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!