Behind the Scenes : Something to Think About

One of my fellow neighbours who stays over at Hues of Instanity Avenue here in Bloggerville (yes I'm going to try and reference this as much as possible and create a trend hehe) has written a beautiful note entitled ‘Withering’ Heights which I came across a few days ago which I have posted below.

I planted roses in the desert,
but the sands lay grey and still.
I watched them fade away, helpless,
dying away against my will.

These words have clung on to me over the last few days – sometimes crossing my mind at moments that I would have least expected it. It just happened to me right now (well actually about 7 minutes ago; hence have been formulating how I would try to explain this electric bolt of emotion). So whilst catching up on the neighbourhood updates; I found myself scrolling down towards this particular post.

Perhaps it’s the exquisite photograph that has been used. A single rose, captured in a state of vulnerability; specked with beads of water; laying almost face down – gazing into its’ own reflection.

As I was reading the lines and allowing the words to sink in; I felt a stirring of my lips and become aware becoming aware, that I had been mouthing a few lines of my own; and as I felt the words get louder – by now an audible whisper – accompanied by a strong sense of urgency to put those fragmented words out there for all to see – imprinted digitally for an infinite period.

I planted roses in the flower bed

Watching from the window ledge

Waiting for the shoots to bloom

All in vain, for even the soils

Must have felt my gloom

After writing this down – my mind was in a flurry of activity – alive – I could vividly see a picture of what I this post would look like. It was like being able to see a masterpiece ^being recreated on canvas.

By now I had stopped writing despite my overflow of thoughts and ways to pen them down; as my body experience another surge of emotion – this time hunger !! I had a few errands to attend to earlier this afternoon; had an early breakfast; lunch was out of the menu as it was too hot to eat. All I have had between breakfast at 10:30 a.m and now, 02:15 a.m was a glass of cold mango milkshake and a grilled cheese & tomato sandwich.

My stomach couldn’t take it anymore; and I got up and heated up some sweet rice dish that is typically made at my maternal grandparents’ home. ^{Don’t roll your eyes} – I know it’s no good to eat rice so late at night – but there is nothing else to eat tonight that is appealing to my palate.

I just stopped typing again ^{(and put down my bowl of ice cream)} as my ears picked up on some sounds in the dead of the night. As I mentioned it’s quite late and my bedroom is silent aside from the slight hum of the air conditioner. It sounds like there is a clock somewhere …. Tick.Tock.Tick.Tock.Tick.Tock. … and suddenly what comes across as a ‘splat’ … The air-con has started dripping a little bit. The weather has been suffocating over the last few days out here. Must tell mum to have the air-con looked at - although I know what the answer is – “keep the temperature above 22° and not as low as you do” !!

In essence what I’m I have been trying to do and am hoping I have achieved – is that for you to experience the step-by-step process or methodology if you want to call it – better yet – the frame of mind working behind this post.

Disclosure Note:

Of course This is not exactly how I wanted my masterpiece to look like – but Blogger doesn’t let me upload a word document. The actual document – when looked at with all the ‘track changes’ notes actually looks very funky and shows just how each paragraph was phrased and edited and rephrased. Hence all you can actually see when I copy & paste into Blogger is the superscript & strike through effects.

Oh well – another time maybe.

p.s. although I think it might have worked if I were using Office 2007 – ‘cos with that you can automatically directly upload to Blogger via the word document.

What I Have Learned in Bloggerville

I came across this blog title from Carol over at Balsam Ponds and Shibu and thought it would make for some great reading as well as gaining some blogger insights.

First off - I quite like the term 'Bloggerville' ... When I first read the posts - I thought I might want to label my title as 'Welcome to Blogsville' - but since Blogville already exists - decided to continue the trend of keeping the same title.

As Shibu puts it - what is Bloggerville ? As far as I go - is a large community (albeit cyber) where the many blogger residents come together - if not on a daily; at least a regular enough basis - and set their thoughts free !

It's home to those who find themselves laden with a never ending train of thoughts that need articulating in some way or form lest they be forgotten in the chaos of day-to-day living.


Think about it this way - if you went to work one day and blurted out every thought you had - people around you might just be dialing a crisis helpline ! There are people we encounter who are unable to process or fathom how one is able to consider a thought or opinion that is solely based on their on personal ideology and is not inspired by traditional books; facts or figures.

Carol and Shibu have got it quite pegged down ... In this vast cyber space - there will be blogs in Bloggerville that we as individuals will enjoy; agree with or disagree with; some that make us laugh; others that show you pain; and some that show you great insight into a topic that you might not know about.

The more you look into the insightful chapters of those in Bloggerville - the feeling that you are not alone out there in your thought process is reassuring - comforting - admit it - it's a huge sigh of relief - that there is someone else out there with a completely unknown and unrelated background - who 'gets' what you mean.

The Bloggerville Residents are non-judgemental - they accept you as the parcel that you are - and provide in their own little ways - that it is in fact OK to be saying, doing or thinking what you are. They also impart and share knowledge - thus giving our mind that much needed exercise when the monotony of 'every day living' becomes just a tad too predictable !!

So I take this opportunity to Thank You - the Residents of Bloggerville; my neighbours who follow my journey of Sparodic Reflections - for taking the time to stop by my Blog and spending a few minutes soaking in whatever I have to offer; and for taking me down your subconscious avenue of insights.

Bet You Didn't Know This About Me ...

I found this cool site today with some personality tests and decided to try it out ... The results have been proudly displayed as you can see =)

I believe this is given me quite an accurate result - most tests that can be found online are quite general and don't really cater to each individual .. Deft Digits has already given it a shot - and I was surprised to learn the results !

I'm beginning to wonder what the rest of you who honour my blog posts are like .... Guess I'll just have to wait and find out =)

Salsssssstastic !

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

Just Some Words

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 :)

Lost and Found

.... 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 !!

Laughing Fits

I say this whilst laughing .. or actually recovering from a bout of laughing fits ... It's just another Tuesday at work ...

It appears that my colleagues have had a heavy round of thinking, and all thoughts lead to one group consensus ... laughter !! Whether it be something serious or just an action by another - everyone is laughing or making fun of a situation whereby the rest are naturally bound to laugh.

My colleagues AA, DC, NV, and NC (yes my cousin NC also works with me) are all sitting around the box-like cubicle and having a relatively serious conversation; when AA gets agitated that I'm trying to find out about ticket availability for 'The Vagina Monologues' ...

He then goes on in a really serious tone that he has never seen the play; how he would like to see the play; and when I sweetly suggest that I can get him tickets - I get an earful of how I shouldn't waste time and electricity in the office and how I could do this at home LOL Even more so as to tell me how could I go and watch such things - as it wasn't part of our 'sanskriti' - which means culture & heritage ... I know I could do this at home; but I saw a banner ad for the play and wanted to find out ASAP .... it makes sense right .. why put off what you can do 'now' until 'later'

So anyways - I did manage to catch some of that on video with my ever-present camera .... the next topic that arose was about my blog ... AA got home last night and was wondering why his wife was sitting up at the computer so late in the evening; and lo-and-behold ... she was reading something ... she was reading ... Sporadic Reflections =)

YESSSSSSSS !!!! I have another reader :) I should call her to say thanks - which I will do once I'm done with this post (and yes I know I'm contradicting the above line of putting off what you can do now till later hahah)

Basically - AA made her close my blog page =( but it's okay - he was probably saying it in jest ... Now the fun begins ... these guys suggested keeping a byline in Hindi ... !!! They then went on to refer to me as 'foreign returned' and hence I wasn't included in this exercise ....

The result of which was ' yaaha waaha prati-bimb' - apparently a literal translation of 'Sporadic Reflections' ... well not literal but no one could figure out the translation for 'Sporadic' in Hindi .. and 'yaaha waaha' means 'here & there' or 'random'.

NC is sitting next to me and asked me ...

"So where did you get this name - Sporadic Reflections'

answer was simply

"I have a brain - I came up with that ... all by myself"

... which of course led to both of us laughing again ...

If only I could actually describe what else we have laughed about - then it might make sense .. If I posted the video of my colleague AA - he might just KILL me .. so I shall refrain from doing so ... for now =)


p.s. I sent AA's wife DA a text message thanking her =)

Bits & Bobs

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 ...

Blogtastic !!

Woooooohoooooo !!! As a newbie blogger - can you imagine just how ecstatic I was to find that my blog - yes ! this very one that you are reading - got ranked ... hold your breath now ...

... #2 from over 5000 blogs in the Personal Category of Link Referral yesterday !

Luckily I had my senses about me - and managed to get some screen shots of my rankings; just for proof for myself to prove that the immense heat and lack of sleep hadn't caused any sort of hallucinations ....

This coming to me just after discovering that my blog also got picked as #4 on the editors' choice from Blogsville =)

Now these are just daily rankings, but it got my heart racing just a tad more than usual and got me grinning from ear to ear ! Yeaaaaaaaah ! You like my writing - and I'm entertaining you ! (or else you wouldn't be here DUH!)

I can't stop smiling =)

Freaky Friday the 13th

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

Simple Spoiling

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 =)

Colourfornication

Before starting this post, I must give credit where it's due. Over the past few weeks I had been looking at organizing a 'Holi Party' and had come across a post on UltraBrown which was aptly titled and I feel it captures the essence of my post.

For those of you that don't know what 'Holi' is a popular spring festival, also known as the 'Festival of Colour' which is celebrated across India as well as in countries across the globe that have an Indian population. (If you would like to know more then check out Wikipedia)

I have only ever celebrated the traditional Holi once before, in Dubai and that was years ago (feels like another lifetime ago) when I was barely 12 or 13 years old.

Here I am in Mumbai and have now experienced 2 days of 'Holi' and it's been a colourful journey. I had made plans to head out of town originally but due to lack of committment from some of the group - I cancelled those plans and headed to the Zoom TV Party which is apparently ranked quite high up on the social calender.

I must stress that Holi is not something that is played across in the evening; it is a 'day event' which means the music, the dancing, and throwing of colours, water guns, coloured-water balloons - all come out from about 10 a.m onwards !

Such is the popularity of this festival, it's the one day of the year, that the typically conservative Indian population shun away their inhibitions and just 'let go' ! The public goes a bit insane - people are pelting each other with water balloons; wetting each other's clothes to transparency (oh I forgot to mention, traditionally everyone wears white); smother coloured powder (nowadays it is organic) - the whole time getting drunk on 'bhang' which is a milky cocktail of hemp/cannabis and buttermilk !!! Everyone - uncles, aunties, kids, your neighbour even - are getting intoxicated on this day !

I was with a group of four friends, and we made our way to this stunning bungalow on the other side of the city and made our grand entry in 'all white ensembles' and 'water guns' for protection and sure enough, within a few minutes - we were sprinkled with coloured powder that was floating in the air. Luckily we decided to cross the threshold and just dab a handprint of each other on our outfits before any merry-men decided to do so instead !

The party was pretty good - there was make-shift dance area set up with trusses around that were sprinkling water - actually spraying would be the right word - on the masses of writhing bodies in the centre. The Dj was playing all the peppy hindi songs that are popular over Holi; and of course the bar was flowing !!! Imagine that - it's a Wednesday afternoon and everyone was drinking Vodka and Beer - not to mention the 'thandai' (minus the hemp)

My crew got themselves a mini-massages that was being offered at the party - good thing too as they were applying oil on everyone's head for the head-massage. I was smart - and had lathered myself with baby oil and coconut oil (yes even my hair ! I can't believe I went out like that!!)

We were actually really good sports - and doused ourselves in colour and even got under the water spray !! Lots of drinking, lots of dancing; and trekking across the mass mud-pits that kept forming and getting larger in size throughout the day. It was an afternoon of letting go of oneself; not caring a damn about how one looked; and just going a bit silly with the music and the madness all around !!

Thank the Lord for giving me Google which allowed me to find out how to protect myself from the colour stains !

Highlights of Last Week (w/e 8.3.09)

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

Feel the Crunch - Feel the Pain ...

and NO I’m not referring to the recession that has hit us all worldwide. I’m referring to the gruelling work-out my trainer put me through as a punishment for not going to the gym for 3 days ! Before you start rolling your eyes backwards, clucking or ‘tssk’ing at me – I was smothered by a family wedding .. think of the ‘big fat Indian wedding’ and then you can imagine why I didn’t have the time to hit the gym …

Woke up this morning and could barely move my abdominal region !I ran 3km on the treadmill and 3 km on the cross trainer followed by what seemed like a never ending series of various abdominal workouts (it was actually 250!) followed by 200 ‘step-ups’ … by the time I got to 150 step-ups I had actually ‘crawled’ on the floor, with my hands folded, grabbing my trainers’ feet – quite literally ‘begging’ him to stop as I couldn’t move let alone try to do another 50 reps !

Could you picture yourself doing that ?? I made such a spectacle of myself – but I didn’t care – I was tired; in pain; sweaty; and the idea of walking home seemed a bit insane ! But my trainer had other plans up his sleeved bicep – he gave me an ultimatum – ‘do another 50 reps or else I won’t train you tomorrow’ ! *gasp*

Imagine that – what a threat ! I had no choice but to succumb to the step-ups and hold on to my dignity on the walk home …

As I write this – I notice it’s now 8:15 a.m and I should be heading to the gym .. it’s time for my upper body workout … I wonder if I will be able to drive to work later … hmmm ..

A friend said to me yesterday ‘oh that’s a sweet pain – relish it’ .. and I really am =)

Do You Rely on the Internet ?

I ask this because tonight I find myself without the use of the internet tonight. My net connection wasn’t working too well today so I reset the router … big mistake ! Because I’ve just realised that the router settings that I had noted down and kept in my laptop case has gone MIA !

So here I am – sitting in bed, typing away and realizing just how integrated the internet is in our daily lives. I mean – I wake up in the morning and tend to check my mails; leave for work and am back online within a span of 45 minutes (my drive time) and then again back online once I get back home. I may not be actively using the laptop or surfing the net – but the connection is always on. That way I can periodically check my emails; facebook, as well as catch up with any reading (news, articles, etc) that I may have to do online.

I’ve had no internet connection for the last 2 hours and it’s really unnerving to be honest. It’s just a bit weird not being able to log on and check something, anything, at the click of a button =( Don’t you think ? Or has the net-addiction hit me ??

How long do you tend to spend online ? Do you rely on the internet for your dose of daily updates ?