Birthdays excite me! Yes crossing the silver line has got nothing to do with the fact that I should grow up and act all mature about birthdays. It will take time.
But this birthday was slightly different with the energy levels. With the numerous shopping trips for the best friend's wedding I was super duper tired and slept at 10 the day before my birthday. A slightly sad thought of switching off the mobile and dozing off also crossed my mind. In the dilemma the sweetest thing happened. 2 of my ex-colleagues called up from Singapore. They sang the besura happy birthday song (it was our trademark during office days) and we chatted about all the sundry stuff under the roof. Got nostalgic, gossiped about managers, colleagues and made promises to meet soon. One of the guys gets married next month, and in my happy haze I promised him that I would attend the function. See, I am pretty easygoing - in the happiness high I can promise you almost anything. But I would really like to attend the wedding. My social quotient is running really high nowadays and all this catching up, lets meet, get togethers, I am finding very attractive! So there, with the chatty call I was awake again and took few more calls until I rested off my old body.
And then this friend who very well knows I expect him to call on birthday and not before or after (I can be dramatic about such things) called up an hour before saying he was sure he would not find time later. So we ended up arguing with each other until sense prevailed and I accepted the wishes and he admitted he was PMSing. Hormones I tell you are a b***h. Guys should also take iron tablets, for general health! Anyways I dearly wish that whatever caused his hormones to spike has been gotten rid of!
And then the birthday morning was spent in calls. A school friend was the first one to wish on facebook, where to everyone's dismay the birthday is unlisted. We connected on fb after 6 years and she still remembered and wished. So there, the birthday will remain unlisted.
Aai asked me to avoid going out and hence I was restricted to great food and phone calls. Later I argued with Aai that how we should go out to eat to save her all the kitchen trouble. She simply said you have been eating out all these years so go for a change. Obviously her argument was better. So Idli Sambhar and Moong ka halwa made my day scrumptilicious! Aai is the bestestestestest!
In a way I know that there is no need for any drama and think that people should think about me and call me on birthday and wish. I can bet that there are people who think about me more than only on my birthday and wish all good things for me. But drama makes life fun, no ? The joy of anticipation is great! And as far as I am concerned it wont fade for years to come! :D
~nightflier
of aaji, mamas and mamis
Since childhood we have had this tradition of meeting both sides of the family at least once an year. With baba's side all being pretty elderly and now family sizes growing with cousins getting married, and everyone dispersing and settling down, the meets are now normally confined to big family functions like weddings. Otherwise normally it used to be summers. With aai's side everyone being relatively younger and 2 of my mama's residing in the same house, the meets happen often. But with us (me and brother) growing up and moving away for education and jobs, for us the meets happen around Diwali. So this post is basically about the mother's side and the meets. The father's side and their stories for sometime later.
[Sometimes I have this compulsive need to be fair. I am pretty sure no one would have cared if the stories from father's side come or not! :D]
Ok one more fact, both sides of family are INTO food. They love cooking and indulging in the same.
So when my mama (mom's brother) saw me after more than an year, he was awed that how I am surviving by eating air - literal translation for hawa khana (remember I am infamously skinny). There are really few people with whom I don't really mind the banter on weight issues and who don't take things personally. So we immediately made plans to feed me. It started with the doodhwala, who brought us the most delicious homemade malaai wala dahi (curds). Apparently this guy has his own cow-farm and gets such delicacies on a regular basis. No wonder people go ga-ga about small towns and the fringe benefits.
I also ate with my mama in the same thali (plate) after ages! Normally I do have a habit of sharing my plate with baba at home, sometimes aai, little cousins who normally throw tantrums but eat well when sharing with an elder taai (sister), Rinku during hostel days and also when I recently visited her. It felt so wonderful to not start at the tv and eat but have a conversation with mami (mama's wife) pampering over us by serving piping hot chapatis and aaji (mom's mother) fussing over how I should eat this and then that. To tell the truth I couldn't take so much attention on a daily basis but it felt blissful during these 2 days!! :-)
We decided to make crab curry in the evening, but owing to my novice in cooking crabs, it was decided that we buy the crabs and get the curry done from someone. Now isn't this the most amazing way of cooking! :D
It was my second time eating crabs. Boy! it was such a hard work. We all were having dinner for like 1.5 hours! It seemed never ending. But crabs are the tastiest non-veg food ever! Worth all the efforts.
But the highlight of the trip was the barbequed chicken curry that we made today! Shaukeen that my mamas are, they have a chullah (a movable one unlike in the pic) in the first story backyard. In their old house they had a permanent one and I can tell you stories about how we cousins used to fight over who should fire it and who should sit by it or help aajoba roast eggplants/papad. The connoisseurs of Indian food can appreciate the importance of the chullah and the taste food cooked on it gets.And even if you haven't eaten anything cooked on it I can guarantee you that its very different and super tasty! So our grand preparations started with getting the masala (blend of spices) right! We decided to go all rustic and be minimalistic with stuff and depend on the chullah's magical cooking for the taste! So we used all basic spices like daalchini, black pepper, badi ilaaychi, cloves first roasted with onions, dhaniya and dried coconut and then ground in a coarse paste. Firing the chullah and getting the right flame was the toughest task. Took us 15 minutes to make sure the flame was getting evenly spread and was not too smoky. Aai also helped us in coating a layer of wet soil over the cooking pan to make sure it does not burn. We roasted the masala in sufficient oil for almost 30-45 minutes, with a sprinkle of water from time to time (to make sure the masala did not burn or stick to the pan). Then the chicken was added and we let it cook for another 30-35 minutes, with occasional mixing and stirring. Then copious amount of water was added to get the not too thick gravy. Getting that consistency right is proof that how close one gets to the minimal and rustic theme. End results were super delicious! All worth the hard work. (again have no pics to share :-/)
And thus my hog-till-you-get-tired weekend came to an end. I have realized eating great food is *happiness*. And if you have the most jolly, fun, sarcastic company then the ride just gets better!
~nightflier
[Sometimes I have this compulsive need to be fair. I am pretty sure no one would have cared if the stories from father's side come or not! :D]
Ok one more fact, both sides of family are INTO food. They love cooking and indulging in the same.
So when my mama (mom's brother) saw me after more than an year, he was awed that how I am surviving by eating air - literal translation for hawa khana (remember I am infamously skinny). There are really few people with whom I don't really mind the banter on weight issues and who don't take things personally. So we immediately made plans to feed me. It started with the doodhwala, who brought us the most delicious homemade malaai wala dahi (curds). Apparently this guy has his own cow-farm and gets such delicacies on a regular basis. No wonder people go ga-ga about small towns and the fringe benefits.
I also ate with my mama in the same thali (plate) after ages! Normally I do have a habit of sharing my plate with baba at home, sometimes aai, little cousins who normally throw tantrums but eat well when sharing with an elder taai (sister), Rinku during hostel days and also when I recently visited her. It felt so wonderful to not start at the tv and eat but have a conversation with mami (mama's wife) pampering over us by serving piping hot chapatis and aaji (mom's mother) fussing over how I should eat this and then that. To tell the truth I couldn't take so much attention on a daily basis but it felt blissful during these 2 days!! :-)
We decided to make crab curry in the evening, but owing to my novice in cooking crabs, it was decided that we buy the crabs and get the curry done from someone. Now isn't this the most amazing way of cooking! :D
It was my second time eating crabs. Boy! it was such a hard work. We all were having dinner for like 1.5 hours! It seemed never ending. But crabs are the tastiest non-veg food ever! Worth all the efforts.
 |
| I feel kind of foolish not to have take a pic of the original one. *courtesy - google |
And thus my hog-till-you-get-tired weekend came to an end. I have realized eating great food is *happiness*. And if you have the most jolly, fun, sarcastic company then the ride just gets better!
~nightflier
Nothing much to say...
Life is often funny. For most of my 2 years in the US, I craved to be surrounded by friends (more) and family (occasionally). Everyone amongst them being supportive of me and my decisions, really stood by me. But you know how it is. Things do fade out as time goes on. Specially once the hard realization that one needs to make a life for oneself where one resides dawns, one eventually starts drifting apart. The people in the outermost orbits start moving away first. Number of people with whom you can actually chat (without the usual 'wassup' 'doing great' fakeness) starts diminishing day by day (I still go on gtalk just to chat with this one particular friend). And thanks for the energy and time you put in, some timeless bonds never fade/break away. So with all these not-so-happy realizations, when I had finally moved to the state of acceptance to really make a good life for myself in US, all the instabilities beckoned.
First losing the job, then dwindling finances, where to live after the lease gets over, maintaining status, whether to do some work which I don't want to do - at that time the list was overwhelming. Every night I slept thinking tomorrow I would have answers for at least one of these. (thankfully nothing of that sort happened). The most I dreaded was not having my own place to live. Even though I shared my flat with someone, I called it home. I liked the idea that I had set that place up, according to my taste. I hated the idea of selling my table, chair, bike, giving away small sweet nothings I had acquired over time, to part ways with my books and my mini library. Aren't these small little things that really bind you to a place and call it a home ? Maybe for some its the people who make a place like home. For me its more about having one's own space.
I cringed at the thought of being homeless. Nonetheless, my friends were kind enough to let me live with them, after my lease got over and until I arrived at a decision. Thus I spent 1.5 months in Dallas, few days with my ex-roommate, and some more with friends/acquaintances. I am not belittling them, but I have always craved for my space. I think almost 2 years living on your own does that to you.
I think now I have lived through my another worst fear. I know how it feels like not having one's own space, a place to call home. This is the only way I can overcome the inertia and get some motivation to venture out again and do something worthwhile (but not just sit and write silly blog posts). The sense of adventure needs to be awakened. Got any more triggers ?
~nightflier
First losing the job, then dwindling finances, where to live after the lease gets over, maintaining status, whether to do some work which I don't want to do - at that time the list was overwhelming. Every night I slept thinking tomorrow I would have answers for at least one of these. (thankfully nothing of that sort happened). The most I dreaded was not having my own place to live. Even though I shared my flat with someone, I called it home. I liked the idea that I had set that place up, according to my taste. I hated the idea of selling my table, chair, bike, giving away small sweet nothings I had acquired over time, to part ways with my books and my mini library. Aren't these small little things that really bind you to a place and call it a home ? Maybe for some its the people who make a place like home. For me its more about having one's own space.
I cringed at the thought of being homeless. Nonetheless, my friends were kind enough to let me live with them, after my lease got over and until I arrived at a decision. Thus I spent 1.5 months in Dallas, few days with my ex-roommate, and some more with friends/acquaintances. I am not belittling them, but I have always craved for my space. I think almost 2 years living on your own does that to you.
I think now I have lived through my another worst fear. I know how it feels like not having one's own space, a place to call home. This is the only way I can overcome the inertia and get some motivation to venture out again and do something worthwhile (but not just sit and write silly blog posts). The sense of adventure needs to be awakened. Got any more triggers ?
~nightflier
Happy Diwali!!
So after much prodding from aai-baba I finally indulged in some retail therapy. I am not a 'crowd' person. I mean I like the fact that India has so many people, but its more like a distant love. So when with a grumbling stomach, tired feet, sore back, drowsy eyes I approached my last target 'the bhajiwali bai' (literal translation - vegetable selling lady), I was kind of relieved to be the only customer at her stall. As I started picking my tomatoes, her son came along and started complaining 'how she had not bought him canvass shoes this diwali and she should take him to Buldi (a really busy market place in town)'.
To this the mother replied 'main is shehar mein pali badhi lekin aaj tak buldi nahi gayi, kitni bheed hoti hai waha!' (I have spent my entire life in this city but have not been to the crowded Buldi). 'mujhe waha ki bheed se darr lagta hai' (I am scared of the crowds there). 'Hum pass wale dukaan mein jaayenge, waha bhi sab achcha milta hai' (we will go to the nearby store and buy you nice shoes).
I smiled at her and she started laughing. Guess we both had realized it is kind of lame to not like crowds when you are constantly surrounded by one! But I was glad that it was not a ME specific thing anymore. There are perfectly normal people who have similar quirks like mine. [There are days when I specifically go out in the afternoons considering not many people shop during those hours. But this being the festive season I don't blame anyone.]
On this note wish you all a very happy and prosperous Diwali! :) :)
lots of lights!
~nightflier
To this the mother replied 'main is shehar mein pali badhi lekin aaj tak buldi nahi gayi, kitni bheed hoti hai waha!' (I have spent my entire life in this city but have not been to the crowded Buldi). 'mujhe waha ki bheed se darr lagta hai' (I am scared of the crowds there). 'Hum pass wale dukaan mein jaayenge, waha bhi sab achcha milta hai' (we will go to the nearby store and buy you nice shoes).
I smiled at her and she started laughing. Guess we both had realized it is kind of lame to not like crowds when you are constantly surrounded by one! But I was glad that it was not a ME specific thing anymore. There are perfectly normal people who have similar quirks like mine. [There are days when I specifically go out in the afternoons considering not many people shop during those hours. But this being the festive season I don't blame anyone.]
On this note wish you all a very happy and prosperous Diwali! :) :)
lots of lights!
~nightflier
Rules of engagement
Today while making my way to my aunt's place through hordes of traffic a really strange thought struck me.
I observed there are some people who look pretty focussed with proper attention to things happening around them while riding/driving as if things are really well mapped out inside their brain. I also observed another way to ride/drive is by the second guess system. You look for where people are going such that you can decide which way to take, how they are going so that you can maintain your speeds accordingly.
Isn't it synonymous to life ? You can either be the rider/driver out there who knows where he wants to go and gets there no matter what or be the second guesser who acts anticipating others' actions.
So which rider/driver are you ?
~nightflier
P.S. I hereby declare that I love public transport :D
P.P.S. A friend had given me similar life-football (soccer) analogy a while back..maybe that's why it struck me now :P
I observed there are some people who look pretty focussed with proper attention to things happening around them while riding/driving as if things are really well mapped out inside their brain. I also observed another way to ride/drive is by the second guess system. You look for where people are going such that you can decide which way to take, how they are going so that you can maintain your speeds accordingly.
Isn't it synonymous to life ? You can either be the rider/driver out there who knows where he wants to go and gets there no matter what or be the second guesser who acts anticipating others' actions.
So which rider/driver are you ?
~nightflier
P.S. I hereby declare that I love public transport :D
P.P.S. A friend had given me similar life-football (soccer) analogy a while back..maybe that's why it struck me now :P
Hum aapke hain kaun and after that...
It doesn't take much to make me nostalgic. Sometimes even a song playing on the radio or aai's cooking is enough! (Sometimes I think I get it from my parents, as they keep on talking about their childhood a lot!)
So when I get down to write about Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, the 2 icons of my childhood, I am not sure how to articulate. But I am going to ramble nevertheless.
Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (HAHK) released when I was in 5th standard. From whatever few promos that Chitrahaar/super hit muqabla (DD National ?)/all the best (DD metro) used to air I had made secret pacts with myself that I have to make aai-baba take me for this one! I think as a 10 year old only Madhuri Dixit, the playful banter between her and Salman, the amazing music appealed to my sensibilities. As things turned out my Mavshi (mom's sister) got engaged to be married the same year. The wedding was planned for summer and most of such family entertainers (I had no clue of this term then) released in India in summers. So during the release time we were going to be super busy with the wedding preparations and shopping. The movie was a smash hit everywhere! It was almost impossible to be able to watch the movie before school started. Biggest worry on my mind was 'how would I bear my friends who had already watched the movie!' (yes brutally honest, thats being a 10 year old for you!)
Then a really cute thing happened. Once on a shopping trip my kaka (aunt's then fiance) suggested that we all go for this movie. Unfortunately we got only 2 tickets. And don't know how but me and Mavshi ended up in the theater! God's miracle ? :D
This is just the story of how god saved me from the disgrace of not watching the most amazing movie of my childhood. The re-runs kept on happening. Every time it felt like a special experience. It left me awed. Madhuri, Salman, Lakshmikant Berde, Renuka Shahane, and all the ensemble star cast still feels like family to me. All these memories came rushing while watching it for the gazillionth time on tv today! Thankfully I am not the only mad person around to love the movie so much. It is always fun to discuss all these memories and tiny tit-bits of trivia with fellow hahk lovers.
For posterity I am going to share some seemingly stupid stories related to the same movie.
The same year I read an article in a newspaper about Madhuri Dixit which also had her address at the end of it. I immediately drafted a letter for her birthday (sometime in May I guess?) and sent it to the said address. If it was the true address, if it was ever received and read by her remain a mystery. Devil may care. But there! I have shared it on the blog and am now open to judgments!
In school gathering the next year we performed a dance on 'Maye na maye'. Our school had this weird rule of allowing only decent hindi movie songs. Dunno how one can decide that. Anywhooo for all the girls involved the highest point of the extravaganza was getting to wear Madhuri Dixit style Ghagra! The endless practice sessions, getting the expressions like MD, dress rehearsals!
All these very happy memories are attached to the movie in a way. May be that's why despite its much approved and acclaimed greatness, its still so dear to me. I shall leave KKHH for some other time. Got any such childhood connections ? Remember nostalgia is very much welcome on this blog :)
~nightflier
So when I get down to write about Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, the 2 icons of my childhood, I am not sure how to articulate. But I am going to ramble nevertheless.
Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (HAHK) released when I was in 5th standard. From whatever few promos that Chitrahaar/super hit muqabla (DD National ?)/all the best (DD metro) used to air I had made secret pacts with myself that I have to make aai-baba take me for this one! I think as a 10 year old only Madhuri Dixit, the playful banter between her and Salman, the amazing music appealed to my sensibilities. As things turned out my Mavshi (mom's sister) got engaged to be married the same year. The wedding was planned for summer and most of such family entertainers (I had no clue of this term then) released in India in summers. So during the release time we were going to be super busy with the wedding preparations and shopping. The movie was a smash hit everywhere! It was almost impossible to be able to watch the movie before school started. Biggest worry on my mind was 'how would I bear my friends who had already watched the movie!' (yes brutally honest, thats being a 10 year old for you!)
Then a really cute thing happened. Once on a shopping trip my kaka (aunt's then fiance) suggested that we all go for this movie. Unfortunately we got only 2 tickets. And don't know how but me and Mavshi ended up in the theater! God's miracle ? :D
This is just the story of how god saved me from the disgrace of not watching the most amazing movie of my childhood. The re-runs kept on happening. Every time it felt like a special experience. It left me awed. Madhuri, Salman, Lakshmikant Berde, Renuka Shahane, and all the ensemble star cast still feels like family to me. All these memories came rushing while watching it for the gazillionth time on tv today! Thankfully I am not the only mad person around to love the movie so much. It is always fun to discuss all these memories and tiny tit-bits of trivia with fellow hahk lovers.
For posterity I am going to share some seemingly stupid stories related to the same movie.
The same year I read an article in a newspaper about Madhuri Dixit which also had her address at the end of it. I immediately drafted a letter for her birthday (sometime in May I guess?) and sent it to the said address. If it was the true address, if it was ever received and read by her remain a mystery. Devil may care. But there! I have shared it on the blog and am now open to judgments!
In school gathering the next year we performed a dance on 'Maye na maye'. Our school had this weird rule of allowing only decent hindi movie songs. Dunno how one can decide that. Anywhooo for all the girls involved the highest point of the extravaganza was getting to wear Madhuri Dixit style Ghagra! The endless practice sessions, getting the expressions like MD, dress rehearsals!
All these very happy memories are attached to the movie in a way. May be that's why despite its much approved and acclaimed greatness, its still so dear to me. I shall leave KKHH for some other time. Got any such childhood connections ? Remember nostalgia is very much welcome on this blog :)
~nightflier
More from India!
Disclaimer : These are random observations. Indian friends living away/abroad (you know who you are) kindly do not feel homesick or jealous :D
* Since coming back I am using a Bsnl (bharat sanchar nigam limited - India's at&t ?) sim card. Well its aai's as I have been too lazy to get myself a brand new number. The thing is one has so much choice here, that I feel the need to do some research which is ongoing for the past month now. And since I am the great Indian consumer the only private service which impresses me is Vodafone. Their new ads are so senti and touching. Great advertising team they have! The other open options are, as Vodafone I have heard have bad customer service, Idea as baba and bro use it and Airtel as I think they have good internet packages. Btw new in the market is Docomo (tata) and Uninor (some Norwegian giant), but I hardly feel like going for something brand new this time around.
Anyways, I ramble and digress. So BSNL sends these free messages which has numbers of CBI (central bureau of investigation) and ACB (anti corruption bureau) using which you can report crimes by public/government servants anonymously. Super liked it! Such a subtle way of carrying out system cleansing. I hope people participate. More power to everyone!
* We have such long wait-lists for vehicles in here. To buy a simple bike like Activa baba has now waited for more than 2 months. And the wait keeps on increasing owing to various festivals. Wonder how the demand-supply mapping takes place inside the companies ? I have heard its worse for 4 wheelers. Sometimes the wait can be more than 6 months. My god! I toh will drop the idea only :P
* These days I have a feeling that in some parallel universe life for the alternate me is going at the most superlative degree one can find for speed. Then what can be the reason that time doesn't seem to move forward here in this universe for me ? :-|
Dear alternate me in parallel universe please slow down! Or let's exchange positions if possible. That would be more convenient :P
* So much free time has made me a compulsive reader. I had no idea that my mailbox had so much of stacked treasure in the form of IEEE magazines and conference papers. Yeah! Yeah! call me names, but just reading novels and fiction can be pretty boring.
* And one of my closest and oldest (the relationship's age wise duh!) friend gets married next month. It was maha exciting to meet her parents (Oh we are from the same city!) and get all the details from aunty! My first and foremost task is to try to get as many friends as possible for the wedding. At which I am doing pretty fine I think. Next tasks aunty said will start after Diwali. Can't wait!
Normally weddings give me creeps. But this one isn't. Guess I have grown up :D
~nightflier
* Since coming back I am using a Bsnl (bharat sanchar nigam limited - India's at&t ?) sim card. Well its aai's as I have been too lazy to get myself a brand new number. The thing is one has so much choice here, that I feel the need to do some research which is ongoing for the past month now. And since I am the great Indian consumer the only private service which impresses me is Vodafone. Their new ads are so senti and touching. Great advertising team they have! The other open options are, as Vodafone I have heard have bad customer service, Idea as baba and bro use it and Airtel as I think they have good internet packages. Btw new in the market is Docomo (tata) and Uninor (some Norwegian giant), but I hardly feel like going for something brand new this time around.
Anyways, I ramble and digress. So BSNL sends these free messages which has numbers of CBI (central bureau of investigation) and ACB (anti corruption bureau) using which you can report crimes by public/government servants anonymously. Super liked it! Such a subtle way of carrying out system cleansing. I hope people participate. More power to everyone!
* We have such long wait-lists for vehicles in here. To buy a simple bike like Activa baba has now waited for more than 2 months. And the wait keeps on increasing owing to various festivals. Wonder how the demand-supply mapping takes place inside the companies ? I have heard its worse for 4 wheelers. Sometimes the wait can be more than 6 months. My god! I toh will drop the idea only :P
* These days I have a feeling that in some parallel universe life for the alternate me is going at the most superlative degree one can find for speed. Then what can be the reason that time doesn't seem to move forward here in this universe for me ? :-|
Dear alternate me in parallel universe please slow down! Or let's exchange positions if possible. That would be more convenient :P
* So much free time has made me a compulsive reader. I had no idea that my mailbox had so much of stacked treasure in the form of IEEE magazines and conference papers. Yeah! Yeah! call me names, but just reading novels and fiction can be pretty boring.
* And one of my closest and oldest (the relationship's age wise duh!) friend gets married next month. It was maha exciting to meet her parents (Oh we are from the same city!) and get all the details from aunty! My first and foremost task is to try to get as many friends as possible for the wedding. At which I am doing pretty fine I think. Next tasks aunty said will start after Diwali. Can't wait!
Normally weddings give me creeps. But this one isn't. Guess I have grown up :D
~nightflier
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