News is full of stories that the economy is climbing out of the dungeons of Recession.
I’m sure of it, because I’ve got proof that companies are no longer harping about Cost Cutting
For I was asked to fax a document to a client.
Then for good measure asked to courier it to him.
And to show that we are really concerned about them, scan the document and email it to him.
Followed by 3 phone calls to confirm that he had received the fax, the courier and the email.
Cost Cutting? Ho hum!
Now if only the coffee machine would stop spewing the mud it calls coffee and get back to giving us multiple flavors of coffee, tea and soup, I’d request the Government to declare that day as a national holiday for Recession Day!
Edited: I seem to love writing on this! Dug up another one on Cost Cutting: here
I’v been sick.
And depressed.
And depressed by the sickness.
And sick of being depressed.
And at home for the last 4 days. 4 days while the sickness and depression cycle drove everyone else nuts. The husband learnt a new thing . That he might have been fraudulently married off to a 4 year old ankle-biter instead of whom he’d thought to be his smart and sexy wife.
So what actually happened? I caught the Viral flu. Bugging combination of cold, fever and cough. With each trying to outdo the other. So while the fever threatened to explode the mercury right out from the thermometer, the cold decided that the mouth could do the nose’s job of breathing and was thus to be rendered useless, and the cough held the throat to ransom. The husband was rather happy for a bit that I remained unequipped to talk, but later discovered that making me talk and calling me ‘Minnie Mouse’ gave him more pleasure. This was when he realized that a sick wife is never to be messed with. He’s doing the dishes for a year now.
I’ve also come to the conclusion that my career is stuck in a deep swamp. The least said the better there. But depression is what I went into. Avoided people, except for the husband who is now applying for a refresher course in Sanity to make up for the mind he’s now lost. But who has also sweetly assured me that he would be fine if I decide to sit home and cook for him. Cook for him. See. I told him that. Now you know HOW depressed I was!
Never mind. I’m back now. The battle against fever was won by the large, frightening tablets of Crocin. Cold and Cough are still rampant, but this is because the beer-loving immune system complains about the piddly-rationed doses of Benedryl.
I’m trying Brandy tonight. In large doses. That should combat Depression as well!
* AKA: TS-ism # 84625
What do you say to a child boy man who buys a different brand of toothpaste only because it offers a ‘school set”…
…and then whines and throws it away like a man boy child because the sharpner turns out to be a flop?
How many times in a day do we google for Movie Reviews or Cricket updates? 5? 10? Perhaps 100 too some days.
But have you ever, ever googled Domestic Violence? Ever noticed the number of women who are insulted, slapped, kicked, or burnt every day in India? Have you ever wondered why the maid turned up one day with a swollen eye and pain in her arm? Why the nasty neighbor’s wife never comes out of the house?
Have you?
What would you do if you hear a cry of distress from behind closed doors? What if you become a victim of domestic violence? What would you do? Bear the hurt and pain in silence? Or challenge the violence and teach the brute a lesson?
Read IHM, Pixie and Swaram. These bloggers (and others whose links are in their posts ) have answered these questions far better than I could even try to.
October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Help people from being victimized. Help spread awareness. Stop being victims. Stop encouraging victimizers. As someone at IHM’s blog commented,
” THE FIRST TIME YOU ARE A VICTIM, AFTER THAT YOU ARE A VOLUNTEER”
And yes, when you hear a cry of distress from behind closed doors, go ahead and knock.
Bell Bajao.
Edited to add: Some more equally relevant posts:
Solilo/ No Gender Equality
Disclaimer: Please read this post at your own discretion. Comments on jealousy or envy will not be entertained.
Let me admit, this post is designed to induce the green-eyed monster. For this post goes on to mention the latest Blog Meet that took place last week. And it goes on to describe what a wonderful time the bloggers who met had. Simply marvelous.
It started when the lovely Monika mentioned that she’d be visiting Delhi for a couple of weeks. Not ones to let opportunities go ungrabbed, the Delhi bloggers shared their calendars to find a day when maximum people could be roped in, to meet the chief guest, Monika’s son, Ojas. ( yes Monika, I did call you the Chief Guest the other day, but you do agree that Ojas was the show stealer ?:P)
The delightful ~nm resolved the date-confusion by inviting us all to her home on Saturday. So there we were , ~nm, her interesting husband and the well mannered Betu, who was initially shy but opened up with the mention of chocolate pastries. (thanks for the tip, ~nm. ) He shared his toys with all the other children and even shared his chocolates with us adults. Now that is something even I never do. He also did a wonderful job of keeping the kids engrossed in a movie. Gave time to the mommies and soon-to-become-aunties to indulge in delicious pastries chit chat
Monika arrived with the adorable Ojas soon after I reached. He’s cute, and the absolutely adorable. His adorable ways and mischievous looks simply bowl you over. A pasta fan, he can be won over with chocolates and anything that can be used as a plaything.
Supriya arrived, just in time for lunch. 
Forgive me, I’ve met her once before, so I believe I can crack jokes around her without feeling guilty. She is the one who makes awesome Chicken curry. And is a lawyer. Yikes! maybe I shouldn’t joke when she’s around. 
We got to meet some new people too. This means more blogs added to the Reader. This is a cue to the boss, if he ever stumbles across this post, to grant me time off to read all the good blogs around.
So we met the charming Nidhi and her delightful son, Ishaan. Ishaan was wary of all the new faces, but he started enjoying himself once Betu’s toy dinosaur was discovered.
We also met the beautiful Neera and her family. Lil Jia decided she liked the swing the best, and Vansh teamed up with Ojas in exploring the living room cabinets.
Now for the part which I wrote first but am sequencing after the introductions, to not sound gluttony.
Lunch
~nm whipped up some truly marvelous Pav Bhaji and Pasta. We munched on popcorn, which was meant for the kids, and yet managed to down several helpings of the Pav Bhaji and pasta. And kachoris and dhokla. And pastries.
A gastronomically-inclined-butt-unfriendly spread!
The afternoon sped past eating and chatting, and we left ~nm with a lot of cleaning to do, but my opinion regarding us bloggers is now reinforced:
There is never a dull moment when us bloggers are together.
*Bob Marley
Busy busy busy! That is how it’s been. Diwali whizzed by and before I could realize, it was time to sing lullabies to the summer shirts and skirts. I have officially declared Winters in. So now I have to get the jackets and sweatshirts out, air the quilts which will be blamed for all the sleeping in we’re getting ready for, get myself invited for Barbeque parties and read books.
This reminds me, I have decided that I will not buy a single book…till I finish reading the ones that are growing whiskers in my shelves! A visit to Landmark has become a weekly affair, with both TS and I getting snappy and peevish if the weekly dose is not administered! So keeping these two contradictory statements in mind, I have come to the conclusion that I will have to practice reading at record braking speeds, to be able to complete the books before the absence of Landmark half-bakes me.
Here’s to good reading. And more Landmark-ing! Amen!
There are also a lot of episodes to be watched. I had always claimed that people who were crazy after celebrities were nutcases with several screws missing! Until I saw House. These days I have been eating my words, apologizing to every Shahrukh Khan fan I’ve ridiculed in the past. This guy is oh-so-good-looking-and-what-an-awesome-actor-and-oh-I-can’t-stop-gushing-about-him!
Sigh!
The new season of House M.D has begun, so has The Big Bang Theory. So my evenings are spent with doctors who belong to fantasies and twenty-something prodigies specializing in Scientific mumbo jumbo. Very nice indeed.
The husband has also laid his hands on the latest kid on the block, the new PS3 game called Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The graphics are awesome and the game is well, interesting. Now this coming from me, who till date could only switch the PS3 on and off means SOMETHING! Mainly that I don’t seem to find time to blog, or reply to comments! Nothing intentional, but I’l get to it. Soon. Really.
Oh…and Klueless 5 is about to begin. Which means, I am going to go into oblivion from 5th Nov till well, till we crack the game. See you in the Hall of Fame .
Oh dear Oh dear Oh dear!
*Oscar Wilde
“Oh bother”,
he muttered as he jogged towards the car. The rain was lashing out in torrents now. He quickened his steps and inserted the keys.
And cursed.
“Why isn’t the door opening.”
He wriggled and pulled with all his might.
“Damn ! This isn’t even my car”, He realized as the burglar alarm rang.
4 years ago, on this day, I decided to use my meager student allowance and meagerer phone balance to call a newly made acquaintance. Only because I had not bothered to remember that it was his birthday. And I did not want to eat crow. I had, just days before, bragged to him on gtalk how I was good at remembering birthdays and anniversaries. So I thought I’d lie and tell him I’d planned the call days ago as a surprise. And some more false mumbo jumbo, just to keep my pride intact.
Today he claims it was that phone call that instigated what culminated in marriage some six months ago.
Sigh! If only I’d known then that he’d be the lucky guy, I would have treated him nicely!!!
Happy Birthday, TS. Your turn to pay for the beer.
You’re the bestest.
So its been 6 months that we’ve been married now. 6 months that we’ve been trying to make the rented apartment a home, adding bits and pieces to this nest of ours.
So first came in the books and clothes,
then the kitchen utensils,
more books,
some more clothes for the husband,
some more books,
the bed,
the dressing table for the missus,
bedsheets and tupperware termed ‘necessary’ by the missus and ‘beer-money spent on trash’ by the mister.
PS3 games termed ‘of utmost importance’ by the mister and ‘balderdash’ by the missus
So there, bits and pieces, except for a Sofa. Now the sofa set seems to be eluding us for reasons unknown. Its been 6 months and we’ve spent weekend after weekend visiting showrooms and bazaars for a decent article of butt-friendly nature. Without any success.
6 months ago, when we had stars in our eyes and mush on our minds, we agreed to buy nothing but plush sinkable leather couches. Then we dismally witnessed the stars sinking into oblivion when we heard the price. 1 lakh for a set of chairs which will be used as a trampoline in years to come wasn’t something we wanted.
So we brought our standards down. From plush leather to good cushion-y to cane to anything that is comfortable! But the butts were never satisfied!
So we went berserk last week. Decided that the plush-posh sets were never good enough for us and that we deserved better. That we’d buy Lazboys once we’re rich enough. Till then, we’re very satisfied with the latest addition to our household:
Here’s celebrating six months of seeking some semblance of sanity in marital hocus pocus.
Cheers dude.
* We bought the exact ones in brown. I still haven’t got a camera to click the ones we bought. Pics from here
- My first ever blog-friend meeting. Technically second, but I went on to marry the first blog-friend I met, so let us discount that. No, I’m not THAT dangerous. You can still meet me. So I met SMM. She’s cool, fun to talk to, and a great cook. And has a lovely house. And a neat kitchen. And I didn’t realize how the 2 hours flew. We chatted about home and work and friends and growing up and everything else under the sun. Of course beer featured too. Then we had yummy food and ice cream and then it was already time to leave! We’re definitely going to meet again. With husbands this time. Hoping they’l instantly connect over games and gadgets.
- So the curfew at home is still on. TS did cheat twice by running away to friends’ places. But I did myself proud. Till last night…The in laws went on a too-short trip to Ujjain. Needless to say, we dropped them off at the station, and headed to India Habitat Center for some omelets, waffles and beer. Ah, bliss! I am eating only egg and drinking only beer, for the next two days. I have seriously decided to carry a water bottle filled with beer to office. Hic hic.
- We indulged in a lot of shopping this weekend. A lot! Which reminds me, it’s the husband’s birthday coming up. What do you suggest I do to celebrate the birthday of a man who forgets my birthday every year? Seriously. If I give you his number and you challenge him to tell when my birthday is, he will hem and haw and mumble a bit. After whatever he answers you can most certainly say ‘Galat Jawaab’ and hurl a few ‘tsk tsks’ down his path.
- Maybe I’l order a beer-shaped cake this time. You know implicate him a bit. Or send mom-in-law to the wardrobe where “The Stuff” is stashed.
- Ok maybe I won’t. It is in MY wardrobe. Er…Umm.
- Our Diwali cleaning has begun. Which means I have instructed the maid to clean the fans, doors, windows etc. Phew! A lot of work!
- There are a LOT of comments I still haven’t replied to. Please don’t call me an arrogant bitch and please don’t stop visiting me. I’l stop writing and go reply right away. Seriously.
