My Musings

Usha, one of my favorite bloggers, has a written a very nice post about Giving and Receiving gifts . She writes about the custom of gifts at weddings. She cannot be any truer. Traditionally in the Mr’s customs people don’t gift anything to the bride and groom during weddings. Close knit elder relatives give a pre-defined amount of money to the bride and groom, that too not at the Kalyana mandapam or at the reception – in one of the pre or post visits to either house. The reason why no gifts are given is this – if you were to gift somebody some article; then the receiving party will take care of noting the article and will have to seek an occasion to compensate you with another article of the approximate price. This is an unwritten rule. So, giving and receiving gifts is considered blasphemy. Now, on my side of the family the story, though similar, is presented in a different way. If you walk to any wedding without a gift, it is considered very bad. This too, has started to cause a prob...

It is rarely that working people get to go off on a vacation on a week day. I got lucky a week and half ago to take a good break – when the Mr. had to get his visa stamped in Toronto. I tagged along to make the best out the excuse. Sometimes I feel that the Mr.’s life is all like a Hindi movie – in the beginning everything seems to be fine, then a bunch of problems crop up – and finally it is a happy ‘The End’. I cannot recollect any such episode that happened to him without any hitches at all. But then I am glad and thankful to God that the ‘The End’ is always a happy one. Following Suite, the stamping for a Canada visa had a hitch. We landed at the Canadian consulate (about 2 weeks ago having readied all our papers couple of weeks earlier, being prompt and getting the M.O. for the amount and all) on the dot – 8:30, were 2nd in line and were just about being quite pleased with ourselves – when the guy at the counter said the Fees has been dropped down by 5$ , so the MO would not work...

Just When I started to believe that Spring has finally started , this nasty day of snow and sleet had to come up again! Boy! I am really puzzled with the weather in this place. Just yesterday though the mercury hovered around the late 30s, there was dazzling sunlight and the sun just would not go down even at 8:00PM – I was so frustrated to be cooking in the kitchen with the blinds on – and today morning we woke up to find the most morose weather. Snow and rain at the same time – causing the worst conditions for driving. It all starts with having to brush about 2 inches of snow off your car – showering your freshly laundered and ironed black pant to all turn dirty white-black. And then comes driving on the freeway at a speed of 50 MPH with hardly a visibility of 50 ft and that too only in the front. Through the back windshield you can atleast manage to make out glowing spots of other car lights, but the two rear view mirrors on the side might as well not exist! I must give it to the re...

Here’s wishing all the great and unique women friends I have – a Happy International Women’s ! I have always been a sucker for these kind of ‘Days’ – Valentine, Mother’s day, Children’s day … so on. The idea is that you take time out atleast on this one day – to ponder and do something about the ‘thing’ that the day stands for. On this day, I would like to celebrate all the great women that I know in my life. Starting with the ‘bestest’ women in my life – my Mother. Her place in my whole life is the topmost and most unique – the great lady who gave birth to me (ya ya my father was also a part of it, but then he did not carry me around for 9 months right?). No matter what happens, I know amma is always there for me. In the most difficult of times, where I was even at war with her, she did not let me go. In her own ways, she always showed her love to me. What I wanted was against her will, she tried to reason, cajole, force me – but in all that she never turned away from me. Some of my ...

I was blog hopping on Friday and found this on a blog, so decided to put in my choices too. Read my VisualDNA ™ Get your own VisualDNA™

So, as promised in my last post - I am unveiling the activity that I was busy with for the past 3 weeks or so. TADA .... I was making this chain - it is made by weaving beads together. The Ladies in my office learnt to make various adornments out of beads quite a while ago. When about 6 months ago, my Boss showed me a chain she had made, I was so impressed and asked her to teach me. She did - and the result is this! I feel so happy at having done this. I am not a very 'arty' person. In fact I was very clumsy at this initial effort - could not put the thread through the eye of the needle, my hands would slip while pulling the thread out of a weave, I would cut the ends of the knot too close and the whole pattern would unravel and so on. But patience made me stick on and finish this piece. It is a gift for folks back at home. So. Shhhh... don't tell them about this. It is a surprise! This chain would probably be available for a thousand rupees or so in India, but I realised ...

I have been quite silent here for a while. Have been a bit busy – at work and otherwise (see next post), and also not in the mood to write anything new – because everytime I opened my blog, I would see the post of Bertie and feel low. I have a bad news to share – we lost our Bertie on 21st of Feb, 2007. We cared for it well, changed its water often, never forgot to give its meal – and yet! A freak accident of nature I guess. I don’t want to dwell much on it. It was my first ever pet in life and losing it like this in just 3 and half weeks after we brought it home is indeed painful. I saw the new Jihva event on Indira’s site and that cheered me up. It is based on one of the most favorite vegetable all over the world – Potato. There is probably no cuisine that does not include this very staple food item. It is one of the simplest vegetables and its taste appeals to all alike – kids or grown-ups. It is one of the most wonderful of vegetables that can be cooked in a million varieties. If ...