill; catch up over random gossip; make our future business plans and tonight – we totally vegetated having my place all to ourselves.

 

For all the cricket lovers out there – and NC is quite the cricket fan (guys – grab this girl now – you won’t find anyone else who might tolerate sports !!) … We watched the 2nd half of the first semi-final round between The Delhi Daredevils and Deccan Chargers of the IPL T20 series taking place in South Africa.   It turned out to be quite a fast paced match which was good for me and very exciting for the crowd watching it live.   I’m not a huge cricket fan – however since the T20 is much shorter than regular cricket and this was a heated match – the highlights are so worth watching ! Especially Adam Gilchrist – wow he can bat !!!

 

Then we debated over which movie to watch … and I won’t even begin to tell you which one we did end up watching .. If I told you – I might never live the teasing down – so I will keep that a secret between NC and myself … but maybe if my meds kick in much later – I will let you know.

 

At about 2 a.m NC decides she has to go home – despite the fact that she quite literally lives 2 minutes away from my place if we had to drive; or about 2 blocks / 400 meters …. So drove her back home in my PJ’s.  For a Friday night – the roads resembled ghost town.  I wonder if something happened last night.

 

Came back home, and nowhere close to being tired (could’ve been the green tea that gave me some energy) – started watching the TV show Scrubs.   Now, I’m down 10 episodes in Season 3 and wishing you all a Very Good Morning !!!

advice blogging blogs emotions experience friends life lifestyle people perceptions reflections writing

Sometimes I give myself admirable advice, but I am incapable of taking it. Mary Wortley Montagu

 

I came across this quote a few days ago and had even applied it to my FaceBook status update.  I found myself agreeing to this quote quite  a lot.  Even funnier so was that I was almost ‘admitting’ to all out there on FB world that apparently I’m incapable of taking some of my own ‘good’ advice.  Even more ironic is the fact that there are quite a few people within my social circle who tend to talk to me about any personal / work related hang-ups, or issues; or come to me to vent as such.

 

As an individual, I am very laid back.  I take things as they are – for face value – and avoid passing judgement on the actions or words of an individual until I can verify my doubts myself.  I am an open book to those who care to read into the chapters, pages and paragraphs that me the person that I am today.  For those who are cursory readers and are just shifting to pass time; they find themselves drawn back every now and then – after enjoying their experience of discovering me.

 

The men and women that I know – I feel - can comfortably have a conversation with me about just any topic under the sun.  My openness to people and attitude stems from the fact that in the past 27 years; my first breath was taken in a London, UK hospital; during my developing years I attended 3 different schools (junior, middle & high school) all of which were of different teaching styles (British, Indian & International syllabus!) in Dubai, UAE; went to university in Montreal, Canada, ; started my career in London, UK and have spent the last 1.5 years in Mumbai, India. 

 

I am a Hindu Punjabi girl, born to a Punjabi father & Marwadi mother; hold a British passport and nationality; lived in 4 different countries and continents; travelled & visited 13 countries and 54 cities across continents.  I speak, read & write French and Arabic better than Hindi (which I can only speak BTW although I did try to learn it during one of my summer vacations)

 

During the years of 18 and 25 I have lived away from home, away from my parents, and in two different continents – university and my career.  I moved to India recently (emotional black mail from my mom) to look at a bigger market for my career; enjoy living back at home and just getting spoiled after slogging my ass off the last few years; and for the sake of avoiding conflicts – as far as my mother goes – me living at home – gives her and my maternal relatives the chance to ‘get me married’ !

 

I have truly grown up as a multi-cultural individual.  This makes me different.  Sometimes a stand-out from the crowd.  I’m a brown person in the land of my roots and origins of ancestors; and any local within a 20 foot radius of me would be able to point-me-out and tell you that I was a ‘foreigner’, ‘not really Indian’, ‘NRI’.  I swear – it’s like a giant invisible stamp that everyone but I can see ! LOL

 

Maybe it’s the clothes.  Or the accent.  Quite likely it could be my accent.  As soon as I open my mouth to speak Hindi – it’s this quasi Indian with a twang of Brit & Canadian coming out – getting genders mixed up. Although I must admit, when I’m at my angriest best – my Hindi is pretty much on the ball and about 100% accurate – especially with the swear words hehe.  Most recently I was told it could be the style of my hair-cuts (I tend to experiment – not drastically but enough to draw some attention hehe)

 

The point of all this background waffle is for you to just get a bit of an understanding of how and where I grew up.  I’ll leave it to your imagination to just try and figure out the adventures I must have grown up with =)  

 

Please feel free to take a break and just think about my life and what it must have been like growing up.  Also this looks like it’s going to be a long post – so a great time for bathroom / coffee / stretch break !

Now that you’ve had a few minutes to digest all that I’ve had to say … you can probably see why my friends come to me for advice or just to have a tete-a-tete or a pure out-and-out bitching session.  One of my mates MD from London calls me ‘Doc’ .. I think it suits me sometimes ! (although I would never be able to be a surgical doctor – couldn’t cut someone up !)

 

So how does all of this relate to the quote that I like ?? 

Basically – I am the type of person who looks at breaking down a problem; looking at it from both perspectives and I’ll play devils’ advocate – I won’t just say something just because you want to hear it – that’s not what friends do.   When talking to a friend about their problems – this works well and shows them another perspective to the issue and helps them assess their own feelings again.

 

Now if I have to solve my ‘own problems’ – wow that’s another story altogether.  Due to my methodology described above – and if I’m unable to get in touch of my own handful of problem solvers (I love these guys & gals to bits!) – then I’m left to my own devices which means I am often unable or even incapable of taking my own advice !!

 

How it works is that – I will end up having a conversation all by myself – and like a tennis volley – will banter through both parties thoughts and vocalise this to myself.  Instead of me necessarily bringing the point up with the person that I’m having a problem with – I would have debated and hashed it out by myself – and thus also have managed to refrain from creating any bad blood between that person and I.

Sometimes this works wonders for me.  It’s easier especially when you can be assured that the other person is never actually going to understand your view point because they are mentally just not ready to accept anything beyond their personal experiences and understanding.   Sometimes obviously this is not the best way to deal with things especially here in Mumbai at least – the locals love a good gossip – so really this just gives that person an added reason to splash some gossip on you or the issue between the two of you. 

 

I may not care about it – but then I get told off by my more sensible friends such as PK that I shouldn’t give anyone reason to gossip about me anyway.  But I honestly just don’t care.  That  person is quite unlikely to be in my TOP 10 Friend List right if they were gossiping about me !!??!!

At other times – especially when the issue or problem for me is more tilted towards any sort of ‘emotion’ and any emotion pertaining towards a man that I might be interested in – and I mean ‘really’ interested and not one of those ‘oh he’s quite hot men’; then I am a complete and absolute chicken-shit ! 

 

It’s not that I can’t go up to men and talk to them or lay out my intentions and even emotions.  I can do that.  It’s just sometimes – well most recently this happened – where I was just not able to take my  own advice.  I don’t know how or why !  It was like I just wanted to avoid all the tension and drama involved with battling out emotions !

Most men are just not ready to accept and deal with someone else’s emotion towards them because they haven’t had time to assess their own emotional stability levels from whatever scars that remain from past relationships; or whatever burried insecurity issues they might be withholding.

 

Although eventually I did pick up the phone and call the man that was causing me to go through an emotional roller coaster ride – I made sure that PK was on the other line with me just keeping my conversation in check.   The final issue was resolved over MSN (hey I  never said it had to be done on the phone or in person hehe and this guy lives overseas); and PK (bless her!) was on the phone with me still – telling me – stay calm, it’s a stupid reason but stay calm !! and then she says ‘just tell him how you feel, let it out of your system and end the conversation’

And that’s exactly what I did.  So now my self-advice to myself is having an internal debate on the fact that the man in question has not really acknowledged what I’ve had to say to him; we have spoken again a few times but it’s not come up; his reasons could be a plenty – between his business and some personal commitments – perhaps he hasn’t got the time; maybe he has thought about it and doesn’t quite know what to do about it; maybe he thinks I’m completely loopy; or maybe he didn’t even realise what I told him since our whole conversation was really about an arguement we’d both had.  Do I call him and ask him about it; do I write to him and ask him ? Should I bother bringing it up ?  Or just not bother at all ?  Maybe I’ll just wait a few weeks and give him some breathing space to deal with our fight and what we discussed as well.  But then is that waiting too long ?

Personally I rather get it out of my system right now and call him and tell him.  But …… but …. I might fumble my words on the phone !  And I don’t know when the hell he would check his email.  Actually he would check it – but his response is most likely to be on an MSN conversation or on text message.  He’s a complex character – maybe he needs just a bit more time.  I did send him a DVD of his brother’s wedding – he’d messaged me a few days ago to let me know he received it and would watch it when he got a chance.  Still not heard back about that either – then again haven’t had internet connection for two days now.

 

Now do you see what I mean ?? I can play devils’ bloody advocate quite well and hence at this very moment – am quite incapable of taking my own advice =(

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Good Morning Blogsville !

It’s 09:23 in Mumbai, India on a Friday morning, and I’m sitting in bed, typing away.

I couldn’t sleep very much last night – surprising as I had a really long day, and have been avoiding a splitting migraine for the past 2 days.  Not to mention that I’m working on an event today as well.  Reporting in at 12:30 – so I’ve got time.  And I can already feel the beginnings of a migraine.

Ate something – but so far, it’s not helping.  Might just put some Tiger Oil or Roll-On which is made with Eucalyptus oil – my life savers when I can’t find a pain killer for the migraines.

I took a leisurely stroll through the neighbourhood yesterday, and found myself fascinated by some of what I came across.

A little while into my stroll, I bumped into a new face who looked like he was moving into the neighbourhood Mr J Patel, and it was over by Simply Ridiculous cafe that I overhead him discussing Why Evolution & Natural Selection Don’t Make Sense …

On the way back home, I literally Found Shit !!  A really cool site with some funky images with cheeky tag-lines !  Some can get the creative juices flowing.  I’m just going to point out a pic or two that caught my attention.

I’ll Need  A Paper Clip

 

Croissant Kitty

 

Lifebouy Soap Ad : ‘You Eat What You Touch’

There’s quite a bit more that I came across but haven’t had the chance to be able to put it all across ! It’s already 11:36 a.m now – I’ve been surfing online trying to hunt back all the great spots I found last night – but was too sleepy to bookmark all.

I have to rush to work now – so will let you know how the awards go this evening !

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I’ve been doing a lot of online lurking lately and really just losing myself into a whole other literary world out there in cyberspace.

A couple of days ago – I came across this website, Bloggers Choice Awards which quite appealed to me.  I got down to thinking … so I’ve been writing for a little while now – nothing OTT; not obsessively – just whenever I get the chance … and I’ve been getting some  really good feedback and reviews via Link Referral … so I thought .. Why Not ??

After all – what have I got to lose ? I must be doing something right – I’ve got 29 neighbours who are willing to drop by and check on how things are going on my end; to gather up a bit of info from my insights into life; not to mention quite a few hundred passerby’s over a period of few months.  So really it can’t be all that bad to register myself as a Blog to consider … right ??

So can you imagine my sigh of pleasure when I noticed that my neighbour over at BusinessVartha Street had left me a note on another post and had basically voted for my blog !! I got my FIRST vote  - and it wasn’t ‘me’ voting for ‘me’ ! Woooooohoooooo !!!

Now I’m going to do some shameless self-promotion – and ask all of my neighbours – to consider voting for my blog which has been nominated for Best Humour Blog and Best Blog About Stuff.

 

You don’t have to vote.  Only if you feel like it.   You will vote for me .. right ?  Ok.  At least pretend you voted for me then for the sake of my ego.

 

p.s. if you have been nominated; or have been inspired to participate – then please let me know so I can go and drop my support to you =)

Technorati Tags: blogs,blogging,blogger choice awards,awards,competition,writing

blogging blogs human nature life love poems poetry thoughts writing

The heart says
Look here ....
The head says
No, look there ...

The head and heart
all part of the same body
but are practically
miles apart

The head
seeks structure
The heart
craves adventure

Sometimes, I believe
the head and heart
want the same thing

But with a deep sigh,
as if weighed down,
the heart must listen
to the head

Why does the
head and heart
battle so ?

blogging blogs electronics gadgets laptops life love perception writing

It’s been just over 2 years since I found what most would describe as ‘love’. When I first encountered this emotion – I was confused; ecstatic and elated all at the same time.

We spent almost all our waking moments together and if that wasn’t enough to smother us - the nights as well.

Alas like all good things, the honeymoon period often comes to an end. The last year has been a roller coaster journey – trying to smoothen out any glitches, determining where our compatibilities have gone wrong, and what could be done to fix the issues.

Work was taking a toll on both of us – the long hours, the stress and strain of daily commuting – conversation seemed to just revolve around ‘work’. We even tried to take a few short breaks – just a little getaway so that the days didn’t begin with a frantic rush to check emails ! The only use for touching the laptop would be to update our FaceBook status; upload new photos from the holiday or listen to some tunes.

But there was still a strain … the relationship was getting older, the hums of the past were now a buzzing sound to my ears; the lazy morning stretch to start up was now just frustrating; even more annoying now was that I could ‘see’ him just zoning off and switching off without notice causing embarrassment amongst my friends. Just how often could I keep explaining why he would switch off from a conversation !

I was even finding myself distracted by others – it was as if temptation had embedded itself into me … I tried not to look – the loyal person that I am – but with so many new faces suddenly giving me the attention that I had been missing out on – it was hard not to do …

I even thought of therapy – counselling of sorts – maybe we just needed a different perspective. After a few months of therapy, I realised there was only one way to go … we needed to part ways …

It was difficult to do as there was so much that we had shared together … Then the painful process of dividing and taking back our personal belongings. It took hours to sort out. I even drove to see him leave … this was yesterday …

When he was out of my line of vision – I turned back towards my car – and it felt like I had been struck by lightening in broad day light. The vision that had been tempting me for months now – I saw him ever so often and would avoid eye contact. But today – I could not avoid it – as he was staring right at me.

I took a deep breath – and calmly walked over – checking him out. He just stood there – sleek and trim – with the air of one who knows he has it all going on for him. I never thought I would say these words – but I did.

‘How Much ?’

Was I that desperate ? Did I really need to do this ? Couldn’t I just wait ??

I took the cash out of my wallet – and handed it over along with my home address. ‘Meet me in an hour – I’ll be waiting for you’.

I wasn’t disappointed. He turned up. Looking even better than he did when I saw him earlier.

Have a look and tell me what you think ….

I found love in the latest Dell Inspiron 15.6” with a 350GB HD and 3GB Ram :)

What were YOU thinking :P

blogging blogs interpretations life poems poetry reflections thoughts writing

I find myself at a cross road
With no signs
With no directions
Which way shall I go ?

To move ahead
They say one should
Not look back
Lest you lag behind

North or South
East or West
How do I decide
Which route is best ?

blogging blogs life perceptions reflections thoughts

I’ve closed my eyes – and I’m going to let the words just flow naturally … I don’t quite know what I want to say nor am I sure how I am going to do this …

My eyelids feel heavy … I can feel my head start to tilt to the side – the heaviness in my body starts to come out … I just got lost in some thoughts that took me on anther trip altogether .. Maybe I even dozed off for a few minutes …

It feels like I’m about to lose myself … maybe it’s just temporary – or perhaps I am really losing myself … but wouldn’t you have to have found yourself in the first place to have lost yourself ?

Note:

I wrote this on 21st April but had no access to Internet so couldn't post it sooner.

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I've been having a series of extremely violent dreams over the last few days. I don't quite know 'why'

It's not even a sequence - they are random; involving different people that I know; in locations from my past that I haven't been to in years; the fact that the dream occurs in such a haphazard manner is enough to leave me jolting awake !

The Turbulence Begins

I was transported back to my old bedroom in Dubai; a fairly large room with a king size bed in the middle; two side dressers; a built-in triple white floor to ceiling wardrobe on the right (if you are looking at the bed from the door); another triple maroon wardrobe directly in front of the bed; a home entertainment unit next to it with TV & stereo; a computer desk and study table on the left side of the bed; and a glass sliding door that opens into a small balcony. The balcony overlooks the garden, a brick patio directly below and main road facing, there is also a deep ledge with gaps in the middle going out to the end of the villa wall.

I was sitting in my room with some of my nieces - the young ones, aged 1 to 2.5 years and just generally chilling out with them. I'm not quite sure what triggered me but I felt something was wrong; there was a knock at my door. The door which is a solid brown wood door; was actually different in my dream - it had some bars on the top half of the door so one could see who was outside and a vent style grill at the bottom of the door.

There were two maybe three men at the door; and they were trying to get into the room. They can see us - we can see them. There is a shutter over the grill as well. Something wasn't right and I didn't want the guys to come into the room. I saw something in one of their hands - it looked like a butcher knife which had a sinister gleam to it. They kept trying to open the door; and push open the shutter. They kept insisting it was for our own good for us to get out - but they kept pointing at the kids. I didn't like that.

The nanny for the kids was in the room too - and I kept pointing her to the balcony and telling her to figure out a way to get out. There were people on the patio - who didn't seem to be aware of what was going on inside the house. However they realized that there was an urgency in the situation and that I was trying to get the kids out of the room. There was havoc in the room; imagine banging on the door with loud yells; the kids frightened and starting to cry; and me trying to give instructions to the nanny on how to get the kids out. Tie the sheets together against the balcony railings and slide down if you must but get the hell out of this room !!!

The men at this point outside my door - had now managed to break the shutter and could see everything that was going on inside the room; they were trying to break their way into the room; I could see the wood shattering; and the grill vent being worked on - the screws holding it in place were falling onto the carpet and very soon these men could be in the room.

I must have pushed, shoved, at these men and their hands that were trying to get a grip onto me as I was literally at the door. When the grill vent came off; one of the hands attached itself onto my calves and I had to stamp it away with my free leg ! A smoke bomb went off from out of nowhere - and my eyes were beginning to water. The kids were out of the room; and on the patio; the nanny was on her way out; and I was trying to do the same.

The room was larger than life all of a sudden and it felt like a lifetime to get towards the balcony. I kept trying to call the local service (don't ask why I was calling the telephone operator of Mumbai when I was apparently at my old house in Dubai) to get the number for the Police. Yes it's true - I don't actually have the Police contact number in Mumbai !! My hands were shaky; they were even bleeding slightly - maybe from struggling at the door earlier; and I just couldn't get in touch with the operator.

Then it happened - I fell to the floor - one of the men had squeezed through the grill and gotten into the room and had rammed me to the ground. After much ground wrestling - I managed to get my hands on something - a pen if I recall correctly - and used it to jab this man in the eye !!! And I kept jabbing; and pushing this pen - nib side by the way - in to his eye ! Enough to make a grown man squeal at least. All the while - worrying that the other men outside the door would enter too !!

I heard the thundering smack of the door against my dressing table which is behind the door - and that's when I woke up !! It was relatively early in the morning; and I had to go wash my face to get out of that nightmare mode ! And guess what - my damn eye was stinging me !! It felt like something went in my eye - and I swear I thought I saw a pen mark - a little dot - in my eye somewhere ! Karma maybe ?? But what the hell did I do ???

May I need some of these Bad Dream Sprinkles !

One of the first things I did once I was awake and functioning, was get the contact numbers of the Police, and Emergency services.

blogging blogs life people reflections thoughts yawning yawns

That got your attention right :P

NC and I were driving back home in the confines of my car a few days back and I let out a yawn; which quite naturally made NC yawn - and this little saga continued until we both got to discussing 'Why do we yawn'.

I began telling her about my recent readings from articles that basically suggested that the reason behind a yawn was for our bodies to take in more oxygen to awaken our senses. Therefore yawning did not imply that we were bored but in fact should be taken as a compliment as we want to be more alert.

Her retort to this, 'So why would that make people around you yawn then'; to which I really had no 'real' answer ... She must have mulled over this for a few minutes and then looks over at me, and with a straight face says 'I was yawning because You STOLE my oxygen' !!! (as I was the one who started the yawning hysteria in the car)

This was just Priceless !!! And I did tell her that I would blog about this - and finally today I have :)

Now this topic of Yawning has been on the back of mind for a few weeks; it so happens that whenever I am having a chat with my boss HA, I happen to yawn - and honestly it's not because I'm bored or not interested in the conversation; it just happens !! And he makes it a point to always point it out and teases me about this.

Secondly, there have been a few articles floating about on MSN about yawning and the reasons behind yawning. Do you know that scientists still do not know the REAL reason we yawn ?? Funny isn't it ??

Did you know that there are 3 Theories to Yawning ?? I didn't until I looked it up ...

1. The Physiological Theory - Our bodies yawn to drawn in more oxygen or remove a build-up of carbon dioxide. This theory helps explain why we yawn in groups. Larger groups produce more carbon dioxide, which means our bodies would act to draw in more oxygen and get rid of the excess carbon dioxide.
   
2. The Evolution Theory - Some think that yawning is something that began with our ancestors, who used yawning to show their teeth and intimidate others. An offshoot of this theory is the idea that in ancient times especially in villages found in the forest areas, yawning was an indicator that it was time for everyone to retire and go to bed so as to be wary of night predators - so in essence a form of synchronizing time.
   
3. The Boredom Theory - The dictionary describes yawning as 'to open the mouth wide with a deep inhalation, usually involuntarily from drowsiness, fatigue, or boredom'. Most of us do tend to yawn when bored or tired, however this theory doesn't explain why Olympic athletes yawn right before they compete in their event.

So there you go - some theories that we probably knew about in some way or form but may not have known they were actually addressed. Humans yawn; animals yawn; babies yawn; even 11 week old fetus yawn ! Now that was a shocker !

I have already yawned at least half a dozen times between the time I started writing this blog; looking up some facts and checking out the amazing animal yawning images that can be found on Google .

What about you ? Did you yawn ? If you did - its the power of suggestion apparently ! Even reading about yawning can make people yawn ! How cool is that ??

And just in case, you are not already 'all yawned out' - check these articles out ... Happy Yawning !

• Why Do I Yawn ?
• The Truth About Yawning
  
• Why Do We Yawn in Yoga ?

beats blogging blogs dance dancing life music rhythm salsa thoughts

I went out dancing the other night with my friend YK - not the regular 'let's go to a club and bop around' but something more demanding; more sensuous and that requires energy and attitude ... Salsa !

If you don't know what Salsa is - Salsa dancing mixes African and European dance influences through the music and dance fusions that are the roots of Salsa: SonGuaguancó, Rumba, Boogaloo, Pachanga, Guaracha, Plena, Bomba.

The dance boasts of infinite breathtakingly intricate patterns and combinations; whilst spins and turns form an inherent part of salsa dancing !

Have you ever danced the Salsa ?? Have you ever watched two people Salsa Dancing? Simply put - isn't it just mesmerizing ? Everytime I watch couples doing the salsa, it seems magical and liberating all at the same time !

It's a different kick altogether once you're on the dance floor - especially with a good partner. Haven't you ever noticed that people tend to eye the 'best dancers' in a club ? Don't you wish sometimes YOU were that dancer and have eyes on you ? (or maybe I just love the attention hehe)

I've always been attracted to good dancers - it's just one of those things that I find appealing in an individual (male or female - and no I am not attracted to women - but am the first to appreciate and acknowledge a good looking woman). It just blows my mind that someone can lead me on the dance floor and just let me let go of myself ! After a tough day at work; the best remedy is a great dance partner.

I must have noticed YK the first time perhaps over a year ago when I used to go to a bar that hosted Salsa sessions on Sundays. My cousin NM (not NC this time) and I always had our eye on him - and were taken aback that there were men in this city that could just move the way he was doing !

A few months ago - another friend AB was visiting from Paris and I had gone to attend a party hosted by him - and bumped into YK out there. Aside from AB - I didn't know anyone out there - and typical of myself - I found myself chatting to YK and next thing I knew - we were strutting our moves in the middle of the living room which was our makeshift dancefloor ! Since then, I discovered that YK is friends with a colleague at work; and we developed our own rapport.

For anyone that knows me - salsa has been a form of dancing that has interested me for years ... I'm not a professional nor do I confess to be on par with any regular dancers but I'm pretty good if I must say so myself.

So when YK suggested a bout of salsa dancing - I didn't hesitate to say 'yes' !! We went down to a chill out bar / lounge near my workplace, and settled down with a Cosmo for me; a Chenin Blanc for him; and just let the music settle in. After half our drinks were done, we went onto the dance floor - or rather - he led me onto the dance floor.

I felt slightly rusty (who wouldn't after not dancing for a few years - although I try to practice with another friend HRH whevever given the chance) and a bit inadequate as I was wearing flat slippers and had left my heels in the car. Even though YK was willing for me to go back to the car and get the much needed heels - I thought to myself - doens't matter - just dance =)

And we did ! In fact we were the first pair on the dance floor as the bar was quite empty at the time. It was a much needed adrenalin rush after the last few weeks and especially after the annoying turn of events on Tuesday ! I must have let myself go completely (a bit too much as I did mess up a few steps LOL and the gent that YK is - he never let on) and just lose myself in the arms of a partner who knew how to twist and turn my body in ways only a professional gymnast could do ! I surprised myself at actually being able to do the moves - but hell if I can do them with HRH - then I can do the same with YK - just need to get used to YK =)

For the next hour or so - it was just about enjoying the music and being entralled by the couples who were dancing ! It humbles you watching others move ever so gracefully; with passion in every step; a teasing glint in the eye daring their partner to take each step just a bit further; watching the fall of a womans' hair whilst being dipped (YK you need to dip me too) !

At the end of the night - we agreed that we must do this more often - especially since it was so close by to my work. In fact NC and another friend SJ are also meant to join us one of these coming weeks =)

My evening ended on a superbly high note and I slept like a baby after working the dancing muscles that were in need of some exercise =)

Funnily enough - and I just noticed the coincidence right now - the first person I ever danced to salsa with (and what a night it was) has the initials KY and - it so happens that my current dance partner is YK. I find that quite cool - maybe it means something =)

The above image is a print by Jennifer Goldberger

life rambling reflections thoughts

I don't know if I'm irritated at a particular situation or if I couldn't care any less - it's not like there were any expectations from my end. It's like a constant battle of the sexes to even determine a path of friendship.

Some days I feel that the people of this city have an inbred gene that just causes confusion when mingling with a member of the opposite sex and managing to just royally f**k up what could be a great friendship.

I feel like I have no thoughts ... but I can see the words swimming in my mind ... I just can't form them right now ... so many words, so many phrases, so many interpretations ...

When I close my eyes - my eyelids feel heavy ... feels like an intense pain in the middle of my brows; that excitement that one feels on a whooshing roller coaster - that's how my brows feel right now - especially when I turn my head from side-to-side.

Am not quite sure which direction to turn - quite literally ... even now I wonder what I should do ... I want to leave - I just don't know when or how ... I know 'how' but I don't know 'when' ... When is a good time I wonder ? Or maybe there never is a good time .. maybe there is just the 'time' ...

I found the image on another blog 'A Beautiful Revolution' ... check it out :)

car park cars cousins found humour life lost office people reflections thoughts work

.... and I'm trying to find time to actually create a new blog post.

Yesterday, was an ordinary day compared to most days - but when I reflect back on it - was it really ? NC & I finished up at the office after working on a presentation that seemed to be able to generate more information than one could actually collate and summarize ! We stepped out; and asked the security desk if my car had come out to the front.

Backtracking a little - in our office complex, there is space for employee parking which is a couple of hundred meters away from the actual office and amidst this barren landscape currently being used a parking complex of sorts. It's always dusty out there; and the never ending construction ensures that all cars are covered in a thin (if you're lucky) layer of grit. If one ever decides that they need to clean up the windshield; the muddy residues is what would welcome you !

Back to what I was saying - so yes, since the parking spot is quite far off and my regular driver has now been officially fired (no it wasn't because of recession but more for his rudeness & inability to inform me that he would not be coming into work !!) - it's quite a walk in scorching temperatures; whirlwinds of dust; construction workers staring at every passing female like a piece of meat; and not to mention the handful of items that I have to carry on a daily basis - the essentials - laptop; handbag and lunch !

The security guards at my office are really sweet - and happily offer to park my car once I pull up to the main office and then on some days when I'm lucky - they even arrange for one of the other drivers to bring my car back up front before I'm ready to leave for the day ... *sigh* ... one of the perks of being in Mumbai ...

Anyway my point was that yesterday was not one my lucky days and the guards asked me to make my way to the car park and get my car as there were no drivers around - which is not a problem at all - so both NC and I walked off having a chat - and carried all our things with us (despite my suggestion of leaving it in the office lobby and coming back with the car so that we wouldn't have to carry it) ... Crossing into the car park - we notice that one whole side has been dug up (this city is forever under construction!) - nevertheless we plod on and head towards the general direction where my car would normally be parked ... we get the LAST row of the damn car park !!!

It's quite dark out here - there are no lights - and with all the construction work and dust flying around - we can't see my car .... hit the unlock button on my keys and no sign of any light anywhere ... we walked around a little bit and the whole time - I'm looking at NC saying 'great where the f**k is my car ?? seriously how does one lose a car ??' ...

NC who is forever on her spiritual trip - kept telling me not to worry and that I was doing a good job not getting mad at anyone ... so we decided to walk back to the office and figure out where the car was ... Get back to the front door and another guard says 'oh madam - but your car is just here on the side' ... that ofcourse got my blood rushing so we walked over to the side of our office and still NO CAR !! ...

Where oh where could my little car be ?
Where oh where is thee ?

Yup - I've bunged up the nursery rhyme but that's how I felt !!!

The guards are now in slight state of panic and confusion and telling me to relax and that they would go and find the car .... we both have a seat in the lobby and are just waiting .... I need to let out some frustration so instead of raising my blood pressure - I decide to munch on an apple (healthy option yeaaaah)

I think we were there for about 10 minutes or what felt like about half an hour - and eventually my car turned up ! They found my car =)

What a relief !! Turns out due to construction work - the parking spots were moved around and my car had been parked up on one side of the complex that I would never have thought to go and check out !

Which reminds me - the guards parked my car again for me today - I better call them and ask them to bring it out front for me otherwise it'll be lost again !!

blog template blogging blogs cute boys general guys heat html internet interpretations life personal rambling reflections relationships scribbles sms society thoughts weather

Am not quite sure what I want to write about today - but I want to make sure I get into the habit of writing as often as possible - so for now will just scribble some thoughts that crossed my mind ...

My eyes hurt from looking at the laptop surfing the internet all day ... actually all week ... I spend at least 14 hours a day looking at the screen - at work and at home ! They feel kind of gritty, and it hurts to splash cold water on them ... eye drops aren't helping ... I should put myself out of this misery !

The recession is now starting to pinch my pockets =( I don't like that feeling at all ... I like being able to do something, anything without having to think twice about whether I have enough for a rainy day - because I normally do ! and now I don't .. well not as much as I want =(

Went out last night with a girlfriend and there were a limited number of guys that could even be referred to as eye candy ! How sad is that ! and we were looking really good ... Met one cute guy, got his number, but he was quite buzzed - even messaged him today - and no reply ... could he have been that drunk / stoned or a combination of both ?

Maybe it's just me - but there aren't very many 'quality' good men in Mumbai ? Most of the good looking guys open their mouths and I want to shove cotton wool into my ears as the accent or poor use of vocabulary hurts too much ! Or they turn out to be alcoholics in the making competing with their friends in who gets wasted the quickest ! Instant turn-off !! uggghhh !!

The other category of guys - who have good looks, personality, and vocabulary skills - fall within your social circle - and are therefore untouchable ... or are they are really ?? Actually this is a good topic for another post - stay tuned for more !

It's too hot !! The weather is getting more and more humid ! Stayed indoors today in the comfort of my A/C - I don't mean to harm the environment but the heat will give me migraines and that's a pain I can't bare to take after the few weeks that I've gone through !

I wish I knew how to change my blog template ... I've found a few that I like but haven't been able to make them work ... hmmm will have to ask one of my more HTML-savvy friends to look into this for me ...

I spent a lot of time today just browsing various blogs, commenting on them, learning new perceptions and view points, and thinking of how I could use those topics as inspiration for new posts ... I have yet to write this ... but my eyes are really hurting now !!

I just got a text message / SMS that made me smile - thanks YK !! if only we were not buddies .. you could be my Latin Lover and I, your Dancing Diva =P

Maybe I'll go to bed now ...

family Friday Friday the 13th life observations reflections superstition thoughts

Yes I'm aware I'm posting this on the 14th and not the 13th ... It just so happens that since the day before I've been noticing all these 'signs' referring to Friday the 13th .. and just now as I was on LR checking out some new blogs, yet another post was talking about this day but in a really cool sort of way which I liked =)

Really ... what is the big deal with Friday the 13th or rather the number 13 ?? Are you the superstitious kind or believe that it is an 'evil' number ? Why is that some buildings don't have the 13th floor ??

I recall that whilst at university, I lived in a building with 26 floors, but there was no 13th Floor - so technically the building only had 25 floors ... I never understood that.

According to my readings on Wikipedia, Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of good or bad luck. In the Gregorian Calender this day occurs at least once, but at most 3 times a year.

If Friday the 13th is unlucky, then 2009 is an unusually unlucky year. If you haven't realised it already - February 2009 already had a Friday 13th and now in March, we have yet another one, and the next is in November. Such a rare triple-threat occurs only once every 11 years according to an article I read online.

Is it really such a big deal ? My cousin mentioned the day before that I should be careful on Fri as we were to be driving a long distance for a meeting; and I kind of laughed it off .. My fear wasn't in the fact that it was Fri 13th - but more so that I would have to encounter the crazy maniacs calling themselves drivers in Mumbai for a longer period of time !

My day yesterday was really good in fact ... Finished off with a successful meeting; got back to work; had a good brainstorming session with the team; and made our way home without any incidents; got to my cousins' place where I hung out for a few hours chilling with my little nieces and had a great dinner ... so it was a Good Day for me =)

And now a bit of trivia for you ...

Fear of Friday the 13th - is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia

whilst

triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.

Note - images courtesy of www.savagechickens.com

desserts family life manicure pedicure salon spa thoughts

What a lazy day it's been for me ... and I love it ! I needed this kind of Saturday as it's been a while and had worked all of last weekend.

I went to the salon today and got myself a manicure and a pedicure ...along with a massage ... what bliss !!!

My nails have been cut short - and my manicurist referred to them as 'bald hands' !!! And really - it feels like that ! It even feels funny to type =) I was going to put up a picture of my newly cut nails but my fingers look 'fat' in the picture so I will refrain from doing that right now LOL

I'm back home and bumming in my pj's (don't worry I had a shower already) - and the doorbell just went off ... hold on a second will ya .....

Oh wow !! what a surprise ! My uncle - or my 'chacha' (dad's brother in hindi) just sent across an offering from the temple which we would normally call 'prasad' (pronounced 'prah-saad') .. and it's one of my favourites :)

This particular prashaad is 'peda' or 'pera' which is a sweet from the Indian subcontinent, usually prepared in thick, semi-soft pieces. The main ingredients are khoa (have no idea what that is in English), sugar and traditional flavorings, including cardomon seeds, pistachio nuts and saffron. The color varies from a creamy white to a caramel colour. As you can see, the one I'm about to tuck into is yellow colour.

Now that's what I call simple spoiling ... a good pampering at the salon; followed by a nice dessert =)

adventures cars driving life people perceptions reflections road

In one of my earlier posts, I have mentioned how I can never seem to have a 'normal' week ...everyone's definition of 'normal' would be different .. and I'm quite aware of this .. but honestly, the things that I seem to go through just don't appear to be 'normal' .. there are days when I just wish the Lord above would 'give me a break' !!

Tues 3rd March
Had gone to bed really late and had made plans for breakfast with my cousin TC to her flight to NY. Hopped over to Indigo Deli, picked up some yummy chocolate croissants and made my way over to my aunt's place ONLY to discover that she'd already left for the airport !! =(

Made my way to the Mayfair Banqueting hall as my company was organizing a post-wedding screening of the event for the bride's family ... it was nice to catch up with everyone; we had a good laugh over the screening; and had a delicious spread for lunch =)

The day is finally over and I drop my cousin NC off to meet her cousins (remember I've mentioned we're a huge family!) .. this lady wanted me to drop her off on the side of the road .. it's a damn good thing I didn't - as we waited in the car for almost 40 minutes ! Ended up heading to HRC to show her cousins around, took some pics, and got some souvenirs. This was a good day.

Wed 4th March
Aaaaaah this is where the adventure begins ! So TC has missed her flight yesterday and we manage to have our breakfast date which was great fun =)

NC & I are heading home from work, and I take the same route every day to & from work unless there's a detour to be made. Normally I don't drive - but my driver has the had the week off - so I was behind the wheels. The route is near Mahalaxmi Station that goes onto this road known as 'Saat Rasta' - literally '7 Roads' as it's a major roundabout with these 7 roads going off in different directions.

Somehow that day - I don't know what quite happened - but instead of taking my regular turnoff - I took this other road. Since NC & I were both talking, neither of us quite realised this until we got further into the road and then the drive basically turned into the Road to Hell !! There were cars, buses, bikes, bicycles and people everywhere !! We couldn't turn around, and all we could do was go ahead ! We'd reached a point at a junction where there appeared to be utter & total chaos - it was like watching the 'Chaos Theory' in action ! I had actually folded my hands and was on the verge of begging people to let me take a left so as to get us out of there (and to save my poor car ofcourse !)

NC is now shouting instructions from inside the car to people to move; and I've got to stop myself from shutting my eyes at the thought of the cars from the next lane banging into me; one guy was highly amused at our driving tactics and spent a good minute laughing at us before directing traffic to STOP so we could at least move along on the road .... Finally we got out of there ! It must have only been a matter of 15 minutes - but it felt like an hour and we both heaved a huge sigh of relief at having gotten out alive !


Thurs 5th March
The day was not so bad - we were getting a free lunch at Little Italy due to a major mishap the week before with our food !! My team heads out for a nice lunch - and jeez we all felt like stuffed turkeys by the time we were done with the meal ! Ironically, the 'best dishes' were not on the menu according to the manager - and that was a 'good thing' because they weren't so great !!

NC & I are now completely prepared for our ride home - we laughed about the incident from the night before - and were actually 'looking' out for the 'right' turnoff ... which we took ... or so we thought !

Don't even ask 'how' this happened - but about 100 meters into the alley (yes I call it an alley as it really can't even be called a road) - nothing looks familiar (but then again maybe it never will since we tend to sit back for this particular drive and not actually go behind the wheel) ... Luckily for us, we were able to make a u-turn and get back onto the roundabout and take off on another route ... Guess what ... yup - it wasn't the right one ... I mean it was the right one but from another direction but it wasn't the one that I normally take ... Mind boggling !!! In all my years of driving I don't think that's ever happened to me ! At least there was road space on this route - and a slight change from the every day routine.

Fri 6th March
nothing too interesting happened today that was note-worthy ... I'd gone over to NC's place to catch up her sister & her kids ... they are sooo cute ! absolute munchkins ! My elder niece decided that today she didn't like me very much - and told me so =( they were painting today and it was great to just watch them playing about. Couldn't be bothered to go out today ... am still recovering from the OD of family weddings !

Sat 7th March
I had to go into work today ... my day started off really well .. had gone to the gym, had a great workout, and was all set to link with my client at the office. On-route to work (yes through that very same route !!) I hit a traffic light - no problem right ... WRONG !!

Some jackass thought he'd be smart and try to cut a right at the signal - and of course hits my car on the front left =( and has the nerve to come out of his car and look at me as if I've done something wrong ! He gets back into his car and continues to make this mad dash to the right and in the process ends up hitting someone else ! Talk about stupidities !

I was actually impressed with myself for not having gotten out of the car and given him a piece of mind .. of course the whole way to the office, I kept thinking to myself 'shit I should check how badly my car has been damaged' but then thought 'breathe in, breathe out, no point getting worked up about this, where the f**k is the driver when you need him!!'

Got to work, and sat with the editor of my clients' wedding DVD's ... I thought this was a 2-3 hour job at the most ... what I didn't realise is that it was gonna take up almost 11 hours of my damn day !!! My whole Saturday was shot =( My client VKD was almost as restless as I was - and her hubby absconded and linked with a few of his mates (I reckon both VKD & I wanted to do the same but duty calls!)

I left work just past 11 p.m !! I was home by 11:30 p.m - my phone battery died on the way =( My cousins and some friends were heading out .. slight miscommunication meant that I had to wade through a body of people in a small bar and get absolutely grossed out !!! went back to the bar below my building, linked with my mates, headed to another club where I linked with my cousins .. I was just too spaced out though ... I didn't drink as was driving and had to a do a voice-over the next day

Sun 8th March
Happy Womens' Day !! I was meant to spend the day at a BBQ & Pool party ... did that work out .. NO =( this whole week hasn't been in my favour ! I was doing a voice-over which shouldn't have taken more than 2 hours .. but it's India ... due to some technical snags, and my own voice apparently going 'sqeaky' (I have a husky voice !) it took us about 5 hours to get this project over with ... after which I hit my mate's pool party ... but everyone was out of the pool, I'd left my bikini in the car, and it was just a hassle to go back and get it !

On the way home, met up with some friends and family members (no I don't normally hang with family - it just so happens that there's a ton of them in town!) at HRC where we chilled out. My gym workout went for a toss - I helped myself to cheese nachos and potatoe skins !! I couldn't help it ! I was tired, hungry and cranky that I'd lost my whole weekend