Letter from Google

Hi all,

Just a quick question to all those who have signed up for AdSense. Did you all receive a letter with a 50 quid voucher for advertising your blog on other sites? I received a letter from Google, UK stating so. I wanted to know if any of you have used it and posted your blogs on other sites. I am thinking of trying it out since i have a 50 pound credit. It is not a hoax because it is from the google office here in UK and the logo, return address etc. have all been verified (courtesy my adorable husband who is an IT security consultant by profession and is a pro at identifying such atrocities). He also swears by google and has given me the go ahead sign to give it a shot. But i thought i shall just check around and see if its of any use.

Do let me know if you guys have received the same, and whether you have tried it out.

Still crying over my new look

OK I'm open to atrocious comments on this one...I'm still crying over my new hair cut.

Its Baby Boom

I was speaking to this friend of mine today and she is the 25th person i know who is expecting a baby or has already had one this year. Isn't anyone actually worried about the credit crunch? Or are people out of jobs and at home and taking up making babies as the latest past time. Yeah i know I'm being insensitive here, sorry. Congrats to all the mommies/mommies-to-be.

Phew! I'm shitting bricks thinking about how we would raise a child if we were in drastic situations like that. I read an article the other day that says it costs around GBP 30,000 a year to raise a child here. With the lavish lifestyle we now follow, I don't think we would have that much money in our account EVER! I'm sorry but i seriously cant struggle to raise a kid. When i went home a couple of months back, I was bombarded with questions as to where, why when i would be having a baby and i was so damn pissed off. The funniest part is, my parents are pretty cool. Its the rest of the world that is so worried about me. Its easy for them to say. I, first of all, want to be 100 percent ready to be a mom (I'm just coming to terms with being married, so i guess I'm a long way off). And i am not, at the moment, willing to let go of the lifestyle we now follow. I want to travel (expensive after we have kids), make sure we have a decent bank balance and need it to be a planned affair as much as possible. If you think i am over doing it, you don't want to know what all Ro has to have in place in order to have a baby(He's even picked up a D.O.B). Ro, however, says he's ready to start a family. I ask him why we should have kids and he has no answer. So i said to go figure and let me know.

Both of us are not very child friendly. I have very biased opinions about children. I do not cuddle and kiss every child i see. I roll my eyes at them and curse it out when we are stuck in a restaurant or movie theatre or train with a wailing child. Moreover i think children these days act way too smart and have lost all their innocence. They talk like elders. I like a total of 2 children/babies right now..my adorable cousin (who cannot be referred to as a baby anymore but i still consider her a baby and will do so forever) and my best friends son who is the most well-behaved baby ever. Of course, there are the numerous cute, blonde hair, blue eyed babies that stare at me in buses and trains and at supermarket queues. They are adorable and i don't mind coochi cooing for a maximum of a minute maybe. When we were travelling back from India this time, at the baggage claim area, a lady with a baby made casual conversation with me saying how tired she was and her bags seem to be lost somewhere. She suddenly spotted the buggy and handed the baby to me. I was lost...trust me LOST. But she was so adorable with the pink bunny body suit and a pacifier (notice how i described the attire and accessories rather than the baby herself) and just stared up at me making all these funny noises. When its somebody else's baby its ok. A small whimper and you thrust her/him back to the mom.

Ro got back with our bags and goes, 'euuuuuuuuuuu...you have "something" in your hand.'

Me: Isn't she cute

Ro: If u insist. Stay away. 'IT' smells (then for the next one hour it was baby jokes..not the funny ones, the really mean ones!). Oh ya he definitely is ready to have a baby and with that attitude, (it smells) that's some help i can expect.!

So that's how our conversations are about babies and children. He recently told a friend to come visit us in London but 'NOT' to bring their baby along as it can ruin plans. He first of all called us to pass on the good news that he just had a baby. Seriously? how heartless is he (although i completely agree with him).

They have children on leashes here and its actually quite sad to see them being dragged around like dogs in supermarkets and malls. Ro thinks its one of the best things ever and is definitely picking up one for our kids. Poor kids of mine. I am sure i will have to shed quite a few tears during those times.

Anyways coming back to my friends, most of them who told me about the expecting part sounded so lost. I asked one of them, 'so aren't you supposed to be like totally excited and all.'

She replied saying, ' well yeah, not really...I'm still in shock and i don't know what to do.' Another friend didn't speak to anyone for one whole week and then cried for another week. Now that's what i don't want to feel like. I want to be so damn excited and happy and think of it as the best thing that ever happened to me....not just by chance. So if i need to feel this way, i need to be 100 percent ready for it. My biological clock is ticking, family is harassing me about it, but i shall not succumb to these pressures and have a baby for the sake of it. I want it to be a cherished moment and i am working on getting there. For all you may know, i might aready be there:)

P.S. All the mommies and mommies to be...don't listen to me..i am on one of my blabbering sessions. You guys have a god given gift, so enjoy it to the max. And if ever you need me to baby sit. I would gladly agree with all my heart (once or max twice). I'm not that mean :)

P.P.S. My orange tree was almost dying and was completely bare. Today i saw a new bud and i have some hope. Phew! Blindwreck however shouted at me the other day for even comparing it to a child :)

This is usual out here even without having children around.

Comic strips are from Baby Blues. Ro's got the entire series and its hilarious.

West End Live

The husband is away on work for 2 days and its been kinda nice not having to do anything (not that i was slogging it out otherwise..but still). I was ordering take aways, watched quite a few silly chick flicks and then went and cut my hair at a salon run by Chinks who are supposed to be really good with their hair cutting techniques, but this was one where no one understood or spoke English. I only realized it once i had my hair washed and had settled down to get it cut. She didn't understand what i wanted and i didn't understand what she was trying to tell me (except that Indian women are pretty). Result of which was a really short hair cut and i look like a retard. Usually it looks nice after they blow dry it and set it and I flaunt it around for at least 2 days, but this was not even good even after all the styling and gels. I rushed back home and had a head bath. Ro is sooo gonna make fun of me when he gets back today.

Otherwise, things are pretty good. My gym expedition is still in full swing and since i combine it with badminton, its 4 days of gym and 2 days of badminton. I come back home and eat like a pig which is why i haven't noticed any change in my weight, but I think my body looks a bit toned...at least id like to think so.

Last weekend we went to see this programme in Leicester Square called West End Live. West End is an area in Central London where the entire theatre scene is. I have been wanting to watch The Lion King, Mamma Mia and Sister Act for a while now, but tickets are so damn expensive. That's when i saw on Time Out, London that the worlds largest free theatre festival was on and we decided to go. When we got there, the crowds were massive with a huge queue to get into the compound. Luckily there were screens outside telecasting it and so we got comfy in a corner and watched quite a few of the musicals. They were amazing- one, to see it free was a plus point and two, the actors who do the real shows were acting out their parts here as well. Though the props and colourful costumes were missing (which I'm sure would have definitely added to the glamour of the whole thing), this sure was a good way to decide which musical was worth watching. I personally loved Dirty Dancing, Jersey Boys, We Will Rock You (Queen) and just out of curiosity would like to watch Thriller Live (yeah, the Michael Jackson one). Sister Act was not as great as i thought it would be, though the singing was spectacular and Jerry Springer (the American TV Show host) singing in 'Chicago' was interesting because i was generally excited to see him in person.

After catching lunch at a Chinese take away, we managed to get inside the compound. It sure made a world of a difference to see the actors live on stage. The afternoon session was mainly for amateur theatre shows- a chance for them to display their skills. Avenue Q, a musical by puppets but managed by actors on stage, were remarkably good. The characters are inspired by the Sesame Street ones and it was hilarious. Another interesting performance was by theLondon Gay Men's Chorus. They were absolutely adorable with their action songs and of course the melodious music.

They didn't perform anything from The Lion King because its been running for a few years now and its time had passed. I hear its amazing with the costume and props. So that's still first on my 'to see' list. All in all it was a nice warm day with good music and singing out load some of the songs gave me a sore throat, but one i didn't complain about :)

Posting some pics:

Gothic puppets

Avenue Q at its best

Inside Leicester Square

They were distributing goodies. That's me with a 'Jersey Boys' fan and 'The Lion King' flag(before the hair cut)

Yabba Dabba Doo (guess which movie this is from!)

These guys were doing the 'hare Rama hare Krishna' dance outside and had a large crowd watching. I'm not sure whether they were serious followers or whether the song was just fun to sing and dance. There were a bunch of teenagers who thought it was cool to dance along!

My daddy's proud of me

Since i have nothing much to crib about, I thought I’ll brag about some of my recent achievements. I sent this to my dad the other day and he was so proud, he sent it to the whole worldJ So here i am, doing my bit to show off.

This is an article i submitted on the weekend markets in London (remember i had posted pics in a previous post) and the article appeared in a magazine called INBOX 1305- a Chennai based lifestyle mag. It came in the June issue of the mag.

This article is quite old, but I’m really really really proud of this one. It came in the Travel Plus Magazine and i also got my profile on it.

It really sucks to look at my article in a pdf or jpeg formatLI am yet to see the hard copy.

This one was actually by fluke. But isn’t it trippy? Thats Ro at the Bike and Kite festival in Blackheath. When i was taking the pic, i actually told him, ‘ I cant see anything Rosh’ and so he’s named the pic..cant see anything Rosh.

I was a very bad photography student during my Mass Comm days. When everyone was running around getting their project together I used be the one who used to pose for the pics and not bother to take any. As usual, last minute panic hit and then i had to beg for pics from everyone (also i fell sick and had to return home). We had certain subjects to be photographed and i remember texting all my classmates, ‘does anyone have an extra child to give me?’ I did manage some pics and guess what....I was the first one to submit the projectJ

Some nerve huh...borrowing from everyone and 1^st one to submit, on time that too. I didn’t get high marks or anything, but not a bad one either.

I boast about my photography skills to Ro and he brings up this story every time

Weekend Fun

The weekend was very interesting with a few activities happening around London. I had mentioned about the 10mile walk we were supposed to do two weeks back...well we didnt go because the rains completely spoilt it and so we decided we'd go the next week which was the previous Sat. Apparently, the World Naked Bike Ride,London was on that weekend and guess who was all excited about it...us. So Saturday was spent at Hyde Park watching the nangu bike riders protesting against oil dependency. I was initially a bit embarrassed, mainly because we were there with this other couple- who didn't seem one bit interested- and they were quite uncomfortable. Ro on the other hand wandered off to take pics and i had to make lame conversation with them about what...naked men and women..well sort of! I think it takes immense courage to appear nude in public. I mean, to be able to be absolutely fine with your body and to appear in public like that would be a massive boost to your self-confidence right? I'd like to think of it that way.

Rest of the day was spent at the Camden market with food and drinks and then at Edgeware road for dinner- thorough Mediterranean fare. I keep thinking i should try the hookah and the sulaimani tea there, but I'm jinxed. Something or the other always comes up. This time it rained and hookah's are allowed only outside.

This was a one man show..was brilliant

Ro's arty farty pic. It was a clear day and the sky was gorgeous

A kite made with recycled plastic bottles and paper

Synchronized kite flying to music. It was so beautiful and the co-ordination was just superb

The Dragon Kite

Thats me in front of all the kites

Mountain bikers doing their stunts

Sunday was good fun at the Blackheath Bike and Kite Fest organized by the Lewisham Council. I guess the pics will explain the rest.

'WE'men or 'WOO'men

Why is it that men get the better of both worlds all the freaking time? They are put up on a pedestal and always given first priority in every relationship. In a marriage, the women always ends up giving more importance to what the husband wants, in a relationship the girlfriend always does things to please the other. Seldom does it happen vice versa. Take my case for example, I cook food Ro likes, I take part in social activities that Ro is interested in and does everything else in my life giving him the priority. My likes and dislikes take a back seat. I make an effort to like what he likes, but he relentlessly shows his disinterest in what i like, be it food, movies..name it and its true. I may get what i want at the end of it, but i have to throw a fit...which shouldn't be the best way. I'm sure there is a better way to do this. Sit him down and talk...nope not going to indulge in that lame activity again. It goes over his head.

I'm not sure about you but I know a whole lot of other women...moms, aunts, sisters, friends and a lot of others in blog world...who are exactly this way. A lot of the food blogs i follow mention why they make a particular dish because the better half likes it and not make something because he doesn't but craves for it so much, so waits till they are away to enhance their gastronomical pleasures. Why exactly are we doing this? I mean we are just like them and we deserve to get what we want right?????? Why are we trying so hard to please the men in our lives? Why cant they please us for a change...which I'm sure will never happen (at least in my case) so i am going to show my disinterest and cook food i like for a change (in fact i have already started:P) to start with.

Fridays are Pizza days and when we were in Nottingham, we used to buy the Tesco pizza's which were really good. Now that we are in London, we don't have a Tesco nearby and i absolutely dislike the Sainsbury and Asda pizza but love the Waitrose one, but the nearest is a tube stop away (these are the supermarkets here btw). So we tried out a few other Pizzeria's nearby, but they were either too expensive, bad service and wasn't all that great with regard to taste. I like Domino's and intend to stick to that. I tried all those other brands in the beginning because Ro liked it , but now i don't care..i want what i like! hmppppfffffff. If he wants let him get used to it.

WE should be men for a change and not try and WOO them all the time. Letting go in between is fine, but they should know we have likes and dislikes too and must respect that equally!

PS: I'm super pissed with a few things happening at my end and so the nasty post. I mean it though!

Bird is the word

I'm not sure i have mentioned this before, but Peter Griffin and his family (Family Guy series) have suddenly become an important part of our lives.

Watch this video...how much more dumber can it be? This entire episode was about how Peter discovers this song at a diner and doesn't stop singing. Its appeared in a lot of our conversations and yesterday morning Ro woke me up singing that and he got it exactly right. We laughed so hard and it cracked me up each time i thought about it, which was all day! I'm usually grumpy in the mornings and Ro has found the perfect song to make me laugh even in the grumpiest of times.

When i was first introduced to Family Guy i thought it was one of those boring adulterated series with senseless humour. And then i started enjoying it so much..we now religiously watch it together (airs at 11.30 at night cos its not one of those 'lets watch it together' family shows). Its still got senseless humour and is absolutely brainless, but i so so enjoy it and if you get a chance do catch it.

PS: Day three at the Gym and my whole body aches. I'm lethargic and tired and cant get myself to do anything around the house. I wonder if i can go on the 10mile walk tomorrow. Ro said absolutely NO to a piggy back ride half way through the walk..so I'll have to think of something else when i get tired.

The Weekend that was....

...so so with mundane activities. Played a game of badminton at the Leisure Centre and also signed up for the premium membership which entitles me free participation in aerobics, swimming, gym, kick boxing, Pilate's, ballroom dancing, r n b dancing, dance aerobics, bums tums and thighs, group exercises, water aerobics and a lot of other activities. Every Borough in England has a leisure centre and a library. The library can be used free of charge and they have quite a good collection. Some of the activities at the leisure centre are free, others are at a very low charge. Just before you say exclaim how cool it is, lemme say that we pay quite a bit as council tax every month and so its all taken care of.

We used to regularly play badminton in Nottingham and had a good team join us every week. Now its just Ro and me and its quite tiring to play singles. Ro makes me run all over the place and i lose at every game. But its still nice that we have started playing although we are both now suffering from the aches and pains. I had my induction at the gym today and it went quite well. My trainer asked what my goal was and i blurted out a long story and he then charted down a schedule which i need to follow henceforth. My developments will be recorded and in 4 to 6 weeks time, there will be a re-check on all aspects. I am hoping to be a regular and also make use of some of the other programmes at the centre. This along with my Kellogg's diet (which i am not following to the dot but since i have taken a liking towards some of the varieties, I plan to stick to it) should make a difference. Lets see how that goes.

Ro has been trying to pep me up saying, 'aw my baby's gonna look so fit and toned like Paris Hilton (first of all Paris Hilton..seriously??????????) and have the hour glass figure again and a whole lotta other flattery. I got so irritated after a while and i retorted saying, 'id like a husband who looks like Brad Pitt...i don't have it..do i freaking complain???!!! To which he said something...but i cant tell you what:)

We also made a visit to the Royal Observatory..remember Greenwich Mean Time? This is where the imaginary line separates Eastern hemisphere from the Western. There is actually a green laser beam in the sky that travels 15 miles from the Observatory separating the hemispheres. The Observatory also houses a Planetarium, various museums and best of all the green lawns where you can just laze around on a nice warm day. The weather was brilliant and everyone was out having a picnic or BBQ and there were a few weddings as well. The shows at the Planetarium are quite interesting. We saw the Journey of Stars and its a good half hour show, though we had a stiff neck after it because we were right in front and had to crane our necks. Didn't see any movies this weekend because we have seen everything that's out in the theatre (can you believe that?). It was a lazy weekend and I'm not sure i enjoyed it. I love a fun filled day packed with activities and so i am off to a wine tasting session and the 10 mile walk with Ro the coming weekend. Will post details of that later. Meanwhile here are a few pics.

People waiting in line to take a pic at the separating point..which i didnt btw.

The line that separates the hemispheres

View from the Observatory

PS: I started a food blog..not because I'm an awesome cook or anything, but to remind myself I'm not a bad one either. Since i depend so much on the Internet for my recipes, i realized this was the best way to keep track of some of the tried and tested easy recipes. I do not have the habit of maintaining a book with all the recipes nor does the google doc. actually help, so voila...my food blog. Though i wonder how long I'm gonna maintain it.