What are you thinking???

Have you ever asked a man sitting by himself( not reading, not watching TV or not eating ie not doing any activity whatsoever)...."what are you thinking"!!!
Most of the time his reply would be ..Nothing!!
Men dont think anything from time to time!! they just vegetate!!
And women, we are always thinking something!! Perhaps that's why we are smarter and can multi task!! :-)

Birthday Madness Part 2

And if you think i did not keep the promise of twists and turns in the end...here it goes..for all of you who missed not being in the car!!!
N twisting and turning car on the road and D and S twisting and turning and doubling in laughter on the back seat and P turning back and asking.."What is so funny"!! and N not only twisting and turning the car and driving here there everywhere was also turning to look back and trying to do Hi5 with S and D!!!

What makes me happy!!!

My next project is making a list of all those things that make me happy!!!Now that I am thinking about it..
Laughing with freinds surely makes one happy!! They get deposited in the account of happy memories and no matter whenever you open it..it sure puts a amile on the face!! :-)
Do things make one happy!! not really ..very fast they get under the skin!! So happy memories is the most precious gift!!

One more Birthday,...more madness!!!

Birthday again this week and this time it was Deepti and the madness continued!! And I cannot call this post "the three musketeers" for the simple reason that we had a fourth one this time..and believe me this post will be ode to that person!! I will, like any good ex-journalist hide her identity till she says I can use it!!! So till i hear from her, for our benefit we will call her P!:) And believe me this will be a long post!! And like the Hindi movies and Hindi Tele serials will have lots of twists and turns in the end!!!
The day started like any other normal day with N and D asking where are you Sumita!! and with my saying "in office" and they both saying Arre Waah..but that does not mean that N was in office too..She walked in at 11.45 and ofcourse did not have her card to come in so called me and since I was not in office she called D to open the door for her!! And entering she said..what are you guys doing? Let's go for lunch..I am hungry...D and I in unison screamed out...NO..not now..we will work for one more hour..N who was with P (N and P came together to work)went back to her office..ofcourse saying..YOU GUYS!!!

So after checking with D, lunch at Pasta? in Castro was decided and booked!
The booking was made for 12.30 but till 12.35 we were still in office!! Now we could not even travel real time(Star Trek) as even then we would be late.
So after some deliberations and mud slinging as to who all delayed we hopped onto ..Ofcourse N's Car..now with her driving we have got addicted to it!! Anyone driving properly feels something is wrong!! esp for the lunch escapades from office!!
So off we started for D's Birthday lunch. Somehow the road to the resturant is always about 15-20 mts but coming back (mostly in N's car) is always about 35-45 minutes..the roads seem to stretch as N is always super confident about the way!!
Achaa so we reached Castro and N makes a dash in to the side the road..well the way was right but the way she did it..hmmmm lesser spoken is better!!
And as usual the parking in Castro..but then we saw the multi storey parking and both N and S in unison said this is the one let's park here..but P said NO..yahaan se bahut chalnaa padegaa..Let's go to the next one!!And N started screaming please one of you say where to go!!! P again said Bahut Chalna Padega..we will have to walk a lot from here!! But by then N was inside the parking and said let it be!!!Finally found parking and then the elevator! And as soon as we came out of the parking what do we see..RIGHT in FRONT OF US!!! PASTA?...ofcourse a burst of laughter and everyone looking at P and saying..Chalna Padegaa ( we will have to walk>>))
And then we settle down ( ofcourse after deliberating again..Inside or Outside and then after saying Outside outside..finally sitting Inside!!)

And now the story starts of the lunch menu..BUT now I also need to take a break and you also must be tired of reading..so let's all take a break and get back later to read what happened next!!!

Who matters!!

Read a Great quote :

It's the ones you can call at 4am that matter!!!

So true..

The F word

Failure - Is it really that bad!!!

Was having a discussion last night about Failure. Opposite of success is failure and so is opposite of Failure success!! Interrelated or can one say Success is actually risking failure!! Complicated haan!!

But Failure has a different meaning for different people..some it means the end of the world whereas for some it's a new begining!! Begining of not repeating the mistakes!!

So how bad can be failure - as bad as we percieve? Would my family/friends leave me if I fail..well if they leave when i am down then maybe they were never my family/friends to start with!!

How much of a role does failure play in shaping our character our personality! Major!! It sometimes the failure which brings out the best in us and takes us to the high spot where we are!! Failure along with Success is what actually defines us!!A broken marriage, a lost opportunity all these failures shape us!!

Failure teaches us what not to do!!

The Three Musketeers!!

After a long time i laughed so hard that my stomach hurt and my eyes watered!!
Birthday madness started from friday with lunch with Deepti and Neetika. Had thai food...neetika nearly dropped the soup on the lady serving us!! The waitress seemed to be pissed about something and we were actually hesitant in asking her to serve us!!! LOL!!
And I finally got to go to TJ Maxx!!! The best part was the two hooded cool summer dress!!! Am sure D and N are going to hold that on me forever!!
Then N's urgency to go to office and offering to pick us back in an hour!!! That was the most hilarious part..
We laughed so much that even N's Formula 1 Driving Style did not bother us and for the first time N was worried about getting a ticket for driving and laughing!!!
N if u never got a ticket for the way you drive I wonder what do they actually give tickets for!!
D was sitting with hands clenched to the seat and was busy telling N..red light hai..yahaan stop ker!!

But we had a great time..was like college days again!! Laughing and talking and screaming all at the same time!!
Good to have good friends!!:)

Birthday!!!

Had a great weekend...Birthday was great fun!! Bar-be-cue for lunch at Alka di's place, and the ice cream cake - that needed to be thawed before cutting!! Man you need electrical saws for these cakes!!
Japanese food in the evening withAnshuman, Vik and Maneesh and then the Jazz Concert!!

Sunday was even more fun with the Concert in the park. I think this was the first time that i was lying in the park, watching the clouds go by and listening to live music that too being played by the San Francisco Symphony!!

I guess now I can say I am enjoying the US !! and definitely my fisrt birthdy here was great fun!!

Why do we like Reality Shows

Wrtiting the earlier blog got me thinking how happiness is self propogating..you see someone happy you do feel happy and perhaps that's the reason why reality shows or shows like the Wheel of Fortune are popular..people win money/prizes everyone applauds..even people in front of their televisions..everyone has a smile!!:)

And especialy if an Underdog wins..it's always a good feeling..although if Tiger Woods looses to anyone ( underdog or anyone) it's not a good feeling for me!!

Okay barring Tiger I enjoy it thoroughly when an underdog wins..

Happy Moments starting again

Now that Deepti is my regular reader and i have promised her to atleast "try" to write my blog daily, thought of starting with the Happy Moment of the Day Ritual.
Well for today the happy moment is not too tough..the news of my brother getting posted to Goa was a very happy moment..not only cause it's a beautiful place but also cause he and his wife wanted to be there!
It feels rather nice to hear good news no matter for whomever it is!!!

railway crossing in India and USA

Driving back home today had to stop at the Railway crossing..that brought back memories of childhood of railway crossings... The long wait for the train to pass by. And then the numerous hawkers selling everything from cut cucumber to cold drinks and even some trinkets and books..
Nostalgia.....and age!!!

Optimism

What is optimism?
A state characterized by a positive outlook; the expectation of a good outcome.

A tendency to expect the best, or at least, a favourable outcome; the doctrine that this world is the best of all possible worlds; the belief that good will eventually triumph over evil or the bad times will be overcome by good times!! :)

A refined mental style of how one chooses to respond to life.

Webster's Dictionary defines optimism as "an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events, or to anticipate the best possible outcome."

Journalist, essayist and critic, Lise Funderburg argues that optimism isn't the refuge of bubbleheads; it's a scientifically proven way to get happier, healthier and even catnippier to the opposite sex.

Recent research suggests an optimistic state comes from a series of active inner processes, psychological somersaults. That's good news because it means that optimism—like other skills such as putting on eyeliner or hitting a tennis ball or driving a car!!—is something we can improve with practice.

So carry on...

How Often Do We Say YES when we want to say NO!!!

So often it happens you want to say no but for some reason end up saying yes..or start with a no and end up with a yes!!

Is NO a complete sentence in itself or is the begining of a negotiation?

How often do we buckle under the weight of NO..it's so heavy but many a times it needs to be thrown out..

READ MY LIPS - WHEN I SAY NO I MEAN NO!!!

No Longer "JUST"

How often we describe ourseleves starting with "JUST"...just a housewife, just a teacher, just a mother, just a student...
What does this "just" denote? Low Self Esteem, Low Confidence, not enough love for one's own self.....
So the need is to get out of the "just"
A new mantra - Can do without the "just"

COCA COLA RECIPES!!! That's all that was needed!!!

Guess what, in my quest to learn new dishes what recipes did i find..recipes wich had Coca Cola as an ingredient!! WOW!!!!
Granny are you listening!!
COCA - COLA BAR - B - Q CHICKEN

1 chicken, cut up
1 1/2 lg. onions, sliced
10 to 12 oz. Coca Cola
10 to 12 oz. catsup

Lay chicken in baking dish. Mix Coca Cola and catsup. Pour over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

COCA COLA CHICKEN

1 chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 (12 oz.) can Coca Cola
3 tbsp. flour

Put chicken into baking dish. Mix Coca Cola, soup mix and flour together. A whisk does a good job. Pour over chicken. Cover and bake in 350 degree oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until done. Serve with rice or potatoes. The sauce makes its own gravy.

Taking a BUS???????? TIMES ARE CHANGING

Why is it that taking a bus in the bay area ( or for that matter most of America) such a big deal. People actually feel sorry for you!!
But now with gas going up I see most of the seats in my bus taken. Infact at times there are people staing!!
There were times ( and not too long ago) when I was alone or with just 3-4 passengers in the bus.All way from Santa Clara to Fremont
But now times are changing!! And thankfully now when i am standing at the bus stop people dont look at me with as much pity as they used to!!! :)

Intelligence and Contentment

Was chatting with Deepali when it came up that Intelligence and contentment go together..
I feel Contentment comes with Intelligence..
You dont have to have certificates to prove your intelligence...it can come in any form..But it normally precedes contentment

Jodhaa Akbar

Finally saw the movie..man was it long!! But cant say I did not like it. It was a grand movie indeed. The number of people in the war scene was huge..could have been roughly the same as what the Mughals had!!
But the best part for me did not come from the movie but from the little girl sitting next to me. She asked her mom.." why do they sleep in their cotume dresses"
I did find it amusing and thought for sure these must be uncomfotable..no matter how soft the silk is but it still must be not the most comfortable night wear!!
When we the common lot wear our night clothes am sure the royalty could have surely been able to afford it..Something worth looking into !!

Jodhaa Akbar

Finally saw the movie..man was it long!!BUt it was indeed a grand film. The scale of things was huge.
But the best part of the movie for me was not from the movie but from the kid sitting on the next seat. She asked her mom..."Why do they sleep in these costume dresses?" I did find it amusing..but then also thought these are the small details we miss out on...even in such grand films.
Even us the common lot normally would not sleep in the same clothes that we had worn though the day..then these royalties..would they have done it?? Even if they discard their clothes after one wear but it must be not very comfortable in sleeping those day clothes..hmmm something worth pondering about..

Driving!!

I have finally started to drive, wont say am still comfortable but am doing it. But my first instinct is to run away. AM not sure why do I feel that way but driving freaks me out. Everytime I am on the road, I see so many people driving around, infact some would be even eating, many would be talking on the phone, some even putting make up ( seriously have seen women do it..esp while getting onto the freeway!!!!) and I get amazed at myself..It must be super simple but then why do i dread it.
Everytime i know i would have to drive, my heart starts palpitating,wierd thoughts start coming to my mind..but once I am on the drivers seat it becomes a little better.
Though I must say Anshuman has been extremely extremely patient.
I hope someday I would be as comfortable driving as the other people on the road..although I would not want to do makeup!!!