Truly Madly Deeply

Revisited

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 03:20:00 +0000

Reading this today morning made me miss my grandmom all over again like I did the day I learnt she had passed away. I think of her every single day, often when I cook, or lie down for some time (I don't nap, neither did she coming to think of it), or run into people her age.

It's tough losing someone you love, but tougher losing someone who loves you back more than anyone else. I am sad she will never know my kid(s) if I choose to have any, and they sure as heck don't know what they are missing - a great-grandmother like no other.

Incredible Indeed!

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 08:34:00 +0000

After almost 3 years, I took a domestic flight in India today. Delhi to Coimbatore. The taxi dropped me off at the swanky new domestic terminal and I was looking forward to experiencing the 2nd best airport in the country.

The reality? There was a long queue at the entrance with people pushing their trolleys into others. The security at the entrance was rude and curt and was not being helpful to those who didn't know what exactly to do or where to go. Once you enter, the airline queues are a mess, in fact there's not much of a queue and there are people holding places in the queue and others joining them randomly.

At the security checkpoint, the queues were even longer and the guard looked bored and was ruder than the one at the entrance. Also, for all these people, there was just one person per belt. I mean come on! There are people manning the lifts in Ambi Mall in Gurgaon as if the people who were smart enough to bring themselves till the mall in a place with no public transport can't take themselves from on floor to another. How about putting some of those 'resources' at the security checkpoints in the airport of our nation's capital? Anyway, security check done. Enter the food course for some breakfast. I pick the South Indian option because the queue was shorter than at KFC (not that I would have gone there anyway at 5 in the morning). I try to pay with my credit card and the guy at the counter, rudely may I add, says "only cash". For the first time, I get mad. Call me a spoilt NRI, go ahead. But this is an airport, (again, in our nation's capital) where people from all over the world fly in and out of. How can you not take credit cards? I asked him that. I said "you don't take credit card in an airport?". The disbelief in my tone was genuine, I assure you. He turns on a bored/irritated expression and says "not working". I would have walked away if I wasn't mad hungry. So I paid by picking out all the ten rupee notes in my purse, got the bloody food, and sat fuming at the table. The table just angled to the other side and my coffee spilled, thankfully not on me but there was only a mouthful and most of it was spilled and I didn't have enough cash for another. So yeah, I thought screw the coffee and sat at the shakiest table in the planet and silently ate my dosa. A guy came, while I was eating, to clean the table and he gave it a firm wipe sending my plate swimming to the edge of the table. Did I say this happened while I was eating?

I just gave up.

There was no semblance of a queue or fairness while boarding the flight either. People hogged the overhead space that was not even near their seats. I am in the flight now with two large handbags under my feet because I wasn't "smart" enough to get in early and get space for the bags. I am in what's supposed to be the best budget airline in the country "with an award winning cabin experience" and the cabin crew walks past me brushing against me every single time as if my arm is not really my arm but just an obstacle in their path, and with not even a look back, leave alone an apology. Before you ask, my arm is well tucked in, thankyouverymuch. I haven't even landed in Coimbatore yet but I am sure I will have more interesting things to add here.

The good stuff? Well, the airport toilets flushed just fine and the taps were not all leaking. The aircraft is clean, and the sandwich they served onboard was fresh. The guy next to me is keeping his right arm on his lap and not mine. The pilot is cute. And to think it's only 8:34am! [Typed on Oct 18th while mid-air. Not checked for typos]

The Self

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 08:33:00 +0000

From my sister's gtalk status

"The only way to be more than a number, more than a useful object, more than a consumer, more than a CV or a facebook profile, is to identify what is valuable to you, what is worthwhile to you, worth living for – perhaps even worth dying for, and then to keep faith with the you that you are. I don’t mean in a rigid paranoid way; the self changes but the self isn’t for sale" ~ Jeanette Winterson

It's OK

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 09:28:00 +0000

- you can't please everyone all the time. it's ok.

- sometimes, people tend to think with their hearts and not with their heads. it's ok.

- getting credit for what you do is tough. do it anyway. it's ok.

- missing gym sucks but what's more important is that you are healthy and happy. it's ok.

- being behind on work sometimes is a sign of taking on too much too soon. it's ok.

it's all ok.

The 'Before-30' List Status

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 02:59:00 +0000

Recently, someone posted a comment (I am sorry I forgot who it was and which post it was on) and asked what happened to the stuff I had listed here that I'd like to achieve before I turned 30. I don't feel like I did that great on the list itself, partly because I forgot it existed. But here's a status update nevertheless.

13 things I want to do before I turn 30

1. Bake the perfect macaron
I baked macarons once and they were not perfect. Although I aged egg whites multiple times after that, I never ended up trying them again. The truth is, I realised I don't even like macarons that much.

2. Lose 5kg, get fitter (shared goal with TH)
Lost 2kg, gained it back. Lost 3kg, gained it back. Lost 1 kg, gained it back. Right now, I am working out 3-4 times a week, going for pilates and bollywood dance and haven't fallen ill since 2009 (touchwood). Fitness is the goal now because weight loss seems like a lost cause.

3. Visit one place in Europe - either Italy, Switzerland, or the UK
Didn't happen. But I did do New York twice, San Francisco again, Tokyo, Sydney, and Hawaii. Europe is not going anywhere, is it?

4. Hang out with my girls, preferably in Hyderabad
By some stroke of luck or fate or whatever, Darsh moved to SG, NS visited once and we got to hang out in Singapore instead. I have to see Mayo and Mayo one of these days though.

5. Decide once and for all if I am going to have a baby or not
This is a tricky one. But I have a decision now. No, I am not sharing it. I do oscillate a lot but I think the decision is made. I think.

6. Explore baking lessons or selling baked goods as a part-time job
Went there, tried that, even got an offer to teach cooking/baking lessons in one of the best cooking schools in Singapore but decided I need some time to just waste away. Oh, and sleep too.

7. Take a knife skills class
Done.

8. Do my hair again - straightened or permed
Found another solution - a straightening iron - that does a great job without killing my hair all over again. It works and we are happy.

9. Take a family vacation with the in-laws.
Done.

10. Work towards what I want at work
I did but things didn't work out the way I expected. They worked out better. Way better than I ever imagined.

11. Grow my own herbs
Did one round of basil, one round of coriander, and one round of mint. It was hard because of lack of direct light but I ploughed through. Taking a break from the gardening side of me for a bit.

12. Learn one new traditional Indian recipe a month
Oh, learnt way more than that. I made gulab jamun and khoya from scratch and a lot more things than I thought possible.

13. Care only about the people and things that deserve it.
Kicked off a couple of people from my life. It was very hard and I won't say it's perfect and easy now. I am not made that way. But, it's definitely better than sitting on the fence and wondering if we were still friends and should I still care. I dont have unlimited time and there are more deserving people in my life.

Bonus - Gave in to peer pressure and the absolutely irrational / illogical side of me that classified this gorgeous bag as a need and TH 'did the needful' and paid for it. I remember mentioning this is on my wishlist and that it's never happening. Well, never say never!

Can't think of a better way to have started a new decade!

The cook

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 06:20:00 +0000

With a lot of women from our generation going to work, housework is divided among the couple. In most cases it's not really an equal division but it's divided nonetheless. We do the same. If I were to list down the chores TH and I do around the house, it will almost look like we drew up the list and split it exactly in half. In 4 years, we've perfected this so much that it's almost like a well-executed dance. Some of the chores are quite fine-tuned too. For instance, maid management is TH's job. This started because our maids here have all only spoken Hindi and.. well, I don't speak Hindi. I can, but I prefer not to. It's embarrassing and I am the mistress of the house after all. So yeah, he is the one who calls/texts them asking them to come at a particular time (I say 'them' because we are on the fifth person in 4 years - details are for another post), and when they turn up, he's the one who talks to them if anything needs to be communicated.

So, like I said, well executed dance, etc etc.

Except. Except for the cooking.

Now technically, cooking is my responsibility mainly because I am the one who is passionate about it and blogs about it obsessively. That's fine. Fair enough. But cooking is not just cooking. It's also keeping tabs on the groceries, deciding every single day the answer to the million dollar question "what's for dinner?" and also cooking according to the number of people, for guests, for freezing for later, for potlucks, when it rains and cravings kick in, etc. It also includes cooking in bulk and freezing it in batches when I am away on work traveling, which is happening a lot lately.

From the face of things, it won't seem like a big deal. TH doesn't like cooking. He does a little bit of it every now and then when I am out and only if he absolutely has to. Mostly he just gets a subway sandwich and calls it dinner.

But it IS a big deal. After work every day, I am tired. So is he. I am hungry. So is he. Cooking is the last thing I want to do (surprise!) and same for him. This is a non-ending dilemma and every night I battle with it. It's become especially bad since I joined the gym and workout about 3-4 nights every week. I reach home around 8pm and can barely stand at the kitchen counter. I wish he would take up cooking on those days but discussions around this have ended up in a stalemate unless it's maggi noodles. If I am going to eat noodles 3-4 nights a week, I might as well stop working out.

Getting a cook has been explored and deemed not feasible. Cooking over the weekend and freezing food is an option and I have genuinely tried doing this but it makes my weekends so tiresome that I gave up after 3 attempts. I do this for some things like dal and some vegetables but not cooked food. Eating out is unhealthy, expensive, and really not our thing every day of the week (we already do that for lunch btw).

So, what's the solution? How do you guys manage this?

Moving ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:46:00 +0000

Coming back to this blog now and then and reading some of the older posts is like taking a peek into another life lived by another person who I remember vaguely. Was reading this post today, a letter to Citibank, and it made me smile because I have been using their cards for over 2 years now and I am not any closer to liking them. They did waive my late payment fees once though, my first and only one in 3+ years of using a credit card. So yeah, I will give them that.

Someone who chanced upon this site wrote to me yesterday. She said she read back many posts and could relate to most of them, especially the ones I wrote when in Hyderabad. Always good to hear although it does make me wonder how there can be more people like me, having weird (?) thoughts like me. Always makes me smile too.

Anyway, I turned 30 a couple weeks back. From a few weeks before the day, I prepared myself. I thought I would hear this whooshing sound near my ears as my 20s pass me by - my most significant and life-altering decade yet. A lot has passed in the last 10 years, the most significant being people. New friends, new family, new followers, new readers, new colleagues, new neighbours - an endless list of new people. My people. People I chose (most often anyway) and welcomed into my life. People I ushered out because things were not meant to be, it all boils down to people.

*Something came up, I had to go away and then I lost my train of thought. Didn't want this to be yet another draft so publishing*

You know you're growing up when...

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 07:44:00 +0000

- you recognise that you are not feeling like yourself in a conversation with your husband and you say "let's talk later, I am cranky now" instead of blaming him for something and picking a fight which is supposed to make you feel better but, of course, fails

- you don't update your Facebook status complete with tags each time you have a good time with your friends

- you loan money to your parents

- you start considering buying your first home in a country where the average cost of an apartment (not even a house) is 1 million, or 1 mil, as the real estate agents put it

- your boss trusts you with a meeting alone with people two levels his/her senior

- your father-figure-brother-11-years-senior-to-you has life conversations with you

- you are soon turning 30 and you feel just fine about it

- you stop buying clothes and shoes that cost little and last 2 months and instead focus on things that are better quality and last longer

Even if the last point is work in progress, it still means you are growing up. Right?

Thursday Thirteen # ihavenoclue

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 09:25:00 +0000

Thirteen things I wish I hadn't bought

1. That third 3-wick scented candle. Each of them take about a year to melt down so yeah, I am good for the next 3 years, without counting the single-wick ones that were bought with them.

2. The 2nd tea strainer. It's one too many. It confuses me each time I make tea and I lose 2 precious seconds each time deciding which one to use. It doesn't make sense because they are identical. Do not buy more than one guys, really.

3. All those soaps. Oh my god. I am good for the next 5 years, easily.

4. Jeans #5. You don't need that many, especially when you live in the humidity capital of the world. Especially when three of them are almost the same colour.

5. Shoes #14. Haha kidding. I would never regret buying shoes, ever. Gotcha.

6. Ikea plate set. I like them a lot but I wish I had gone for a more elegant set in Corelle or something. I would feel terrible if I just stopped using these and I have no space to put new plates (in spite of my huge kitchen, trust me, this list should be much longer than 13 items).

7. Dishwasher. Oh wait, I don't own one yet. I would like one though. So maybe I can regret it after I have it? Yeah, I am weird. Moving on.

8. All those ingredients I've stashed up in the fridge in the hopes of making awesome things for the blog. Coconut flour anyone?

9. Laptop sleeve #5. I have too many! Help!

10. All those chocolates from the Frankfurt airport because "German chocolates rock". Well, I am paying the gym guys for nothing rest of this month. There's no way I can burn 900 calories in an hour which is probably what it takes to burn one of those chocolate bars.

11. Hand lotion #6. Looking on the bright side, my hands are super soft and always smell good.

12. My Coach bag. I could've done better. But then, it's from the factory outlet so I should quit complaining.

13. Our couch. I want a sofa bed. I want to lie down and watch TV so I can gain weight even easier than I do now. Yeah, I am serious, why do you ask?

Does it matter?

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 03:30:00 +0000

We are all largely selfish. Life is all about how hungry we are or how poor we are or how fat we are or how much we miss someone or something related to us. We don't even realise this too much, we are just wired that way.

I read somewhere that the death of a loved one changes your attitude to life and death. It's true. Ever since my grandmom passed away, I am acutely aware of my own mortality. I have seen many people in my life, young and old, die over the past few years. Some accidents, some of old age, some of a terminal illness. So naturally my attitude to life has changed. Maybe not drastically but still, changed. When I feel angry with TH for something, I think "but life is so short, does this really matter?". The answer is always "no, it doesn't. This too shall pass and it's not even a big deal". And then I move on.

Does that mean we never argue? Of course not. When two people spend as much time together as we do, away from family and "interruptions", opinions tend to differ (mostly his) and voices tend to be raised (always mine). That's fine.

But the truth is, in the long run, in this short phase we call life, those irritations, disappointments, set-backs, lost relationships, missed vacations, they don't matter. If every single day you are met with some depressing event or another, then yes, definitely do something about it. But letting one thing move with you from one day to the next, harbouring disappointment or frustration, that's just not worth it.

Life is short. And when I feel the worst has happened to me and it's unfair, I just tell myself - it doesn't really matter.

No, it doesn't. Nothing does.

Small Blessings - Hair on my Head

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:37:00 +0000

This is going to sound very weird but... I am happy I have hair on my head. I keep cribbing about how frizzy it is and how curly and ugly and all the rest of it. But, I can wash it and iron it and it looks just fine. So, I am happy I have something to work with.

It could've been much worse.

Let her be - indeed!

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:12:00 +0000

Yesterday in the train, I was reminded of this post from July 2006. Wow, that's almost 6 years back.

Here's what it says.

PJ is unhappy and a little upset. She is wondering why and each time the question runs in her head, she gets a collage of thoughts, memories and emotions. So she quickly turns to her computer and stares at it trying to empty her mind and clear her thoughts. Maybe its a break she needs. From the endless routine of things. Of her life. Maybe she shouldn't let people judge her and tell her what she is. Yes, that has to stop. Taking input thats worse than garbage. Trying to be someone else when she is most comfortable being herself. Who is she to tell me what PJ is and what PJ is thinking? She can choose what she wants because this is her life. PJ will do what she wants and what makes her happy even if she finds it funny or dull or boring or ordinary. Nobody is ordinary in this world. And definitely PJ is not ordinary! She is only trying to discover herself. To know what she wants so that she can go about getting there.
I think we should just.. let her be...

No points for guessing PJ is me. And I remember most of the circumstances of writing this. But basically it comes down to this - I was judged a lot. As horrible as this may sound, some of it was well-meaning. I was this small-town girl who had moved to the big city with 3000rs in her non-branded purse. Almost everything gave me a culture-shock. Obviously people judged me.

For instance, I was constantly accused of being too nice and eager to please and a doormat. From the post above, it looks like I was also deemed ordinary. I don't remember who said that or most of those things. I was all of these things though, let's be clear on that. I was in awe of most people I met and I was petrified that I would not fit in and be liked by all. So yes I was nice to everyone, didn't disagree with anything much, and was super flexible with things like meeting someone for lunch over dinner at last minute notice, or picking up someone's snack for them, or whatever. You get the idea.

I was also judged for reading "trash". I couldn't care less about that. If I enjoy Chetan Bhagat, I will read Chetan Bhagat. This was my attitude back then too but since I was "too nice", I never said that to anyone's face. Today, I wouldn't bat an eyelid before saying it.

Anyway, the point is, I am no longer a doormat. Far from it. I stand by what I can and cannot do. I am still nice (and no one can convince me otherwise) and help as much as possible within my limits. If I can't then I won't. I haven't read the latest book by CB but I do read what could still be deemed trash. Whatever.

Ironically, most of the people who asked me to change "for the better" are no longer my friends or in touch with me. I am really not sure what to make of that. Do you? ;)

Small Blessings - English

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Tue, 08 May 2012 09:59:00 +0000

This is going to sound super silly and trivial but I am glad I can speak good English.

Yeah, that's all.

Kthxbye

Need help?

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:20:00 +0000

This happened a while back and since then has been on my mind. TH and I were walking back home after dinner one night. We were crossing a busy street and there was a blind man walking just ahead of us. He seemed pretty ok with finding his way around but while crossing the street, he was walking diagonally and almost running into waiting cars. Before either of us could grab him, someone closer to him did it.

The way he responded totally threw me off. The blind man violently shook off the guy who was trying to help him and muttered something angrily. We all crossed the street just fine and as we kept walking, I was wondering.

Just because he is blind, does that give him the right to be rude to someone who was only trying to help? Agreed, he must be bitter and angry at the fact that he clearly lacks a very important part of life and yes, we should probably allow him to be cranky. Aren't we all? But still, just because of that, should we allow him to behave the way he wants when he wants.

I thought about this over and over and I'm really not sure. You?

You Know What?

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Sun, 06 May 2012 02:29:00 +0000

What someone feels about me is their problem, not mine. It's a pain to have to adjust my feelings for someone just because I have new insight into how they feel about me (and trust me, it was truly insightful). So, I am not going to do that. I am going to continue the way I am. I am going to still consider them a friend. Someone I shared a lot with - good and bad. Someone I wish only gets the best in life, not just because they deserve it, but because enough crap has flown under the bridge.

So yeah. You. You don't think I am a good-enough friend? Too bad. Deal with it.

Small Blessings - the people you love

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Fri, 04 May 2012 08:02:00 +0000

The past 2 weeks have been the busiest of my life. One week in Tokyo on work followed by a few days vacation followed by the marketing academy sessions at INSEAD. A few things helped me keep my sanity intact but most importantly it was TH.

I hate waking up early in the morning (read: 7am) so he made it easier by waking up with me and making me Ovaltine and cheese sandwich for breakfast. He also cooked dinner this entire week so I could come home, eat, and crash.

Not so much a small blessing, coming to think of it... :)

Small Blessings - Croissants

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:45:00 +0000

Especially almond croissants. I know the ones they have in the bakery at the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo is going to haunt me for a long time to come. Delicious!

Small Blessings - Travels

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 04:53:00 +0000

I am about to take a flight out to Tokyo in less than 3 hours. I think I have mentioned (maybe even a few times) that 7 years back, I didn't even have a passport but now I am on my second one that's almost running out of pages. That's mainly because you need a visa to enter pretty much everywhere if you have an Indian passport but it's also because of all the traveling and the adventures - mostly work, but also a lot of personal vacations.

I will never take that for granted.

Small Blessings - Friendship

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:19:00 +0000

I have seen them in almost all varieties. The kind who are close when you are with them but then stay out of touch in spite of repeated attempts from my end, the kind who decide on their own that your friendship wasn't so deep anyway, the kind that expect things out of you and turn cold when you can't do them all, the kind who just pass by with a hi and a bye, the kind who stay out of your life because they can't stand to see your small successes, etc etc.

But today, I feel blessed about the one kind that stick by me, tell me when my watch looks ancient, when I look fat in a particular skirt, when my cupcake tastes less than average, that call me over so I can admire their new-born, and that buy me roti prata and ice cream for dinner because I haven't had a great week at work.

Small Blessings

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:59:00 +0000

I had this sudden idea/inspiration to create a blog and write down one thing that is my silver lining for the day - one thing that made my day better and makes me feel that life is not so bad, in fact it's pretty darn good.

I didn't end up setting up that blog because there's no URL available for me to use. Finally I gave up because I didn't want a non-blogger one since it's too much trouble to log in to different dashboards every day.

So, I am going to use the blog I do have, this one! And why delay something good, eh?

So here goes for today.

A Googler from Bangalore whom I've never met pinged me and said she is a fan of my cooking blog and reads me regularly and that she was pleasantly surprised when she realised I am a Googler too. Small blessings :)

How to be truly happy

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:02:00 +0000

You know most articles or books that start with "how to be xyz" is mostly going to be preachy and telling you things that are either impossible or don't make sense, right? Well, I think so anyway.

Yeah, I'd rather read about imaginary things than self-help books that talk about day to day problems in life. We all have them but we go through life either ignoring them or not knowing what to do, or the worst, knowing what to do but just not doing it or not knowing how to do it.

I hope that wasn't too confusing.

Point is, a friend and I were talking about this at lunch today. About just living life vs living life incorporating things like family, friends, work, and their feelings. Doing something we don't want to do to make someone happy. Not doing something because it may not please someone. I've been doing that my entire life. It hasn't particularly made me unhappy though. I am one of those people who can be happy by making someone else happy once in a while too. That totally works for me.

Anyway, following the conversation, she sent me this link. 15 things you should give up to be happy. I am guessing for most people you will find a sub set of that list to work with. Not me. I have all 15 to work with. I am "guilty" of every single one of them. But that post made so much sense to me. It's not even stuff I didn't know or realise but it helped to see it all in one place and presented that way.

If it helps even one of you, that's good for me. Now let me go get cracking on that list.

A Post on Posts

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:21:00 +0000

Yeah that's a lame title but I am jet lagged so I don't care. Spiff tagged me a while back to do this and I had starred her comment to get to it eventually. Since I am this close to passing out over my desk and causing my head serious damage, I thought I will do something that will force me to think and remember (not that my work doesn't, but you know).

The sad part about this tag though is that it was extremely hard to remember some of the posts. I have long since almost abandoned this site and although it has a ton of very special posts close to my heart, I just don't remember most of them.

Anyway, here goes.

1. Your most beautiful post

Hmmm.. beautiful. Let me see. I think this post that talks about my first trip abroad is adorable because of its naivety. I was so innocent and under-exposed (you know what I mean) back then that it's almost like looking back at someone I knew in the past and not me myself.

2. Your most popular post

According to Google Analytics, it's the post announcing that I am getting married. The tag Me and TH is also equally popular in terms of readership.

3. Your most controversial post

Ah. I wish I was more controversial, writing things that pisses off a large chunk of people and makes the rest delightfully bite their nails and sit on the edge of their seats as they scroll down this site taking in the juicy things I wrote. That hasn't really happened yet so I am going to go with 'What Men Want'. I think this is one of my best posts ever. It pissed off a fair number of guys ;) I don't think I could ever do that again, write with such abandon and humour. I re-read that post often and smile to myself. Yes, I am quite narcissistic.

4. Your most helpful post

All book reviews, however short or lame, always get good feedback. I think my taste in books is very easily transferable to a large number of people so it's useful I guess.

5. A post whose success surprised you

Hmm.. that's a tough one. Probably this tribute I wrote my grandmom when she passed away. I still see that it's the most often read post on a 30-day window. When I wrote it, I was in a terrible state of mind, a few mins after I heard the news and realised I won't be able to fly down for the funeral. I re-read that post very often too.

6. A post you feel didn’t get the attention it deserved

This post I wrote about TH and his ex-roommate. I thought the post was downright hilarious.

7) The post you’re most proud of

That's got to be 'What Men Want'. It's kinda sorta funny guys. I encourage a read, especially if you are not a man ;)

Water for Elephants - A Review

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 06:56:00 +0000

Once of the nicer books I have read this year. Short review below.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reading this book was like eating rava pongal. You know, the South Indian breakfast delicacy that's smooth, rich, creamy, yet has those whole black peppers thrown in for texture and flavour? Yes, that kind. It's a very easy and smooth read. But it's not a simple book, not at all. There are back and forths and nuances and intricacies that you need to watch out for to realise. The best parts (or maybe worst?) are, of course, when you bite in to the black pepper. It's intense, you know it's going to sting your tongue, but you take it anyway because that's what adds character to the dish. Without it, the book is too simple, too bland.

I loved it. I wish it wasn't over just yet. Struggling to find a good one to follow this. Definitely recommend a read.

Just

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 07:20:00 +0000

I wish I could just wipe off people from my life fully and completely.

- like cleaning a blackboard
- flicking a small bug off your arms
- binning an empty milk carton

You get the drift.

I can't function with negativity around me. Some seem to thrive on it though.

Pity.

A general update

noreply@blogger.com (Nagalakshmi V) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:02:00 +0000

The past month or so has been quite busy in many ways. The in-laws are visiting and presumably, life takes on a different rhythm. I hardly cook anymore, there's dinner ready when we get home, I've played more cards than I ever have in my life before, some of the old spots we visited and forgot were revisited, so you know, just a different month just passed by. They leave on Sunday and I am telling myself it's time to get back to the old routine mentally, especially the cooking part.

Work is busy. It's gotten busy over the past few months but no complaints because I love my new role. Work-related travel has also picked up quite a bit and I have three trips planned in the next 45 days! For someone who saw the inside of an airplane just 6 years back, that's quite something, isn't it?

A good friend moved to Singapore so I am finally ending the almost-4-year-long hunt for companionship. I now have a good group of close and random friends here and I feel that's good. It's really good.

I think I have also come to terms with living in Singapore. When I travel somewhere and get back, I have this feeling of coming back home. But it's weird sometimes, like for instance, I wanted to set up a small herb garden somehow in my apartment (with no natural light anywhere) and I know I can find a solution if I put my mind to it but somehow I feel like I don't want to since life here is not permanent. I wish I could feel grounded to this place. At least I could call it my home for the next two years. It's been 4 years already anyway!

I also find myself attracted to the unnecessary luxuries of life - like a Mulberry bag. This from a girl who used to say "omg! why would anyone spend so much on a bag? you could buy a small cottage somewhere in rural India for that kinda money". Sigh... Such is life.

Anyway, the only way I can buy a bag like that guilt-free is to open up a fund and get people to contribute, which I may end up doing. Any of you up to send some spare change my way?

Happy weekend folks!