Cheers To My Chariot!

She completed 1 year on May 26. My 2010 has given me immense pleasure on crowded Pune roads and in long distance travel. She has protected me from the sun, the traffic, and the hazards of two-wheeler driving. I owe her one!

Her elegant colour and shape add to her other advantages: smooth drive, powerful AC, comfortable interiors. I have spent some of my memorable times with her and my friends, enjoying her ownership and taking pride in guiding her.

Driving through rains and listening to my favourite songs: that's what I love to do with her. I remember how I had been to Lonavla with friends, had opened the boot, and had ice cream sitting in the boot watching the beautiful rains. It was awesome. I remember my first long drive to Mumbai with her. I remember how one night I had pizza with Mukta and Aditya in Bavdhan, enjoying the night stillness around.

I also remember how she has got all the different scratches and dents. I am so sorry dear! A big hug to you from me for that.

My heartfelt thanks to my Chariot, my Estilo, who has run for more than 8800 kms in this year and has allowed me to control her and bend her to my wishes on all roads! Love you Lady!

To A Couple!

Here's wishing Mukta and Aditya a very Happy Anniversary!

This made-for-each-other couple makes my life brighter and this world a better place to live in.

May you have comfort and sunshine, love and togetherness, happiness and support forever in your life.

I Love...

...the smell of first rains.

...freshly made beds, especially if someone else has made them for me.

...to look at my closet full of ironed clothes waiting for me to wear them.

...to wear bright, ironed clothes or my most comfortable blue top on my favourite jeans.

...to look at my home that I have just cleaned prim and prop which looks very welcoming.

...to drive in my dear Estilo when it's raining hard outside listening to my favourite "Jab We Met" songs.

...it when someone drops me back from work or a nice outing or party, especially coming out of way to do it. (Schade! that it has never happened yet. It's mostly me who does the dropping off for people.)

...to feel the blast of the AC in my Estilo when driving to office.

...it when people say that I am a good driver. (Believe me, I am!)

...it when someone remembers me and buys something especially for me when they are on a trip or outing. (That too has happened only very, very seldom.)

...it when sometimes people leave me alone to myself.

...to watch a movie alone sometimes.

...to buy gifts for my dear ones. (Sometimes I feel I overdo it.)

...it when a friend of mine gives me a flower every time we meet.

...to see myself sweat it out after I go for a walk or exercise rigorously.

...to see not just the sweat on my face after my exercise but also my rosy cheeks bright with exercise.(So Elizabeth-Darcy-like!)

...to sit under that one tree in our local park after my usual rounds enjoying the cool breeze and looking at the evening sky and the birds around.

...it when friends ping me to chat, especially those who are so dear to me.

...it when there is absolutely no work, no relatives, no visits on weekends and I get to do whatever and how much ever I want.

...to take that blessed afternoon siesta after a sumptuous meal on a Saturday.

...to have dinner ready for my parents when they return from Mumbai.

...it when I switch on the TV and find my favourite movie on.

...to hear my favourite old songs on the radio.

...to watch movies in the night when everyone else is asleep in the house.

...to read an exciting, nerve-wrecking novel right into the night and finish it off with a relish.

...to write long letters describing all kinds of things to my friends.

...it when I receive a letter from my friends as a reply to my earlier letter.

...to buy beautiful, unique key chains, treasure them all up, and then open this treasure some days later to take a stock.

and of course,

...it when people leave comments on blog posts. ;)

I-Want-To-Stay-Away-From-All-Relatives Fever

These days, I am suffering from this terrible fever. It's going on for the past one month. And I know it's going to stay for another couple of months at least.

It's acute symptoms are listlessness, getting bored when with relatives, finding reasons to avoid meeting relatives, staying out of home when relatives are expected home, staying back in office even when you have no work just to avoid relatives.

This fever is unfortunately not contagious. How much ever you wish that your relatives would catch this disease, they never do so. In fact, it has a curious reaction on your relatives. When you are suffering from this fever acutely, that's the exact time when they suffer from "We-Are-Coming-To-Stay-At-Your-Place" illness or the "You-Have-Not-Visited-Us-In-A-Long-Time" sickness, or even the "Why-Don't-You-Drop-By-Today-At-Our-Place?" malady.

Mind you, these are bound to increase your fever and I suggest you take precautions to avoid suffering the effects of these different diseases when you are already suffering from the fever.

Some options you can consider to ward off kinsmen are:

• Going underground and untraceable for quite some time.
• Spreading the word that you are suffering from swine flu.
• Showing off that you are so busy in office that you don't have time even for yourself.
• Going off on vacation and never informing when you are returning or when you have returned.

Note: Please let me know if you have tested and tried any other options with success.

Birds Of All Feathers

Some soaring high in the sky, some singing in the trees, some hidden in the foliage, some twittering around flying, some hopping trees, and some returning to nests as the night falls.

You will see them all if you spare some time in the evening and visit your local park. If you just take efforts and listen carefully, you will be able to decipher the cuckoos singing, crows croaking, sparrows chirping, parrots screeching, and various other birds twittering.

As you sit and watch them all, you wonder at the lives of these feathered friends. What difficulties they must be facing every day to get food, water, and shelter. You wonder how they survive the scorching heat. How do they protect themselves from predators? How do they manage to get up so early in the morning?

How do they know that you need "a blessing from above" especially when you are wearing your best clothes? Just as we talk of a "bird's eye view," do they also twitter about a "man's eye view?" Do their necks ever pain with their constanting twisting and looking around? Do they get tired of spreading their wings and flying? Do their beaks ever itch?

As you get all these questions in your mind, you suddenly realise that it has become dark and that the birds have settled down for the night. But instantly, you are proven wrong. Owls hoot loudly announcing that the night is all alive.

You bless those charming, delightful, avian friends and get back to your flightless routine.

Krishna-maya!

The Rapid Questions Round

It is a truth universally accepted in the Indian society that a single girl, who is working, and is from a well-to-do family must be in want of a husband. Then that would-be husband and his family have all rights to ask whatever uncensored questions they want, in front of everyone. Questions could be as follows:

• What are your hobbies?
• Can you cook?
• Do you like non-vegetarian food?
• Do you like to listen to music?
• Would you mind if you have to move out of your city? (Nobody bothers to ask what she would do about her job then.)
• Do you wear saris? Do you like wearing saris? Do you have a collection of saris?

Did I tell you that these are standard questions? A recently introduced question, that will make your heads turn is:

Have you put on weight recently?

And they might sometimes forget to ask these questions:

• Can you walk?
• Can you talk?
• Are you human?

But don't worry. Every girl eventually gets used to being asked all these questions. She also learns to answer them tactfully. Of course, when they are asked for the first time, the girl will be angry, flustered, irritated, and not to say flabbergasted. She will then learn that the greatest "virtues" of being a girl are patience and self-control. She will learn that she has to control herself so that she does not walk out on the folks who ask these questions, or worse, slap them hard.

This experience is very necessary to learn the role of being a good "wife." Unless she passes in this test, she is not accepted as "marriage" stuff.

So gals out there thinking of getting married soon, remember, be patient and practise self-control. Because those virtues are your ticket to wifeydom, nothing short of martyrdom.