new years eve

This will be the first new years eve in the last 6 years which will see me in work mode. I have a big project coming up in Jan and we are busy preparing for it.
I think we will have a quite home party like the last year but only if A cooks.

and so it goes

we actually ended up spending christmas for a whole week and our christmas tree is still up. We had a lovely christmas tree this year.Cinderella got some decorations from Spain and A had picked up a box in Singapore. BOJ (Bundle of joy, our 5 year old) and I , also got some beautiful ones in Pune.Even if 70% of the decorations survive this year..we won't need to get any next year.The red fairy lights looked really pretty on the tree in the evenings.We also had a grand christmas lunch for free!!, at a trendy restaurant (actually lounge cum grille) in town. It had wonderful food but man!, one really had to hunt for the food at the buffet.Every time one went up for seconds the food would have run out. We complained to the owner, embarrassed,she comped the bill.

Christmas this year..

..was fabulous. We gave in to our altruistic tendencies on christmas eve. twist and tales, our neighbourhood bookstore had organized a visit to the local general hospital- a hospital completely run on government aid (or the lack of it, it seemed). Cinderella and I spend all morning packing books, toys and clothes, some used, but in very good condition and wrapping them in shiny coloured paper. A and I took the sonny boy to the hospital.Twist and tales did a lot of things for the children who had very little in their lives.A santa was going around the wards distributing blankets. A small show was put up for the kids. They had a blast dancing around with Santa,with christmas carols playing in the background. Geetu did a small storytelling session in the local language. Keep up the good work Jans!

A and me inspired by the experience, have decided to look up the local muncipal school and see what we can do to help.

Look up twist and tales on the CRY website

Jagtap Nursery

is easily one of the best nurseries I have been to in Pune. I can't think of anything that they don't have and no I don't mean just the plants.
It makes a brilliant case study in customer orientation. Rows and rows of healthy looking plants, smart and articulate sales ladies in large straws hats showing you around and answering whatever questions you may have. Coffee machines, a small refrigerator stocked with juices and sodas should you feel hot and thirsty after walking around, carts to carry around your plants, a small rack full of flyers that tell you how to care for your plants. Not to forget the accesories section.Pots of every size and shape you can think of. Stacks of manure of different kinds, in bags of various sizes.Gardening tools, implements, moss sticks,watering cans, shears, really one can easily turn into an avid gardener after a few trips there.
The place never ceases to amaze me every time I go there. Needless to say I end up buying much more than I intended to(the place accepts credit cards!). And yes, all the plants I have ever bought there are doing very well, thank you.

For some reason it reminds me of the book " the norstrom way"

long long time ago

I met Vandy after 12 years. We had managed to keep in touch for 6 of those 12 years. She has'nt changed even one bit. Vandy and me met in Allahabad. She was in her final year of Bachelors in science and I had just joined the university.
My scientist father believed that anyone without a degree in science had'nt quite made it in life no mater what he/she did.So despite my protests I was send to Allahabad, my father's alma mater to do a B Sc. I was promised that once I completed my B Sc I could do anything I wanted. But Allahabad turned out to be too much for me. It was a culture shock.It was a very conservative atmosphere especially for girls. Most of the students and teachers were from small towns in north India. For most of them Allahabad was the largest town or city they had ever been to.It is one of those universities where examinations are not held on time, the university resembles a political battlefield more than a hotbed of budding intellectuals and scientists. One had to go to college covered from head to toe.. showing up in jeans, trousers or even ankle lenght skirts was unthinkable.I just could'nt deal with this. I came from a progressive , educated, cultured and liberated family. I don't know what troubled me more.. the atmosphere I lived in or the BSc course. Anyway, my only focus was to get out of the place as soon as possible. definitely the rock bottom part of my life. But I made a couple of great friends . Vandy was one of them.
Vandy and me stuck out like sore thumbs at the university. We were definitely the smartest chicks around. Most of the guys did'nt know how to deal with us. We obviously could'nt care less. We would be all around the place in a pair of jeans and shirts on Vandy's scooter. She still remmembers our fav hangout place. It had the most awesome cold coffee and ice cream we've ever had. I left Allahabad after 8 months to pursue something which I could put my heart and soul into.
After meeting Vandy I realized how much I had changed over the years. I am still thinking what changed me more. Marrying A or my new college. Vandy and her family spend 3 days with A and me . A hit it off very well with both of them.
This weekend I might be able to meet Dan. I will be meeting him after 8 years if I do. . A close friend of mine from college.

Mr. Rose you have a very young fan

my son all of 5.5. years wants to be a rock star in the play. He prefers axl rose from guns n roses. So this weekend will be axl rose costume hunting. I presume we will be watching innumerable concerts on the pretext of hunting for a suitable costume.

my computer is rigged

there is something very wrong with my machine at work. Everytime I type 'blogger/start.com' there is a strange box that pops up and I have to shut down the window. So I can't blog at work.
So here I am tired but desperate, blogging at close to midnite.