A day in Bandra

Today was one the most relaxing holidays I had. I spent the day at SB's place in Bandra and I love that locality.... Carter Road, Pali Hill and the rest. It was NS's idea to start the day early with a breakfast at the Bagel shop. He calls me at 7 in the morning and even in my deep sleep and I can't resist the temptataion of having a nice bagel and coffee and so I take a quick shower and rush with newspapers, few books, my laptop, music and a fresh spirit. We are one of the first ones to reach the cafe and in between bites of the yummy cheesy crisp bagel and sips of honey ginger lemon tea, we start off with an interesting conversation on meditation techniques, role of destiny, existence of God. SB joins us and the topic changes to losing weight, butts, health food, a july trip to london, lets join salsa and some more.

We order another bagel and SB seems to like my new silk shirt from Globus sale. We order some more tea and conversation turns to love and what to look for in a partner. It was a beautiful lazy morning, comfortable cane sofas and great conversation with some awesome food. Could we ask for a better start? It was just perfect. We gathered newspapers, bought some creme cheese and started walking on the carter road. Found some fresh celery on the way made some delicious salad at SB's place and some more conversations. We watched the republic day parade lazily lying around on the gaddas and discussed some more butts, boobs, legs, kisses and the rest that follow.

It was afternoon by now and we began to feel little hungry. I volunteered to make aloo parathas and quickly set out to boil the potatoes. NS cut the onions and SB went out to buy some dahi. Meanwhile I prepared the dough and the filling and started frying the 7 parathas. They came out delicious. SB says whoever marries me will be so lucky because I cook so well and that I deserve someone really special because I am so perfect. I like to believe that what she says may happen though NS feels that in order for that to happen, I need to go out there and seek guys. I wonder how one does that. We take a big plate and share each paratha taking one at a time. Its lip smacking and by the time we are done with them, the chai has brewed and is ready.

We talk some more about love, our first love and current love and then start browsing through all our old pics in my laptop. I begin reading my book while SB uploads some pics on her fb and soon its evening. We decide to take a walk on the Carter Road watching the sunset. SB is wearing her 6 grand reebok shoes which claim to tone your butts and thighs if you walk in them for 45 minutes each day. We walk and watch the gorgeous crimson sun going down the sea. We walked so fast that we reached the other end in 10 minutes. Grab some fresh vegetable juice from a van and walk back. I am now seriosly thinking of moving to Bandra and me and SB are going to begin house hunting. Good company makes life feel like so much fun. Though I love my Lokhandwala 2BHK but even a shabby one room in Bandra could improve my social life greatly. I am thinking.

... and my fish died

I was all ready, packed my lunch, grabbed the breakfast and went near my fish bowl to see how Kelly & Jelly were doing before rushing out for work. To my shock and sudden intense grief I saw one of them floating on the water. I am not even sure whether it was Kelly or Jelly. Kelly had a black mark on her lower body but I did not have the heart to see and analyse. I wanted to look away and think that nothing had happened and that it was just sleeping. The other one looks dull too. I think it is not going to live much either. I brought a drainer from the kitchen and picked up the lifeless body from the bowl. Its eyes were wide open and it was totally motionless as in the water so in the dustbin.

I dont want to think so but I guess its quite clear that I killed it. Though I had carried all instructions as given by the shop keeper, changing water, giving food, putting the oxygen motor, I did everything. Still it died. It looked quite inactive from yesterday and the other one looks inactive today so I am getting mentally prepared to see the other floating when I reach home today evening. I sound cruel but its heartbreaking. I had just chritened them and they had not even completed a week in my house. Whoever I am telling this to, assume that I must have been irresponsible and hence I am the criminal. So I am not telling many people about it and not updating the fb status.

Maid in India

Like many other things in life, getting a good maid too is a matter of destiny. I dont know her name, we all call her mausi. When I was moved into my current apartment, I got mausi's reference from my office colleague who stays just one level below me. The maid of my previous guesthouse played the cupid. She brought mausi to meet me one day and translated, negotiated the job role and salary. Once everything was settled, mausi started her job in my apartment even before I moved into it completely. She helped me to set up the kitchen and arrange all containers. Helped me to open the boxes and clean the mess. I was impressed by her willingness to do work beyond her defined role.

Since I leave my apartment early morning at 7:15 am, mausi takes the key from MM, my lives-one-storey-below-colleague. For that matter even MM leaves at the same time as me so mausi takes MM's keys from MM's friend who is a housewife and babysitter to MM's kids. Its a web of interdependency and works perfectly fine. Mausi's friend works in my neighbour's place. Since me and mausi see eachother only on sundays, all messages between us pass through these chains. e.g. when one day I left the gas stove on with a pan, mausi told her friend who told my neighbour who told me that I should be careful else the whole building will blow. And this news must have definitely been passed onto several other ladies who are in my neighour's walking club or bhajan club or neighbour's husband's collegaues to my parents when they visit or to my own colleagues.

Yes! thats how it works. Another time MM came and told me at work that mausi had told her babysitter to tell me that I should keep the windows closed as mausi has a tough time scaring the pigeons off and they might break my delicate collectibles and I may think that mausi did it. So that is how mausi communicates with me. And even on sundays when we do see each other, I can hardly understand her more-marathi-less-hindi words. I try to gather more by her animations than by the words. And how do I communicate to her? I hardly do, mostly I am very happy with her work and whatever she does. One time when I wanted to give her the monthly salary exactly after 30 days on a weekday so I passed it on thru MM's son to MM to her friend to mausi and it never reached her but got washed in MM's son's pants in the machine. From next time I started leaving cash in the kitchen itself.

But despite the communication gaps, things have been working very well. I love the feeling of reaching back home in the evening and finding it clean and tidy. Every corner looks touched by her presence and I can actually see how caringly she tries to keep my apartment nice and shining every single day. My pillows, sheets, cushions everything is always in place even for any surprise weekday guests. The kitchen looks absolutely chic when I enter it in the evening and its definitely the most relaxing sight after a hectic day. But besides all that, what I like the most about her is the way she disposes off the stuff, plastics, bottles, after my every house party and all this without a word. Not that I can understand it anyways but her intentions are noble. To sum it up, she is actually one of the most important sources of joy in my life.

Mommy arrives in Mumbai

Its been nearly 4 months since I moved into the 2BHK flat on 17th floor on Andheri Lokhandwala overlooking the new link road, two swimming pools, lots of high raised brightly lit complexes few rooftop mochas among other things. My mommy arrives to Mumbai and my apt for the first time to see how I am living and set up. Its a strange high mix up of emotions, anxiety, pride, fear. All electronic stuff and furniture in my apt has been gifted to me by my dad and all the rest has been bought and beautifully packed by my mom and couriered in from Lucknow.

So now is the test of how well I have set up everything especially the kitchen. How much of which daals and masalas I have used / cooked in the last few months. Thankfully I have thrown away a box of par boiled rice and a box of green chana which had fungus and hopefully she doesn't discover any more of similar decays in the fridge or any where else in kitchen and otherwise. I have nicely packed all alcohol, all wine and shot glasses even wine openers and hidden them away in suitcase in the attic, which will be quite unreachable.

So thats all set but my one fear is about my hair. She hated my streaks when I did them last time and I have done them again and this time they are too obvious. I am almost dreading what her first reaction would be to my hair and skin and clothes and everything else. But one thing I know for sure is the BIG smile she will welcome me with. She will love the weather here in Mumbai and she will love my apt, I am hoping. And she is carrying our tonight's dinner from lucknow and gajar ka halwa and my fav pickles. Looking forward to an evening of chai and chat.

An inch here an inch there

Ever since I started cooking my own food, I can feel myself bloating from all places. Friends tell me that my cheeks have become chubbier and look cuter, a rather nice way of saying that I have rounded up. My formal trousers have become uncomfortably tighter wrinkling around my thighs and sticking on my butt. Ya its disgusting I know. And my belly which used to be flat has become swollen into a small pot (just the stomach I mean). I cant move my arms around in many shirts which seem to be stuck around my upper arm. So basically I have gained weight.

Why is this happening to me? Why why??? I thought my life was pretty hectic with lot of running around the whole day and I was eating home cooked healthy food, so then what is it? Alcohol? maybe.. ya most probably but even wine? But thats only on weekends, OK sometimes mid-week but still wine alone cant do this to me.

And now about food, yes I accept I have cheese on my bread and ghee on my rotis but thats the lite version and only a thin film. Body needs that much fat for a balanced diet. And I drink lot of milk which is not skimmed but fresh from the dairy and it produces a lot of cream with which I make ghee. And I do indulge on ice-cream after dinner but just two v. small scoops of two different flavours preferably dark choc and honey nut crunch.

All that doesn't really add up to too many calories I assume, I am scared to actuallytotal it because I cannot skip any of the things I eat. Besides, my each day starts and ends with one piece of Britannia pure magic choclate flavour. I cant live without them. They make my day and my night. This plus three chais at work with full sugar and nice boiled in desi style. Green tea just doesn't have that taste. Now that isn't too much is it? Then why the hell am I going plump? Any clues anyone?

Big fat Indian Wedding - 26th Feb

26th February is the big day of the big fat Indian wedding. No not mine, my bro's. And its not actually a wedding, because they have already got married officially being registered in the land of Scotland. I dont remember the date , it was sometime in December and none of us attended it. Its sad! But registration is not actually marriage in the Indian sense. The actual marriage will be now, next month and I have extreme but mixed feeling about it. Most of it is excitement.

My sis-in-law is Chinese. Sounds exotic no? Initially we did not approve of her. We thought my bro was too naive, thought this would be a passing fancy but after three years of courtship when bro declared that he wanted to get married, it came as a sudden rude truth we had been trying to avoid. We had met C in London when we had gone there on a short trip and she was staying over for 2 days at bro's place. Bro says there was nothing then. But they looked cute together.

Now it has become a part of my intro. "Oh meet Kalpana. She was in NY for 3 years. Her sis in law is a Chinese... " "woooow!!! " comes the reaction. I have decided to treat my friends with a special chinese dinner to celebrate the occasion. I have chatted with her a few times. I told that I would visit London sometime; she formally says that I am most welcome and that they would love to have me around. Lets hope so. Thier 1BHK apartment near Canary Wharf looks real cool in pics. So do her chinese dishes.

I think I am going to double up as the bride's maid and groom's sis. I need to shop for some real classy dress and accessories and want to look my best. After all I have just one brother and haven't been in touch with my cousins. So its supposed to be the most exciting wedding of my life. I have to give C company, teach her our ways in a way that she is comfortable and happy about it all. I gather from her FB statuses that she too is looking forward to whole event. Her parents would be arriving too and my mom has kept Indian dresses ready for them.

Besides all the excitement, my only fear is the curious looks and comments of the invitees. I am sure that almost all will be talking amongst each other about how the groom's sis who is 5 years elder is still single. And there will be discussions about where she works and that she lives in Mumbai all by her self. Hopefully discussions about a Chinese bride will be more and will shield me. But nevertheless its going to be one exciting wedding for all, with lots of juicy gossip, colourful pictures, smiley videos :)

Happy (??) New Year !

Here comes another year and this jump from the bottom to the top of the new calender gives me a chance to party (ofcourse) but also, to revisit the year that has gone by and make resolutions for the one that is here. I hadn't planned anything for the new year's eve, mostly because I had been away in a training in Pune and returned only two days before the party. Not that I could not have planned it while I was in Pune but I guess I was just not in the mood to do anything BIG. Goa was one of the options we explored a month back but it was too expensive, over-rated, cliched and plus everyone-goes-to-goa-on-new-yr comments did not sound too exciting. This being my first New Yr in Mumbai, I prefered to remain local for the first year.

It was last year in January when I had first visited Mumbai from Lucknow to meet a few shaadi.com guys and explore the possibility for moving here in my job. Having studied, kind of grown up in Delhi, to me Mumbai had never sounded very exciting. But here I was with an open mind to embrace and make the best of what life was offering me. It had been just two months since I moved back after spending a fabulous 3 yrs in New York. After a spell of typhoid, terrible north Indian chill and plight of living with parents and acquaitances who constantly pestered and commented about how it was high time for me to be wedded; I was desperate to look for some livable options in my life.

I remember the evening when sitting on a bench on Carter Road I looked around at the swaying Palm trees, thier leaves shining in the street light, cool breeze brushing against my cheeks and decided that yes this is where I want to live. That was the day and its been an year since that day. I am here settled in this city which feels like my home. Made some great friends, value added myself at work, explored most of the popular restaurants/ clubs, set up my new home all in a span of one year. So that was last year January. Another highlight was Shelley's wedding in Delhi. My first outing after recovering from typhoid. Also there was this written test for joining treasury, for which I spent some time studying.

February was my brother's visit from Singapore. Two weeks of activities, shopping, bunking work, eating out, chatting, arguements, discussions. Immediately after that I took the GMAT, another visit to Delhi. After the tension of a delayed flight, delay for the test I managed 710/800 ... nice! March was my birthday. Last few years I have been celebrating my 16th b'day and shall continue to do so from now on. Invited friends over and mom lovingly churned out delicacies from the kitchen. April was spent in waiting for the Mumbai posting, lazying around, watching Discovery T&L.

Come May and my selection letter for Mumbai treausry posting arrived. Started packing for the training in SBI Gurgaon Academy which was in last one third of the month. June 1st I finally arrived. June and July were spent in the Mumbai rains looking desperately for an independent accomodation, exploring the city, studying for my promotion test; made few friends and somehow managed to share my room with one boring woman with curly hair. August I got my independent 2BHK apt on 17th floor!!! in Lokhanwala. Went for a river rafting trip. August passed in planning and buying stuff for the house. Dad visited in September and gifted me with LCD tv, home theatre and whatever all I needed for a comfortable life. He got the whole home set-up for me.

September end I had a housewarming and 2 friends arrived from NY. October I was off to Lucknow for a Diwali break and forced my parents to plan a trip to Kashmir. Thats the first place I wanted to visit in India. It was a beautiful, serene trip with golden memories. November was full party, lot of eating out, house parties, theatre and a lot of other things. December also started off in the same fashion and then I went for 2 week training to Pune. Had a great time there too exploring my old city, meeting old friends, making some new. Returned and the new yr was just around the corner. Quite an exciting year. I plan to make this new year too as exciting if not more.

Welcome to my new blog!

To me writing is thereupatic, a means to share my thoughts, express myself and possibly entertain others or atleast attempt to offer them an insight into my mind and soul. Though I have been writing quite randomly till now on a varied number of politically correct topics, this blog is dedicated to the life of a single woman. The joys and tears of living independently, by ownself and braving it all successfully most of times and with few shoulders to rest on sometimes.