Jayeeta Majumdar Singhee

Getting Shoe-ed

2009-04-07T03:14:00.000-07:00

As throwing the shoe becomes a global trend, how could India be far behind?

While this shoe went to Chidambaram, I would prefer it being thrown at Tytler himself, or maybe Sonia whose generosity towards this useless bugger seems to be getting him one clean chit after the other. Or maybe the CBI buffoons’ show us what a big joke the organization basically is. But no one in my view deserves this show more than the Sikh Prime Minister himself. Talk about letting your community down…yeah yeah I know, he is “supposed” to be above all this :(

While on politicians, you can get to know a little more about your MP/MLA http://www.nationalelectionwatch.org/ before you go and caste that very important vote of yours.

Somebody stop them!

2009-03-30T04:12:00.000-07:00

No no..this is not an andolan for making Cha Lover and Tracer Buller stop posting multiple blogs in one day!!!

This is more about the last three Indian authored books I read…and the fact that all three of them have the "Jessica Lal" case as a main plot. Surely, there’s something amiss when you see all these writers want to write about one murder trial, and each one outdoing the other in bad writing? Agreed it is a gripping story and it managed to catch the eye-balls of an entire nation…but then…whatever happened to creative writing, and thinking beyond the known and the obvious. So if you really want to save some time, please to pass these books: Six Suspects, White Tiger, and The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay.

That said, I think I will actually want to keep my initial thoughts of andolan intact. I mean, imagine a day when your rss actually doesn’t update multiple times with the latest on these ladies’ blogs :-p

Calvin – Inspiration for Ishaan of TZP?

2009-03-17T01:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I am sure Calvin was an inspiration for Ishaan's character in Taare Zameen Par. Haven’t read much on this, though with all those Captain Spiff alter ego cartoons thrown in between the movie, I am sure Calvin was Aamir's main inspiration.

Came across this strip today, which tells me there must have been more things picked from Calvin’s character. Remember Ishaan’s flip book?

Speaking of which, I think I read way too many Calvin’s while preg. Look at this snap of Ishaan. He has a way with girls :-p. He has this “I am listening but don’t care” attitude written all over his face. This was one of the many girl firend’s he made in Coorg by the way.

Quote of the Year

2009-03-09T00:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it's early to pick the 2009 quote of the year, but I dare anyone to top this :-p. For me, this is the quote of my lifetime!!

Saturday night, Ishaan was playing with the microphone on my dad’s comp. A few minutes on, and Rima (Manu Kaku’s eldest) asked him to repeat whatever she said on the mike.

Rima: Hi, I am Ishaan Singhee.

Ishaan: Hi, I am Ishaan Singhee.

Rima: And I am half marwari and half Bengali.

Ishaan: And I am half marwari, and FULL Benagali.

Yes yes, my life is fulfilled now. There’s not anything more that I need to prove to my FULL marwari husband :-d

Look Ma, My alphabets Move

2009-03-05T23:44:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday was Observation day for Ishaan’s parents. In a Montessori school that means Ishaan’s dad and mom get to watch him showing some of the things he has learnt at school. Ishaan as usual started with his favourite “belic tiles”…where he closes his eyes and pairs tiles after touching them.

He then went on to show me some pretty complex and long activities, like dinomial squares and the map of Asia. He knew most of the countries in Asia, some of them….mmm, dismal as it sounds, his mom and dad didn’t know :-p. Just so that you know, he knows all his continents :).

But the most important of them all came last. “Movable Alphabets”. Or the art of moving alphabets based on their sounds to make a word. Well guess what, my four year old Einstein did every one of those words given to him. The teacher simply looked around the school and picked up a word. Ishaan then moved his alphabets around to make that word.

And his mom smiled, smiled, and then smiled some more.

Ishaan with his teacher, Maria Anna

Thinking......

Mission Accomplished

And that ladies and gentlemen is my son's snap on the left. Eyes closed. Belic tiles. This snap of his appeared in a Montessori schools association magazine. Didn't I tell you that's his favourite activity?

My Little Chef

2009-03-02T02:08:00.000-08:00

Ishaan loves to cook. He loves making nimbu pani, helping me around the kitchen, putting plates, making imaginary dosas on his cookery set (yes, he has them too) and even watching Cookery shows with me (in case there is no cartoon show of his interest).

On an unrelated note, there are few things more annoying than realizing that your half bong son is more impressed with marwari food than bong ones. His taste buds simply go slurp slurp with kadhi, bhujiya, papad, golgappe, shikanji and all things CRAP. He simply has no taste at all for begun bhaja, panch mishali or shorshe anything or any of those great bong dishes that his mommy craves for most times. The only bong thing he loves his phuchka, which his dadu gets every evening while in Uma Nagar colony with us. OK, OK...maybe he likes that because that tastes like his maru golgappa :-p

Ishaan’s favouritest poem currently:
Ghar me bhi Sabzi, School me bhi sabzi.
Oye Rabjiiiiiii (with that rabji in full throttle)
Courtesy: Chibi_Maruko-chan

Meanwhile, here’s a sample of what he did with me on one of those lazy Sundays. To escape sleeping by 10:00 PM.

By the way, do check out Tina's cookery blog, Slurrrrrrrp! I don't think I got the number of R's right though.

Garfield on Pakistan

2009-02-27T07:23:00.000-08:00

Lakshmy sent me this Garfield strip, which I just just had to share.

While on Garfield, one of Ishaan's first and favouritest movies was Garfield, and all of us at home (Sanjay, Simi and me)..especially Simi and me had the lines by-heart. Because we watched it atleast once a day...most days. And then we also watched the sequel as many times. If you don't have it at home...get it. Its a definite keep for the kids.

Adults: You may not find the adult humour found in the original comic strips, but good fun nonetheless.

Movie 1: Garfield
Movie 2: Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006)

While on Garfield, this next one reflected my state of mind...completely.

Movies, Movies and More Movies…

2009-02-25T22:58:00.000-08:00

Watched quite a few of them in the last few days….no time (OK…generally lazy) to write nice and long reviews….but some general pointers to what I thought…

****
Changeling

This is one of my first Angelina Jolie movies…Yeah!!!! I know…I did watch her in Tomb Raider for some time, but only in spurts. So I am mighty impressed with her. EastWood handles the movie in his characteristic brilliant style – composed shots, excellent music and a film that is a wee bit too long.

I didn’t have the slightest clue about the movie when I started watching it, so this true-life crime melodrama left me teary eyed many times, especially in the scene where Jolie realizes that her son, Walter is missing from home and how helpless she feels when the corrupt LAPD refuse to lodge a complaint. As the story unfolds, you see different tracks of emotions, oddities, reactions, and gruesomeness. At times, a wee-bit bollywoodish with all that high-drama, but heartfelt all the same. And the fact that I didn’t want to send Ishaan down to play alone the next day.

****
Billu “Barber”

Watchable only because of the gentle, understated and completely spectacular Irrfan Khan, who plays each and every scene with such composure, that you want to hug him. Every other thing in the movie is unwatchable – SRK, hamming away in his characteristic pathetic below average acting!!!!or whatever that is called. Lara Dutta with her flicked hair cut nowhere closely resembles the village girl at the dire end of poverty. The songs are all so so off-the-track, loud and so not watchable.

Note: Watch Irfan Khan as the philandering husband in Dil Kabaddi and you will know why this guy deserves all the kudos that he gets. Not a great movie that, but watchable if only for some of those brilliant actors. Don’t miss Konkona in the end.

****
Delhi 6

A perfect example of how a good script need not turn into a good movie. The movie starts well, with an interesting first half, well developed characters, and decently well-paced. But as we enter the second half, Rakyesh Mehra turns it into this all preachy, heavily loaded with a message movie and loses it completely.

The movie boasts of one of Rehman’s finest compositions till date…but no justice made to them on screen…u almost miss them actually. Arziyan is sooo soo badly picturized I almost cried. I listen to that song ten times everyday.

And Abhishek, the lesser said the better…the only good point being that he is almost part of the background in the first half..thank god for small mercies. Sonam Kapoor is good and also very beautiful.

But the movie belongs to all the characters who make the first half so special – from the brothers up-in-arms-against-each-other (Om Puri and Pawan Malhotra), to their wives who still share things across the broken brick in the wall, the rich old Prem Chopra married to someone his grand daughter’s age, the ageless Waheeda Rehamn, the ever romantic Rishi Kapoor, the beautiful and every forgiving bua to the jalebi wala, and the low caste sweeper, Jalebi (played by Divya Dutta).

I, Me and Myself

2009-02-16T03:39:00.000-08:00

This is one of those things doing the rounds on Facebook currently. I got tagged by some people on my list, and somehow felt duty-bound to write notes about myself and tag them back. This of course showed-off my jobless state. But then I didnt want to write a blog, and thought will copy paste it from Facebook.

1. First things first. I love BONGS. And everything about bongs. Food, movies, music, culture, gossip, addas, Pujo bari, people! And I seem to be turning out to be more and more bong everyday. Must be Age. I tire easily if Ishaan (my four year old) talks too much in Hindi or English.

2. I can’t survive without my cups of tea. True bong ishtyle. I can have as many as 20 cups a day!!! I try not to…but given a choice, I would just go for the cup.

3. I am a mother of two. The first one is my younger sis (Simi). She has come a long way from copying everything I do. She now behaves like an adamant adolescent and mostly never listens to my advice, but I give them nonetheless. The second one (Ishaan) is turning out like just his Maashi and prefers to listen to her than to his mom

4. I am the sole Taurus among three Libran males (dad, hubby and son) and two Aeries Females (mom, sis). And still hold my ground. Talk about Bullish behavior.

5. I love my home way too much. During the construction, we ended up spending double the money that we could afford. I am still addicted to reading every possible issue of interior magazines and sites to help me do it up (2 years after we shifted). I end up spending more time at the interior section of a mall than any other.

6. I hate dressing up. And end up being the lone non-dresser in the “killer dressed to kill Singhee Khandan Bahus”. My mom-in-law worries about what I should be wearing non-stop, and so does my mom. Come to think of it, every damned person around me seems to be worried about this. Not that it changes anything!

7. I would do anything to be a housewife. Read books, do up my house, get Ishaan from school, sleep in the afternoons and attend Kitty Parties.

8. I put the alarm every morning for my morning walk, and promptly shut it as soon as it starts ringing.

9. I hate to admit this, but I love my maroo 100 member family gatherings as much as the Bong Durga Pujo ones. Well….almost….if you forget the dressing up bit.

10. My biggest regret about my home is that we don’t have a library. The nook that we managed to create is cute and handy, with a small library added too, but doesn’t match to the real time library room that I so so want.

11. I hate wet toilets.

12. Given a choice, I prefer reading my book at nights instead of watching movies with my crazy movie buff husband, who watches at least ONE before sleeping.

13. I am currently reading “Sea of Poppies” and cant for the life of me fathom what made Adiga win the booker. I found White Tiger almost as trashy as Six Suspects.

14. I prefer the bong type of addas any day to the loud and noisy disco parties. I have two left feet while my husband loves to dance. Do the two sentences match up?

15. My parents toiled hard and took me to far off places every week to teach me classical singing, but I let them down pretty bad by not continuing it. I (at times) feel bad about this.

16. I think Ishaan sings well and can continue my legacy (whatever that is!!!!), though he seems more tuned to his dad’s (dancing i.e.)

17. I want to adopt a daughter, but am unsure of a lot many things about the same. My behavior as a mom the most important one. Actually, i wouldnt mind adopting Misha if her parents agree. That kid is simply adorable.

18. My favouritest tourist place in the world – Goa. And nothing, nothing in the world can beat that.

19. My idea of a holiday is to eat, sleep and relax. No sightseeing please.

20. I once competed with my hubby, and had six shots of tequila in a span of five minutes. What happened next is best described by him.

21. I miss my mom and her food every time she leaves Hyderabad. And start fighting with her as soon as she is back.

22. I am one of those rare species of women who thinks her mom-in-law is Awesome.

23. My hubby’s and son’s all time favorite man is Manu Kaku. And if we don’t meet the Ghosh family for even five days, we seem to be missing something in life.

24. I love the fact that we have masses and masses of family and friends around us in Hyderabad. Weekends and even weekdays are busy and tiresome. But I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world.

25. I think my sis is one of the prettiest women in the world. My dad disagrees though. He thinks it’s his wife. I seem to be nowhere in the list.

26. I laugh hardest at my husband’s and sister’s stupidest jokes, all the while feeling miserable that I laughed at such crap stuff.

27. I wear a fifty thousand worth watch that was gifted by hubby, when our son was born.

28. That said, buying expensive stuff scares me. Especially in these times of recession and no job days.

29. And I am completely middle-class, in terms of behavior, money and everything else associated with it.

Recession Etiquette? Or just plain Attitude

2009-02-11T02:10:00.000-08:00

In this editorial from Nytimes, Laura Holson writes about the how people's behavior is changing at the restaurant when it comes to picking the tab.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/11/dining/11check.html?pagewanted=1

Though the article also reflects on how companies would want employees to cut costs, this whole paying up business is really not a new phenomenon....sometimes it is just people's attitude.

We were once invited by a friend of ours (just back from the US with his new wife). It was like a reunion of sorts with all school friends and their wives. At the end of the dinner, the waiter just kept going around the table with the check, not knowing what to do. Everyone assumed the one who invited the whole gang would be the one paying. It got pretty uncomfortable, until Sanjay grabbed the bill and paid up.

Most of our friends are the type who grab the bill and pay up. Or maybe we make friends who do....whatever, I am not particularly fond of people who like to eat out, but run helter-schelter as soon as the bill pops up.

Of MCPs, Politics and More

2009-01-21T02:59:00.000-08:00

In one of the most offensive pieces I have read in a long long time, Sanjay Dutt (my hubby’s and sis’s favourite :() shows us how a calm, stoic and graceful-under-pressure father can produce an insufferable and disgraceful 16th century imbecile.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India_Buzz/Politics_wont_affect_my_film_career_Sanjay/articleshow/3997120.cms

Apart from fantastic one-liners like “no sister gets along with her brother’s wife”, and “girls who become part of a new family after marriage must assume their new surname and all the responsibilities that come with it”, he also leaves us with this masterpiece last line, which shows us that he has it “all in perspective”:

Politics is a golden opportunity to put an end to unwanted films.

Yes. Excellent choice Mr. Dutt. We are sure Mr. Amar Singh and Mr. Mulayam Singh will help you make more money than you can make in those B-grade films.

Some previous posts on politicians and politics:

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T22:53:00.000-08:00

2008 ended quietly. The party went on till 3:00 am in the morning :), but it was at home. With friends and family. No loud music. No overzealous drunks. No mad disco burning floors.

Exactly the way I like it.

And I have lots of wishes for the new year. As usual.

1. Affluence. Especially in these times of economic downturn.
2. Lots of travel.
3. Soundness, of body and mind.

And then there are those resolutions.

1. More time and effort on Ishaan's studies! I havent been doing enough...or rather anything.
2. Slenderize.
3. Read more books.
4. Write more blogs. This whole of last year, I think has been what I say - a "middle-age blogging crisis". Even with time in my hands, I refused to pen-down anything.
5. Be less vocal. This one's on top of the list.

This Calvin strip here is such a masterpiece. I feel one with Calvin :)

Well, here's wishing you all a great great new year. Have fun. Be as libertine as you want. A freethinker.

And don't watch "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi". Even if someone pays you a million bucks.

Mumbai Attacked

2008-11-26T21:32:00.000-08:00

I got up late today, and the first thing I saw was the Times Headline screaming about co-ordinated terrorist attacks striking the heart of Mumbai. I right away reach for the remote. NDTV is talking to one of the hostages in Taj. And it strikes me only now. Its Day 2. And Mumbai is still under attack.

This attack, even by the standards of terrorism in India, is remarkably brazen in both scale and execution. The attackers allegedly used boats to reach the target areas, sites filled with the rich and the foreign tourists.

How do these guns and grenades pass by in BOATS???? without people on duty, hand-in-glove with these guys? How does the Intelligence fail us each time, each attack being more complex in nature than the previous one?

As I hear Deepak talk calmly???? to the NDTV correspondent about being holed up in his room, the fear that was kind of slowly but steadily going returns. Fear of going out into a crowded area. Fear of sending the boy to his school. Fear of letting the sister stay alone in another city.

Life may go back to normalcy again tomorrow, and I may not be as disturbed as I am today. I may be at Lifestyle the day after, buying something for my house, totally not needed. I may even take the kid out to Time Zone, or let him go there with friends.

Actually, I may not.

Update: A photograph of a suspected terrorist on rediff. The photo seems to be a of a young college kid with his college bag. How does one make out a terrorist from a college kid? :(

Changed Jobs. Again.

2008-11-11T03:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, its that time of the year again. I have changed jobs. Again. But this was the first time, when I really really thought about the move. It seemed like a strange decision, to move from a job (next to your house), to something so far off. Answering questions relating to how will you manage the travel, work, Ishaan etc. etc. wasn’t easy. To others, or to self.

I spent many a night thinking about the move (literally). I didn’t think I could manage to work in the middle of nowhere again. What with no Lifestyle, 10D or Roll Call around. But then I think I am quite enjoying the place. Its been only a week of course, and work hasn’t started yet, but I think I will survive. I like what I see (until now). And I actually think I will more than survive :)

Coming to the complete lack of blogging for such a long time, it must be a conspiracy. How else would you explain such important events of life from being blogged:

One Mobile Lost.
One Mobile Devoid of all Contact List.
One Mobile Screen blanked out. And all the above in a time span of a few months.
One month Europe vacation. Simi and Baba/Ma’s. Not mine :)
A three month vacation. Complete bed rest. With a bad back.
And lastly, the all new Honda Civic. Oh Yeah baby! Not bad han? We have arrived. Finally. At least in the building, where with all the mercs, and skodas and crvs, we were the only ones who had a big parking with a small car :-p

Comic Relief

2008-06-13T03:34:00.000-07:00

The two blogs of the day would definitely be:

Jabberwock jabbers non-stop about Ekta Kapoor's Mahabaharat. This one is funny even in its comments. Sample this one

When someone asks him, "I do hope there's a Kunti-Kaikeyi scene that lasts at least 8 episodes."

Jabberwock answers, "Kaikeyi's from the Ramayana, but no problem - she can always be brought in for a guest appearance. After all, daytime serials frequently have "exchange programmes" with characters from other shows!"

Bharadwaj gives you a daily dose of fathers and sons in Tamil Nadu. This one had me in splits,

Come June 19, and Chennai would wake up to loud thuds – that would be the sound of poor, unsuspecting fathers all over, fainting in shock upon receiving bear hugs from sons with whom they converse roughly twelve times a year. (March to September: “It’s so hot outside.” October to February: “There’s a nip in the air.” Why do you think God made weather? So that sons could bond with fathers.)

Par pappu CAN dance Sala

2008-06-05T05:21:00.000-07:00

Listen to the song Pappu cant dance sala from the album, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and you will instantly fall in love with this song ESPECIALLY made for those young, and full-of-life college goers. I have listened to this song endlessly since the last two days, and cant help smiling each time I hear it.

Han Pappu naach nahi sakta Paida Pappu hua to kismatein chamaki

Aur uske muh mein thi chandi ki chamchi

(hey yeh yeh) Pappu ke paas hai paisa

(hey yeh yeh) Hathon ki mail ke jaisa

(hey yeh yeh) Pappu yaaron ka yaar hai

(hey yeh yeh) Pappu smart hai short hai

Each time I heard it, I kept feeling that Amir wrote this song for Sanjay (in school and in college). And then I heard the line that nailed the last one in.

Rado ki ghadi hathon mein, Perfume gucci vala

Eureka!!!! This is Sanjay for sure. And the name is all right too. Ishaan calls his papa, Pappu :-d

The only point that can prove me wrong here is that “Pappu CAN Dance” in our case. And dance all night and all day if required. Amir, can we have some sort of a remixed/re-lyrics version where we change the main tag line.

While at it, some of the other songs in the album are good too. Kabhi Kabhi Aditi makes me 16 once again. 16 and in love. My heart beating faster than it did in a long long time.

Kahin To makes me nostalgic in a way I cant explain. It reminds me of Nazia and Zoheb Hassan, or maybe even Ali Haider. Remember Purani jeans?

This is a lovely Rehman. A much younger one, compared to his previous exquisite Serious-compositions. Anyway, I will leave you to go and buy that CD now, while I go back to listening to my favorite number at the moment.

The Papa and His Big-Little Chamcha

2008-06-02T00:03:00.000-07:00

That Ishaan is a bigtime chamcha of his papa is a well known fact. This three footer something looks, walks, talks, dresses and even sleeps like dad. He is happiest to be around him 24 by 7, friends be damned. The two sing together, dance together, eat together and even bathe together.

Last week, when Sanjay dozed off while watching tv (which is by the way, pretty normal), I suddenly saw Ishaan go into our bedroom, getting his father’s favourite sheet and spreading it over his dad neatly. He then gave him a kiss and came out of the room with a smile of achievement.

And then, on Runa’s birthday, when Manu Kaku insisted that Sanjay take a drink, even after Sanjay casually mentioned that he didn’t want to drink and was trying to quit…this little batuk suddenly started saying, “Please Manu Kaku, please….mere papa ne pina chod diya hai. Please Manu Kaku.”

Heh! Roles Reversal or what??? Whose the papa…you would think :-p

But I can definitely be more at peace now. Because he is doing all the things that I did. And is also more successful at it. Since the papa cant seem to say a no to his Bonsai.

secrets with papa

Two of his fav people - Papa and Dida

The python and the two best friends

Blogging

2008-05-22T03:11:00.000-07:00

What do you do when the last blog you wrote was march 31st, and it is almost two months since you last visited your own site? Come back and write about other blogs, I guess.

And what the heck, everyone's trying their hands at it. Amir. Amitabh. And now supposedly Shahrukh. While our so called intellectuals (harlequins rather) continue with their goofing up, making up et all, ....one thing is for sure. Blogging today is one of the most powerful tools in the hands of the powerful. So, while you and me can keep blogging about inconsequential things and send out the links to those few friends and family, the real power lies somewhere else :)

So while Amir's dog's name creates top national news for days, people dying in Jaipur are forgotten in two days.

While at blogs, Shekhar Kapur's blog seems more human and normal than the other stars mentioned above. Amir's blog seems more like a pseud-intellectual at his best, Bachchan's is more like megalomania-cal(is there a word like that?), or maybe an advertising ground for his movies.

Here are some more good reads for the day. Old ones of course, considering the number of days in Coma.

Excerpts from Vijaya Mallya's diary - This one's hillarious
Balasaheb Not a True Mumbaiah???
Way to go woman - This one's from my sis's blog. Nice :)

The New Tintin

2008-03-31T02:19:00.000-07:00

Ishaan and I read a few Tintin series last night. When I went inside the kitchen a little later, I felt my little one tug at the salwar. When I turned, I suddenly saw a new chotu Tintin :)

Thats his skating helmet. And the Tintin he was trying to be...I think is

Same to same?

Looking Far East

2008-03-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

Its been weeks since I last got in here. I know…I know…you have missed me babies, but then, I have been busy. Busy working, traveling; traveling and working more.

We just came back from our trip to Singapore/Malaysia. The free Mahindra trip I mentioned last time…remember? Well, it so happened that we took the trip and extended it to Singapore for another three days. We also made some friends join in with us. So it was a good fun time for all.

First the hotels: we stayed in four-five star luxuries everywhere. They aren’t so expensive there…so convincing everyone didnt take much time at all. I also think the hotels were the best part of the trip :)

Marriott in Kuala Lumpur – One of the finest I would say. Good rooms, nice view of the swimming pool from the room and excellent service. One call and they would be there in five minutes. The buffet spread was good and they would even pack the food, in case you were late for some place. The twin tower was a five minute walk and taxis were available at all times. So basically, we ate, shopped, swam, drank through KL.

Resort Hotel, Genting: Beautifulllll lobby. Decent rooms. No service. Genting was fun as in Ishaan freaked out with the games, and Sanjay freaked out at the casino. The rest of uis enjoyed the games too. Plus, we got enough rest as we stayed there for two days, so were well prepared for the next few days.

Grand Copthorne Waterfront, Singapore: This was right in front of the river and the view from my room overlooked the river. Nothing spectacular, but decent nonetheless. The service was decent so was the buffet. The walk alongside the river was also nice.

A few highlights of the trip:

For Ishaan, Malaysia and Singapore meant the hotels. So each time he was tired of touring, he would insist that Malaysia chalo mummy. Meaning, he wants to go back to the hotel. He is mumma’s boy for sure. All I want out of vacations is living in luxurious hotels, sleeping, and waking up to lovely breakfast.
Ishaan to the waiter - one coke fol me and one beel fol my papa. Stunned silence everywhere. And then everyone pouncing on him at the same time. Poor baby...not his fault. He saw papa and uncle doing that everywhere.
We had the first day free in Singapore, and thanks to Ravi (Ravi is Sanjay’s best friend), we went to an expo and bought a really really nice DigiCam. Another buy (totally unnecessary) was the LCD TV.
Jurong’s Bird park, Sentosa, the cable car rides, ride till the top of the Single tower were all definitely worth it.

Far East Trivia: Ishaan by the way is called the Far East Baby by my friends, because he was born after we traveled to Singapore and Malaysia last time. So my friends at Oracle insisted that we must be planning for a second one. Abhishek says that this was our 142^nd honeymoon. 142^nd? Just the thought of sooo many vacations makes me feel great. Abhi, if I reach anywhere remotely close to that….like the 42^nd or something…I will treat you big time. And that’s a promise.

Modern retail showing us the real truth

2008-02-11T22:16:00.000-08:00

Subhiksha, Reliance Fresh, Godrej Agrovet, Aditya Birla Retail (More…), ITC, APMC, Food Bazaar, Chandrababu Naidu’s Fresh

You name the BIG brand and they are all there….selling kirana and vegetables. Competing with your local kirana store and the bhaji wala. Not saying this is bad at all….modern retail offers a much wider choice to the farmers and the buyers like us, helping exercise all that we couldn’t before.

But then…this also makes one point crystal clear - money is the only thing that makes the world go round. There is really really no such thing as acceptable business and non-acceptable business. I remember Sanjay once getting this pan masala dealership for AP. I put my foot down, and never let him do that. He still regrets the fact that he lost a golden chance...thanks to my silly salaried middle class values. Actually, maybe....he is right. Ten years from now, selling pan masalas may suddenly become hot.

When Sanjay started his restaurant business a few years ago, everyone in his family sniggered (and were also really upset) about the fact that it sold non-veg items. Reason - they are marwaris and marwaris don’t have anything to do with non-veg. Today, we have all the big clan marwaris selling just that and more, in their super stores, restaurants, and all. The Goenkas and Birlas, all respectable marwaris – don’t want to miss the race, just for some silly things like non-veg.

My family was upset about something else, though they did not show it as much. Food joints? Not acceptable at all. Basically LS (low society). Just yesterday, we went over to see a new joint that Roll Call opened in Hitech City (they have quite a few now). While Sanjay was behind the counter, Ishaan asked me, "Mumma, Papa roll wale hai kya?" with that cute smile of his. Sanjay didnt like the idea, nor did my mom. I didnt think anything wrong about it. Thats where the money is honey. This business today could become a million dollar business, with a little more effort and capital.

Last week, I was watching this show called The Big Fat Wedding on NDTV Good Times, and the wedding of the day was this huge and rich Aggarwal wedding. They had food from all over the world – Italian, Continental, Chinese, Indian, Sushi.

Hell. Sushi?????? They had a lot of Japanese clients, so they supposedly had to keep it ….If this does not prove our life runs around money, then what does?

So, the truth of the matter is that if you do not listen to market signals, you will just shrivel into nothing; if you do, you will profit. Culture, Acceptable/non-acceptable, religion, are all basically passé. All that matters is that you keep the green paper coming in.

what do you do...

2008-02-05T01:39:00.000-08:00

when you want to

travel within the country and abroad (In style). Basically take a holiday every three months.
buy a new dining table, atleast one more ac and a center table
complete your house with all accessories in place (the designers would also like the job done with)
pick the entire book store and fill up your library
buy all the lovely dresses you see in the sale at every nook and corner in town
work only three days a week (better still...not at all)
buy a new swanky car

and have little or no money in the bank or anywhere else around you?

Mood: Weighing Up
Thought throughout the day: What do I do to generate more cash in hand?
Song of the day: Money Money Money (Abba)

Love Does this to you...

2008-01-31T22:58:00.000-08:00

It takes more than guts to leave your husband, children, a comfortable life to start afresh with a much younger man and then live with his really difficult dreams after he is gone.

Thats what love does to you..I guess.

“My husband and I went for a vacation on Cape Cod, and I met Michael, who was an artist there,” Ms. Livant says. “He showed me one of his large canvases,” a dark blue abstract painting with a small rectangle of light. “What I saw in that particular painting was an image that invoked fear in me,” she adds. “I thought, there’s another world I have to explore. I knew I had to open my eyes to the rest of my life.”
Three months later, Ms. Livant left her family and went to live with Mr. Kahn, who was 10 years her junior, in Provincetown. To support them, she took a job cleaning houses. “People said, ‘Leda must have gone crazy,’ ” Ms. Livant says. “It wasn’t craziness, it was like a rebirth. Within three weeks of my moving to Cape Cod, I got pneumonia and almost died, I was in such mourning for my family and so vulnerable, and the sadness of having left my kids has never left me.”
She pauses, and her eyes tear up. “I always get a lump in my throat when I realize — but I have been forgiven.”

I am not sure I can leave Sanjay and Ishaan today for anything else in my life, but then I don't think I have really loved anything more than them. Read this article in Nytimes. Truly truly inspiring. Actually, maybe not the right word. I am not sure I am inspired, but I am definitely moved. I can completely understand her plight at leaving her children more than anything else, even though she is completely out of control because she is sooo sooo in love with not just the man, but also with his art.

The Baap of all Jokers

2008-01-31T22:24:00.000-08:00

Read the interview here in Tehelka. And decide for yourself whether people like Niranjan Shah really deserve to be in the board of BCCI. Two subsequent questions have completely conflicting answers.

For the sake of argument, what is the more important criterion for selection: performance or rotation policy? Would you drop the best performing players for rotation policy?
Rahul's performance is not there. Lakshman's performance is not there.

I am talking about Ganguly. He has done well.
Lakshman has done well too.

There is more....

What is the idea of this rotation policy?
To give players rest. They play so much cricket these days, they may need rest.

My question is whether the rotation policy be applied to Tendulkar? Doesn't he also run the risk of getting injured?
If he wants rest, why not?

Ganguly did not want to rest. He is very disappointed.
There is a certain combination you require in the team. Suppose there are five one day series. He will play three. We will actually help him.

With jokers like this, who needs other forms of entertainment? On a related note, I think we have another joker called Dhoni in Indian cricket. The man needs to stop acting and start playing cricket for some time. And he definitely needs to stop giving smartass comments to the media.

BCCI - The True Monkeys

2008-01-30T04:29:00.000-08:00

Just when you thought the monkey was off our backs, it clambers right back on. Last evening, a source I can’t name, but who I know to be very close to Australian players and officials, emailed me:

Bajji lied, but the Aussies have no use for him anyway. Sachin lied, too, and that has shocked the Aussie team – they hold him in very high regard, but not any more.
The source contradicted general perception that the deal worked out behind the scenes had the cooperation, and backing, of the Australian players. Cricket Australia, he tells me, had to twist the arms of the players, almost to breaking point, before they consented to back off and let sleeping monkeys lie.

Read the whole essay here. Prem Panicker is definitely one of the best cricket journalists we have in India. Reading him is truly a pleasure....and one point he makes in this essay here really drives home. The fact that the media in India makes page one news only that what sells, and what it likes.

For example, Roebuck's latest stinging comments on the subject of the BCCI’s behavior does not find mention in any of our page one space.

India’s performance in chartering a plane to take the players home in the event of an independent judge finding against them in the current case counts among the most nakedly aggressive actions taken in the history of a notoriously fractious game. If this is the way the Indian board intends to conduct its affairs hereafter, then God help cricket.

It is high time the elders of the game in that proud country stopped playing to the gallery and considered the game’s wider interests. India is not some tinpot dictatorship but an international powerhouse and ought to think and act accordingly. Brinkmanship or not, threatening to take its bat and ball home in the event of a resented verdict being allowed to stand was an abomination. It sets a dreadful precedent. What price justice now?