All is well in my world

After a uneventful day at work today, came home & neighbor catches me to remind me of building meeting in 20 mins. Nod a assent,will be there i say. Grab a quick bite, freshen up, pull clothes from the washer and put them up to dry & head for the mtg. Another proposal for the building is on discussion.

1 hour later leave mtg with a splitting headache from all the people arguing & shouting about futile things. Will we ever get our building reconstucted is my thought!

Sachin is making his spicy pasta...which needs amazing amounts of patience from ones interested in eating it. Usually preparation takes over an hr...and he uses 2 minute noodles to make the same. There is some kinda irony there but am too hungry & tired to appreciate it.
Mom & i get to eat finally at 10.15...by which time i'm having cannibalistic thoughts. It's yummy as usual (he has mastered it) but sooooooooo spicy...i actually get hiccups! We finish the leftover merlot between us...i seriously needed some alcohol in my system after that meeting! Hardly a quarter glass...but its delicious. (Note to self - pick up some wine, that was the last bottle)

Now am sitting with my darling by my side....relaxed, headache gone (another amazing fact abt red wine)

Writing what was originally on my mind...this happened a few days ago...

feline POV (Point of view...for readers who need to google this :D )
It fluttered thru the window on a dark night

My golden eyes spotted it in less than a heartbeat

My paws raced up on the counter...where is it i wondered!
Aha spotted the fluttering wings near the tubelight

Jumped to catch...now they are fluttering in the clasp of my jaws

Yummy evening snack for me!!

Homo Sapien POV
Relaxed evening chat with mom interrupted by the sound of fluttering wings

Look around the kitchen to see tangy sitting peacefully in the chair. He looks very sleepy to me...eyes half closed, barely listening to mom & me
Suddenly he is racing to the counter...there he goes. Chasing what...god alone knows

Wings in his mouth, omg he has caught what looks like a moth to me Ask him to let it go, why cause a poor creature's untimely death.
It disappears in his mouth before i can move from my chair.

Poor moth...short sweet life extinguished by my babe with the golden eyes!

Transformations

My brother visited us today with his almost 2 year old daughter (my niece). It's her b'day tomorrow when she will turn 2. This was one of the first time that i & mom have had a chance to spend the whole day with my niece.

Watching my brother with his daughter was amazing. Knowing him my whole life this is a completely different & new side of his which was revealed to me today. It made me realize that my brother who was pretty much considered very self absorbed had changed with fatherhood. He was wonderfully patient & loving with his daughter. Taking care of her, feeding her, being firm but loving.

Fatherhood certainly is an awakening for some guys. It is very nice to have a brother who is a completely hands on dad without making a big deal about it. He does everything efficiently and quietly. Its not something unusual; its perfectly natural which was the beautiful part to watch. This was someone who had never changed a nappy in his life expertly changing his daughters while I stood by wondering how does this contraption go on!

As is the way with most relationships, ours has changed too over the last few years. Growing up my brother had always been someone I could depend on to help. I suddenly realized that I would have to stop asking him for favors once he was married & not staying with us anymore. Now I hardly ever saw him & calling him up to do a favor for me seemed like an imposition. I started relying on myself only.

My niece is adorable, she spent the whole day chasing cats (who ran helter skelter avoiding her) Tangy ran behind mom seeking her help to get away from my niece...which was very funny since he for once is older that someone in our house. She ran around the whole house pulling things within her reach. Kept climbing & getting down off the sofa & table. I had to keep my glasses away from her as she kept pulling them off my face....my hair wasnt spared either. It was nice cuddling a tiny human being, i introduced her to flowers & ferns (i hope my love for gardening gene survives me) squirrels and birds around the house.

As a woman I sometimes do wonder what kind of a mother I'd be. How does one cope with some things. Guys wonder too i bet about what kind of fathers are they going to be, do we follow in our parents footsteps or do we etch our own. It is a different world from the one we grew up in with new challenges and new battles. Do we trust our instincts to make the right decision?
I have 3 very different brothers, they are completely unlike each other in their personalities and their character. I have wondered what kind of husbands & fathers they will make. Watching my elder brother I realized that we do follow in our parents footsteps...my dad was a very hands on dad...so is my brother.

Today I realized that at last my brother has become an adult! Its not actually your age or the fact that you are married but the fact that you are responsible completely for another life that brings on that change. I felf proud to watch him today; he is making mistakes, but he is learning. He is not afraid & his priorities in life have changed completely. Now its his daughter who is the apple of his eye! (instead of his bike :D)

Tiny paw marks on my life

Sometimes its the small decisions that somehow end up impacting life the most. Mom & i were discussing how much our cats have brought into our lives. We were reminiscing about the last 8 yrs of our lives.

A few near misses, some tough times, almost losing tangy twice, pinks once, jerry's umpteen injuries...but fighting on to make sure they are around sharing their life with us. It's the small daily joys which somehow make it worth living. For mom i am glad she has the rascals keeping company all day long. They worry about her too, Tangy sleeps next to her legs every afternoon. When she was sick they'd jump on the bed & sit with her from time to time.

I've accepted that Thaku is gone forever. What irks both mom & me is the not knowing. I think we all like the full stops in life. The not knowing somehow means that I can't put that full stop anywhere cause i simply don't know. I hate losing someone i love like that!

Can't believe Mouse & Pinks will be 8 next month. How time flies indeed, remember mouse as a tiny brown kitten...my first cat friend. I hope I pass on this to my kids & my nieces & nephews. It's an amazing feeling to be loved for who you are, no expectations, no confusion, you are not good or bad, you are just you.

I remember hugging my dog on days when I got shouted at by my parents for something bad i'd done & i remember his look saying its ok ...i still love you. A lick on my face always got a smile from me.

We should all have someone like that in our life! And they needn't even be furry with paws. Someone who sits besides you and knows you are glad just to have them there by your side. A look, no words are needed. Someone who knows with one look that something is wrong, by the tone of your voice. Till I find someone human who can sit besides me I think I am glad to have tiny paws and a whiskered face nudging me & saying its ok...i'm here!

Thaku...are memories all that I will have of u?

Thaku is missing for a month now! Thaku for the uninitiated is mom-cat. I owe her big time for all 5 kittens who she decided to have me share my life with. Have looked all over for her but can't see her anywhere. Asked people about her, wether they have seen her around but to no avail. Leads me to think something must have happened to her.

She would be waiting every evening near our staircase for me to return from work & feed her. When she stopped appearing I just thought its the heavy rains hence she is seeking shelter somewhere else. But now i guess we have to accept the inevitable. Mom is upset too & keeps looking out of the windows trying to spot her. Whats worst is the not knowing what has happened to her!

How can someone I know for over 10 years just disappear into thin air? I don't know...fear the worse that I will never see her again. Miss her like hell.

She is so formidable & fiercely independent. Even when we gave her the option of staying with us she chose not to as her freedom was valued by her. Choosing to be our friend and accepting our love was her way of showing she cared. Trusting us enough to leave her kittens with us was her ultimate acceptance of our friendship.

I respect her for her ability to survive for so many years, for being so self reliant, yet accepting my friendship, love her for being an amazing mom. The way she took care of her kids, trained them to catch baby squirrels & birds to help them be self-reliant, teaching them to cross the roads in the middle of the night, always coming home to feed them when they were kittens, cleaning & caring for them, earning their respect...it was amazing to watch.

When most people see her they see a stray cat, for me she is Thaku ...a member of my small but extended family.

Cat Rules of Life

Thanks to Neha who found this. http://www.jamesshuggins.com/h/hum1/guidelines_for_cats.htm

Its one of the funniest & accurate guidelines I've ever read. They follow these like the word of god. I have a few to add here:

Doors: Make sure your human is otherwise engaged when you ask to open the door. Meow piteously and act as if door opening is a life & death situation for you. Pretend to use the door when its finally opened by human (reluctantly). Quickly return back to house from the window once human is 5 steps away from the door.

Wake your human up at odd hours of night to open doors; always ensure that they stay tuned to your habits.

Beds: Are not just for sleeping, so what if you have to share them sometimes with humans. They can adjust around your comfort. Take as much space as you can. Stretch out while sleeping. Spend as much time as possible sleeping on beds. When not sleeping they are equally good for throwing up.

When your human is sleeping, always sleep on their legs so that they can't move! If they dare to turn; get up and give looks which makes them feel guilty about waking you up!

Table Scraps: Never share your food with any humans; But they must always share their food. Give loud meows, paws on knees, bump their legs while eating. If nothing works get desperate & try to eat off their plate. (Might result in human getting annoyed; but does work at times)

Petting: Make sure you catch your human as soon as they return home. Jump on lap, purr. Get your human to massage your head & pet you. Lick human hand whenever human forgets to perform their petting duty.

Sit in chair next to your human to get proper attention. Lie on bed & meow amiably to make human scratch your tummy. Always ensure that human is not idle, tv watching is perfect time for petting you too.

Jump on lap or on stomach if lazy human is sleeping & pretending to watch tv. Make sure your large head is all your human can see till human agrees to pet you. Make huge fuss about being neglected by your human.

Hunting: Always be on the lookout for tasty scraps. Has your human left some yummy fish uncovered on the kitchen platform? Then its time for you to help yourselves to some of it. Make sure no bones are left behind for human to discover!

Always give your human some trophies, pigeon feathers, squirrel tails are all prized. Let your human know you are a fearsome hunter. Get a live squirrel & chase it around the house. Sometimes even a mouse will do.

Litter tray: Humans are lazy. Always ensure your human knows its their job to keep litter tray clean & yours to use it. Ensure you use it as soon as human has finished cleaning it up. Give human something interesting to do by ensuring that they can clean a few other places around the house too.

Missing

Fathers Day I am sure was invented with all good intentions at heart. But it hits all of those who either have no parents or have lost a parent. Returning home this fathers day from Neha's lunch i saw this father & daughter (around 7-8 yr old) waiting to cross the road at Mahim. The father was holding his daughter's hand while crossing the road. As I watched them I was suddenly missing my dad like hell; missing holding his hand.


My father loved to hold hands. My parents romance stories when told by mom had anecdotes of him holding her hand whereever they went in public. This was pretty rare in the 60's when they were dating. Dad was always doing small things like getting a glass of water for mom at a wedding, getting her a plate of food so she didnt have to stand in a queue at a buffet etc. My parents often hugged and kissed so this was never considered odd by us when growing up. We only realized that other parents don't quite behave like them when we started going to friends houses or visited our relatives. I often wondered why my aunts & uncles showed no signs of affection towards one another in their house. My parents were often teased by my aunts & uncles because of this public display of affection.


When we were kids Dad always held our hand to help & guide us. But we still held hands even when we didn't need any guidance any more. He held my brothers hands too when we were growing up; but somewhere along the way the guys stopped holding his hand. For me; it was an automatic gesture to reach out to hold dad's hand whenever we went out. I never gave it much thought. We were often teased by dad's friends who met us when on our walks (me going to the library & dad for his evening walk)


Somehow its the small things that one always misses. Dad has been gone for a few years now. Holding hands is something that I didn't even realize I was missing till this father's day.

- Wrote this post a few days ago but never posted it. Today when I read it I still feel my eyes misting over so I guess no matter how long it is, absense never ceases to make you stop loving.
Cleaned out my drawer today and found pictures of my dog (micky) & tom who are both dead. Memories of both came flooding back while i held their pictures in my hand. I wonder if Pinks & mouse miss him as much as I do. Do they remember that they had a brother?

I wonder...

I wonder is it easier to love someone than to be loved? Why do we so easily lose someone...than to tell them they're loved

I wonder is it easier to hold hands when you can, than realize that the hands aren't around to be held anymore.

Is it easier to let go than watch someone you love suffer? I wonder...
Loving and losing don't get much easier with age or time.

Does life stop with the beating of the heart? or when memories no longer linger...
Does loss ever get easier to bear? Do you ever stop missing someone?

Do we forget the smells, the loving touch, that hug, that comfort...or does it stay forever

What is forever...i wonder.

Rains are back with a bang.

Pouring rain has hit us again. Instead of a nice slow start this year its back with a bang. Pouring away for the last 3 days now. It caught me in the middle of our annual water proofing of the roof.

So now its no water in the balcony but mini-lake in the living room. Am keeping the mop handy as usual. Had the workers doing plastering in the house yesterday. Incredibly messy it is. With cement all over the place. We have so many things in the house that removing them takes ages. Finally they finished after almost 12 hrs at 9pm. Then the clean up etc had mom & me working till almost 10pm.

Got a nasty shock on friday nite. Collected mom's report and took to doc. He looked very worried on seeing the reports. Apparently mom has a very nasty bug which causes infections in diabetics & senior citizens with lowered immunity. Problem is drugs to treat it are very bad ones which cause more harm than good. Hospitalization was mentioned as they are all intravenous. He asked me to meet a urologist to decide next steps. Met him on friday nite itself. More tests are in the pipeline. I ended up outside the doc's wondering how do i tell mom this with tears in my eyes. Was composed by the time i got home & sat and told mom and Sachin about the test results. Mom isn't feeling sick and so is reluctant of course to be hostpitalized but its always infections like these that are more dangerous as it gives false information to the body and cloaks the infection and toxins cleverly. Read up some papers on it & now am more worried.

This has been a bad ending to the week. To add to my list of woes mouse comes home with his face all swollen, right eye swollen shut, face all full of cuts, ear bloody. Was sleeping quietly in chair in the passage when I saw him in the morning. He looked so bad that I almost called the vet in a panic.

Cleaned him up & have put medicines on his wounds. Am taking him to vet tomorrow to rule out any sepsis of wounds etc. I hope the rains keep him at home more nights and so he stays safe and away from other fighting tom cats. Its not nice to be a tom cat, ur always in a fight...wether you want to be or not...someone is always challenging you. Seems to be out of a wild west western where the best gunslingers always had someone younger trying to outdo them.

Catassertiveness

Am facing that everyday from the darlings. I will do what i want is basically the moto. Pinks has also decided to be catassertive from now; if that means spending all night outside the house... so be it. I just has to deal with it. (which I'm doing by saying to myself...its a phase...soon it will rain & it'll be too wet for her to do that)

I don't even know what brought this on. I wish i did. How did my meekest cat suddenly become different? Nowadays i meet her downstairs when i return from work, madam is heading out for the umpteenth time that day to do what (god alone knows) She of course has sachin wrapped around her tiniest little claw; he lets her go out in the middle of the night too. Home has become a place for meals & naps. Madam looks at me indignantly if i tell her sorry Pinks its 4 am i am not opening the door for u. Sleep it off till 6.

In case someone is wondering (what the hell is she doing at 4am?) ...am sleep walking to the kitchen to feed tangy who decides 4am is nice time for a snack. I get I am hungry meows in my ears & if that doesn't work, elbow nibbles always wake me up.

I have actually perfected the art of feeding them without actually waking up (cause that spells disaster for me, cant sleep once i'm fully awake and then am cranky the next day too)
One thing I fail to understand is how all 4 feel hungry at the same time. No matter what time of the night it is, midnight snacks has a full house with all 4 heads eating out of bowls.

Which reminds me of a funny thing when tangy & girlie were kittens. Both the twins used to visit the litter tray at the same time...and i mean the exact same time. It wasn't like one headed towards the tray & the other one followed. They both used to go together. I always wondered do human kids (twins i mean) do that too? and how does that work?

Getting things done at last.

Life is ceasing to be a list of things to do, but things that are done...yay. (Those of you who are not gardeners can skip this entire post)

Got all these things done yesterday:

1. Potted the shoeflower finally in the giant pot. It weighs about a ton now with all the additional soil, but has loads of room to grow. I expect a nice happy plant for years to come.
2. Got some more shoeflowers (different colors) yday from the gardening supply place at dadar. That place is like being in a chocolate store for me, everytime i go there i am tempted into picking up plants. Be strong, resist is the thought when leaving house. But succumb i do...everytime...how can i be so fickle :D Anyways got a nice combo of yellow, pink, red and white shoeflowers around the house now...should look great when all are blooming.
3. Got a chilli plant with 3 bright red chillies on it, only to discover the chillies on the floor & my plant destroyed when I got home last nite (Jerry am going to kill u was the thought) Don't worry Jerry is still very much alive...mouse & i had a heart to heart conversation this morning (after which he has run away from home) where newly potted plants are not to be used as scratching posts was discussed with him.
   He just looked impatient & wanted to run off as his paw (which is injured & the reason he is avoiding me for last 2 days) was also discussed. Explained to him that he either let me put some cream on the wound or else its a few days at the not so nice hospital till the paw heals if it gets worse. Mouse is smart; am sure he'll choose me over the hospital.
4. Getting someone over to water proof the roof this week. Got the people in yday to check the roof and explained where to water proof.
5. Got the cat soil for the rains. Am getting some more today as I ended up using most of it yday while potting some of the plants. (Strong boyfriend requirement is still open...realized that yday when I had to carry the damn soil bags weighing a lot up 2 staircases) It was rather funny...the gardening store guy generally puts the bags in a cab for me...yday he had 6 soil bags (each of about 3-4 kgs each) in one huge bag which was so heavy i couldnt even budge it when i tried to shift the damn thing. So asked him to remove 2 bags after which it was super heavy...but cld carry with both hands. Got a nice taxi driver who offered to remove the heavy bags from taxi for me. But i refused the offer, have to carry them upstairs anyway was thought. Almost gave myself a heart attack yday...they were so heavy. (have to do that again today...will be less heroic & carry only 2 bags each time is POA)
6. Vacuumed the sofa cum bed...at last. That thing is so huge & so much to do. Its the grills etc today then am all ready for monsoons.

Mouse is still AWOL. Avoiding me till he makes up his mind is what i think. He is looking more like a gladiator cat everyday...has bumps on head, one for each fight i guess. His head is feeling so lumpy now. Vet shakes his head & tells me keep him at home at night to avoid this. Can't do that, Jerry is his own boss. I have accepted that ages ago that is the only way we both can be happy. I can't imprison him & have an unhappy cat and a happy me...who wouldn't he happy knowing that he is feeling trapped. It just doesn't work that way for me. I know people who do such things; but I choose not to. I like my freedom so why shouldn't Mouse be free to enjoy his!

Update on this:

Didn't get the extra soil (postponed to next sat for now), went for lunch with friends instead. Much more fun. Was catching up on some pending work & had plans to cancel lunch when Harish calls with message of come downstairs we are picking u up. Had no excuses for that! Am glad i did go. Met everyone after what seemed like ages. Sheece i did meet after eons.

Had a nice lunch at Mondy's. Dessert at theo's. Were planning on attending the Kaifi Azmi play but it was housefull so ended up sitting at home & posting. (Still doing that infact hence this update)

Mouse & I had a reunion. He gave me uh-oh she's home early looks....cldnt run away in time. Paw looks better to me. He's putting weight on it & not limping so is definitely better. Looks less raw than yday. He let me put cream on it.

Update on Vaccination Day!

The cat god (or goddess as boy informed me) wasn't pleased with me at all last monday. Vaccination day was not a smooth affair. No amount of planning can be done with someone as unpredictable as a cat is my final thought.

K came over as planned. We picked up Jerry and Girlie in round one as Pinks ran onto the cupboard. Had to wait a bit at the vet as he had a very cute lab puppy "Sunshine" which he was examining. So cats were kept on chairs & away from the doggy nose.

Both howled in protest in the cab (as was expected) & jerry gave K a few scratches on his wrist and a few holes in his shirt. Round one went fairly okay. Returned home & saw that pinks had decided the cupboard was place of refuge for her. K climbed up & picked her up. Madam protested away to no avail. And usually docile Tangy became a tiger. I easily picked him up & placed in the basket to have him go wild on me. He became very nervous and agitated, frothing at the mouth and clawing his way out of the basket. Pushed his nose against the lid to lift it so many times that it became bloody.

K had pinks all safely in the basket and I was struggling with Tangy. Finally i got scared that he'd do some major damage to himself. His nose was bleeding a bit from all that pushing against the basket top. I let him out & let him relax a bit.

After about 10 mins he was ok. Still a bit frazzled, but not agitated. Then picked him up & put in another basket. Poor K got a few more scratches from Tangy at the vets. So it was betadine on his wrists, and this years vaccination is all done.........phew!!!

Vaccination week is upon me

The Annual vaccination of the 4 monsters is on sat. I am so glad its an annual event (I can just about manage to carry 4 cats to the vet only once a year) Kanch is coming to help (of course) which is sweet & very brotherly of him. Strategies are planned, no mention of the word "doctor" is ever done in front of the quartet. Which 2 to pick first is done on the basis of who is tougher to catch first (Jerry & Pinks i think) the 2nd trip is usually easier with the twins. (Girly is frisky of course & too smart, Tangy is so dumb he usually comes to meet the sibling who has returned from the vet...and all i have to do is pick him up & drop him in the basket...hehehe. Of course he has his revenge by howling all the way to Shivaji park [vets office] and back.)

Made the mistake last year of choosing both guys for Round 1 & both girls for Round 2. The cat god was very much on the side of the cats. Pinks jumped on the cupboard & no amount of coaxing would make her budge. So I had to make a 3rd trip to the vet a few days later.

Its going to be a smoother trip this time round i hope. (Am keeping all my fingers crossed & bribing the cat god with premium cat food)

The city is so hot but the gulmohars are blooming away. They look gorgeous and are bursts of color in a otherwise very drab city landscape. I love the bursts of orange, yellow & pink along the tracks at Kurla station and ensure that I sit on the side of the gulmohars everyday.

Listen to John Mayer everyday...sadly i am someone who can rarely remember all the lyrics of the song....wish i cld carry them with me on the phone. Its nice to sing the song along, but not much fun when u forget half the words.

Keep thinking....do the things u want to do....life is passing by so fast. The list is a scrambled one in my head. We seem to spend so much time in our life making money...so much energy towards that one activity. I find it strange that I can make so many decisions in my life in seconds yet find myself mulling over others for hours without a clear idea on what to do. Life is so complicated or do we make it so i wonder. Or is it just me?

War with the mos

The whole of last week my life has been dominated by of all things mos (microorganisms) of unknown origin. Mos of course play a major part in our lives every time we fall sick; you can bet its one of the little guys I have spent a few hundred hours of my life observing thru a microscope.

This time they have decided to take up temporary residence with me. At least i hope they don't love me so much that it becomes permanent. I am so ready to boot these squatters cause they have played havoc with my system & continue to do so as I write this.

I have been feeling and sounding like one of those characters in movies who has TB. A bad hacking cough that just leaves me tired. Antibiotics and medicines have left me feeling sicker. I was actually nauseous for 2 days and could hardly eat; after effects of the strong antibiotics no doubt.

Bit funny that was; I was taking Mox to get rid of the mos.

Sheece actually suggested it might be TB which of course had me googling away for everything I could find on the disease. Have handled the damn mos ages ago & wondered does it take that long for one to get it...course not that is too long a latent period was my conclusion!

I can actually feel the cough has reduced. Everyone i met in the last week has advised me about umpteen things to try from ayurvedic to allopathic drugs. Me I'm blissfully drug free for the last few days.

Listened to Jay Thakkar playing his flute after what seemed like ages yesterday. I don't understand the ragas which he plays...but sometimes I don't think one has to know the technicalities of what you see or hear to appreciate something. Me I just love the way his flute can actually make you feel the music when he is playing. The passion for music is overwhelming in his performances.
As usual I felt immensely refreshed after attending his performance.

He's planned weekly performances in May. I hope I can attend most of them.

Been thinking that life is indeed too short to keep postponing things one wants to do. A call to action is what is needed. But what to do if one is too lazy to take that call. What is interesting is how we react to different situations, usually for me when it comes to work I prefer to do things now rather than later.

Maybe it is also to do with ones vulnerabilities. Somehow one is always more vulnerable to being hurt when its a personal situation. I think instinctively one protects oneself as much as one can.
When my mom was being operated on in Nov, I remember feeling so scared. Yet being unable to say so to my brother for fear that he was probably just as scared as me of losing her. It was just a cataract operation and yet I could see so many things going wrong.

I do think that I feel I am much tougher than I really am. We are seldom tested and its at precisely those times that one realizes how much it hurts. When you are fighting back the tears, when your voice is not quite as steady as it should be, when someone asks if you're ok and you usually lie & say you're fine.

Those are the times when I usually find myself thinking...I can get through this.

Things I have to do this weekend

I love making lists in my head - all of them are things to do type things. Usually mentally strike off things as they are done.

- Get fresh soil for cats
- Get fresh soil for plants (they need it too...hehehe)
- Replant the Shoeflower in the huge pot i got (cost 100 bucks can u believe that) & its plastic, hate plastic plant pots, but the mitti one was too heavy for me to carry...need a boyfriend with muscles for such jobs (note to myself)
- Make Puran Polis (ahem... am ahead one step...buy items to make puran polis)
- Wash the spider mites off my beautiful crouton (then spray neem oil on leaves) very stinky neem oil is, but c'est la vie. Beggars certainly can't be choosers, its chemicals vs natural. You guessed it, I dont even have a choice. (I refuse to let the spider mites eat up my crouton, hell its over 5 yrs old...this one is a fight to the finish for the mites that is) Every year I have this war on my hands. Hah, i bet they think they've got the plant this year only to be driven off by the stinky neem oil.
- Visit the tailor to give b'day materials to stitch. (Neeta don't kill me that its still not done) I have good intentions (delivering on them is always the problem)

Order is a bit skewed. Thats okay brain is like that only. Very Random my mind is.

Forgot to mention very funnee incident of yday evening (Avinash playing guitar near lake...beautiful it was)

Crows on top of tree were not too amused (probably disturbed by human and guitar noises) or maybe they do this everydy & we just happened to be under the tree yesterday. (I'm giving the crows the benefit of the doubt here)

First they pooped on Harish's shoes, he was not amused. Gave crows gaalis in head am sure, none we heard of course (hehe)

Then second attack on faiz on his right shoulder. All bulls eye by the way. None was wasted on the ground.

I was almost admiring the crows sense of timing by then and aim of course. I am usually the victim of poop attacks. But i escaped unscathed. Which was nice for me & i gave a silent thanks and a flying kiss (both in my head) to the feathery fellows i cld see on the trees when we left the place.

Life Changes

Things are going to be so different at work from next week. Office without Harish and then Sheece at the end of the week. Soon many more will depart. How time flies...

Life moves on even if you don't; sometimes i feel like i am very still and everything is going on around me. We have too much angst in our lives. Work angst, relationship angst, (promise i'm not writing that word again)...but it just goes on & on. Life should be infinitely simpler, but rarely is.

Ayesha was telling me the other day you are so lucky to have such wonderful friends who live every day fully & know how to have fun. I thought about it & realized that it is so true. Life has been much better because of friends; isn't that always so. Family does matter but friends are who you can fall back on every time.

Friendships are so complex yet so easy. You can love ur friends even if you don't always like everything about them. Even the most obnoxious things can be forgiven cause its a friend. Friends can tell you the things you didn't want to hear. Very often they do. Especially if I am that friend, somehow i always end up being very blunt about things. I am so sorry afterwards.

On a funny note find that cats are major bed hoggers. Tangy has been hogging mine so much so that i end up spending the night on the very edge of the bed with him sleeping happily & sighing and stretching away across the whole length of it.
Damn life is unfair!!! Mom says throw him off the bed, but he's usually asleep by the time I decide to sleep & he looks so cute sleeping away. Cute people & animals can both get away with a lot na.

So nowadays i wake up with a furry paw on my face or his furry face happily nestled on my elbow with him fast asleep. He'll open his eyes as he gets disturbed when I wake up. Give me a sleeeeeeeeepy look & go back to sleep again.

I get my revenge when I force feed him his meds just before i leave for work. That is a totally amusing thing. Bechara has no choice. He hears me pounding the tablet in the mortar with the pestle & hustles off the bed as fast as he can. By the time i get the meds ready, he has vanished.
So I keep the syringe aside & wait patiently...usually do other things like wear shoes etc. Appear very nonchalant and disinterested in him. Soon he gets curious (hey she's not chasing me type thoughts run thru his head am so sure) and comes out of his hiding place (under the cupboard or bed usually) and ...WHAM!!! I catch him by his neck (thats the only way to catch a cat & not get scratched) and spray the meds in his mouth which is as tightly closed as he can manage. Some of the medicine gets sprayed on me too (hey one cant get it all after all) but thats easily washed off. I pat him on the head & release his neck for being a good cat. And head for office :)
That is my daily routine now. Every day the poor guy falls for it (hehehe)...and the daily war between man & beast continues...

So far man (woman actually to be very correct) is winning. I often wonder how long this can go on. He has spunk, he does rebel sometimes & refuses to open his mouth. Then I am in a quandary how the hell do i get the medicine in him. But these battles will be won. The war is a longer one.

Whoa...........too much happening at present

To say life has been hectic would be putting it mildly. This is the first Sunday in ages (i actually can't remember the last one...its that long ago) when I am actually at home & have no plans except movie in evening with friend.

Goa was amazing and I am hooked. Been planning my next trip sometime next month. Let's see how that goes. A longer one this time, some sightseeing (my list of things to see remained in my bag in this trip, that list didn't see the daylight except on one day when i was hopeful) and some things we have to do again like visit stone house.

A holiday is so much better when it is with friends, this time i had old ones & made some new ones. It is so much better, you get to know people better. There are newer facets that one gets to view.

I think people are a bit like diamonds, some are shiny and some are dull. But all have amazing number of facets to them. Some we see at a glance, for others you have to delve deeper.
But the results are always well worth the efforts taken. This may sound silly to some i'm sure but I can relate to this since I love both - diamonds & people.

Life has been full of many firsts this year. My first trip to Goa, my first opera, my first taste of feni, first taste of sand & sea water(bleech was the thought, sand in ur throat actually hurts), my first of many sunsets on the beaches of goa, my first sunrise and sunset on the same day.

I hope there are many more such firsts to come this year :D I am someone who tends to take life as it comes, every morning on my way to work when we are stuck in traffic I look up & see these beautiful hawks circling above in the sky. They look so beautiful and graceful. Some of the rain trees on the Kanjur road are gorgeous too. I see them every day, yet they look slightly different every day. I always think I should take a picture with my camera, but somehow cameras can't capture the essence of trees. Only the human eye & mind can capture those for eternity in your head. Isn't that an amazing gift we have!

Yesterday was women's day. Everyone from Vodafone to newspapers to Tv bombarded us women with special women's day messages & programs. As a woman I have not always felt special. Early teen years were a phase when I fervently wished to be a guy until I realized the advantages of being a woman. Since then there has been no turning back. Today I think is one of the best times to be a woman. I have the advantages which my mom and grandmom struggled to have. But its thanks to all these earlier generations that I have those advantages. They were the pioneers. My mom was the first woman in her family to take up a job, my great grandmom was the first widow to be independent and rely on herself to support her daughter. I sadly don't have any such first to my credit till date. But I do feel that they were incredibly gutsy women to have done those firsts.

There are many such women in this world. Each of them has quietly done some such first in her family. All of them are heroes to someone in their family. I know that I have always been proud of my heroes - the women in my family & life.

Very Happening Week

Last week was so eventful. 13th of Feb evening was spent hurrying home wondering if the city would erupt into a round of mindless violence. Fear is such a potent thing. So easily spread especially in the current environment. One incident gets magnified into many.

Something similar happened on that day. I don't think a politician's arrest should have been so hyped especially when everyone knew that he'd be out on bail. The arrest was merely a part of the procedure to be followed. Ridiculous was my thought when i saw all the shops closed or being made to close near our office. Everyone's offices closed early & people rushed to the safety of their homes. Its a very strange world we live in when rumors can make us abandon reason. Who decides who lives where? Aren't we all citizens of the same country. But haven't we all seen the same scenario being played out not just in our country but across the world for centuries. Why are humans so insecure? Why is someone who is different from us always considered a danger to us?

My first tv appearance came about rather uneventfully. I was chosen by elimination amongst other colleagues, marathi channel hence knowledge of the language was the only criteria. Mine isn't anything to boast about.

Finally a colleague & me took the trip down to the tv station for the shoot on friday afternoon. I was so expecting a professional set up (studio, make up & all :D ) was in for a major disappointment. I have no idea how things are done at news channels; but this was something else.

The reporter hustled us into her boss's office which was usurped from him. Asked me to sit at his desktop & had the cameraman start filming. I tried to remind her that she'd said we'd do a rehearsal of the questions & answers (which in my mind was sensible since i'd to think the answers in english & translate into marathi)

Course that was not what happened. We discussed all the points she had to cover & what would be the order & thats it (No action, or camera either...just a whisper from the cameraman saying ...ok )

Our PR person & Amit (office colleague - in case some technical questions were directed at us) sat behind the cameraman & gave me encouraging smiles. It was all over in an hour at the end of which i was left wondering did i use the correct marathi words. We left the studios thinking that wasn't so bad. When it was to be aired wasn't very clear at the time.

On sat afternoon our PR person calls up & says ur show is on tonite be sure to watch it. Worse of all I don't have the channel (cursed cable tv) so asked friends & brother to watch it & lemme knw. I will have to wait till the taped version is delivered to us.

Very restful weekend after all of that. Bad cold & cough have kept me confined at home. Resting & watching movies. Had a afternoon nap today after ages :D

4 Days for Goa.................yaaaaaaaay (Hope i can work on Thurs)

Its been too long...

I can't believe I haven't blogged in ages. Just shows how much work & social life are taking up most of my time. Work load certainly keeps increasing every day. I am just about able to cope, any more & I'll have to secretly clone myself.

Life has been good & bad. Work is hectic & suddenly find myself doing so much more socially. Going out 2-3 nights a week reminds me that one is certainly not young any more. But you only live once! So what the hell am going to have fun.

The weather has been beautiful, finally we get winter. It's so nice to finallllllllllly be able to wear those woollies. No fans at home, which is so rare. Cats are all sneezing or coughing away due to the change in weather. But it has its advantages, cold nights mean mouse spends more time at home. Niceness that is (less fights, less wounds)
Sleeping next to me as I write this (I actually cant remember the last time mouse did that at 11.30pm) this is his prime prowling time. I am very happy with the situation ....but of course wonder how long this bliss will last.

Lost my beloved phone a few weeks ago. Sadness it was. Have lost numbers of old friends which were nowhere but on my phone. Must learn to backup data.

Got a temp replacement from office, another SE but this one has a touch screen and behaves very oddly inspite of locking the keypad. Sent off 9 blank sms's to Vipin and loves to call up Payal when I am en route which is stranger. So now if people get umpteen sms's from me or it seems as if i'm desperately trying to get in touch with you pleaseeeeeeeeee ignore. Its my phone ...not me :D Meanwhile the search for which fone to buy continues.

B'day came & went. Became a year older. Strangely never feel older on that day itself. Got lots of gifts in the form of wine & books (& a skirt :D) Mom & I already opened & tasted the merlot this week. It's superb.

Looking forward to goa; quite excited about it. Haven't reached the stage where I'm counting days to go. But that will happen as the date looms closer.