Idiot Box

Feeling so lazy today..So unlike me :-D Been reading old poems here and there..Realized I like Roald Dahl not sure if I knew him before :-)

Just came across this poem..Somehow made me think of all the kids around I see, are doing exactly what is described here..But then is there any easy way out ??Considering we ourselves are socializing on FB :-D

Still it left me amazed that the poem was written sometime in 60's and still holds true..

Check out yourself

The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set —
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we've been,
We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotised by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink —
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND

Summer Summer go away

"Two days of power cut in Delhi made life miserable ..Worst affected was Metro Station where families of Santa and Banta were stuck at Metro escalators for 48 hours "

I can't stop laughing and smiling..delhi heat caught my attention to the joke .. Santa & Banta tooka way some of it though :-D

Summers are miserable here..Daytimes are horrible almost anywhere in India nowadays but what makes it special here is the hot baking oven even in the nights..No respite..and for ppl like me its home arrest..U can at most hop around frm malls to malls and thats it..or keep ur rendezvous to early mornings like we did for our anniv..


Went to Lodhi gardens..Here is hubby after meeting karishma kapoor..He says she was too thin and tiny but I think most of actresses are but they do look good on the screen..




I loved the boat in the pic ..someone had brought it here for the purpose of seeing it swim..Sweet huh



Had morning breakfast at american diners..Thankfully we new gen indians are late risers so not many ppl there where otherwise it takes half an hour to just get a table..enjoyed the morning meal of pancakes with maple syrup(after a longgg time) and scrambled eggs..soft and creamy..Yum Yum..

For whole day kitchen was shutdown..Actually it was a three day long weekend celebration..Also got to see angels and demons despite the horrible producer distributor conflict..went to a single screen theatre in search for the movie and to my surprise it was nice and even romantic frm inside, once you get past the cark parking..

I loved the cleanliness of the hall and the star studded ceiling ..yeah I watched it till the light were dimmed I cld see tom hanks on the screen [:D]

Been doing lots of shopping lately..Got a red purse..somehow my red collection ahs been growing for past half a year..Now I have a red mobile a red purse a red minipurse and a red suit..Just a red chappal is what I think is left..Imagine the scene a lady in the red he he[:)]


Talking of my mobile reminds me of the priyanka chopra ad which says "’it’s who we are". yeahhh I find the ad so apt I love it.This time(actually its been six months now) I looked and in the market to get the look I wanted..I was not looking for a hi fi service one but something that's the light weight, smart ,has nice voice quality & FM and most imp has the color that I want..So I got a red black combo slider Nokia..Nokia is always the first choice because of its robustness. So even if its mishandled it can work.. [:D]
(http://themobileblog.co.uk/?p=635 I think it looks even better in person.)

Recently tried fruit beer at Berco's. and I even went back for two more glasses of it within a week [:D] I think am a fizz fan..ANyday give me pepsi cola's to those miranda's fanta's..Though I still can avoid them but Thums UP is an all time favortie and to this day whenever I see it I go for it..

Saw Star trek..I am one of those early star trek TV series avid followers..Dont even remeber the year but I must have been a small kid..But I remember capt Kirk I found him wonderfully smart and Spock, was an interesting character for me..I went all wide eyed to see the current BIG screen adaptaion and boy I was not disappointed..Though I thought Kirk was less smarter but Spock looked better here..

Another transition is waiting hopefully will see less hot days ahead [:D]

Happy Summers

Note:Pic at top is amaltas flowers only ones still blooming in the heat..

This is absolutely amazing..Here I am lying on my bed and typing on my desktop as if I was using a lappy...Only rearrangements are little side shifting for the PC table and a keyboard on bed and wow u are at it..Now I have a newfound love for my PC :-D

its getting warmer here, though there has been lot of western disturbances(thankfully) leading to rains far and betweeen..which are the only saving grace.

Was in Mumbai for a fortnight..hubby was in for business and I tagged along..A good decision overall. Hubby went to office and I roamed and roamed and roamed. Went around from VT Flora fountain bandra Navi Mumbai to Thane.BTw do u know the cost of construction for flora fountain ?..Rs 47 yeah saw it written below the fountain lady... trains were not that crowded(of course I travelled in off timings having the time luxury) . Humidity was a bit high but coming from Delhi it was all better than not being able to go out for heat..even nights outside are so hot..

Saw lot of change..all the BEST stops had names on it..JVLR was so much the better..Linking road was so closer to Bandra station now..I am sure they have opened up some shortcut as it used to take a lot of time a decade earlier..Bandstand was not so cool, had a hard time locating mannat among so many constructions and high rises..Have the rocks gone a lot darker than early times??..I missed brightness of a sea shore ..Cld not make it to marine drive and Juhu..Juhu was our all time favorite spot..

For the first time explored powai.Spending few hours in crossword was nice.Did u know Sonia and Indira cld got along well as italian brides are more or less prepared for a "superior MIL and superior husband " and I thought it was taught in India only hmm..

Another anecdote Maneka gandhi had a ring given by indira(passed on frm Kamla Nehru) which she threw away in a fit and it seems sonia kept it for priyanka and now priyamka wears it..will surely try to sight in all the fingers now looking fo the ring ;) Source of course is sonia's biography an afternoon read in crossword..

Even got a bookstore in those few days, took a membership and got to read "Palace of Illusion"

It's mahabharata written as draupadi wld have seen it(fan fction style)..Loved the way writer has handled scenarios of "her marriage to 5 bro's", "her cheer haran" and so many other episodes..Author has tried to come up with a fictional account from what might have been draupadi's point of view..Amazing is the word..I think I might read it again frm another library some time some day :-D

went around and did loads and loads of window shopping ..Took severe liking to a govinda colored yellow bag and didnt buy (all to save some 20 stupid bucks which he was demanding more than my quoted price )..Now I see it all around me and even think of it as some ideal purse..Man is this what being a shopalcholic means ;-)

Might have another shifting coming soon..Right now its MIL operation time. Wohoo how famous docs position themselves..its like creating a brand and then loads of processes for patients to follow. Then there are horde of associate consultants and like to take care of your every need, with few doses of the main doctor to appease the poor patient.. Well I missed the personal feel of a doc a lot.. Those were the days..

If had been my surgery I wld have preffered the home next door doc anyday..

Now that's khandani rajdhani..Occasion was mother's day..So mom got to get her day out and thali was so cool..first thali which I really appreciated..Sweets section is just amazing and guys are smart with the sizing and quantitiy of the material..Amazing place here is hubby loving his VEG thali meal(Can tell you for sure this is one rare phenomenon)

Anyways,can see lots of colorful blossoms coming up here and there and here..At the top is a pic of one of them and yeah the umbrella as it rained that day in delhi with icecubes (okie I dont know what do u call olay in hindi :-) so go get a good laugh )

Cheers

Let's Party

Spring is here and I can see all the colors blossoming all around me.I love the play of colors all
around me..Nice winds and amazing morning,evening breezes.Never knew Delhi has a pleasant weather phase as well..Surprisingly here it is and it reminds me so much of the bangalore..

Roamed around in malls and markets a lot during last few weeks as in laws were here..Discovered some new markets..I am a fan of lazingly roaming around in a market U get to see everything in abundance be it colors smells food shops people and love the feel of it all though I believe shopping takes away the focus from what I see lol Anyways will go to explore the markets some day later..Found a market in tilak nagar exclusively for Shaadi ka band baaza and accesories.Yeah there was a whole row of shops dedicated to gaana bazzana.Proper office with manequins playing bands in their typical dress..There were shops even the ghodhi waala and pretty carriages and all ..Amazing
Got the holi gujiya at a local shop and yummy it was total home kindaa taste..Finished the whole buy in just two days ..Gosh how gluttonous..It reminds me of what joey(frnds soap character) says when he is caught redhanded while finishing somebody else's cake "And I dont even feel guilty about it " :-D
While shopping in our sector mkt saw this guy wearing T shirt with slogan "we both know u want want me" I was so amused I think I stared at the lines quite a few times lol..One of the best one's I have read in recent times :D

Had some of the funniest moments with our bhanja..in pic above

Sample bhanja moments :D

-Sitting on the floor in a mall(we made him walk quite a bit) massaging his legs saying "Ab mein bahut thak gaya hoon"

-While going back "Mamma ka plane ticket nahi hein mein abhi lekar aata hoon"
-Checking my washimg M/C's logo(he cant read right now) and saying yeh LG hein na

-Asking me a logo when I said bajaj he replied "Bajaj Auto waala"

I was left amazed at how attentive creative expressive we are as a child and how set on a pattern as we grow up already moulded in our thinking biases..talking of biases..Kept a maid for cutting veggies(I hate this part of cooking) and here I get calls asking me if I am really okay letting a muslim do this..I was shocked by the blatancy of the question..I have seen the prejudices but in a gen above..This coming frm someone around my age was unexpeted

I must say I had quite impressive experiences with my maids..I still remember my mumbai maid who when came first to our house..We thought she was the head of some maid association..she had this mangalsootra heavy ear rings and saree with not even a slight wrinkle anywhere..And I never saw any wrinkle in her saree ever for as long as she worked in my house..Then I had a similar maid in Bangalore..I was amazed by her zest to give a better life to her kids fighting a non supportive husband and in laws..she had a savings account for her daughter(which she had kept with my landlord's help as she herself cld not read and write)..
There must be so many stories around I am sure..

Watched Slumdog Millionaire..I think he small kids were amazing..and so was the energy of the movie..I love that chase and the way they have shown the O saya .even the potty scene I am still awed by it..dont tell me u guys never did a timepass like the little guy.. :-p ..Not sure how many times I have seen the movie for these shots..

Been to haldiram in search of ghevar and came back these pics of mango tango..As our home is near airport strip keep seeing so many planes landing and believe me watching a plan frm soo close is wow everytime..Now there section outside the airport where u will see guys selling matka kulfi..couples, kids, parents gazing in the sky kulfis in their hand..All just to catch a glimpse of the scene..Its funny how such a small thing can become an attraction here :D
Yeah and even I plan to do the same sometime soon..

Went across to stretch of NH8 a lot many times and got so many amazing sites..Above is one of them..A huge fleet of cow gaadi's with villagers on NH8 ..It was a cool I wish I had camera instead of my mobile with me.

Been ne few rounds of rajpath that my fav stretch and this time went there especially to catch lovely dahlias..:-)

Wish you all a belated holi and a colorful spring time

Happy New Year

New Year is already here..:-) A month already gone by..Wow u realizing it today..Cribs another voice inside..But I was too wrapped up shouts back my inner self ;-) and the fight goes on...

This New year was spent travelling to rajasthan..for many it's a dream destination somehow never was for me..But after the visit I still can't get it over my mind..

The long lonely landscapes to aravali's in the background,rana pratap's famous haldighati & the battle seasoned forts of Chittor to the jauhar of padmini and palatial beauty of Udaipur...I still keep running over it again and again in my thoughts..

Was supposed to be just a long weekend but then hubby got a week's vacation and we decided it was time for a rajasthan tour. Our first stop was Chittorgarh I am still mesmerized by the beauty of the fort and the aura of history that just goes with it..

Saw the simple looking padmini jal mahal (right bldng of the 2 in pic)..last three steps where padmini sat and khilaji saw her in a shininng kansa plate(no mirrors mannn) in adjacent building. well for amateurs..here goes the story..Rani padmini's beauty was beyond words and khilaji was the maharuler(villian as in our stories). He told chittor ka raja he will leave chittor if they show him rani once which of course is so beyond rajputana tradition. Hence the mirror show of rani.But now as khilji saw rani once he of course wanted more(well as every villian wants) which led to the battle with only one end and that was chittor's fall.hence the jauhar the ultimate sacrifice(u go on pyre as suhagin and ur husband goes to fight for death)..

Cld not help but overdramatize the story watching too many movies nowadays. I can't believe it hubby has not heard the story ..But it was amazing.

Victory tower..Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hein we replayed it here :-)

MeerBai's temple another treasure..I thought it was all in our dadi maa bedtime stories but here it was right in front of my eyes where meera drank the poision only for it to be turned into amrita.
Road drive from chattisgarh to Udaipur was a zoom zapak drive.I didnt know such roads existed in India.No habitation around 100 km driveway. One of the common scene that greeted us u wld be cattle grazing in the ground and ladies of house just sitting on their hunches by roadside in the sun , looking content or blank I wish I knew.
Amazing how sometimes scenes that touch u most, just passes by.. It now seems like a movie with no prints ..yeah I got no pics :-) But my memory is serving me perfectly fine so far,so there it runs in my mind..

There is a sharp contrast as u move from Chittorgarh to Udaipur. Suddenly from a battle driven huge lonely rocky terrain u reach land of lakes,beauty and palaces.. First rendezvous was the night light and sound show at City Palace..Amazing it feels as if the whole fort has come alive to tell u the story of it's creation and tradition.

I can see how the janata wld have felt about such a transition in those days..How and why did Rana pratap had the courage to leave life of such luxury is a question that still wonders me.It was Pratap's father who did the transition from Chittor to Udaipur..

Ropeway's top view of Udaipur was amazing..Glittering with jag mandir and city palace in view..

Haldighati terrain was as the name says all haldi in color..One can even visit chetak's(that's was pratap's famed horse) samadhi too..What delighted me to no ends was we could spot the naala(in the left pic) which chetak crossed and saved his raja's life though it led to chetak's demise..Surprsingly not too highlighted as a tourist destiantion, it was cherished discovery for me..
Phew Sweet memories :D

Jan has been busy making every wekeend to my parent's house on one pretext or other..Celebrating lohri after a decade since I had left home was special moment as well.Not much to it except its kindaa bonfire but the tradition and home coming feel of it makes its lovely. First lohri for hubby as well :-)

Life has been interesting journey so far and I wish it unravels itself as beautifully as it has so long..

Wish you all a very Happy New year

Note:Pic at the top are the view we got all along the highway..I love dilli ki sardi :-D

Waiting for More

Trying to come back to normalcy that's how we as a country are feeling..So,Is all back to normal..No it isn't and I really wish it's not..

Political back lashing by janta at least ensured co-operation among various faction on India's integrity issues. Though how long they it stays this way is anybody's guess.
Let the pressure be on..

For the first time I am seeing the response frm pakistan on our channels..I am really able to see why aam janata there failed to believe 26/11 was being rooted in their soil itself.
Yes our politicians shouting Pakistan for all happening here never helped (especially sambhavana blast being the recent example)..Dawn's own investigation definitively reveals some role media can really play..Now this is a new change,as I never remember something like this coming out frm pakistani media in Musharraf government.Some faith in civilian government and of course freedom of speech..(To be honest I always was a Musharaf fan and cld never understand why ppl were shouting freedom in his reign apart from political reasons..Shows how far projected images can go,But I stand corrected).

I appreciate our govmt's measured response and pressure building tactics on pakistan.
Ensuring there won't be a any war but pakistan will have to fight hard for any terror on its own soil. Stopped Zardari in his own tracks rather than letting him blackmail the world by saying they wld be shifting their troops.

I sound for the time being satisfied with government is trying to achieve on border scene.. But I am yet to see anything concrete on home front..Measures so far hasn't impressed any of us. So yes I am waiting for more a lot more..


Also some hot questions still running wild in my thoughts

--yeah PK has banned Jamat E Udwa but then announcing 2 days in advance and then banning doesn't help much..By then all assets are transferred else where and member already start disappearing. So whats the way to take this forward.

--How does one change the basic nature of an organization(ISI) which has been at war with INDIA since their inception be it frontline war or being involved with indirect warfare..(trying to train insurgents/militants)

--We are thinking of creating a new federal agency but does that ensure smooth transition and information flow among our agencies ..How do we solve that? Also how do we minimize the bureaucracy for various approvals required?

Sometimes I try to think back when all this started..and I am not sure why my mind stops at Babri Masjid Demolition.Its not that our history didn't have riots before that but somehow this one seems like unending loop to me. But the recent attacks are far beyond our own issues or are they really??

Would Don's involvement ink something similar?

Sometimes I wonder how someone like advani can sleep comfortably at night..Does his conscience never bother him or it it really easy to say and believe things went beyond ones control..Was he not the leader,the one driving his rathyatra..How can one fool oneself huh

Note:Last post I got at least 2 of my queries answered by steps taken by govt..I wish things get clearer by next time..

So yeah I am Still waiting for MORE..

Its Happened Again

It happened again..and I am sitting here in anguish how can this be..Have we not seen the same bad dream so many times..But every time its come more stronger more organized and better funded than before..Who is to blame for this,we,our politicians or the country there across the border

How we allow ourselves to be cheated by the broklen promises time and again..Or is that we have simply perfected the art of let go..and made it sound great with "being resilient"..Or is that in a country of billion few hundreds dont matter..Keep punching us and we will come back stronger in numbers at least if
not in strength..Where are the lessons we learnt frm the so called attack on our democracy 7 years back..

There has been so many question running around in my mind

--How come its been 7 years and still there we are as vulnerable as ever..No lessons learnt and every time the same promises frm politicians..Will this time be any different if so why.

--Do we really think getting some more hawaldars stand here and there is going to make the terrrorism stay atbay..Dont we see we need to be a lot more active on gathering intelligence..Some men came by boat checked in to our best hotels made their control house there for 8 days and we didnt even get a sniff on that..Wld the guys in govt realize how significant it is

However we might criticize bush I still have to agree on on fact that he has not let his country to be attacked since 9/11..Do u really think ppl dont plan to attack them..

--when will see a co-ordinated response to a terror act..Do we even have a list of hostages taken out or anything to calm the families struggling to get any news of their families..Looks like disaster mgmt is in disaster itself..I thought TAJ Mgmt was so better appreciated here even though half of there staff
was killed..U cld hear the appreciation in the guest voices frm inside.Thats how u play a moment of crisis.

--When are our politicans going to realize that they need to present a solidaroty front on at least some basic issues like home security.They can't keep dog fighting each other out just for the sake of it..

--If we really so strongly believe that Pakistan is behind every such attack..Why we haven't put forward the strong evidence across to US UN and them itself..How can someone really deny a conclusive evidence...Are we missing something here or after so many attacks we still are to gather evidnce against them(a Shame)..Or is it govt thinks it too conveninent

So is there any hope for all of us..Of course there is..we are democracy..and at the end of the day govt want votes..Such situation will force all the parties to make security their top priority.They will have to act upon the groundswell demand from us the people.Even politicos know they can make it a huge election issue and they will be measured on it..Also aren't we on our way to become a economic superpower..So what abt all those buisnesses who fourish in a calm and peace env. Am sure that wld be a good force to make govt act..

So do I think its going to happen soon..No now that wld be a mistake..Till we make the habit of letting go it will be a let go issue..
And before things go for good there is always a dive down..so hold ur breath as there might be more to come before we see the good happen..

Till then have faith