Bucket List countdown !

I finally convinced my hubby and asked him for an advance 40th birthday present - Sky diving ! Yep I did it on 6th September, it was awesome and a beautiful experience !! I jumped from the plane into the clouds with free fall followed by the parachute pull, it was a tandem jump, my instructor was very good. This was on my bucket list for a long time and as I approached half way through my life I want to do the things which I don't want to leave till the very end. I wouldn't mind doing it again if I get a chance :) Also have joined fitness/ exercise class - every Saturday morning for an hour non stop work out with other ladies to keep myself fit and healthy. Next is to start running may be slowly with 1 Km and then slowly increasing it to 5 Km.. let's see how it goes.

Film award shows in India

I was watching Stardust awards on Sunday night and wondered sometimes do the people who are being given awards really deserve them sometimes it seems such a farce. Indian Hindi movies as so many awards show that I think they need to rethink about how awards are given / when and why and for what rather than making a mockery of the whole awards.

I have a suggestion if you could think about it and pass on to the film industry award shows organisers. Instead of having 10's of awards show divide the awards shows to quarterly reviews movies and couple of sponsors will handle each quarter that way it would give opportunity to many artists and films to be reviewed and awarded. Hundreds of movies are made in India in Hindi language alone with all types of budget / story lines and star cast. By dividing the awards quarter wise it would give chance to all to contend based on their release date falls under which quarter of the year.

Example Jan to March - All movies made and released in this to be considered for the award show and awarded accordingly - if there were no good films which did not meet upto judges marking criteria then no award has to be given in that particular category and it can be carried forward to next quarter.

Lets assume 1st Quarter handled and sponsored by Stardust

2nd Quarter - April to June - handled and sponsored by IIFA

3rd Quarter - July to Sept - handled and sponsored by Filmfare

4th Quarter - Oct to Dec - handled and sponsored by TOIFA

Just an example above - that way the sponsors get publicity and various artists/singers/directors etc get opportunity and new talent will get noticed and small budget movies will get appreciated and financial success.

I know many artists may not feel happy as they would get only one award for that respective role rather than bagging all the awards that year for that role. It will not make a difference as it will be judged as best for that quarter and also they don't have to worry about keeping all those trophies at home for the same movie.

Hope someone in the film industry seriously think about it and consider it.

After a long time... Welcome to 2017

Oh my God it has been such a long time since I wrote anything....hmmm

Welcome to 2017

Smart phones have taken over people's life and it is evident around us everywhere in home/ office, on roads/ in buses / trains etc no one wants to smile or say hello to their co passenger as they are busy with their phones.

Some people also have this misconception that by using these so called "smart phones" they will look smart and become smart :0) and hence everyone has become a journalist and posting and sharing everything with all !! I pray and hope god gives them some sense.

A new word coined in 2012 was just to handle this situation - "Phubbing" is the practice of ignoring one's companion or companions in order to pay attention to one's phone or other mobile device. It is just one symptom of our increasing reliance on mobile phones and the Internet". This is a major addiction spreading fast among all age groups and needs to be stopped soooon !!!

Talking about Barrack Obama - Inspirational person and a great orator who reaches to all age groups and people from all over the world. One of the coolest Presidents anyone has ever seen and will never see again. Same applies to his wife as well and they both complement each other so well and support each other it is amazing and they are a role model for one and all. "Believe in your ability to bring about change and yes you can"

When one talks about their country they feel proud and think it is the greatest and best it is a patriotic feeling and he is patriotic person so it would apply to any head of state who speak about their country but people from other country may not feel the same way ! So it is sad to see him go...god save America and my wishes are with all the Americans.

Lack of words !

Me & my hubby don't by Apple product as they work along with other Apple product only and it is like they are trying to establish the monopoly and we are against any monopoly !! 

 I use android phone as it gives me access to internet to read news etc. But I don't check my FB or twitter on it as I do it everyday at night though I am an IT consultant I stay away from all modern gadgets as I see that they are distancing people communications rather than connecting them. Many years a ago we all used to write letters and posts then came the internet and we started writing emails and soon letters got forgotten. 

Then came social networking, facebook and people stopped writing emails and emails were forgotten, they only wrote on the FB walls and shared things about every activity of their day including nature calls ! 

With the advent of twitter and whatsapp now people just tweet and forward, share or #tag things so where is the connection !!! And people want to check it every 10 minutes to one hour there FB profile or twitter or whatsapp ! This is something I do not like and so check all these only once a day. Whatsapp I find myself checking in lunch breaks as it keeps me connected to my family and friends who are in separate groups and we exchange jokes and every day events. 

Isha's 6th Birthday !

Isha's 6th birthday party was boogie bugs themed party, it was a hit and everyone loved it and had a lovely time. I made heart shaped jam sandwiches, flower shaped cheese sandwiches and egg mayo sandwiches, fruit kebabs and corn which were very yummy (everyone said) and enjoyed by all. 

The fruit kebabs was caterpillar made with grapes  to go with the bug theme, lady bird colours with strawberry/ black grapes and honey bees represented with pineapples/ grapes and loads of colourful fruit kebabs.

All the British parents loved the samosas.. which is a big favourite with the locals here. Ordered pizzas as well to add to the above food.  I could go on about it but then it was like a mini project for me and so sharing here ;)

First visit to Marine drive !

Marine drive is a beautiful place and I remember i must visit there as a newly married young girl, my impression of Mumbai was that which the Hindi cinema gives you - about 11 plus years ago coming from Hyderabad my idea of Mumbai was a place where one needs to be careful of their belongings/ purses as some one might snatch and run away. Marine drive for me was the place where all the smuggling / drugs came in the night at least that is what I thought and learned from the hindi movies ! I know it seems  ridiculous and naive of me to think that way but that is what all Hindi movies showed happened when someone landed in Mumbai ! My hubby and his friends laughed and pulled my leg about it for many years. I realised in the time I was in Mumbai it was much safer and there was dignity of labour ! Everyone wanted to work and was busy doing something and respected and minded their own business.

Accepting Change

Coming back after a long gap and lot has changed since April....and I am in the midst of accepting CHANGE !!! 

I changed my job, changed the location, changed my role, changed my company and now relocated to a beautiful and popular place which is expensive. Accepting so many changes is challenging and difficult sometimes but one has to persevere and carry on as slowly things will fall in place and be back to normal. One year from now I will be in a better place to talk more confidently of the changes I have made and how it has helped improve mine & my family's life.

Important events :

This has been year of travelling and the places we have visited has been quite a many :

• April - Lanzarote trip in Canary Islands, Spain
• May  - Barcelona, Spain - a beautiful city and so much fun !
• May  - Paris, France - another beautiful city and amazing museums/ paintings and                                  so much to see along with memorable trip to Disneyland.
• June - Had a memorable India trip as visited Ladhakh which is beautiful place and a must visit.
• August - Rome, Italy - Beautiful buildings and so much history !

I know we went a bit overboard with all the travel and covered all the places which we have not covered in the last 5 years all in one go :))

Tana celebrated her 10th Birthday !!! Yes she is 10 and growing up fast ! My little angel - how time flies !!! I remember the day she was born and today she is TEN. She loves reading and asked a book as her birthday present from an author who visited her school recently. So i got her the book and she is excited about reading it.. I am glad she has such simple demands and is content with little things. Bless her ! Praying and hoping all her dreams come true.

Enjoy... hope to come back often and regularly !

India ka Prime Minister kaun hain.. ?

03.04.2014 :

Isha was telling me that I know everything in the world and her class friend Teddy knows everything. I asked her how can a 5 year old kid know everything ? I asked her did he know who is President of USA ? For which she replied, "no that is a bit hard for him to answer " .

 I asked her did she know who was President of US ? or she knew who was Prime Minister of India ? She thought for a while and innocently replied  - "Dadi" ?  :0))))) Me and Tana fell down from our chairs laughing at her answer !

Amma kaun hain ?

Ishaism continues....


20.02.2014
I told Isha that she has to finish her lunch completely and she replied, nahin mein nahin kha sakti. I told her aap ki to amma bhi khayengi, for which she asked. "amma kaun hai ?"


19.02.2014
Isha told Tana, " didi hum dono papa se shaadi kar lete hain . Tana replied papa ki shaadi to mummy se ho gayi, then she said toh hum dadu se shaadi kar lete hain.. Tana said dadu ki shaadi toh dadi se ho gayi.. she thought for a while and said thik hain mein aap se shaadi kar longi ;0)

 I got Kaju barfi from office and gave to Tana and Isha each. Isha said, "papa ke liye ? I told her koi baat nahin aap kha lo..she said nahin mein papa ke liye half rakhoongi....sweetiepie.


14.02.2014
I was teaching her spellings and warned her, "agar thik se nahin likhogi to spelling test mein anda milega ! " She said "ANDA" with a surprised look and felt happy. She did not understand that it meant zero.

Ishaism's continues

28-01-2014

1. Isha asked me, “Papa aap ghar kab jaoge”?. I said, “Kaam khatam hone ke baad”. She said, “Aapki teacher line-up karegi toh aap ghar kaise jaoge?

2. While watching ‘Jab Tak hai Jaan’ she asked, “Shahrukh khan ke paas two ladies hain?”?

21.01.2014

She was very excited after her birthday party and after one week of her party asked me, " mera birthday phir kab aayega ? I told her it will be January next year - then she very innocently asked "mera birthday every time January mein aata hain ?

She has already announced that her 6th Birthday party should be in Conkers !!!

14.01.2014

Isha tries to use every new English word, last week when Tana did a beautiful painting, she said, " maizing" what she actually meant was Amazing :)

Pronunciations 

Mere saath  is pronounced as "mere saak"

Jab bhi mein  is pronounced as "Jab tab mein"

Isha's 5th Birthday

It was Isha's 5th birthday on 18th Jan and I had been planning for it since December. The party went very well and the kids enjoyed it a lot. The inflated bouncy castle was liked by the kids and they played on it. They were about 19 kids including Isha & Tana and about 16 adults.

The Menu included Chicken pops, potato wedges, fruits, salads, sandwiches, cake, cheese straws and jelly shots for kids along with drinks. Samosas and juice for adults along with fruit juice.

I made some interesting sandwiches - heart shaped strawberry jam sandwich, flower shaped cheese sandwich with carrot and curvy Egg and mayo sandwich, which were a big hit with the kids and I was happy that my effort paid off. 

I served jelly in multi coloured tequila shot glasses which were loved by the 5 year old and got over within minutes :0) On the whole I would say it was a memorable event for the kids and me too. My next project is my elder daughter's 10th birthday which is in September and I have already started thinking of the things I will be doing...:)

The Thank you gift included personalised bracelet for girls which they loved and the boys got police cars and moshi monsters lunch boxes with other party gifts.

Questions by Isha

1. Hum log doosra log ko dekh kar smile kyon karte hain
2. Babies tummy ke aandar kaise jate hain ?
3. Babies pet se bhahar kaise aate hain ?
4. Aap Nanu ke ghar kyon rehti thi ?
5.  Mein aap ki shaadi mein kahan thi ?

Funny and cute mis-prounciations:

• Stomach ate ho raha hain
• Lappot par kaam rahi ho (Laptop)
• Hippomotopus

Time to take action and make difference !

I have always been a brave and strong girl to fight against any kind of harassment, abuse. But I was not always like this as a 6 year old I did not have the guts and could not differentiate between what is right and what is wrong so was abused by distant relative. It happened only one time but that memory stayed with me. But as I grew older I told myself  I need to fight for myself and this gave me the courage and boldness. During my college days when travelling by bus I always warned other lady passengers against the rogues travelling in buses. Had hit a 40+ man at a Bus stop because he tried to touch me when I was getting down the bus. After that he never got into a bus when he saw me..so that made a difference. But nobody taught me to be bold - I changed myself and took that step.

I was very disturbed and frustrated with the system after the rape of 5 year old girl in Delhi, and thought about ways by which we could bring a change a difference. So wrote down few things sharing it with you – it is better “Be Cautious/ Alert …take charge “! So sharing my thoughts with you all –

1. Teach young children the difference of right and wrong touch.
2. Importance of not talking to strangers, not accepting anything and being lured by them.
3. Tell them nobody can touch them other than parents. Make of list of people they can trust.
4. Introduce respect for fellow being, school to have mandatory classes for all children since age 4 onward to teach to respect and treat women equally.
5. Train all girls in martial arts, make mandatory course at school to be introduced since age 3 onward
6. Teach them simple techniques, steps to be taken to if faced lonely in a place/hotel/lift/bus/auto. Hit where it hurts the most
7. Build young boys to become better human beings, it is wrong to eve tease girls, pass remarks and make fun of them. Teach them to respect other women how they would respect women at their home.
8. Give pepper spray to be carried in their purses/ bags
9. Don’t let them chat and accept friends on facebook or internet with strangers.
10. Teach young girls to be Jhansi ki rani/ Bold, brave and fearless so that they can lead their life and make their children the same.
11. Try to change the young boys mindset by inculcating respect for women/ fellow being as these boys grow up to be men who would bring the change in society.
12. Strict laws and legal actions through fast track courts on eve teasers/ men who sexually harass / rapists etc.

More things can be added but mentioned few.

love

Mummy big nahin ho rahi hain !

Isha had a concerned look on her face, when i asked her "kya soch rahi ho beta ? She replied, " mummy mein aur didi big ho rahein hain aap big nahin ho rahi ho (she meant tall) !!

45 before 45 ...

Inspired by a friend of mine I need to compile a list of 45 before 45 ..why hmm cause sometimes time flies by and you cannot do certain things one would like to do due to various factors such as age, time, money, health etc.

So I would start my list and keep updating it as and when I think of something ...

1. Get drunk and write... :)

I don't drink as I don't like the taste of drinks and cannot pretend to like something just because everybody does it. So I always wanted to get the feel of  being drunk :) So I will have to do this before I turn  45.

2. Sky Diving
I want to experience the feeling of flying like bird and how see the view from the sky diving point. I look forward to the day I shall fulfill this dream

I am PEACH !

Tana has taught Isha about colours and explained that her skin colour is called peach. Last week Isha came home and said, " mummy Shanita (her half British & Half Black friend) bola mein "brown" hoon ! I asked her aap ne kya bola ? She very innocently replied, " mein ne bola I am PEACH ! I said very good beta.

Pending coffeee...lovely concept !

I think we should all follow this ...would make the world a better place !

Diary for 2012

Isha's birthday party - on 18th was a minnie mouse theme birthday party and a huge success. She enjoyed being the center of attraction and cutting the cake, dressing in lovely pink polka dot frock and all the fun fare. This was a first proper birthday party for her and I wanted to be the best. The party games of dancing statutes, coloring Disney cartoons, pinning the bow on Minnie mouse, passing the parcel were all loved by the kids. 

Work wise it was important event as my first project as a "Project Manager" went live successfully and I got to learn a lot about project planning and implementation.Got appreciation and accolades for the role in the project and a promotion :)

Yearly trip to India went by so fast that I always wonder how does the time fly so fast. Once the children were away the house seemed all empty without them. It is strange when the kids are around they drive you crazy and when they are away it feels lonely without them. Me & hubby took trekking trips to Peak district and enjoyed the us time :)

Isha started going to pre- prep school full time and loves her school. She has to wear a school uniform and learned to speak English pretty well and surprises me with her usage of words :). 

Isha came home and said, "mummy mein school mein tired ho jati hoon  " I was laughing and asked ghar par nahin hoti.. she said no ! 

When I brushed her hands by mistake she told me, " sorry mummy I heart your feelings " i was aghast and started laughing for using the expression.

Isha is learning the concept of small & big at play school. She said Isha is small, Papa is big and when I asked her mummy kya hain ? She thought and said " small big" ;)

I asked Tana," why do u talk so much ? her instant reply was, " when i grow up i want to be a chatter box !!!

Tana's 8th Birthday party was a princess fairy theme party, she chose the theme and wore fairy wings and carried a wand :) As usual it was fun as the kids a fairy tatoos, games (dancing statues, dumb charades, colouring the fairies) and gifts ! 

September was interesting period as I was all set leave my current job and relocate to Cambridge to work but last moment offer from my current company to retain 

Thankfully hubby and kids remembered my birthday and brought me card and flowers. Hubby's gift was vacation to Thailand ...which was in the December break. We went to Bangkok and Phuket and it was good trip, little hectic but worth every penny. Loved the MBK mall for shopping ...you could spend a whole day there and would not realise it.

Christmas - My kids are more excited about Christmas due to Santa effect :) I think we need to get Banta for Diwali to deliver the gifts to kids :) When Santa was on the rounds - Isha & Tana were so excited to see him and I took their pictures with Santa. When Santa asked Isha what she wanted for Christmas, she replied, " Giraffe " yes a giraffe don't ask me why :) Neither would it fit in our home nor our budget !

Tana wanted a I-Phone ..yes my gal knows what she wants !

Time gone by ....2011

It's been such a lonnnnng time since I have written .....June 2011 was my last post :(  Not excuses for not writing but a simple sorry...hope you will understand. It is difficult to write all the things which have happened since June 2011 but I shall try to recollect and pen down the events.

July16th 2011 an important day for Tana as she traveled alone in her first international solo flight from here to    Mumbai by Jet Airways in the unaccompanied passenger scheme. We took the courage and send her and madam was not scared at all and eager to go as she would get to watch the television in the flight without any interruption in the flight ! Can you believe it ..yes that is the incentive which took away the fear and made her eager.

August 2011 

Family trip to Goa with my parents and in laws. I have been to Goa earlier so it was not new to me. The only difference was staying at five star resort which I did not enjoy much as I think it is such a waste of money and it is only paying for the brand. What is the point in staying there when you are trying to calculate the cost at every expenditure..but then sometime you agree to make others happy.

September 2011

Isha joined the Ashby Playgroup & Castle Nursery. 4th Sept 2011 was her first day to playgroup. She was fooled and send to play group as she was not sure what it is and what happens there. It took her almost 4 weeks to adjust due to the language issue and missing Dadu & Dadi. She was happy to be back with didi, Papa & mummy but did not like the idea of nursery and every day was a tussle to drop her to playgroup. Eventually after 5 weeks she waived me bye and did not cry ...yipee and I was a happy mommy !

Tana celebrated her 7th birthday and Isha was quiet and shy in the party as she had English language issues.

November 2011

One of the most unforgettable birthday's as I turned 34. I was hoping that someone would remember it and get the hint but no my hopes faded as the day went by till late evening. I was receiving calls throughout the day from near and dear ones but that did not give the hint to hubby dear or the kids. We went out for lunch but neither did the kiddos nor hubby remembered it. So I thought it was time I asked hubby if he was forgetting something and then it dawned on him....OMG it was my birthday and why didn't I remind him !!! Yes that is also my duty :) He got ready to rush and get something for me, but as it was Sunday all the shops were closed by 4:00 so no luck. Quickly the mithai was made into a cake and a birthday card made with the song sung for me. Definitely a unforgettable birthday ! 

December 2011

Isha was a sheep in her school nativity play and looked very sweet, she is coming out of her cocoon and losing the shyness, has learnt a lot of English and with British accent :) which sounds sweet as she pronounces certain rhymes. Tana was a narrator in her school play and looked cool in her cowboy hats and check shirt. 

I asked Isha, "what do you want on Christmas from Santa Claus ? She very sweetly responded, " Santa Claus :)

Busy period....

Writing the blog after a long time, have been busy at work had a project testing phase and the go -live which happened last week...finally after a one and a half year with the project !

Have not been updating the blog since January 2011....

A lot has happened, the visit to India to attend the ritual after babaji's passed away. It was good to see Isha, who ran to my arms and was so happy to see all of us. The time spend with her was priceless...I miss her a lot and want to get her back to UK at the earliest.

February & March 2011

Was very busy with work for the preparation of country testing and dry runs for the country testing in March end.

April 2011

3 weeks of country testing and was travelling to Brussels every week to support the users. In the last week met old friends SP & Shekar in Brussels. It was a lovely time catching up with them and meeting their kids. Talking about the old days and listening to their story.

May 2011

Preparation for the go live and then cut over activities kept me working for long hours.

6th June 2011 - Finally the project went live and Mics joined his new job at London and now in the support period.

Shall try and update the blog regularly now...

love