a memory in my heart

A couple of days back, I was listening to songs from the movie, Alaipayuthey and suddenly I found myself six years back in time, in my room in Pune, listening to the same songs playing on my roomie's broken tape recorder. It was astonishingly sudden, I was not even thinking of my Pune days, but one moment I was sitting at my computer, at home and the next I was in the past, in a long forgotten day.

It was not the first time it had happened. A colour, a smell, or a familiar touch opens up a memory box. A rainy and windy day takes me to a day at my parents home, an aroma reminds me of a walk in a market, a sunny winter day and I am nine years old sleeping in a park, a taste lingers on screaming something familiar.

It is not as if what comes back was something special, they are just memories of ordinary days with all their mundaneness, and insignificant happenings.

Its as if the time gone by is frozen in my memory, as if a snapshot of a day is somewhere in my mind and an unsuspecting sense on a regular day triggers it off. But the question is why do I remember that day, that person, that incident. If its not important enough, then why my life today triggers these memories?

Perhaps there is no reason as such, the explanation is nothing complex but a very simple one. Perhaps it is yet another manifestation of Pavlov's experiment. When I wear sneakers and put on fast music, I feel energetic and sporty.

Perhaps its an association that I have subconsciously made, my mind registering a mundane routine or a memorable day.

Whatever the reason, but I do find myself stumbling upon memories from times long forgotten, and wondering where did that come from.

alice in wonderland

Ages since I went shopping, I want to buy suits and decide to go to the city. Strange but there are no cabs around. I am on my way now, wind is blasting on my face, my hair is all over the place and I am not in a cab or a bus, ...I am actually flying.

I am on Harry Potter's broom and I am right above the city. It is very windy but I have a lovely view. Everything looks real different from here. No smoke, hardly any traffic, snow white clouds, and I kind of have my hair in control, this is refreshing.

Chennai Silks, a shop that sells suits among other things, is around the corner and I decide to go for it. I have landed and am completely surprised; it is bad enough that despite being such a big store, they do not have parking space, but they do not even have a broom closet. I try to convince the manager to allow me to keep my broom at a corner, he says No.

This is going to be embarrassing; I look like someone from Hogwarts, without the cloak, but decide to take the broom inside the shop. Huge place, and lovelyyyy dresses, cannot stop fancying me in just about everything. After loitering around for a couple of hours manage to settle on four suits to take home. I think people are looking at me, as if they have never seen a broom before. Shopping is done for the day, and I am on my way again. Don’t know where I am going, but flying on the broom is fun.

Next stop, I am at my college. Oh yes, it is examination time. It is English finals today. Wow, for a change, I am actually prepared. My classmates are standing nearby and I walk up to them. Strange but all are holding Chemistry books. And they are asking me if I am prepared for the Chemistry paper. I can feel my stomach getting knotted up, I must be hearing this wrong. How did this happen? This must be a dream, I do not know how but I have jumbled up the exam schedule and prepared for English on Chemistry day. Can’t hear anyone anymore, can hear only buzzing noises.

Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggg, a screeching sound, the bell is ringing, all of us have to get to our examination halls, I think I am having a panic attack.
I open my eyes; I am covered in sweat, and completely shaken. What am I going to do now? I am totally blank, I can’t see anything, it s all dark around me.

It is midnight, and I am smiling.

I actually graduated from college eight years back, and didn’t even have Chemistry as a subject. It was afterall, just a dream.

Just for laughs

Found some very funny websites, amusing thoughts, questions, quotations…
some of my favourites..

During Marriage ceremony why is the bridegroom is made to sit on the horse ?
He is given his last chance to run away.

Cheese….milk’s leap towards immortality.

In primitive society, when native tribes beat the ground with clubs and yelled, it was called witchcraft; today, in civilized society, it is called golf.

An alarm clock is a device that wakes you up just in time to go back to sleep.

My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She’s 97 today and we don’t know where the hell she is.

Many adults drive more recklessly than teenagers. They’ve had more practice.

The seven ages of man have become preschooler, Pepsi generation, Baby Boomer, mid-lifer, empty-nester, senior citizen and organ donor.

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

A conclusion is just the place where you got tired of thinking.

Two cows are standing in a field.One says to the other "Are you worried about Mad Cow Disease?"The other one says "No, It doesn't worry me, I'm a horse!"

Why didn’t Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Whenever I find the key to success, someone changes the lock.

When in a queue, the other line always moves faster and the person in front of you will always have the most complex of transactions.

I earn a seven-figure salary. Unfortunately, there's a decimal point involved.

If carrots are so good for the eyes, how come I see so many dead rabbits on the highway?

Why is it that if someone tells you that there are 1 billion stars in the universe you will believe them, but if they tell you a wall has wet paint you will have to touch it to be sure?

The Republicans issued a statement today demanding that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi get back to work. President Bush would have made the statement himself, but he’s still on vacation.

Five people you meet in heaven

Two years back I picked a book "Five People You Meet in Heaven" from the library. To be honest, what initially attracted me to the book was its thinness book and its unusual title, I wanted to know what lay beyond those words and without having to read for a long time to crack the suspense.

I had never read Mitch Albom, never heard of him so expectations from the book were pretty much non existent. But once I started reading the book, I could not put it down, I was mesmerised by his story telling and by the time I finished it, I wanted to tell everyone I knew, about this book.

The story begins with Eddie, a maintenance man in an amusement park, dying in a tragic accident trying to save a young girl, and coincidentally on his eighty third birthday.
He wakes up to find himself in heaven, but heaven is not the expected, paradise, the garden of eden. Instead Eddie finds himself in his past, at a part of his life where he has already been. What follows next is, Eddie meets five people from his past, loved ones and strangers but who have nevertheless affected his life one way or the other.

The five people walk him through his life, help him understand what really happened in his life and how his life was intertwined with others' lives. Each of the five people teaches him valuable lessons about life that he never understood when he was alive. The book uses flashbacks to dwell on Eddie's life and though it takes us through flashbacks to Eddie's life and to Eddie in heaven, it is done moderately and is almost lyrical, the story telling is extremely smooth.

What the book tells you is that no action is insignificant, what we do affects others and our lives are intertwined. Every action of ours sets the ball rolling and culminates in someone else getting affected.

Eddie had believed that his life was not meaningful, he had felt trapped in the ordinariness of his life, but in heaven, through the eyes of the five people, his life appears totally different.

The book leaves you with optimism and hope. At a certain level it tells you to look beyond the surface. It convinces you that you are not alone, that you are connected and that you make a difference.

you are what you eat

I am a big fan of Indian food, especially spicy food, and love trying out new dishes. After moving out of India, I had the opportunity to try a variety of International cuisine, and I couldnt help falling in love with many of them. So thought of listing down my favourites. Here's the list-

- Tiramisu
If there is anything heavenly, it must be Tiramisu. I have tried Tiramisu in many places and the one you get in CPK comes out a smashing first.

- Matar Paneer
I just can't seem to get tired of this. I had it first when I was living in Punjab, and haven't been able to give it up since then.

- Sugarcane juice
Sugarcane juice made with crushed ginger, is yum yum, to die for and hands down the best summer drink one could have. My only problem, its seasonal.

- Mozzarella Cheese Salad
Discovered this one at a friends place, tried my own version with a lot more crushed pepper and I can't stop eating it once I start, in an odd way it is addictive. Yummy when made with tender corn and grape tomatoes.

- Tapri ki chaai
Tapri ki chaai, in a glass tumbler, and at sometime around midnight. Possible only in India, and the best thing to do if you have an exam around the corner.

- Sizzlers
Don't know if there are many varieties in vegetarian out here. The best I had was in Juhu, Mumbai. Out here I have seen the vegetarian ones only in Mexican restaurents.

- Chinese Hakka Noodles with sweet corn soup
When I was a student in Pune, Chinese food was one of the few things I used to look forward to. I was a student, so money was not exactly in free flow and any opportunity to have Chinese was always sought out. Pune has some of the best Chinese food I have had and Chinese is available in just about every nook and corner.

- Italian food
Am still discovering Italian, not familiar with everything. But whatever I have had convinces me that this is not something I will be giving up any time soon. Favourites are Mushroom Ravioli and Shells (small ones). I actually prefer the dishes that do not have too much of cheese. Too much of cheese and I start gagging over calorie couting.

- Hyderabadi Baingan
Mamma makes the best Hyderabadi Baingan. Never thought eggplant could be this tasty, but its heavenly. Some people also call its Guthi Venkaya.

- Tamarind and Tomato Rice
I love most of the South Indian food, especially Iyengar food, but favourites are Tamarind rice and Tomato rice. Mouth watering when served with appalam, or vadaam..

Jane Austen

I was ten when my mother got me a copy of Emma by Jane Austen. It was an abridged version with illustrations on every alternate sheet. At that point my reading extended to Famous Five by Enid Blyton, kiddie magazines and comic strips. So Emma was like something from outer space, an unknown world of dance parties, cottages, and horse driven carriages and I was not sure if I wanted to venture in.

I did and I was fascinated by her world. I read the abridged version of Emma about fifty five times (yup I counted). Well after all the readings I decided to move on to the unabridged version of Emma and I was still hooked on. I read and reread all of Jane Austen’s books except Northanger Abbey.

It was a completely different world, an era long past, but the characters, were somehow real and believable. Over the next few years I moved on to other Victorian classics, liked a few but always came back to Austen.

So what was it that always got me back to Austen? The only thing that comes to mind is “simplicity”. If you read any of her stories, they are all about ordinary people, living in a world, when even the smallest of words or actions could change your destiny, but who have believable emotions, aspirations, and insecurities.

There are no fantastic situations but her style of writing renders the commonplace, ordinary characters and events of day to day life, interesting. For me another thing that stands out in her work is the wittiness and cleverness of the women. It was a time when for women, just about everything depended on the conformity to an unforgiving social code, and it’s a pleasant surprise to find intelligent and witty heroines hidden behind those pages.

There are no horribly vicious villains, no larger than life characters or situations, nothing fancy, just a normal set of people, living in the nineteenth century middle class England, but their stories are universal, contemporary and just timeless.

Things to do before I die

1. I love Paris-

Paris the city of my dreams, I don’t know when the fascination with the city started, but it has been there forever and ever. Definitely want to live there for some time and not just travel, walk down Champs Elyse'es , wear something atleast remotely fashionable, meet Mon-a- lisa, speak French and the list goes on…

2. Sleep on a hammock on a sunny day-

Always wanted to do this, a nice and comfortable hammock, in my own backyard, a beautiful day, an interesting book and meeeee….and of course something to sip and munch on...

3. Find Surabhi G –

Am on a mission, track down my bitchy classmate from eight grade, Surabhi G and her superbitch of a mom, and give them both a tight slap, left, right and centre. Have already told “A”, not to interrupt me if someday he finds me slapping a complete stranger, 99.999% it would be me slapping he and am totally waiting for that day..

4. Get rid of the flab-

If history is any indicator, this one is going to take just about a lifetime or more. Have always been on the plumper side, so don’t even know what it feels to be thin and it’s a good goal to work up to. Get a flat stomach, with abs (J wishful thinking to the extreme) like one of those people on TV.

5. Chop sticks-

Learn to use chop sticks, eat noodles with them, and do it extremely gracefully.

6. Its a rich man’s world-

A man is taller when he is standing on his money, couldn’t agree more. So get “A” to make tons of money, and keep it all in our joint account. Absolutely want to get out of the middle class and break in upstairs …

7. Dance-

Don’t know if I want to learn classical or western, but I definitely want to learn some form of dance. Had tried to learn odyssey, gave up after two sessions, and couldn’t take the sore legs any more. Tango seems interesting. Decide on a dance and learn it.

8. Fire-

Start a fire, with only grass and stone. Have always read in history books that this is how our ancestors discovered fire, but I have never been able to get this right. So want to do it some day.

9. Wine and cheese

Learn about different kinds of wine and cheese, and definitely try all of them, go to a vineyard, crush the grapes, make wine, get drunk, sing a song, create a ruckus, and say cheese.

one fine day

May 14, 2006, our anniversary, could not believe that it was three years already. I don’t know how but they just seem to have zoomed past us. We didn’t plan anything special, it was a Sunday morning and I was at my lazy best.

The weather was awesome. I love rains, especially when it’s just a light drizzle and not a heavy downpour. Everything is alive, fresh, as if the whole world has just had a shower. And that’s exactly how it was, outside. I wanted to get out and go for a long walk. We decided to go out for breakfast, to IHOP and drove down. With the awesome weather, I was glad that we were out.

So here we were at IHOP and there was this huge crowd queued up waiting to have breakfast. IHOP is usually crowded over the weekends during breakfast time but I had never seen so many people before. Turns out it was Mother’s Day, and there were many families waiting to be seated.

We had just reached and were wondering what to do next, with so many people ahead of us, we were sure that we would be waiting for atleast an hour or so. And then suddenly, our names were called out, they had two seats for us, yipppeeeeee…. Since almost everyone else had come in large groups; they had a tiny booth for two, available. It was just perfect.

Food was fantastic, I ordered cheese blintzes with blueberry topping, and they were yum. The place was extremely busy and lively. We were sitting right next to a window and spent time sipping coffee, talking about just about anything under the sun and looking at the traffic outside. I don’t know how long we were there, but after breakfast we just roamed around the complex doing window shopping.

The rest of the day just breezed through. We watched a couple of movies, cooked food, spoke to friends and family and just lazed around.

There was nothing fancy, nothing special, was just another day but it was a perfect one.

What's cooking

Last week tried out some recipes. I don’t know if it happens to many people, but when I am cooking something new, or baking, especially baking, I find it oddly relaxing.

So coming back to last week, I was in a creative mode and tried out different recipes. Internet is where you find just about anything these days, so I started with internet to fish out something interesting to try.

Came across many recipes for Shrikhand and its varieties and decided to try one of the simplest ones. It was for mango shrikhand. I have always liked Shrikhand but never thought of trying it because I thought it would be very cumbersome to make. However, it was hardly so and I loved making it. So this is what I did-

Take two cups of yogurt, (home made is preferable), tie it in a large cotton handkerchief and hang it. If you do not have a place to hang it from, then the knob of a kitchen cabinet or the faucet of the kitchen sink is a good place. Try to use a white or light colored piece of cloth to hang the yogurt. So now leave the yogurt hanging for atleast three to four hours or more, a good time to do so is in the night before you sleep. After three-four hours most of the water from the yogurt would have drained off and it would be creamy. Now mix sugar and mango pulp according to your taste. Can whip it with a spoon or use a hand mixer. And voila you Mango Shrikhand ready. Its enough for atleast two people.

Another thing I tried was with mini idlis. If you have ever gone to Saravan Bhavan in India you might have heard of sambar idlis, where they take a bowl of sambar and put mini idlis in it. I had gone to India recently and got the mini idli plates. This is purely my own concoction (and feeling damn proud of it). So here it goes-

Start with the mini idlis, steam the mini idlis and keep them aside. Now take four spoons of ginnelly oil, (in tamil its called nallai yennai) and heat it in a frying pan. Add mustard, and when they splutter add chopped curry leaves, asafoetida, and Mulaga podi (what some people call gun powder). Now add the mini idlis. You can add salt according to taste. Remove the idlis once they are roasted. They are absolutely yum yum and a wonderful snack.

Both the dishes are really simple and worth trying and they definitely taste great when you make it yourself.

a moment of clarity

Some days back I happened to read “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri. The novel follows a newlywed Bengali couple, Ashoke and Ashima Ganguly, through their journey, from India to America, through their struggle coping with the foreignness of their new home, and their half hearted assimilation into America. While Ashoke adapts to the new country with relative ease, Ashima finds it difficult to overcome the dichotomy of her life.

The turning point comes, when Ashima goes shopping for gifts before going on a trip to India, and forgets her shopping bags in a local train. To Ashima’s surprise, the bags are found and returned intact. She cannot help but acknowledge that had she lost something in her own country it was unlikely that she would have recovered it so much ease. Though she still continues to struggle with the cultural differences of her two worlds, but this incident makes her a little open to her new surroundings.

When I read it, I suddenly realized that many of us have had one of those light bulb moments, moments when you no longer have to squint to peek at something but can see everything with perfect clarity.

I could relate personally with the incident described in the novel. Like thousands of people from all over the world, I also moved to America leaving behind my own world, in India. Though I was excited and ready to explore my new surroundings, I was not ready to let go of the life I had left behind. Then one day, a tiny incident, a little act of courtesy changed me, without even me being aware of it.

I was calling my brother in India, and while dialing the international code for India and the code for the city my brother lives in, I ended up dialing the number 911. I did not realize that I had called emergency and continued with my call.

And then, within minutes there was a knock at the door, and I found a cop standing at my doorstep. I was perplexed as to what a cop was doing at my place. The officer at my door explained that they had received a call from my number, and wanted to check if I were alright. After getting over my initial surprise, I apologized telling him that I was on a call and that is how I must have ended calling up the emergency. It was a genuine mistake but since it was an unnecessary call, I expected him to be annoyed. But instead of being annoyed, the officer spoke to me with the utmost courtesy, and told me, that if I had any problem I should call the emergency. He didn’t even show the slightest impatience at being called unnecessarily. I never forgot the kindness and respect he had shown me.

I guess that was the moment for me, it triggered a new found appreciation for my surroundings and I saw everything in a new light.

Reasons why America still amazes me

I was born and brought up in India. My father had a transferable job and we moved every couple of years to a new place. That way I got to see almost the whole of India, and loved every bit of it. So four years back when I had to move to the U.S of A, it was a hard decision to leave everything I loved, behind and to move to a completely strange, unknown country.

However, within months, I discovered that I had come to a very unique country with its own nuances and a tremendous exploration potential. Initially I expected, I would get over the amazement with time, but it is four years now and this country continues to surprise me.

Over the past couple of years I have noticed certain unique, different and sometimes strange things in America, that amuse me. Perhaps some are not even worth mentioning but nevertheless they still amaze me and amuse me….

• When you are in a restaurant and want to get a box for the food you ordered, you don’t get it packed, but you get it “to go”.
• There are actually more varieties of butter substitutes than butter itself.
• People rarely honk when they are driving.
• A paddle (group) of ducks can stop the traffic; people actually stop their cars and let the ducks cross the road.
• You can actually sue your dry cleaners for 54 million dollars for a pair of pants and still see your case make it to court.
• Wearing trousers at hips rather than at waist is actually in fashion.
• You can begin with a paper clip and barter you way to a house.
• And finally people always try to pronounce “A’s” fourteen lettered last name and actually get it right.

Big

Last week, our friends’ six year old daughter M, spent a morning at our place. To spend the morning judiciously, I got my painting sheets, water colors and crayons out. With no great idea hitting me, I doodled around while M drew flowers and mountains.

Then suddenly out of blue, she asked me, “Are you making an abstract painting”?

My eyes went up in amazement and my ears strained hard to know if I had heard it right, if I had heard a six year old asking me about abstract art.

I asked her, “How do you know about abstract painting”?

She gave me a lucid explanation of how she had once gone to an art gallery with her class and seen abstract paintings.

I couldn’t decide what amazed me more, a six year old in an art gallery, describing perfectly, her trip to a gallery or a six year old connecting that what she was seeing was abstract.

I couldn’t help remembering the time when I was a six year old. I had a schedule packed with attending school, getting back home, playing with friends, eating food on time and sleeping before eight in the night.

I was in first grade, my favorite color was white and pink, and I had recently discovered that the mirror on the wall of my room was too high for me to reach.

My biggest achievement was when I figured out that I could reach the mirror by moving a stool next to the wall and standing on it.

And here I was sitting with a six year old who spent her days attending, not only school but also, piano lessons, dance sessions, singing classes, swimming classes and what not and who knew of the existence of something as vague as abstract painting.

The world had jetted on to the new age, the kids had got smarter, and I had failed to notice it all.

And then just as randomly as it had begun, the moment ended, M asked me for a popsicle and if I would help her color. I was with the child once again and spent the rest of the morning painting all the flowers and all the mountains.

It happened one night...

Half past seven, I have already had my dinner, and finished reading filmfare, stardust and tinkle…a couple of magazines are still left, but I cannot read anymore. Everyone around me is chatting, munching on food, reading something or just looking out.

I look out the windows trying to catch something interesting, but its all darkness outside with a few flickering lights appearing occasionally. Sleeping is the best option, and I climb under my sheets.

A scream, muffled noises, a woman frantically crying…… I peep out from under my sheets trying to figure out what is going on. It’s ten in the night, and most of the people are sleeping. Suddenly a cop rushes through the corridor. I am in a train on my way to Mumbai, on my own and surrounded by strangers. A woman in my compartment has been mugged.

Within minutes the whole compartment is buzzing with activity, everyone is awake, everyone wants details and much like Chinese whisper details start pouring in everyone hears some version or the other of the incident.

“Someone snatched it right off her neck and jumped out”, says the lady next to me.

“Snatched what”? I ask her.

“The gold chain, she replies, it seems it was brand new, six pounds. I don’t understand why they should wear expensive things”.

Another passenger agrees, chipping in, that the thief was in the compartment for an hour or so and knew that the lady was traveling alone.

Some protest that even in a reserved compartment anyone can walk in and snatch anything and run off.

Some are talking to the lady in question, consoling her and trying to get a first hand account of the whole incident. Similar incidents are being recounted to anyone willing to listen.

An hour or so, things have cooled down, some have rechecked the locks, secured their bags, some are relaxing again, and many have gone back to sleep.

I have lost my sleep, and am staring at the blue lights on the ceiling.

Chaiii, chaiii ,,……achhaiii… achhaiii .. morning already…

Sivaji

Saw a couple of movies this week. The much awaited one was Sivaji with Rajnikanth in it. I have heard that in places like Bangalore, India people have paid Rs. 16000/- to watch the movie in theatre and in some places the tickets are already sold out for the next three months.

Wow...

Out here, Sivaji was screened by Tamil sangam in a theatre nearby and I went to watch it first thing Sunday morning with a bundle load of expectations.

When it comes to movies all I want is a simple story, and anything above that, like glamour, catchy songs, and larger than life aura is a bonus. Over the past couple of years big budget movies like Anniyan, Chandramukhi, Vettayadu Vilayadu have delivered in every aspect, so a movie with Rajni is bound to have everything and hence the expectation I guess.

The movie is definite yes for masala loving fans, the stunts are very different from what I have seen Rajni doing in his movies, lavish is an understatement for the sets, especially in the songs, and from his coin catching to candy popping, Rajni is at his stylish best.

He completely dominates the movie (surpriseJ) and he also looks a lot younger than one would expect. The first half of the movie kind of passes on but it’s the second half of the movie with Rajni in the revenge mode that drives the movie. And it would have been perfect if they had kept it simple and not tried to cram too much story into the three hours.

The movie has the glamour, the larger than life aura, and Rajni definitely lives up to his reputation, but there is just too much disconnect.

The love angle is uncomfortably jutted in, it need not even be there, there are too many tangents to the story line, and not enough time, the screenplay, though for a big budget Rajni movie, is passable, only a couple of songs are above average, and the ending is hurried. Vivek has been funnier in other movies, but he holds his own, next to Rajni. He definitely has a presence in the movie. The main villain does not have enough time on the screen; there is not enough time to hate him. The movie has all the masala, all the fancy clothes, elaborate sets, etc but you get the feeling that something is amiss.

Though I loved watching Rajni being Rajni, the movie was not a hit with me.

I do not see myself going to the theatre again to watch Sivaji, but I guess I will be watching it again sometime on the small screen. And I am once again waiting for the next Rajni release.

working out

6:30 p.m. ---- me sitting on my comfy couch, eating butter pecan ice cream straight from the tub, and watching TV. “A” has not come home yet, which means I have the ice cream, the TV and the couch, all three to myself. This must be heaven…

6:20 p.m. ---- bee gees are screaming out haaa haaa haaa haaa staying alive...staying alive …I am awake, and lying on the floor. Bright stinging light is staring into my eyes, “A” has left the blinds open, yet again and sunlight is hitting through, right onto my face. I am shaken and exhausted. I am still in the exercise room, the music is blasting off and the treadmill is nearby. I get up, and head towards the bath room. Am going to freshen up and watch TV and yes definitely eat something healthy tonight.

6:10 p.m. ---- I think I can see death around the corner. I am on the floor, my heart is beating violently, trying to run out of my body, sweat is running down, my stomach is twitching and turning from the insides, my legs are feeling lifeless, my eyes are watery, pain is rippling through and the room is spinning around me. And yes of course the white light, I can see it now. I don’t want to go to heaven in shorts and sneakers.

6:09 p.m. ---- Oh my god I cannot believe this is happening, the treadmill is trying to outrun me. I am running at 3.5 miles an hour, “A” says it is like walking (whateverrrrr), but my legs can’t keep up with the treadmill. Me thinks it is because I have been running for quite some time now and I am getting tired, and so after all it perhaps is not the treadmill. I must stop, “A” says never try to run more than your body can handle. He is right, am so getting off…

6:06 p.m. ---- That was fast, I am already in my running shorts and on the treadmill. “A” will be proud of me .

6:00 p.m. ---- Did you know, exercising for just 10 minutes a day can keep you fit…yippee. They are saying it on TV, and if it is on TV, it must be true. No more flab, no more loose clothes, no more tucking in the belly and just 10 minutes a day. God seems to be listening to me….I am inspired.

New York ..New York..

Manhattan, the big apple, home to sky scrapers, immortalized in movies, Carrie Bradshaw’s muse and a city that never sleeps. It has been four years since I first came face to face with the city and I still cannot stop obsessing over it.

My love affair with the city began when I was 12 years old. I was visiting a friend and she had a huge New york city poster at her home. It was the first time I had seen anything that extraordinary, a concrete forest, and a jungle of sky scrapers. The buildings almost felt as if they were live beings with a soul of their own.

Over the years I caught fleeting glimpses of the city in movies and western songs but nothing gripped my attention the way that poster had done. Years later I would find that what I had seen was an aerial shot of the Brooklyn bridge and Manhattan.

My first experience with the city, it left me speechless. I was surrounded by an expanse of tall imposing buildings and I suddenly felt very tiny. It was like Gulliver in Brobdingnag. An evergreen forest with no sunlight except that the forest was made of concrete buildings. I wondered, was it even humanly possible? The tallest building I had seen was 14 storeys high, somewhere in Mumbai. What I saw in the city was beyond comprehension, I strained my neck trying to get a glimpse of the top of the buildings.

And then beyond the buildings were the people. Europeans, Asians, Africans, Jewish, Catholics, Artists, Hawkers, Tourists, Brokers, Models, White, Black, Brown and even Yellow etc etc, people diverse in all respects from each other, but held together by the city. I spent the day walking through the city, in a daze, my eyes trying to register everything around me. Strangely everyone seemed to be moving, there was a constant hustle and not a moment when the city came to a standstill, even for a split second. How could a tiny island like Manhattan hold it all?

It was as if the world had been shrunk into a city and somehow it felt home.