Wow, it been a while since I came to my own blog. But life happens. ...one day you do know what to with yourself the next you don't know where time flies. The years 2012 and 2013 slipped past and here we are mid- March 2014. Phew thats something. 
         A lot  has changed though. Daughter has grown up..she is six now. Hubby changed jobs, we shifted to a new apartment. All good, I will always be grateful to The Almighty for the life he has given me.
         Hope to be regular here...Ciao for now.

New Year Resolution

The year is almost coming to an end, just a few hours to go now. The year 2011 was great, but personally I would like to make this new year even better. So this year my resolution is - to be a better person. Being more tolerant towards other peoples  mistakes and more careful to not repeat them myself. I would like to be less selfish and more considerate. Also I would like to respect myself and my body by eating right and being fit.
This is what I wish for myself this coming year, and sincerely hope that I can keep up this promise to myself.

Happy New Year.................and may all good things come to you all in 2012....

                     

What a thought........

1. Start each day with a grateful heart.
2. Focus on the positive aspect of every person you encounter.
3. End each day with a grateful heart.
- Lucy MacDonald

I wish we could all follow this......I try my best though.

Watching Titanic

I watched Titanic the movie, in the morning, right after my tea. i did not move from the couch until noon. I did not cook lunch and offered my hubby an instant breakfast. The point is that I was so engrossed in the movie that nothing else mattered for the next 3 1/2 hours. Just so you know I have watched Titanic umpteen number of times and every time is like the first. Each time I am awestruck by the grandeur of the ship itself, the detailed costumes, the tragic love-story and the flamboyant Jack Dawson .

This time though, was different. I realized, through the movie that no matter what ones social status is, we all want to be alive. Money has no value when it comes down to a breadth for a few more seconds. We all, be it rich or poor, young or old are afraid of the unknown and hence of death. Though admitting this fear or dealing with it is different from person to person.

So, like Jack from the movie made Rose promise to live life to its fullest, we all should do the same. Make every moment count.............Happy Living!

A well deserved victory............

Yesterday was one of the most exiting days of my life. The Indian Cricket Team won the highest honor in the cricketing world The Cricket World Cup 2011. Wow, I still cannot believe it. We won by a good 6 wickets, thanks to the impressive knocks by the captain  M.S.Dhoni (91) and Gautam Gambhir(97). Though I wish atleast of them would have made a century. India bowled first and created trouble for the Lankan batsmen, with spot on fielding and a catch by Yuvraj was really outstanding. While the opposition fumbled  in that area. So its true that catches win matches! Things could have been a lot different if the Lankans had taken a couple of key wickets or stopped a few more runs through fielding.

Apart from that, it was really thoughtful and rather sweet of the entire team to dedicate the World Cup Victory to Sachin Tendulkar. He deserved it, this probably being his last world cup tournament. But me being the dreamer that I am,who believes in fairy-tales...expected a century from the Little Master so that he could complete his Century of Centuries. After all Mumbai is his home and Wankhede his home ground. Imagine the height of SachinMania then.....Wow the thrill would have been something else.Though it does not matter because Sachin was, is and forever will be the God of Cricket.

I watched the final with a bunch of my close friends, giving hubby dear the ball by ball score via sms. He is in Samoa for his own tournament. I felt so sad for him and missed sharing the thrill of winning the cup with him. All in all, missed centuries, dropped catches, missing hubby does not count , when the bottom line is - India wins the World Cup after 28 years.
Three Cheers for India , Three Cheers for Sachin.............

To Watch a Sleeping Child | Gomestic

To Watch a Sleeping Child | Gomestic

In one of those quite afternoons, when everything is quite and peaceful, I think like this like this..........and then I write it down.

Its been long...

Its been a long long time since I sat down and wrote something. No this does not mean writing little reminder slips. I mean writing my blog. This month just seemed to fly away... I don't even remember when it began, and its almost the month-end now. Its like amnesia, I cannot remember anything but the last two weeks. Is it only me or it happens to others too?

Had a few dinner parties, enjoyed a lovely lunch with friends. Celebrated hubby dears birthday, it was simple and quite, that was good.  A few of my new creations were appreciated by my friends, it felt good. I tried my hand at a sorbet and it was a hit. Setting up home, all over again was exciting even though a bit tiring. My mom in law is back in town, so there is a month of long chats, shopping sprees and recipe swapping in store. Little princess is enjoying the extra attention from her grand-mom. Now that that I see a few less hectic days ahead, hopefully I will be able resume writing again.

When Children Start Speaking | Gomestic

When Children Start Speaking | Gomestic

There are loads of anecdotes that I can write about and all the moms out there will agree with me. And they will remember how their little ones also had some funny and some nerve wracking questions all the time. But we all miss these same silly conversations once the kids grow up.

When Children Start Speaking | Gomestic

When Children Start Speaking | Gomestic

There are loads of anecdotes that I can write about and all the moms out there will agree with me. And they will remember how their little ones also had some funny and some nerve wracking questions all the time. But we all miss these same silly conversations once the kids grow up.

Part of Being a Mother

Part of Being a Mother

Raising a child is not the easiest thing, but a little bit of fear for precaution's sake can go a long way in maintaining our peace of mind.

It hurts to say 'Good-bye'

I really enjoyed the last month and a half. My mom in law was in town and we always have a great time together. We really do enjoy each others company. Be it shopping, recipe swapping or plain gossiping time flies when we are together. This time too I felt that time flew. Well yesterday was not one of my best days, because we dropped her off at the airport. Though we did not say much to each other, both of us knew exactly how the other felt. Our moist eyes did the job. Even little princess felt that something was not right.
Now we are back to our daily routine, which even sounds boring. No more long afternoon chats or the thrill of window shopping. Will definitely miss mom in law's special cooking yummy and oozing with love. My poor little princess, searches for 'daadi' and then reminds herself that she has gone to India. She is missing a playmate too. All I hope for now is that time flies again till either we go home or mom in law comes back.

THE REAL FACE OF MODESTY

This past weekend was one of the best and most memorable to me. The Jakarta Cricket Association held its dinner along with the closure of its current seasons cricket league. The guest of honor was Mr. Syed Kirmani, who had come down all the way from India to give away the awards. And being the secretary of JCA hubby dear and myself were fortunate enough to know Mr. Kirmani and Mrs. Habiba Kirmani closely.


We did not know what to expect before meeting them. A cricketing legend, who was the best wicket-keeper in the '83 World Cup and a key member of the '83 World Cup winning squad. But we were in for a pleasant surprise. Despite being celebrity, both of them preferred not to behave like one. In fact they were so kind -they made us feel like we were long lost friends, though we had just met. There was not an ounce of pride in their words and actions throughout the three days. It takes a lot to remain grounded even after achieving so much fame and fortune. And this quality has been excelled by the couple. In their eyes everyone is equal, and to think first class cricketers around the world are their bosom buddies.


We had a great time with them - did some shopping, sightseeing and watched the JCA League final match. It was all very exciting for us and I sincerely hope they had a good time too.  The reason I am writing almost two days late is because I needed sometime to sum up what I felt and put it into words. Though I still think I have not done justice. No doubt, earlier we respected Mr. Kirmani  for his experience and achievements. Something which most of us can only dream of. But after meeting him and Mrs.Habiba in person and knowing them, we have been awed by their humility. We got to learn a lot from them in a short period of time about sportsmanship, companionship, positive thinking and being thankful of whatever life has to offer us. 

I do not know how to end this post, I have so much to say... All I can say is , thank you Mr.and Mrs. Kirmani for inspiring us to lead a simple life , which is indeed the most foolproof  way to live happily ever after...Thank You.

DONE WITH EARTH HOUR....EARTH DAY COMING RIGHT UP!!

 March 27th 2010 Earth Hour was observed in the evening from 8:30-9:30  local time. The good news was, around 126 countries and territories participated in the event. So between the given time period most of the business organizations, households and institutions switched off the lights. Imagine the amount of saved energy just by going dark for an hour.

Next comes 22nd April , the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.  Yet another day dedicated to Mother Earth . It is all great, but is it enough ...maybe not. But doing something on a large scale once or twice a year is just not enough. Creating awareness is fine, but how many really do something about it? We have inhabited this planet for thousands of years, and all that we have done is take from it. And after all this time we give back only a day or two. Can we not have Earth Day every month , or an Earth Hour every day ? Just an hour a day without electricity might not affect us that much but it will make a vast difference in preserving our planet, creating a better world for our children. If we have brought them into this world, we may as well give them a livable one.
Three cheers to WWF for organizing the event of Earth Hour, to the participating countries as well as the general public who took responsibility. Everybody talks about saving the planet earth and our leaders hold much publicized conferences to tackle this issue, but I guess most of us forget to simply switch off the bathroom light while talking on our cellphones. It is these small daily acts that will eventually help in making everyday Earth Day.

GOING GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As usual I was flipping channels yesterday, and came across a program on Discovery Channel. Well I just saw the tail end (thanks to flipping channels every minute), but what I saw was very interesting indeed. It was something to do with vertical farming. Vertical Farming weird  I thought.........but I could really see our future in it!! Very innovative and forward thinking I must say. Theoretically the concept really works. According to it a 30 floor building can produce food for a population of approximately 50,000, right in the cities. Great !!!! this absolutely reduces the transportation costs and not to mention the energy consumption as well as the carbon emission in the process. So I guess the cost of the products also comes down. And with that much greenery (if there are such farms spread throughout the city) the oxygen levels will increase and the temperatures will decrease to some extent. For your information, this project was a competition winner (Romses Architects), which was held by the City of Vancouver" to address climate change plans and to guide greener and denser development,reducing carbon emissions for the future". 


This was about the future maybe the next 20 years or so, and that too only the "rich and developed countries" might be able to afford the technology behind it. But what about today???? are we doing enough ......so that our children can breathe purer air, drink safe water or not have to deal with the ever soaring temperatures. I guess not, its sad i know. I am sure we all try to use less water, save paper, use less plastic, use energy saving electrical equipments  etc.. but the question is, is it enough? Maybe in a minuscule way...... thats all I can say !!
One of the reason I think is coz being eco-friendly is costly.....lets admit it. Plastic bags are cheaper than eco-friendly ones, at supermarkets we pay to get the eco-friendly bags but plastic ones are free.....this is just one example if one looks more closely we will find many more!!!
And double standards, last weekend we went out malling (hehe window shopping in a mall), and bought coffee from a famous coffee joint ( its really hip and has branches all over the world). While they served the coffee in plastic cups, they also spoke about saving trees and provided recycled tissues!! I didn't know if I should feel good about the recycled tissue or bad for using plastic which if not treated properly could end up in a landfill or even worse .......pollute the oceans. But atleast they are trying.



And during one of my flipping through the channels sessions I had come across another program which featured eco-friendly homes. Well that was something I really liked, people had actually cultivated gardens (it needed really solid water-proofing) on their rooftops. They harvested rainwater and some even had arrangements to recycle used water from the kitchen and washing machines for watering this garden. They claimed that the temperatures in their homes had reduced and the view on the roof was refreshing!!
(


I would love to have such a home myself( though I do not posses a green thumb so to speak). Install a solar panel (supplemented by normal electricity of course) , and definitely grow my own veggies!!! Wow I am thrilled already ..........hypothetically speaking its really good( in reality its all about money honey!!) Needless to say these installations and all don't come cheap. Which makes me ask these questions.......why can't eco-friendly products be cheaper? Solar panels, biogas installations , rainwater harvesting equipments, hybrid cars etc..etc..do not come at subsidized rates (enlighten me if they do). Why don't supermarkets give out reusable carry-bags and no bags for smaller items or easy to carry stuffs. And why can't we take our own bags while shopping ( I rarely do it myself ...but will work on it). All these change will be unwelcome initially, and not convenient (convenience is the main culprit actually) but sure we can all get used to it. As consumers we do enough damage already!!

To sum it all up, I think the Vertical Farming is a great idea and we can all take inspiration from it. Lets not wait for some multinational to implement it, rather we do it all in our own backyards. As far as I am concerned , I try to follow the three R's ......reduce,reuse and recycle.
Reduce- Try my best !!
Reuse- Do all the time (an entire new blog topic!)
Recycle-Try to use the right coloured garbage bins (if they are available) 

Hope you do the same!!!

 

EVERYTHING'S FINE!!

Hey Everybody,

                           So what did you do last weekend??? I for one watched movies and two really good ones at that, at least according to me. Some movies really do leave an impact on us, they force us to think about the way we live our lives or conduct ourselves. I had heard somewhere that 'art imitates life' and then we are inspired by movies......whoa thats deep I guess!! In any case, these two movies that I am talking about both have the leading men in their twilight years . Its about seeing things from their perspective (I know that it already sounds boring).

 

The first one is called 'Road To Sangam' starring Paresh Rawal, a very well made movie with a message of communal harmony(whats new). But its a good watch for the sheer simplicity with which the story was handled. The characters are very real and believable as well as the plot. I wouldn't want to say much about it, coz I much rather you watch it.......though I must say that its not like MNIK  and  might not really break any records at the box  office, chances are that you might have heard about the movie just about now (I hope not).

Now for the second movie, this ones a Hollywood flick by the name 'Everybody's Fine' starring Robert De Niro. It also boasts of Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell (big names huh!!). This one is for parents and children and when the children become adults.  A recently widowed father (DeNiro) travels all over the country to meet up with his kids ( four of them).  And in the process he realizes that not only are they trying to avoid him they are also lying to him. In fact what he doesn't know is that they are doing so to protect him from hurt and disappointment.  A beautifully made movie, with deep emotions subtly portrayed. It got me thinking, if I had lied to my parents or elders so to speak just so they wouldn't worry too much and in the process hurt their feelings for an entirely different reason. I am sure we all must have at some point, but speaking for myself I suffered a major guilt trip, shed a few tears too.

But also isn't it true that when we lie with a good intent at heart its not a lie ??

Well then, when we say 'Everybody's Fine' so that somebody else stays fine and stress free then I think 'Everything's Fine' !!! 


One more movie I would recommend is  Gracie's Choice (Kristen Bell, Anne Heche) its an Hallmark T.V movie based on a real life adaptation ................on the occasion of Women's Day!

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY !!  YOU'RE LUCKY TO BE A WOMAN .


Cheers.

UNPARALLELED TALENT

      Yesterday I had a spring in my step knowing that I am a certified blogger now and have a few followers. I received a few appreciative and encouraging comments on Facebook too. It was a good feeling and a good day overall.

    
     That was until evening, when I received a call from hubby dear asking me to switch on to the news channel. Not sure as to what I might find I did as I was told................and immediately jumped with joy (for a change it was good news ). Yes Sachin .................THE SACHIN TENDULKAR  had scored a double century in an ODI and in the process set a new record. The feat is a first in one day cricket history  as far as i know. I was and still am thrilled just thinking about it, got goosebumps and all. Wow I have no words............

     A long time ago I had noticed a poster during one of the matches where India was playing, it said "GOD PLAYS FOR INDIA....HE BATS AT NO.4 " ,  well do I need to mention who was batting at no.4. In any case that guy who made the poster surely knew what he was saying.
   
    Ofcourse I am a Sachin fan for his game but also for his conduct on  and off the field. With whatever knowledge I have of cricket and the buzz around it (courtesy - hubby dear and news /sports channels ) I can safely assume that he does not have any controvesies with any other players ( national /international ). This itself takes tremendous mental stability and a good dose of maturity not to mention modesty, which is ever present in him. Even when a few so called "enlightened cricket experts" said that he should retire, Sachin did what he does best......kept playing!!  They said he is way past his prime , he should retire ...blah ..blahh..............whoa what an answer he gave them.

    He has always been the greatest cricketer ever (atleast for me) and now there is no denying that fact. He is a LEGEND.....and will always be an INSPIRATION to the younger generations who aspire to reach to great heights  relying on their talent and hard work.

BRAVO ! BRAVO! YOU'RE THE BEST!

SACHIN THIS ONE IS JUST FOR YOU.....................