Vector Gaming

The new author on the block

2012-01-22T14:59:00.000+05:30

I have the good fortune of having interacted with Kiran Manral, over her blog and Twitter. I have just bee completely fascinated by her style, humour and usage of phrases. I have not missed a single blog post of hers since she was at 'Thirty seven and counding'. And, when I came to know that she is soon to publish a novel, it was just too thrilling. The book was sure to just be a riot knowing her writing style. I was also awed with someone I knew writing a full fledged novel. This would be the second author who I would know, maybe not too well, but at least I do know!

I got the book the week it was out, but just finished it, with travelling, packing and such. Totally enjoyed the book and in fact when I was at the last chapter, I was reading it way more slowly than what I usually do. I just did not want it to end! I would be writing a review too which you can come back for maybe next week, but for now here is the short question answer session which I could squeeze out of the new author on the block!

To know more about the book, head to Book Blog, Flipkart, Infibeam, or Youtube

I am so proud to introduce to you the author, blogger, tweeter, social worker and much more

KIRAN MANRAL

Tell us a little about yourself

I started out my career as a copywriter in a small advertising agency, moved on to journalism, quit full time work to have a baby, and continued freelancing. I write freelance features. I also blog and work on social issues.

When did you first dream/wish to become an author?

Never actually. I’m too intimidated by the thought of becoming an author. I’d always looked on to authors with awe and reverence.

When was your first work published? What was it?

Hmm. First work in print? Probably the school and college magazines. Some earnest attempt at poetry or fiction.

Prior to becoming an author, you were…

A freelance features writer.

What is the plot for The Reluctant Detective?

It is about a housewife who has a person from her society found murdered on the road, and comes across yet another murder. And her curiousity and lack of anything better to do perhaps leads her to start snooping around asking questions...for the rest of it, you have to read the book.

How did you come upon the plot for The Reluctant Detective?

Honestly. I just wrote it out. I’m awful with plotting and planning. So I just wrote out a story as I thought it would flow.

What kind of research went into writing The Reluctant Detective?

No research actually. It is not a very serious book. Its more a kind of life I am familiar with, being a suburban housewife myself.

What profile of readers do you think would enjoy this book?

Anyone who enjoys a funny, quick read would enjoy this book.

What are your three all time favourite books and why?

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome

Anything by P G Wodehouse

The Lord of The Rings Trilogy

Why. I love to laugh and to be fascinated with things.

What are you reading right now? Are there any authors (living or dead) that you would name as influences?

Right now I’m re-reading some old Wodehouse books. I tend to keep dipping into them back and again between heavy reads. I just finished Stephen King’s 11.22.63 on the Kennedy assassination and time travel. Authors as influencers are so many--P G Wodehouse, Dave Barry, Jerome K Jerome in the humour genre, Gabriel Garcia Marquez in magic realism, Milan Kundera, J RR Tolkein, Terry Pratchett, Charlotte Bronte, Ernest Hemingway, Daphne Du Maurier and yes, Enid Blyton. I find I love the comfort of simple writing and an easy tale.

How does it feel to be a published author?

It still hasn’t sunk in, to be honest.

Who has been the best critic of your work?

I would find that out now I guess.

What is your definition of a great book?

A book you can go back to anytime and feel compelled to read it all over again.

On another front, what are your favourite recreational activities?

I love to watch movies. I am a complete horror movie buff. Apart from that, no real recreational activities, except maybe, eating.

Are you a music buff? What are your fav genres?

Not really, as one gets long in the tooth, one tends to stick with familiar music one has grown up with. So soft rock and pop I guess. And I enjoy the occasional ghazal and thumri.

Post-partum

2012-01-12T14:13:00.002+05:30

Recently I have been trying to figure out what really works for post-partum weight loss. Since, I have stopped breastfeeding Tee, I have seen that there is a gradual increase in the waistline which seems to be working on, and the sooner I get to work on it, the better.

Firstly, I started to analyse what is the main difference in the food habits, and I realized that something which has been happening is that I seem to be having a heavier dinner than before pregnancy, and this is something which may not required. And, as I thought about it, I realized that regular heavy meals have been the norm when I was pregnant, and that is still being continued, even though I do not seem to need it. A heavy breakfast, and decent lunch should suffice. Keeping dinner light and early is something which I like to do. A reason for having the heavy dinner also might be attributed to the late dinner which has been happening off late. B works late, which means dinner also shifts to a later time. I snack in between and end up not having my meal on time, and also filling myself with unwanted ( but tasty) stuff.

As a new year deal with myself, I have decided I shall allow myself only 200 gms of any tasty tit bits in any form through an entire month. I do not think I would survive a complete deletion of these said items from my diet forever, but I would certainly want to cut down on these things. And once I have cut down to this level, I can have whatever I please in the limit set. I do not need to look out for the low fat and substitutes. Its been almost half a month and things do seem to be doing well for me till now. I have not given in to my cravings and I am saving my allowance for the latter half of the month. This reminds me of my pocket money during school days, and how I used to save it for the last week of the month, where I would have a lavish snack in school knowing that come next month, I would have some money to spare again.

Another bit which I gathered while reading up on post-partum weight loss was that there is a clear loss in muscle quality which needs to be built up, and that can happen only with exercise and strength building exercise to be specific. Saying this, I am not a very big gym fan, so I do not keep to my routine and I also do not end up giving in my full at the gym, hence, it takes a fair bit of time for the effects of a good gym workout to show on me. I did find another alternative, Pilates and Yoga classes. Good toning and weight loss as an added benefit, but foremost fitness! But, they are a tad too expensive I would say though I really badly need the workout. I have been just vegetating in front of the laptop and having my meals. If you count in looking after Tee, that would still not require so much energy, at least not the good stretches which I am looking forward to. So many things I want to do and I have no clue how I would be getting things into action. I keep telling myself and everyone around I do not have the time. Frankly speaking, I mean to say that I do not know if I can spend any time away from Tee. I do worry a bit too much and I wonder whether it would actually matter so much. Anyhow I need to start doing this as that is the only way I would get back to work also in a few weeks, albeit part-time.

Of Loving and Understanding

2011-12-28T17:50:00.003+05:30

There are many days which end in a whirlwind and yet many others where I have the time to relax, think and plan for the next day. I cherish this time which I get at times, towards the end of the day, however rare it is. Being a new mother, there always seems to be so many items on the checklist, which never ever get done, but nevertheless have to in the week. All such planning and updates on the list happen during these few hours which I catch up with at times.

If I will be credited with 2 hours every day, then there is something which I have not being giving any time for, and that is myself. Being able to sit down and plan my life out, take the time to think how I wish to pan out plans and achieve them. And these me-times are very rare to find as there is inevitably something which I need to attend to at any time of the day. So, more than 2 hours extra, I need to have these two hours completely to myself. That is what I would want the most.

And what would I do during these two hours? There are many things which I feel, in the daily run called life, we miss out on and do not give any importance to.

The most important I feel is to understand a fellow human being.
The second important thing is to love unconditionally.

If you ask me, of the two, the second one is very difficult, and it does play havoc with ego, emotions et al. But, to truly be happy, one must be able to love someone taking away the good, bad and ugly from than person. And that requires that I am able to do some good amount of thinking, re-assess what decisions I took and how differently I could have done things. They might be the smallest of small things, but if it has affected me, and warranted a look over it in these 2 extra hours, then it sure is important.

Understanding people around is again something which requires time for me. I have noticed that many a times, I end up assuming what the other person would have wanted to me understand rather than just understand what they said. And if they do not say anything, I have learnt to ask. I think this is one of the most important things which I need to instill in myself. It is a tedious process, I have begun the same, but I know analyzing my thinking and actions are the only way to go about it.

So, extra time is something I really do need. I need to organize my mind and improve as a person.

Time flew

2011-12-13T20:27:00.001+05:30

7 months seem like a short period of time for many other things which I have done. But, when I look at my 7 month old daughter, I feel aww, love, amazement. I see everyday a new development, I see a personality developing apart from the milestones which I am quickly counting and documenting. She has her likes and dislikes, somethings will never happen when she doesn't wish for it. But, she also knows when I am losing my temper and she will also quickly concede.

When I embarked on this journey, I was so unprepared, in fact now I look back, I had no idea what to expect. I did not know anything about children. I had only seen my nieces and nephews for brief periods which were more customary than in a taking care role. I was there to take care of them when their mother needed some work done. So, I was the one who would sit down and keep them occupied, but I was never the one who would be with them all through the day and I did not know how I would ever manage that. And today, I have been all alone at home, with no help ( yes, my help bunked), which means cooking, cleaning and T has all been my responsibility.

I do not know whether it was my running about or was it that children tend to get themselves into weird positions, but T just got her first nick while trying to stand up and stumbling, bumping her head on a rocking chair. She screamed and I came running, I saw the tinge of blood and my first instinct was to call B, but then I decided it didn't require that. It was a small nick, and she stopped howling after a minute. I dabbed it with a wet cotton and applied some baby lotion. Now, I believe that children fall down, get hurt and then they become OK, but then the first one being at 7 months is what I did not expect. My mom keeps telling me, you have one very active kid in the making, she will ensure you are on your feet. And my mom is also of the opinion that instead of wasting money on gym, exercise classes et al, I should just start running about with her and interact with her all through the day which will surely have me tired. After one day of managing everything on my own, I think maybe she does have a point, well moms always have a point! Experience that is called!

Anyhow, on the trying to stand up and move about bit, I think maybe it would be a good idea for me to get her a walker so that I know she wont be tumbling down anything soon. Also this will allow her to move about more easily. Any inputs, please do leave a comment. Any particular brand, model which is good, or if you feel walkers are not a good idea.. whichever way.

How a child can change your life

2011-12-08T19:01:00.000+05:30

Every time I get a call from a friend, the question which I get asked is as to how I am coping up with the change and how I am liking the different lifestyle. The fact is it is a big change and nothing which you could have thought will explain how the things are going to change. There are changes in every aspect of your life. Something as simple as just going to buy groceries to more elaborate shopping for oneself, all of it changes dramatically when you have to feature in a small person who loves to go out and explore, but would also be finicky about the kind of place and that she gets her food on time. Timing is everything in this whole process, with knowing your kid's schedule and being prepared about what would be required on a trip out.

Taking out time for myself has been the biggest challenge which I am faced with. You can have a help but getting yourself to trust completely that person and leaving your child is something which I am not too sure about. My mother says you have to trust someone or else just give up everything that you wish to do and sit at home. That is a choice which I have to make. Or the other option is some member of family from either side is present at home. I am not very thrilled with that option either. I think I have been ever too comfortable in a place which I call my own since the past 10 years and now if there is a constant other presence I am not too sure I would really like it. Nevertheless, I can't say for sure as I have not been there. But this is certainly one option where in I can just be sure that it is perfectly fine for me to leave the house for a few hours and go any place. But, then the trade off is in the way you want to teach your kid to do some stuff. There would be two different kinds of instructions which the kid will receive and that I am not too sure would be great to build a good solid foundation on the manners and habits which I would like to instill. For example, I can say that I do not give books in Tee's hands simply because I know she does not know what is to be done with them and hence she will just crush the paper to make noise. My help does at times give her books/ news paper in her hand which I have said NO to, and she does it because it is simple for her to keep her occupied such than play/ talk to her.

I was recently talking with a friend and she was of the opinion that when you do not let the child move about on the floor, explore, they do not end up moving about and learning to roll over or crawl. A friend of mine has experienced this first hand as she was working and hence the baby was in the care of the nanny most of the day. And she believes the nanny was in the habit of keeping her daughter in the pram through the day as it was simpler to move her about and also easier to manage her.Hence, she feels her daughter has started to crawl very late and is in general lazy as is used to being carried around or in a pram and is not used to exploring on her own. These might just be cases, but there might be many such things which will arise and hence the apprehension. I would love to have my freedom back and move about, but I think it is also in me to bring up my daughter to the best way I can. I have to prioritize and see what is it that I can let go and what I can not under any circumstances.

One of the main things which I need to start is working out. This is something of a priority for me and have been putting it off for long now. Now, for this I would like to leave Tee for an hour with my help and get this done. I feel some time being apart is fine but I am personally not comfortable in leaving her for prolonged periods. By this I mean, I would not like to leave her until she is able to tell me when something was wrong and she did not like it. Until then I think I should be around to ensure that the things are the way I want it to be done. For some reason I can not imagine that someone would take care of my kid the way I would. And this is where I see the truth when its said its good to have family stay with you if you wish to work or be away from your child for a long period. The fact is I do not want to leave Tee, not that I can not. I can. I can if I wish to trust my help to do the things as I would like it. But, will she?

A child truly changes your outlook to many things and opens up new emotions which you have never experienced. Its difficult and so many times you just feel frustrated with your situation and wonder why can't someone just take over for a while. And, then you realize, unless you really blindly trust the person who will be taking over, there is no true break.

I just had no clue its so hard being a mom!

Valmiki's Daughter - Book Review

2011-12-07T11:23:00.000+05:30

Valmiki's Daughter by Shani Mootoo, set in Trinidad, revolving around a family of four, their sexual preferences and the society they move in. The book is written in the voices of all the characters and there is also a fair bit of third person narrative in it. Hence a good blend of style.

The story weaves seamlessly, the past and present, emotions and culture. It moves through the relationships between father - daughter, mother - daughter, sisters and also the couple. The plot is mostly of the emotions which Viveka, Valmiki's Daughter experiences as she realizes her sexual preference for women over men. She is not worried about it, but she does know the plight of such women in the society and how it will affect her family. She knows that her parents might not agree to her likes, as they are shown to be through the book, but moreover she herself also is unsure whether she will have the courage to step up and take her stand for her wish. Through this there is the hidden preference of Valmiki himself, which is camouflaged in the screen of a womanizer.

The book portrays how society rules one's lives and how it is mandatory in smaller societies to ensure that the likes and dislikes are guarded heavily lest they become the topic of all conversations. It also shows how those who want, still goes ahead and cater to their likes, but with the knowledge of how to go about it and to not cause a scandal.

This is a book which I picked up at JustBooks over a month back but just never got down to reading it. Just been busy, I guess. Once I did pick it up, I was done in a matter of days. Its beautifully written, emotions played out and thoughts detailed. It does set you thinking.

Image: http://img.nbcindia.com/128/200/BookImages/778/9780143068778.jpg

I don't know how she does it - Movie Review

2011-12-06T19:30:00.000+05:30

Being a SATC fan, and also a Sara Jessica Parker fan, well not for her acting per say. I just liked her portrayal of Carrie Bradshaw, and seem to watch her movies. Lets say most of her movies are what a good chick flick is for me. Its never too heavy and still has some story line better than the Euro trip kinds. Being at home, and a recent mom, just wanted a peek into the other side... as I do plan on starting to work, maybe not soon, but will. And what I did see was not a pretty picture. I think its super difficult after seeing this movie.

She is a working mother, good at her work, enjoys her work and is trying her best to get the whole work done. Her husband is a very understanding man, but is also working and is hence quite busy with himself and has little time for the kids too. How the kids are affected by the nanny's continuous presence and how the yearn for their mom to be with them. They see more of their dad than their mom, and the elder daughter (6) makes it very evident that she dislikes her mom's work as it keeps her away from home. The plot moves onto a great project which comes her way, and makes life even more difficult for her. At the end of it all, she just decides to quit her job and stop as it was just driving her family crazy, but she ends up just prioritizing and saying 'NO' to the boss when required.

I thought it was quite dramatic how she decided to quit her job as how many of us would actually do that. If it is a job you have worked so hard to keep, work hard on and then you just walk out? Well, maybe you can if it is driving your life crazy. There is nothing phenomenally great in this movie, but its a decent week night movie.

Crochet Baby Sweater

2011-11-21T02:00:00.000+05:30

This finished quite quickly. I had posted a picture of the previous stage, and from there till now, I think it was a quick haul.

This is a crochet baby sweater, done in a single piece, and in homespun yarn. I truly am in love with this cozy snuggly yarn. Its perfect from children's wear, me think. It is chunky so it moves quite quick too. As I said earlier too.. the sweater can ideally be completed in just about 3-4 hours.. but then with the speed and intermittent process which I was following, it quite quite a while.

I think the two colours come off pretty well. And the pink being regular worsted DK, the chunky yarn is given some firmness through this edging.

Why females?

2011-11-20T12:38:00.000+05:30

Shail of Shail's nest shared a link on Facebook, a blogpost at Gender Bytes, and on reading it, it did set me thinking. If education and economics are not the reason for this incessant purging of females, then what is? Is it a feeling of responsibility, or is it the expense factor which eats them up?

Does a parents not feel any responsibility towards a son? They do not care what happens to him? Why is it so different for a girl? I feel the entire family respect which lies on the feet of a girl is where no family is ready to take on the responsibility and stand up for the girl to do as they please. I think the same stigma is attached to even homosexuals. A son, who is a homosexual is also seen in the same light, as per me, tarnishing their ever great family respect. But, the forever yearning for a son will never change, however wonderful and successful a daughter they have.

Then comes the expense of a girl, predominantly speaking, its not her education which matters to them, rather it is the dowry and wedding expenditure which swoons in front of their eyes. But, why do they forget that they themselves are the reason for this stupendous expense. There are communities int he world where a marriage/ wedding is taken up as the responsibility of the couple at hand, not the parents. The expenses are shared between the to-be-couple, and both parents contribute a small amount what they see fit for the occasion. I think this in a way helps to eliminate the prejudice against a girl child. But, this kind of responsibility can be handed over to the bride and groom, only if the parents see their children as adults who can take decisions and organize to their liking.

So where does the problem truly lie?

Image Source: http://crimeanddeviance.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/656009_f5202.jpg

Working with my hands

2011-11-10T04:30:00.000+05:30

Oh am I not glad to be working on some crochet after ages. I have been looking for yarn and finally got it through a friend who went for work to US. I do really believe that India does not have great yarn with different textures and wonderful colours. They are just boring and all the yarn is the simple DK, worsted kinds.

I have been wanting to make a sweater for Tee, and finally found a great pattern for her sweater at Crochet me. In case you have not been able to open the link, then the name of the pattern is " Baby its cold outside' .. isn't that like a super cute name for the sweater itself :)

I have some mow yarn which I asked my friend to get… in fact I think I did ask her to get a lot of yarn… its so horrible that you not get yarn here ( I repeat myself ) .Anyhow, I have another pattern also which I will be making for Tee, maybe after this immediately or maybe after some time… before I attend a wedding in cold chilly Chandigarh in January.

Here is a picture of what I have done till now. Its not a lot, the pattern says I should take like 3-4 hours to make it. which I agree with, just that I do not have 3-4 uninterrupted hours!

Does anyone else do Crochet?

Soya chunks, Home style

2011-11-09T18:55:00.001+05:30

Well, thats a name which I just concocted as I have been always on the look out for what to do with soya chunks and something which is truly presentable in front of guests and not just for a home quick meal ( which it was for me anyways!). So, today I decided to go about making something on my own, with no recipe, and here is what has come up!

Ingredients

Soya chunks - 3 handfuls (dry)

Onions - 2 medium sized

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Tomato - 1 medium sized chopped ( even two would do no harm! )

Chilli powder - 1heaped tsp

Tumeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Paprika - 1/2 tsp

Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder -1/2 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

Coconut milk powder - 1 1/2 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method

1. Boil some water, add salt to it as its boiling, and drop the dry soya chunks into the water. Turn off the gas and let it stay in the water for 15 - 20 mins. Drain the soya in a strainer and squeeze lightly to remove excess water.

2. Grind the onions well, and add the ginger paste to the mixture and give a swirl.

3. Heat the oil in a wok and when hot add the ground mixture to it. Fry the ground mixture well, and when done the paprika and all other masalas except the pepper powder and salt.

4. When the mixture loses its water content, add the tomatoes to it and mix well to get a puree like consistency.

5. Now add the salt and the pepper powder to the mixture and cook well.

6. Take the soya chunks which would have swelled up and might look quite big, so in which case you can just cut them into 2 using a pair of scissors. On the contrary, if you think the size is fine by you, then they can go in as it is too.

7. Mix well, and cook. The soya also tends to lose some water, hence do not add any water as yet.

8. Take about 200 ml of warm water and add the coconut milk powder into it. Mix well taking care to break up any lumps, if any. Add the milk to the wok and let it boil.

9. Now, add about 200 ml of water and let it cook well. If you would like more gravy, then you may add double the quantity. Else, cook well covered and then turn off the gas.

10. Serve and Enjoy!

Movie Review - Company Men

2011-11-09T10:16:00.001+05:30

Cast: Ben Affleck, Tommy lee Jones and so on as the poster on the left says.

Plot: Set during the massive downsizing and outplacement ongoing at a firm in US. How each employee is bothered by the management decision and how they cope with their job loss. The fear associated with job loss, and the loss of face. How they are forced to cut down on expenses, take up any job and so on. Family changes and how the economy gives them nothing to look forward to. What one feels on being let go, how you cope with it, how you try to hide it and what comes of it at end.

A good week day evening watch.

Vist here for more

Image Courtesy: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_isUvlzkZPIQ/TSgO89uT8iI/AAAAAAAAHKs/zy__Jlkr_js/s1600/company-men-530.jpg

A (bride) woman for 30,000 rupees

2011-10-28T22:37:00.000+05:30

Violence against women has opened my eyes to the unthought acts of violence against women by human beings. One of the posts had caught my attention then, and I was also looking at the possible reasons behind why this is something which is resorted to. Why violence against women? Is it because women are seen as weak, easy to overpower...

Quoting a price for a woman, to sleep with, or to marry is I believe certainly a violence. A violence against women and human beings. Being a commodity and having no value for one and being compared to livestock is certainly a emotional violence as per me.

As I researched about this, I came across many videos on Youtube, and I realized that violence against women is a major concern in most developing economies, but when it comes to female infanticide, I am not sure any country has seen the kind of numbers that India has been seeing in these years. And after female infanticide, men have the spine to go to other communities, where girls are not seen as as an fetus to destroy, and buy brides for themselves when it comes to satisfying their carnal pleasures and to ensure a progeny. Why don't these men resort to satisfying each other, as its a choice their kind made to eliminate females as they seemed to be a waste of time, a burden and so on.

I think no community should sell their daughters to anyone for money. But, whom am I saying this to. A parent might think that, it would be a better option to give their daughter to another community as a wife, than sell her to prostitution. That it what I think would be the thinking when money is the most important necessity for many. It is difficult to understand the mentality, when we are not in that kind of a situation.

I frankly do not know what is the solution to this.

The Paan Waala

2011-10-17T14:08:00.001+05:30

There is something about entrepreneurship which surely does feel good. And, saying that, I also know that it is not everyones' cup of tea. There are some who find it very difficult to break away from the norm and step up or out to the world unknown to them. And on the other hand, there are some who are more than willing to explore and venture into completely unknown territories just for the kick!

This grit and fun is one of the many things which I love in B. How did I start writing all this?

Well, yesterday, B happened to help a Paan waala who has his own small place, which B visits ever so often, to get a new deal and set a new shop in a much better and profitable location. There is a new pub which has opened up a few hundred metres away and that was close to a busy junction, which ensured better traffic and sales. B happened to casually ask the Paan waala why he was not interested in that location as it is very evident that it would be more profitable. The Paan waala was certainly interested, but did not know how to go about it, or whom to go and meet as the pub was just about to open. B made a few calls, and found out from some friends who is the owner, and went promptly along with the Paan waala to meet the owner. He spoke with the owner at length explaining the benefit of having a paan shop outside his pub, and also vouched for the quality of the paan. The owner not only understood that it was a good proposition, but he also agreed on a reasonable amount as deposit and rent to run the Paan shop just at the entrance to the pub.

When B came back and narrated to me this incident, I was just awed. It was not because of his idea, but that he went ahead and spoke on behalf of the Paan wala and actually went through it the whole way. He not only took the effort to get in touch with the owner, but he also went along with the Paan waala and spoke on his behalf. This is a quality which I know I do not have, and immensely look up to in him. He did not think that this is too lowly a matter to interfere in, nor did he think what would the owner of the pub might think of him if he takes such a matter to him. His only thoughts were that it is a worthwhile venture, and something which might do good for the Paan waala.

I would not have taken it up on me to go ahead and talk to a third person about a business opportunity for someone else. I would have had so many apprehensions, and felt I, as a person should not interfere in anothers' matters. I would not be the kind to go out of my way to help someone as in this case. I might have found out the name of the owner and given that piece of information to the Paan waala, but going with him and helping him in acquiring the deal is just not something I see myself doing.

What would you have done?

Image Source: http://blog.chaupaati.in/wp-content/paanwala.jpg

Itasveer: Not a stickler for quality

2011-09-30T16:16:00.000+05:30

When Itasveer came about, the concept was new and being fresh out of college, memories was one thing I wanted to live by. This website allowed me to get some momentos done, photos printed to keep and such. That was way back in 2008. The first product I had got done from them, was the two-tone mug, and this was my gift to two of my best friends, and I must say this mug was of amazing quality. The mug looks as good as new even today.

Recently, 5 months back, I ordered another Classic White Mug as a birthday gift for B, and it was delivered promptly, but being in use for just these 3 months, the print has started to peel off, and I could see in fact very quickly, that the print was not really onto the surface, but a thin film which is pasted onto the surface of the mug. This can certainly be expected to peel off when washed and used.

In fact just 2 months back, we did order another classic mug, and that too is in the same state as of now. I am very disappointed with the kind of products which are being sold. I was under the impression that they did have a good product range and quality and time were of utmost importance. But, now I see that time is what they adhere to, but the quality is not that great.

I am not sure whether it is because the Classic Mug is different from the Two - tone one, but even then, why sell a product which will not even last 2 months, and that too something like a coffee mug, which has the potential to be used every single day!

De-Facebooking

2011-09-28T19:52:00.001+05:30

One of the things I have decided I would be doing is de-facebooking myself. I will certainly not be going overboard and deleting account or such. I will just restrict my Facebook checking to on the mobile maybe just twice a day. I mean I have come to that kind of maniac facebooking that I am bored, so will just vile away time on Facebook rather than read the so many books which I have at hand. I have not been blogging on so many things which I want to also courtesy this social networking giant! I do not think I want to go and hand my life over to this guy. Its just not worth it.

The one major thing which steered me towards this decision is that they have yet again changed the layout and notification stuff which is making it irritating and also way more cluttered and too many numbers on the page, for my liking. Something which I had picked up recently again after a bad stint previously was gaming. I used to love the Facebook games.. and I am a great gaming addict… hell… my blog is called Vector Gaming ! This is something which I need to stop too… I think its such a wasteful activity, and all you are trying to do is spend time which you could have else done something more useful with. Like blog! Or Read!

Speaking of reading, I re-iterate, I have so many books piled onto my to-read list and in fact have three books sitting right at home, waiting to be read. And knowing me, I know that its just a matter of getting these books into my hand, and getting engrossed in it. Like yesterday, I happened to be up reading till 1 am… and thats just because, I knew I was getting interested in the book, and the plot was really something one would ponder over after reading a few pages.

The book that had me immersed at 1 am? Escape by Manjula Padmanabhan. Have you read it?

Menstrual Blood Banking

2011-09-21T12:58:00.000+05:30

During my pregnancy, there was a time when we had to decide whether we wanted to save the cord blood to extract stem cells and ensure some amount of disease cure for our child. At that time, I felt that with around 30 years ahead of us for that, I am not too sure whether these stem cells can not be obtained by then in some other manner. So, I decided at that time not to bank my cord blood and not to choose to preemptively extend my and Trisha's life. And, today a friend send me this link.

Menstrual blood is said to have the same cord blood properties and women can choose to store this blood at any time, to use at a further point in time. And this is also seen as less controversial in terms of ethics and such in comparison to embryonic stem cells.. And this is not a blank trial, there has been menstrual blood stem cells used to differentiate to nerve cells in vitro and treat strokes, so there is really a use in doing this procedure.

One statement which struck me as weird in the article was that the author says at the end of it all.

Lots and lots of details would have to be worked out in order for this to become a reality. And, of course, there's the ick factor to overcome. Would you really want to be the recipient of stem cells plucked from the contents of a woman's monthly cycle? If it could save your life, I'll bet you would.

I do not know why is it that blood drawn from a woman and shed by a woman seen as so different. I am sure that if there was an option to just draw blood from the uterus and then use the stem cells, there would have been no problem. Here, the woman is just shedding it and giving an option of using it, and there seems to an ice factor associated with it! What is the problem, I just do not get it.

My Upma

2011-09-20T23:27:00.001+05:30

Well.. I have been dying to have some good home-made upma.. And upma which looks like this.
I am sorry Bangaloreans...i do not like your halwa upma...this is how my grand mom used to make it...this is how my mom makes it...and this is how I love my upma :)
The veggies can be added or not...i do not mind them, but this has to be the way it looks !
Edited to add: The upma here has been sprinkled with some chutney powder..another one of my personal preferences with upma :)

The Delhi - Southie letters

2011-09-16T12:55:00.000+05:30

So we have a lot of talk on the blogosphere and the amongst the twitterati on why this open letter was written and why it should not have been written.

I have read the reply from the Delhi Boy… and also from the Mad Momma… and I still am not sure why she has written this letter. Very evidently someone did tick her off. But, what all she has said there is something which most people know. There is that section of Delhi which she describes, and there is also another which does not fit into any of the categorizations which she has made.

I have lived in Delhi for 6 years and I have positively loved the city. I love the late nights, the wide roads, the metro, the shopping paradise and I will not fail to add that I do agree it is not the greatest place for a woman to walk about on the streets or take to public transport without thinking twice. The metro has made things better with the women's compartment in the recent times. Anyhow, as everyone says, why judge a book by the cover? How can you say the whole city is so bad if you are going to base your one interaction with a non-so-great punjabhi guy? I have also come across a fair bit of well -read and not - so well - read punjabi folks… but that does not make the community as a whole this way or that.

I am a true blue Malayalee and I have married a Delhi born and bred UPite. And, I met him at Bangalore, so does that make him any less a Delhite or a UPite? I do not think so. In fact I feel one tends to be more in touch with the roots when you live away from the buzz of community on a everyday basis. This is just my theory, and need not be true in any manner.

Anyhow, another thing which made no sense to me, is the upland English status. Where did you get that from? I know enough human beings who belong to Delhi and who speak perfectly good English, and what would be the idea behind saying that a region produces bad English speakers. Every region in India has a dialect of English and also an accent which needs to go. In fact when many of my friends used to say that I have a tinge of a Malayalee accent, initially I used to take it with a pinch of salt, and many a times, even countered demanding some explanation with examples. But, with time, I have seen that it does not really matter. Everyone has those accents, and the ones who try to camouflage these accents with the American/ British accents sound truly funny to me. What is the harm in being true to your roots? Even some Madrasis have an accent which is quite distinct, so I would not go to the extent of saying that all Madrasis have an accented English!

There is also some humor which she has ride to infuse, but then hitting on family members is not a great way of doing it. If these are views which are written on a fun note, then great… which to an extend I do think… as you can see from reading the authors comments, but s I said… maybe the humor should have been rightly hit....

Home on weekends

2011-09-14T15:37:00.000+05:30

Obviously, with a small kid, one can not have a social life or at least not a social life to what you were used to. Though, I did think that I would be on a gradual decline of social activities through pregnancy, that was not the case. I was quite active through my pregnancy, and hence once I came back with Tee, things became so very difficult.

You can not expect friends to come over ever weekend to your place and have take away dinner also. But, I think more than that, I feel the facilities available for a nursing mother, is moreover the reason why I am not able to have a social life. Even if I were to go to a mall and spend sometime browsing through stores, I am unable to do that as most malls do not have a nursing room. The only option is that you can go and use the ladies restroom, and feed your kid. That's not a very great feeling, and in fact I can't imagine feeding sitting in the many smelly restrooms of the malls. Some stores have nice restrooms which can be used as a make-do baby room, but not all. I think this is one thing which every builder needs to keep in mind. If they wish to cater to a wider range of customers, they really need to have a baby room, maybe a small enclosure within the ladies restroom will do too!

Anyhow, I am on a look out to how I can keep myself happy and socially active through the weekends. I think I need to start getting back to doing something creative. I have thought of starting on some crochet, but I wonder whether this is going to be a great option. Knowing that its a weekend, and I am just sitting on the couch crocheting, doesn't seem like a great weekend option. Also am thinking of getting myself enrolled in the gym close by, so that there is at least an activity which will keep me occupied, if nothing more exciting happens over the the weekends.

Any other suggestions to someone who needs to be around her baby on almost all occasions?

Chilli bhaji

2011-09-09T13:02:00.000+05:30

The sin before the diet starts :)
Home-made chilli bhaji :)

Movie Review: Just Go with It

2011-09-06T20:43:00.002+05:30

Starring: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston

IMDB Page

A very light movie which is good when you would just like to spend the evening at home, with some take-away chinese.

He's a doc, and she the assistant. He has his affairs and she is a single mom to two wonderful kids. He wants her to pose as his ex-wife who is a tad crazy. And in return she gets to do a lot of shopping with his credit cards. The plot takes a twist when he has to take the kids to meet his new love interest, and they all concur a plan to go to Hawaii.

There is a clear mix up of feelings, but the kids have done a beautiful show, which makes one ooh and aah. So I will not spoil the plot for you…. but just tell you that this is a decent watch, and not a boring one!

Green?

2011-09-04T05:44:00.001+05:30

These are just my favourite :)
Layered Spinach paratha :)

It was Janmashtami, So?

2011-08-23T14:56:00.002+05:30

As I had mentioned earlier too, I would be a very good example of Festival downer. This Janmashtami, B's parents were visiting us, and hence, we all kept a fast, ate enormous quantities of fatty, fried food items, and that too mainly consisting of potatoes. Well, I would not really call it a fast, it was anything but.

The birth of Lord Krishna is a day which is celebrated all over India, and is given various names. A funny fact was that there is a difference in the day, as its celebrated in the south and north of India. The festivities on the day are also very different. The fast, as I know it in the south, is just fruits, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which means that you do not have a heavy meal the whole day. This is also a fast which I have not done, in spite of knowing its detox effects.

So, this was the first time in 28 years I have ever gone on this fast, and I did not particularly like it. I would certainly prefer to have the detox fast. Having only fried items through the entire day, certainly gave me a sick feeling, and certainly did not suit my tummy. In fact I was quite worried that T would also have a upset tummy due to the sudden influx of oil into her system. I tried to counter the effect with some ayurvedic tummy relieving stuff, but I wonder whether that was of any effect. A part of the food which I enjoyed was the ragi flour used for the fried potatoes, and also for the fried puris. I am particularly fond of ragi flour, the taste and obviously for its health reasons. In fact during pregnancy, I had particularly enjoyed ragi puttu all through.

Now, we get back to janmashtami… at the stroke of 12, which is when Lord Krishna was born, there is a small pooja done and only after dinner is served. Dinner mainly consists of potato curry, ragi rotis, fruits and a salad.

After the day, I was wondering, did we really do this with a religious bend of mind? I did not ! I took part in the pooja and had dinner after 12, but was that the only things to be done as part of the festivities? I am not aware of anything else, maybe visit the temple would the other obvious option. Do you find all the festivals particularly festive?

A Bowlful of Butterflies by Ritu Lalit

2011-08-13T15:54:00.000+05:30

This book came by mail a few days back, but I just could not get to start reading it, with all household duties taking up the whole day. But, when I did, I sat and finished it in one go! That should really say how much I enjoyed the quick paced, very much today's story.

The book starts off with an introduction to the Ratra household and also details the relationship between the various members. Three siblings, their fights, tiffs, and love rule the house wars. Friendship, a strong bond, which has been nurtured since childhood, has grown and been cherished till the very end of school days. How the days of school, childhood, adolescence and college bring changes to every friendship. I could particularly relate to how the friendships change and morph through years. I have seen that you gather a few friends, befriend many, but enjoy the friendships that you have shared through years.

This is a very quick read, and it does successfully ignite some old memories and stories with the various instances. Another aspect was, since the time I read the title, I always wondered what was the bowlful of butterflies, is it a symbolism, or does it truly exist? Read the book to find out.

And now we start

2011-08-06T12:38:00.001+05:30

After all the rant, a good friend decided I need to help myself. She shared with me this site, and me think its a great start with the limited time that I have. In fact even if I do manage to take out time, I really would never know when would that be. For such an erratic routine, this is just perfect.

Now to start with this today. I've been adviced to pick up random dailyy routines n see which is effective and do-able for me. I also do not want to unnecessarily exert myself, and cause any further issue to my back.

Another thing which is going to be a motivational factor is that apart from the weighing scale, I am also going to record physical measurements. This should be able to give a better outlook on results.

I shall keep an update on how this goes from now on.

The rant

2011-07-30T22:11:00.000+05:30

I do not know what got me into this mood, but nevertheless, now that I am in it, I plan to rant. So, in case you are not interested in one, I gave you a very fair warning.

I have had it with my wardrobe. If you will say, thats every woman's pet peeve, then now you may please close the window. This rant is going to continue onto this very topic itself.

Every year, I think I need to get a fresh set of clothes, and I want to more importantly discard so many of those which I have been wearing since ages.

Does any of that ever happen? Never!

I just end up disposing a few of my stuff, in fact just those which are faded and have reached the very end of their lifespan. And since I did not dispose off anything worthwhile, I do not feel the NEED to buy stuff in large numbers. So, which results in me buying just a few ( read 1 or 2 ) pieces of clothing, and calling it quits for the time being. And for the great hours spent in the process of shopping, I always never have anything to show for it.

And to say, the last 10 months have been even more irritating as I can not shop even if I wish to. Till then, it was that I did not find the items interesting or that they were too highly priced ( I shall come to this later). But, this time it was that I can not shop because I do not know whether I shall be able to wear any of these things as time goes on. I am not sure what would be my fitness level, and I know the practical me would say, I should wait for another 6 months before I decide to do any amount of shopping. And even then the question obviously would be do I just shop for new stuff, or can I go ahead and buy expensive stuff. Maybe, I am being pessimistic, but when do I decide that now I shall be not able to lose any more weight, I really have no clue. And with the present situation where I am unable to exercise or control my diet, the question really is will I be back to normal?

Anyways so there is my rant… and my great desire to shop not really going anywhere!

Getting on with it

2011-07-18T16:34:00.000+05:30

Its been a while since I have posted, and ... Boy, have I been busy!

Back to Bangalore, T is 2 months and settling down in Bangalore now. We have recently moved to a new place in Bangalore, so have to do a fir bit of decorating and arranging. We have just come to settle on the arrangement for the living and dining area. The walls are bare and the shelves are empty. It looks so different from the cozy atmosphere at our previous place. But, I am sure that the place will look up in a month or two.

Another great thing is the new place has a garden, and I am hoping to get to do some gardening, and with the lil one growing up, I would love to have some birds visit us and chirp through the morning. Living in an apartment has its goodness, but the garden and the outdoor is something which I really relish. This house has a garden, but it has not been kept well.. so there is a lot of work for the gardener in me.

Recently we got T a Rocker and I do hope its a good buy. At present, she seems to like it, enjoys her time just rocking there, but lets see how long the novelty lasts. The only reason I thought it was a good deal was as it could be used also a chair for toddlers :) Another toy which I picked up was a set of soft activity blocks. I have always loved activity blocks, and been looking out for these soft cloth ones for T once she starts to enjoy toys!

Are there any such things out there, which kids really like. The websites and sales persons are not really helpful, as they just find the super expensive stuff best for the child, where as I do not buy that.

Day 76 - Crow Pheasant

2011-07-04T09:12:00.000+05:30

10 day challenge - One picture

2011-07-03T21:11:00.000+05:30

As a grand finale to my 10 day challenge, here is me !

10 day challenge - Two Songs

2011-07-02T21:11:00.000+05:30

The past 9 days, I have been posting on the above 10 Day you Challenge. Some of the days have been very difficult and some comparably simpler. This challenge has made me look within and explore what I feel about many of the challenges.

Music is something which I like, its soothing to the ears and I love some music to be playing in the background when I am at some task. I love to have music playing when I am cooking, reading or just doing some work.

I have almost never followed music as chartbusters or billboards, I have just been very stagnant in my music likings. I am not the person who has many favorites, so here I will list two songs which hold some importance for me.

1. 21st century girl - Def Leppard

This is the song with which I was introduced to Rock as a genre. I still find it most soothing for any situation, soft rock, hard rock, metal…

2. Do you wanna partner - Partner

This is a song from the first movie I watched with B :) on my 25th birthday eve. And this birthday is the day we started dating :)

10 day challenge - Four books

2011-06-30T23:04:00.001+05:30

As part of the 10 day challenge which I have taken up, here we are more than half way done. Today's challenge is to list Four books

If someone asked me to rattle off in an instant four of my favorite books, I think these would be it!

1. Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand

2. Choker Bali / A Grain of Sand by Rabindranath Tagore

3. My Name in Red by Orhan Pamuk

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

10 day challenge - Five foods

2011-06-30T00:19:00.000+05:30

I have my favorites, which I can have at any time of the day.

They are as follows :)

1. Puttu and Kadala

2. Sweet corn and chicken soup

3. Spare ribs

4. Steamed momos

5. A mug of hot chocolate

What are yours? Anything similar?

10 day challenge - Five foods

2011-06-29T23:57:00.001+05:30

I have my favorites, which I can have at any time of the day.

They are as follows :)

1. Puttu and Kadala

2. Sweet corn and chicken soup

3. Spare ribs

4. Steamed momos

5. A mug of hot chocolate

What are yours? Anything similar?

10 day challenge - Six places

2011-06-28T16:22:00.001+05:30

This has been my favourite from the beginning of this tag... was looking forward to this day alot.

I have been traveling a lot in the past year, and I completely enjoy traveling. One of the things I want to do is drive to some place. I am a novice when it comes to driving though I like to believe that its becoming slightly better with time.

I am a beach person, lazing on beaches with a book to read and a swim in between is just something I can do for days. And not to forget the night time partying :) With both these things in perfect alignment is Goa... which I think has been by far my favourite holiday location till date! Been there twice, and can go back anytime! There are so many beaches to visit, and maybe next time I shall also go on the cultural route too.

In spite of all the travel, I have had a vacation/holiday on my mind. And these below are the six places I want to visit.

Vietnam

Picking water spinach
Image Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mangodavid/24785743/

Spain

Passeig de Gracias, Barcelona
Image Courtesy - http://www.flickr.com/photos/aigle_dore/5237965835/

Portugal

Image Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ferlomu/4777034030/

Peru

Image Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/44199467@N00/260089086/

Maldives

Image Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefanomilan/5759891986/

If I really sit down to think of all the places I want to go to.. I think thats going to a huge list. I can even list it out for within India and outside also. :)

Looking at the rest of the days.. I think now the challenge is becoming simpler... :)

10 day challenge - Seven wants

2011-06-27T09:11:00.000+05:30

Don't we all want a lot of things? I have so many things which I would love to have.. many of them things which I really do not need, and some others which would just make me go aaahhhhh :) Its all a balance between the logical mind and the emotional mind !

1. Again something linked to my loves, I want to have a beautiful home which I will be proud of. In fact a beautiful home, decorated to my tastes. A garden pruned and cared for and a small patio.

2. Someday, I want to have a pet dog. I have not really thought which breed, maybe a lhas apso, beagle or a cocker spaniel. I love big breeds like german shepherd and danes, but unless I have sufficient space, I do not think I would want to get a big breed.

3. As of now, I want to get back into shape, get into a good exercise regime, even if its not everyday. I am thinking swimming will be an easy option, and with results in the least amount of time. And to top it, I love to swim !

4. I want to go for the Literary fest in Jaipur some day.

5. I want to help cultivate a reading habit in T, so I hope to read to her rhymes, stories and other children's books from a young age.

6. I want to visit a new place every year, which means I want to go for minimum one vacation to any place within or outside India.

7. I want to sponsor the education of a girl till whenever she wants to study.

10 day challenge - Eight fears

2011-06-26T08:36:00.001+05:30

I thought Nine Loves would be difficult, but I think listing my fears are more difficult.

1. My biggest fear is losing someone I love so dearly… my parents, brother, B, best friends and now my baby girl, T.

2. I do not mind dying even the next moment, but I fear being a vegetable and bed ridden. Or for that matter, I think I fear not being able to lead a normal life.

3. I fear for the safety of my girl. I have always wanted a daughter and bring her up to be a strong independent person, but deep within I have fears about the society and its treatment of women.

Apart from these I really do not have any other fears. There might be many things which might have me worried, but those are never the things which will always be at the back of my mind.

I do not know whether its good or not to have too many fears, but thats how it is.

Day 75 - Abbey Falls

2011-06-25T23:42:00.000+05:30

10 day challenge - Nine Loves

2011-06-25T07:13:00.011+05:30

This was a very difficult list. I had not really given great thought to what were those things which I loved, but by the time I reached Point 9 on the list below... I had a few more to list, and I had to choose between my loves :)

1. My first love is 'love' itself. I feel that is something which helps one to stand ground under any circumstance. If you do not have love in your heart, and if you do not feel loved, I think life can be very tough to live.

2. I love to watch and listen to rains even when they are downpours its all the more nice with the water spraying on your face.

3. I love animals, have been a dog lover all my life, had a cat (Whisky) for 2 years, a rabbit(Nelly) for 1 year and now hoping to get a hamster or an aquarium.

4. I am a huge fan of shopping. I can spend a lot of time browsing through online catalogues or even weave my way through shops and pick up absolutely nothing at the end of it all.

5. I love footwear and this is one item for which I think I do end up spending more than what I should be! And heels dominate my shoe rack, and I still think I do not have enough.

6. I love my height. I think this is a very funny thing to love, but its true. I get compliments for it, I am able to carry off many things solely because of my height.

7. I love colorful cushions. Cushions of varying sizes strewn around is what would be a lovely room for me.

8. I love to read though my quota of reading has been greatly reduced in the past years, and is slowly picking up now.

9. I love to travel, and planning trips. 6 years in Delhi had me traveling quite a bit to the North of India, and now 3 years in Bangalore have had me cover various places around. East of the country is where I have not at all ventured to.

10 day challenge - Ten Secrets

2011-06-24T15:43:00.000+05:30

I have never done challenges, have been an avid reader of those who do the NaBloPoMo, but couldn't convince myself that I would be able to see it through.

Today, I saw Preeti's blog and she was doing a 10 day challenge, so I thought why not. So, here we go, initiated into the challenge blogging line! One post every day and the posts will be as per the challenges listed in the picture below.

Ten Secrets

1. I am the kind who would strive to keep in touch, but when some of my friends did not have time I have carefully slunk off and now interact only with those who have the time.

2. I am a huge fashion addict, though I am slightly timid to try all the hi- fashion out there.

3. How much ever I convince myself that I need a great wardrobe, I never can get myself to buy something over 2000 rupees (except saris), how much ever I try.

4. I love gadgets, be it phones, laptops, tablets, mp3 players etc.

5. I do not think I can possibly pass a day without sending a sms.

6. I am a bowl of contradictions, love silence but I need to go out a party in a while.

7. I had a very bad college education experience, and a part of me believes that that was solely responsible in shaping me to be what I am today.

8. I am very vain, obsess greatly about my weight and looks. In fact, this was one of my greatest fears during pregnancy, would I be able to get back to shape?

9. Swimming is the only sport for which I will get up at 5 in the morning.

10. I strive to have a beautifully decorated house, but I know I need to go a long way in achieving it.

Bleed For Me by Michael Robotham

2011-06-24T15:22:00.000+05:30

I picked up this book based on Kiran Manral's review on her blog. I have never heard of the author, and had never read any of his works, but the blurb and her review made it sound very interesting.

The plot is set around the murder of a psychologist's daughter's best friend's father, and how the plot thickens, becomes murky and moves into encompassing jealousy, racism and blackmail. Its what I would term as main stream crime thriller, very well written, quick paced and well woven. The murderer's identity is held a suspense till the very end, and the unraveling of clues makes one guess , but guesses being very far from the truth.

All in all, I would recommend this for a quick light read, which will have you turning pages and burning the midnight lamp.

Rating: 3/5

Day 74 - Best Friends

2011-06-20T13:36:00.001+05:30

Day 73 - White Lxora

2011-06-19T13:31:00.003+05:30

This is a picture of the white thetti, in full bloom

Day 72 - Lxora

2011-06-18T13:27:00.000+05:30

These are the buds of the flower called Lxora. In Kerala these flowers are called 'thetti' and they come in red, orange and white. They appear in bunches and the bunch remains bloomed for 3-4 days at a stretch.

Day 71 - Pink

2011-06-17T17:21:00.000+05:30

I had previously posted another pic of the white variety too. This is also used mainly in the puja rooms. I shall try to get a pic of the red variety, which is the most common kind.

Babycare - Online shopping

2011-06-17T13:16:00.000+05:30

As a new mother, baby products are something which I have taken a keen interest to in the past month. And online shopping for non cloth items is something which I truly think is a great time saver. That led to my search for suitable online sites to order baby products from. I came across mainly three sites which are completely dedicated to baby, mom & child care products, which are

www.firstcry.com

www.babyoye.com

www.balgopal.com

I did some research on product range, prices and also their locations. I would be ordering the things from Trivandrum, so I wanted something which would be closer, to avoid any shipping delays. Here is what I found out from the internet research and I should also add that I finally ordered my requirements from firstcry.com.

firstcry.com

The website is well designed, no glitches and the range of products were immense. They have ongoing discounts on different sections and also the discounts were on fast moving items, and not on very expensive items alone. For example, I ordered diapers, and all their diapers were on 15% off. Baby wipes also had 6% off on the imported varieties. The delivery of the products took 4 days from the day of order and the products were in very good condition. They were packed in cardboard corrugated sheets n packed further in plastic wrap to prevent any damage due to moisture/rain etc.

babyoye.com

Here again, the website is well done, and the deals are sorted out on the first page itself. The only difference was that here, they took care to sort out the shipping details against each item. And for most items, the shipping time was 1-2 days if the order is placed by 6 pm. And added to that shipping is free for all orders.

But, if I compare the prices of some products which I bought from firstcry with the same here, I see that the there is a slight variation in the discounts, making firstcry cheaper. Another fact which I noticed was that the variety of products might be the same across both these sites, but the range of options within a product line was better at firstcry.com

balgopal.com

This is a site which I came across during my search via mouthshut.com. I visited the site, and saw that they looked like a much more evolved website with a loyalty program etc. But, here I was not impressed with the product range they had to offer. Their products mainly comprised of toys, games and products for baby activity. General baby car items were limited in terms of products and brands.

All in all, I would give babyoye a shot as they claim to deliver in 1-2 days from order date, but firstcry still might win over if I am looking for something specific.

Are there better options out there, which I have no clue about?

The End of Innocence by Moni Mohsin

2011-06-10T20:06:00.001+05:30

The blurb caught my eye on a website, and I started looking for this book at the usual stores which I frequent, but none of them seemed to stock this title. Then I made up my mind to order it online and start reading it. The book arrived soon and I started it with great fervor.

The book is set in the 1960s when the East and West Pakistan war was raging, with India getting dragged in between it. Bangladesh wanted freedom and to be declared as a country, Pakistan believed that was not to be, and India was taking sides with Bangladesh. The central characters of the story are all from an old aristocratic family in a small village in Pakistan, the servants of the family, the busy-bodies of the village and the story spans over a few months in their lives. I will not detail the plot here, but merely comment on the same. If you would like to read about the plot , here is the link.

There are some ideologies which struck me quite openly as I was reading the book. Some I saw similarities with our present day scenarios, but some seemed very different and very much a part of the past British regime.

Women and their role in family and public life as seen in rural Pakistan and how the norms are set, to be followed by all. We also see how education might open our eyes to the world, but it is seldom that, what we try to bring about in the name of social up-liftment, works in our favor. It is seen as mere modernism which does not work in a village, which runs by its own rules.

Honour and family name is seen to be highest accord and even human life comes only second fiddle to it. Any crime committed in the name of family honor is seen to be less/not punishable, and in most cases the families do not see it needed to punish the criminal. Rather it is seen that the families punish the one causing the tarnishing of family honor.

As the title suggests, there is also a view of how the adult world and its complexities look like from a 8 year old girl's point of view. How she understands adult talk and the fears associated with it. We also see how she yearns to be a part of it, and not to be treated as a small baby. The relationship between her and her friend, their secrets and games. How her friend, being older, is thrown into the adult world, and the problem she faces trying to solve them.

Overall, I would rate this very much a written version of many bollywood movies, with the plot having twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and ending with a grand finale. The writing style was very simple and it was a good attempt to see how the world is seen from a child's perspective. Its a very quick read and some of the country-side descriptions are very well written, which makes one feel them to be very real. I am not too sure whether this is a book I would be recommending to many, but certainly to those who like light-reads.

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

2011-05-31T13:22:00.000+05:30

Been at it for a very long time… didn't find it too fascinating in between… then it again became very gripping… and finally ending on a demure note for me.

Shantaram was a book recommended to me by many, and I was also warned that I should set myself to read the first few chapters before deciding on its fate. I was already aware of the plot, as it was the centre of many heated discussions when it was first published, but the depth to which each act was played out, made it a great but at times stretched read too. Many a times I found myself reading it with the speed and pleasure which I usually reserve for fiction, and hence forgetting that I was in fact reading a man's life, and not a fabricated story! I also feel that it is not a book which I will pick up again for a second read, as there is a suspense which has been woven into the plot, and hence once completed, it would be difficult for me o re-read it.

The writing style was very much like a fast paced thriller, with thoughts, dialogues and scenes strewn across the pages. This might also be a factor in contributing to the extremely strong feeling of a fiction, rather than a true life based story. There are some sections on philosophy, universe, human beings and these have been at times, I felt, overdone. I did lose interest in these paragraphs over a period of time.

I would like to add that, as a personal preference, I enjoyed the parts where the protagonist was in Bombay as compared to his short stints in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I am not a Bombay-ite, and have been to Bombay very sparingly, so it was not my love for Bombay which made me enjoy these parts more… but maybe the India which was seen from the foreigner;s eye and his acceptance of the Indian-ness of many actions was something I could relate to more than his experiences outside Bombay. I will not say that his adventures outside Bombay are less interesting, but I believe the ones within proved to be more to my liking. I already did mention that the ending was not something which was very exciting for me. I agree that it is a true story, and cannot be made interesting, if it was not so in real life. But, I felt that he could have given a more rounded ending to the characters, whereas I did feel the ending was somehow abrupt and there was certainly more that I would have wanted to know.

It is certainly a book I would recommend book lovers to get their hands on, though it might take some time to progress in the first few chapters.

Food Cravings - Then and Now

2011-05-27T18:52:00.000+05:30

This is a post which was lying in my draft and I decided this is certainly something I would like to post !

This is about my food cravings during pregnancy... they weren't many, but nevertheless there were somethings which did catch my fancy. Now what I do know is that these cravings are not so intense... but given a chance, I still love these food items the most. I guess what you have eaten as a kid, and what you fancied the most is what surfaces when you are pregnant. Just a thought.

A frequent question which I have been asked in the past few months is what have been my cravings in terms of food. And till recently I have not really seen any pattern in my food likes. I like to eat a variety of things, and if something is served to me regularly, then I am bound to lose interest. But, that said, there are two food items which have topped my list of frequent eats. One is Puttu and Kadala ( a traditional Kerala breakfast item) and Jackfruit chips.

Jackfruit chips has been my childhood favorite, and it being available in plenty in Kerala when my mom, brother and I came for summer vacations made it almost my staple in between meal snack. My grandmother's house had a huge jackfruit tree in the backyard, and she used to watch and get a good one cut a week prior to our arrival and painstakingly clean it, slice and fry it. The fried items would be carefully packed away in airtight containers and kept out of anyone's reach till we arrive. My grandmother is no more, but whenever I eat jackfruit chips, these are the only thoughts which cross my mind.

Puttu and Kadala is traditionally steamed rice cakes served with chick peas, and here also the black variety is the one which is used commonly. As for me, I love puttu which can be prepared using a wide variety of grains like, rice, wheat, corn, ragi, and amongst them my favorite is the ragi puttu. It comes out a dark brown colored steamed cake with a top of grated coconut and the smell is divine. In the past few months, I have prepared this I believe so many times as compared to the whole of last year. In fact I would say that B has had even an overdose of Puttu and Kadala :)

Apart from these things, I had a recent craving for pesto pasta, but that has not worked out since I am in Trivandrum, and nothing here even remotely resembling a pesto sauce was available. I finally settled on spaghetti as that was what was available to me.. and that too I had to make myself, as restaurants had a very funny way of preparing it with a 'local touch', to enhance the flavor, as they say!

So all in all, I do not think I had any particular intense cravings through my pregnancy if you take away the above two. I know some friends who used to have dreams about foods they want, and those would be prepared the next day at home! Nothing like that seems to dominate my dreams though….

What are the most interesting pregnancy food cravings you've come across??

But now, after Trisha is here, I am not allowed chickpeas or jackfruit, as it might upset her stomach. So there.. my favourite things are denied to me for sometime now.

A few days along

2011-05-26T21:32:00.001+05:30

When I was pregnant, I wondered whether I would be a good mom… whether I would do things right and most importantly whether I would have that maternal instinct in me.

Now that I can say from experience of a few days… I strongly believe that the mother in me was born after a few days Trisha came. I do not know whether it was just looking at her, or was it the peace and quiet with which she used to settle in my arms. Initially I could not even get myself to hold her out of sheer fear that I possibly can not handle such a delicate thing. Equally heart wrenching is when she cries… shrieks I should say.. or the soft cries in her sleep. And that is when I knew that I was also a mother. I remember reading on my file from Fortis (Nest) which said… "Where mothers are born" and now I see how apt a statement that is..with every baby, a mother is also born!

Now that I have started to understand Trisha and what she wants… or what she intends to do… it feels very nice and better from the position of complete helplessness when I had no clue why she would be crying or what are the some things that she likes. Now I have a list of things which I know she would normally want, and trying all of them have become a quick routine in case of a shrieking cry. Her usual cries are for a feed, a wet nappy, or at times she just wants to be cradled. And while we are at the cradling bit, she seems to know when I am sitting or walking too, and here also depending on her mood, she has her preferences!

Also.. like many a times before.. I am again having the shift to wordpress bug, and this time lets see what happens!

A start

2011-05-20T17:34:00.001+05:30

A new entrant in your life has the ability to change many things and also resulting in a reshuffling of priorities…

Its been 12 days since my world has been changes forever and initially though I did not feel anything much about it, but now I see the various changes which are creeping into me.

I thought I would get my sound sleep back post delivery, but now I don't really want my sound sleep, in case I do not hear her…

I thought I would have more freedom to do what I want with no restrictions… but now I realize the time is a bigger factor !

I thought I would not be able to spend a day without talking to B, but now such a day has passed, though I know within me I was very uneasy and sad that whole night.

I never thought I would be able to spend days within a room and not even realize it…

I could not imagine myself getting a baby to sleep… as usually kids do not like my stiff, scared way of holding them… but that has certainly changed in a week.

I truly know what is the meaning of ' baby soft' :)

Potty and pee makes no difference to me now…

So many things in 12 days.. I wonder what beholds in the years to come…

Day 70 - Bell(ed)

2011-05-04T20:01:00.000+05:30

Here now..

2011-05-03T17:03:00.001+05:30

So, the bags are packed. You ask why so late? well… we ( my mom and me) were just too lazy to get on with the work. We had all the stuff that was needed all piled neatly onto a shelf inside the cupboard, but not packed into a bag. Now, that too has been done. In fact I remember, Babycenter asked me to pack the bag and keep ready as early as 32 weeks, but then I just never did that. Don't ask me why, maybe I thought I would not know what to pack myself, or else because I thought the requirements might be very different if I had happened to deliver way earlier. But now as the time draws close, I see this as something I do not want to leave out, or don't want people to be running around getting the requisite items.

As I have noticed in the past week, I have been at a alternate day aches and pains routine. I do not know whether it holds any medical importance, but thats something which has been happening all through this week. The days of the aches and pains do end up being quite tiring too, and all I want to do is lie down on the bed. Lying on the bed is also a huge problem now. I turn to my right, then there is some amount of discomfort on the back, and if I turn and lie on my left side, then there is a distinctive lower abdominal pain. Now, that leaves with lying on my back, which is anyways never advised, as it causes all the weight to be pushed onto the spine, the nerves and the veins, which will cause further discomfort in the long run. This has made me think that maybe the baby really doesn't want me to lie down… maybe he/she wants me to walk about, climb up and down stairs or maybe just sit still.

This week is ideally my last week ending at my due date, and its yet to be seen what will be situation by then. The doc has just asked me to keep a track of baby movements and then wait patiently for my body to decide whats the best. Post the due date we will see what is to be done… maybe wait for a few days more or induce… depending on the situation then. Things are kind of slow now, but then its more like a calm now and then the whirlwind of activities which will start is something I am yet to prepare myself for.

Day 69 - Palms

2011-05-03T16:14:00.000+05:30

Day 68 - Evil eye

2011-05-01T10:12:00.000+05:30

Day 67 - Nandyarvattam

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

Day 66 - Red bloom

2011-04-29T09:55:00.001+05:30

Anybody knows what is this called????

Day 65 - Blush

2011-04-28T15:34:00.001+05:30

The wait...

2011-04-27T21:14:00.000+05:30

So this is what it feels like waiting with bated breath! I do not think I was so impatient regarding anything in my life till date. I would not say its impatience, I think its also the boredom and the length of the same situation getting to me now. I am looking for a change, and a good change at that too.

Everyone says that its a big change up ahead for me, and whatever I might read up or know from others, its something to be experienced and can be known to its full extent only through experience. I completely agree with this, but anyhow I am doing my prep as much as possible.

Once I consider the changes up in front, the next main aspect I am very concerned about is getting back into shape. I am very panicky on this front, as being at home would mean that I would be made to eat a lot of things in the pretext of it reaching the baby. I do not want to unnecessarily eat and gain weight, but want to be conscious about my diet. I feel that if your skin and body is not put under a toning program immediately, things might not be that easy. I guess not too immediately, but then maybe in a month or two.. thats all the time I am willing to give my body to rest and recuperate. Again, these are the plans… time will tell what shall happen to these above said plans.

Day 64- Snow white

2011-04-26T22:11:00.000+05:30

Day 63 - Nutmeg

2011-04-25T17:22:00.000+05:30

One of my favourite phrases for addressing my brother is.... nutmeg :)

Day 62 - Hibiscus

2011-04-24T09:44:00.000+05:30

One of the most common flowers in Kerala, seen mostly as adornment in the puja room of all houses, and in temples too.

Moving along....

2011-04-22T11:09:00.003+05:30

I have been sitting with a blank page in front of me for over an hour now. In between all that, I have been talking to people… browsing the web n such. But, what i have been trying to write down is what I feel now as I wait impatiently for the next phase. The docs have been saying anytime… and I also seem to sit and wait for that anytime to arrive. Aches and pains have become a part of routine, but nothing which I would really report to anyone as something to worry about.

Last week, there was a bout of great backache and aches to the extend that I had difficulty bending to pick anything up. This was something I was wary of, but then it did disappear of tone down to more bearable stuff through the next few days. So now, again I am not sure what is bound to happen when. Those pains are engagement pains as per docs so nothing to worry about. But, I know that my tummy as settled down a great deal, and the baby is also quite a bit on its way down. So, that also makes me wonder how much more time before something is up….

Here is a recent pic …

Day 61 - Orchid

2011-04-21T18:40:00.000+05:30

Day 60 - Magazine Cover

2011-04-20T16:39:00.000+05:30

A cover of a religious magazine

Day 59 - Potpourri

2011-04-19T10:08:00.000+05:30

Day 58 - Lighted

2011-04-18T11:06:00.001+05:30

Day 57 - Mirror mirror on the wall

2011-04-17T11:03:00.001+05:30

Are we self involved?

2011-04-16T19:28:00.002+05:30

I was having a conversation with B about E-book readers and if they will make a strong advent into the Indian market.

I have thought many times over about getting an E-book reader but there has never been a strong enough reason to go ahead and make the buy. I am not sure whether the Indian market will bring out that many varieties of e-books especially of Indian authors. I like to read some Indian authors as my usual light reads and those would be ones which I would like to read on the go on a E-book reader. The only place where you can download E-books that I know of is amazon.com, and I am not sure whether I would like to buy the Indian authors at international prices, when they are available in a book version much cheaper.

The owners of most Kindles which I know are readers of international authors much more than Indian authors, and I guess that helps them make use of amazon very effectively. I am still not sure whether in due course, websites like www.flipkart.com and such would come out with e-books as a buying option?

What is your take on this?

Another interesting observation which came out of the conversation was that maybe we need to be more by ourselves, and we value our space so much more that we are looking for gadgets which will reduce our interactions with others to a great deal. Like when you have a E-book reader, then what are the chances we will go to a book shop to browse through titles. Well, even now I think I still do browse online more than in a book store. But, I will admit that the feeling is completely different. In fact B was of the opinion that blogging and facebook is also a reason why we as people are becoming more involved with ourselves and not social enough. I wonder whether we have the time to be involved and time to socialize so much. I guess its a matter of priority, we need to see that as a need, then it is bound to happen.

Frankly speaking, I think I love blogging more as the people I have met on the blog have the time to share and interact, even though only through written words. But, is that really an issue, isn't it better than friends who we have lost touch with and have very limited FB interaction with?

Day 56 - The Stork

2011-04-16T17:03:00.000+05:30

Day 55 - Happy Vishu

2011-04-15T10:26:00.000+05:30

Something new...

2011-04-12T09:20:00.002+05:30

My doc visit yesterday had been most interesting. For the first time i've been asked to not to put on weight!! Till this 9th month, I've been asked to eat so that the baby gains weight, and 2 weeks with my mom and I have gained 4 kgs. The main reason as I see it is that I have increased my rice intake by almost 3 fold. I have dosa/ idli for bfast, rice for lunch and the dinner is usually trying to finish leftovers from breakfast. And added to this, I do not have the same activity level which I did. Everyone keeps fussing for no reason and then I am not allowed to do anything which I would otherwise normally do.

When at Bangalore, it was rice maybe once in a few days, and now here its almost thrice! I guess nothing surprising that I have gained 4 kgs so quickly. Now the question is how do I keep a track on the wt, and not have a big baby. I am not sure how much having a small baby will help in a normal delivery, but why not try from my end.

Day 54 - After a shower

2011-04-11T23:02:00.000+05:30

Day 53 - Waterfall

2011-04-10T10:20:00.001+05:30

Day 52 - Bridal Dinner

2011-04-09T09:12:00.001+05:30

A bride's dinner in Bengal

Day 51- Swish

2011-04-08T20:12:00.000+05:30

Something which I live by these days...

Day 50 - Trivandrum

2011-04-05T08:59:00.000+05:30

This is the typical entrance to a Brahmin household inside the fort area in Trivandrum city

Day 49 - Bangalore

2011-04-04T22:59:00.001+05:30

How I miss Bangalore...

Day 48 - Savouries

2011-04-02T12:19:00.002+05:30

Day 47 - Garden

2011-04-01T10:16:00.000+05:30

Day 46 - Prayer

2011-03-31T08:56:00.000+05:30

Day 45 - Postcards

2011-03-30T08:56:00.000+05:30

I have missed so many days... and here I start again..

Day 44 - A corner

2011-03-23T10:32:00.000+05:30

I missed to post something yesterday, so there will be 2 posts today... one coming up towards the end of the day.

Day 43 - Log Huts

2011-03-21T14:02:00.000+05:30

Log huts are said to be quite stable during earth quakes and natural calamities.

Day 42 - Held together by love

2011-03-20T10:08:00.000+05:30

Day 41 - Guruvayoor Sri Krishna Temple

2011-03-19T10:07:00.001+05:30

Day 40 - Poise

2011-03-18T19:19:00.000+05:30

Day 39 - Dubai Airport

2011-03-17T16:16:00.000+05:30

A deep breath

2011-03-16T21:08:00.002+05:30

This is not a grave post, but in a slight dip right now.

There are sudden unforeseen changes which come about in one's lives, and I think it is best to take it in one's stride. There are some things which needs to be done, and might not be the greatest thing which you would like, but I guess it will be the best deal in times to come. Even when the human heart understands all this, it still has a tendency to feel low in view of the impending change. I wonder why …

Changes are said always for the good, and the changes which one chooses themselves, should be of that nature certainly, at least so I believe. Getting out of the comfort zone, and moving into new places, adjusting is something we as human beings try to avoid to the last minute. But, nevertheless, maybe when you do look back, things might be better as they have happened.

I am not sure whether this made any sense… but just thoughts which crossed my mind at present.

Day 38 - Kumarakom

2011-03-16T11:02:00.000+05:30

Movie Review - The Code aka Thick as Thieves

2011-03-15T19:32:00.000+05:30

The Code is a movie which I have seen many times.. in fact twice when it came on Star Movies. Its a wonderful watch, a robbery based plot… and with an amazing cast.

Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas is a combination which is what makes this even more worthwhile. Morgan Freeman is a veteran thief and he wants to pull a major heist and he decides to make Antonio Banderas as his partner. There is also an angle of Antonio Banderas falling for woman, and that woman being Morgan Freeman's daughter!

What I do like about this movie, in spite of it having just a 5.9 rating on IMDB, is that maybe I am a great fan of both the lead actors and their simple acting style makes it a simple easy watch. The plot is not wonderful, but it is a great movie to spend a week night watching :)

Catch it if you have not .. its a good one.

Day 37 - Pasta

2011-03-15T17:02:00.000+05:30

Day 36 - Twilight

2011-03-14T13:09:00.000+05:30

Day 35 - Sunset

2011-03-13T15:20:00.000+05:30

Day 34 - Friday Faces

2011-03-11T12:39:00.000+05:30

Two very intent faces

Day 33 - Climbing Heights

2011-03-10T10:16:00.001+05:30

Here is a goat which went up to a great height to catch a bit to bite!

My relationship in Series

2011-03-09T19:02:00.000+05:30

Yesterday when I was sitting and watching Gossip Girl, it struck me that I have not been a very series person. For one, I do not always want to watch a series, and when I do, I am quite choosy about the shows I do watch. This made me think when was it that I started watching series on TV or else.

So, here goes, a chronological list of all that I have followed over the years.

As far back as I remember, the first series which I used to follow religiously was, Small Wonders, when it used to come on Star Plus. These were the days when Star Plus was the English channel which showed Santa Barbara, Bold and the Beautiful, Baywatch and such. I am guessing this would be 1993 - 94.

After this, the next series which caught my attention was Doogie Howser MD. This was during the time when I had entered class 8 and was in a mood to become a doctor. Science, especially biology was something caught my fancy and this looked like a series which was contributing in my understanding to medicine and the difficulty associated with it.

After this series, there was a long gap till 2000 which is when I started to watch Friends. I think there are not too many people who would have not seen this series, and I have proudly watched all 10 seasons, and every single episode more than once. I think in college, this was more like a lifeline, short and sweet between all the studying and breaks.

In between, towards the end of college, I started to get bored of Friends and then decided to move on to Scrubs, again with my fascination with a medical series. I was totally taken in my JD and the mind talk which he was capable of. I thought this was a diff genre of comedy, infused with some serious mind share too to it. I watched all the 6 or 7 seasons, saw people change, get settled and move on with their lives. It feels good to know that life is such for each and every one of us.

Following this was the fantastic times when I watched every single episode of Sex and the City and was in love with each and every one of the characters. I have seen both the movies which were released and I think this marked the start for me into the fashion related series. I was introduced to all the fashion houses, brands and also started to keep a watch on what was being said about these fashioniastas at the current times.

Then came the era of the Desperate Housewives and they made a huge impact with a completely different set of problems, and their problems seemed not related to our lives at all, but nevertheless it was amazing to see the lovely 5 women strong and capable of taking care of their families. I wonder was this the woman in me being awaken... I guess not, as this was the series which I got off the fastest! I followed through the first season and maybe parts of the second, but I lost complete interest, and has not been watching it ever since.

After I lost interest with Desperate Housewives, then came the time for The O.C. This was a typical family drama set amongst the families residing in Orange County, California. Being in the last years of college, with a lot of free time, I did watch all 4 seasons of this series, and I liked the theme music a lot. I used to find the lead actress very pretty and her stylist always did a good job too. I think I watched this one solely for the fashion and drama value.

Then there was a huge gap, where was just watching re-runs and movies were occupying most of the time.. series had taken a back, so as to speak. Next came along Lipstick Jungle and Cashmere Mafia , both of them I watched simultaneously and were very similar also. The fact was they both ran on two diff channels in the US, so could afford to have a different set of audience. Both were suggested by a friend, and she was very sure it was something I would love. This again had a woman centric theme, three very successful corporate women, their friendship and relationships. I think it was something which drew me to it the most, considering this was the time when I had started working and was just getting acclimatized to the corporate world and its problems. Both these series ran just for 1 or 2 season(s), though I must say, these were really nice. And, if I was asked to choose a winner between the two, it would have been Lipstick Jungle. Anyhow, they never continued either of these series.

And then now what is that I watch? I watch Gossip Girl. Started watching it sometime over the last year, and have been following all the recent episodes in Season 4 too. It is a New York based high society drama, with the kids of the families at the centre and their lives and loves as they move from school to college et al.

Something which I have been planning to starting to watch is Modern Family. I have been hearing some good reviews about this series and yet to decide whether to start on this or not. Another few which I have been thinking of trying are How I met your Mother and Grey's Anatomy.

So now that you see my trend in TV Series and what kind of stuff generally tend to draw me, what do you suggest?

Day 32 - Wheels of Progress

2011-03-09T10:30:00.000+05:30

Day 31 - A Lady

2011-03-08T11:35:00.000+05:30

I miss her so much

Day 30 - POP Art

2011-03-07T09:40:00.000+05:30