Its the D day

Its today, its the day I get committed, official...I am very excited...Babe is going to look pretty and I the ugly..who cares...I get the babe..:-)

3 more days...

I am very excited...Lets see how it goes...things are to be done...my babe gonne look beautiful i think...let see...

16 days to my engagement

Days 17, 18 and 19 went by with Brinda. Friday we went for a movie which was a drag. The movie started half hour late and went on for 2 hours, after which we got out to find our bike punctured. Fixing it took more than an hour thanks to the super busy mechanic. With no dinning place open at 12:30 in the night, we had to go home, where my sweet babe made some rotis and and sabji. I was forced to spend the night at her place. I pretended to complain but I was happy. Afterall, I was tired. Went to sleep like a log. Next morning, I was asked a dreaded question, which every man hates. "Which earring should I wear" says she, looking at me. We were going out to check out the menu for our engagement lunch. Thankfully, she picked the one I liked. Evening, I had organized a party for my colleagues at my new place. That's where I surprised everyone by announcing my engagement date. The only person to get shocked was my manager. Poor fellow did not expect this. Was funny to see his face. Others were expecting some thing, but not so soon.
Sunday went by sleeping the whole day. I was thinking of reasons why I love Brinda. Here I attempt to list the top 5
1. She is very understanding. I can see the changes that were sometime ago were difficult to imagine. I can see that she understands what I want and tries to fulfil my desires. I don't think anyone ever did that for me.
2. She makes me feel loved and special. I get showered with feelings I have never known before. The way she will make me feel, I have never felt before.
3. She is intelligent.
4. I like the way she gelled with Adi and his wife when we went to Coorg. I have some very good friends and it is very important to me, that she is well accepted and she accepts them. Made me feel so good.
5. She is not shy and does not hide what she feels. Being direct helps me understand her better. Atleast I am not left guessing what she is thinking.
6. She makes yummy cheese paratha and nice rotis.
7. She is beautiful.


I think I am going to keep this a running list.

20 days to my engagement

And we had a fight last night. Ask me the reason and I will say I don't know. I am guessing because of my in sensitivities in understanding the finer emotional nuances. Anyway, my charming self managed to rein in her temper, get my good night kisses and get back to sleep.

I managed to pull off a surprise present for my babe today. Last evening I went shopping and got a nice pair of earrings and a scented massage oil. Earrings make her look pretty, now I am not saying this, her friends are saying this. I am waiting for the day to make use of the massage oil. This is brings some nice dirty thoughts to my clean mind.

Babe gave me a surprise also today. Stupid she types some text meant for me in her IM window of her friend. Now she wanted to hide the fact that we are getting hooked up early next month, but here she was, stepping on the axe. Out she blurted and was too late to pull back. And so the whole of her team now knows. We had to do a public announcement and break a few hearts (of-course I didn't break any hearts, I cant break hearts, you should see my face) and invite everyone to our engagement party. Boy was that fun. Brinda, turned pink, never seen her like that. I should have clicked a snap, too bad I didn't carry the cam.

Right now I feel very mushy mushy and want to hold my babe. Watching her snap on picasa.

21 days to my engagement

I am getting engaged to this beautiful crazy woman, Brinda. After much deliberations and fights I finally gave in and agreed to get engaged this year and married the next. Today is 21 days to my engagement. I am unaffected by the thought. This generally happens to me. I don't feel the shock until much later. Last time I had this kind of feeling was when I lost my brand new laptop. Not lost, stolen, the laptop was stolen. I didnt know what hit me. I was unaffected. Just like today. Only after some days did I realise I had lost Rs. 40K. That was a while back, I got over the loss, and I got the laptop back, but that is another story. Today's story is I am getting engaged and I have 21 days left for it.

I get a call in the morning as I was waiting for Divya (not the one I am going to marry), to come pick me up to go to the office. It was from Brinda (the one I am going to marry). She said she will come over to pick me up. I was stunned for a moment. She said she was missing me. We had not spoken last night, which has become a ritual now. I was tired from staying up late nights doing some work at office. Slept a long night, lasted 11 hours. I am proud of my achievement. 35 minutes later she shows up at my doorstep, and gives me a big hug and squeezes the air out of me. I am left breathless.

We have to finalize where the engagement will be. But first we have to finalize who we have to call. Should we call our colleagues, is the first question. After all if we don't call, we have to treat them anyways. Keeping in mind that her colleagues and mine are not the same, we might have to give double parties. That means kharcha. Double kharcha. Why not keep it to minimal by inviting them to the engagement and having the engagement in some hall.

Which hall to book? Will be the next question. I dont care is my answer. why this? I don't know. I just don't care. I just want it to happen and get over with it. Not because I am not bothered, but because the reality has not yet hit me. I am yet to feel the loss of bachelor hood and achievement of commitment. I know it will come. It will come slowly and will hit me on my face like a wave. I am just hoping it will be a cool breeze of air and not a rude shock.

Brinda has been very good to me today. I am being showered with love, unexperienced before and I am loving it. Seems like the shock will be a pleasant breeze of air after all.

Brinda and me.

Weekend getaway

Went to Mysore, Srirangapatnam, Coorg and Bylakuppe. Havent got the patience to type out anything much, just have a look at the snaps.

Savanadurga

My trip to Savanadurga with Goans in Bangalore groups.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

 

In the picture from left to right, Nolan, Paresh, Charlie, and Charlotte

Some people leave a mark in your life, Nolan and Cha sure have left one in mine. Out of all the dinners, breakfast, lunches, parties, biking trips and movies. I will really miss the laughter we shared when we were together. Good luck guys, wish you never had to leave. (Nolan and Cha have moved to UK for a better life.)

Hallelujah

Praise the lord! says Kingley as he enter's my house. Kingsley had returned from the Divine retreat at Potta. As he came in he started to converse with the rest of us, giving us gyan that we are missing something in our life because we most of us dont go to the church or pray. Alreich reads the bible but gave up going to the church because he thinks whatever the prient in the church talks about he already knows. Charlie goes to the Church at most 2 times a year. Last year he went 3 times. He met with an accident and was lucky to have been alive. He wanted to thank god. After that he returned to his normal self. I on the other hand must have gone to the temple maybe 2-3 times last year on my own free will. I think I also went to the church once. Now does that mean we are unholy people?

The existance of God/Supreme spirit has been a very widely debated topic. A number of books have been written for and against the existance of God. However no one has yet reached any conclusive statement proving the existance or absence of God.Yashvant once asked me, if whatever happens is for your own good, that would mean that God does whatever s/he wants without consulting you. So then why should you go to the temple/church/mosque and pray. Anyway nothing will happen what you want. Well laid out point it would seem. And I would agree to the same. I guess that's the reason I dont go so often to the temple. But there are times I do go, and that also with my own free will. Question would be why do I go?

I believe in my own God. I dont think I have to go to visit God to pray or seek blessings. I have God with me whereever I go. I believe s/he is my best friend and I can go to him/her whenever I feel uneasy. Last year I had a very uneasy year. I found myself going to earlier self, to my God, asking questions. I found I didnt get answers to my questions. But I did find some solace in talking to someone when I had none around to talk to. Now that would bring about another point. I remember God when I need him/her. Well that is true, to a large extend in my case. Is that fair? I dont know. Sometimes I think its not fair. And that's the time I go to the temple to pay my homage. Hasn't happened too many times in my past few years of existance.

As a child, my parents took me to temples and told me God is the all knowing and all mighty. I should bow down and show respect. Somehow I dont agree to the idea of bowing down and respecting. I like to respect by meeting eye to eye and saying I love you. I go to the temple look at the idol and say thank you god for being with me. Ofcourse I do fold my hands and say thank you. I guess I like that idea of folding hands and saying thank you to God.

What makes me wonder is if all religions say all God's are one, why is there a fight on the name of religion? Why should matrimonials between religions should be such a big problem. I know of a Hindu lady who will go the cross at Miramar and pray for the health and well being of the family, but ask her to keep a Christian maid in the house to help her with the daily chores, she was dead against it. Finally after a lot of persuasion, she agreed on trying out the christian girl and endedd liking her so much that she wanted her to stay long after the girl wanted to go to her native.

Most of my friends I would say believe in God. I think they like me believe in Supreme Spirit rather. Supreme spirit does not interfere in our lifes but I can feel that there is some power somewhere around us or in us, which makes us think and do things the way do. I dont think I can define the existance of such a think. I guess that why I can call it God. God - undefined supernatural power. Even scientist have called unexplained material God's Particle.

All I can say, Hallelujah!!! Praise the Lord!!!

Unbelievable thing happened today

Ever heard of someone not collecting money the person owes you and the bank giving it back to you? That's exactly what happened today. I had called up Citibank to check on the status of some issue I had reported and this angel of a guy tells me, I have Rs. 7500 in some holding account. I had done some transaction somewhere in September last year and the merchant had not collected the money. He wanted to know if he should put in a request to revert the money back to my spending account. Now that sort of question confuses. Why will anyone forget to collect money? And who am I to refuse this money? Today was an awesome day.

half-heartedly

“Trying to forget someone you love is like trying to remember someone you never met.”

~Unknown

How broad minded are you?

Here I was sitting and chatting to Brinda about broad mindedness. She was saying that her family is very broad minded. I was and have always wondered what a broad mind is. Is it if you wear skimpy clothes, have a girlfriend/boyfriend and parents are cool about it, swear and your parents swear back at you, of course not while angry, but just in the by the way types, just like you would do with your friends. Does this make you broad minded? Are people not following any of the above narrow minded? I don’t think so. And here’s why I think so.

Broad minded according to me is how well you can adapt to your surrounding society and their point of views and can still hold on to your views and beliefs. This does not mean you change completely and forget what you have been bought up with, nor does it mean you pick up some of the things which you would be otherwise ashamed to doing but do it just because the folks around you are doing.

The point of conversation that I was having with Brinda, was her parents are very broad minded. I don’t think my parents are narrow minded but maybe there are to some extent. Older generation has lived with a certain mindset and changing them over night is not possible at all. Some people have lived in a certain place with own set of customs and beliefs and they have lived there all their lives. If you would to get them out of that place and put them in a new place with a different contradictory set of beliefs and custom, them getting shocked and refusing to change is very natural. I mean I am sure if I were to go to the French Riviera and go to the nude beaches there, I will be of course happy to be there, but I don’t think I would be able to walk around naked and have sex with a stranger there.

A person having a broad mind is a person who can understand the mentality of the other person and change according to the changing society. Our society is very dynamic in its views. The changes that are happening are very rapid with the fast pace of life that we live today. With every new invention, discovery and the new set of information that is available to us today, our thought process can change and should change. How we take in this information process it and change accordingly is what will make one broad minded.

That's Divya...

Someone

“Someday, someone is going to walk into your life and make you realize why it never worked out with anyone else.

Bush to Obama

The new paradigm

How many of these did you know about?

A sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then
slide a
 knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed.
 (hmmmmmm)

 ============================================
 Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps
them
 neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs
to.

 ============================================
 For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and
put
 Dawn dish washing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They
won't
 refreeze. (wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)

 ============================================
 To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the
freezer for
 a few hours. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside
down. The
 wax will fall out.

 ==================! ======== =======================
 Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag,
dipped
 in baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease
that is!).

 ============================================
 Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt
 BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.

 =============================================
 Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a
pair of
 scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to
throw
 away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that
this would
 be much more economical. Now a box of SO.S pads last me
indefinitely!
 In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get 'sharpened'' this
way!

 =============================================
 Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little
hydrogen
 peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood.
 Works
 every time! (Now, where to put the body?) LOL

 =============================================
 Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal
 for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the
streaks.
 Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't
wash windows
 on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably
streak.

 ============================================
 Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a
lovely
 light scent in each room when the light is turned on.

 ============================================
 Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes
will
 smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this
with towels
 and linen.

 =============================================
 Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at
least 3
 hours prior to burning.

 =============================================
 To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and
add the
 flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust
and dirt
 and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a
charm!

 =============================================
 To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a
drop or
 two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and
bring to
 a boil on stove top.

 ==============================================
 Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring
 in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.

 =============================================
 Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator
and it will
 keep for weeks.

 =============================================
&n bsp; When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help
bring out the
 corn's natural sweetness

 .=============================================
 Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on
your
 forehead. The throbbing will go away.

 =============================================
 Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes
for future
 use in casseroles and sauces ……… Left over wine?
What's that? :)

 =============================================
 To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the
area
 and you will experience instant relief.

 =============================================
 Ants, ants, ants ! everywhe re … Well, they are said to never
cross a chalk
 line. So, get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or
wherever ants
 tend to march. See for yourself.

 ============================================
 Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and
better still,
 leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

 ============================================
 When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before
resorting to
 tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the
splinter, and
 then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly
and easily.

 =====================================
 Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer……..
 Clean a toilet.
 Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and
flush.
 The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China.

 ============================================
 Clean a vase.
 To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill
with water
 and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.

 ============================================
 Polish jewelry.
 Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse
the
 jewelry for two minutes.

 =============================================
 Clean a thermos bottle.
 Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets,
and let soak
 for an hour (or longer, if necessary).

 =============================================
 Unclog a drain.
 Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets
down the
 drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few
minutes,
 and then run the hot water.

 =============================================
 Do your friends a favor. Pass this timely (and some
not-so-timely)
 information on to a friend! I just did.
 Makes you wonder about ingesting Alka Seltzer, doesn't it?

Table of Very Big Numbers

Ever wonder what novemvigintillion is? Check here

Latest addition to my most desirable things I own

Latest addition to my most desirable things I own

gifted to me by my dear friend Aasif.

Uses of Feni

Feni - the state drink of Goa has medicinal properties. This I came to know for the first time in my life while on a trip to Ancestral Goa - A theme park been built in Loutolim also called 'big foot'. The largest known laterite sculpture of Mirabai is present in this theme park.