Ishi = Mummy = Pishi = Chachi !!! I luvv my babies:-)

Suddenly I seem to have no time left for blogging!!!...!!!

I have my parents here and also another uncle and cousin visiting:-)...so I guess I will be a lil' busy for a week or so. Plus when I do get time to myself, the power goes off and sometimes :-( the net connection goes kaput!! *sigh*...

Btw all u people there who luv to read about Vedant and his antics, you guys should take a look at the other kids in our family :-) ... ummm.. NO I didn't have instant babies or adopt kids (though that wld be marvelous na!)...But I'm talking about my brother in law's sons (he has two of them) and my brother's daughter :-)! I love them all!

Though sadly I haven't met my brother's daughter yet. Her name's Shruti and she's two now but growing up in Chicago where dada (my brother) is settled now. I've watched her grow through pics and videos and I'm hoping that soon I will get to see her...I sooo want to :-)!!!


Don't miss Shruti in this pic here in the sari...doesn't she look adorable! :-) ...

A fact most of u don't know is that my blog url is inspired by her name for me..."ishipishi" (pishi in bengali means Dad's sister)! :-) She speaks a mixture of English and Bengali and loves nice spicy fish...bong style! lolz ... cute ain't she?:-)

As for my brother in law's sons, now these two I meet ever so often and they're adorable...they call me chachi (Rajiv's chachu = dad's brother!) The older one is 4 now (7 months younger than Vedant) and his name's Siddhant (we call him sid / sidaa).


Three musketeers?! Lol! Sid, Agu & Vedu with their fav munchie...kellogs chocos!!:-)

The younger one's 2 now ( a few month's older than shruti) named Agastya:-) (niknamed "agu"). When Vedant, Siddhant and Agastya get together there's total mayhem and chaos all over the place....I wonder what it'll be like when Agastya starts talking too!! phew...well!!

Anyway here are some pics of all the lil one's .. nuthin like cute kiddie pics to brighten a dull warm afternoon:-)! hoping all of u enjoy the pics as much as I do!:-)...


Shruti: She luvsss to socialize! Agastya: He luvss to pose fr the camera

Sid: Watch out Spideyy!!lol Vedant: Bade Bhaiya!!!!

One day at a time...

Over the past few days I have been through a whole range of emotions due to circumstances at home…and in the process wrote two posts…each very different from the other and depicting different emotions…I am putting them up together today…

Sometimes I feel you won’t find a better example of a true Gemini anywhere else ;-)!!! …

The first one was written on 20th April 21, 2006 (Thursday) and the second one the following day on 21st April, 2006 (Friday)…today.

Words…

There are times when I stop and question my faith in the almighty...testing times…painful times…when happiness seems to be a stranger.

But then I find solace in words…words of people known and unknown…in the faces of loved ones…in the concern in their eyes and the love in their hearts.

Circumstances overwhelm me sometimes…but I guess time heals all wounds.

I read these quotes and I do believe they strengthen my belief in words being comforting…

“Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love. It can't take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.”

“There is sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and unspeakable love.” - Washington Irving quotes

I am not one to let tears overwhelm me forever…I know letting go of the past is not easy but I cannot be blind to my future…because ahead is where I know life will give me more experiences…good…bad…happy…sad…and I for one want to live every moment…to the fullest.
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Reasons to Smile…

When we think of luxury…we think big homes…cars…expensive clothes…shoes!…Everything materialistic…But I think of luxury in terms of time…time well spent…time with loved ones…with special people…even time spent alone doing things we normally wouldn’t find the time to do…be it reading a good book…watching our favorite television show…enjoying our favorite meal…or spending time in doing something creative…or like I am doing now….time spent blogging :-)!

One small exercise for everyone…think of three things that made u smile and feel good about yourself today…and if it isn’t too personal, tell me why! :-)

My list for today (21st April, 2006) …

1...Guess this will not surprise anyone coz it’s about Vedant! … well, every morning he has this routine…once ready for school he walks out of the house…picks up the morning paper and hands it to me, gives me a nice longgg hugg and a big kiss! So I am assured that on weekday mornings I will be smiling!

2...While taking a walk in the morning, I saw lovely flowers…pink in color blooming against a Gulmohur tree which had its own flowers in bloom…bright orange! It made such a beautiful and colorful sight…

3...I got expected and unexpected calls from people I love to hear from…that had me smiling.

It’s the little things in life that matter…right?

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Ps: I hate my net connection :-(!! I’ve been without access to the net almost the entire day and even now I’ve had to resort to my phone line which is terrible!!! I hope things get back to normal soon and I can e-mail/chat/blog at will!...and...thank u all for d comments in my last post :-)

Home Sweet Home!

It was a such relief to see clouds in the sky yesterday & feel the breeze...it had me smiling:-) till I was told that in other parts of the city it had rained!..*sigh*..not where I live though:-(. See how just a minute back I was smiling and the next I felt like nah...this isn't enough....should've rained here too?!! hmmm..

The weekend was pleasant and with lots to do...and I still have more stuff to take care of at home. In about a week's time my parents will be here :-) and will stay till mid may! The plan is that Vedant will be going back with them to spend his vacations and later in June, Rajiv and I will also join them for two weeks before getting Vedant back home in time to join school :-). I'll be going to my parent's place after quite a few years and I am looking forward to it. It's in the state of Tripura in the North East...and despite it being a small town and being quite laid back...I like visiting the place and meeting up all my relatives and cousins...and there are many of them there!

The pics above show the location of Tripura in India!:-)

Not many people seem to be aware of the North Eastern States...least of all Tripura! A rather funny incident happened when I was studying in Assam (another North Eastern State...in fact the most prominent one I guess) and one of my teachers asked me which state I belonged to...and I answered "Tripura" and she smiled and said..."wo toh south mei ha na?!"... (that's in the south...of india...right??!) ... I didn't know if she was serious or joking! Agreed she herself was from the state of UP (north) but she had been living and teaching in Assam for a longg time! and nopes she wasn't our geography teacher!!...

Another incident happened here in Delhi and yes I do feel a lot of ppl here tend to get all their facts mixed up about the north east. A friend was in the process of filling up forms at a medical college here in Delhi and the man at the admissions office though not very conversant in english insisted on talking to her in english presuming she didn't know hindi...a general and common misconception amongst north indians that ppl from the north east do not know hindi!...and she kept talking to him in hindi...! and this guy ends up sayin..."aap toh chinese ho na?"....duhh!!! ...

This pic shows the most popular landmark in Agartala (Capital of Tripura)...The Ujjayanta palace! My house is on the left side hidden beneath a cover of trees:-)

Well...after I got done with my graduation here in Delhi I went home for a year (home is Agartala...the capital of Tripura) where I worked at the front office of a reputed computer training institute....the funny thing about this job was that I was required to counsel young students in Bengali...and fact is, my bengali sucked and still does!....I can just about manage a sentence and that too after thinking and speaking real slow!! Most of the time I would have people gaping at me...! But I loved my work there and I also ended up getting very involved with a whole lot of activities at the center. It was the first time I had spent more than two months in my home town!...and I learnt a lot from my experiences there. Leaving the place was sad too and what I cherish the most is when students I knew back them (some of them older than me too!) still recognise me on the streets and tell me of how I might've made some difference in their lives in the short span of time I spent with them...

I remember a group of guys who always insisted on being together in their classes and who seemed to have no purpose in life...their age group ranging from 19-20 to 28! and when I questioned them about working and career etc etc they would laugh and crib about lack of jobs and blame the Govt., the system (?!) and then the attitude...papa hai na?! (I got dad funding me?!)...it would upset me like hell to see them so casual! All I told them was take a look at me...I am 21...ur age and even younger than some of u! I just got done with my post grad diploma and I am working...in fact most guys and girls your age are working in cities. You can choose to stay here and crib all your life and waste your dad's money on expensive computer courses or you can go out see the real world and make your money...that's your look out....you can't blame anyone or anything else for the choices you are making now!

I met one of them (he was a guy 4 years older than me) on one of my trips home and he was all smiles telling me how after I had left he joined the same computer center as my successor's assistant and then joined a new firm as their counselor :-) ... he told me he really thought about what I had to say and he knew I was right and nothing felt better than to earn for himself.

When I think of the above incident it gives me a sense of deep satisfaction and makes me smile...even now!

Well, many years have passed by since and in my trip back this time...I wonder if anyone would still recognize me :-) ... I am looking forwards to visiting my old colleagues and friends and all my relatives:-)...and visiting some of the places I loved going to when I was a kid...still time for it though...June is months away!

Shubho Nabo Barsho & Happy Easter!

Today is the Bengali New Year:-) and I'm here to wish everyone "Shubho Nabo Barsho" (Happy New Year...in bengali). Hope the year ahead will bring everyone happiness and success!

And tomorrow I will be busy all day:-) so wishing everyone a "Happy Easter"...

Smiles:-) and love to everyone!

A quote I once read ...

"I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe in the equality of humans; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow creatures happy."

- Thomas Paine

Freedom of Speech?

*sigh*...yes yes...I am on a break! A certain comment got me back here putting in this post...ummm...not coz I can't answer it in comments but such a longggg reply to a comment? When I spent a considerable amount of time typing it out...it deserves to be a "post" !! :)... okkk jokes aside...it is an important clarfication for me hence the post and also because this has no relevance to any of my posts but is related to Keshi’s post “Whispers of a Veil”

“Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Hate Good Byes :-(...even for a short while!!": I was read your comment about muslim women on keshi's blog and decided that I needed to answer you. Muslim women are proud of their hijab. There are women who might not be hardcore muslims and not wear a Hijab but still believe in the values of their religion. Why are other women from different religions so quick to pass judgment about women from other cultures? Have your or Keshi personally done a poll on Muslim women to find out their views of their own tradition? Keshi has always like the wrong kind of attention and does not really care if the other people reading it might be hurt. It is not surprise that she forgot that one of her good friends is Sebia who happens to be a muslim.It would be nice if you are not influenced by popular views of biased people like Keshi and keep in mind that though this is the net, people do have feelings and feel hurt by reading such posts and comments.Here is Sebia's response to Keshi's thoughtless and hurtful post...http://sebia.blogspot.com/2006/04/painful-propaganda.html”

Firstly…has everyone who commented in Keshi’s blog received this comment??? Anyway…

Hmmmm….what I need to clarify here is…it’s not just about muslim women…or any one particular religion! U need to read my comment and u’ll see that any ritual or any set rule that subjugates a woman in any religion is what I am against…

@ conduct poll among muslim women!...sorry to state I haven’t done the same amongst hindu women too…before I raised my objection to the wearing of Sindoor and Mangalsutra … just for the sake of showing your marital status! And…women not allowed to do puja during their period? Or killing baby girls? Again I reiterate I am intolerant to women being treated as inferior to men in any religion….

Nor have I conducted a poll amongst Christian woman…yet in the same way I feel abortion should be an individuals right depending on the situation…rather than on religion! That family planning and use of contraception should not be decided as right or wrong by religion!

U see…I don’t object to ppl from other faiths questioning the orthodox and irrational practices in my faith…I cannot be blind to my faith…nor can I stop myself from questioning irrationality in other faiths…

My basic and limited understanding of most religions is that in the eyes of “GOD” we are all one…and what we have set down in writing and practices…are to a large extent individual (man made) interpretations…”GOD” him/herself did not set out mundane and sexist practices…

And coming to sebia’s post…I can see she took it very personally…and everyone’s entitled to express their opinion….be it Keshi…Sebia…or myself. Keshi in my opinion was not attacking any religion…she was questioning what she could not identify with…she could do the same with my religion “Hinduism” I would not take it personally…I would try and answer her (which is what Sebia attempted to do also)…and if I disagree…I wld express that…if I agreed…I wld express that too!....

And from what I understand in Sebia’s post is that muslim women choose to wear the hijaab…and I did mention in my comment in Keshi’s post that I would like to hear a muslin woman’s take on this…

Fact is some women (in all faiths) follow religion blindly even if it means curbing their individual freedom…and I would tell them do what u feel u have to do but don’t expect everyone to accept such practices without asking for a logical explanation if any?!

The problem arises when one is not open to debate and one is blindly following something because that’s what we’ve been made to believe in all our lives!! I am willing to learn and open my eyes to all religions and faiths….but I cannot stop myself from questioning and if need be condemning what I consider detrimental to women…in any faith!!....

And I put in your comment here because u need to be heard and because u obviously believe in what u have written and said…that’s is your opinion and u are entitled to it…just as I am to mine…! I also put in your comment as I sooo wanted to put in my answer to it!! It would be perfect though if you could reveal urself and not post comments as “anonymous”…why would u not want to reveal urself? After all, U should be proud of what u believe in right?

PS: I won’t close comments for anonymous ppl though…I hate to restrict anyone from voicing their opinion…And Yes I am still on break!! :-)

Hate Good Byes :-(...even for a short while!!

And even though this isn't forever and I know I knowww...past attempts at staying away haven't been successful but probably this time it could work...so wishin' everyone a happy weekend & a great week ahead:-)...I AM ON YET ANOTHER BREAK!!!!!

Had a post which i meant to put up last week but then things cropped up here at home...anyway...here it is anyway...

"Kandy Floss"

anchor: Archana Puran Singh

"I was watching this show last nite “Kandy Floss” (I think that was the name)…it’s a talk show with the hostess Archana Puran Singh interviewing TV and film celebreties and a whole lot of gossip etc. One such talk was between the hostess and two TV stars…it was actually a debate where one actress made a statement “mera pati mera parmeshwar hai!” (My husband is my God!) She spoke for it and the other actress disagreed and spoke against it)…hmmm! I agree everyone is entitled to their opinion but I found the whole “hubby is God” bit a little hard to digest…it’s one thing to be in luvv and say stuff like I worship u baby! But God??!...

The actress against this said “how can you put ur hubby in the same category as God??” and the other replied…”I am making my hubby God … not God my hubby…”…???

Well…this “pati parmeshwar” thing has been in our culture for a long time…glorifying the husband and raising him to God like status has been ingrained in women but today when women are working, managing home and career successfully and at times better than men! How relevant is this notion and why not “meri patni meri Devi (Goddess) hai!”?

It’s a bit ironical when our religion worships the Goddess in the form Shakti (strength) and has umpteen festivals and religious days set aside to worship the Goddess but in reality women are not given the same stature as men?

If this isn’t hypocrisy than what is?"

Ps: I'm getting slow in replyin to all d comments here...or in visitin ppl...but i promise i will make up for it starting next week...just a hold on any new posts for sumtime...

Yashita's Favorite Time Pass!!!:-)

Inspired by Yashita :-)...I took a couple of tests! the saner ones okkk :-)....and here are the results...

The Three Question Personality Test

Your Personality Is

Idealist (NF) You are a passionate, caring, and unique person. You are good at expressing yourself and sharing your ideals. You are the most compassionate of all types and connect with others easily. Your heart tends to rule you. You can't make decisions without considering feelings. You seek out other empathetic people to befriend. Truth and authenticity matters in your friendships. In love, you give everything you have to relationships. You fall in love easily. At work, you crave personal expression and meaning in your career. With others, you communicate well. You can spend all night talking with someone. As far as your looks go, you've likely taken the time to develop your own personal style. On weekends, you like to be with others. Charity work is also a favorite pastime of yours.

Okkk…one thing is certain…these quizzes always have good things to say, so no worries about embarrassing and stupid stuff popping up:-)!! I can’t say I disagree with anything in the above quiz…

What's Your Blogging Personality?

Your Blogging Type is Unique and Avant Garde

You're a bit ... unusual. And so is your blog. You're impulsive, and you'll often post the first thing that pops in your head. Completely uncensored, you blog tends to shock... even though that's not your intent. You tend to change your blog often, experimenting with new designs and content.

Now this one…hmmmm! No I can’t risk shocking people…lol…my mom reads my blog too!!...*sigh* though sometimes I wish I could get rid of this self imposed censorship!!!!...(maybe start a new blog and not tell mom about it ;-)!!) ...experimenting with designs and content...yes yes yes!

What Kind of Ex Are You?

You Are a Friendly Ex

While the guys you've dated haven't been perfect, you've kept most as friends In fact, one or two of your exes may be your best friends - after all, they know you best And though your mature attitude is awesome, make sure nothing gets too weird Or else you could lose these friendships, simply because your exes' new women think you're *too* friendly

Pity none of my ex’s get to my blog…but hell they would never disagree with this..lolz! But the last line ain’t true…I happen to be friends even with their “new women”…!!! :-)

How Do You Live Your Life?

How You Live Your Life

You seem to be straight forward, but you keep a lot inside. You're laid back and chill, but sometimes you care too much about what others think. You prefer a variety of friends and tend to change friends quickly. You tend to dream big, but you worry that your dreams aren't attainable.

This one’s almost all true ‘cept for "You prefer a variety of friends and tend to change friends quickly" …. The first part is right but the latter oh so wrong…I don’t change my friends so easily…or often…

Lol…I was tempted to try some of the crazier quizzes…I did in fact try out a couple but nah…not putting up those results here :-)…fun TP though!!

ps: new post in pOeMs 'n' QuOtEs :-)

pArTyYy.....& wanna catch a Lion??!

Seems like I’m getting to my blog after agess…for some reason I spent the whole of Friday thinking it was Thursday!!...don’t ask me why?! Only at the end of the day when Rajiv called from work and said we’d be going out the next morning to get some work done, did I realize this…!! Weekend was hectic as usual…mostly spent settling bills (*sigh*)…buying the monthly grocery…and getting set for the big party on Sunday :-)...Rajiv’s office celebrated their Annual Day and also their Centennial year.

The party was fabulous…lots of excitement and good food! It started early coz there was also a carnival for the kids which had fun games and snacks…I luvvd the smiley potato snacks. They looked so cutee:-) …

Don't miss the smiley face!!....cute right???!

there was also a dance competiton for the kids and a gift for the kid who could yellll the loudest! Vedant was spending the evening with his cousins so he missed all this.

Once the main event…the formal part of the evening was to begin, all the kids were taken inside to watch a special screening of the movie “Hanuman”. After the presentation ceremony hosted by the beautiful Manpreet Brar and couple of speeches by the big bosses…there was a splendid fireworks display!!

And then the party began :-)…first their was a lovely show by the dance group “Dynamites” to all the latest hindi tracks and remixes…but the party really kicked off when the band “Tantra” took to the stage.

And like previous years…Rajiv and I were the first to hit the floor *grin* … and then dragged the big bosses too :-)…later everyone joined in and danced the night away. Rajiv and I had to leave by 11pm as Vedant had school today and after I had my dinner…and dessert…blue berry cheesecake…mmmmm :-) , we picked up a sleeping Vedant and drove home…finally went to sleep around 3am!!

Getting up today was tough…realllyy tough…and even as I’m writing this, I’m all sleepy and tired! But no time all morning to catch up on lost sleep…..

While checking my mails…came across this forward (it's a pretty common one I know) but it made me laugh…just putting it in here…hope the week ahead brings u smiles and fun moments…

How to Catch a LION

I like the effect of sunlight in this pic...

Newton’s Method:
Let, the lion catch you.
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Implies you caught lion.

Einstein Method:
Run in the direction opposite to that of the lion.
Due to higher relative velocity, the lion will also run faster and will get tired soon.
Now you can trap it easily.

Software Engineer Method:
Catc h a cat and claim that your testing has proven that its a Lion.
If anyone comes back with issues tell that you will upgrade it to Lion.

Indian Police Method:
Catch any animal and interrogate it & torture it to accept that its a lion.

Rajnikanth Method:
Keep warning the lion that u may come and attack anytime.
The lion will live in fear and die soon in fear itself.

Jayalalitha Method:
Send Police commissioner Muthukaruppan around 2AM and kill it, while it's sleeping!

Manirathnam Method (director):
Make sure the lion does not get sun light and put the lion in a dark room with a single candle lighted.
Keep murmuring something in its ears.
The lion will be highly irritated and commit suicide.

Karan Johar Method (director):
Send a lioness into the forest.
Our lion and lioness fall in love with each other.
Send another lioness in to the forest, followed by another lion.
First lion loves the first lioness and the second lion loves the 2nd lioness.
But 2nd lioness loves both lions.
Now send another lioness (third) into the forest.
Y you don't understand right... ok....read it after 15 yrs, then also u wont!

Yash Chopra method (director):
Take the lion to Australia or US.. And kill it in a good scenic location.

Govinda method:
Continuously dance before the lion for 5 or 6 days.

Menaka Gandhi method:
Save the lion from a danger and feed him with some vegetables continuously.

George bush method:
Link the lion with Osama bin laden and shoot him!!!

Ravi Shastri method:
Ask the lion to bowl at u.
U bat for 200 balls and score 1 run
Lion tired and surrenders

............................Keep Smiling :-) !!!