chikungunya

Chikungunya seems to be the relatively new 'hot' disease around.... Everyone knows someone who has it, at least in bharatdesh.....koi toh hoga...

Time to say again, yeh macchar bhi aadmi ko... whatever...

Read all about this new threat from mosquitos, (yeah its for real), on wikipedia here

Come to think of it, I sometimes get these wierd ideas that when the folks who make n sell products like Bayer Baygon spray/tortoise/odomos might in their spare time be given roles to increase the mosquitoes in the country? I hope this is only a figment of my imagination and not the truth, the whole truth or even the partial truth...

Why am I talking about this non-veg sounding disease anyways? Well, someone in our family's got it, and well, your eyes only open up to something when you face it real bad, as they say - Seeing IS believing..

Insects do rule over a certain part of the world, even in this day and age of hi-tech advances in the pharma world... Hygiene and prevention may sometimes not be enough.

The day when India becomes a hypochondriac is the day when it would truly be on the path to liberation from the so-called third world diseases... Yeah we need to be paranoid about it, go to extreme measures...

Bee-ism: The pen is mightier than the sword, but is the keyboard mightier than the pen?

pray for Anna

Anna has been sick yesterday, i pray that she get well reallly soon... and as expected, she does the most unbelievable and gentlest things...
She baked a cake for the doctor whom she has to visit ! And since it was too big, she has shared half of it with us! Wow... I wish I was a doctor with patients like these!

Wishes to my angel

25 Sep - a date that i will never forget....
Wishes to my angel , rest in peace whereever u are!

Banned Books Week

WOW - Yes, thats what our local library is celebrating - Banned books week 2006
The message on the library's site reads:
"Come into the library the week of September 23-30 to see our display of banned books! "

Moving

Me and Ess have decided to move into a new apartment, with somewhat larger space (since we get a basement), a sit-out, an extra half-bath, extra closets, etc... Made so many friends around here, hope that all will be in touch even after we move...

I gotta PACK from this week onwards..seems like a Big project.. And am sure that unpacking will be the next big project after that!

Hope that things go smooth and that we will be able to save some energy n time to organise a housewarming thereafter sometime!

Potluck: Meaning and Origin

While i organise a potluck lunch party to welcome fall, let's see what wikipedia has to say about it:

POTLUCK: A potluck is a dinner party in which guests bring dishes to share

Some history on potluck: The word potluck is often erroneously said to originate from the Native American term potlatch.
The word potluck dates from the sixteenth century, and the earliest written citation is 1592 - in England. ("That that pure sanguine complexion of yours may never be famisht with pot lucke", Thomas Nashe, see the Oxford English Dictionary for full reference). It is a portmanteau word formed from pot and luck.
Source: "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potluck"

So then, hope to have fun! The theme this time is: NO Desi food!

And do send in your experiences with potluck, if any!

whats your personality?

For cool things to add to a blog, there's this link:
www.blogthings.com that I got from a friend's blog.

Well, so I took the ''personality test'' and here's what's the outcome for me:

You Are An ENTP

The Visionary
You are charming, outgoing, friendly. You make a good first impression.You possess good negotiating skills and can convince anyone of anything.Happy to be the center of attention, you love to tell stories and show off.You're very clever, but not disciplined enough to do well in structured environments.You would make a great entrpreneur, marketing executive, or actor.

Check it out at:

http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourpersonalitytypequiz/

lunch with friends

Been visiting friends houses in da apartment itself, to have a kind of pot luck so that I dont have to eat alone when Ess is not around :-)

Tuesday wonly, why isnt it the weekend yet..........

Desi weekend

Friday evening: Himesh Reshammiya show ... Ess loved listening to Alisha chinai... The comedy by Ravi raj was great... we enjoyed listening to Himani too, as well as danced to Himesh's songs ...

Saturday attended a desi baccha birthday party....

Had aunt n uncle over from PA so had lots of home made food rest of the time...

Movies: Saw OMKAARA (Based on Shakespeare's Othello) and Golmaal....Golmaal was an absolute fun comedy, loved watching it...

Ess at Boston

2nd Day without Ess, cause he goes off almost every week to Boston to meet his clients....

time to meet up with friends in the apartment, speak up with relatives, surf the net, clean up the home...

Bee-ism: Absence makes the heart grow fonder, hope its not any more longer!

BBQ party

For the first time, me and Ess visited a desi BBQ party... Now one could wonder what a vegeterian like me could even think of having at a BBQ party....

well, the surprise was: Lots of stuff, there was Grilled Corn on the cob, Grilled cutlets for burgers, Paneer n vegetables on a skewer (onions, green bell peppers tomatoes, even pineapple!), and of course a fruit plate and chips plate on the side... The backup for babies was Idlis which was a superhit too!

Hmm, we hope that by next summer, we can have our very own Barbeque party too!

Bee-ism: Dream on, Live on...

babysitting with two cute babies

well, one day last week as well as this tuesday, it seems that certain babysitters overstayed their labor day weekends...and well...that put me into the spot of babysitting 2 babies , kids of Ess' friend...

But these were so cute, so adorable and also they were so independent, so well mannered...it was so impressive and a v v easy job!

And here's the beautiful flowers that they gave me when they had come over to my place some other day for Lunch.. Ess made Alphabet pasta for the kids and biryani for the big kids! :-)

I took them over to a neighbor who has a 2 year old and a roomful of toys..their question to me was: Where is her sister? when i replied that she does not have a sister, the next question was, WHY she doesnt have a sister!!

Its like a rule as if everybody should have a sister! How nice!

Bee-ism: The world is different if u view it from a child's eyes...

Onam celebration

Ess' friend invited us over for an Onam Lunch... the Lunch was the yummiest veg mallu stuff that u can get, plus we got to be with their two cute daughters.....and also make some flower arrangements at their place... I taught the kids how to light the lamp! And my, they were so delighted ....

here r some pics...

Dedicated to Ashwini

Ashwini...My friend from school who had a very innocent smile and a jump in her step....

I heard recently from someone that she Ashwini is no more...it pains me to hear that...Her words still ring in my ears ''if i had a phone at home, i would call you everyday to tell you good morning and good night! "

the sweetest thing ever told to me...A poem that she had written in my ''slam book'' when we were saying our farewells after 10th grade...


''Life is a journey, taken on a train,
with a pair of travellers, on every window pane,
I may sit beside you, all the journey through,
Or I may sit elsewhere, never knowing you.

But since fate has cast me to be by your side,
Let us be pleasant travellers, it is so short a ride...."

Ashwini may ur soul rest in peace...

Ganesha

Ess has put up a Ganesh Pandal at our home, made a Ganesha out of turmeric... we are gonna immerse it over the weekend.....

I forgot to put prasad on all the days...Please please ganesha forgive me...

Here's a pic, glory be to the Vighnaharta and Sukhkarta, lord Sri Ganesha:

Hard Rock Cafe New York

Visiting the Hard Rock Cafe at NY was really a great experience, never saw such blastin interiors, such innovative stuff there! Uff...

Here r a couple of pics.. rest..u gotta be there n check it out!

1st Anniv

So we are now officially no more newly wed... Ess and Me have finished one full year of marital bliss.....

We decided to view Lady Liberty from a 'copter, and feel ''on top of the world'' !!

Here're some pics.. Some from the 'copter, one of the beautiful n soft cake that our thoughtful neighbour Anna baked for us, and one of the Italian restaurant that we finally had dinner in! A day to remember!!

Chicago

A week at Chicago, without Ess though :-(
Snapshots here from temples of Chicago, Chicago downtown, Himesh's concert at UIC pavilion...

Boston

A midweek trip to Boston with Ess....

Some cows at famous public spots, some views from the evening cruise..and some snapshots of the Boston Public Library....

Ess loves Boston because of its multiple water activities and the relative ease of reaching it... Also its T line, the subway + Tram line that runs through the city...connects all places that u'd like to visit....

All in all, a great three day trip.....

pennsylvania

Hersheys chocolate factory....

Then at Aunt's home...there's cocoa, the pet..

A weekend well spent with aunt uncle cousins, visit to temple, visit to chocolate factory... actionpacked! :-)