Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Red eyed Kaddu

That's what I look like today- a red eyed kaddu with big glasses. My eyes got red yesterday and are still red so I can't wear my lenses and resultantly look like a nerdy kaddu. Yesterday evening was great fun. The car was filthy and I had to get it cleaned so I went down put the key in the ignition and- nothing. I did it again and again and again and nothing. "This car just doesn't like me" I thought to myself. I got the number for the recovery vehicle and took half an hour to explain the directions to the office. The Pathan came and checked under the hood. He twisted some buttons on the battery and then sat in the driver's seat and VOILA !it started. He told me,"Madam there's nothing wrong with your car Madam. The gear was in drive, it has to be in Parking for it to start." I wanted to kick myself. He took money for his trouble and went away. The car needs to go for service but I don't want to chase taxis so I have been delaying the inevitable. That's one of my worst pictures but I hope it will make my one and a half readers smile so I decided to put it up anyway. I look like a cross eyed troll. OK I hate the way I look today but it's funny nevertheless.
The November issue of POSE is complete and the design work is on. I feel like having a coffee although what I should do is to call the service center and give the car. It needs some repair work as well thanks to my questionable parking skills. Damn I just don't want to part with the car even though I'm convinced it doesn't like me. I'll go get that coffee.
My eyes are really hurting now. I hope it's not conjunctivitis. I hope I got the spelling right. Looking at the computer is just making it worse. The coffee is pretty good. Nescafe is not half bad. I'm not happy about having sugar but what to do.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Loooong Weekend

It's been four days since I updated the blog and I have to say that it was a nice change being away from the computer. We went for a camping trip to Wadi Bih on Thursday afternoon and I was so excited. I love camping. Being outdoors puts me in a great mood. So come Thursday morning we took out the tent, the mattresses, the pillows (there's no reason why one can't be comfortable!) barbecue grill and loaded everything in the car. I'm sure the car was also excited to be going on it's first offroad trip!

We took Ninna along with us this time. She has a stub nose and needs a cool environment at all times. Very snobbish like the French bulldog that she is. The ac was kept full blast in the car and I was freezing but she was still huffing and puffing. She took a while to settle down in the back seat but was soon immersed in the world outside the window. Have I told you how much I love her and I'm glad we decided to take her along instead of leaving her behind in a kennel which I'm sure she hates. Once we were on the road I remembered that I'd forgotten my glasses and we had to turn back. This always happens when you leave home for a camping trip. You will always forget something vital and resultantly turn back.





Needless to say that that's me strapped in to the front seat next to my husband all set for the long journey. I have very recently discovered sunblock. My skin is so oily that the normal sun block turns it into an oil factory but the good people at Kaya suggested a really nice brand for oily skin which works great. So after a long time here's a picture of me sans make up. The sun block and my favourite lipstick did great even if I say so myself. I'm so vain I think every song is about me, but you knew that my one and a half readers.
That's Anshuman at the wheel ready for take off. Actually in this picture he is already driving. He opened up the sunroof and the sun filtered in. We smiled at each other and I patted myself on the back for insisting on getting a full options car. However I have to say that I loved the Jeep just as much or may be even a bit more. I mean I rammed into a wall in that car and nothing happened. I should get gaurds for the Pajero but that would just make it bigger and more difficult to park.
And that's everyone. This time there were only two families on the trip. Usually it's a much bigger group which leads to more fun and more confusion at the same time. We went to Wadi Bih but they turned us back from the check post because they no longer allow people to camp there so we went to Jebel Yibir. Jebel in Arabic means 'mountain' although they're hardly mountains more like rocky hills.



And that's my baby girl happily running around the camp. If you look carefully you can see "Shadow" the five month old Lab puppy in the background who was Ninna's companion on the trip. They spent the entire time chasing each other and sniffing donkey poop among other things. My heart still fills up with so much love when she runs towards me. I love her so so much. I said that before. Nevermind.
 And that's our tent all pitched up. Pitching up a tent takes teamwork and having camped so many times, Anshuman and I have become experts at it and can do it in record time. We had to throw away this tent after coming home because one of the chords that holds it together broke rendering our trusty old friend defunct. That's Ninna checking out her new digs.


That's Manisha unpacking everything and setting up the table. It was a very windy evening as you can see and everything had to be held down by rocks. Thankfully there were plenty around to choose from. I must have had at least ten cups of chai. It was the perfect weather and the setting for it. Rainbow milk I love you.











Anshuman sitting and chilling out wearing one of his many Porsche caps. They are usually floating all over the house and it drives me nuts. I gather them and put them away and and then he gets annoyed when he can't find them. When he does find them he leaves them floating around all over the house again and then I get annoyed. That's marriage for you. You find someone you love and annoy them silly. I'm joking kids. Marriage is a whole lot of fun too if you're fortunate and find that right man or woman. I'm very fortunate. Also when you go camping it is a given that Anshuman will not shave. Something about looking rugged in a stubble I think.








That's Chandrakiran Guntur, in short CK. He recently got the license for riding a bike. He's bought a 1200 CC Harley Davidson. He learnt riding a 100 CC bike and is very concerned about how he will handle the Harley. I have a feeling he will do just fine. I can't wait to ride the Harley with him. It has been way too long since I sat on a bike. The last time was probably a decade ago. I remember riding to Gandhinagar on an Enfield on the highway on a winter night. Man that was fun! good times. And I will forever be proud of myself for being able to kick start a Yezdi. I even rode one around the NID campus but ofcourse there was a guy behind me doing the balancing act or else I would have found myself flat on my ass. Great memories of that campus.





That's young Shubhankar fondly known as Bob. Bob was so scared of dogs that he once came home and started crying because Ninna wanted to give him a lick. Fortunately all that changed when Shadow came into his life. Now he loves dogs and even wrestles Shadow playfully. His first question when he woke up in the morning was ,"Where's Shadow." Wonderful kid who loves Manchester United and everything football.












That's Mr Kirpekar, Manisha's father who had come down from India and joined us on the trip. He is retired Inspector General of Police and very fit for his 69 years. He had many interesting stories to tell and it was nice to have him with us.












Anshuman lit a fire. It's his favourite thing to do at camp. May be it has to do with the fact that he is Aries, a fire sign. That's the kettle which has been named Kettle Kishore fondly. It's part of the family although it only comes out during camping trips and lives with CK for the rest of the time. That's a Brinjal in foil being roasted to make baingan bharta. CK made lovely paneer which I loved. Anshuman made lamb chops which I couldn't eat because my tooth was hurting me very badly throughout the trip. I couldn't even chew an apple. Someone just sent me a zip file with three pictures of the same bra in three colours. If I ever meet this person I might bludgeon him/her to death. So effing annoying. Why can't you just attach three images?? Idiot!

Night fell and it was a beautiful moonlit night. It was so bright that there was no need of a torch or even a fire. I ate dinner pretty early and lay down in the tent and rested my head on the pillow. I could see the stars in the sky and there was soft music on the phone. Anshuman and CK had their whiskeys and chatted but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I was so happy and peaceful. There was no internet, no phone. Just me, the moon and the stars and I was loving it.
We woke up in the morning and packed up the tents and everything else. Everything was loaded into the two cars and the journey home began. I put on upbeat peppy music and danced in my seat all the way home. Anshuman looked at me fondly and said,"Sometimes I like you so much." That made my day. We got home and unloaded everything. I put away everything in the store which nearly threw my back out. That also happens every time we return from a camping trip. I spent most of the day sleeping on the sofa.
On Saturday I had to get the house in order. The cook and the cleaner conveniently didn't turn up. Got the laundry done, changed the sheets. dusted away to glory and by the evening when everything was just the way I like it I put on some incense and candles, settled down and started working on my cross stitch project. It hasn't progressed much but then I know it's going to take a lot of time to finish. Ninna had chosen not to eat throughout the trip so I fed her milk and rice from my palm. I think she was missing Shadow. They had become best pals. Sunday turned out to be a holiday too which was a pleasant surprise. I went to IKEA but the whole world and it's grandmother had descended there and I actually got very uncomfortable due to the crowd. I left and walked around the mall attached to it called Festival City. It's not one of the best malls of Dubai. I had a coffee and a sandwich, browsed around till I was tired, didn't buy a thing and came home. So that was the low down on my weekend.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Gone baby gone!

The long weekend begins in an hour and seventeen minutes and I'll be gone baby gone! Last two days have been hectic as hell with things literally going topsy turvy and everyone around me panicking while I retained a zen like inner calm. I'm getting to be good at that. So my cross stitch kit had only half the graph and I had to return it today and exchange it for another one. This one is a little bit easier but very pretty nevertheless. I like flowers. If I ever get around to finishing the piece I will be extremely proud of myself. It's better than watching mindless TV in the evening or whiling away time on the internet.
Sinead O'Connor is singing a nice song. It's called Thank you. Somehow it represents my inner calm very well and my inner turmoil even better. Here's the link.

Thank you - Sinead O' Connor


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Flu will not fly

I've been under the weather since last night. It has to happen at least once when the weather changes. I wish you could make a wish when you get under the weather like you can when you get under a train. I've got fever and I'm not making any sense and there is so much work to do. On your left is my sort of get well soon card from B. She was trying the stylus on her new Samsung tab. Works pretty well I think. 

Random

I feel like vagabonding wanderlustfully today...

Monday, October 22, 2012

Old skin


So I went for an anti ageing treatment for the magazine's 'tried and liked' section. I went to the Town Center in Jumeirah. I've been there once before but I had completely forgotten about it. The last time I went there the dermatologist looked at my skin and suggested some really expensive 'peels' which were way beyond my budget at the time. This time I went in for a 'skin tightening' facial treatment. It started with cleansing the skin and a microdermabrasion which essentially feels like a sand papery thing going over your skin while the machine that it is attached to makes a Ghrrrrrrr sound. It was a bit unnerving at first but I just hoped the result would be worth it. Basically what the ghrrrrrr machine does is that it peels off dead skin and brightens it up in the process essentially making your skin a shade lighter. This was followed by a laser treatment for removing fine lines and tightening the skin. This was a bit more scary as the laser machine not only does ghrrrrr it also goes ding! ding! ding! while the laser is directed to your face. My eyes were shut with tea soaked cotton pads which were cool but the laser heat sometimes became uncomfortable and I was just praying the whole time that I will not come out looking like a lobster in this whole process. Sometimes I end up asking myself if I would go for these anti ageing treatments if I actually had to pay for them? Honestly I don't really have a problem with the lines that have appeared under my eyes. The hair that have impossibly thinned and are turning grey. Ofcourse I want to look nice and presentable but do I want to look younger than my years? I really don't think so. I've never had a problem with owning up to my age. I think every age in life has it's own beauty, it's own specific joy and I would rather embrace that than try to reverse the clock. But these trips to the various salons are nice experiments and till now the results have been pretty good so why not!
The treatment ended at 2:30 and I was so hungry that I wolfed down a whole English breakfast accompanied by a Mocha in record time. The result of the treatment is pretty good so far. I do actually look a shade lighter but my skin is a bit irritable and hopefully that should subside in a day or two. I've been told to drink a litre of water everyday and I hope I can manage to drink even half of that. While I was at town Center I was drawn into this shop where I ended up picking up this ridiculously expensive thing which needs me to work on it everyday if I'm ever going to finish it. Here's a picture of it. Am I ever going to finish it, only God knows. I did finish a much smaller one while I was sick for a month in Delhi but then I worked on that one non stop. But I so wanted to try so I bought it. And I'm happy that I did. Here's a picture of it. I will keep posting pictures of it as it progresses. More stuff for the blog :)


Yesterday I ended up buying a pair of glittery slippers. I did try to wear them today morning but they seemed all wrong. May be with another dress they might look right.









And that's yours truly having tea at the Ritz yesterday. The reason these images are appearing in today's post is that B took the pictures yesterday and got around to sending them today but since they are happy pictures I decided to include them on the blog. As you can see I'm posing with the kettle exactly like B told me to :)







There was this colour and smell test that I took while I was at Diwalicious. The only thing I remember is that the lady told me I'm heading towards "Inner knowledge and confidence" because I chose golden colour which had a really strong smell that stayed in my hands even after I washed them. I forgot what I need in the present and some other things about two other colours that I chose. As always I picked up on the best thing she said and decided to repress all the rest. The day is ending and I'm going to go home and work with a needle after years and years. I'm so excited. Wish me luck that I may have the discipline and dedication to finish the piece I bought today. I seem to have somehow missed mentioning that the picture with the flowers is that of a cross stitch kit. It's fairly complicated with a whole lot of colours but I enjoy cross stitch so bring on the needle and the threads and all the lovely colours!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Tea at the Ritz

So I went to this event at the Ritz Carlton in DIFC. The event is called Divalicious as it is in anticipation of Divali and it was good fun. Here are a few pictures of the myriad stuff that I saw. On the left is an idol of Radha and Krishna which I liked so much that I took a picture of it. A lady screamed at me and said,"No pictures!!" by which time I had already clicked so now I can copy her original concept and sell it online. If you look carefully you can see the annoyed aunty approaching on the right side of the picture. There were a lot of clothes and jewellery and spa products which I had no interest in shooting so mostly I clicked the paintings.










There was an art exhibition by a gallery called Art Zest. Some nice work. This one on the right caught my eye with it's vibrant colours. This painting made me so happy somehow.













These cows caught my eye. There's something so innocent and peaceful about them. I loved the colours and the expression of the artist. It reminds me of something I once said to Maya. I remember I said,"Maya your eyes are so lovely." to which she promptly replied,"Yeah like a cow." Maya is funny. And so sweet.












No exhibition is complete without some pensive looking women. There should be women laughing with abandon in paintings. That I would love to see. So much Indian art is full of angst about women. Does it have to be that way?





This abstract large piece also caught my eye. I loved the colours so I took a picture of it.








The Buddha with a spiral emanating from his third eye. A spiritual painting which brings a sense of peace and calm. I like Buddha paintings.







So I met B there. Yes B because she doesn't want me to mention her name on my blog for some reason. I had tea and she had an exotic mix of Vodka and Kahlua. The coffee shop is called Can Can and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why.






That's B, who over time has become one of my dearest friends. The exotic cocktail made her quite giggly which was highly amusing and entertaining. The rose you see in the picture above is now with her. She actually asked the waitress if she could take it. She is only more than a decade younger than me and yet we get along like a house on fire. I'm lucky in my friends.
She seemed to know a whole lot of people at the exhibition. So it was like,"Hello aunty! Oh How are you? Long time" after every three minutes. I hadn't met her in a long time and it was lovely to see her.









Before I forget I bought a box of chocolates because I fell in love with the box. Anshuman gets the chocolates and I'm sure he will not mind. Ah! Lovely day this has been and now it's time to call it just that.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

New music

Well it's the weekend in precisely 24 minutes and I shall disappear for two days like always or I might not depending on whether I feel like updating the blog. In all probability I shall disappear but until then I would like to leave my one and a half readers with this new song by a band I discovered today thanks to the lovely Samantha. It's called 'Breath of life' and has been performed by a band called Florence+machine. Enjoy and Cheerio!
Breath of life - Florence+Machine

Thursday Love

Suddenly happiness descends upon me like a warm blanket for no reason at all. It is the last day of the week and the weekend is going to be absolutely fabulous even if I say so myself! Here's to a well spent Thursday and the fantastic weekend! EEEEEEHAW! I'm really happy in case you missed that little detail!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Songs

Songs fall like leaves to the ground
Like soothing herbs they lay on wounds
Sometimes sharp swords going through eyes
Like blood silently crawling on skin

Songs dying on frozen lips
Like smooth and final endings
Aniron

Sweet Monday Blues

The weather is taking it's time to change but the sky looks beautiful today with the clouds floating by outside my window. The beautiful Nespresso machine is gone and I'm having Nescafe with loads of milk and a little bit sugar. As I mentioned somewhere before coffee without sugar is just poison. This photo is courtesy our happy go lucky Sales manager for POSE, Georges Ghosn.





The new issue of POSE magazine hits the stands today. It is the online issue and everything has been designed around that theme by our Creative Director Rola and Senior Designer Maya. I'm loving the cover! This model is ethereal...

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Cute little chipmunk

Here's my Junior writer Harini. These days I give her a ride home everyday as she stay close to my place. There's always music in the car most of which she does not recognise so our rides together have been affectionately named "The musical education of Harini Chakrapani."

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

The Dubai fog

I got a better picture of the fog all over the city this morning. It's beautiful isn't it? Beautiful but dangerous... may cause accidents.

Dense fog

I got out of the house today to find the next building shrouded in fog. It's eerie to see such dense fog in Dubai. The winter announced itself officially with a nip in the morning air and I couldn't be happier. It's a lovely day even though the fog is long gone. The sun shines in it's full glory and the city whizzes by. Zoheb Hassan is singing 'Chehra'. Such a sweet song perfect for a sweet morning.

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Ribbon

My hair feels like straw despite shampooing and diligently conditioning. Sometimes I just want to go bald and be done with it. I couldn't find a hair band so the mysterious green ribbon came in handy.

Listening to this song by Knopfler "you don't know you're born". I like it.

"What do you know about the hammer and the nails
Know about the thistles and the thorns
What do you know about the road and the rails
Your heart so weary and your hands all worn
Your hands so weary and your heart all torn
And you don't know
You don't know you're born"


Monday, October 08, 2012

One of those days when...

nothing jumps out at you.
all the songs sound the same.
the city decides to have a traffic jam and stops whizzing by like it usually does.
it's neither hot nor cold and both at the same time.
the headache can't decide whether to stay or go
the sky is quiet
the moon isn't there yet
the sun is about to leave anyway
there's something missing but you don't know what it is
It's one of those days.

Sunday, October 07, 2012

Just saying hello

Hello. It's been a tiring fruitful day and I'm very thankful. The November issue of POSE goes to print tomorrow and I finished the final proof. Somehow everything hurts after resting through most of the weekend. I went to a quiz organised by the IIM alumni. It was fun. I was in a team with hubby and a friend. I actually knew a few of the questions which made hubby very proud plus I was the only female member in the various teams. Strangely there were very few women at the gathering. The guy conducting the quiz was quite funny sometimes not intentionally. Our team stood fifth and I'm very proud of my contribution. Anshuman patted my back and said,"I'm very proud of you." I burst out laughing.

That reminds me of something else that happened. I had had this special Oxygen facial treatment and I was supposed to be glowing after three to four days. So after three to four days I was sitting in the car with my husband and we were leisurely driving back from a party. I had my make up on and I put on the light of the car mirror and looking at myself I asked him,"Am I glowing?". He looked at me with "what the fuck am I supposed to say" eyes and I burst out laughing and when I explained why I asked the question he replied," If you put on the mirror light, wear full make up and ask me that what am I expected to say??" I let it go. Marriage has made me very wise. It's very funny this marriage.

Thursday, October 04, 2012

Winter

Winter is my favourite season and it has a distinct smell. These days I can smell it every evening when I get home and settle down with a cup of tea. Ninna comes and curls up next to me and it is utter bliss. At the same time when the season changes it takes me a while to get used to it. Winter always reminds me of Delhi. As a kid I would be playing out in the sun till evening came and my mother would call me in from the park. I love being bundled up in blankets sipping on endless cups of ginger tea and watching my favourite movies. All cozy and comfortable. Dussehra and Diwali. Doing puja together as a family. My parents singing the aarti. Bursting crackers with my father. I miss it like most Indians who live abroad. Winter makes me want to hug my mother as she is invariably busy in the kitchen. So many things. Winter makes me so happy and then makes me so sad. I love it.

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Ending up with Sinead O' Connor

It's not such a bad thing. This song "thief of your heart" just gets even more amazing every time that I hear it. I love the way it begins ever so softly like a love song and then turns into a plaintive scream that can only be sung by someone as passionate as Sinead. I love the woman for singing the way she does. Sometimes I think she doesn't like men a lot. She has confessed to being more of a lesbian than a heterosexual although she has been married four times. I remember another song which begins in the softest of notes called "last day of our aquaintance" in which she goes on to sing "This is the last day of our aquaintance, I will meet you later in somebody's office. I'll talk but you won't listen to me. I know what your answer will be." Sinead suffers from Bipolar disorder. It's not strange that her songs reflect the sudden switch in moods from love to anger and everything that lies in between. She's a difficult artist for me to love because I am more of a soft music kind of person but sometimes Sinead screams right into my heart and speaks what I will probably never say so I sing vicariously through her. In her words,"Thank you for breaking my heart, Thank you for tearing me apart." Thank you.

The arms of nostalgia

It's a Dire Straits kind of day.. You and your friend come around... Still love his voice just as much as when I first heard So far away... that has a memory attached to it so clear in my mind... songs are like visual albums just waiting in the arms of nostalgia... waiting to open the doors to your past... sprinkled with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme... that's another song that has memories attached to it... some memories are easy although others not quite... you cannot choose memories... but you can choose songs...which is why this is a Dire Straits kind of day and not a Simon and Garfunkel one.

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Trains and winter rains



It's been a long time since I shared a song. This song by Enya reminds me of a night in Cyprus when Anshuman and I were running towards our favourite restaurant and it was raining. There were no trains but the rain was lovely and it was a cold night. The waitress at that restaurant was a Romanian girl called Kate. She got to know us well and welcomed us in. Rain gathered in puddles and we ate dinner dressed in soggy clothes. I remember I wore a blue cotton dress which I still have. It was a lovely night and this is a lovely song.

http://youtu.be/UWhlllSB0bs

Trains And Winter Rains

City Streets passing by,
Underneath stormy skies.

Neon signs in the night,
Red and blue city lights.
Cargo trains rolling by,
Once again someone cries.

Trains and winter rains,
No going back, No going home.
Trains across the plains,
And in the sky, the star alone.

Everytime, it's the same.
One more night, one more train.
Everywhere empty roads,
Where they go, no-one knows

When will we meet?

May be because I was born under the sign of Cancer the moon inspires me. Everyday I remember to look at it and it reminds of the mysterious High Priestess tarot card. A woman who holds the secrets  of the universe, the power of the subconscious mind, the hidden truth and meaning of things under the skin of life. This picture seemed as though I'm looking at the moon. I always get this wistful look when I gaze at it just hanging there alone looking down at me as though asking,"When will we meet?"
"Never." is the answer but I keep that a secret to spare the glowing sphere's feelings.

My favourite story

A few months more than twelve years ago I was going to convocate in Ahmedabad. I was happy and I remember it was a lovely day. There was this sweet unassuming altogether wonderful guy I was in a relationship with. He was in Bombay. We had met on ICQ chat, that chat software with a colourful flower icon. My first words to him were," I have 5 minutes." We ended up chatting for three and a half hours. That netcafe was called coscron and it made a lot of money off me. It was 12 years ago so you might not remember. As I was sitting in a row of friends convocating with me I saw this guy standing in the crowd waving at me. I remember suddenly this happiness descend upon me. I had already got my diploma from a dignitary that I don't remember so he missed it. After the ceremony was over we went for a walk. He told me he had travelled in the general compartment of the train without a ticket to make it to my graduation day. I was so touched. On the path behind what used to be the Old Canteen he suddenly said,"Marry me!" I smiled and said,"Ofcourse" It was the most natural thing and after all these years it's still the most natural thing to be married and to love and be loved by a guy who is a king among men. I love you Anshuman.

Monday, October 01, 2012

the stars

So my astrologer par excellence friend tells me and I quote "astrologically the last week of September is supposed to be the toughest week of the year. In this week which may last up to the 4th of October you may find people flaring over small matters, ego issues and heated debates. Wait till after the 4th of October to raise issues."

I don't know if it's the stars or life decides to get "interesting" every time you start getting into a steady rhythm. The point is you cannot take anything for granted in life. Something or the other which you thought was forever and will never change... does. So what do you do? You do all that you can until it becomes clear that you can do nothing more. You say a small prayer and ask for a peaceful day because sometimes a peaceful day is the only gift you crave for from the Headmaster above.

My day has been hectic and in a way that's a blessing as I have been busy. I was working from home yesterday and feeling under the weather. Somehow I feel this period of disruption and apparent chaos will lead into  much clearer and focused path for me personally. Here's hoping for the best.