Mind of an orchid

Itchingtowrite tagged me and here goes...Ofcourse, I jumped at it because it would obviously take me one post closer to 100 and also because it seemed like a lot of fun and it was! Thanks Itchy! Care to do it, anyone?
BTW, I have 12 more to go :)

I was wondering what choice (of subject?) I have for a blog post today and that’s when I decided to write on “choices” - the choices that we as consumers are faced with everyday. Have you ever stood (totally lost) in front of a supermarket aisle trying to decide which toothpaste to buy even as the hundred odd boxes of toothpaste all a different brand, variety and flavor stare right back at you? If you have, then you will relate to what I want to ask. Why do we have so many choices when it comes to shopping and doesn’t that make life unnecessarily complicated and stressful? I know! I used shopping and stressful in the same sentence!! However, I am not referring to those indulgent purchases like clothes, shoes or other impulse buys, those are still fun, mostly.

The discussion is about shopping for more essential, functional items and these days believe it or not I find that a stressful exercise. Even buying something as basic as bread entails decision-making – there are at least 30 brands (no, I haven’t counted them) and although I have favorites it is still an issue when I want change. And sadly, the problem doesn’t end there, it extends to cleaning supplies, small appliances, linens, toys or any of the innumerable products that we need on an everyday basis- it sure feels like the retail market has conspired against the poor consumer by coming up with so many choices.

And if at all you believe in other things like bargains, bang for the buck and value then you are pretty much done for. Its mind boggling, the choices out there and believe me, you would think the internet is your answer but I think it adds more confusion than bring any kind of clarity. I wonder why Darwin’s theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest doesn’t apply to products in the market. Only the most popular, best value products should continue to stay on the shelves and the rest weeded out leaving us with fewer choices. I believe the times are a-changing and that our parents led much simpler and more peaceful lives because they didn’t have much choice. They always relied on the friendly neighborhood mom and pops to fulfill their shopping requirements. I think this also left them with more time for the pursuit of a meaningful existence unlike us who spend half our lifetime pushing shopping carts endlessly around the super-sized super markets.

It is a little ironic that what probably started out as an experiment in meeting varied consumer demands and stocking products specific to diverse customer needs has now become a nightmare to the same consumer who no longer knows what he needs or wants.

We stressed quite a bit over buying a mattress set last week and despite all the research we did online, the minute we stepped into a store , we were clueless, again thanks to the abundance of choices at the “sleep specialty store”. Oh yes, there were the ever-friendly salesmen who were more than willing to educate us and share knowledge but really there were no straight answers to my one straight question. Is there a mattress that will let me sleep through the night? "Of course" said the salesguy, it just depends on whether you are a memory foam person or a coil spring person or a pillow top person. Once we realized that the answer was memory foam(again based on an endless set of questions) he moved on to talk about an infinite number of memory foam mattresses-tempur pedic, posture pedic, sleep number, Serta memory foam, Celsius, angel beds and he went on and on….and left us bamboozled. We thought we knew what we wanted but apparently not. Anyway, thanks to hubby’s persistence and the salesman's patience we bought a mattress that made sense (I dare not say what we wanted). I am not going to specify exactly what we bought because I really don’t want one of you coming back and giving me a bad review on the mattress, if it was a bad choice let me find that out for myself. It was a substantial investment and a considerable upgrade from the previous one we had but we reasoned that if we spend 8 or more hours each day on the mattress then it might be a good investment. It’s been 4 days and I have been getting some good sleep but I digress from the topic of choices. You would think now that I bought the (perfect ??) mattress, I was a happy camper err shopper, well …you are wrong. Next, I had to buy “bed ensemble”…ofcourse I have plenty of choices, more than I want or need –should I buy them all separate- the duvet, the coverlets, the bed skirt, the sheet set or should I just buy a bed-in-a-bag ?? Grrrr…choices!!! Who needs them, really ?!

Today, I just decided to do things a little differently. As most of you know I am on a blog marathon with an intention of getting to 100 posts by March 8th which is also the first anniversary of this blog and I have 15 more posts to go. The going has been good so far and thanks to all of you who take the time to read what I have to say, this has been fun to do. However, I figured most of you need a break from the Mind of an Orchid and hence today I present a post which has been authored by a fellow blogger. She blogs here and is known to most of us as Fuzzylogic. Her posts have a lot of visual appeal since she makes the effort to tell her stories through pictures.
So, Fuzzy thanks for humoring me not just by agreeing to guest author for this blog but also by writing a funny post that most of us can relate to. Hope you all enjoy the post as much as I did.


Fuzzylogic writes...

"Sweaty palms, shaky voice, nervous weight-shifting. As you stumble through each sentence of your dialogue, you're a wreck from head to foot. No this is not because Orchid asked me to guest author an entry to her blog!That was how I was when I had to first perform on the stage the very first time at school in grade 2. I didn't want to enter the stage, at the last minute I felt like kicking myself to have ever agreed to join this stupid drama, my body was on an emergency alert telling me to take a flight right now out and far from this place. I was to play this big brave king in the drama. The outfit was ridiculous, the crown suddenly felt heavy, my false moustache kept tickling my nose and smell of that glue which they used to keep it in place made me swoon. I silently prayed to god to rescue me and also promised him that I would never kick the cat or try to set it's tail on fire (Yep,I was quite a brat but the patency of the idea was my big brother's)or bully my younger cousin anymore and that I would be the good kid he always wanted. But no, there was none of that miraculous yellow light appearing from above that would make me disappear as in those stories grandma spun, even god had deserted me!No,there was no escape now.

I had to go and when my turn came I couldn't move, my legs felt like lead. I heard faint voices asking me "Fuzzy, time to go, come on" I was sure I was hearing some distant voices in my head from very far cursing me for standing there, and then all at once a hand shoved me into the

brightly lit stage. I stood there blinking and looking all around like a deer caught in the headlights. I took one step and said one sentence "I am the mighty King" and then my mind went all blank, I couldn't recall a thing! My teacher whispered "Sword, remember the sword”, I tried to draw that cardboard sword off that belt strap and the more I tried the more it refused to budge, they probably glued it fresh and it got stuck inside false sword cover made again of cardboard. I am sure even Kind Arthur would have had a tough time pulling it out. It was time for sheer panic. I could hear some hushed voices from behind the curtains. I pulled at it again, it still refused to yield, and I was desperate. Then someone said "Ditch the sword, just say the dialogue”. I composed myself and again said "I am the mighty King”, again I couldn't remember anything. I must have repeated that sentence at least 15 times, tugging the sword another 10 times. I heard someone banging their head to some nearby cardboard walls and mouth some hushed dialogues again this time with a frustrated tone, words like "for heaven's sake come on”. I think I saw some little kids grinning from teeth to teeth in the audience and some sympathetic elderly faces. I also saw my parents there and they were looking at me earnestly doing some weird hand movements so as to tell me to jump right off the stage I didn't quite get what that meant. I looked at my bro who was now laughing and having a rolicky time (I silently prayed after dealing with this I would definitely seek revenge) Suddenly from nowhere I felt tears stream down my cheeks and my false moustache got all wet as I rubbed my nose in between. The other kid who was my queen in the drama also looked like she would cry anytime. I again started the dialogue this time crying loudly "I am the mighty king" much to the laughter that erupted around me but this time somehow in between the tears I remembered the dialogue and continued to mouth it in my own mournful way. Anyway I did clear that scene somehow even though my drama teacher wasn't too pleased with it.

Honestly facing the stage the very first time can be hard, why kids, I have seen even lot many Your browser may not support display of this image.adults become nervous wrecks and blabber when they face the audience. But stage also presents a whole lot of comedy. The curtains get stuck at the crucial moment, the main dancer slips and falls on her face, the moustache falls off in the middle of the act and the actor unawares continues or discovers and panicky, dialogues get forgotten ,sometimes wrong dialogues get mouthed in wrong places creating utter confusion, loosely tied drama pants come down suddenly on the stage much to the embarrassment of the actors, songs get out of tune, voices become cracked and screechy and sometimes disappear all together -joining the drama club in school certainly had its advantages:)I got to see all of these. Infact whenever I watched that hilarious drama stage scene of the ever wonderful "Jaane bhi do yaaron" I always remembered some of my experiences on stage. I can't wait for my little one to grow up and show her way on the stage, I bet she will do much better a job than her mom's pathetic first entry:)

So how many of you have faced the stage with confidence? I bet you all will have lots of wonderful stories to share of yourself and perhaps of your little ones. Come on, the stage is most certainly yours for the taking now:)

Thanks Orchid for letting me share this here at your blog:)"

So while you talk about your own stage stories, I am going to sign off with a big THANK YOU to Fuzzy!

It's almost 48 hrs, I've stayed away from this blog far too long and if I have to get to my target of 100 posts by March 8th then I have to get back to business soon, the business of blogging, that is. Hope y'all had a good weekend.

Today, I may have faced the consequence of some of the choices I've made previously and as the truth hits home, I am a little disgruntled, I wonder if I can make peace with this ?

..and on a totally unrelated note and also since television doesn't really allow you to stay disgruntled for long, I bring Oscar-news in real time. OH NO!! Cars jst lost to Happy feet in the best animation category, A is going to be soooo disappointed. No wait, he doesn't care about the Oscars. Anyway, the 79th Oscars are off to a great start, Ellen Degeneres is doing a fine job as a host, I thought Beyonce looked absolutely gorgeous in her Armani, and I did manage to catch a glimpse of Deepa Mehta and Seema Biswas in the background parading in sarees :), no sign of John Abraham yet, sigh!!

Hey, I just found this picture of the Water team on Rediff.

...and since it is not everyday that we get to see a saree, let alone 3, on the Oscar red carpet, I am excited for all of us. Also, Lisa Ray looks good, aye?

I am rewinding a little bit and starting from the very beginning. I don’t know how many of you have read what I wrote in my blogger profile and it will be interesting to see if what I said is still true after almost a year or if I lied to begin with :)

So, here is what I wrote about myself the day I opened this account with blogger.

“What can I say! I am a decent human being. I usually hold the door open for people behind me (I still do). I am compassionate and honest (I still am). I usually have an opinion about everything but try to keep most to myself (read below).I enjoy being a mom although it is associated with constant guilt (read below). Being a wife is much easier especially if you have a doting husband (hmmm, I have to think about this). I love beautiful things, who deosn't. Sad, they don't always come cheap. So I love bargain shopping (read below) :) I have a thing for flowers (orchids and carnations (read below). I have always loved a rainy afternoon, there is so much potential- a good book and a hot cup of tea are a couple - off the top of my head (still love a rainy afternoon). I love m&m's (my one guilty pleasure) (had to give up- motherhood sacrifice!!, A found my stash and was slowly getting addicted too). I enjoy researching the stock market (now it’s mutual funds and ETF’S) and sports-cricket (read below), basketball (watch it on and off), F-1 (was a lie to begin with) to name a few. I love Oprah (still do) and my "will do one day" file includes ballroom dancing (not sure anymore), becoming a shoe designer (ofcourse!!) and hosting my own talk show (you think I can?)

3) Oh yes, I have an opinion about everything (read the Britney post for proof), however, my MIL must be wondering why I am suddenly so passive after being so aggressive all these years…….don’t tell her that I have another outlet, the blog, o.k. ;)
4) I still enjoy being a mom, although I was not so sure about this last night after I got back from a parent education night at A’s school. I attended a math workshop and moms if you are stressing over feeding and burping your kids , let me tell you that’s not even the tip of the iceberg. Last night was a real eye opener that I am going to have to switch gears in this whole parenting ride soon. Yes, I have to start working with A on units, tens, hundreds, fractions, decimals, addition, subtraction (don’t even want to think about multiplication and division, yet). A may be ready but I am not. MATH!!!!.....and this is where the associated with guilt part comes in. I was under so much stress after meeting with A’s teacher last night that I came home and ate a whole bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream with watermelon jello even as hubby sat there watching me in horror!!
5) I continue to bargain shop – I bought this beautiful plum wool coat by CK at 1/10th the price (this is the only fraction I love) on Monday at President’s day sale and guess what!?!? suddenly it’s not winter anymore! Life is unfair, but who cares, I still wore the coat to the meeting last night and very successfully refused to make eye contact with any of the perfectly dressed women at A’s school – like I needed their disapproving glances! I enjoyed my coat and so what if it was making me hot and sweaty, surely it had to be all that discussion about math and not my coat. I love my new coat!!!
6) I still love orchids and carnations. Hubby makes sure I get orchids at least twice a year and I buy carnations for myself. What!?!, try it ..…..go buy yourself some flowers it’s cathartic and of course I am cheap so I settle for the carnations.

7) And lastly cricket. Ah! If you are one of the one billion Indians then it is hard to not have some kind of attachment with this sport. Mine has been pretty wide ranged from wanting to marry Ravi Shastri (remember I am old people!!!), to trying to place crank calls to Kumble, to wanting a career in cricket commentary (thanks to Harsha Bogle), well.... y’know what I mean! Moving to the U.S dampened some of this interest but of course, I am married to the biggest sports-buff ever, so I cannot totally ignore the sport. I remember, I was heavily pregnant during the last world cup and hubby had warned me that if I went into labor during the India-Australia final then I was doing it on my own! So, remember to love me between March 13th and April 28th (cricket world cup) because I am not getting any love from you-know-who then.

Looks like everyone has had enough of Britney and it’s time to move on. So, move on, we shall.

Today is D’s birthday. D is my brother and I want to say Happy Birthday. We have both grown up and grown apart in that we each have our own lives now- of course his largely centers on finding his future bride and mine largely centers on making peace with my current groom, we live quite far from each other but we look forward to our nightly phone conversations which is now a ritual that neither of us would miss. That’s my fifteen minutes of laughter therapy and his fifteen minutes of vindication (because when I crib he always reminds me that I suffer because of what I did to him all those years ago). Oh, did I tell you I am older to D by 4 years and also incidentally happen to be the bully? D is the introvert but then again he is the one with that brilliant sense of humor. He can turn any conversation, any situation into something funny and that I say is a gift. So, maybe I shouldn’t even dare to write anything funny about him because he got all the humor genes. And since I am the sentimental one, I’ll just stick to saying a few nice things about him.
D is one of those people that I have known the longest in this life, of course after mom and dad and going just by the length of this relationship I can say that it is one of the most important ones. How can it not be? Siblings never get acknowledged for their role in our lives. But really D is my oldest friend, I have shared a mom, a dad, toys, books, clothes, secrets, good times and bad…… well just about everything with him. D, thanks for all those fights that made me tougher, thanks for all the honest words that kept me grounded, thanks for all the smiles that make my day a wee bit brighter, thanks for your sanity-really you are the most NORMAL humanbeing I know, thanks for simply being you – you don’t know how much I appreciate you for being such a good son, really I feel glad for mom and dad and after all the heartburn I give them because I still am the rebel, they must be glad to have you.
There are times when I missed having a sister but y’know what, I don’t think I would trade you for anything. So, brother – Happy Birthday!

Tell me about your siblings folks. Let me see, NZ has a sister, SM has a brother, Beenzz has a sister??, Sanjay has atleast one sister, Itchy has a sister and a brother, Deepthi has a brother, Madmomma has a brother, Starry has six brothers, Boo has a sister, Usha has a sister, Fuzzy has a brother am I right ?? Asha, Rads, Madsies, Lifelover, Art, MO2, @, Hastobeme, Rayshma, Ganesh, Urbanpro, Rebus Upsilamba, Little Miss Muffet, Tharini, JC –you guys haven’t spoken about your siblings at all, atleast I don’t remember reading about them, so tell me. And if I left out anyone from the list I apologize, I was only trying to recollect off the top of my head.

Image via www.hollywoodtuna.com
Britney goes to Rehab

…..finally!!!, do you think she heard me (read previous post) or is this just another excuse to be away from her kids ? Seriously, what was she thinking having two kids back to back, I wonder. I mean did she get pregnant right after the first one just so she could sing “OOPS! I DID IT AGAIN ??” Wake up woman!! you are a mom now and that too of 2 kids. Motherhood is a privilege and no it is not a walk in the park, I really wish she would realize that and get her act together and I don’t believe in this whole rehab thing yet. Before Californians outlaw spanking toddlers they should come up with a law that would spank badly behaved, fully grown adults - that would make more sense what with all the celebrity tantrums in that part of the world. Anyway, grow up Britney!! and I meant before the kids do.


Updated on 2/21/07

O.k I just saw that TheMadmomma (who ofcourse is this fantabulous mom/blogger nominated for the IndieBlog Awards) has written a post on Britney and quite passionately expressed her views which are contrary to what I feel. Please read her post here. I disagree and here is why. Have your say at the end of it.

First, if at all this issue is of any interest to us ordinary mortals it is only because Britney is a MOM just like most of us and somehow motherhood makes you take a harder look at global issues be it the hunger in Africa or the bizzare behavior of Britney Spears largely because it involves children.
Now, Britney is NOT being judged because of the problems she has (agree that being a celebrity does not insulate her from suffering) but BECAUSE of the way she is chosing to deal with her problems. If she is being labeled an incompetent mom, I think she is entirely responsible for that. No, it is not o.k to drive with an infant on your lap because not only could it be fatal for the child at the speed at which you drive on American roads but also because it is against the law.
Then there is the issue of running around without her underpants, (ofcourse the fact that her boobs seem to hanging out all the time is totally unintentional). O.k. her kid(s) are too little to get damaged by all this just yet but clearly Britney is sprialling down and whatever happened to the "lead by example" philosophy that we everyday moms live by.
She is 25, dealing with divorce, learning to parent not one but two kids - yes, she is a mess. But again, c'mon, it is hard to sympathise with her because most of it is her own making and also, nodobdy would cut us any slack if we were to behave like this, it wouldn't be international headlines but in our immediate world it would be news and maybe that would be the end of us, atleast she will get a second chance. If all this bizzare behavior is a cry for help then where are the friends and family, I wonder? Oh! I forget- she is poor li'l rich girl and it is always quite lonely at the top. Anyway, if you have dirty laundry (which all of us have) just don't wash it in public and if you do, then expect it to be on primetime news. And that going bald thing,...... I don't even want to get started on that one. I mean go bald if you want, who cares, but to me- if you are doing it in a saloon with glass doors, very aware of kicking a papparazi frenzy outside it is just an attention seeking stunt......what are bathrooms for, girl??
Anyway, since I have to REALLY write another post soon (remember the whole getting to 100 by March 8th deal), I am going to stop this rant on Britney but Madmomma-Thank You. This was fun.

Updated Again:
Hey, It's not my fault if Britney continues her wild behavior :), although I am tempted to say "I told you so". Anyway, the latest is she checked out of the rehab center is less than 24 hours....so much for finally taking action!! and Fuzzy you were right, it's apparently the second time she has done this, checked in checked out of rehab in less than a day. Read about it here

Over the next few days this blog will be put on overdrive-frequency of posts will be turned up deliberately. Why?? Because I have an agenda. I have as many days left to the first anniversary of this blog as I have till my 100th post (almost)......if that sounded unnecessarily confusing, here is a breakdown. I have 16 days before the first year anniversary and need 19 more posts to reach 100. I intend to make them coincide.....o.k. I know, I know sounds like I am taking this blog thing too seriously....atleast I am not shaving my head or going out on all night party/c****hie flashing sessions like Britney. So, I may post more than once a day, I may beg, borrow or even steal posts from y'all if I go blank, put the digital camera on overtime duty and even starve hubby and A - at this point anything is fair game, don't call your lawyers yet 'coz I warned you......I have to get to 100 on March 8th, can I??

P.S: I will understand if you cannot be a part of this mania and read and comment on every single post but will really appreciate if you wish to get on this insane ride to 100. So, hop on folks :)

Sorry, can't review this one because I dozed off after the first scene. Before you draw any conclusions about the movie itself, let me remind you that 1) I am old (30 is not young people!!) and 2) I attempted to watch this at 11.30 in the night after running behind A and indulging his every whimsy AND being spider-man for the afternoon and Pink Power Ranger for the evening on Saturday. However, I did ask hubby (who ofcourse sat through the entire movie blissfully ignorant that his tired old wife was out) about the movie and he says if you love Jamie Fox and Collin Farrell and also if you liked Heat (Al pacino and De Niro) then you will like this movie. Hope that helps! I told you so, he is indeed a man of many words- my hubby!


This one I saw :)

For me the movie worked. I didn’t go into it with many expectations but came out pleasantly satisfied. The movie which tells the story of post 9/11 Afghanistan does actually bring to focus that part of the world which is not really a part of anyone’s coffee table conversation and has a rather neutral take on the situation too. The visuals despite being melancholic speak volumes. The look and feel of a country so desolate makes you almost want to stop complaining about your own life. I would say it even makes you feel blessed. The journalist- cameraman duo of John Abraham and Arshad Warsi did what they were supposed to do without drawing too much attention to themselves yet managing to appear very real in the roles they were playing. Warsi, proves yet again that good-acting is all about keeping it real. Even the other characters were nicely sketched and pretty endearing too. The irony is so apparent. Despite being the story of war-ravaged country random conversations involving Kapil Dev, Madhuri Dixit and Coke/Pepsi seemed to be timed perfectly. If the movie was a Bollywood experiment at excluding songs, it was a pretty successful experiment. I was glad to not be interrupted by songs like “Bidi Jalayle” because going by Bollywood standards, the deserts of Afghanistan and the vast-stretches of un-inhabited land could have been ideal locations for item numbers and again I am glad the director resisted temptations to bring in the bomb-shells.
All in all, a movie well made, a story well told.

Lost in amazement


Lost in astonishment


Lost in affection


Lost in assiduousness


Lost in arctic chill


Lost in affliction


Lost in aping


Lost in academics


Lost in amusement

There was a time when I used to celebrate everything and have little anniversaries to mark those little everythings - the first date, the first kiss, the first fight, well you get the picture. That time was 10 years ago. So, today I can actually celebrate something big - atleast for those of us that believe in milestones this should seem big. U(hubby) and I met this day exactly 10 years ago. It feels like I’ve known him forever because strangely I don’t have too many memories of life before him. Yet, I wonder how could 10 years have flown by so soon when the first memories of me and him seem so fresh. I know there is a part of me that constantly strives to keep those memories alive but still it could’nt possibly be TEN years? I have loved every minute of the last ten years (not true!! you know we’ve had our share of “fight over peanut butter”days) but still if I were given another chance to live my life differently I probably wouldn’t change a thing (o.k. that sounds really cliché)...BUT, when this relationship began(almost the minute we saw each other) it felt right and not once did we question if it was going to work. The odds were against us especially since we had been bold enough to find each other contrary to leaving that job to our parents. However, we believed in us and looking back I don’t know how we trusted ourselves with that decision. He was 23 and I was 21 when we met and 2 years later we were married. What we would do with our lives was an uncertainty, who we would be with during the process of finding ourselves definitely was not. It seemed right then and fortunately it does even today. Was it love or chemistry or attraction or just luck that led us and bound us to each other? I don’t know. I do know though that he is everything I am not. So, I never had to try and be things I am not because he can somehow always make up for what I lack and maybe that’s why this works.
Honey, thank you for putting up with me for the last ten and oh yeah you are stuck with me for (ever), hopefully! And let me warn you I am only going to get more difficult to live with as the years roll (like you didn’t already know this!)

To end this post, I will cut and paste an email that I got from hubby in 1998 (yes, they are all there, still-the letters, the cards, the emails)
From: U
Sent : Saturday, September 26, 1998 7:25 PM
To: Orchid
Subject: Lovemail :O

Love you honey.

Yes! he is a man of many words :) but anyway......he always says what I want to hear in those three words.

P.S.: If you are wondering about the strawberries..it's just a fond memory, I always got a box of strawberries during some of those earlier dates

A chaat party on Friday night at a friend’s place to which I went (unknowingly) without a gift and in the wrong clothes!!!! followed by few rounds of Texas Holdem Poker at another friends place from which I was knocked out pretty miserably and went home cursing (inwardly), PMS associated angst that “continues” to make me more maniacal by the minute(rrroaarr), a 24 hr feud with the hubby over half a spoon of peanut butter, a b’day party at Jump Town with A whose hyperactivity was at an all time high and 33 other equally hyperactive kids, was moderator for an extremely hilarious online conversation between my mom(in India) and my brother(in Sacramento) about the quest for his future bride. Between his wish-list and her must-have's we came to the conclusion that he was likely to remain a bachelor for atleast the forseeable future and did I also tell you the conversation had a geographical span stretching from shivalli(udupi) to ghana(africa)?? don't ask me why ;O........ and finally making up with hubby over a lame compliment, a sink full of dirty dishes which 'he' rather sincerely cleaned and a pretty tempting offer to take me to Christina Aguilera’s concert on the 21.
I guess all is well that ends well, no??




Image via www.absolutepictures.comb

If you guessed I was mostly bed ridden last week, you guessed wrong! The bug was bothersome alright but being a mom means not having any sick day allowances and last week was no exception. I survived, thanks to antibiotics, masala chai and ofcourse all that Anna Nicole coverage on T.V. A's Valentine's Day project was to make some in-house cards and I have to admit we (read I) had fun doing those. So, here is a picture of the end result and ofcourse I am using the same to wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day.The chocolate is in the mail :) What!?! you don't believe that I would send you all some chocolates? Alright, alright...but whatever happened to "it's the thought that counts" philosophy??? Atleast I thought of sending some chocolates!!

Anyway, what's your Valentine's day story/ project?




From left to right, the cards are for: 1) Ms. Lily, 2) to be exchanged with a child in A's class, 3) Abhinav (this card was done in its entirety by A), 4) Ms. Lurdez and 5) Ms. Rosa)

..On a strep throat hiatus..will be back soon. Will visit all your blogs soon...once this unrelenting bug decides to find a new host ;)

Nah…it’s not about “that” clandestine affair I had back then. Like I would write about it even if I had one, yeah right! I just thought of clearing the dust off the archives section of this blog and I found this post which I wrote a year ago when I had barely started blogging. I didn’t know as many women as I do now and feel that this post is as relevant today as it was a year ago. So, I am going to re-post it. If you have already read this....well, read it again :D

Bonjour Les Dames
“Yesterday was International Women’s Day and here’s a few thoughts about women. I thought of all the women I have known- the happy ones, the sad ones, the big ones, the petite ones, the chirpy ones, the ambitious ones, the bitchy ones, the oh-so-helpful ones, the no-nonsense kinds, the “see-I-told-you” kinds and I tell you-the list is endless. We come in all shapes, colors, sizes and did I forget moods? So, what about women? Oh, where can I start?
I dearly love the four men in life (my hubby, my son, my dad and my brother) but guys; there are days when I wished I could really use a break from all things men! How true was Joseph Conrad when he said, “Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men”
Well, haven’t we all had times when we could use a little input when we go shoe-shopping or when we go shopping for a dress to wear to “his” office party. Remember that time when you stood gazing at a million plasma TVs because he “may” want to, some day, get one? Or remember the endless “conversations”, mostly one- sided of course; we’ve had about all the cool cars on this earth. You ask a man, especially an Indian, anything about cricket and I mean any statistic and it doesn’t have to be about the Indian team, mind you; you’ll get an answer at lightning speed, now we can’t say the same about his memory when it comes to other things, can we? Well, over the years, husband dear has made significant progress with the traditional birthdays and anniversaries. He has figured out it is a lot easier just to remember a couple of dates but still has a lot of trouble with the newer ones like “Mother’s day”, “love your wife day” (no that one does not exist, I just made that up, but don’t we all wish that there was actually one?) :D
And a 2 yr old is as much man as you can get too. My son would rather watch soccer or basketball with his dad than spend some “quality time” with his Mommy. Have you ever seen those eyebrows shoot up instantly when you try to hug or plant a little kiss when you drop him off at school?... and yes I am still talking about the two year old! The look he gives me says “Kissing is an absolute no-no. Not in front of the girls mom!”
Moving on to brothers, aren’t they a phenomena? I hear myself chuckle every time he calls me for a recipe, thinking of the impending disaster his kitchen awaits. The bachelor that he is; has no choice but to make his own bread and it was only not so long ago that mom would wait on him hand and foot to make sure that his every gluttonous wish was adequately met. Cooking and men! It sounds disastrous to even use the two words together in a same sentence.
I want to talk about Dad too, but there’s something about Dads that makes you almost not want to put them in the same category as the other men. So, maybe I’ll just leave them alone for now.
Going back to what I started to write about, women, all I can say is thank you for being who you are. To Asha, Asha, (not a typo, I know 2 Asha’s actually), Divya, Rupa, Champa, Sangeetha, Poonam, Shilpa, Mrudula, Kavitha, Kacki, Louisa, Jennifer, Darlene, Lakshmi, Tiwi, Mythri, Savitha (mom), Meera (Aunt), YOU (women of the blogoshpere) and of course Oprah-cheers and thank you! It is comforting to know that there is a feminine shoulder, close by. And men (for now I leave the gentle part out), I will say a few nice things on a day when hubby and the toddler have been little extra thoughtful, how about that?”

Now to add to this post.....let me just say women are an endangered species-no I am not making that up. The situation may not be as dramatic as it sounds but it is still a situation nonetheless. China has a serious gender imbalance with the current boy/girl ratio being about 115 to 100 thanks to their strict one child policy and high rate of sex-selective abortions. Same is true of India with female infanticide practices being a brutal reality. The social implications are not going to be evident for a while but I wonder if it can be ignored if the two most populous nations in the world will have to look at importing women and soon.
People!! Go make some girls!

On that note,I will sign off.

P.S. I never did write about men like I said I would. So, maybe my next post will be about men ?