Moving...

Cos finding a simple app to use with blogger is too challenging for now. If Wordpress sucks for other reasons will be back. But for now, I am @ https://ihadathoughtoday.wordpress.com/

Diplomacy

Is the bane of humanity. I don’t say we go around being rude and impolite. But this whole tact business has us saying things like ‘I’ll review that and get back to you’ instead of ‘that makes no sense’, and ‘that will need to be considered’ instead ‘no way that can be done’. How is the sheer waste of time and brain cells worth it I ask you? 

Remembering mommy

Her handwriting, a poem she liked that she had written down.

Rainbow

Been so long since I saw one. It still feels like a wondrous thing to see!!

The first photo makes the rainbow feel so close!! And the colors look so clear!

A cup of yummy

One of the thickest, awesomest cups of chocolate. Orange hot chocolate. Yummmmm.

Lunar eclipse

This photo wasn’t taken by me, but I witnessed this event. A very very clear change in the color of the moon, and a very clear view of the shadows.

Retail madness

The sheer joy I get in buying stuff imcan be seen with the shopping done in one flea market. In my defence, most of this is for other people :).

Turning 40.. Photos 2

The mad in-laws:

2 of 3 crazy cousins:


My family:


My other family:


The love of my life who made it all happen:

Turning 40.. Photos 1..

Stupid blog app restrictions...

My strawberry :)

The dining hall...


The garden of many talks and firecrackers and food...


B-15...


The Hotel...

Turning 40...

Not a big deal. Not with a husband like mine. Looooong post coming up so beware.

I didn’t want to make a big deal - it’s show season and hubby’s been traveling a lot. Sis-in-law has a 1 1/2 year baby boy who’s as handful as he is adorable. In-laws are getting on in age. Dad too. I just wanted time with the family, didn’t care where. Got myself my iPhone X (and that was a story too :)).

Initially hubby says gets everyone to Pune - it’s your birthday and they should all come. I said - it’s ok love, but he insisted and I didn’t wanna fight so agreed. Birthday’s on Sunday and hubby comes to Pune Friday night. My dad says some big thing at temple and he wants to come on Sunday instead of Saturday - sure. Sis-in-law says baby is unwell and they can’t make it - of course poor poppet. Mother-in-law says they’re tired and cannot come - my FIL is quite unwell often and of course. 

Now you would think I would have some inkling here right. Nope. So I’m all understanding and say - love, let’s just go to Mumbai, not fair to them all. Chill. He says cool but we have to leave first thing to avoid traffic - sure.

Saturday morning it’s bright and early and we off at like 8 (yes that’s early). Hubby seems to hint at me sleeping but I’ve got vada pav on my brain and don’t sleep. He tries to feed me crap at crappy stalls and I’m wondering why he doesn’t just stop at the guy who we like near the expressway - I’m wondering we aren’t headed that way!!! Hubby says google said take this road and I’m like sure... (Yes still clueless). Getting annoyed with hubby cos I’m sure he’s headed the wrong way and I don’t wanna fight with him but I’m hungry! 

Finally put on google maps and it shows me 4 hours while his google maps says 2 hours. Try to tell my husband and he says - you have crap luck with technology, your new phone sucks, install google maps again. Gullible silly me actually does that FYI. Still 4 hours. Tell hubby to ask the toll wala and he’s ignoring me. So I finally scroll a bit here and there and whaddaya know, I see a little place called Mahabaleshwar!!!!

Hubby’s taking me to a place we haven’t been since mommy died.. 15 years.. and I start crying. And crying. And crying. He says anyways all are busy, we will do a family thing, just us 3. And go back to Mumbai evening or next day. And I cannot believe he would think of something like this overnight. 

He takes me to Dreamland hotel, all the while saying it’s just for lunch. And while I’m crying and oohing and aahing at the memories, he gets us a room :). And I’m like whaaaat!!! And then we start looking at the roads, the pool, where he came to meet me during our courtship while traveling in ST buses, and the garden... And I’m like I wanna stay in this room which looks like the one we used to stay in as kids and he goes and gets me that room :).

And then it starts to get even better. Dad and Kaki and Varun are ignoring my calls and messages and me thinks it’s cos they’re at that temple thing. And I spy on them on Life 360 and find out they’re only an hour away!!! They’re coming!!!!

Sherrin tried to make me sleep (again!) and Kiaan hears a car and opens the door and I see my father-in-law and mother-in-law have come too!!!! 

And I need to pee, and when I come out my sis-in-law and all are there too!!!! 

They all had planned this for ages and all came!!! To Mahabaleshwar!!! For me!!! Can you imagine being loved like that!? For hubby to think of something like this, to plan, and for all of them to make it!!!

A wonderful wonderful year ahead with such a beautiful start. Photos in the next blog!!!

Test blog

Text blog app. Sigh. Hunt for a good blog app with photo support. Why is this so hard?

Parents...

It's just a little gut-wrenching to see them in a hospital. Parents are the ones who hold your hands and teach you things. They're the strong ones, the guides. To see one all vulnerable and small is heart-breaking.

Friends :)

Just cos

Old photos.

Chani



Pao



My dad :)



Dad, mom and goppo chani



Naughty me



Jaanu and me once upon a time :)

Basic courtesy

Too many people don't have this. Don't show this. Waiting a distance when in line. Holding the lift for someone who is coming. Helping elderly people. Saying please and thank you. Appreciating someone - no matter how small their contribution or help. We are so busy being busy, we forget to just be nice. And so scared of being taken advantage of that we go so far to the other extreme. We should just smile a little bit more.

Seeing mom

Was at my dance fitness class today. And they make you dance in front of mirrors and today made me stand at the front (cos I wasn't moving enough :)). And I could see mom... in the shape of my face, in the upper arms, even in the look of my elbow... It's lovely to see yourself growing into another person :).

Environmental consciousness

This is hard. I want to save the environment - I find it perfectly sensible and logical to do and many things aren't that hard. However it's hard to do right sometimes without a lot of knowledge.

For example:
- save water - check. So should I use wet wipes more than water to clean hands?
- save paper - check. So should I use like cloth napkins to dry my hands after I use the bathroom?
- save electricity - check. So is paper to dry my hands worse for the environment or the electricity to wash the napkins? And of course this is about the scale of a whole bunch of people and not just me, but which is more harmful?
- and should I use sanitizer to save water and paper and electricity? How much water and electricity was used to create sanitizer?

How does this work!!??

If I could look like this :)

Thinner, younger and with different eyes :). What photoshop can do to your face!!!!

New phone

It's that time of the year yes when Apple makes a new phone and makes me all excited. I tell myself I won't stand in line and pay crazy money. And then there's no line, the phone I want is available and in the size I want. And it's comparatively reasonable (or I've change my definition of reasonable a LOT).

And so I have a new phone. Smaller. Black - after many years. I've had bad luck with black phones before... And so light...

Seats

Whose dumb idea was the seat with the headrest leaning forward!?? In what planet is that comfortable for a human being? What height so we have to be to find that good? I always get a migraine when I have to sit in seats like that. In a car I usually take the headrest off; can't do that in a bloody airplane :).