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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 ...
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 =)

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
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 =)
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 !
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
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 =)

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 ?
The content of this post refers to an incident that took place on Fri 20th Feb '09

February has been a very busy month for me in terms of family obligations - more specifically - weddings ! Two of my cousins' were getting married; and in all of this - a good friend of mine rings me up and announces that he is also getting married !

Imagine an Indian household preparing for Indian weddings ! Now think of 3 women and 2 men in one house and the about 15 functions to attend during the course of the week ! Yes it's hectic ! Mind-numbingly tiring as well !

So on Fri 20th - after a series of events for my cousin VC - I had efficiently put aside my outfit; jewellery; sandals and handbag in preparation for my mate CS's wedding reception. My mother has quite sweetly ensured that my outfit is ironed; has informed my grandmother that I would be stopping by after work to get my sari draped before the event.

I finish work at about 7:30, head to my grandparents' place, chill with my grandmother and go about getting myself ready for this reception. On arriving at the venue, we go around the property as there are a few halls and I couldn't see the name of the bride or groom so stopped to ask one of the attendents who told me to go to the banquet hall at the back of the property. No problem - so I head along there but find that it's a different name.

So I tell my driver to go back around to the front and check once again - and by this point - I'm getting a bit cranky thinking - how the hell can no one know where the function is taking place ! One of the attendents smirks and tells me 'are you sure you're at the right place?' - of course I'm at the right place ! I'm a wedding planner for god's sake ! I know venues around the city !

In the midst of this conversation, a fleeting thought crosses my mind, and I call up my mom and ask her to go and check the wedding card .... and that sinking feeling took over when I heard my mom's soft giggle ... 'darling it's on Saturday - not today!'

Ofcourse I was only just slightly miffed about the mix-up with dates - then again I was so spaced out from the numerous wedding functions I had to attend - this was almost a dress rehearsal for the real day !

So there I was ... all dressed up in a beautiful Tarun Tahiliani sari and absolutely no where to go but home !
“Life is all memory, except for the present moment that goes by so quick you hardly catch it going"
-- Tennessee Williams

It's true isn't it ? What is 'life' as such ? There are so many definitions to that one word. How do you perceive life to be ?

There are days when I look back at my so-called life and its a blur of images - a 'highlight' of my yesteryears; snapshots of the good-the bad-the ugly that have been a part of my experiences; I can visually recall certain aspects of my life and play it in my minds' eye; sometimes being able recall a seasons' worth of episodes, other times the reel in my mind fast forwards to another point altogether jumping a few seasons and starting at a new chapter.

It has been said that one must try to 'live in the present' and be aware of 'the now' ... I do know that practising yoga and concentrating on one's breathing techniques increases our ability to be able to live in the present and just 'being aware' of all that is going on within our surroundings.

If we don't acknowledge the 'present' then we have already lost that moment and it will never come back to us ... and with the way the dice rolls - the implication is such that we must live each second as it comes instead of planning our way through each day. (this coming from an events planner!)

As much as I like to 'plan' my week or the coming few weeks - I also tend to go with the flow and take things as they come - slight contradiction - I know. The plan is there to ensure that things that need doing actually get done and if there's still space there - I can fill in everything else.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to just quite literally take 'every' moment , every encounter, every little thing ... just as it were .....

What would life be then ?
Whilst coming back home the other night I came across this billboard hoarding.

"The present is the past. The future is the present."

Does that not in essence imply that the future which is the present is actually already in the past since the present is the past ??

Simone Weil said "The future is made of the same stuff as the present" ... if I were to go by the billboard I saw - then really the future is pretty much everything from our past.

The author of Calvin & Hobbes, Bill Patterson once said “The problem with the future is that it keeps turning into the present.” In today's day and age - with advancements in technology and research; before we can even begin to comprehend the latest developments or trends within an industry; or even try to share our understanding of a new theory; that 'trend' has already established itself into our daily lives and what we thought was a distance future, has in reality already become a part of our present.
.... I think I should write a book ... why you might ask ... because I think it would be bloody brilliant that's why and a best seller too =)

I don't think I've ever really had what most would call a 'regular, normal, average, day' ... every day, every week, something or the other seems to happen ... it's just not 'normal' .. it shouldn't happen to someone ALL the time !

Even though I can barely keep up with my blog thoughts - if I put my mind to it - I'll pull off one of those best-seller, award winning titles which could be made into a movie and it would possibly captivate an audience that is looking for that sense of adventure & thrill or to those that are trying to escape from the realities of every-day life !

So even though I should be drafting my first few para's for this new wish-list book - I'm still typing away here ...

Enough .. I shall leave now since I also have to run to the other side of the city and battle out morons on the road just to see my niece & nephew, and attend a BBQ ... but more on the novel later !
This blog was meant to be posted a few days ago but it's been pretty hectic for me ....

I found myself unable to concentrate at work knowing that my grandmother was unconscious in the hospital. Actually I'd been uneasy since that late night / early morning phone call ... I can't put my mind to any of the documents that I'm working on ... I've been texting my cousin Neha to check on her, my gran, my aunt ... and I feel helpless ...

After about 2 hours of haphazardly trying in vain to work on a presentation - I got that much feared SMS from Neha telling me to leave work and get to the hospital ... The next 40 minutes were a blur as I got into my car, drove out of the office compound, battled idiotic drivers on the road, got stuck at every possible traffic light and the whole time thinking 'jeez when one is in a hurry all the odds are against them' ... Eventually I found myself circling the hospital searching for a parking spot; and it really drove me crazy that I just wasn't able to find one ! I ended up calling my driver who was at my place and told him to meet me near the roundabout by my house - drove from the hospital towards home, found him whilst at a traffic light and switched seats with him and got dropped to the hospital.

With a sigh of relief I made my way towards the entrance - only to be stopped by the guards on duty who informed me that unless I had a visitors pass I couldn't enter ... As frustrated as I was - I decided to try my luck - so I told the guard that I needed to go to the blood bank instead which was in the building next to the ICU .. and voila - I was granted my entry !! Making my way past the blood bank and towards the ICU - I passed my father & uncle who handed me a visitors pass and directed me upstairs.

Now .. I don't really like hospitals ... nobody does do they ? There is always an accute hospital smell (eau de l'hopital if you want to call it) and it gives me the shudders ... it's almost a combination of medicines, the stuff that the doctor rubs on you before a vaccination - aah rubbing alcohol, dettol-like ..The odor comes from hygienic corridors, drugs, blood, markers, people & BO, coffee / tea and food - it's a mix of many smells, and it's similar in every hospital ...

I've managed to find the private room where my aunts, mom and two cousins are sitting, and I'm not quite sure how to go about greeting them ... So instead of saying much, I just go over to them and give them a bit of a hug, nod at my younger cousin whilst glancing over at Neha who is in deep meditation in one corner of the room ...

We've got a few hours to wait here until they let us go in to see my grandmother who is in a room on the floor above us ... it's difficult and possibly inappropriate to try and make small talk especially when everyone's emotions are on high alert ... so I just wait for one of my aunts to say something - anything - just so that I don't feel that I'm the one making random chatter .... Perhaps an hour or two have passed and my aunts and mom have taken charge of us 'kids' ... 'do you want tea / coffee, something to eat ? water to drink ?' and then out comes the bag of goodies - there's some 'loli' that my aunt has made, a family friend orders a few cups of tea - the real Indian masala tea as well as the English tea, some sandwiches & dhoklas, and fresh juice as well ...

Despite the tension in the air - we all start making chit-chat (possibily as a way of diverting our minds from the situation) and it's quite nice .. at least my aunts - chachi (dad's brother's wife) & bua (dad's sister) are smiling a little and even cracking a few jokes as well as making statements that really no nieces should hear ! LOL

The hours have passed, it's dark outside, the ladies are tired, more and more family members have dropped by ... despite everyone's erratic schedule, family is family - and it was nice to see all the grandchildren drop by the hospital to check on my grandmother ... Neha and I are now left on our own sitting in the new private room (yes we got shifted up to the same floor as my grandma) waiting for my father and her father to come back. Her father, my chacha, was in London when my grandmother had her fall, and he got on the next flight back - and my dad had gone to pick him up from the airport.

It was close to midnight, and luckily both Neha & I had managed to go to our respective homes and grab a change of clothes - I also picked up 2 Sudoku books, and a pack of cards - we both did some word games and Sodoku - never touched the cards ...

You know, spending even a day in a hospital makes you more emphathetic toward those who are going through a tough time. Lots of waiting in hospitals like the one I'm writing to you from. Waiting. Waiting. Then some terrifying moments shatter the silence. But, at least there's wifi on my mobile phone ... it's the thing keeping me sane around the emotional levels surrounding me. That, and all my friends who keep emailing me and texing me. Appreciate all of that very much.

I realised that waiting around for hours can be mind-numbing ... your body is stressed out whether you realise it or not .. your mind appears to get more & more fuzzy ... you can barely string full sentences and time seems to be at a stand-still if not in a ridiculous slow motion ! Hospital waiting rooms have a weird way of distorting time !!

To avoid the hospital waiting room syndrome as I refer to it as based on my experience of daily visits to the ICU the year before when my maternal grandfather was admitted - here's what I suggest ...

Dress Comfortably as you're probably going to be spending a fair amount of time in the waiting room - track bottoms, a jumper, a shawl, and if you are staying the night, a light blanket. Take Something To Do as you need to keep yourself distracted - a book, newspaper or magazine if you like reading; Sudoku; a deck of cards; an iPod; carry your laptop if you have to and catch up with office related work. Carry Medication if you are on any; carry your glasses, contact lens solution & eye drops if you wear contact lenses so that your eyes don't dry out - the hospital air can do that to you.

And as difficult as this is to talk about, know what to do in case of an emergency or in the worst case scenario. If the issue has not been addressed a prior time, the family and the person undergoing hospital treatment should be clear on what the patient’s wishes are regarding extraordinary measures such as life support, organ donation, etc.

Imagine this ... You've been having a relatively typical week, the same routine; not too many changes to your schedule; you get home - have dinner, chill out; catch up with friends on the phone; and eventually go to bed and pretty soon you are fast asleep - possibly for at least 2-3 hours .... a sharp sound pierces your ears; shaking you up ... your body has turned towards the sound, your mind fuzzy with sleep ... finally acknowledging the sound of that very unexpected late night phone !

With double vision, you barely register a familiar phone number and name and proceed to answer the phone with a very groggy 'hello' ... that silence of two seconds is all to much and you find yourself saying that person's name trying to get a response out of them ... at last they speak ... and it's never good news is it ?

I found myself in this situation the other night .. I am generally a light sleeper - but for some reason that night I just couldn't find myself able to sleep - I kept tossing and turning in bed, I was feeling hot & bothered, but couldn't quite put my finger on the problem ... eventually at about 2:30 - 3 a.m I fell asleep. My phone rang just before 5 a.m and it was my cousin ... At first I thought, 'shit did I oversleep and late for work' and then instantly my next thought was 'something is wrong' ...

My cousin had rang me to inform me that our grandmother who lives in her house, had a bad fall and was in an unconscious state and that I should inform my father as her father was out of the country. The next few minutes that followed was in an unknown state ... I went into my parents' room, woke my mother up and asked her to speak to my father since this was his mother who had suffered an injury.

My grandmother had just turned 83 years old on 26th January .. for her age - she was a very independent lady who liked to go out to the club and play cards - and with this one phone call - she'd become this helpless old lady and there was nothing I could do to change that situation ...

The next few hours were a bit of a blur ... I obviously couldn't go back to sleep ... All I could do was lie awake ... wondering what would happen next ... what would the doctors at the hospital say ... would my grandmother be alright ?
I was on a flight back from Jaipur on Sunday night after organizing a wedding for a client, and despite the tiredness that seemed to have taken over every cell in my body - I was restless and hence began 'scribbling' thoughts down in my notebook ... here's what came of it ...

There's too much that I want to pen down and for a change I'm actually 'writing' this note instead of typing away ... so slightly different as I can't seem to note down my thoughts quick enough

Maybe I should just wait to get home and type this all up (but then it kind of defeats the purpose of blogging right ?? or is blogging restricted to being online ??) .. am on a flight back home and I if I so much as atempt to close my eyes I might just pass out and then I'd never complete this !

Hmmm .. my hand writing is looking quite untidy right about now .. so will stop and continue from home ...
I obviously didn't get around to continuing my note but I will one of these days .. still have to update the two additional blogs I've written for Magic of Melodies :)