Pinku-Enchanted Life

Two more days and it will be a new year again... I was wondering what new year wishes I would like to make when it struck me that perhaps first I need to see how many of the wishes for 2009 actually came true. This is what I had posted last year as my wish list : And of these the biggest picture was of two people holding hands - I have been blessed with companionship and love and though we have occasionally fought, in our hearts we always knew that we are going to make up and be there for each other in any case. Chocolates: :) am happy to report that almost through the whole of the year my fridge has always been well stocked in this regard. There may not have been much else though at times. Perfume: have had some, will greedily say can always do with more Bag: I still havent found the one I can lose my heart to without losing my bank balance...so the search is on. Books: Did pick some this year.....though the list is nowhere close to the end. But that's a pleasure not pain. Jerusal...

My grandma, Thakuma as we used to call her loved to travel. From her small distant village in Assam she managed to travel across the country, post the death of her husband. I am talking about someone who were she alive today would have been about a hundred years old. Her great regret in life wa s that she couldn’t manage to see the Andamans. Travel to the distant islands was not so easy in those days and by the time things got better her chil dren wouldn’t allow her to travel alone. So when I saw the islands for the first time I silently dedicated that moment to Thakuma. Deep blue seas running on for miles on end and then you suddenly spot the startling green in the midst. As the plane approaches the islands, one is startled by the contrast in the colours and the fact that the green seems to shoot straight out of the sea, so dense are the jungles. That is the first view of the cluster of about 572 islands which make up the distant Union territory we had read of in school books as Anda...

Someone at work asked is this my second honeymoon or third? Would have loved to answer that my life is a honeymoon, in my typical witty way. But I paused before answering; life for the past few months has been anything but a honeymoon. Multiple responsibilities, lack of purpose and direction, unsure of where I will be the next day and unsure of even what I want to do with my life. We have been telling each other that we need a break nay deserve one but where is the time and lets not forget the money for that? We have been to the nearby mountains umpteenth times since those visits are light both on time and money but we wanted to do something a little different from those trips, we wanted to really be able to relax and yeah also perhaps rediscover each other. Discuss our needs, wants, desires and hopes too. Destinations like the North-east, Leh, Colombo, Malaysia were thought of and then discarded, they promised too much activity. Our criteria was peace, quiet and a chance to soak in so...

Aeons ago we met and held hands ages passed between one glimpse and another it took upheavals to bring us together Lores got written, weapons clashed worlds were plunged into chaos in an attempt to keep us apart through raging thunder and whirlpools we made it to the shore only to lose ourselves in the sands of time

Sweets, crackers and lights All such lovely delights Its that time of the year again When the earth resembles heaven The nip in the air and the fragrance of kadamb Be jolly my friend for DIWALI is here!!! HAPPY DIWALI TO ONE AND ALL!!!

I was a small kid when this happened. I remember catching it on a B&w tv set and Rakesh's reply made me have goosebumps all over. It still does. Its just a small reminder that India is wow after all. Inspite of the naxals, the road rage, the under-construction forever sites, the fraud and the corruption. We have it in ourselves to excel if only if we find the will to.

(This was in the drafts section and I just discovered it. It brought such happy memories that I just had to share!!!) I had a very happy and contented birthday this year. (It was in April...but lets not bicker about small things like dates shall we?) Before you leap to conclusions let me tell you that there was no expensive gift or huge party. It was just a very family affair which felt warm, loving and very, very comforting. Let me take you through a few of the good things {that can be spoken about ;) } A room full of red balloons – Moms attempt at making me feel ‘not so old really’. A cake baked to perfection with my favorite ingredients coffee and chocolate chips!!! Loads of new clothes and two new pair of shoes yippppppppppppeeeeeeeeesssssss!!! And a laptop stand with dancing lights and three small fans...never knew something like this existed till I got this gift. Had lunch with two of the cutest people I know...they do make me lose my cool at times but nothing...

Hi!! thanks for visiting. Am touched that you remember my blog when I have almost forgotten it. No actually that's not true I do remember it, miss it even but life has been such a mad rush this past month that I just haven't had the time to update the blog. What with appraisal time at work, a huge workload, whitewash at home and the office shifting to a new location you can understand how very difficult it can be. And then during this time Durga Puja also happened. Now as you all know or would have guessed I am bong (bengali) therefore Durga Puja is when we are allowed nay expected to go mad with house cleaning, shopping, pandal hopping, relation visiting etc etc. So apart from the chores from para 2 I also had to do the ones in para 3. :) I am hoping to be able to share the pics from some of the Pujo's I visited real soon. But as explained time is at a premium at the moment so please be satisfied with this short post at the moment. Hoping to see you guys around... Oh, don...

Eight and a Half people set off from Delhi for Amritsar to see the Golden Temple and the much hyped Wagah border over a weekend. Now that sure doesn’t sound like a big deal until you realise that most of these people have never met before and the only common link they have apart from their mother tongue ‘Bangla’ is a gutsy woman living far away in Ludhiana who happens to be a common friend called Mampi . Let me like a good Jane Austen novel start with giving some details of all these people. Sumanto – the one we also at times call Ghumanto cause his love for procrastination is equalled by none (this is by his own admission). Old ex-colleague of Mampi when she lived and reigned…sorry worked in Delhi. Sulagna – Sumanto’s better half – she has a job profile that keeps her involved at all hours of the day and even when she is on holiday. But then I suspect she makes an awesome amount of moolah which sort of makes up for it. ;) Jhinuk – their 8 year old daughter, with an amazing IQ and qu...

Hey Guys!! A long weekend beckons...feels wonderful doesnt it? I am off to see these sites: Do share what you do too, will look forward to hearing from you guys :)

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkks!!!! Thats all they inspire. eeks for the taste eeks for the waste eeks for the state! Hope you do notice the caricature of the National emblem using her election sign the elephant. Isn't this supposed to be punishable by law? If wearing a flag dress is then this should be, me thinks.

Goldie is all of 14 years old. he is beginning to check out girls. even older ones. He probably doesn't know why he does it but he does it anyways. He is studying (that is he is being made to study) in class 8th. Whenever he can he plays truant from school but this has no bearing on his dreams. Dreams in which he sees himself as a very successful guy with an awesome bike and a big car. He wants to be someone important, how exactly he will do it, he is still figuring out. At the moment the big fight is to be able to get his peers to acknowledge him as worthy of their respect. This respect means a lot to Goldie. For that he has taken upon himself a very arduous task. Along with some neighbors he has set upon a journey to go collect water from the Holy Ganges in Haridwar and bring it back to his neighborhood Shiva temple. Where the water would be used to do a jalavishek of the Lingam. Now this doesn’t sound very difficult till you realize that he lives in Delhi and the return journey...

A very hectic day at work. Crap from a client you have serviced diligently for a year. Going nowhere discussions with new clients. Late nights at work and a screwed family life. A mom whose hobby is to keep falling down and hurt herself. Where do you find happiness and a little peace? I for one fake it. Does that startle you? Let me explain. When times are bad and I have already done what is possible and its time to leave things to higher ups (whether boss or God) I simply choose to pull my mind away from the sadness of it all and act as if everything is fine. Behave as if I am doing well and am so excited to be alive, when the reality is that – life sucks. So I speak in a jovial manner. I plan outings with friends. I get on to facebook or orkut and drop messages for various people. I surf the internet and try to find out interesting tidbits about things that interest me. I also plan dates, drag people to watch feel-good movies or have dinner at a nice place, all in an attempt to look...

I have always been strong headed and very sure of what, who and where I want to be in life. There have been many negatives to this “I know best” attitude however the one positive has been that I have also maintained that since my decisions and actions in most cases have been my own, I very rarely blame anyone else for the outcome. I firmly believe that whatever fate doles out to me are things I am responsible for and blaming someone else are signs of a weak character. From my choice of education to career to friends (and boyfriends) to husbands and work I have always gone with my own sometimes thoughtout decisions and mostly whims and fancies. Answering many a raised eyebrows with an “it’s my life” and “I don’t care” statements I have been meandering through life. However truth be told the secret dream of my choices being seen in the right light by my family and friends and their approval given has always been there. Why did I stay in a marriage which from the first day seemed futile? ...

Calming nerves Take a long deep breathe, a short walk and visualizing a happy scene from the past completely unrelated to the present crisis in great detail. Fighting stress Check out the situation rationally, understand what is there that I can do to better it, do it, send up a quick prayer and then trust in God to deliver me from the problem. Feeling loved Re-reading old mails from friends and lovers. Relaxation A nice book, munchies, a tall chilled drink, mountains in the horizon and a nice tummy to rest my head on. Feeling low A quick bout of shopping for stuff, could be as mundane as daily groceries just remember to pick up one or two feel good things (chocolates work for me). Ending a going nowhere argument with the partner A tight body-enveloping hug and a long kiss These are my recipes...what about yours?

What are holy books? The simple answer would be books on religion and God which are revered by many and which it’s believed hold the word and direction of God. People are ready to die for the books they believe as holy. From the Koran to Bible to the Torah and the Bhagvad Gita there have been instances where people have laid down their life to rescue these books from fire, flood or attackers. I was born to Hindu parents so logically all the books held as holy by the Hindus should be the ones that be holy to me. From the Gita to the Ramayan to the Mahabharta and of course the Veds and Upanishads all were to be revered. I studied in a convent for twelve years of my life which of course were also the most impressionable therefore the Bible was expected to be the Book I would respect. Frequenting the Gurdwaras in the neighbourhood made bowing down infront of the Guru Granth Sahib a practice. Similarly friends who treated me to lovely biryani and sewaiyian at their homes helped me understan...

Hi, The fight for saving the Ridley Turtles continues here.

Monday blues are at their worst today. What else is to be expected after a three day weekend?? I came to office almost moaning....oh how could I let the weekend end??? The first mail in my in-box however uplifted my mood...so I thought let me be magnanimous and share it with all of you as well :) Check out this link on Kishi and you will know what I mean. Sweet monday to all of you out there!!!!!

Hi! This is a quick post to bring to your notice the lovely way we as a democracy function. Please check the link below and let me know in whose ears should we say Jaago ree??? http://pinknblu.blogspot.com/2009/04/jaagore-form-6-being-tossed-for-six.html

The Taliban is just twelve kilometers away from Indian borders the headlines screamed yesterday on a news channel. Again and again they showed google earth pictures of how close Lahore is to the Wagah border. The voice rising, the music soaring in the mad race to gather TRPs. The anchor seemed to be speaking almost from a war zone where a bomb might detonate any moment such was his tone and manner. All he was trying to say was that Pakistan has admitted that the siege of Police School close to Lahore was done by Taliban and that a second strike in Pakistan (earlier in the month we heard about the Sri Lankan team being attacked) so soon meant that the Taliban had gained tremendous strength in Pakistan and could strike in India too. What made me wonder was his panic striken voice as if this is an unthinkable thought. What’s there to panic about I ask you if the Taliban were to strike? Is their terror different from what we keep suffering every other day? Can their bullets harm more than...

I have been in a ranting mode so I thought let me count my blessings. It’s a self help exercise so kindly bear with me. I always find some people who gladly share their time and company with me wherever I am I have a loving partner who is not stuck up with ideas of what girls should do or don’t. I have the naughtiest mom in the world My doggie Crazy has the most soulful eyes in the world My masi thinks I am a heroine so does my brother though he tries to keep it carefully hidden My home is the center of my universe and I love returning to it I have a job and am good at what I do I have a blog correction two and some people actually find them worth following. I have dreams that I want to fulfill and someone with me who shares them I can find these ten points to write about….there would be so many who wont be able to. Thank you God.

Life has been tough for the past month or so. Multiple problems at different fronts have left me groping for that extra ounce of strength and patience to carry on. At times the urge to cry uncontrollably is too much and only the thought of losing my sanity if I let circumstances get the better of me, stops me from doing it. I have not been in the mood to write though each event could have been fodder enough for more than one post. Yet somehow the will to write was missing. Also the fact that the events involved many others who may not appreciate being discussed on my blog held me back. I am back and using this small post as a bulwark against the emotions that still threaten to take over and am planning to come back next week with another post on things less dreary that can be shared in this forum. I do note that in the time I have been away the numbers who ostensibly followed this blog have gone down, I do understand that in today’s world of instant gratification they would have expect...

I have been writing about my trips on this blog regularly under the label footprints . So much so that part of the excitement of going on a trip now seems to be the recounting of it once back on the blog for friends. The trip this time was no different, since right from the beginning I kept filing away details in my mind and clicking pictures all with the view that it would get space on the blog. However since my travel mate Mampi is already writing about the exact activities of the trip in great detail I am not going to repeat it. You can visit her blog for details. Let me therefore share with you some snippets and photographs. It was Dalhousie that we went to this time. Famously nicknamed " dull & lousy " by the boisterous crowds, the place is a military cantonment and a quaint little town that was set up just 150 years ago. We arrived there in high spirits, the thrill of having escaped the mundane hectic lives we normally lead giving all of us extra broad smiles. A ...