Happy Birthday Purushaa!

My dear S,

Its your birthday and I am very very excited about it. I can't wait to see your kutty paiyan ( lil boy) excitement when I give you the gift - the well-deserved gift! Of course, its like digging my own grave; but its totally worth it. I can't wait to see the surprise and glee on your face!

In fact, I have lil surprises lined for you...and I have been preparing for it all day....so I can't wait for your birthday to begin ( his birthday is tomorrow)!


You are my rock; my pillar of strength. I am sooo proud of you in every sense; be it your career accomplishments or when Amma (Mom) can't stop telling me how wonderful and loving you are to me or when someone compliments us on what a wonderful couple we make! (touchwood!). You mean the world to me and I guess the whole world knows that by now!

There are so many things I could say right here that evidently show what a wonderful man I am married to? But, I would like some things to remain just that - Personal! :) But you know how I feel, right? Right.

I wholeheartedly pray and hope God blesses you with everything you want, give you only happiness and love in your entire life, excellent health, success in anything and everything you do! May all your dreams come true :) I hope you live your life the way you want, happily....live life KING SIZE! I hope the kutty paiyan in you always remains that way - confident, excited and happy! :-)

'Grow old with me. The best is yet to be...'

Love,
Me!

P.S - Please say a silent prayer for my S....and bless him? Pretty Please? He needs all your good wishes.

P.P.S - I got him a Sony Playstation; I know I am a really brave woman! Things I do for love...

One thing at a time!

I suddenly realized that I am pretty hard on myself. Be it health, home, love,friends or a career, I want it all to happen all at once! Of course, like everyone else, I want to excel in everything....but I guess I also need to understand that everything takes time. Yes, it needs concentrated efforts but it takes time.

So I am just taking a deep breath, long deep breaths slowly and it dawns on me that all that I desired is slowly happening. I have been so busy concentrating on the things I want that I did not notice that it did happen! In fact, I also realized that I am always doing something for people to approve or validate all the time, that I don't enjoy the experience myself. I just move on from one thing to another without living it. I recently read somewhere that

"A purpose is having a clear sense of what God has called you to be..Your purpose is not defined by what others think about you."

Most importantly, empower yourself by having good friends who encourage you, cheer you on and with whom a phone conversation can be an instant 'pick me up'! Of course, its very important that you are that good friend too! It has made a huge difference to my personality, having good friends, I mean. I (hope) I have learnt to select my friends carefully and in a lot of ways, I feel I am developing some good qualities from them; they help me become a better person. I am thankful to God for all the wonderful people he brings into my life. I strongly believe that every person you meet in life, comes into your life for a reason - to teach you lessons, to love, to inspire, to share, even to teach you 'how-not-to-be'! Savour these experiences, they go deeper than you think...learn to be a better and confident person! :-) That's what I am doing...

Change is the only constant, at home!

As always, the first thing when it comes to change....is the curtains!!! :)

I love sheer curtains ( if you look closely, you can see the Eiffel Tower through the curtain too!)....I love the way it brings light into the house....subtly!

I flicked this ornate holder from my MIL, its really useful and pretty when guests visit...and they can hang their winter coats...

Finally, I convinced S to nail this bell for me....the picture does not do justice to how 'cute' it is....we bought this in Greece! In fact, we rushed to the shop before our flight and grabbed this!

We bought this painting of the Palatino Hills with a view of the Colosseum too, in Italy. We managed to finally frame it in Pune and brought it along to Paris....and it holds a prime spot above our dining table ( which we hardly use, unless we have guests!)

Face your fear!

When I hear this often on T.V or in books or from someone, I always feel that they sort of bully you into doing something you are scared of. But if you are afraid of something and avoid it, unfortunately it does not go away, you know? So what do you do? FACE IT! I know its easier said than done. But if you think about it, its all in the mind like many other things in life. I realize you just need to deal with it. For all you know, it may not be so bad and you could be worrying about it unnecessarily. Its common sense, isn't it?

Where is all this enlightenment coming from? As part of a training program at work, I participated in a 'Personality Development' workshop and the gentleman who trained us mentioned that the first step towards doing anything is to write it down. So this is my first step towards facing my fear! Voila! :-).

I worry incessantly and I hate that about me. I was not always like this, but recently I worry too much and fear unnecessarily. I want to let go of fear. I will let go fear! I can let go fear! I am going to keep telling myself that and one day....whoooshh...its gone!

I will let go of my fear. NOW. TODAY. PERIOD.

I wake up with a smile!

As I lay safely cocooned, with dreams in my eyes...
Feeling protected and full of warmth
In the mystic labyrinth of reality and fantasy
My future looks bright and beautiful....
streaks of hope streams in through the sunlight.

I wake up with a smile that resonates with glee
I muse ponder and ruminate
reflecting on what may happen or what can happen...
transforming into what will happen with fortitude
what brings about the change, you wonder?
I wake up to reality with a thud; not struck by a jolting lightning
I wake up to faith, love and strength of mind...
I wake up with a smile on my face...thinking life is beautiful!

Some new props at home!

A Dreamcatcher, reminiscent of our trip to Greece; the beautiful beaches and the ships that sail away!

S and I, have a huge collection of fridge magnets from all the places we travel to! The fridge is not big enough for them and its one of our most prized possessions. ( The pic has only a part of the fridge!) I am planning to get a black metal plank framed and put all the lil cuties on it. Future project. It is such a lovely reminder of all the places we went, and often, we discuss one of them as we chat and cook in the kitchen. Very good topic for conversation, you know?
















I got this cute lil magnet in Milos which has a small 'Post-it' stuck on it. It struck me that I can use it to do this! S can just look at the fridge and not bug me about what's for lunch ;-).

I picked up these pebbles when we went to NICE and as I wondered what to do with them, I broke one of my glass flowers we got from Venice ( I know, clumsy me!)....but, the flower remained intact. So I threw a pinecone, some beads and voila! I have an interesting, earthy platter of everything in the entrance lobby!!! :-) Like it?

Pleasing Pinecones? Anybody?

The big fat Greek Holiday!

I love new beginnings...the new year is not just another day for me. It brings new hopes and dreams for me. From small beginnings come great things and I firmly believe in it. We spent the end of 2008 exploring the Bella Italy, and what an exciting ride 2009 was! Maintenant (now), we spent the end of 2009 in another beautiful country - Greece! I am really excited about 2010. I am positive that its going to be a fun ride this year too! :-)

Exploring a new country and that too, Greece and to spend New Year's eve in a lovely country was a double bonanza for us. For me, the best part of travelling is about observing the people, their characteristics, the culture and of course, the beauty of nature and the finer aspects of every region.

1. The islands of Greece have breathtakingly beautiful beaches which was expected...but I didn't expect to see the islands nestled between lovely mountains and the beautiful blue waters everywhere. Expecting to see dry lands, I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of greenery as well.

2. The Greeks are very well known for their prominent features globally and are indeed blessed with sharp features, especially noses and most of them have very attractive facial features. I had a great time simply watching people ;-)( What??!! Nothing is wrong with appreciating beauty, right?)

3. As opposed to the rest of Europe or France, the Greek women dress pretty conservatively; mostly wearing tights or leggings and a long sweater top mostly. I did see a huge variety of boots too which was really fun! I didn't see too many funky 'punk' hairstyles or piercings.

4. As we roamed around the city, I also noticed that the Greeks are not only hospitable and friendly,they are also family-oriented people and have large happy families. Beautiful little kids play with their parents/grandparents and enjoy themselves in the park or squares.

5. Though some parts of Athens are quite dirty except for the touristy areas; the Metro stations are impeccably clean and maintained beautifully. Every station looks gorgeous and is very interesting with old excavations retained, interesting pictures, huge clocks, beautiful paintings. Its a landmark in itself!







6. As we were holidaying during the festive season, we had the pleasure of sharing their cinnamon sweets sprinkled with walnuts, crackers dunked in honey in almost every cafe, restaurant and bakery. It was quite interesting to taste the local cuisine.

S could not get enough of the Greek coffee either! I tried it, but i think its an acquired taste.









7. The best part of our trip was our stay at Milos, one of the islands in Greece. Everywhere we saw these marketing captions towards promoting Milos - "Milos is for lovers". I could'nt agree more, Milos is definitely for those who love nature; as its blessed with loads of natural beauty and you can just never have enough of the calm serene views. S and I had a long walk along the sea-side and I think that sight will remain etched in my memory forever. It was GORGEOUS and CALMING, all at the same time!!

It was a long 8-hr ferry ride, 4-hr bus ride and tiresome ferry trips that made me nauseous. But it was really worth every inch when we reached the captivating islands of the lovely GREECE!

Sunkissed, relaxed, together...

Soaking our feet in the beautiful beach - Milos, Greece!

Edited to add: S describes the natural beauty in his prolific words in 'Nowhere road'. Go read it!

The year that was...2009!

The year 2009 began on a pleasant note as we just got back from a fantastic holiday in Italy and we learnt that we would soon be living in Paris! By God's grace, the year was phenomenal with major changes; interesting learnings on the way and a subtle maturity in me! :P

The move to Paris was a major decision indeed. It meant uprooting ourselves from familiar surroundings and our own lovely home. But it was a fantastic opportunity for S and an exciting option to live in the most romantic and exotic city in the world!

Initially, the new surroudings, new home, the people and their language seemed daunting. We have slowly settled down into our Parisian home, made some great friends and we feel at 'home' now! Yet, there is a lot of scope for improvement in French! :-)

When I was skeptical about moving to a new country as it meant moving from familiar surroundings, friends and family and most importantly, quitting my job (mine), my mom said something that really convinced me. Lots of people crave for change as the routine seems mundane and boring. So when you get a chance to explore, travel and move ahead; you must grab the chance! Why do you want to stick to the routine? That convinced me totally! 2009 is also my first year without a regular job. I have been freelancing on and off as we travel very often whenever we can. It has taken a lot of time to get used to the fact that I don't get a salary at the end of every month. When I had a regular job, I longed for a break and now when I am taking a break, I want a regular job! Such is LIFE :-)

I do make sincere efforts to find a relevant job here. But its difficult to find any job here if you don't speak French, the key being fluent french. I thought it would be really easy to find a job here. After the initial disappointment, I found some really interesting freelance work and worked on varied writing projects. It is like running my own business and there are dry periods too! I have learnt to be tough and direct with freelancing! That's a first! :-)

One day ( yes, I make up my mind in an instant and that's it - I have!), I just made up my mind to enjoy my break and do things I didn't find time to do earlier and I am loving the person I am now! On most days, I am happy and cheerful from all the wonderful music I listen to. I have renewed my reading habit and read a lot of books (thanks to the American Library). I exercise regularly, alternating between Yoga, Pilates and floor exercises which has really improved my overall health and stamina. I dabble in glass painting and gardening when I feel like it. I go out with friends and explore Paris as much as I can. Of course, there is a lot of household chores to do as I don't have any domestic help here which is therapeutic(sometimes!). So there is always so much to do and my days are happy and full. Is'nt that what matters?

Thanks to the internet and Skype, I have not missed my folks or friends at all. I speak to my parents almost everyday just like I did in India. :-) What would I do without the internet? I am known to be really cranky and upset if the connection goes off here for some reason! I have made some really good friends here and I am so glad I have close friends in every city and country now!

Saving the best for the last! The best part of this year has been all the travelling. We have been to 6 countries in this year alone! We have always made an effort to travel as much as we can even when we were in India. Now that we are in a more convenient location in terms of distance; we would like to travel all over Europe.

Someone has aptly said that one’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. You learn and unlearn so many things in life; as you explore different places, cultures, people, cuisines, nature. It is a beautiful experience that needs to be felt; not described. I am in love with travel. PERIOD. I am aware that you also need twice the money. We try and save a little amount every month before we plan a trip. That way it does not pinch too much all too suddenly.

So we have saved enough to spend Christmas and New Year's in GREECE!!!!!! We will spend about 10 days in different islands and I am sooooo looking forward to it. Its a double bonanza that after we get back, in another 2 weeks, we are off to INDIA!!!! Here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a fantatic new year. I send a little prayer to God to bless us all with loads of love, happiness and prosperity in 2010 and thank him for the lovely and happening year that was... See you guys next year!

Colorful entrance!

Its cold and the winter has come with a bang! ...and I am always in need of scarves and stoles as I rush out somewhere! I hit upon this idea to hang all the colorful ones on the door. Its not only accessible now, its also very colorful , cheerful and pretty!


Its so much easier to make a choice too! :-)

In good humour...

Thank you Blogadda, for picking this entry! I am thrilled....



I wrote this for a client...but it was not published...so I thought I'll put it up here...

What women hate!

A few ground rules:

1. All these habits apply to all men.
2. There are exceptions to this rule.
3. The views expressed here are purely my opinion. Any similarity to the Indian male species, dead or alive, is purely intentional.

Male Chauvinism

I know that ‘The right attitude is the secret to success’. But looks like you guys heard only the word ‘attitude’ coz that’s all you have! Your ‘selective hearing’ causes delusions of self and life in general, don’t you think? So maybe you should start listening and try to understand the meaning of ‘equality’?

Eye-to-Eye

When we converse with you, why is it that you can never meet the eye? Your roving eyes wander all over, undressing us in your mind. It makes me wonder, are we actually wearing any clothes? We would really appreciate simple eye contact, you know? Stick to the eyes!

Sexist Comments

Comments like “Women gossip so much” or “A woman’s job is to cook and clean” are not very becoming of you. You have the basic common sense to read and understand instruction manuals for electronic installations or at work; surely cooking should be a piece of cake! After all, a recipe is a set of instructions that can be followed pretty easily. It’s common sense, no? I am NOT cleaning up after you. PERIOD!

Split Personality

Normally you’re tired, and weekends are to laze around and relax. But if its cricket season, or there’s an F1 race, you set the alarm, wake up early, and the entire weekend is planned around the match/race timings. Suddenly, you are extremely energetic, punctual and charged up. How do you do that? Who is the ‘real’ you?

We always see a light at the end of the tunnel. Yeah, and we love you too…

P.S - This is written in jest...no hard feelings please!

Edited to add: This post has been chosen as one of the top posts for this week's 'Tangy Tuesday Picks'

Spirituality and I.

As I do yoga or Pilates I listen to this among many other powerful verses, it fills me with an energy or calms me when I am feeling low in a way words can't explain. You have to feel it. The entire home reverberates with a positive energy. I have embraced GOD through Music and it has brought a balance to my life and given me mental strength. I don't believe there is a specific way to reach GOD. If it works for you, its good enough. Noone needs to approve it. You know it and that's all matters.

On an aside, for a long time, I would pray to GOD in different languages thinking if I am in North India, for example or if I go to a Church, I would pray in Hindi or in English respectively :-). I know, silly me!

Cheering up dull corners...

With so many cute christmas decorations springing up everywhere....I could'nt help myself!! They look damn cute and definitely cheer up the bathrooms and the rest rooms!! :D

I used the sugar dispenser used in restaurants to store the room freshner as it adds color to an otherwise bland room like the rest rooms!!!

The Travel Extravaganza!

As I just got back from a trip to NICE and Monte Carlo (Monaco) in South of France, I can't explain how lucky and blessed I feel....for the opportunity to see such lovely places in the world. S and I were pleasantly surprised to note that we have visited at least 7 countries in 2009 alone!












Coming back to the trip, NICE is a small town but absolutely beautiful with the gorgeous pebble beach right in the center of the town. Obviously, it feels like the entire population lives in and around the coast perennially coz there is so much activity and people around.

I was surprised to note that a lot of people speak English there and so it was so much easier to communicate and shop!
You get some lovely homemade soaps in all fragrances like lavendar, apricot, orange, vanilla and the fragrances are mesmerizing. I picked up a few to gift my friends and family.

They also have cute diffusers that can be hanged in bathrooms in the shape of sun, moon....the 'home decor maniac' in me refused to budge without picking a few! :-)






After 2 days of slowly exploring NICE,we decided to go to Monte Carlo in Monaco which is a 20-minute train ride from there. I must add that it is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen in my life. Apparently, it is a city flooded with celebrities and millionaires ( well, its a tax-free state!), you cannot see a single beggar on the road or anyone loitering around doing nothing. People are all rich, classy and sophisticated. Everywhere you see royalty, glamour and class, be it the casino or the shopping areas filled with designer labels. I was asking S where would the common people shop for anything? He was like there are no common people here, I guess!!! ;-)

(This is a picture of the Casino Entrance)

We lost some money in the casino; after we won the first I became greedy and ended up losing the entire money!!! :-) Anyway, it was a one-time experience and I think we should stick to hard work rather than luck
( sour grapes!!)
















The street lamps are decorated with chandeliers on every road! What more can I say?

Sunflowers and Sunshine!

...Exploring different markets!

I live in a central area in Paris ( as I have often shown off the wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower!)....there is a very interesting market that occurs every Wednesday and Sunday of the week. So I buy fresh vegetables, fruits, bread, household items, flowers, you-name-it and they-have-it kind of market. Of course, we often end up buying a lot of stuff that we don't even need! Like we buy a lot of clothes and luckily for me, they even have shoes my size (which is a rarity, coz I have large feet and a large heart! ;-) ).... This time, they had hosted an 'Antiques Market' and I found it really interesting. I was sternly told not to click pictures after some time, so I could not take too many! But here are a few to give you an idea....

















Very interesting furniture and unique pieces....very expensive! ( I stuck to window-shopping!)

I shook the camera....but it is a table designed to look like a ship, it looked really interesting...

African figurines and masks....I have noticed these faces in many homes including mine! It has gained a lot of popularity in recent times.

Of course, art pieces and paintings were there in every alternate stalls and is a very important aspect of Paris. I enjoyed my first 'Antiques' experience and noticed a large crowd of old women near a jewellery stall. The old women are not only very well-dressed here; they also wear lot of jewellery; especially large-stoned rings that tend to cover your entire hand!

I have also seen a lot of flea markets here where people sell their old articles, family heirlooms and sometimes, I have even seen worn-out shoes being sold! Crystalwear is most prominent in these markets. I am not a big fan of second-hand stuff :-) Interestingly, a friend of mine took me a second-hand store where clothes are sold at very low prices and are often clothes discarded by others. I was amazed to see an entire area filled with these shops coz for Indians ( I doubt if such a concept exists back home in India) it is an entirely alien concept. I am surprised that the proud French and Brits are open to shopping here! I am NOT!

New colors at home...

While the internet was down for a few days, I have been busy doing this...many
more to come! :-) Like? ( Its a used yoghurt container!)

My redefined Lap-Over!

Brightest Diwali in Paris!

We decided to celebrate Diwali in Paris in our little way at home! I love the festival of Diwali; so meaningful - celebrating the victory of good over evil; knowledge over darkness - the bright and beautiful lights drive away the darkness from our lives. It signifies the victory of inner good over the evil within all of us.



















We began with our favorite Ganchu ( I have a lovely lamp that I brought here from Pune; shaped like Lord Ganesha - one of my favorite things at home!)

These are lovely tea-light candles, my friend's Mom gifted me. My friend and her mom buy me gifts all the time!!! I know, its great to be 'me' ;-)

These are little 'travel jam bottles' that I cleaned and painted like this. They are too cute to be thrown away; so I decided to use it like this for Diwali. My little thing I did for our Diwali here...(not a great picture, I know!)

Capturing at a different angle....

( Aroma sifts through the air...again a gift from my cousin! I bless her everyday when I get back home!)

This time, as always, we updated the curtains instead of clothes! ( Who am I kidding??!! Even today, post Diwali, we bought some clothes...) Anyway, I bought some sheer-curtains first and then realized though it looks pretty; it glares and the light reflects on the T.V. So I went back and got some more. So, now I have two sets....which I can change to my fancy! I am in 'home decor heaven' now!

and now, last but definitely not the least....the brightest unique light as promised in the title!

I am not going to lie....I did miss the air of festivity back home in India. But by evening, my spirits were really high. We went to a friend's place for a '70's theme party' and we had a really good time. We met some lovely people and I felt so much at home with so many people around. Here's to a unique and different Diwali in every sense!!! Hope all of you had a good one too! :-) Making the most of everything in life; THAT is the elixir of happiness!

My Daddy - Strongest!!!

When I was a little girl, may be 4-5 years old, I am not sure....I would brag to my friends that my Appa ( Dad) is the tallest and strongest man in the world. Well, he was the tallest coz as he would carry me in his shoulders, the world looked really small from that height for lil 'me' and I used to think he must be really tall and big ( My Dad IS reasonably tall!)....I remember sleeping blissfully in his neck and I would nuzzle my head in the softness of his neck....I can vividly remember!


As for my Daddy being strongest ( there used to be an ad on T.V where all little girls would squeal 'My Daddy Strongest!, I used to love that Ad!)...I would very confidently boast that my Dad was the bravest and I would animatedly explain how he valiantly jumped in the middle of bullet-firing to save Indira Gandhi during her assasination. I even said they could see the mark on Appa's chest for proof!! I am sure my friends thought this girl is nuts!! The truth was that I had pestered my Dad about a mole he had...and he had jokingly said it was a bullet wound that he got when he tried to save the then Prime Minister, (Late) Ms. Indira Gandhi! I was so innocent and had so much faith in him that I really believed so! In my defense, it really does look like a hole and not a mole! To this day, it brings a smile on my face and peals of laughter from my Dad! ( which is a rare occurence!)



Handsome Appa in his younger days!

My very first glass painting!

P.S - It adorns the home of a very close family friend!

I am lucky in 'Love'!

....absolutely I am!! There is so much love around me, in me, for me, with me and it does not overwhelm me. Don't we all crave for love in some form or the other? Often, the highlight of my day is when I get a bear hug from S or if I am with my parents; I plonk myself on my dad's lap or lie down in my mom's lap or kiss my brother. Everything seems alright when a friend gives a reassuring hug, for sure!

I am blessed with so many people who make me feel so loved and cared for! I am very expressive about how I feel; be it verbally or physically through hugs and kisses :). Its such a warm fuzzy feeling to be hugged or kissed, is'nt it? ( I don't mean with any sexual inundations here!). When I first came to Paris and as we all know, the French have their own style of greeting each other. They usually hug and kiss each other on both cheeks! ( Initially, I found it really wierd to kiss acquaintances and their husbands!)...but I am not sure if it has grown on me. But I really feel the gesture is genuine and it is always nice to be hugged for no reason, sometimes! :-)

I am not one of those 'balanced' individuals who keep their emotions in check and do not react extremely to any good or bad news. I am impulsive, spontaneous and every emotion shows; and frankly, I like the way I am...most of the times! :-) I don't want to be someone who regrets later in life, that I did'nt show the people I love how much I care and love them!

So go ahead and make someone's day; give someone a bear hug or if you are not a 'hugger', its easy to smile? :-) Lots of hugs coming your way, virtually!

My tiny closet of fame! :-)

My story will appear in the Chicken Soup Series - Chicken soup for the Indian Teenage Soul titled ' All grown up!' my official name remains Janani Rajagopal, my dad's name). I feel really good about it, more than me my loved ones are ecstatic about it. Do make sure you guys buy a copy and look for my name and of course, the story!

Ritu was the one who gently pushed me to write for the series in the first place. Thanks a ton, Ritu! I am so glad that you did!! :-) For once, i listened to her! ;-)...and though it has taken quite some time for the book to get published due to various reasons, I am thrilled to see my name on paper! :P So if you happen to read the book, look for my story!

Do let me know your opinions :-)

Edited to add: The Book Cover!