Come Home - Part 1.

Long time no write! Battling laziness and procrastination takes a while; in my case a little over two years. Be as it may, let's move on because I have something very exciting to write about!

 I visited home during the months of December (2014) and January (2015). Home for me really means Malleswaram, nay Bangalore, nay India. I have been living away from home for a while now, and like most of you reading this post, you know what I'm talking about. When some wise thing said, life begins outside of your comfort zone, it wasn't kidding! I totally recommend it to anyone who wants to try. While its not all fun and games, at the end of it, very simply put, one gets to grow up. You may grow up a little too soon for the comfort of a few. However, its a necessary anti-oxidant in what will otherwise become a very well oxidized life. (What-a-simile da!) 

 

Flying eight thousand odd miles is a big deal. You endure less than acceptable circumstances to get to your destination. But bad experiences make good stories. While my flight back home was exhausting, I do a few good anecdotes. The on-flight entertainment has very little to offer but this time it had something in there that I was interested in - the movie 'Queen'. Call it attraction to the unknown, but I had always wanted to catch this movie that I knew nothing about it. Yes, I am one of those people who does not read the synopsis at the back of a book before reading the book itself. My interest in Queen was mostly through words of status updates on Facebook. I have to tell you though that watching Queen turned out to be so much more than just fun. A movie, with a female protagonist (even if Kanaga were portraying it!), shunning social norms to live life on her terms - now that's what I call a movie. So with all this feel goodness that I had scooped up, I alighted in Mumbai.

 

Mumbai airport is so cool - see (not so cool) pictures below!

 

Airport waits/transit are their own group of stories. There are stories and then there are airport stories. I hold them on a different level in my life. One such story was when I had effortlessly struck up a conversation with a man who was from England. He told me that he was a Project Manager in an (a?) NGO and that he was visiting his sister in Goa, who was a travel agent who designed bespoke holidays for international tourists. We got talking about a lot of things and one of them was how our country handles work visas. He told me that his sister had to pay thousands of rupees to renew her work visa every year - really??? For my part, I was absolutely ignorant about how tedious it could be to get a visa to visit or work in India. I learnt something that day - immigrants' paper work - a necessary burden - just deal with it. We also had conversations about how humanitarian work changed his attitude towards life or how he visited remote corners of Bangladesh to see people living in less than human conditions or how he had partied hard in Lebanon or about how I would like living downstairs in Downton Abbey but enough said. As a parting gift he gave me a 1000 mille livres (Lebanese Currency)  - now that's so cool - oh and very thoughtful :). Another person deserves a mention here; a very kind man who worked in Coffee Day at the Mumbai Airport let me borrow his phone to call my dad. Be mindful of the fact that this was an STD call but he still refused to let me pay him back. Such altruism - he didn't even expect me to buy anything from him. All this because BSNL had stopped functioning in the Airport - BSNL are you listening?  

So, 22 hours of flying / transit time / driving time and six mediocre in-flight meals later I was back home! Most Bangaloreans will agree with me when I say that the first breath of the salubrious Bangalore air is probably one of the best feelings of all times. The drive back home, even better. Bangalore commute is lovely late in the night, as long as you are safely locked away in your car. What was to come was going to be so cool - for finally I had more than two weeks of vacation and ample company. If an Indian vacation is as long as mine was it is but natural to assume its for - you know what! Anyway happy to report that it was just a fun trip to enjoy the little things; vegetable markets, smell of freshly ground coffee with chicory, Masala Puri, Lal Bagh; CTR dosa; bougainvillea, rangoli, jack-fruit; chikoo milkshake blah blah blah.... 

 

Part 2 coming to an electronic device near you - like in your hand probably.   

Whoever.... Whatever...

Hey there! Whoever you are.... whatever you are...
Listen up... I am telling ya... 

It's pretty darn serious...

How much more do you think one can take,
Natural calamities, emotional challenges or simply the monotony,
What; you think it's a joke or something!!!

After all, most of us don't ask for a lot,
Few of us even take the trouble of 'praying' and doing good!
And all you can do is this....Really now??

Of course... Life is what one makes of it;
But 'You' play a part too, right?
I mean... Come on... People wouldn't be trying to figure you out for aeons otherwise..

Sometimes I wonder... Are 'You' even worth it! 

Of course you are not...But people don't stop pursuing you... 

Or the idea that you exist... Sigh..

Mark my words...
You better prove your existence..
As people say you have done in the past.....

For my part, I am an optimist so I still believe in 'You'
I give you the benefit of doubt...
But I could use some miracle you know...
And I could really use 'You' too.

The question off late on my mind has been... Is there a greater force or is human effort the ultimate? In constant quest for a satisfying answer.. :)

Stormy!

Its storming again here in NJ. While it was Irene last year turns out its Sandy this time around. To weather such a storm, people mostly huddle up some place, down some alcohol and enjoy the locked-in situation. While I do enjoy the locked-in situation turns out I start writing.

I just realized that my experiences in this country could pretty much be summarized as such: "Life in between storms and snow storms". Certain mention worthy experiences:

Ike 2008 - New to the country, pretty exciting experience. Realized that hurricane is a real threat and that bread is the most sought after food especially during a hurricane.

White Christmas Dec 2009 - This particular day felt like the longest day of my life. I had to fly on this particular day and majority of the country was covered in snow. When I finally reached my destination I cried like a baby..... I mean quite literally... such was the experience!

Some where between the two I had a degree and a job. My mother visited and I was a visitor in my home for the first time. 

The Blizzard of Dec 2010 - I was in a ground floor apartment by myself and about 5 feet of snow had piled up outside my door with no candles in the house. I prayed very hard that night and realized that at least for dialing 911 its better to have a roomie.

Irene 2011 - I was a little more seasoned (or scarred??) by the time Irene visited. I was prepared for the trees to fall over our roof. So I had come up with my own little scheme of moving things around so the tree I swore would end up in our apartment could be accommodated. Luckily, whether the scheme was a good idea remains unknown.

During the year, I squeezed in a week's visit back home and I learned how to swim. I'll remember this particular year for a very long time.  

Sandy - the unknown - 2012 - Starting tonight the hurricane will just start making landfall. NJ is attracting some attention this time around because its sitting in the hurricane's path. All the predictions paid off and yes Sandy is headed exactly as predicted - towards the entire Northeast. What lies on the other end of the storm is yet to be seen.

So the past few month of the year... again very interesting. My father visited. Its eventful even otherwise but more so because he has wanted to experience the US of A for about 30 years now. Accordingly, he made the best of his visit and ended up spending his five weekends in five different cities spread across three different time zones. 

And here it is... the end of another rambling and I can only ask for your patience :)

But deep down I know that even with all the anticipation, this too shall pass...... 

Happy Birthday Bloggy!

Happy Third Birthday to Unwound! Yes, its been three years since I started scribbling in digital ink!!

The last post was in April, oh boy! Lengthy bout of laziness... or just too many things going on! 

Here is all that is in the works: 

1) Travel - watch out for a travelogue soon! 

2) Food - to be honest, haven't cooked much off late.

3) Paternal pampering - Pa dearest visited :)

4) Moving - An eternal pain. 

5) Work - Some under the ground stuff you know.

6) Performances - Here a song there a song :)

Oh and definitely...

7) Lessons learned!!

So yeah, hopefully should get going soon! :)

Not So Non-Veggie!!

For the past year or so I've become a big fan of eating healthy and living it! Along the way, the discovery of things which I knew nothing about has been the best part of it all. Also, these bits of facts came from very simple places like Yahoo and of course Google :)! Nothing over the top so read on... 

This post is dedicated to vegetables/tharakaari (kannada)/PRODUCE. Now...I am situated on that side of the globe that calls tharakaari produce... so I will stick to calling veggies produce, just so we blend in...

(Cutting to the chase now...) Having grown up in this area called Malleswaram and shopping for fresh produce at a market with great character (8th cross tharakaari markettu), going grocery shopping at a super market bummed me out! Most of you will agree that you'll walk the long drab aisles only if you have to! As luck would have it, in the middle of no where in College Station, Texas, my room mate discovered this adorable farmer's market called Farm Patch! Come to think of it, the proximity to Mexico does make Texas a good for produce state but who knew back then! So I had developed this weird affection for Farm Patch. I loved going out there and I can still remember exactly where what was. I had grown so comfortable shopping there...... and then the move happened...hmm...I landed in New Jersey. 

New Jersey, The Garden State, was even better actually! I started living in this area which had the best of several worlds - accessible to Princeton Downtown, huge farms and just the right amount of desi-ness. I found myself surrounded by farms and farmer's markets! Without realizing I had started to take a liking for vegetables such as asparagus and broccoli (I know right!!!) and fruits such as grape fruit and blueberries. These farms also let you pick fruits and vegetables off of their farm patches. So, what's the big deal in plucking your own strawberries and egg plants....nothing really.....but looks fun so definitely something to try this summer! 

The inspiration for this post came from this article I had read which stressed on buying produce from a local market rather than a super market. The produce from a local market is less likely to have been subjected to extensive storage and chemicals and hence is of more nutritional value. For me though, farmer's markets are pretty and a lot of fun :). To find your local market check out this website, http://www.localharvest.org/ , its pretty neat. 

Oh and to learn how to make broccoli more interesting try this recipe from a cooking blog created by one of my distant relatives: http://samayalarai-cookingisdivine.blogspot.com/2008/12/18th-december-2008.html

This recipe is a very typical South Indian dish worth the effort if you like eating curd in any form. 

And and....on a totally unrelated subject....the one thing to look out for in New York City just at the on set of spring is its tulip patches! A Steve Jobs invention helped me a little here. See below! The first picture is at the park behind the Wall Street Bull. The second picture is the view from the boss' room. The third picture is at the Zuccotti park or better known as the camping site of the Occupy Wall Street protest.

So thank you until next time :) 

Lessons Learned

First off, apologies for the previous post. I hit the return button by accident and that certainly did not turn out well!! But on the bright side of things the mistake stopped me from writing in a miserable state of mind. Just so you know, I was going to try recipe writing but decided against it. Trust me its tougher than you think! If you'd have to quantify your cooking, its tough :)

Meanwhile, for the last two months the following are the lessons learned:

Never underestimate a flat tyre situation: Starting with the spelling of "tyre", notice and learn by heart every single word of that statement!!!!! I, well....my car personally had 4 flat tyre situations this year all on the same tyre :). Funny, how I have driven by myself for probably a thousand miles without any AAA insurance. And finally after 4 near misses I bought one! Even though the insurance concept is pretty much messed up, AAA in particular is pretty cool.

English love: I love the English, I love the language English. I mean, its only in English you can say things without actually saying them :) As always few things will make you cry and few will make you laugh...

It's all about the Quote - Sun - Unquote: Spring's here :D one thing I'll never complain about - The Sun!! This winter has been one of the toughest! Regardless of the snow, winters are bad, period. What a blessed country India is with the Sun being its ultimate cleanser. And how blessed is Bangalore, sitting pretty at 3,800 ft above sea level :)

Love the people: I read somewhere that a nice conversation is like eating chocolate. Apparently both stimulate the same part of the brain. Its true. Nothing lightens one up like a good conversation or a nice square of dark chocolate (even better liquor chocolate :))

There is nothing like music: You know, if you ask me to choose between dance and music, I may just end up choosing music. Oops! Ok I take it back :):)!!! But anyway, music is something beautiful. A melody can fill up the ambiance around you and leave you in a state of trance like no other. Music is like an old friend, who understands you completely and can handle you no matter what the situation no matter what the lyric is. For every thought of yours, you are bound to find a song, if only you look for it hard enough :) Its like true love..... And the best part, if you can't find it, you can write a song and sing it the way you want to.... Now that's awesome right???

So mantra for the beautifully setting in spring... sing your song.... write your lyric.... live your life!!

2012

Happy New Year folks. So here we are finally, 2012!!

Say 2012 is definitely the end, I'd make it the best ever beginning to an epic end!! Hence I start by resolving to use the blogosphere to pen down all things that make me smile :) Simple ain't it.... and trust me when I say smile..... it does not mean shopping... nope... no way!!

So let's start with how special 2011 was. Let me tell you, it was a -snow storm/lots of sun/lots of rain/hurricane/hopelessly cold- of a year, oh but definitely fun :)

2011 started with the Crystal Ball Drop at Times Square. Being one of the half a million people in Times Square, standing in the cold for 9 hours to see a crystal ball, dropping a 100 feet (and still in one piece :P) feels pretty good for the first 3 hours. For the next 6 hours, some where between wanting to take that one damned call of nature and coping with numb legs, you are finding a wall to bang your head on :) And finally you shout Happy New Year and make your way back home.

Come February, I decided learning a new language is the answer to boredom :). So Espanol it was! The classes were great and an awesome stress buster. So if its your birthday today and you happen to stop by, Feliz Cumpleanos (Not from Google, OK)

Come April, I manage to get a project in New York City. So I start working there and dignify the experience with a poem on the blog. Learning the do's, don't s and don't ever do's of a job in a big city is a lot of fun; a job and in construction, that too!! I have never been more aware of the fact that I am a lady. Even back home where the gender ratio in construction is heavily skewed, it was not made this obvious :)

Come June, I wake up one day and realize I should probably be swimming (really??). How could I have not continued after giving up at the age of 12. Am guessing its because of a deep cut I received back then when I was swimming. I continue to carry the scar even now but why was that supposed to stop me from trying.... Enough said, I jumped in, head first :)

Come July, I made one of the most futile attempts of my life! I tried to take a flight out of New York City on a rainy day and some how, the Gods went crazy :) !! Its again, one of those experiences you'll keep entertaining people with :)

Come September, I was homesick! One conversation with Shwe was enough to book tickets to India and just for a week :). This visit was very interesting. It changed my take on arranged marriages; actually marriage as an institution. It also made me realize, there is only one place which is called home and for a darn good reason. If anybody tells you that you can't go back home, direct them to go jump!

Come October, I realized that in all this I'd let go of considerable adipose tissue :) The first thing I'd told myself I'd do if this ever happened was to dance. The moment I was asked to perform, I agreed! Was back on the stage after 9 years. Boy that felt good!! :)

Come November, I turned 25 :( The good part, received a sizable insurance refund :) bad part, the eligibility clock had started ticking... just like the Rose in Walt Disney's The Beauty and The Beast. Not that any of this mattered to me, but you know, these people called ma and pa.... oh! you know how they are!! Reality bites, ouch! But the best part of this month was San Francisco! Finally got to see the Pacific Ocean and was thrilled :)

Come December, quite a few interesting rendezvous happened. They all made me realize one very important fact; "Attraction fades away. Comfort alone pulls you through" Now you know why everyone loves their pj's (pyjammas :)) And yes, I spent New Year's Eve watching the ball drop on television (retroactively because I was on CST:)).

In addition to all this, I see blog feeding subjects all around me and yes they make me smile. It could be a lady playing the western violin on the street just for some extra money, or the Occupy Wall Street protest. But lets save it for another day, what say.....