I love this season though. It is so colorful despite the fast. Somehow I find this fasting makes me alert to some parts of my consciousness that have been buried in daily concerns. I also feel more spiritually inclined in these days. Maybe it's all the prayers and fasting that does this or something else, that remains a mystery.

For those who don't remember this time of the year (which I think most of you wouldn't unless you're living among Indian community), this festival that began today and would last until the 28th of this month, ending in a day called Dussera is called Navratri.

This is the temple I made in my home. Today, I changed all the clothes and jewelery that is draped around the photos.

Here's the pic of how it looked today evening when I finished my prayers.

And these are some small statues that I bought from Badrinath.

The extreme right is easy to identify I'd say. That is Lord Ganesha, destroyer of troubles. Next to him is Lord Kuber; the giver of wealth. On the extreme right is Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth on whose instructions Lord Kuber works. In the middle of Lakshmi and Kuber is Lord Vishnu,"preserver" of Hindu Trinity, the remover of darkness of illusion. Goddess Lakshmi is Lord Vishnu's wife. I got them from my travel this time. Hope they bring me luck and happiness.

There's still something that niggles me. All these prayers still don't help when I get annoyed at something. I hope to God I find reserves of patience and understanding through these prayers. I feel like I'm on the edge with some things and I don't like it. In such things, I can do without this thrill.

I know I'm still to write about my travel and I shall start doing so from tomorrow considering I have two days holiday. In the meanwhile, I'll leave you to enjoy a bit of Garba dance that is one of the most colourful dances of India.

Garba is Gujarat's folk dance and believe me, it is not easy even though it looks so! Men and women love to dance in this season, dressed in their best traditional costume. They say you can recognise a Gujarati anywhere in the world. Just play and bit of music and he'll be doing his Garba dance. There can be no occasion for a Gujarati when he can't celebrate with Garba and his unlimited energy. I'm afraid, I'm showing a staged performance here. Youtube has a lot of Garba videos from my city but most of them are poor quality.

Of course we have a lot of styles of Garba and I know only a few. You see, I plan to dance this season too.

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I came back from my Himalayan trip a week ago. Been down with cold, cough, boredom, work,etc. Also didn't really feel like copying stuff that I wrote during the journey in my diary writing so had stayed away.

But today morning I heard about Patrick Swayze's death; the guy whose movie introduced me to Salsa, dirty dancing. RIP Patrick. It said in the news that he had been suffering from Cancer for the past two years. And then I heard of another Top Chef dying cos of Cancer. Sad.

Just now came across this article which I wanted to share with you guys. I plan to return back to Ahmadabad on the 17th so I shall be writing my travelogue from there. So long! Hope this helps someone.

John Hopkins Update

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins :

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2.. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime..

3 When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs..

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply..

*CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful.. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.

c.. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans.. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

e.. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells.. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

1. No plastic containers in micro.

2. No water bottles in freezer.

3. No plastic wrap in microwave.

Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Cast le Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Pa per isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

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I disappear time and again I know. However, I must say that I've been so busy of late...enjoying and working *laughs* that I've not had a moment of peace. Of course, one doesn't count all the hours when one snores off to la la land.

Anyway, in news... I've been in NCR region now for 12 days. It has been a blissful period as usual, with work going well and spending quality time with my beloved. Touchwood.. I hope it remains the same.

Tomorrow morning at 6.00 hours, I'll be off to Haridwar and from there on to Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath. Some call it a religious journey. For me however, it is a path to serenity. Nature is the only ruler in those places and I would like to be one with nature there.

Mum and Dad are going to join me in Haridwar tomorrow afternoon. They've been having some "time together" in another fantastic place close to Haridwar- Mussoorie.

Mum had called me yesterday to tell me she feels like she is walking in the clouds. I said to her...I said, " Enjoy the moments Ma. It's not everyday one can boast of walking in the clouds."

Sooo.. I've got a lot of work to finish before I leave tomorrow morning. I've kept a diary with me this time around so that I can at least write my travelogue in the bus and later on pen it down here.

For the moment, it goes like this:

24.08.09- GURGAON

Woke up late today, just in time to see my boyfriend leave for work.. without breakfast I might add. Made him sit and drink milk with Bournvita. After all, he's been caring for me the last few days. I've had a series of headache, leg ache, back ache, stomach ache. My poor darling has been cooking and tending to me for the past couple of days while I finish my work on the computer and groan in pain.

Not that he lets me stress meself. He'll make sure I'm not overly stressed. Too many phone calls in the night and he'll insist he can help. Delighted to be so cossetted.

On 22/08/09, we'd gone for a TweetUp here in Gurgaon. I liked those who had attended though I shall reserve my opinion about some. I enjoyed myself; great conversations, relaxed atmosphere with Mojito to continue later on with some good Weissen beer and good old rock music.

OH dear...how time flies! I must rush for my shower. Need to attend a meeting this evening.

Cheers everyone! Be good and have a great week ahead. Catch you all soon!

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Be back soon.. but couldn't resist saying hello out here.

Have fun ya'll!!

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Well now, this is what happened today. A few hours ago,ummm - at about 10 o'clock this evening, dark clouds gathered in the sky. One could feel that it was going to rain soon. Then began a great show of thunder and lightning that lasted for about two hours. I might add that it has been pouring since then.

I went out to enjoy the rains for a bit on my terrace, made sure the water was going down the drain and not accumulating on the terrace due to the heavy downpour.And I had two hot buttered corns to eat while I was working. And I-

But I am digressing from the topic.

I had cleared up the debris on my terrace yesterday to make sure the water flowed down the drain and not get clogged if it rained. Unfortunately, I didn't count on my downstairs neighbours coming up to tell me not to clear the water on my terrace! I was like-what?

Apparently in the last few weeks, they made a small backyard of sorts close to where the drain ends downstairs. Thus, all the dirty water from the terrace would flow down there. They didn't want that. I took them upstairs and showed them the terrace.I have no other way to empty the water off terrace, I tell them. They had of course no reply to that. They just said, don't do it.

Now that bugged me. I asked them if the construction of this backyard was legal because when these apartments had been made, the drains had been put in place for this very reason-when it rains, the water should go down the drain and not get clogged. It had been the same all these years. So how was it that I was not allowed to do it this year?

I have a feeling this backyard construction is not legal. Or perhaps- they just realised their mistake in coming up and talking to me in that tone. What ever the reason might have been, they left without another word.

Unfortunately, something unexpected occurred that still clogged the drain and drenched not just my penthouse room, but also the living room downstairs.

A cloth I normally keep upstairs to wipe the pots must have fallen down the clothes wire sometime when during that wind, thunder, lightning show earlier. It must have floated with water to reach the drain hole and got stuck there, closing the mouth of the drain hole. The result- water blocked and overflowing outside the terrace and into the penthouse room and down the stairs into the living room.

My brother was busy on the phone in the living room, oblivious to this. I was in my room, working. When he put the phone down, he saw the trickle coming down steadily. He called for me immediately.

Dashing out of my room, I had a vague idea of what could have happened. Something was blocking the drain hole. No other way all that water drips down.

Action time! We rushed upstairs to the terrace, removed that cloth which had blocked the water. Next thing we know, the water goes down the drain with a huge swooosshh! (I liked that sound ) After that, came cleaning and mopping the rooms and staircase dry. And now that all that is done, I'm sitting here writing this account while it still rains steadily.

I'll get back to my work soon and finish it. Have a busy day tomorrow with a client coming down from Mauritius for discussions. Still, I shall earn something from this association soon so I am happy to work.

Tomorrow night, I leave to go home, spend some time with family and friends there. It's been a long time since I went home-almost 8 months!

Enough of chatter. Time to get back to work. Hope you'll have a lovely evening/morning/day ahead.

P.S. Do you think I could be good at writing daily life articles? A company has offered me a contract to do so.

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Today it is cloudy with sun playing peek-a-boo with the clouds. Peacocks can be heard singing everywhere, thirsting for more rains. Birds are chirping louder than usual. I just saw a chameleon on the tree nearby while standing on the terrace of my house, changing colours, inviting more rains.

My brother tells me when he went to buy milk today morning, he could see relief on faces of people around him, praying that this heavy shower be the sign of the delayed monsoon that everyone has been waiting for.
The vegetable vendors looked happy. Finally they may get fresh supply of vegetables soon. Maybe the farmers living in small villages close to the city are hoping for the same.

Young folks going to college stop by at the local chai wallahs and drink their favourite masala chai and eat "dal wadas with onion rings and fried green chillies" or roasted/buttered corn.

Women in the house are happy that the rains are here but also dismayed at the increase in the amount of work. NO drying clothes outside, making sure the house stays clean despite children coming back from school with muddy shoes, making sure no body falls sick due to changing weather,etc.

It seems a pot pourri of emotions is all at display simply because it rained.

I'm going to sit on the terrace for a while with my book and a cup of masala chai before I start with my work for today. Lots of meetings in the evening, not to mention regular work that needs to be done.

Talk to you guys later! Have a great day!

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Go go www.worldebookfair.org and browse through the books there. Who knows, you may find the one book that you'd been looking for !

Have a wonderful time! Me off to browse more books there.

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God-I wish this weather would change! I wish it starts raining!! It has been stifling!! EL NINO .. BEHAVE! *deep breath* Okay, am calm now.

We've been having some weird weather these last couple of days. Dust storms, cloudy sky, intense humidity and terrible heat. The water in the tank up on the terrace is almost boiling by the time it is 3.00 PM. What I've started doing is filling the buckets in the morning so that I may have some cool water to wash my face and hands if it gets too sweaty.

On the other note, I've been up the whole night watching CSI Miami that I downloaded recently. Can't seem to be able to sleep despite the cooler in my room. Hope I get sleepy by the time I finish this last episode.

Wish you all good day/night depending on where you are!

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I am back in Ahmadbad since yesterday. I left Delhi with the heavens opening up to pour down and am back to sweaty, humid climate. Ugh! The Tee that I wear at the moment keeps on sticking to my back. I don't want to use the Cooler simply because I don't. (Electricity costs)

Coming back to Ahmadabad was a non eventful journey except for one thing. The guy sitting next to me on the plane had decided to keep his mobile turned on for the entire journey despite hearing the instructions carefuly which said "please turn off your mobiles for the journey. You can switch them on when we land."

Not that he got a chance to do it with me sitting next to him. He tried to put it on silent mode. As soon as the plane started, I looked at him and asked if he understood Hindi and English. He looked a bit taken aback but replied back in positive. I then demanded to know why in the blazes was his mobile on silent mode and not switched off if he had heard the instructions correctly.... well. bascially I gave him a piece of my mind and reminded him that he was risking my life too along with his own.
He had the grace to look sheepish and turned off the mobile then. Bugger!

Apart from this one incident, it was absolutely uneventful.

Coming back was easy. Spending the day without my man was hard. Although it did have one compensation- I reunited with my nephew.

He's grown and he remembered me!! I was so happy to note that he hadn't forgotten me. The moment he saw me, he stretched out his arms and gurgled happily. They say kids forget you easily if you're gone long, especially when they're so very young. He didn't. So I guess.. I'm memorable after all.

More to come later...... gotta catch up on some work. Have a lovely day you guys!

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It's been terribly hot the last few days, almost a week. The temperature went up to 44 degrees and felt like 47 degrees. I felt roasted despite the fact that I never went out in the sun. It's the heat that makes you house a furnace, never mind the AC.

However, today seems to be a much better day. Clouds have come in since yesterday night, halting temperature rise and getting the weather to cool down a bit. They're predicting a dust storm with rains today evening. It will most definitely be a relief!

God is being merciful I think, since He knows it's my birthday today. I've been having a lovely time since midnight last night. I cut the cake that he'd brought and am going to wear my birthday gift today evening.

I just hope this happiness I feel today stays all the year round.. Amen.

I wish you all a happy weekend then and leave ya'll to lovely weather in your countries.

Hugs!

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No rest for the wicked as they say and that's how it's been for me. Doesn't mean I'm reaping money yet but I hope that happens soon with all this hard work I've been putting in since the last three weeks. This week has been full of meetings until now and it seems that the trend will continue all this week.

In the meanwhile, I'm supposed to decide and let know what do I want for my birthday as a gift. I'm out of ideas. Any suggestions?

To continue with the work saga... next week Monday, I'm going up the mountains again, to a place called DEHRADUN where I must visit a center and train their agents on telephone etiquettes.

It seems I must work hard to towards teaching how to speak politely to the customers. Customer care agents these days seem to have become rude and abusive the proof of which can be seen anytime one calls one of the telecom services like Vodafone or Airtel or Tata Indicom. Even bank customer service executives seem to have become rude and brash. It is as if customers don't matter anymore!! Darn if I'll take that laying down!! Thus my decision- every agent who works for my clients will learn telephone etiquettes. If they can't be polite, they're not the agents I want.

Apart from that, I plan to go for a bit of flea market window shopping this weekend. I know I know, you're suprised. Flea market and windown shopping? Well, you'd be surprised to know that in the flea market here, the prices are on at par level as any good boutique or shop in a mall!!!! The last time I visited one of these markets, there was not a single product which was for less than Rs. 1000 (around 12-14 EUR). And this was just the beginning. *siggh* I remember the time at saturday flea market in Bremen where I bought my bicycle for that amount, lovely home dresses for 2 EUR, CDs for 1 EUR....... wish I was back there.

However at the moment, it seems I'd have to postpone my plans to come to the EU since I do not want to come back without a good job on hand. I've had some offers in the last few weeks but none have been good enough. There have been job offers here in India as well. Am in a fix at the moment. You see, if I accept a job here, I won't get an easy job. It would definitely be a top management level job that will requirea commitment for at least a year from me.

And I most definitely DO NOT want that. Simple reason being- my family, that will keep on urging me to get married. I'm sure you would have heard of this before- "Dearest, you're 32 now. When do you plan to get married?"
I don't blame them. After all, they are my family. They want to see me happy and content in my life. I keep on trying to make fun of this issue; take it lightly by telling them that they want to see me blissfully happy, married to a man who could take care of me and my whims. *sniggers*.. and all I want is some time to think before I reach that stage where I am ready to make him miserable.

Not but seriously, I don't think it is the right time and so the escape route must be prepared.

Basta! Enough of that. Time I went to sleep. Et voila, wishing everyone in the blog land a very good evening/morning depending on the region and country. Stay happy and stay smiling!

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I've been away as usual.. traveling again. This time, it has been a tour of the North of India, to a place called Mohali. It is situated in the State of Punjab(yes, that's where you can get the best of Chicken dishes as well as Paneer) and is full of people who are polite, well mannered and shy. At least in this part of the State, I find them to be so. I've been here three days now and I wish I had more time to visit all those places mentioned here on the link.

Am here on business so can't sit long.. but I am hoping that when I reach Delhi tomorrow, I'd be sitting at my bf's place and writing a detailed account. After all, there won't be a single soul to disturb me.

So long and hear from ya soon!

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Tonight, I've got to finish 20 pages of content writing for an insurance website. *sighs* Nothing is easy in my life anymore I find but at least I've found a way out of difficulties. So there is still some hope for me yet.

Good news is, I think I'm soon going to be heading back to Germany and not alone either. *does a little jig* I'll be back where I can eat cheesecakes, rhubarb tarts, bratwurst (though with N1H1 around, maybe not that) and meet all my friends!! Just thinking about it puts me in the happy mood.

We're already dreaming of a cosy little house where we'll come back from work and I'll be pampered (I'll return the favour at times too) He dreams of me cooking up a storm for him though he needs to watch his weight. He dreams typically like any man would but I'll permit him that simply cos he's such a darling and loves me to death. And heaven help him if he ever writes a poem like the one Adamantixx just jotted on his post. I'd inflame his jeans like never before!

Anyway, back to reality. I must get back to that blasted content writing work. There's a lot that I must tell, a lot that I want you guys to know; some customs here that are hideous and should have ended a long time ago, some tragic ends, my near meet with death last Wednesday, etc. Hope I get time soon.

Have a lovely evening/morning!

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First of, there was this case of pending finance. There's this client who always thinks they're doing me a big favor if they pay me on time, for the hard work I put in. @(*#$)!$&@*$ I have no words to convey my frustration I have suffered this whole week. I am sure my pressure levels would have gone raging high had I not been doing yoga every morning.
Then there's a small matter of my health. For some reason, this week has seen me in poor health. Sunstroke, migraine attack and in general, stress has me sleepless and restless.

Then there's my brother who's final exams begun today. I'd been dreading this time. You see, he goes all quiet during this time. Not only that, he becomes terribly moody too. I wondered how I'd be able to cope with it since I've never been here alone with him during his exams before.
But God does come to help me out at the most unexpected of times. Yesterday night, mum and dad suddenly showed up at my doorstep. Words cannot express the joy I felt. I'd not have to get up early in the morning, I'd not have to cook, I'd not have to bear my brother's temper tantrums. Phew! Love you God.

So today, since I find myself free time on my hands, I'll continue with the month of December.

December

After spending a lovely weekend with my boyfriend, it was time to go. I was to catch a train from New Delhi station at 6.20 am in the morning. Now, considering the fact that it would take me an hour to reach the station, I ordered a taxi that would pick me up from Gurgaon at 5 in the morning. And for that, of course I had to be up at 4 to be ready by 5.

These are phone cabs and they provide you with very good service. There's one called "Radio cab" and another called "Easy cab". Well, these are the two that I normally use while I'm in Gurgaon or Delhi.
So- as usual, I had ordered a cab with Radio Cab. These cabbies- they normally arrive at the destination point by midnight and sleep in the available general parking lot.

Now, I've nothing against them sleeping but, my particular cabby forgot all about his appointment. After several frantic phone calls to the company, he finally got the message and arrived at 5:30. The cabby assured me he'd reach the station in 30 minutes. I felt he was being over ambitious. *The distance between Delhi and Gurgaon is around 20 miles and though it has an 8-lane expressway, it is always crowded,not to mention the streets once you enter Urban Delhi.*

I'm sure you can guess the rest. I missed by train by 2 minutes. By the time, I had paid him and started running on to Platform 16, the train was gone.
I went to the ticket counter to book another one for the same day. I was told there were no more trains going to Haridwar that day and the ones which did would leave at mid-night. I was upset.

I called up my boyfriend from the station who had a hunch that since I'd started late from home,I'd be missing my train and had been calling every 10 minutes to know if I'd reached. He asked me to find out if the fare could be refunded.

I went to the ticket counter where there was a small queue for fare refund. I filled up the form and waited for my turn. Next thing I know, someone is touching my backside! Outraged, I turned around and glared at the leering, grinning man.

I asked him to keep his hands to himself and not try to touch me again or he'd be facing charges. He grinned evilly. I started muttering about these low lying bastards who come to the station simply to leer at women, with no other intent. I muttered about how this station lacked security, despite what had happened a few days ago in another metro city.

What I had failed to see was that ahead of me in the queue, was a police constable. He turned around at the ruckus I was creating and asked me what the matter was. Once I told him, he blasted the other man for troubling me, wiping the smile off his face. The lecher went off. The constable turns around and says, "this is normal here Madam." I was shaken. First I miss my train and then I face harassment. And I'm told this is all normal?? :O

But more was to come. When it was my turn at the counter, I was told that my fare couldn't be refunded since I had booked the ticket via an agent. What I could do was go to the agent and ask him to file a fare refund. (huh, fat lot of good that would do me! It would be too late by then.)

Stunned and upset, I went and stood outside the station, feeling lost. And then-- got a call from my boyfriend saying I should come back home. You see, he felt guilty about me missing my train and blamed himself. Had he dropped me to the station, none of this would have happened. I didn't argue.

He told me, while I'd been waiting at the ticket counter, he had called up the cab company and bellowed at their inefficient staff. They apologized and offered a cab back to Gurgaon-for free. So I should simply come back home and rest for the day. He'd also already booked the ticket for the next day, knowing I was anxious to start with my revision studies.

And so I found the same cabby waiting for me at the parking lot. He apologized the rest of the way and asked me to be kind to him, tell his company that they shouldn't fire him. I doubted they'd do that but whatever.. to pacify him I told him, I'd talk.

I reached home and dumped my bags in one corner and dropped on the couch.

What happens next, comes later. Until then..

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Hope tomorrow is better. I am sure all had a good weekend. I wish you a wonderful evening ahead and see you tomorrow.

A special mention- Happy Birthday Nick. God bless and may your pirate ship sail the waters of our blog land for years to come. *hugs*

to all

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November:
I left my parents’ place to go to Delhi on the 28th November and then on to Haridwar-Rishikesh. I couldn’t have sat down at home and studied, not with my nephew roaring at the top of his lungs every few hours, to be fed or to be picked up. (Sly devil he is, that naughty nephew of mine - knew that while every one may ignore him, I won’t and he will be picked up and cosseted if he cries.)

So I left Gandhidham by a train called Ala Hazrat, which surprisingly departed on time (It is a matter of surprise if the train is on time). My schedule had already been penned down.
I was to meet the head of one of the call centers for a meeting once I got down at Gurgaon. After that, I’d be going to the University where I’d check the examination time table and make sure none of the papers were clashing with each other.

After an uneventful train journey when I studied half the time and was not disturbed at all (huge surprise; normally a woman traveling alone is asked a horde of questions), I reached Gurgaon at 13:30 the next day. Gurgaon is basically a small city, sprawled with commercial buildings, call centers, IT hubs and humongous size shopping malls.

The head of the centre, Mr. M met me at the station and we went for lunch where we discussed business ideas of working together after my exams were over. From there on, I went to the Uni and got my time table. It was a relief to know that none of my exam papers clashed with each other. I’d already decided, I won’t be giving four papers this time around (ghastly statistics papers) because I haven’t been able to prepare for them properly. Might as well give those exams in July and get good credits.

Mr M dropped me back to Gurgaon in the evening where I was re-united with my boyfriend. It was such a pleasure seeing him again after so many months. We'd met the last in September. You're not allowed to kiss in public out here so we just hugged each other and smiled. Hand in hand, we roamed about a bit in one of the malls, content with each others' company. We had our dinner and went home to start on a blissful weekend together.

The next day was his birthday. He wouldn't let me buy a cake to wish him a birthday at midnight-said it was kid stuff. I said, "stuff it" and bought a piece of cake anyway.

Come mid-night, we had a small celebration (no details divulged into although I will tell you that he did cut that piece of cake while I sang "Happy Birthday". He blushed with pleasure, to my delight.
We intended a quiet, peaceful day on his birthday and were pondering on whether we'd prefer to go out for dinner or I shall cook him something delicious.

He's such a dear I tell you, even though he annoys me a lot at times. After keeping me on tenterhooks the whole afternoon(so exasperating!),he took me to this great restaurant for a surprise dinner. I had professed a desire a few days ago that I yearned to eat Prawns and Sushi. Thus, he fulfilled my desire on his birthday and declared that it gave him great joy to see me happy. It was one of the most romantic dinners that I've ever had. He was aptly rewarded for that loving gesture.

That takes care of November; the events of which may sound uneventful to you at the moment but are to play a part later on. Now we move to December.

But that- would be for tomorrow. Have a lovely evening guys.

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But for now, for those of you who are going to go away for the weekend, here's something.

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The day I decided to write down a post,I sat down for an hour, remembering it all from my trip in November since I wanted to share bits of pieces of it. Well, it didn't come to pass since I suffered a stomach ailment which kept me away from my computer (not exactly, but apart from an odd line here and there, it did).
When I did make an effort to be up and about, work load pressed me down. Since earning is a big priority at the moment (considering I spent the entire last year on my savings, hardly earning anything), I have been busy with it.

However, nothing is here to stop me today from writing a few lines at the least and say hallo to all my blog friends. I do have to work later in the night though but that is something I'm accustomed to so no worries.

Well, now that I'm here, it seems to be difficult to form thoughts right away and tell you all. Plus, I am afraid it may become too long a post and I shall put all my friends to sleep.

Thus, I shall refrain from writing too much at the same time and wait until later to write down the details of my journey and life the past few months.

Here's a brief outline of it though:

November end: Left home to go to Delhi-spent time with my boy friend-celebrated his birthday-went to the University and got my exam time table.

December: Missed my train to Rishikesh-took the train the next day-spent some time in Haridwar-Auto rickshaw drivers and their horrid union rules making the common man and tourists suffer-repair work in the Ashram-moved to another Ashram in Rishikesh-made new friends-meditation and yoga experiences ("out of body experiences")-studies and walks--confusion in the Ashram-meeting an American Ayurveda doctor and talks with him-Swedish lady from the yoga and talks with her about her experiences at various places in India-meeting a Bangladeshi-British girl and fun times with her-observations on foreigners in India and various gurus they follow-last days in Rishikesh-journey back home due to unprecedented emergency.

Jan: studies and more studies-searching for a place to live while I give my exams in Delhi-a solution at hand with "friend in need is a friend indeed"-reaching Delhi-train journey and talks with a girl from the most sensitive State of India; Jammu & Kashmir-hospitality at the friend's place.

Feb:Exams-weekends with my boyfriend-gift evaluation-Valentine's Day-back home-work on hand-sister's dilemma.

Hmm.. I think that about sums it up. I'm going to be disciplined and write down bit by bit on these things starting tomorrow afternoon IST.
Would welcome your comments as always. Until then folks- Cheers!

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Who ever is in Mumbai, please be careful. May God bless the souls of those dead.

These seem to be planned attacks since they knew which places should be attacked at what time and how. They have opened fire randomly and killed more than 120 people among which some are foreign nationals.

I'm worried about two friends of mine who live in South Mumbai. I only hope they are okay since I'm not able to get in touch with them at this point of time. For more news, check the link below.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/default.aspx

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This is a sight of a local train in Mumbai- a local train packed to capacity, with people hanging out of the doorway, and perched atop the train. This is a sight most Mumbaikars are well accustomed to.

Emergence of BPOs (Business Process Outsourcing) and call centres in various parts of the city have generated an influx of people in search of employment the likes of which have never before been witnessed. Also, I think the population the traffic jams there induce the best of managers and local population alike to deviate away from taking the buses cars and choose trains. Result- you see jam packed metallic worms snaking through the city.

The strangest thing that Mumbaikars will tell you is that while you are here, you dream of packing your bags and heading to a lonely mountain peak; then when you're gone, you realise you cannot live anywhere else.
You are addicted to this one city of India where there is never any shortage of action — marathons in which 80-year-old participate, food festivals, art camps, exhibitions, parties and more parties, with the publicity machine in constant motion..not to mention the great Indian cinema that has its roots in Mumbai; Bollywood. Glitz and glamour are an every day part of Mumbai just like flooded local trains.

For people coming from other cities, a ride on the local trains is scary. One needs to be an expert to travel in these trains at peak hours. Its a different kind of world altogether. You are left with your jaw hanging open when you see people entering and leaving a local train carriage during the morning rush hour in Mumbai.I believe you can actually judge how crowded Mumbai is when you look at the local train system of this city.

There's a lot that can be said about one's experiences on these local trains but let's say, you can find an pot pourri of feelings and people; romances budding, break-ups, quarrels, mothers and daughters-in-law fighting on the train, discussion on the latest drama in a particular TV soap, Sports discussion among men, financial analysts talking about how the market is crumbling and the losses they're incurring, hawkers, women selling sarees and salwar kurta, beggars, and ohhh.. so many other things! You'd find people who are ready to help you and you'd find people who'd not even let you stand on one toe in the train.

They say, Mumbai is as Mumbai feels for each individual - either you love it or you hate it. I know I'd never favour living in this city myself but I can't deny that it is revoltingly fascinating for all that it contains.

See y'all folks later!

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However I think, everybody must have seen enough of Obama on the TV today so I won't go into details of his win. Just say that he deserves this win and I hope he proves to be a strong and just Prez while solving heavy, crushing problems that are abound. However today, he should definitely celebrate the win with his supporters.

The speech he gave was heart warming and reflected determination of thoughts and deeds. For those of you who missed it, here's the transcript.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/obama.transcript/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Second was a letter that a friend sent me today- a link actually but I'd let you take a look at it yourself since he found it really funny. Just desserts would you say, after reading it?

http://www.bspcn.com/2008/11/02/best-kick-ass-break-up-letter-ever/

In other news, life is smooth sailing. Work progresses at a slow pace but I'm not complaining. Family is delightful and my nephew is an absolute joy of my life. Love makes my world go around-I received postcards today from my boyfriend and it made my day go brighter.He'd posted them long ago but thanks to the Postal System, they reached me only today. Still-atleast they arrived!
In short, life is good with only a tiny snag- every one nagging me to get married soon One day.. I tell them. One day, I will.

I plan to study tonight so will come back later and read the delightful posts posted by my lovely blog friends.

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Yesterday was the first of the five days of Diwali. Dhanteras is the thirteenth day of the waning moon where people buy gold.

Fortunately, gold rates dropped last weekend after so many months. You could see hordes of ladies at the jewellers' buying earrings, rings, necklaces, gold statues of ganesha and laxmi among other things.

No one looking at the crowd, at the jewellers' would say there was a market recession going on. *I wish I had enough money to buy a block and keep it aside for my future. *

I also helped mother make Diwali sweets at home yesterday. During lunch, we had something called LAPSEE. Lapsee is a typical sweet-dish to be made for lunch during Dhanteras. Nothing difficult; it is made up of wheat germ, ghee and jaggery with some almonds, cardamoms, etc thrown in.

Apart from that, we also made Gulab jamuns and Gujias which will be served to the guests along with other salty snacks. Both are standard Diwali sweets, made every year in our household. (Yippee! I'm here this year to enjoy them all.)

You can get gulab jamuns in the market at at sweetmeat shop but Gujia is best when made at home. It is relished and enjoyed all over the country. It is made on Diwali and on other festivals as well.

In some states, like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab, the filling is made with sweetened khoya (milk thickened almost to a solid state) and nuts while in others like Goa, Andhra Pradesh, etc. it consists of shredded coconut, nuts and jaggery.

Here's the recipe. And oh! HAPPY DIWALI!

GUJIA

Ingredients:
* 500 gms all-purpose flour
* 6-7 tbsps of ghee (do not melt the ghee)
* Water
* 500 gms khoya
* 300 gms sugar, powdered
* 1 tsp powdered cardamoms
* A handful of almonds cut into slivers (add more or less as per your taste)
* A handful of raisins (add more or less as per your taste)
* Ghee for deep frying

Method:

* In a flat dish, mix the flour and ghee to form a crumbly mix that just about holds together.
* Add water a little at a time and knead to form a firm dough. When done, cover the dough with a damp tea towel or muslin and keep it aside.
* Put the khoya in a thick-bottomed, wide pan on a low flame and cook, stirring frequently till it turns golden.
* Add the sugar, almonds and raisins and cardamom powder and stir well. Cook for another minute and turn off. Allow the mixture to cool.
* Divide the prepared dough into equal sized-portions and make them into balls.
* Roll these balls out into circles about 4-5" wide.
* Put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre of each circle and fold over into a semi-circle. Pleat the edges to seal and keep aside. Repeat the filling process for all the circles.
* Once all your dough and filling is used up, heat ghee on a medium flame and deep fry the gujias.
* Drain them on paper towels and store in an air-tight container.

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Why men don't write advice columns:
 
Dear Walter,
 
I hope you can help me here. The other day, I set off for work leaving
my husband in the house watching the TV as usual. I hadn't driven more
than a mile down the road when the engine conked out and the car
shuddered to a halt. I walked back home to get my husband's help.
 
When I got home I couldn't believe my eyes. He was in our bedroom with
the neighbor girl. I am 32, my husband is 34, and the neighbor girl is
22. We have been married for ten years. When I confronted him, he
broke down and admitted that they had been having an affair for the
past six months. I told him to stop or I would leave him. He was let
go from his job six months ago and he says he has been feeling
increasingly depressed and worthless. I love him very much, but ever
since I gave him the ultimatum he has become increasingly distant. He
won't go to counseling and I'm afraid I can't get through to him
anymore.
 
Can you please help?
 
Sincerely,
Sheila
 
******
 
Dear Sheila:
 
A car stalling after being driven a short distance can be caused by a
variety of faults with the engine. Start by checking that there is no
debris in the fuel line. If it is clear, check the vacuum pipes and
hoses on the intake manifold and also check all grounding wires. If
none of these approaches solves the problem, it could be that the fuel
pump itself is faulty, causing low delivery pressure to the carburetor
float chamber.
 
 
I hope this helps!

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According to a new study by Ipsos MediaCT, gamers aren't the socially awkward, people-shooting psychotics that society thinks they are. In fact, the study even claims that games are "more social, more active, and more valuable as consumers" than "normal" people.

Turns out that 55 percent of gamers are married, 48 percent have kids, and the average age of people who have started gaming in the past two years is 32. Seventy-five percent of gamers are the "social" kind, playing games with other people--both online and in person.

But that's just regular survey stuff. The crazy news? In a given month, gamers are twice as likely go out on a date than non-gamers.

So parents, if you're worried about your children losing their social lives with gaming, think again--gaming could actually get them off your couch, and into someone else's.

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What he does is this- he narrates the epic story of Ramayana, by going from place to place, trying to instil good values into humans today. He's been doing that for an odd 25 years or so. He's always been portrayed to be a humble, down-to-earth person, possessing no airs about the power he holds over people through his religious preachings, not just in India but over Indians all over the world.

Now normally, I scorn these guys who preach morals but are absolutely immoral in their own lives. However Morari Bapu has had a clean record for all these years so I guess, he must be genuinely a good human being who's out to do good in this world. His simple attire, simplistic way of living, his polite language, his acceptance of all religions only adds to his persona.

Without further ado, here's what the newspaper says about the deep impression he's left on the minds and hearts of fishermen on the shores of Saurashtra. Way to go Morari Bapu! Keep up the good work!

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad: For a fisherman, nothing is perhaps more painful than to let go of a big catch, especially if it happens to be a 30-feet whale shark that would fetch at least a lakh of rupees, perhaps more than his annual catch could fetch.
But if he releases the whale shark, he incurs a loss of Rs 40,000 as the net, which he cuts to release it, costs around Rs 60,000 and the state government pays him only Rs 20,000 as compensation. But that’s exactly what fishermen of Saurashtra are doing --often cutting their expensive nets and releasing whale sharks they once butchered by the hundreds as the gentle giants came to breed in the warm waters of the Arabian Sea.
On the face of it, behind this change of heart could be a ban on hunting of whale sharks. But the fishermen couldn’t have cared less for the law-if not for one man’s word of faith -- Morari Bapu.

It happened after Morari Bapu was roped in by the forest department in 2003. The spiritual leader went to the sea off Dwarka and blessed a whale shark entangled in a net and said he wished the creature was left alone. The killings stopped almost immediately.

Bapu, who is known for his rendering of Ram Katha, started preaching the ‘whale shark katha’ making people aware of rules against killing whale sharks and also tugging at their heart string by making an emotional appeal.

“Whale sharks come to Saurashtra coast to give birth and end up getting brutally killed. He reasoned with the fishermen by comparing the whale shark with a daughter who comes home to give birth. He told them to take care of whale sharks like their daughters,” said an official.

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It was a great surprise to find a creative community which met every month and encouraged new writers and poets, discussed things with an open heart and was open to new views and methods. In my city, it is a rarity indeed! I joined them while browsing the net and bumping on to a site called Caferati.

However I had been unable to attend the last three meetings due to one reason or the other. This month gave me a perfect opportunity to see what Caferati was all about.

Truthfully speaking, we are all a bunch of eccentrics in this city who have come up together to discuss our emotions and our thoughts. I liked each and every one I met today at this meeting.

Some are great thinkers, some who work on that thought, some who are motivators and some who are observers.

Short stories and poems that they read opened a window and gave me a glimpse of something of their life. Some of it was shockingly violent, some touching, some absolutely hilarious and some... beautiful. No body was discouraged for their efforts. They were all praised duly and given subtle hints on how they could alter their reading piece to make it a master piece.

I wish there were more of such communities who would work and encourage new talent in my city. Alas! Everyone seems to be buried under a pile of responsibilities and work and only some are able to get out of that rubble and free themselves.

A particular piece that was read by a lady at the end of the meet was the one I liked the best. If she permits me, I'll put it up here. I think it is a must read for all as it talks about hope, perseverance and our own blindness towards things so obvious to everyone else but ourselves. It talks about nurturing the power of love in the soil of our souls.

I shall catch up on other blog posts as soon as I've had a minute. The last few weeks have been really hectic but soon I shall be "writing assignments" phase of studies and take a break.

I look forward to the next weekend when hopefully, happiness shall embrace me and kiss me with the tenderness and affection I long for. Perhaps time to live in fear is fading as courage puts forward his hand for me to hold. Should I take his hand, I wonder... is it really there? Do I dare?

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The daily newspaper Die Welt reported an international study by NUS Consulting placed German water prices at the top of several countries – with a German paying nearly five times as much as an American for the most basic good there is.

Industrial customers in Germany pay on average €1.91 per cubic metre of water before taxes. The same amount costs €1.85 in Belgium, €1.27 in France and €1.05 in Australia – a country with chronic water shortages. The price in America is an unbeatable €.047 per cubic metre – and it would still be a bargain there taking into account the weak US dollar.

NUS Consulting said the main reason for Germany’s expensive water was not that there wasn’t enough of it or that it was expensive to treat, but rather that German municipalities were responsible for setting prices.
“Since water prices can set by the municipalities, the higher prices are used to subsidize local projects that would otherwise have to be paid for with tax money,” the survey said according to Die Welt.

Not that it’s much solace to know that you’re paying more than the rest of the world for that glass of water from the tap, but the consultants said they expected water prices in Germany were unlikely to rise much this year as they would in other countries.

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