The year of the DOG

According to Chinese mythology/zodiac it might be the year of the dragon, but undoubtedly, so far it’s been the year of the dogs. Did you watch the Superbowl? The most popular (by viewers' vote) commercials were those that featured dogs. Especially for those of us who fancy dogs, we jumped on the band wagon whether the ads were funny or not (not to take away due credit from the advertising houses and directors of those ads, they did a darn good job).

Dogs and Talking Babies are bigger than celebrities this year. They are much much more delightful, and waaay way cheaper for their time. You might say that they are harder to work with, with regard to direction and script, but if you compare the making-of-the-ad videos between Kim Kardharsian and Bolt (the Volkswagen dog), you will decide for yourself. I think the advertising industry is moving to a better platform now. We need to stop idolizing idiots (the Kardharsians & Snookies of the world) and go back to things that will actually tick: humor and emotion. With dogs & babies, you will almost certainly accomplish that checklist.

Whenever I talk about dogs, I remember the last few lines from the movie/book Marley & me, "A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not." Amen.

I can't resist this other quote: "A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things-a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.”

If you haven't already seen these ads, you must:

The Dog Strikes Back: Volkswagen Game Day Commercial 2012

Camping Dogs by Subaru

Doritos - Man's Best Friend Superbowl Commercial 2012

Kim Kardharsian's Replacement: Skechers: Go Run Mr. Quiggly

P.S: I miss you Ira, my love. Yes, my Irish Setter reads my blog.

P.S.S: Volkswagen, Subaru, Doritos, and Skechers: I'll accept cash or free samples for endorsing your ads :D

"Tum bahut khubsurat ho" in Mexico!

My husband & I just got back from a beach vacation at Cancun, Mexico. What a great break it was - beautiful beaches, perfect weather, interesting mix of culture, and the food was to-die-for!

Coming back very satisfied from our vacation, I wanted to make a few comments about how impressed I was with what we saw/did at Cancun & the few neighboring places we visited. Agreed Cancun is developed solely because of tourism, but the people in the city are genuinely helpful & courteous.

We went there with our guard raised very high because of all the warnings posted on US travel websites about the drug cartels, mafia, robbery, etc. First of all, we felt very safe. Cancun is so touristy, there is no other way to describe that city. Everyone knows you are a tourist, and treats you well. The local people welcome tourists because tourism is their bread & butter. They know one wrong doing is enough to stir a lot of negative spot light. We felt safe enough to not only walk around in the hotel zone (designated zone for the all-inclusive resorts, expensive touristy shopping plazas with the Louis Vuittons & Guccis, and flea markets that only sell $$ marked up memorabilia), but also use the local transport & walk the streets of downtown & find some very cool Mexican cuisine restaurants that weren't americanized.

At first most vendors & restaurateurs would greet us in spanish. Then when we responded Hola! in our confused accent, they would start talking more Spanish than our cheat sheet would allow us to understand!

Downtown (old) Cancun reminded me of Bangalore, India and how it was about 15 years ago. Small vendors at every nock & corner, yumm street food, and gardens everywhere in the city. Cancun was better in the sense that their public transport was far more sophisticated, and the decency of the local population (I mean the men, no letching, no boob grabbing, nobody trying to follow u home!) is commendable. One thing that was kinda ooh-la-la was the PDA. These young 20 something's could not keep their hands off each other - on the bus, on the street corners, in the mall, at the restaurant... they needed to get a room!

And oh yes, I have to comment about how everyone knew we were Indian! When we're in the US, my husband & I get mistaken to be Mexican (never a good thing!) ever so often. But it was a welcome change that the local Mexicans knew we were Indian. They would say Namaste every opportunity they had, lol! So much so, that the officer at the port of entry spoke to us in Hindi. He said Namaste & we were like, “Oh wow very cool”. Until he started spitting out full sentences like "Tum bahut khubsurat ho" and then, "bas, masthi karro". With those lines he managed more hindi than my husband!

It's a great place, put it on your agenda! Come back with more than just a tan and a bottle of Mexican tequila; the hand crafted antiques, hot sauce, and a visit to Chichen Itza is recommended. Hasta luego!

Dream your own dream

As part of my random reading efforts, I read this article this morning about how working moms are more emotionally healthy than stay at home moms. (I know, the stuff that I chance upon these days is wild! The thing is, I try to stay away from all the Ron Paul & American political crap, steer away from technology articles, then from reality shows’ gossip, so that doesn’t leave me with much reading material now, does it?) The ideal balance was part-time working moms, who were emotionally satisfied and yet available to their kids. It was based off a recent survey from the American Psychological Association, printed in its December (I think) journal, and you can check the facts there. But the consensus was that being socially isolated by not working at all, led to some sort of depression and that in turn led to unhappy events or health issues.

Before you jump to conclusions, no, kids are not around the corner. My husband & I have to first stop being kids ourselves.

Anyway, going back to the survey findings, it also continued to say that mom’s greatly influence their daughter’s choice of being a working mom or stay at home mom. They advocate and support their choice to the extent that almost all working moms’ daughters were also working moms, and stay at home moms’ daughters were also stay at home moms. And this is where I started to relate to this article.

Ever so often when I talk to my mom, who is a stay at home mom by the way, we run into these discussions (errrrr, arguments is a more appropriate word). She strongly advocates the pleasures of being a domestic engineer (yes, that’s another word for stay at home mom) and not feeling guilty about addressing your child’s needs or schooling etc. And then there is that assurance that you will always be there to see him/her take the first step, say their first words, and so on. And I say that’s great, and in her defense, she did an excellent job of always being there for my sister and me – I love you mother for that and more. But my argument is that being around a crying child 24/7 would make you a bit insensitive, wouldn’t it? I’m no expert in child care, and I certainly am not a mom yet, but I know I’ll have to make that decision myself someday.

(P.S: these discussions don’t take into account the relevance of an additional income and other economic scenarios.)

And why can’t there be a balance between being that nurturing parent and also having a career? Wanting a social life, a career, and a dream can’t be that wrong? Especially when you have a husband who is ‘child’ friendly. In fact, I argue that stepping out of the house a few days of the week, gives you something to accomplish other than play dates, helps you build a social circle, brings in more ideas (ideas to do with even children’s games, child care, lessons, etc) than you would just sitting home alone with your offspring.

Mothers of the previous generation, "to make your daughter’s feel like its right or wrong one way or the other, is not your job. Giving mothering advice is your job, but stop dreaming your child’s dream." I know my mother will support my decision either way, but I also know other moms who won’t do the same for their daughter. And I’ve become a strong advocate of not being trapped by dogma, i.e not to waste one’s life by living someone else’s dream, or living with the results of other people's thinking (thanks for that definition of dogma, Steve Jobs). One life to live, so come on, carpe diem!

Disclaimer: I’m not supporting one way or the other, infact I have friends and family who are working moms and stay at home moms, and both groups are happy with their respective decisions. It’s about finding what works for you. But I am campaigning for the ladies to find the courage to dream their own dreams.

If I didn’t lose you along the course of this lengthy post, happy new year to you and your loved ones! May 2012 be everything you want it to be, and more. Cheers!

Ikea knows best...

... how to drive u crazy!

2 chipped finger nails, 2 mugs of coffee, power drills, complaining neighbours, 50 song playlist on the iPod, & a patient husband is what it took to assemble 1 chest of drawers & 1 wall mirror.
And were not handicap or stupid, the damn instruction booklet is made for monkeys. They list 1 line in English (& then about 27 more languages) - like - oh btw, we didn't include wall screws. But hey, where is the warning that u are going to lose your mind before you're done assembling your purchase?!? (note to Ikea: tiny disclaimer missing!?!)

Don't get me wrong, I love the place for it's swank & affordable buys, but seriously - what the hell -

my chest of drawers cost $100 bucks & we put in $200 bucks worth of labor into it??? For $300 I think I could have a bought myself a much more ornate pre-assembled chest of drawers.

You ask yourself the routine question - bang for your buck? I think I'm blinded by the possibility of using those 200 bucks to shop for other accessories versus labor (especially when you have a patient husband). But once u assemble that chest and lose your sanity, you tell yourself never again... only until you drive by Ikea again!

Weed is organic

Weed is organic --- so it's ok to smoke it?
India's roads are already littered --- so it's ok to throw that gum wrapper?
True friendship allows distance --- so it's ok to never ever call?
Pets don't bite --- so it's ok to cross dress them for Halloween?

Your credit card statement doesn't arrive for another 21 days --- so it's ok to address that urge to splurge?
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas --- so it's ok to fulfil that Hugh Hefner 'type' fantasy?

*ahem, you need to draw that moral line sooner than later*

My own personal dilemma---
Like chocolate, wine is good for you --- so the calories don't count? For either? ;)
(answer: definitely affirmative)

Celebrating Sachin :)

After a 6 month hiatus, I'm gonna try & rekindle that appetite to write useless crap again. Reading all those beautiful crafted articles about Indian cricket, Sachinism, sportsmanship, and patriotism, has made me all nostalgic and is awakening that spark to self express once again. (Psssstt, I've got a couple more posts typed out in my head, just have to transfer them onscreen, soon OK, pretty soon…)

And oh, b-t-w – I’m back as a Mrs now. So if your reading my blog just to find out my whereabouts to hit on me, no point dude, may as well save yourself some time and read some other pretty girl’s blog.

It truly was (and still is) sad that we (newly wed Dhampathigallu) couldn’t be home to be part of these awesome celebrations, but heck, make the best of the situation, right? {My Gandu wanted to travel back just to watch the finals live, cause cricket & Sachin Tendulkar are on top of list, even before moi (no, I’m not kidding, & I’ve come to terms with it, so you will have to as well!), but as luck would have it, we couldn’t travel cause of visa issues :( } So ever since the schedule of matches came out, I’d been hoping & praying that the world cup final (which coincided with my Gandu’sbirthday) would include India vs. whichever X team. And when India kicked some Pakistan booty, I was on my way to execute a themed out birthday party! What’s the theme you ask? Sachin Tendulkar and some Indian World Cup extravaganza thrown in with that. Bleeding blue all the way: blue jello shots, blue beer, blue cake (a Sachin Tendulkar one that too); India flags, India posters, and some new blue apartment decor!

So, as all the Indians celebrated Sachin Tendulkar & the Indian Team, I wanted to celebrate my hero, Sachin Mahesh. And what a fun celebration it was! Of course the icing on the cake was India bringing theWorld Cup home, and giving a billion of us Indians reason to rejoice.

What ruined the icing on Sachin’s face – was the cops showing up at our door. Twice. Let’s just say, it was a dawn to remember.

Signing off with a very respectable memo to my neighbors, “We’re NOT sorry about the noise. I had intimated you 3 days in advance. India doesn’t win the world cup that often, and grown men don’t shed tears that often either, so kindly stick your attitude elsewhere.”

[Gandu = the equivalent of my man/prince charming in Kannada

Dhampathigallu = the equivalent of Husband & wife couple in Kannada]

Shopping at Kanchipuram…

… or Thambi land, as I like to call it…. is a hot & sultry experience. The city is filled with men in lungis, sarvabhavans, and people who can’t give decent directions.

We were trying to find our way by looking for the famous Kanchipuram Arch, I beg your pardon, its called arse in the local lingo. Cause when we were lost and kept asking ‘the tambis’ for the arch, they kept saying arse, and in response we said, “no no,arch”… Our so-called sophisticated accent caused us to waste half a tank of gas!

Finally we found the silk emporiums (or call them megastores) we wanted. And so began the shopping… On Day 1 we bought (only ;) ) 49 sarees and yes, I did have nightmares of being attacked by the sarees that night. All colors, all designs, all weaves, all patterns, and even price tags looked the same to me after seeing about 1 million of them. And it was hard to choose…especially when your shopping for friends and family who have a refined taste. If I thought that my cousin would like a particular saree, my sister thought otherwise.

But complaining aside, going to Kanchi is a wedding tradition. And it sure does save you the bucks when your buying 50+ sarees. I didn’t find my “exclusive” bridal sarees. Rather I found them, but wasn’t convinced. So I dragged my parents & in-laws to Chennai to the infamous Kumarans, Nalli, Tulsi, Sundari, etc. After visiting all of the above, I finally picked my sarees at one of the Kumarans. Did I come away happy – I think so. At the end of it all, you just hope that you look all bridal in what you perceived as bridal at the time.

So the total on Day 2 was 8 sarees. Day 1 + Day 2 = 58 kanchi sarees & 20 silk dhotis. And mind you, that’s only half of the collective shopping. I’m only counting what my parents bought. Double that and you get what the two sides of my family brought from Kanchi & Chennai.

Booming industry you would think, but it’s a pity to see that such beautiful sarees are being replaced in the new-age Indian woman’s wardrobe by the shiffons and embroidery crapes. I like those sarees too, but these kanchi sarees tell a tale… of our heritage, our ethnicity, our royalty, our celebrations, and our south-Indian pride.

So yes, I will be dressed in kanchi sarees at my wedding, changing about 15 different expensive kanchi sarees in a span of 5-6 days. So help me god!

- Signing away as an excited bride-to-be (my family has already started calling me bridezilla, but they are just being mean)!

P.S: Pardon the picture quality. It was a gloomy day and that was the best I could do with my iPhone camera.

Monsoons in Bengaluru

Smell that rain? It’s a smell I absolutely adore! There's something nostalgic about it… reminds me of all the times that I’ve gotten drenched in the rain as a kid, made paper boats and watched them drown along the footpath steams, played lagori in the rain, caught hailstones and eaten them, and most recent memories of drinking hot coffee and eating even hotter bondas in the rain.

In the US, cloudy days were never welcome. The gloomy skies put everyone in a not-so-upbeat mood. But in B’lore, it hardly matters. Life goes on, and the rain has little to do with people’s emotions. If anything it adds frustration to the drivers on the road, but for a lot that is already frustrated, it can’t do much!

Infact, the city has cooled down so much, that this monsoon is a welcome change in the weather. And I was able to throw on a sweater today, which I haven’t been able to use since January! (I know I sound weird, but I’ve accumulated so many warm clothes staying in Michigan, that I get excited when I finally use them again.) The good thing is that it isn’t as severe as Mumbai’s monsoons, so we get to enjoy it and yet, not suffer as much.

So enjoy this monsoon season fellow Bangaloreans! It’s a great time of the year, unless ofcourse you have an event to host, you have to be somewhere on time, or you live in south B’lore where it floods the living daylights out of your homes.

[Lagori is a street game where you throw a ball at a pile of stones.

Bondas are fried stuffed rolls, best when eaten hot and crisp - that’s the best translation I could come up with – sorry.]

I’ll never take my laptop to bed again, REALLY!

I realized something this week – more than 3 people read my blog (which is a celebration in itself) – but wait, that extra someone actually read my blog and took my post seriously! (To that someone – THANK YOU!!!)

When I wrote that post I was being my usual brazen witty self. I read an article and thought it was an interesting read for others too. But when I got handed an iPad in return, it was one of those GOSH-you-gotta-be-kidding-me moments!!!

So how is this fancy little gadget? It is all that good! I’m an Apple fan yes, but not a gadget junkie.

When you hold that one and a half pounder in your hands, you realize that you are going to get used to a new kind of luxury. And as always, Apple never disappoints. It’s like using your iPhone on a bigger better platform.

The downsides as I see right now are that this release doesn’t have a camera - so I know I’ll want to upgrade later (I have that one complaint against Apple, these upgrades cost me $$$ and think of the e-waste. Apple is proud of it. Seen their new caption for iPhone 4? "This changes everything. Again"); and my 3G iPhone looks ex-gen next to this new iPad.

Even my Dad remarked that it was pretty cool! My Dad checks the news more than he checks his email. So I showed him the WSJ & USA Today apps, he was impressed. Gmail & others, not so much. He wants it every morning between 7-9 am. I told him I’ll think about it…

It fits perfectly into my handbag, and if you are on the move, it substitutes as a pretty good mirror too! I haven’t yet gotten a BSNL sim cause that needs to be converted to a microsim and what not, but it works brilliantly on the wifi. Like we say here in Bangalore, it is bombaat! I also won't be taking my laptop to bed anymore…

My next assignment will be to post from it. Lets see how that goes.

P.S: I was trying to write my wedding journal and to-does in a diary, but hey, wait, I can just jot it down on my new iPad! :D

Running the B’lore 10K

I woke up early two Sundays ago (May 23, 2010). I hate waking up early, especially on Sundays. But, I chose to participate in Bangalore’s Sunfeast 10K, so I had no choice. I dragged myself out of bed, tied that timing chip to my shoes, and hoped that I won’t end up sleep walking.

My dad was kind enough to drop us (two of my cousin’s also ran). He figured we shouldn’t walk to the venue cause we could use that energy! When we arrived at Kanteerava Stadium, the start point for the 10K, I was shocked. I had heard from friends that the B’lore run had a quite a turn out, but seriously, there were like a zillion people. (I confirmed next day that approx 24,000 people showed up for the World, Open 10K and Majja Run together.) Maybe they were spectators?

Nope. They were also enthu runners like us. The race started as scheduled at 8:10 am. But by the time I got out of the stadium it was 8:25. Yes, 15 mins to cover maybe 500 meters, worse than a snail’s pace. For what its worth, I should mention that the chip timing didn’t start until we crossed the start line which was placed strategically, so the crowd was probably responsible for ruining my time by only 4-5 mins.

And so I ran. The first kilometer felt like trying to make your way on crowded Commercial Street (for non-Bangaloreans that is a prevalent shopping street in B’lore). To save myself from the risk of tripping over somebody, I also strolled with the crowd. Then slowly the participants got tired, began to walk, took water breaks, and finally the crowd eased up. I ran for the most part, took a break to greet my Dad and Ira (my Irish Setter dog) and then twice for water. I missed most of the mile markers so my pacing strategy from Runner’s World basically didn’t work!

Finally I finished. It wasn’t bad at all. I won’t swank my timing here, but I’m happy I finished before 70 percent of the others. And so it was… one more experience to remember. And maybe a step closer to the half marathon that I’m targeting next fall?

Some interesting observations during the run:

• Bangalore is getting fitter
• The fitness industry and sport shoes/clothes manufacturers will really milk this (relatively fresh) market
• Nike sponsored the event, and on-the-side completed their own little research exercise about the popularity of their brand
• iPods have become the running companion of choice
• The cheapness of some men spectators still exists – if you know what I mean!
• We wasted a shit-load of plastic from those 100ml Kingfisher water bottles
• Bangalore’s Cubbon Park is charmingly green
• Lastly, Bangalore needs it’s own half marathon

And oh, there were these old couples (70ish) who were running together – being fit, at that age, and supporting each other through the run – totally adorable!

I’ll never take my laptop to bed again!

48 Hours With Apple's iPad. An interesting article by Gary Hamel.

And if anyone I know wants to gift me anything, take a hint. ;-)

The Weekend

There were many contentious issues this weekend. The BBMP elections, the dryness of the weekend, IPL vs Earth hour, and throw in all the issues on E! news. Kim Kardashian is single again – watch out football players – and Miley Cyrus wants to exit the music industry – thank god for small mercies… Jokes apart, I voted for a deserving candidate from a private party yesterday and I’m proud of my participation. Now I have to wait for my nail to grow out for this ink spot to disappear.

BBMP – I didn’t know that the first B stood for Bruhat. But anyway, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike had its 5 yearly elections yesterday. Out of Bangalore’s 6 million popuation I’m hoping at least half a million of us voted. That accounts for about 6000 odd constituencies, so that many bottles of ink used.

Now the other pressing issue this weekend was that it was a dry one. Starting Friday. I realized many of my friends (not me) found it very hard to stay sober and get through the weekend. Of course they made alternate arrangements to bring liquor into the city from Hassan (good job guys!). But I made an interesting observation that the IPL tamasha was low-key cause of lost companionship of Kingfisher.

The IPL viewership took another hit cause of the occurrence of Earth hour. Many people were making en effort to switch off their lights/tv for the earth hour between 8.30 and 9:30 pm, but the Kings XI Punjab & Kolkata Knight Riders continued to entertain – what a dilemma?

Then I remembered reading this article that stated that the IPL was going green. Something about a partnership with UNEP? Then why the fireworks? And why not play without flood lights? It’ll be like the new Vodaphone ad that reminds the white bubble people to pay their electricity bill.

And then I watched the final episode of FRIENDS on Zee Café. Such a charmer it was. It makes me laugh and cry every time I see it, no matter how many times around. That’s one good series I tell ya!

Ah well… the weekend is over. Nothing much accomplished but nothing to complain about either. Have a good week ahead everyone!

The IPL Frenzy

The Indian Premier League is all about the glitz and glamour. It’s not cut out for the die-hard cricket fan that appreciates test cricket… or is it? Personally, I think its for the in between folks who are looking for the entertainment parallel of an NFL or NBA game.

(I was talking about this to my boss and he had a Kannada dialog to add, “Oottake uppinakayi idhange!” Translating: Cricket is to IPL what pickle is to full meals… hmmm…

As you can see, I find Kannada one-liners very amusing, and I’m not being sarcastic!)

I have nothing against all this glitz and glamour; it achieves its objective (which I’m assuming is to attract a wider audience and make the sport more entertaining even for the cricket novice) and has created a different environment in cricket stadiums. And without the allure of it all, you have to wonder if so many viewers would show up for these matches again and again.

The organizers want to create the illusion that they have given you your money’s worth so you’re lured back for the next game and season. They empty your pockets – so they’re happy. You have a good time – so you’re happy! What’s the problem, no problem, just confusion…

So what’s it gonna be -

Serious cricket fans or for those with a handbook on cricket?

Cheerleaders or sixers?

Fireworks or wickets?

Just say, “all of the above” and don’t debate about it. If you can’t stand the extra fittings, and only want the sport, watch it at home.

One last thing, go RCB!

Picture Comments:

Pic ondu (1) Random picture of the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, the best I could do with my poor iPhone camera

Pic eradu (2) The wannabe cricket fans with ‘The Handbook on Cricket’ (detailed with illustrations and pictures) in one hand and ‘Cricket Field Layout’ in the other

Working in NON-CORPORATE India

I mean to say non-cooperate India. In this part of the world, anything goes; deadlines don’t mean anything; and yes could mean yes, or maybe or even no (but everyone will nod as if in agreement).

Not like I’m used to a very sophisticated level of corporate communication or workflow, but boy-oh-boy, some of the private companies in India belong to a different genre. If I had to compare it to something I’ve experienced before, it’s like dealing with a stubborn child in a candy store - who won’t shut-up until you buy him/her the biggest candy available.

The problem is that the CEO and MD want to develop a corporate environment, but my dear colleagues resist change. Who gets hired to do the job – yours truly!

So there are a couple of senior (aka 40 plus gray boring lazy aunties and uncles) employees working here. They cringe that a 20-something with a fancy MBA is trying guide them – and trust me, I’m not an unreasonable person. In fact, my boss thinks I’m way too easy on my team; and that I’m confusing authority with respect and not delegating enough work! Their complacency is something to admire… I admit that I have my days when I procrastinate and accomplish 20% of my target. But I have this one uncle who goes weeks without generating a report. No guilt whatsoever! When I ask him for something, he replies, “koddona koddona” (meaning, I’ll do it sometime in the indefinite future, just chill you crazy boss lady!)

Meetings? What and why? It’s the opposite of the corporate world where all we did was meet. I’m used to attending meetings where we discussed the agenda of the next meeting! Here, people are so averse to sitting in a closed room with you – they associate it to something awful – like getting fired or something. So many times, I’ll just be bored of making sense of numbers, so I’ll call people to the conference room for random chit-chat. But they get so jittery about the whole thing that it is no fun for me.

And they giggle at me when I say “thank you”, “sorry”, and “pardon me” so much. Its not that they think it’s not needed, they are just not used to hearing it as much. So now I’m torn between being a localite and losing my charming polite side!

The cribbing and challenges aside, I don’t mean to make a big deal of all of this. After all most some people are genuine, hard-working and sincere. I’m learning the tricks of the trade. I also nod in acceptance though I know I won’t approve the same later. The up side to this is that I get to delegate all the work and call the shots. It’s a good lesson learnt in the long run… I guess!

The Real Desperate Housewives

No, not Bravo's show. I'm talking about the famous Indian Housewife. Once stereotyped as spending her day in the kitchen cooking meals for her family is now tech savvy, doing brunch with girlfriends, and dressing in make-believe designer clothes... The Indian Housewife has come a long way, eh?

How do I know these housewives? I see them in their different avatars as I go about my day - at work, at the gym, at the stores, at cafes, and every where else. They tell themselves that they are all that - hip, sexy, and smart - they facebook, workout, eat out, plan holidays, and all of those things...

Listening to this conversation made me chuckle. I was on the treadmill in the gym and the pretty lady next to me started talking to her buddy on the next treadmill. "New restaurant try maaddha? My hubby and I went for valentine's day [big smile], nice but pricy ya. All these other younger college kids were there, my husband was starring at those girls[smile disappears]. My gymming wastu [frown appears]. BTW, my MIL is going through menopause I think. Bloody moody she is. Yesterday's bill she wanted to know. WHY? Berre kelsa ilva?" To this her girlfriend replies, "Adhella biddu, you saw Ashwini's baby's pictures on facebook? So cute no! The baby is so much fairer than her, good for her." And the conversation spun in different directions. I switched off my iPod. I can listen to the black eyed peas anytime, but such interesting conversations are hard to come by.

Times have changed and we tell ourselves that our generation has evolved, but have we really? The reason I call these upbeat-sexy-saavy woman desperate is cause they talk of no goals, no responsibility, no personal expectations. They think its about them, but really, its not about them at all. Soon enough, I'll also be a married woman, but someone slap me if I become as desperate.

And in no relation to this topic, I have this other lingering thought which I want to post before I forget. It's about how comfortable parents have become about posting pictures of their adorable babies on facebook. Yes, they are darlings, and all of your friends have the nicest of things to say... but put yourself in your little daughter/son's shoes. Imagine growing up, learning to type aka becoming facebook eligible, and finding all your diaper pictures strewn on facebook. I for one would be pissed if I found my childhood pictures all over the net. Post your own pictures guys, not your children's!

Choco-Là!

I was fortunate to take a mid-week break and travel to Pondicherry for 2 days. It was just what my friends and I needed – aimless, relaxed, and uber fun! And while I want to dedicate this post to the time pass we did in Puducherry, I think this one place needs special mention. It was one of those “gotta do it again” places… Choco-Là… a corner chocolate shop on Mission Street.

Where do I start? Miniature mousses that melt in your mouth? Or better still, cake chocolates that are little bites with moist cake as your choice of filling. Rum-&-raisin, dried fruits, marzipan... the options are endless! One of the unique offerings is a chocolate drink (NO, not hot chocolate), a warm rich chocolate concoction that isn’t sweetened by sugar but cocoa drops. Take my word for it, “it is to die for!”

I ate more than is good for me. I tried 4-5 different creations and they were all very satisfying. I give it a 10 on 10. Try it next time your in Puducherry, it’ll be the best money you ever spent on chocolate!

P.S: I may have a little something to do with one of the miniature mousses, its named after me! :D Not really, but let me enjoy my moment of pride!

Chocolate makes you Smarter!

I ate chocolate cause it made me happier… but now I found out that all along it was making me smarter as well! Supposedly it triggers the creation of new brain cells. You can read about the facts here, I don’t particularly care to elaborate. Its just one more benefit added to the list!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE chocolate. Dark Chocolate is like a piece of heaven. I have to have a piece of chocolate everyday, if I don’t, I admit it – I become cranky (my friends will testify to this). I always say, I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter. What all this rambling boils down to is that I’m one chika whose happy to continue eating this sweet treat. Join the bandwagon; after all its the holiday season!

Since I've been back

I’m trying not to make a big deal about the transition back to Bangalore but so much has changed in the past 3 years. And everyone I’ve met has asked me the same question, “So what’s changed in the city?” For starters, my city’s name has been changed to Bengaluru. I don’t like the name change; Bangalore was so much cooler and metropolitan sounding.

The first thing I noticed was the new international airport. Though I imagined it to be bigger, I like the order and neatness, and of course the access to the duty free stores before you walk out. The next thing is definitely the increase in traffic on the city’s roads. Our roads have been widened with fewer signals, but crowded with more vehicles than ever before; and I have to comment about the accompanying increase in road rage and honking. The Namma Metro work is chaotic, hopefully when it is finally functional it’ll make up for the damage it’s done. Volvo buses have supposedly become a handy form of public transport, though I’m yet to vouch for that myself. Autos are becoming eco friendly and hence being painted green. Their drivers however, I feel, have become more audacious and arrogant in refusing customers and reckless driving. And yeah, Bangalore’s cops have become more vigilant and tech-savvy. They carry BlackBerrys and enter a faulty driver’s information right away to a central server. And apparently, they’ve become pretty strict about DUIs and seizing licenses for repeat offenses.

From an economic aspect, I’ve realized that my small wallet doesn’t fetch me much. Cost of living has shot up beyond many Bangaloreans’ affordability. A 3 month gym membership is over 12K, a movie ticket costs twice as much, and Rs. 100 won’t buy you a decent dinner any more. Yet the nouveau riche don’t seem to stop splurging and crowding the city’s stores. Malls are filled with so many window shoppers that’s its actually quite impossible for a genuine shopper to find what he/she is looking for. UB City is finally open and is filled with expensive designer stores with arrogant shop keepers (but I really like its architecture and food court). Everyone and I mean everyone has gotten a cell phone. And the rich have gotten richer and I don’t think the disparity between the rich and poor has really reduced.

Many old school places unique to Bangalore have closed, and the HAL airplane has been removed from historic junction. We have a new Vikasa Soudha identical to Vidhana Soudha. Bars close at 11.30 pm (my dad is very happy to have me back home so early) and Empire is no longer a late-night food paradise. We now have more coffee days with more expensive coffee offerings. Moviegoers are many and multiplexes are minting money. A new trend in the theatres is to play the National Anthem before the movie and everyone stands for it (impressive)!

Thanks to all the immigrants/job seekers from other parts of the country, Kannada is being spoken far less than before. Bangalore has expanded beyond Yelahanka and Bannerghatta. Every corner of the city is becoming self-dependent; people no longer have to travel a long distance just for a nice restaurant or shopping mall.

So many fewer trees along the roads (earlier Golf Road was one of my favorite roads to drive on because of the way the sunlight made its way through the leaves of the trees that lined that road; now that’s history). In an attempt to upkeep the green image of the city, the corporation is painting fairytale waterfalls and forests along the walls of the flyover. I guess I should give them credit for trying to cover the concrete jungle mess.

All said and done, some things may never change like the lack of customer service, men constantly letching at passerby women, or the respect for a waiter’s or janitor’s job. But the good that’s come out of all the corporate mayhem is that people are more aware of their jobs and responsibilities, not taking it as much for granted as they used to before.

Of course, I’m glad that some things haven’t changed like the love and care you get from family, hot home cooked meals, my dog’s slurry kiss, petty witty jokes by my friends, and the abundance of company. All-in-all, it’s good to be back home in Bangalore!

How’s that for service?

I always write about how awful my flight experiences are, so it’s only fair to make note of a pleasant one. No, I didn't get a free upgrade to business class, though that would have been nice too. Instead it was a very nice gesture by the flight crew to take note of my request.

What happened was this – my carry-on bag was too big to fit in the overhead compartment of the small narrow plane. So I left it at the end of the jet way for planeside check-in. I took my window seat and scanned the things around me. While I looked out of the window, I saw my bag lying alone at the bottom of the stairs of the jet way. I figured it would eventually be added to the remaining baggage. Five minutes later it was still there and the flight attendant made an announcement that we were ready to depart. So I got his attention and told him that my bag was still lying there. He ran up to make a call to the ground crew to take care of it. Another five minutes later, no response from the ground crew. I complained again as I heard the doors being shut. And then I see the Captain walk down the stairs of the jet way and take care of my bag himself. The flight attendant came back and asked, “How’s that for service?”

I’m glad I spotted my bag lying there, because dealing with lost baggage is a giant pain. But I was knockout impressed with the Captain! I was expecting to hear reasons such as, ‘we can’t delay take off,’ or ‘we are understaffed, there is nothing we can do,’ or ‘it will reach your destination aboard the next flight’, etc. To top all of that, this morning when I checked in a bag, it was 2 pounds extra, and the kind lady behind the Delta counter let it slide (once somebody made me remove stuff because it was 0.5 lb over). And… all my flights were on schedule today. Being the end of the holiday weekend, I expected chaos at the airport. It was a good flying day after all!

This one tops my list for airline customer service. And to answer the question of the flight attendant, “Your service today was remarkably noteworthy!” Thank you Captain Drew and flight crew of flight NW 1224.

Nasty Airlines

I’ve had to do a lot more flying than I would have liked in the last couple of days. As I mentioned in my previous post, I don’t particularly enjoy it, unless I’m flying home to India in which case I have something to look forward to.

Airlines have become very creative in charging us for the most basic things, which they conveniently bracket as fuel surcharge. How about a fuel discount when crude oil dropped below $50 a barrel a couple of months ago? That seems unquestionable! What gets me the most irritated is the $2 charge for water/beverage. Checked baggage fee, curb-side check in fee, booking fee, refund fee, exit row seat fee, cancelation fee… the list goes on and on. Any service that was once included as part of your ticket, is now subject to charge (read the fine print!). I won’t be surprised if we soon hear about a lavatory fee.

My worst experience has been with the change/refund fee. United Airlines charges $150 for changing your itinerary or requesting a refund. How much is that going to leave you with? (They're hoping nothing.) And they are very happy to resell your seat for an exuberant price to another innocent customer.  

All this travel is doing me no good expect for the frequent flier miles that I collect. And rumor has it that those miles are worth less each day. So much for loyalty programs, customer service, and convenient flying. One tip that has come handy for me is to travel with very low expectations, that way you leave little room for disappointment. If I could start my own airline and show them how it’s done, I would. But until then I will blog my frustrations away…

P.S: Not all airlines have stooped to this level; I have to give credit to Southwest and Northwest for still serving their thirsty passengers with a free cup of water/soda.