A MaterialGirl's Life in Pictures

July 14 - To the Lotus Pond

2011-07-14T12:01:00.002+05:30

i stopped over at the lotus pond yesterday after a meeting. it was a rainy afternoon and i tried taking pictures of the pond, the grass and the trees. i got some really bad shots. there was a lady waiting with 3 children in the park who I struck a conversation with who was really disappointed that despite a decade of being married i didn't have any children.

it's still raining here and i want to set out with my camera and try some more pictures. but i have a lunch to host so it's off to the kitchen for me.

have a lovely day. without any disasters, manmade or otherwise.

July 13 - Slowly getting there

2011-07-13T13:22:00.000+05:30

30-day Photography challenge

Day 14 - Eyes

I was lucky. Really lucky. To find a snail in the Sunny Side Up office. It took many shots to get a decent picture but then snails were never really known for their speed. The antenna you see on the head - that's the snail's eyes. Oh, I did post another picture for the eyes. This one's a better look at the slimy body.

Ugh! I wonder how the French consider this a delicacy. To each his own, I guess...

July 12 - Time to show n tell

2011-07-12T09:00:00.000+05:30

Day 13, You and 13 things

Presenting a picture of me taken by the other A.

Of me, happy and 13 of my watches.

The picture I clicked and posted is here.

July 11 - Have a lovely week!

2011-07-11T23:43:00.000+05:30

Ready, steady, go.

I saw this vintage scooter parked on Banjara Hills last Sat.

Isn't is cute?

July 10 - Day 12, Sunset

2011-07-11T10:43:00.000+05:30

I went to wish Aru and we went to the terrace so I could capture the sunset.

The sunset was not spectacular and the pictures i took just din't cut it.

But I had a good time.

(The picture I posted is here.)

(She was getting her home painted and it's finally done. And it's gorgeous.)

July 9 - Day 11, Something Blue

2011-07-09T23:09:00.000+05:30

Dusk. Blue. Beautiful.

The theme was blue and I went again to the

abandoned airport at Begumpet to capture the blue sky.

Plan B was to take a picture of all my denims

if i dint get this right. Thankfully i liked this shot.

July 8 - Day 10, Childhood memory

2011-07-08T09:00:00.000+05:30

Noonnembugheebhaat

Overcooked rice, oodles of ghee, a slice of lime and some salt.

Comfort food for when I was ill. And my dinner today.

Yummy. Fingerlickingyummy. Try it.

July 7 - Day 9, Someone you love

2011-07-07T11:35:00.000+05:30

Ma.

Only when she is not around to talk to do I realize how much she means.

At other times, I totally take her for granted.

July 6 - Oops! I did it again

2011-07-06T00:20:00.003+05:30

A bad habit.

Losing track of time and getting a bit too involved.

And posting it late.

Oops.

(the pic i posted on the 30-day photography challenge is a bit different)

July 5 - Low Angle

2011-07-05T11:29:00.001+05:30

I was behind on the 30-day photography project because of an unplanned trip.

I caught up yesterday. Here are the two pics from the Day 6 - Low Angle that i did not post.

What do you think?

July 4 - A new week

2011-07-04T17:24:00.000+05:30

Those who dance are considered insane by those cannot hear the music.

~ George Carlin

via

July 3 - From my album

2011-07-03T10:20:00.000+05:30

With all the travelling, I missed a day or two of clicking.

I took this photograph at a park in Sainikpuri when I had gone with Aru and her beat for a drive.

July 2 - Home again

2011-07-02T10:06:00.000+05:30

The only time i think the Bangalore airport looks pretty. After the rains.

We return to Hyderabad - tired and doozy.

Happy's been missing us all since no one's at Hyderabad and he's apparently been crying.

I couldn't wait to get back.

July 1 - Clouds

2011-07-01T11:00:00.000+05:30

An extremely beautiful skyscape as seen from Khatri's balcony.

The perfect host who take care of all our creature comforts and then some.

June 30 - Travel again

2011-06-30T11:45:00.002+05:30

I took this picture at the Airport with my BB Curve camera, the only one I had with me on this sudden Bangalore trip that came about after we heard some sad news.

June 29 - No clouds for me.

2011-06-29T22:04:00.000+05:30

The cloudless sky was a real dampener when the theme for the photography challenge was clouds.

I wish there was a little bit more cloud and a little less shake in these pictures.

Then i could have posted these. Instead, I posted these.

June 28 - Day 2 - What I wore today

2011-06-28T11:36:00.000+05:30

vestimenta de los dias

jeans, glasses, curly earrings, pink cotton top, swatch, wedges and a yellow bag

this is the picture i din't upload. to see the one i did, click here.

June 27 - 30 day project - Day 1

2011-06-27T22:04:00.000+05:30

30-day photography challenge

Day 1

Self-portrait

June 27 - Dreaming

2011-06-27T09:00:00.006+05:30

There are some people who live in a dream world, and

there are some who face reality;

and then there are those who turn one into the other.

{try something this week to make at least one of your dreams come true}

via the quote-book

June 26 - Lights

2011-06-26T09:00:00.000+05:30

Yesterday, a headache kept me away from clicking.

Today, when i took Mr. Happy for a walk i saw these lights.

Went back home, came back with the camera and clicked.

I like the colors in our celebrations but hate the fact that you can

dig in holes, put on a shamiyana and celebrate anywhere you please.

Right in the middle of the road too.

June 25 - Yellow

2011-06-25T11:00:00.000+05:30

I made this bag mine. For a few days at least.

And the bag is roomy. My laptop, the charger, the wallet,

the other things that i don't need by keep in my purse all fit in.

*Perfect*

June 24 - Park bench

2011-06-24T11:00:00.000+05:30

It's been a mad rushed day. Despite me wanting to be a quite easy one.

The high point - a drive with Arundati and being allowed to take pictures -

as many as i wanted for as long as i liked.

And this park where we sat for about ten minutes on these ornate, old,

white wrought iron park benches.

And the nursery we visited to pick plants from.

My lemongrass plant's going to be taken care of by her.

June 23 - 2 cuties

2011-06-23T02:49:00.004+05:30

This little girl and her family have kind-of adopted this puppy and his brother.

Don't they look so cute together?

All little girls need a puppy. Or a kitten.

I think. You think?

June 22 - Day out with friends

2011-06-22T11:43:00.000+05:30

i spent half the day with a dear friend after a long time.

and took this picture at the abandoned begumpet airport.

June 21 - A gift

2011-06-21T11:00:00.000+05:30

Bila and flipkart made me a happy girl.

apparently, the book has fab reviews.

and what i have read i liked.

cheers to better pictures.

June 20 - Why did i take a shine to you?

2011-06-20T12:57:00.000+05:30

I saw a million stars.

Actually none, to tell the truth.

It was too cloudy.

But the ones I didn't see reminded me of you.

A million times.

And I wish I had seen the stars instead.

June 19 - Children at heart

2011-06-19T11:00:00.000+05:30

Here we are giving birthday bumps to Prashant, my darling Baaboo.

Baaboo, got this nickname because his mom calls him that and we latched on to it.

He is also called Pantu.

On the days when i dint feel like driving to work, he would respond to my calls and drop me off.

At 5:00 AM.

Yes, he is the best.

June 18 - Birthdays Galore

2011-06-18T04:04:00.000+05:30

We went at midnight to wish Somak a very happy birthday.

That's him posing for me with the pastry cake we took for him.

Four people who are very dear to me celebrate their birthday on June 18.

June 17 - Too ill to do anything

2011-06-17T11:00:00.000+05:30

I left my car behind and took a cab back home on 15th because i just couldn't drive.

16th was a day spent in bed with trips to the electric kettle to warm water to drink.

This is a picture i took on the cab ride back from Aru's house.

It was drizzling and the water droplets on the car window kept me busy.

June 16 - Finally, I stepped out

2011-06-16T11:00:00.002+05:30

I had to attend a birthday party and finally stepped out of the four walls of my house.

And i fell ill again. Worse than before.

That's Aru braving the drizzle with a new umbrella that turned out to be damaged.

June 15 - Cold and hot

2011-06-15T11:00:00.000+05:30

I caught a cold last week. Recovered and transferred it to the other A.

Then he said no thanks, and returned it to me. I am still suffering.

Lots of warm water and laal chaa kept me company

while haldi-doodh is the only medication i was brave enough

to down.

June 14 - Sweetly sleeping happy.

2011-06-14T11:00:00.002+05:30

Nabila, Priyanka and Avni spent the weekend with us.

And happy kept to himself. Mostly.

I dint take a picture yesterday, so posting one from the weekend.

I got lazy. Or maybe it was the head cold that froze me.

June 13 - Even if

2011-06-13T20:45:00.001+05:30

even if the truth is rarely pure and never simple, look for it.

June 12 - Saturday night partying

2011-06-13T20:42:00.000+05:30

While the gang went partying last night, I baby sat the 4-legged.

So i was happy being left behind. Just don't think i am weird. Or do.

(This photo was taken on the Sunny Side Up terrace on Friday.)

June 11 - Lamakaan

2011-06-11T09:00:00.000+05:30

Finally, i visited lamakaan for tea and samosas with Nabila. And also bumped into Arundati which was a pleasant surprise.

If you are on a trip to hyderabad and looking for a place to chill out at, then this is the place to go to. Tea costs Rs. 10 and everything else is also reasonably priced. There's free Wi-Fi too and then there is always the chance of bumping into friends.

June 10 - Orange and green

2011-06-10T09:00:00.000+05:30

I plucked this stem from my MIL's neighbor's house.

Love the little bunch of bright.

It's a lovely day - blue clouds, a friend who arrived from Blore and some flowers.

Perfect!

June 9 - Blue skies

2011-06-09T11:00:00.002+05:30

After the rains, everything looks beautiful.

I am loving Hyderabad's weather right now.

Very calm, very pleasing and very pretty skies.

June 8 - Sitting at home

2011-06-08T08:20:00.000+05:30

Ill and sitting at home trying to get better so I can go out and look at the beautiful sky.

Pic taken near my house, a couple of days back just before the sun was about to set.

June 7 - Aarish's Third Birthday

2011-06-07T11:19:00.003+05:30

my nephew, aarish with his mother on his third birthday.

check out the thinker pose he has adopted...

i wonder what he is going to be when he grows up?

June 6 - Dreams

2011-06-06T08:00:00.000+05:30

This one's for you, Bila. Just.

June 5 - From the album

2011-06-05T08:00:00.003+05:30

My SIL and I attired like mamis (tamil for aunty)

for the Shubh ceremony.

I even wore flowers in my hair, for maybe the second time in my life.

June 4 - How blue is my sky?

2011-06-04T11:00:00.002+05:30

That's what my city sky scape looked like yesterday.

Bluetiful!

June 3 - Baking Escapade

2011-06-03T11:00:00.002+05:30

Arundati came visiting with mangoes in tow.

And we baked a storm.

Actually only Cheese Crackers and

Eggless Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits / Buns.

June 2 - A movie at Prasad's

2011-06-02T19:22:00.000+05:30

i finally got to see pirates four.

Disappointing fare, but the lunch that

followed made up for the boring film

that picked up pace in the last thirty odd minutes.

oh, that's the fabulous view at waterfront.

we took a table facing the water and it was lovely looking out

a boat that went past slowly

little ducklings wading by

a few birds that circled above

water-heavy grey clouds

and the still water

soothing

June 1 - Meet more of my family

2011-06-01T10:27:00.002+05:30

babysitting my teenage cousins.

breezers, pizzas and movie. and rum chocolate truffles.

FUN!

May 31 - Babysitting a 6 year old

2011-05-31T16:38:00.005+05:30

babysitting my 6-year old niece suhani was super-fun. for both of us.

btw, she is a natural model.

she posed for about 50-odd pictures. a different pose / expression for each.

May 30 - Have a lovely week.

2011-05-30T09:00:00.000+05:30

some songs you hear just once. and fall in love with them.

May 29 - Birds of a feather

2011-05-29T08:30:00.003+05:30

flock together on a wire. Near KBR park, yesterday

(you will have to click on the pic to actually see the birds)

May 28 - I baked

2011-05-28T11:00:00.000+05:30

Yesterday was a day for baking, chatting and finishing a few tasks

(like exchanging an oven so i could bake, uploading pictures for a contest,

and signing up at a content website.)

Writing it on a piece of paper and sticking it

with tape on my study table ensured it all happened...

and here's the pic of cake that may make you want to bake it.

May 27 - Mango pickle from mum

2011-05-27T17:45:00.001+05:30

Mum made this mango pickle for me.

Itty bitty pieces of mango and brown chana

sun-dried with mustard powder and spices.

Then soaked in mustard oil.

It tastes delightful.

Sadly, it does not have a long shelf life.

May 26 - Learning something new

2011-05-26T09:00:00.001+05:30

so that's what i have been doing. et tu?

May 25 - More from the Bangalore trip

2011-05-25T09:00:00.002+05:30

if you don't take pictures, you post pictures of what you spent the day thinking about.

trips past and trips ahead.

Oh, here's the link to all the pictures.

May 24 - From the bangalore trip

2011-05-24T10:00:00.001+05:30

pretty flowers. from the blore trip.

all i did today was sort the pictures, remember bangalore, blog and talk on the phone.

May 23 - Have a lovely week.

2011-05-23T09:00:00.004+05:30

thank god for super-awesome friends. you know who you are.

May 22 - Funday

2011-05-22T09:00:00.000+05:30

days spent with friends. peaceful. but not totally. i guess you know what i mean.

(pic taken @ nabila's beautiful balcony)

May 21 - Bangalore weather

2011-05-21T09:00:00.000+05:30

ohmygod!

the weather is unbelievable. not like summer at all.

book yourself a trip to bangalore.

soon.

May 20 - Before the trip

2011-05-20T09:00:00.000+05:30

glasses i got for a friend and wrapped in newspaper before wrapping it in gift paper.

i hope they survived.

May 19 - Getting rid off...

2011-05-19T09:00:00.001+05:30

...bottles. lots and lots and lots of them.

May 18 - India

2011-05-18T09:00:00.000+05:30

i love the colors of india.

the streets, the flowers, the monuments, the clothes, the arts,

the art forms, the hills, the seas, the forests, the foods

May 17 - Look who's here

2011-05-17T10:28:00.004+05:30

Mr. Matt

Ms. Gloss

and Puz-L Junior

have come visiting.

All the way from the States.

Now waiting for Lady Inspiration to come a visiting

May 16 - Trees vs billboards

2011-05-16T10:00:00.002+05:30

i think i shall never see

a billboard as lovely as a tree.

perhaps, unless the billboards fall,

i'll never see a tree at all.

~ ogden nash

has the number of billboards on hyderabad's roads bothered you as well?

May 15 - Cooking Caper

2011-05-15T10:00:00.000+05:30

the murukku gun refused to shoot, the lever was jammed and neither the rust gun nor the ministrations of A the enigneer could get it to work. raam went and got a new one, i made four idiappams for myself. and when the boys came home it got jammed as well. whatte luck. and before i got to take five pictures with my nikon d 3100 the battery died. whatte day. made better only because the idiappam and stew turned out simbly superb, as good as the first time i made it many moons ago. the boys had pseudo-appams, ok, not really appams, but fat fluffy soft dosas that bore a passing resemblance to appams.

May 14 - Shy gai :)

2011-05-14T10:00:00.000+05:30

my love for quadrupeds has now extended to calves too. this one had no teeth and hated to be touched or photographed though he did try to lick the lens!

May 13 - Family time

2011-05-13T10:00:00.001+05:30

young rockers

l-r, harshini, shravya, aryansh

May 12 - Sunny Side Story

2011-05-11T23:59:00.000+05:30

a very old pic. of the old ssu office.

four years and a lot of late late late nights later our first commercial is ready.

hard work, determination and a lot of effort has gone into taking team sunny side up

from an agency of two to a team of fifteen.

definitely time for team sunny side up to celebrate. :)

May 11 - Malaysia Bhua

2011-05-11T11:00:00.001+05:30

Even though i am really close to my cousins, i hadn't spent enough time with my nephews. And then the trip to Malaysia happened last August which is when Aryansh finally spent time with me. He calls me Malaysia bhua ever since. I met him today again, and i spent a lot of time making faces and playing the fool with him. When i turned my attention away from him, talking to my SIL, he got really boisterous, running, jumping and screaming. Finally, my SIL had to adopt drastic measures to make him shut up. And even though i have better pictures of the two of them, i am posting this one even though it's all shaky.

May 10 - My beloved balcony

2011-05-10T10:54:00.001+05:30

the last few days has seen me cleaning my house in sporadic bursts of activity. but my balcony remains the favorite part of the house still. in fact, i am contemplating moving my home-office there... should i?

May 9 - Have a happy week!

2011-05-09T11:00:00.000+05:30

the pursuit of happiness is the most ridiculous phrase;

if you pursue happiness you will never find it

~cp snow

May 8 - View from my balcony

2011-05-08T17:41:00.001+05:30

the mood of this picture screams quiet and abandoned. it's anything but

this was taken sometime back from the (only) balcony of our house. this is the house behind ours where they make a lot of noise every morning, screaming, fighting and abusing. at nights, you can hear the old man cough. while i do exercise restraint and say nothing most of the times, some mornings i just can't stop myself from screaming at them to lower the volume, which they just ignore.

with the noisy people in the house behind, a building in the midst of construction on another side, the children playing in the corridor on the third side and raam screaming right next door quiet moments are few and far between.

May 7 - Happy happy

2011-05-07T18:36:00.001+05:30

i forgot to take my camera when i went out yesterday. that happens quite rarely these days. but since i spent the day with yamini, i wanted to post a pic that has something to do with her. and what better than another picture of the lovely bouqet she sent on our 10th anniversary. i had a super-awesome day and missed the cam, coz she was looking really cute...

would love to hear about your day... leave me a note :)

May 6 - Playing kids

2011-05-06T12:26:00.002+05:30

my newest bhabhi and a cousin having fun stomping their feet

After the song and dance at Rio, the seven of us spent some time at the gaming zone at Prasad's. This one's called Dance Revolution where you have to look at a TV screen and stamp the arrow that you see on it; it's accompanied by music and to make things difficult every move you make is seen as a character stamping the arrow a second after you have stomped it. Surprisingly, my cousin who is a fantastic dancer could not do too well. I guess it's more about the eye-mind-leg coordination. Now, i wish i had tried it too... :(

May 5 - Best Wishes

2011-05-05T11:54:00.001+05:30

My niece turned 6 yesterday and i took my D-SLR Camera hoping to take some good pictures. For some strange reason, the camera is not behaving as it should and the photos are turning out really terrible. No, it's not me. Some setting in the camera that has got skewed and i can't figure out what. Time to read the manual, i guess...

May 4 - Colourful life

2011-05-04T12:25:00.001+05:30

People who don't work do pretty much what they like. And there are people who think it's easy to give it all up. But when I chose to give up the name, the tag, the sense of accomplishment and the money and what you can buy with it, it was not easy.

It's not easy to curb your spending habits, especially if you are a shopaholic like me. You like it, but don't need it, but you want it and then you put it back on the shelf because you don't really need more stuff and it's just not worth the price.

And when you meet people, there is always this 'what do you do question' where you often end up feeling lousy because you are really not doing anything. Worthless.

And then there are times when you think that if you had not taken a break, you could be a super-manager or some such on the top of the corporate ladder.

But at the end of the day, even though i go through emotional turmoil sometimes, i am glad.

how else, on a tuesday could i go meet a friend, drink beer, chat, watch mad men, go to the mall and walk till my feet hurt, buy soap, buy clothes for my niece, plan a movie, cancel it, come back home really late and just chill generally.

i widen my horizons with all the travel time i have and use, i write, i cook, i blog, i read, i take pictures, i help back-stage on a play, i watch meaningless movies and some that are life-altering, i spend time with family, with friends, and do all that i find interesting. so yes, life's good for now. and colorful. just like the bangles above.

May 3 - Vegetate, Write and Psych

2011-05-03T11:00:00.000+05:30

Some days you want to do nothing. Other days, you just can't seem to do anything. Yesterday was the latter. I realized my body and mind needed some rest after the whirlwind that was last week. So i did just that. I chilled out all day long....

May 2 - Have a great week

2011-05-02T11:00:00.001+05:30

picture taken at Aru's beautiful balcony

Life isn't long enough for love or art

~William Somerset Maugham

I wish for you to have a week filled with love and beauty.

May 1 - Lust and other Fast Foods

2011-05-01T10:58:00.001+05:30

And then there was light...

Dramanon presented 2 plays - Smell and Seduction. Abhishek and I did the lights for the show. Well, Abhishek actually handled most of it.

But nevertheless, my first experience with theatre where i was not the audience was a fun, exciting, scary and tiring ride.

Apr 30 - Thoughts of Another Night

2011-04-30T18:00:00.000+05:30

I am helping with the lights for a play. The practice was at the nift campus. Though we never studied at this particular campus, I was assaulted by memories of my student days at nift. The new campus is simply gorgeous and i wish i could have studied here...

Apr 29 - Tomorrow

2011-04-29T12:37:00.002+05:30

I had to go to Inorbit and exchange a pair of earrings. It's been 3 days since the plan was made and it's still not done. ihavetostopprocrastinating. tomorrow.

Apr 28 - Lucky Happy

2011-04-28T11:00:00.000+05:30

That's the good luck charm I got him from Goa. The locket's shaped looked like a bone. Perfect :)

Apr 27 - A For

2011-04-27T11:00:00.003+05:30

Us, by Somak.

Ten

2011-04-26T18:00:00.001+05:30

We returned home today, after a week in Mysore. It also marks the day of our tenth wedding anniversary for which i had made grandiose plans that had to be postponed and smaller plans that had to be cancelled. But I am happy still, to have him beside me, smiling, sulking or being a nuisance.

Thanks Yamini, for the lovely surprise. This is the prettiest bouquet i have ever received. Hugs.

Saying goodbye

2011-04-25T12:26:00.009+05:30

I have been away far too long from this blog now.

I lost my FIL to a sudden cardiac arrest on April 13, around midnight. It was a tough time for the family - The last rites, the travel to Mysore for the immersion of the ashes and the pujas that followed thereafter, my ill-health and the doctor's visits left me drained - physically and emotinally.

My FIL was the strongest person i know who bore all his illnesses with fortitude. I am sure he is in a better place right now, happier and in less pain...

My only wish is that I had spent more time with him, a regret that I will live with. I also now realize, that I can't keep putting off things to another day... So I have made a promise to myself, to live more fully, enjoy each day and work a little bit harder to make my dreams come true.

Apr 13 - Sea, I miss you lots

2011-04-13T10:27:00.000+05:30

All of us have in our veins

the exact same percentage of salt in our blood

that exists in the ocean,

and, therefore,

we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears.

We are tied to the ocean

and when we go back to the sea,

whether it is to sail or to watch it...

we are going back from whence we came.

~JFK

Whoever wrote this, JFK or his press agent or whoever, I totally love these lines.

April 12 - Green

2011-04-12T11:42:00.000+05:30

"To sit in the shade on a fine day, and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment."
~ Jane Austen

I totally agree. But maybe also add 'looking upon the sea' to the list since I am back after a refreshing beach holiday.

Have a lovely week. Maybe go to a park, sit on the grass or a bench and soak in the green, if you are lucky you may even get to hear the chirping of a bird or two, listen to some music, read a book. Maybe, i should try it too to refresh me more :)

Apr 12 - Londa

2011-04-12T11:00:00.002+05:30

Here we are at Londa, walking from the bus stop to the station, all sleep woozy, half-dead, cranky and hungry. But thankfully, the weather was good and the town was quiet.

Apr 11 - Run Ambica Run

2011-04-11T11:00:00.003+05:30

Saying goodbye to blue

The distance between South and North Goa is a lot. This, i learn on my 5th trip to Goa.

After vegetating all day on our last day, we set out to Anjuna at 5:30 PM. It take 3 hourss to reach Anjuna but we stopped at the Anjuna Night Market, spent 3 hours there. Then we do a bit of rock climbing, sand walking, feet wetting and reach the beautifully-lit-but-really-far-away-and-not-easy-to-reach-Curlies. Another 2 hours at Curlies where i sail through 2 Long Island Iced Teas and a bit of a third before we leave. A two- hour return drive that i have no recollection of, takes us back to the Chattai Beach, where we pack our bags, freshen up and leave to go to Madgaon to take a 6:00 AM red bus to Londa, which reaches Londa at 9:00 AM, where we then sit for 4 hours and wait for Haripriya Express on which we have confirmed train tickets to Hyderabad. Phew!

Apr 10 - Just Chill

2011-04-10T11:00:00.001+05:30

So, another day dawns. Not too hot, very windy and very peaceful. Of course it was not too peaceful for the hotel staff and cooks who were explained how dishes need to be washed and food needs to be made separately for us vegetarians. The rest of the day passed in taking pictures, sea-bathing, vegetating on the sofa in the beach, enjoying the breeze, eating, drinking and reading an already read Agatha Christie, fittingly, A Caribbean Mystery.

Apr 9 - Chattai Beach

2011-04-09T07:36:00.008+05:30

We reached the previous evening all dead, headed to our rooms, freshened up, went to the restaurant and plonked. People drank and ate inordinately large amounts of food, especially fish, while us poor vegetarians just looked on. And then we sea-bathed till our skin was wrinkled and burnt. Perfect start to a Sunny Side holiday.

Apr 8 - Train of hot and what-not

2011-04-08T11:00:00.003+05:30

Looking out of the train window and getting my first picture of a motion-blur...

Other memories include getting smashed the night before, pataoing passengers to shift to another coach so all 7 of us can be together, trying to patao the tte to give us berths which we did not have, playing uno where everyone cheated, playing bluff where everyone cheated also and suffering the heat.

Apr 7 - Unhappy

2011-04-07T11:00:00.001+05:30

Leaving Happy behind with someone who he has never stayed with before was the one of the most difficult tasks that i had to accomplish. Doubts assailed me. I was emotionally over-wrought. Questions plagued me... Would he be fine? Would Vijay be able to take care of him? Would he eat? Would Vijay manage to manage Happy on a leash?

To make matters worse, two painful incidents occurred at the time of departure. He sat down cuddled with our luggage while i was waiting for the other A to finish. Then when we were leaving, he refused to come near us and kept running away and did not allow us to hug or cuddle him.

Apr 6 - My mother's daughter

2011-04-06T11:00:00.009+05:30

If i can be half as pretty as mum looks now at 53, if i can cook half as well as she can and if i can still remain smiling after half the life's vicissitudes that she has faced...

Apr 5 - Living in a doll house.

2011-04-05T12:42:00.001+05:30

In Madeenaguda, a fishy-name apartment.

I spent all day yesterday shuffling between cooking and surfing on my Mac, trying to sort out my Big Picasa problem which I finally did after working on finding a solution for nearly 12 hours and also abusing my ISP. Though the Internet is still as slow, at least Picasa's working now.
Thank God! Now I can go back to taking pictures.

Apr 4 - A new week

2011-04-04T11:00:00.020+05:30

~ I'd rather learn from one bird

how to sing

than to teach ten thousand stars

how not to dance. ~

Isn't this a lovely quote by ee cummings?

What are you going to do this week? I am looking forward to a trip, a lot of rest and some photographing...

Apr 3 - The Cup Spilleth Over

2011-04-03T11:00:00.019+05:30

Aru took this super-cute picture.

Aru took pictures. Raju channel surfed. Anand was the bookie. Jai spent his time being scared of Happy. I rustled up snacks in the kitchen. We also watched the World Cup finals sometime in between all the madness.

The HIGHLIGHT of the evening was when Happy went and put his head on dog-fearing Jai's lap. It was the cutest thing, Happy trying to get friendly with Jai (which he has never done in 3 years) and Jai sitting frozen with a look of absolute terror on his face.

It was a fantastic Saturday.

Apr 2 - Feeling good

2011-04-02T11:00:00.002+05:30

Merawala Pink

A pedicure, at last. With my fav pale pink polish. What's you favorite nail paint color?

Apr 1 - Train, bus, auto, walk - all in a day's travel

2011-04-01T11:00:00.001+05:30

I had to go to Kondapur and I dint feel like the long drive through mad traffic. So I took an auto to reach the station and then hopped onto the local train. Rs. 40 for a 5 km run and Rs. 3 for a 20-odd km journey1

I get a place to sit, but relinquish that in favor of taking pictures of kids. This little boy was so animated, he happily posed endlessly. His sister joined in too. The trip was enjoyable despite the unscheduled stops.

The return journey was a nightmare though.

Stand on the road for 15 minutes and talk to 30 autos of which only 5 agree to go from Kondapur to Jubilee Hills Check Post, not Secunderabad where home is. Of course, the ones who agree demand Rs 120 for a distance that would cost Rs 50 maximum. Bleaaghhh.

Then, Cross the road, find no autos, cross back again, walk to Kothaguda, get a shared auto to Madhapur, take a bus to get to JH check post, take another shared auto to Nagarjuna Circle, walk and then finally find one auto who is ready to drop me home.

I don't know why our Public Transport System is so pathetic. If it were better, more people would use that, rather than clog the already clogged roads with their vehicle-for-one.

Marching on...

2011-03-31T21:39:00.001+05:30

The weirdest thing happened last night. Weird because I was experiencing it for the first time and though you may say to yourself, oh, i saw it on TV or read about it... but, there is a HUUUGE difference between seeing it on TV and actually being there. Believe me!!

A and I went up to Paradise, a major intersection about 3 kms from our house around midnight-ish. There were about 200 people on the road, shouting slogans, screaming, screeching, waving flags and dancing atop buses. Rightinthemiddleoftheroad!! And there were cries of Bharat Mata Ki Jai. It was unbelievable. The cops, poor things, were walking around helplessly but, with smiles on their faces. It was an awesome experience to be there, a little scary but very energising and the best part is, i actually smiled and felt happy that we won the match. Until then, I was feeling sad for the Pakis that they lost so miserably...

And yeah, I let out some screams too... It was super-fun :)

PS: I dint have my point-n-shoot or the dslr, and this is the best my BB can do in low light. so excuse the bad photos, again.

Mar 31 - My cuppa tea

2011-03-31T11:00:00.002+05:30

Morning tea in little cups.

Mar 30 - Under-exposed

2011-03-30T11:00:00.000+05:30

I live in a cage. Well, almost. The balcony gets hardly any light and this black grill that I can't get rid off, is another frustration that I have to deal with on a daily basis. So in order to make the unpalatable a little sweeter I have hung 2 fish mobiles and some tea light organdy chandeliers.

I know this is a really really sad over-exposed picture but I dint take any others today so bear with me...

Mar 29 - Bookworm

2011-03-29T11:00:00.001+05:30

I ordered two books from Flipkart, late last Friday. Mid morning yesterday they arrived. Delivery time was supposed to be 3-5 days, I got it in 2 days flat. Guess that's called super-delighting the customer.

Thank you!