Dear Appa

Dear Appa,

I wonder where you are and search for you in vain. I look up at the sky every night to see if I can spot you among the many stars that I see shining in the night sky. I do not believe you are gone as you come and whisper to me in my dreams every night, I wake up in the morning wanting to talk to you more. I know you are resting somewhere peacefully and I will not wake you up.

Right after you were gone...my friend told me that I would now see you more often than when you were alive...and that is so true as I feel your presence all around me all the time and it makes me feel good knowing that you are there with me protecting me and guiding me all the time....then why do I still wonder where you are...

Its that time of the year again, yeah...where one ends and the other year begins and everyone around me is in a festive mood...I do look forward to the next year with a heavy heart, hope we can forget the past and start a new tomorrow...but not the past that hold your memories. This year was undoubtedly my worst as I lost you...my only consolation being in my assumption that you now no longer live in pain.

I remember you holding my tiny hands in your hands so gently and teaching me to take my very first steps...I remember you recording my very first baby talk and hearing it again and again like it were some holy chant, never once bored, a constant smile on your face as though every time was the first time...only a father can do that.

Amma tells me of how you would make me eat my meals...literally put up a dance and music show for me while Amma would quickly stuff the food into my mouth. Never once tired. Always so patient.

Then the endless number of nights you would put me to sleep...my head resting on your shoulder, walking along the length of the room for long hours singing lullabies into my ear and patting my head with your gentle hands, not giving up till I am in slumber land....Amma says it's a special thing..the relationship between a father and a daughter...she says she had read about it in her psychology classes and there is no explanation. Today I see my friend with his daughter and remember you doing the same things for me when I was a small child, it brings tears to my eyes.

My first Bharatnatayam performance, Dashavatar, where I portrayed the characters of Matsya (fish) and Kalki ( the mighty warrior) 2 out of the 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu and my Second performance as Sathyabama (Krishna's dominant Wife) where I had a ten minute solo on stage received so many compliments from the chief guests, audience and other parents that made you so proud, it made me take up dance lessons.I know it made you so happy to see me perform on stage everytime. I cannot forget the smile on your face when I won the Miss Mysore runner up title, though you were not totally in favor of me participating in a beauty contest......you were always by my side cheering for me secretly.....Thank you Appa for encouraging me in all my endeavors.

When I was getting married, I saw you constantly wiping your tears...at first I pretended not to see it ...but could not hold it for too long. It made me realise how dear and close I was to you that you were finding it hard to let go off me.

March 16th 2009 was the last day I saw you when you came to see me off at the airport and I even remember my exact words" Appa I will see you, please take good care of your health, good bye"...I did not know then that, that would be my last good bye to you....I did not know then that , that would be the last time I was seeing you...if only I did........

On October 9th 2009, I put you to rest for the very first time...after all you did to put me to sleep every night as a child...what an irony Appa, that we had to put you to rest in the end.

I wait for tonight again like I do every other night...so that I can see you in my dreams....where ever you are I hope that you read this and I shall wait for your whispers at night.......Love you and Miss You a Lot Appa...as the year ends I wanted to say good bye just one more time....one last time...

Miss you so much,

Peshu

The Power Outage Poem

We had a short power outage yesterday or rather today morning in the early hours...I composed this poem when I was struggling with my sleep...its funny how I could do it with such ease in my semi-conscious state of mind, but here it is.....I have used full poetic license, so don't go chasing me on the grammar or practicality.

There comes a moment in Everyone's Life;
When all you want is Peace and Quiet
At a time when confusion and stress is rife;
Yesterday night was my Night

There was no power in my house;
There was no power in my neighbourhood
No TV,no Fan nor Computer to Browse;
Or stove to cook any Food

No,I will not crib,No,I will not complain;
My husband, no choice he had but to spend time with me
Oh, It was all my Gain,my Gain,my Gain;
Oh peaceful night when again will come thee

There comes a moment in Everyone's life
When All you want is Peace and Quiet
At a time when confusion and stress is rife;
Yesterday night was my Night

-Peshla

TLC Sept 14th

Today I took a good 15 minutes just deciding whom to take out. Most of the dogs are new...n my old friends are all gone..as in, they found a home :).....Finally I decided to take Barb a 10 year old Female Pit Bull...she is huge...but damn gorgeous. She kinda reminds me of Spike in Tom n Jerry...he he...she looks intimidating because of her frame , but she is a such a gentle dog. Loves attention and wants you to pet her every two minutes...she doesn't really play much.Only likes to chase running people and then jump on them for treats. She finished all the treats I had in my pouch and shamelessly kept asking me for more. She does obey some commands like sit and stay hence she was easy to handle, except when she was on the leash, where you have to use all your strength to walk her. Very affectionate,gentle and patient, Barb was my dog of the day!

The story of a puddle

These are some of the very first pictures I shot using my husband's Nikon D90.I have been looking for them for a while now and was disappointed thinking I lost them...today a 2 hour rummaging through all the files helped me find them. While taking the D90 for some practise shots I came across this small water puddle behind our car in the parking lot...and what can be better,it had rained the previous day and there was water dropping into the puddle creating small bubbles. This puddle might have been a small and insignificant one but it sure was worth taking pictures of.Well I tried to capture the Life cycle of this Bubble. Water has always fascinated me, whether it be in the form of an ocean, in a glass,in the form of rain or then again like this in the form of a puddle. The Piscean in me thinks it is one of the most beautiful elements of nature.

Once again people....Miss Rai!

Sandesh and me saw this on one of those MTV top 100 sexiest celebs list on TV may be about an year ago or so...the list had most of our favourite Hollywood actors/models/sports people etc...but we were not expecting to see miss Rai in the top ten(sexiest celebs,watch the video)...as always I say she is truly one of the most popular stars in India and for the very first time there is an actress who is bigger than the Khans and the Bachchans of the Industry...though technically she is a Bachchan herself today....

My friends and me have been having this discussion of late...what is so different about Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai, both of them won international titles the same year, ofcourse on the looks department Aishwarya was always the winner and Sushmita sen was the intelligent one, ...and this is all I can think of...Sushmita Sen may be the Intelligent one but Aishwarya Rai is the 'Smart' one and that makes a lot of difference. ....her latest issue of Verve says it all.....it is said that some people cant accept her beauty,they cant stand the perfection, they think it is not possible for someone to look so beautiful without some 'nip' n 'tuck'...but the truth is god made her so perfect, forget going under the knife she doesn't even need make up to look at that gorgeous....Way to go Aishwarya

Gowri Ganesha Habba!

Its that time of the year and I cant help but wonder how everyone back home must be busy with preparations. What I enjoyed most about growing up in Mysore is it's old world charm, very prominent in areas like, jayalaksmipuram, krishnamurthypuram , Chamundipuram,Agrahara considered to be Parts of Old Mysore.

My Granny's place(The Ballal House) is located in Krsihnamurthypuram which is like a retired man's colony today where every one from a retired T.T. ,retired post master to an Ex Tashildar all live in the same neighbourhood and have been living for the past 50 years or so in such harmony....that one wonders why is it that our generation can't have a neighbour/friend for more than 5-10 years...we are like nomads, living out of suitcases if you think about it. Krishnamurthy Puram might now have a Nilgiris,big bazaar,Fabmall, Tata showroom in it's vicinity but you will still find the oldies hanging around a small coffee stall in the corner of a road that serves some piping hot coffee, nipattu and kara mixture...such is the beauty and tale of this place.

The festival of gowri and Ganesha was always celebrated with so much grandness, that is until one of my grandad's brother and then my grandad passed away...the joint family was incomplete, but I would like to remember the good times

There were a lot of things that needed to be taken care of and we kids loved all the responsibility that was given to us...it made us feel like grown ups ;).....This is what I remember of it though.
I was specifically assigned the task of helping my aunt with the beautiful spread of colorful Rangoli...though I am not an expert, I would just help her by filling the colours and later guard the rangoli from all the bratty kids who would come to see Ganesha, which in most case did not work, the kids would stamp on it and mess it up, I would be so furious and upset and would try to correct it immediately.

Next, how can I forget the delicacies....Sihi(Sweet) Kadabu and Kara(Spicy)Kadabu...the kitchen was busy with all the women of the house cooking and we kids and the Ballal houses' numerous dogs and cats trying to help by being the official tasters ultimately getting kicked out. I don't have a sweet tooth, but I love spicy food and Hence the Kara kadabu was my favourite....Hmmmm....my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Half the excitement was and is always the food he he....

Ok, so now Ganesha had to be placed in a mantapa ( a small stage like object) and the mantapa had to be decorated with everything from garlanded flowers, baaleyele(banana Leaf), silver coins , lamps and flashing light garlands. It sounds simple , but this would take atleast an hour or two as nothing is spared in making Ganesha look his best on this day. Our job here was to help cut the leaves and wash them, cut flowers and make sure the diyas(Oil lamps) stayed lit all the time.

Now that every other thing was taken care of, we would get dressed in our best attire and become the official candy distributors...yes, starting 4:00 in the evening kids and adults from all over the neighbourhood, some known faces some total strangers would pour in to see Ganesha and worship....how would we know....they would come calling...."Ganapathi Kursidhira"...Do you have Ganapathi at home....and we would nod and welcome them...then started our duty of making sure they did not mess the rangoli, offer the ladies KumKuma(kum kum) and flowers and then before they leave the kids get a candy each, ....just for this one candy these kids would come...ha ha...amazing those times....now comes the funny part...we would sometimes catch the same kid come in 3 times, each time with a different shirt or with a different group of kids.....again for one peppermint. This out of all would make us terribly upset and angry....Yes, we were like detectives trying to identify every face...and then...boom...punha barthayidya, ninge chocolate illa hogu(Are you coming the second time, no chocolate for you)....Oh God, those were the days...and why would we do this, so that we would have some candies left at the end of the day to share among ourselves.

Sometimes these memories bring tears to my eyes and I wish I could go back in time and relive these moments,,but alas I have to move on and look forward to tomorrow. So many things have changed since then, so many things are changing now...but the memories are strongly buried in my heart.

last heard, Ganesha is now wearing a face mask to protect himself from the much talked about Swine Flu....what is the world coming to....anyways wish you all a very Happy Ganesh Chathurthi and I am leaving you with this article from TOI about the clay artisans of mysore...and also this famous Kannada song...

Ganesha bandha, kaayi kadubu tindha
Chikka kereli biddha, dodda kereli eddha.

TLC August 19th- Interesting but weird day!

I don't know if it is my magic touch or something like that but 2 other dogs that I took out in my previous sessions have been adopted, Betty a pit bull mix and Luther the German Shorthaired Pointer both have been adopted. Big Boy and Crocs as mentioned in my previous post have also been adopted, essentially every dog that I have taken out so far has been adopted.

I don't know whether what happened today was just the trend or something weird but it started like this. After having made 2 rounds of both the kennels I decided to take Tessa Out...Tessa is a Pit Bull Mix, Tessa did not have a Kennel Mate, so all I had to worry about is Tessa trying to sneak out....very very carefully I went into the kennel after distracting her with a treat, leashed her and brought her out of the kennel, literally patting myself in the back for doing it without goofing up. As I was about to take her out, a man walked up to me and said that he had signed the papers and had come to take Tessa.....I was like damn, so disappointed but anyways happy Tessa found a home...so I had to put Tessa back into her Kennel, Poor Tessa was disappointed too, for a minute she looked like she was all ready to hit the playground only to be put back into her Kennel.

Then I gave one look at the Tessa's neighbouring Kennel with 5 small dogs....now small dogs are even harder, coz they are very enthusiastic and because they are small and so many,its harder to enter the kennel without one of them trying to sneak out....so I stood there and played with the partition door for a while, until I had just one dog on my side. The Lucky one was Pickles, a 2 year old white Terrier Mix. Keeping the partition door closed I went and got a size appropriate leash and collar for Pickles and took her out to the small dog park...Pickles is a funny dog, she does not enjoy treats, din' eat any in the 30 mins I spent with her, but she loves playing with the ball, especially the red tennis ball, she fetches it and keeps it in front of me and starts wagging her tail asking me to throw it again....she was so in love with the red ball,,,that she was carrying it with her when we had to leave , then I had to forcefully pull it away from her. I was about to put her back into her Kennel, when a lady came asking about her, she later said that she wanted take Pickles home and took her info packet to the front desk....hmmm...I thought to myself , second one for me today, but at least I got to take her out.

I had one more hour so I decided to take out Luther's room mate Jessie...the one that got away last time. Since Luther has been adopted there was another kennel mate who was sitting on the other side of the partition door, so all I had to do was to shut the door and I had Jessie on my side. Today I realised, that Jessie is a very smart dog...and no wonder he sneaked out last time...he has you figured out from the time you stand in front of the padlock trying to unlock , he tries very hard to sneak out by putting out his nose even before you have opened the door.Other dogs are equally excited and like to jump, but all jessie wants to do is get out and he is very persistent. he is very focused and cant even be distracted with treats.Anyways when trying to open the door he jumped on me once, I took that opportunity and grabbed his front legs in my hand and pushed him back and let myself into the kennel. Even when putting his collar and leash he kept trying to sneak out but the door was closed, so finally I leashed him and brought him out, guess what, a customer service rep walked up to me and told me that she had to take jessie out for a showing...and I had to give him to the rep...damn....what was wrong.....3 dogs in a row.....so I could not take jessie out, later found out that the people who had come to see him,were going to take him home....good for jessie....

I don't know if this is Co-incidence or just that there were a lot more people walking in to adopt today, either ways Good for the dogs!!!!! and thanks to my magic touch:)...looks like every dog I take out or try to gets adopted...he he....what an eventful day!

TLC August 5th and August 13th 2009

I have decided to make a note of all my TLC sessions or atleast most of them, not for my reading pleasure but to remember the names of all the dogs that I spend time with at the shelter...and I must say I am getting good at this...I can remember and identify the dogs that I have worked with.

On a Happy Note.....two of the Dogs that I took out on my previous sessions have been adopted...hurray!!!!!.....Yes, Big Boy has been adopted, did not think this would happen as he is already very old....Well so much for going steady with him:(.now am on a quest to find another date..he he...atleast he has a home now...lucky boy. The other lucky one is Crocs a Chihuahua that I will be talking about in my next few lines.

On Wednesday the Aug 5th I went TLCing with another Volunteer named Stacey. I took out Luther that day and she took out Jupiter. Luther is a German Shorthaired Pointer( I have also made it a point to come back and read a little about the Dog I take out). Must say he is a very handsome dog...he has beautiful eyes.Luther is a friendly,affectionate dog , likes to chase anything that moves.The session went well with him and Jupiter both kennelmates getting to share the playground as well....not sure if luther was happy with this as he kept pushing the overly excited Jupiter away. The next Dog I took out was Crocs, A Chihuahua, though small in size, crocs is a high energy dog.When I put Crocs back in his Kennel, someone came asking for him, May be the same person took him home.

August 13th, did not turn out the way I wanted it too. I lured Sudhi away from his work into joining me for the TLC session, but we were late and the front doors were closed , which meant we could come out but not get in. Sudhi could not use the big playground to take his Yellow dogs, so he landed up helping me take a dog out, which I should say on that day was like a blessing as I let 2 dogs escape from their Kennel. This is what I was afraid of from day one and it happened....I played smart by entering the Kennel without trying to separate the dogs...I thought I was in successfully when I realised the latch of the kennel was pulling my shirt, to release my shirt I pushed open the door a wee bit wide and hence landed up keeping the door open too long. Before I knew it Luther's Kennel mate was out, I was so shocked that I forgot that there was another dog (Luther) in the Kennel too which could escape and so it happened, Next Luther wandered off. I unsuccessfully tried to hold on to him.While I was all worked up and tensed, Sudhi was calm and waiting to see what the dogs do next..(or may be he was having a good time seeing my reaction)..later with the help of the collar in my hand I dragged Luther back and Sudhi caught hold of his kennel mate. In the process I broke a finger nail and started bleeding pretty badly, But I was so occupied in getting the dogs back that I did not realise it until I saw the blood.I am really upset with what happened, but I learnt my lesson, try to separate the dogs before you open the door. Thanks Sudhi for saving the day ,could not have put the dogs back into their kennel on my own.I feel sorry as Sudhi always lands up helping me instead of spending some time with his yellow dogs.

TLC-Sunday 2nd August

This Sunday I went TLCing at the Shelter with Sudhi, a good friend. It was a lot of fun. I needed some help with the collars,leash and getting in and out of the kennel and he was very helpful, also he was great company. It's better to hook up with someone you know and connect with than someone you don't, as that makes the whole process a lot more fun and easy.So we decided to take out one dog at a time. He usually takes the Yellow dogs and I am currently only taking out Green. So, first it was my turn to take out Betty....She is big but not a very high energy dog, she did not really play much, only ate...she has this absolutely adorable sad looking face, that wants to make you love her. Next it was Sudhi's turn and he took Freckles out, He definitely is a high energy dog, all he wanted to do was run from one end to the other in the park. He was pretty distracted by some dog that was being walked outside...we were wondering if the other one outside was a female friend..he he..silly Freckles. This guy though liked playing Tug with my friend. It was a great TLC session with the dogs and Thanks to my friend for making it all the more enjoyable!

My Date(shadow) with 'Big Boy'

Just Completed my Shadow with my Mentor and another Volunteer at the Animal shelter. Today was fun as the coach ran us through all the procedures and guided us through the facility. We also got to take out a Green Dog,( a color code for easy to handle dogs). Our training dog was poor old' Big Boy'...well quite contrary to his name, he is a small dog, a black brown Shih Tzu. 'Big Boy' was a good start as he is 15 years old and doesn't like to walk fast....this old guy is a slow walker, very timid and calm...all he did in the park was to explore every corner of the playground...was not very keen on playing and running, may be coz of his age....he just wants someone for company.After 20 minutes of strolling around the playground...we put him back in his kennel and called it a day. I am happy we got to take this guy out as I know that not many people would want to take a dog that is not so active out, but given his age, we need to slow down for him. Who knows, this old guy might be my new boyfriend;).

Shadow

Tomorrow is my Shadow at the Animal Shelter. The mentor will guide me and one other person on what to do and what not to. TLC primarily involves walking the dogs, playing with the dogs, getting them to exercise. These dogs are mostly locked up in their kennels and like humans need some outside time and the TLC Volunteers work on spending some quality time with these dogs. I cant wait to start. Will write more about it after the Shadow session.

I gotta feeling

I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas. Seems like their latest hit after Boom Boom Pow. Thanks to the Local Radio Station I keep listening to this track every time I drive, more so in the last 2 days. I have liked their songs in the past, but just to listen or dance to them could not really connect with them. This one, I don't know, it has a strong message in a fun song. I would not have bothered listening to it's lyrics if I had seen it on TV. I was on a long drive on the freeway when the song started playing on the Radio, the lyrics made so much sense to me, I rolled down my window, let my hair down and let the wind hit my face,would have closed my eyes too if I wasn't driving...ha ha.. it felt good. I connected with the song immediately. In fact I am listening to it as I am typing this post.Do not take it word by word, but enjoy the optimism in the song in totality..once in While it's good to let go.. This is how the lyrics goes....Enjoy!..

I gotta Feeling that Tonight's gonna be a good night
That Tonight's gonna be good good night

Tonight's the night, let's live it up
I got my money, let's spend it up
Go out and smash it, like oh my God
Jump off that sofa, Let's get, get off....

for the rest...http://www.metrolyrics.com/i-gotta-feeling-lyrics-black-eyed-peas.html

Nature made curb appeal

This place was not far from where I shot my previous picture( previous post), probably a couple of miles away again on Highway 1. I would love to have a house like this and wake up to
fresh air and blue water every morning ,Of course breakfast in bed would be good too(hubby;)...

Divine Design

This was shot on the way from Carmel to Hearst Castle on Scenic Highway 1 ( A Scenic drive in California along the Pacific Coast). This was one of the hundreds of Vista Points that we stopped at to take pictures . I just think that the amount of colours in one frame is amazing, though I wish there were some red flowers too.The yellow flowers set against the different variations in the blue from the sky to the ocean and the streak of white is what made me want to capture this shot. This photo is as is and has not been modified. I am considering playing around with the contrasts later. what is slightly upsetting is the mountains could have been greener as they appeared to the naked eye but due to the sunlight there was too much light and I have not yet started playing around with the different manual settings in the Camera though I have a faint idea of what I need to do to get the desired effect.

Making Waves!

This was shot during sunset at Carmel by Sea. This is something I have been attempting to shoot for a while but never found the right moment. I love the way this picture turned out. I wanted to capture the water rising and hitting the shore and I think I did a decent job, though I wish the waves were even higher. Actually this shot was taken at ground level, as I could not keep it on the sand, I had had to make a rough estimate and keep the camera down and shoot. I also love the contrasting colours in the image.

Heads Up!

This picture was shot by me at Ostrich land near Solvang. I wanted to feed the Ostriches and emus, so my husband took me there. The bird feed was given to us in a pan with a long handle. I must admit I was a little terrified as I started to feed them...they are huge, 8-9 feet tall and try hard to grab the pan from your hand. Looking into their eyes can be pretty intimidating. I held on to the pan with both my hands as they kept flighting to pull it away from me. It was fun though. The store at the entrance was also selling Ostrich Eggs and meat, for which we did not have any use. This picture was shot when the ostriches were waiting for the food....and so they were looking right into the Camera. I must admit that my husband actually got a better shot ( his is more like a desktop wallpaper)...but then again...this was my best effort at it.

Yoga- how it went from Blahh to Ahh!

I remember having this early morning Yoga sessions in my School and Later during my Masters. We hated it so much as kids, it was more like- 'who is going to get up this early to do a dumb set of exercises', the Yoga teacher poor thing being a constant target of harassment . Not one of us was really interested in it, we would crib, complain, fuss about it, do everything in our capacity to put an end to it. I even remember having these discussions during my MBA days, 'why does a Management grad with a schedule that is so packed with 2-3 presentations a day, tests, case studies followed by discussions and no time to even sigh need yoga to make matters worse. Oh my it was like precious time lost...could have worked on that one last slide for my presentation you know, and who knows I would have just got a B+ instead of a measly B. Well that was our thought process back then....he he.

Now I can only look back and laugh at those times. I was always amazed at the number of tourists that would roam around in a cycle near Ballal Circle( Mysore), eating and relishing all the local specialities like Churmuri( spiced puffed rice) , Idli Vada Sambhar, Cane Juice and stuff. They must have been there for a while to adapt to the lifestyle this well, but what were they doing here?....and then I got the answer to my question which came as a surprise, Mysore houses one of the most popular Yoga Guru in India who supposedly has taught yoga to the likes of Madonna, Gwenyth Paltrow and so on. and these guys were all his students... also heard , getting an admission at these places is even harder than getting an admission at a top notch university. Wow!...all this for Yoga...hmmm...now I know I have been a fool not to have understood it's importance.

People here in America pay thousands of Dollars to practise Yoga at even the most normal / basic studios and heard so is the case with other western countries. Yoga is now somewhat like a luxury product that is flaunted by the elite. Yoga is IN. Its the latest norm in the fashion world/film world/corporate world....he he..and I was getting to do Yoga everyday with a well trained instructor and never wanted it then...sheesh.

What changed my approach towards Yoga though is not all of the above but what it has done to my Dad. The doc said he has a very weak heart and has to change his lifestyle and then Appa took to Yoga and Pranayama. He dedicates about 20-30 minutes in the morning to yoga, nothing intensive, just very light and easy to do exercises. The next test results indicated that there had been a good improvement in the functioning and efficiency of his heart. I don't know whether this is purely because of Yoga, but I would like to believe that it has done him a world of good.

I have been trying to do Yoga for a few days now , but was finding it hard to make time for it as I am not an early riser, which is ideally the best time to do it. So now I keep an hour in the afternoon , evenly spaced between my meals. I am currently following Shilpa Shetty's Yoga(no specific reason other than this the only one I have). The exercises are very simple and I find them very easy to follow. In a total time of about 45 mins-1 hour, 5 mins goes to OM Chanting, 5 mins to Pranayama( Breathing exercises) and the rest split in 5 parts

• . Exercises laying on the back
• . Exercises laying on the stomach
• . Sitting Exercises
• . Standing Exercises
• . Neck Exercises

I just started and am already feeling good, my body is not used to this kind of stretching and so it hurts a little, but that is natural. I am glad I finally decided to do it, but the bigger challenge is to keep doing it, which is what I am bad at. I must admit this is one thing I want to be addicted to. My approach towards Yoga has definitely changed in the last few years and I am glad it has...It's never too late to start a better/healthy lifestyle. It's a simple choice, but one that no one else but we, have to make for ourselves.

Shruthi Haasan- I am impressed!...So far

Since there has been a lot of talk on Luck and one of it's songs Jee le on Facebook, I decided to see it for myself. I have no clues of which Hindi movie is releasing when and where, but thanks to the discussions that my friends have on Facebook, I am a little updated now. So I went on YouTube to check out this song. So the movie is Luck, releasing on July 24th, starring Imran Khan( Aamir Khan's Nephew), Shruthi Haasan ( Daughter of Kamal Haasan and Sarika), Sanjay Dutt, Mithun Chakraborty and more.I have no clues what the movie is about, other than the obvious( it's title ofcourse) .I have been waiting to see Shruthi Haasan in a movie for long time now, If she even has a little bit of both her parents in her, she will be a hit, her dad's acting skills and her mom's beauty, a perfect recipe for success in the film industry. So coming back to the song from this movie...Jee Le, I am already humming and dancing to it...which is a good sign I think. Shruthi Haasan looks fab ( on the looks department you can't miss the obvious resemblance to her mom) with her very up to date hair do, an amazing personality( she looks quite slim and tall), very chic. Her acting skills will be put to test when the movie releases this week. By the way she is also a singer and I love her voice. All the best to her.Then again I have been wrong with a lot of star kids, not all of them make it big. Well, what can I say, it is a perfect combination of three factors, Acting, Looks and a whole lot of LUCK I guess ;)

Can't wait to get started

This weekend was a little upsetting due to a death in my husband's family that hasn't quite sunk in yet.We just let it pass and stayed at home not wanting to do anything, but, my coming week should be a little better as I have my second orientation for Dogs TLC( Tender.Love.Care) on this Thursday the 23rd of July. I have been waiting to start my volunteering for a very very long time now, so hopefully once I am done with this Orientation I should be able to start my Volunteering work at the shelter immediately.I will also have to buy my T-shirt at the PHS Office this week( they prefer you wear them to identify their volunteers). As of now I am looking at 2-3 days a week, have to figure out which days work best for me. In the meantime I have to work out the transportation arrangements with my husband. YIPPEE!...I am so damn excited....more posts on this in the future...until then Woof Woof!

My Hubby's Anniversary Surprises!

Well, We just celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary (Translation-Kudos to us for bearing each others tantrums for this long...he he)...jokes apart...it was truly one of my most memorable anniversaries. My plan for the anniversary was very simple, since I am officially sick and tired of eating out, told my hubby I would cook something special at home and we would have a nice candle light dinner in the patio. My hubby out did me this time though...he had not one or two but three surprises planned for me.

First he tells me to check my mail and see if I received a weird mail from Flickr (well I did suspect something fishy as it was a day before our Anniversary). So I go ahead and check my mail and soon realise that it is a beautifully made album with my pictures from the last five years, with thoughtfully written comments for every picture, He said he spent three days making the album and I believe him, It is truly beautiful making me guilty for not coming up with an idea so original. The album made me cry and laugh all at the same time, when I looked at my pictures in a different light and what my husband had to say about me...he he.

So the second one was a bouquet of roses which he had ordered to arrive on the morning of the anniversary, but since it had not arrived on time , he got worried and told me about it and made a pronto call to the 1-800 number to track it, just when he was talking the bouquet arrived. It is a beautiful bouquet of red roses with a red bow around its vase. I remembered something I had told Sandesh a long time ago, sometime after our engagement when he sent me a bouquet of flowers and chocolates...that I was a very different kind of a girl, I never was impressed with flowers, chocolates, teddy bears, rings or any such cute materialistic stuff that I know many other women die to get from their men ...no matter how hard a guy tried with these presents it would never work...Sandesh had a hard time figuring this out for a while, but ultimately he knew he had to win me with his strength of character and nothing else mattered.

The third one was a totally crazy unplanned road trip to Santa Barbara...I packed on the morning of the trip, no hotel bookings, no idea where we would stay for the the three nights. We decided to drive along the coast on 1 which usually takes longer and stop along the way at every interesting town/city. We did stop not only at every city, but every vista point for some wonderful shots.
I cannot describe how beautiful the California Coast is, it has to be experienced first hand, with it's breathtaking views of the ocean, birds, bluffs,cliffs, greens, it was nothing short of french riviera. There is so much more you see when you do a road trip like this, v/s driving to a specific designation.On our way we had Greek Lunch at Santa Cruz and then took a stroll on the Santa Cruz boardwalk and the beach. Later stopped at Monterey and took some shots at the wharf, then around sunset time we were at Carmel watching some dolphins swim and play about 20 feet from the shore with the sun setting in the background, we decided to stay at comfort inn at Monterey that night.

The next day we did the Hearst castle tour near Big Sur, very elegant castle which draws inspiration from Greek, Italian and Spanish architecture, later drove to Solvang, a small dutch town in California, which has a couple of windmills, danish bakeries, wineries and glass work shops. The town is a beautiful replica of Denmark. That night we stayed at another motel in Lompoc which is a few miles from Solvang. The next morning we spent some time in Solvang, buying cookies, souveneirs, riding the fun wheel around the town and feeding Ostrichs and Emus and later started driving to Santa Barbara, where we spent the evening visiting the Mission, Stearn wharf, the beach and ending the day with some hot comfort food at a Thai Restaurant in Downtown Santa Barbara.
We started the last day with some lovely American Country Style breakfast at Alisons Country Cafe at ventura, then went into the city once again to see the court house which has a lot of architectural significance and then started driving back home. Don't know why we never did such trips in the last five years, but definetly want to do more such trips in the near future. amazing experience, took a lot of pictures which I will publish in my next post...until then I will go back to unpacking and settling back from this journey. Thank you Hubby.

Pomponio State Beach

This Sunday, a couple of us decided to spend an evening at a beach. This was one of those unplanned,random, last minute ideas and believe me they work the best. So based on a friend's recommendation we decided to visit the Pomponio State Beach 12 miles south of Half moon Bay.
The beach was crowded, well all of them were, the good weather this weekend made people want to stay out.Its a nice family beach with a couple of BBQ grills, white sand in some areas, beautiful scenery with bluffs on either sides. We decided to explore the area a little bit and took a walk along the beach to the other end, where we found this cave like enclave. We decided to get all adventerous and climb it to take a few pics.As we were standing there, the water came gushing from behind and hit the rock behind us, drenching us completely...he he...we were so stunned for a while, we were like, "what just happened"...one minute we were all dry and the next this"SPLASH"....but must say that was the highlight of the trip...
I love going to the beach, coz I am a total water person, but I wish I could take a swim in the ocean someday, around this area the water is a little rough and not condusive for swimming. We ended the day with some good Thai food at Half Moon Bay....It was a wonderful experience and looking forward to many such trips to the beach with friends...may be a BBQ too next time......

MJ, Farrah - Rest In Peace

Its a sad day for the world of Pop music!....the legend is no more..Its hard for me to imagine this, as I grew up listening and dancing to his songs(I am passionate about music and dance). Michael Jackson is so big, its sometimes hard to comprehend it. It is sad that the media blew things out of proportion and made his stay in the US almost impossible. As a child I remember trying to moonwalk like him and failing badly..he he...we all went through that phase of craziness I guess...and it was all M.J... M.J,Rest In Peace.

Farrah Fawcett, what can I say another gorgeous actress (the old Charlies Angels) passed away too. Loved her hair style, I for a short while unintentionally sported a hairdo something like hers and someone even complimented me saying, hey that looks like Farrah Fawcett's hairstyle and I had come home a happy person. She was truly one of the most beautiful actresses of those days (actually she still looked gorgeous, some people never stop looking good, she was one of them).

Its weird how these people have an influence on us, may be it was partially because we had this whole evolution of the media (TV, computers, Internet) happening during our growing up phase.Whatever the reason be, They were big and they will be missed.

A Hangover from Hangover!

When I go to watch a movie, my favourite part is the trailers at the start. That is when I decide which ones to watch and which not to. Hangover was definitely one that I wanted to watch like 17 again, A night in the museum 2 and many others, but very few stood up to my expectation. The trailers were funnier than the movies themselves. This one ( Hangover) I can say is easily one of the best entertaining movies I have seen so far this year. watch it with an open mind, otherwise it can be a little hard to digest. Perfect timing in comedy, good script, talented set of actors, totally a very good movie. It Kinda reminded me of Wild Hogs, but this one is a lot dirtier(in a funny way;). The story is set in Vegas.Always thought Vegas was fun, din't know it was this FUN!!!!!!...Looking forward to plan my next trip to Vegas.In the meantime all you dirty minds GO WATCH THE MOVIE!

The Dog Trainer

A friend who knows my passion for animals sent me this..I also decided to use it in my layout..now I have one last thing left to do now, GET A DOG...Woof Woof
The Dog Trainer

Post Orientation

The Orientation yesterday was good and long. The Tour of the facility was the best part.At the end of the Orientation I Opted for the Dog TLC Program on Fridays. Eventually looking at Dog Training Assistant, but was told that anything that is behaviour oriented would require TLC training.My mail for the next orientation arrived today and guess what, another months wait. I don't know how long I will have to wait until I can start spending some time with the dogs. I am a little frustrated, but have no choice but to wait. Hopefully days will pass soon. :(

PHS Orientation

Finally after having waited for so many days, I will be attending my Orientation at the Peninsula Humane Society today evening. I am all excited about it. Lets see whats in store for me. I had applied for the Dog Training Assistant Position, but a friend who is also volunteering there told me its full, so might have to settle for the next best thing. This is what I will opt for in order of preference:
1. Dog Training Assistant
2. TLC Cats and dogs
3. Second Chance Class
4. Pet Assisted Therapy ( Something I think I would love to do someday)
5. Animal care
6. Vet Clinic
7. Wildlife ( Rescue and Care)

So, I have my options listed out, should be able to get into atleast one of these. I am keen on taking up atleast 2 positions ( Considering its just once or twice a week). Lets see how it goes. Watch for my post orientaion blog.

The New Nest

Its been a week now since we moved into our new house(Wow!) and I am enjoying the refreshing change. Love this new place, but the truth is somewhere deep down I miss the old house . After all, spent the first few years of our newly married life there. Learning how to cook, inviting my first guests over for dinner( I was so damn nervous then..he he), Fighting over who will do the laundry, vacuum cleaning, Lazying on weekends, not getting up till like 1:00 or 2:00 in the noon, waiting for my husband to finish his calls so that I can run the grinder...Wow!..so much. It will surely hold a special place in my heart. We still have a few boxes that need to be unpacked and a little re-organization. Finding a place for every one of our possessions. I think it will take us a few days, but I can see it taking shape slowly.

What I Love about this place:
The Big Windows in the living room(one whole wall is full of windows, lot of light)
The Nice big Patio(well can't be compared to the yards that single family homes have)
Lot of Space and storage
Like the feeling of the duplex ( make an excuse to climb up and down the stairs)
Our Bedroom which gets light all the time
The gas Of course ( I am done with the electric stove, yahooo!)
All in all its a cozy pad!

There is however one crib, no Washer/Dryer, but as long as my husband is taking care of the laundry I am willing to nurture and care for the house. A lot of work needs to go in, so waiting to see how things will finally shape up.

I remember the time I came to this country in 2004 after my wedding, I don't know how but I had packed 22 years of my Life in those two suitcases that I carried with me, It was hard,Being an emotional person, I did not want to leave any part of my past or present behind in moving towards the future. Well I treasure every part of my life, the people in my Life, the places I see, the things I do, they all make me who I am and they make me happy! and I know that this House and me have a lot to see and go through together.

Coffee Bar Meeting Pictures

Finally got some time to upload some pictures from the Coffee Bar meeting with old buddy Bini. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Sandesh and Sajosh

Bini and Me

Bini and Me

Random Shots on a Casual Sunday Evening

Just Happened to have my husbands D90 in his absence (Of course)....Posting some of the pictures I took on a Nice sunny Sunday Evening. Click on the images to see enlarged pictures.

A Jet leaving it's trace in the sky

Beauty in Wilderness

Trees against sunset backdrop

Wanna play catch

where the sky meets the land

water splashing over a rock

Air China

The Loner

Sweetheart Nidhi with her captivating smile

Majestic entryway to a house

White in all it's Glory

Contrasting Reds

A flower and a bud

Italian Brunch

A Church during Sunset

'Ajja'- Miss You!

My Cousins and me refer to him as Mysore 'Ajja' (Grandfather). His name- Lakshmi Narayan Ballal.If I ever had an idol in life it is him. He is whom i would call a Daring, Charismatic, Free Spirited Guy, who below all that toughness had a heart that would melt easily if he as much as saw someone cry in front of him.

There was not a single thing he had not tried his hand in, may it be, piloting air crafts, Wrestling ( he would often tell me about the Kusthi(Wrestling) Sessions that would take place during Dassera in the Mysore Palace, Fancy dress competitions again held during Dassera during the good old king reign days, He supposedly even did a small stint in some English Movie/Documentary and Of course, Politics, He was with the Indian National Congress(Gandhian Congress) and was involved in the freedom struggle during the independence days. He had done it all and wanted to do more.

By profession he was a hotelier. Ballal circle in Mysore was named after Ballal Hotel that was owned and managed by Ajja. If I sit back and think, it was the best profession for him given his passion for Good Food. He truly lived to eat, he was perfectly healthy, his stroke was a result of eating loads of chakkulis, kodbales and sweets all at once on Krishna Janmashtmi, both his sugar levels and Blood pressure levels shot up together. He was bedridden for a long time before he finally passed away.

Ajja stayed in a joint family ( His Brothers and their families) in what we call as the Ballal house or dodda Mane ( Big House), he would drive to our place pretty much everyday, there was not a single day that would go by without him visiting his grandkids. He would stop at every bakery and snack store on the way and buy up pretty much everything there for his grand kids.

He would take us to visit the Mysore Palace or exhibition as though it was his first time there, chatting up with the auto driver all the way from home to the palace. He did a lot for orphan kids, Helped them with their daily food by providing free food at his hotel, free accommodation. A few years ago when my Ajji and me were walking, we came across this stranger who stopped us and introduced himself to ajji as one of the kids whom Ajja had helped during his struggling period and that now he had a good job and a family. He told us how grateful he was for what Ajja did . When Ajja died, we were surprised at the number of strangers who showed up to pay their last respect to him, telling us how he had touched their lives and helped them in one way or the other. I had always heard about Ajja's popularity but this is when I realised how much of a"larger than Life' personality Ajja had.

Talking about personality, ajja had this huge frame, he was 6 foot something tall with broad shoulders. When he was bedridden, we needed at least 6-7 Adult men to Lift him in and out of bed. His last days were hard as he slowly stopped recognising and reacting to all of us. He was living only because of his tremendous Will Power. We had our exams starting in about 2-3 days time, his Doctor who was also his best buddy told us that he would pass away slowly the next day in the morning as he did not want to trouble his grandkids during their exams (sniff sniff). That he did, exactly the same day and the time of the day the doctor mentioned, it was a miracle of kinds or may be purely his will, I don't know. At the end all that matters is that he Lived Large and had no regrets.

Sometimes I feel like I get my stubbornness, rebelliousness and Freewill from him and I don't know whether that is a good thing or a bad thing but I am who I am. This morning I was remembering him a lot and felt that he had to be a part of my blog, otherwise my blog would be incomplete. Ajja, Love You and Miss you a lot!

My Playlist

I have been thinking of doing this for some time now, don't know what I have been waiting for. I love music and there was a time when my mom had to literally ban MTV and Channel V at home, I was so glued to the TV. Songs touch my soul, they throw me into another world, a world I like being in. I have been craving to listen to all the songs I had in my collection of Audio Cassettes during my college days (I know that sounds ancient now), but I miss listening to these songs. I didn't get them here, So the next best thing to do now is to make a you tube list of all my Favorite songs, the list is obviously very long, So I will keep adding songs as I remember them( I am sure I will miss out on so many, but I am only human). I will make 2 Separate lists, one Trance and the other everything else. I already have a few in my video collection on orkut, so will start with those and keep updating, may be you guys will find your favorites in the list too!

The List (in no particular order)

1. Coldplay - Speed of Sound
2. Coldplay- Fix you
3. Coldplay- Talk
4. Coldplay- Viva La Vida
5. Goo Goo Dolls- Iris
6. Goo Goo Dolls- Slide
7. Red Hot Chili Peppers- Dani California
8. Red Hot Chili Peppers- Under the Bridge
9. Red hot Chili Peppers- Cant Stop
10. Nickelback- Far away
11. Nickelback- Hero
12. Maroon 5- Makes me wonder
13. Imogen Heap- Speeding Cars
14. Madonna- Holiday
15. Madonna- Vogue
16. Madonna- Papa Don't Preach
    
17. Madonna- Human Nature
18. Madonna- Ray Of Light
19. Madonna- Jump
20. Madonna- Like A Prayer
21. Madonna- Material Girl
    
22. Phil Collins- Another Day in Paradise
23. Tears for Fears - Everybody wants to rule the world
24. Alphaville- Forever Young
25. Seal- Kiss from a rose
26. Guns n Roses- Better
27. Guns n Roses- November Rain
28. Guns n Roses- Sweet Child O Mine
29. Boyz II Men- Motown Philly
30. Real McCoy- Another Night
31. Richard Marx- Right here waiting
32. September- Cry for you
33. Aerosmith- Crazy
34. Aerosmith- I dont want to miss a thing
35. Aerosmith- Pink
36. Def Leppard- Hysteria
37. Metallica- I dissapear
38. Ida Cor- Let me think about it
39. Scorpions- Wind of Change
40. Modern Talking- Brother Louie
41. Queen- We will rock you
42. Queen- I want to break free
43. Matchbox Twenty- unwell
44. Matchbox Twenty- Look how far we've come
45. Linkin Park- In the end
46. U2- with or without you
47. U2- One
48. E-type- I just wanna be with you
49. Jeff Buckley- Hallelujah
50. The Black Ghosts- Full Moon
51. Muse- Supermassive Black hole
52. Craig david- Rise and Fall
53. Micheal Bolton- Said i loved you but i lied
54. Sting- Fields of gold
55. Sting/Police- Every Breath You Take
56. Boy meets girl- Waiting for a star to fall
57. Art Company- Suzanna
58. The New radicals- get what you give
59. P.Diddy- Last Night
60. Kanye West- Homecoming
61. Gorillaz- windmill
62. The Rasmus- In the shadows
63. River Phoenix- Stand By Me
64. R.E.M- Losing My Religion
65. Eagles- Hotel California
66. Rihanna- Don't Stop The Music
67. Village People- YMCA
68. Nirvana- Smells Like Teen Spirit
69. Pink Floyd- Brick In The Wall
70. ABBA- Dancing Queen
71. ABBA- Mama Mia
72. Boney M- Ma Baker
73. Boney M- Daddy Cool
74. Ini Kamoze- Here Comes The Hot Stepper
75. Snow- Informer
76. Jimmy Ray- Are You Jimmy Ray
77. Diana King- L-L-Lies
78. Inner Circle- Games People Play
79. Whigfield- Saturday Night
80. Whigfield- Think of you
81. Whitney Houston- I Will Always Love You
82. Whitney Houston- My Love Is Your Love
83. Whitney Houston/ Mariah Carey -When You Believe
84. Mariah Carey- Hero
85. Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby
86. Mariah Carey- Touch My Body
87. The Chemical Brothers- Hey Boy Hey Girl
88. The Verve- Bitter Sweet Symphony
89. Len- Steal My Sunshine
90. MLTR- Someday
91. MLTR- Sleeping Child
92. MLTR- Blue Night
93. Billy joel- We Din't Start The Fire
94. Billy Joel- Uptown Girl
95. Mr President- Coco jumbo
96. Chumbawumba- Thubthumping( I get knocked down)
97. No Mercy- Where Do You Go
98. Ace Of Base- All That She Wants
99. Ace Of Base- The Sign
100. Boyzone- Picture Of You
101. Boyzone- Love Me for a Reason
102. Elton John- Sacrifice
103. Elton John- Can You Feel The Love Tonight
104. Elton John- Sorry seems to be the hardest word
105. Toni Braxton- Unbreak My Heart
106. Shania Twain- From This Moment
107. Shania Twain- You're the still the one
108. Shania Twain- That don't Impress me much
109. Shania Twain- Man! I feel like a women
110. Bryan Adams- Summer of 69
111. Bryan Adams- Everything i do
112. Bryan Adams- Please Forgive me
113. Brayn Adams- Run To You
114. Bryan Adams- The only thing that looks good on me is you
115. Bryan Adams- Im Ready
116. Bryan Adams- 18 Till I Die
117. Jon Bon Jovi- Livin on a prayer
118. Jon Bon Jovi- It's My Life
119. Jon Bon Jovi- Bed Of Roses
120. Jon Bon Jovi- Always
121. Jon Bon Jovi- Make a Memory
122. Jon Bon Jovi- I'll Be there for you
123. Jon Bon Jovi- Blaze of Glory
124. Enrique iglesias- Hero
125. Enrique Iglesias- Escape
126. Enrique Iglesias- Love To See You Cry
127. Sean Paul- Give it up to me
128. Mark Anthony- You sang to me
129. Mark Anthony- I Need to Know
130. Nelly Furtado- Say It Right
131. Nelly Furtado- Maneater
132. Justin Timberlake- What Goes Around
133. Justin Timberlake- Sexy Back
134. Wyclef Jean/Akon- Sweetest Girl
135. Santana- Maria Maria
136. Santana- Smooth
137. Pink- So What
138. Pink- Get This Party Started
139. Pink- Most Girls
140. Pink/ Christina Aguilera- Lady Marmalade
141. Christina Aguilera- Genie In The Bottle
142. Christina Aguilera/Ricky martin- Nobody Wants To Be Lonely
143. Kylie Minogue- Love At First Sight
144. Kylie Minogue- Can't Get You Out Of My Head
145. Kylie Minogue- Come Into My World
146. Alicia Keys- Fallin
147. Alicia Keys- No One
148. Alicia Keys/Jack White- Another Way To Die
149. Avril Lavigne- Complicated
150. Avril Lavigne- I'm With You
151. Katy Perry- I kissed A Girl
152. R. Kelly- I Believe I Can Fly
153. TLC- Waterfall
154. No Doubt- Don't Speak
155. George Michael- Faith
156. George Michael- Last Christmas
157. George Michael- Careless Whisper
158. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts- I Love Rock n Roll
159. Roxette- The Look
160. Evanescence- My Immortal
161. Evanescence- Going Under
162. Evanescence- Bring Me To Life
163. Natalie Imbruglia- Torn
164. Destiny's Child- Say My Name
165. Destiny's Child- Survivor
166. Destiny's Child- Bootylicious
167. Eminem- Real Slim Shady
168. Eminem- Lose Yourself
169. Eminem- Stan
170. Run DMC- Its Like That
171. Robbie Williams- Feel
172. Robbie Williams- Let Me Entertain You
173. Cranberries- Zombie
174. Crazy Town-Butterfly
175. Fatboy Slim- Right Here Right Now
176. Pussycat Dolls- Buttons
177. Pussycat Dolls- When I Grow Up
     
178. Shakira- Whenever Wherever
179. Shakira- Hips Don't Lie
180. Shakira/Beyonce- Beautiful Liar
181. Shakira- Objection
182. Fugees- Killing Me Softly
183. UB40- Can't Help Falling In Love With You
184. UB40- Red Red Wine
185. Outcast- Ms Jackson
186. Outcast- Hey Ya
187. Black Eyed Peas- Lets Get It Started
188. Gwen Stefani- Hollerback Girl
189. Europe- The Final Countdown
190. The bangles- Walk Like an Egyptian
191. KT Tunstall- Suddenly I See
192. Sarah McLachlan- Fallen
193. Sarah McLachlan- Angel
194. Sarah McLachlan- I Will Remember You
     
195. New Kids On The Block- The Right Stuff
196. Timbaland- The Way I Are
197. Timbaland- Apologise
198. Foreigner- I Want To Know What Love Is
199. Los Lobos- La Bamba
200. Kaoma- lambada
201. Glen Mederios- Nothings Gonna Change My Love
202. Gloria Estefan- Rythms Gonna Get You
203. Kool n The Gang- Fresh
204. Coolio- Gangsters Paradise
205. Amy Grant- Baby Baby
     
206. La Bouche- Be My Lover
207. 2 Unlimited- Twilight Zone
208. The Tamperer/Maya- Feel It( Chimney On Her)
209. Haddaway- What Is Love
210. Rednex- Cotton Eyed Joe
211. Scatman John- Scatman
212. Kid Cudi- Day and Night
213. Lauryn Hill- That Thing
214. Dead Or Alive- Spin Me Round
     
215. Wes- Alane
216. Kevin Rudolf- Let It Rock
     

Trance/Techno

1. ATB- 9 Pm Till I Come
2. Alice Deejay- Better Off Alone
3. Robert Miles- Children
4. Robert Miles- Fable
5. DJ Quicksilver- Bellissima
6. Sash- Mysterious Times
7. Sash- Raindrops
8. Lady Gaga- Just Dance
9. Modjo- Lady
10. Chicane/Bryan Adams- Don't Give Up
11. Eiffel 65- Blue
12. Eiffel 65- Move Your Body
13. Run DMC- Its Like That
14. Darude- Sandstorm
15. Darude- Feel The Beat
16. Faithless- God Is a DJ
17. N Trance- D.I.S.C.O
18. N. Trance- Set You Free
19. Bob Sinclar- World,Hold On
20. Wamdue Project- King Of My Castle
21. Fugees- Ready Or Not Remix
22. Bellini- Samba De Janeiro
23. Michael Gray- Weekend
24. DJ Sammy- Heaven
25. Supermode- Tell Me Why
26. Dario G- Carnaval De Paris
    

Phew!...this is not as easy as I thought it would be...sometimes you don't remember any and then sometimes you remember all at once that by the time you start listing them out you forget a few again...anyways I think I have a few more to add in both the categories...Taking a break for now

Aishwarya Rai- not just another 'Plastic' Beauty Queen

I personally have been a big fan of hers ever since i saw the very popular 'Hi I am Sanjana , got another Pepsi' Ad with Aamir Khan Pepsi Ad. Then she went on to win the 1994 Miss World Pageant..people clearly knew and predicted she would win days before the contest took place. She is gorgeous, that goes without saying, she has a face that has such perfectly carved features that is undeniable but I think she is also one of the most Graceful and Dignified not to forget Classy Actresses that i have seen in recent Cinema.

When she started out , I dint think she was a good actress, she was just this beautiful face, but she has now evolved from being just a beauty queen to something more substantial. I admire her not just for her beauty but for the persona she represents, the elegance and grace with which she carries herself. I must say that the last few movies i have seen of hers were worth appreciating, Jodha Akbar, Guru, Raincoat, Choker Bali , Provoked,Devdas and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. She has the capacity to portray a sexy character(without making it look sleazy) in Dhoom 2 and at the same time portray an Indian Queen with strong conviction in the period film Jodha Akbar, these 2 movies, world apart in their scripts, prove her versatility.

She, unfortunately has also been one of the most criticized actors , whether it was her break up with the ever abusive Salman Khan or her decision to do more Hollywood movies. I think she deserves a little credit, she has been one of the few Actors in Bollywood who has created such an impact in the international scene. At 36, she still is one of the highest paid and popular actors in Hindi Cinema and recently she has been featured in Forbes' most bankable stars list Forbes List leaving all the Khans and Roshans of the film Industry way behind, which says something about her credentials. My American born Cousins and few ex Colleagues here only recognise 3 things indian ,Aishwarya Rai, Chicken Tikka Masala and now ofcourse the very popular Slumdog Millionaire. She has definitely come a long way and has some really interesting projects in 2009, one that i am looking forward to is Mani Ratnam's Ravan. I just wish the media was just a little more appreciative of her work. She has been going strong for the last few years and I am sure her fame is not one that will die soon.

Coffee Bar Meeting! II

So, I finally met up with my old time Col buddy Bini on this Sunday! We did gossip a lot...but luckily for me her hubby is in IT too, so my hubby and him hit it off very well...Frankly I have no clues of what they spoke about for that one and a half hours as I was so busy in my conversation with Bini...and the University Cafe, at University Ave, Palo Alto was the perfect place with its Stanfordian like atmosphere (the feeling of being among students...ha...perfect) took us back to our College days. Thank you Bini for making the time to meet us inspite of your busy schedule.

Coffee Bar Meeting!

It has been almost 5 years since i graduated from my B-school and i have only met one of my old buddies so far, Kunal, he is based out of Florida now and had come down to SF a few months back, it was really fun catching up with him and gossiping about the good old college days, who is dating whom, who broke up with whom and why (the interesting part as always, when you are not the one in question...mean ha!) who married whom.....blah blah...we bored our spouses to death. Today i will be meeting another one of my B-School buddies, Binitha/Bini or Bini babes, i am really excited about it. Though we keep in touch over the phone, meeting one on one is any day more fun, will be also meeting her husband. Plan to meet at a Coffee Bar between 3:00-4:00. Will have loads to gossip about i am sure. Lot of catching up to do. The funny part is you sometimes don't know where to start.Will post some pictures later!...Till then wish me fun!

Designing Plans or Planning Designs

We are really excited about our move next month....1. As we are moving into a bigger space, a townhome from a one bedroom condo....2. We are looking forward to a change after Five years of living in this same space. I, ofcourse have my own special reasons. An empty space to me is like an empty canvas that needs to be filled with colour and paint, I am so excited about doing up the place in a totally different color scheme and design theme.Though I must say I love the Earthy,Warm,Spa retreat like feel, which is what I have at my current place now, I am so done with it and look forward to something more modern, contemporary, clean say a Sand 'n' Beach theme.

A friend of mine was asking me about what I intend to do in this new house. It goes like this, I plan to incorporate a few of my favourite colors White, Blue, Black, Patterns in this house. I want my sofas to be white( i know its a housewive's deadliest nightmare) but I can afford to have it now Vs later with a child. The cushions will be bright mostly consisting of blues, creams , dotted patterns , brown and black n white prints. The rug (looks more like a runner, which I happened to find when I was cleaning my closet). It again has different shades of blue, white, black, pink n other colours. I also have an idea of what kind of lamps I want, I am looking at Arc Floor Lamps, hopefully will find one within my budget. I have also picked up a couple of low cost, discounted Decorative Accents to go with the theme. Some pieces like the coffe table , side table will be black in color inorder to highlight the pieces of accent and also to provide contrast to the sofa and rug.My Wall Art, will consist of some of the pictures that my husband has taken with his Nikon D90, why buy when i can find good, poster quality stuff at home. The key is to pick up as many pieces from sites like craigslist and keep the cost low.

If everything that I have envisioned falls in place, then what I will have is a bright, open, airy living room that screams ' WELCOME TO THE BEACH RETREAT'. Where did i get the inspiration from?. You won't believe when i say the 'RUG'. The whole theme was designed around the rug...interesting ha!...you never know where you draw your inspiration from. So for now, back to the drawingboard and packing ofcourse. I will put up some pictures of the current and the new house when done!..

Shiva Vishnu Temple and their Yummmm Ladoos!

Today after a long time, my husband and me decided to visit the Shiva Vishnu temple at Livermore,the one place that resembles a temple in the bay area with all others looking more like houses converted into make-shift temples. As always after our Darshan, we went for our prasad, which apparently is a full time weekend Lunch/Meal to most of the Bachelors residing in the Bay area, with most of them going for seconds, there was hardly anything left for us or anyone standing after us in the line. We grabbed what little we could and headed to buy our treat...the lovely Ladoos, from the main office. These Ladoos are the closest thing to the Tirupathi Ladoos in terms of the taste, so i asked the lady and guess what, she told me that s because they now have the Tirupathi Cook prepare Ladoos at the temple here...WOW!!!...of all the temples in the US he had to land up in Livermore...THANK GOD for that. So for all of you who are right about now craving for these lovely ladoos...drive down to Livermore...and they only cost $3 a Ladoo. Enjoy!!!