Missing Goa

The drive to work after dropping Babs was visually spectacular. There is a stretch between work and Preston Rd, that looks so green that I always tend to forget I am in Dallas. With the grey sky looming large everything slightly green also looked enhanced as if someone had played with Photoshop on nature. And then I missed Goa. I thought about all things I did in the 4 days at Goa. I felt that this weather would be perfect if it were in Goa, on the beach side, sipping a freshly squeezed OJ and relaxing in a beach hut. Aahhhh.....The beauty of the place has captivated me. I want to go back when I go to India next time. Can you believe it? It was my first ever time in Goa and that happened when I was 33. Gosh I wasted 22 years in India not visiting Goa.

And while talking about Goa how can I forget to mention Vivanta by Taj? We spent 4 beautiful days in the hotel that catered to everything we asked for. They gave us a spectacular suite because there was some misunderstanding, they gave us everything we asked for. The breakfast was amazing and even had Babs eating to her fill each day. The rooms were amazing, the pool was great, the kids were kept busy and the mini bar was spectacularly cheap. Mineral water was free and they packed us a free picnic and gave us beach towels when we went to the beach. Our room service guy, Prem, even folded all our clothes and organized our closet because we had left him a tip. And wait...there is more...another Prem and his colleague who waited on us at dinner gave us free appetizers and desserts because they felt we were like friends. They made sure that I got a crocin when I asked for it and that there was warm milk for Babs that they did not charge for every night. G reminds me each time, "no wonder you enjoyed Goa so much," because I got pampered and the day we left it was like a reality check for me. Everyone who had helped us in our four day stay came to wish us goodbye at the door. What more can we ask for?

Vivanta by Taj at Panjim, you rock...and Goa...I love you!

Love
Anu

Korea!!!

Of course I love watching Asian soaps. By that I am strictly excluding anything Indian. I love Indian TV shows but just not their soaps. They are too dramatic, a million episodes long, and nothing really happens, if you watch only one show in a year you can still catch up in fifteen minutes. On the other hand try watching any Asian soap, like stuff that come from KBS in Korea. They are short, sweet, fresh and most of them are shot like movies and are very interesting.

I had already declared my love to Asian TV long ago here. And I am happy that it has not been a one time thing, I am in love. I am in love with everything Korean. I can watch their drama after drama, and fall in love with it all over again.

So right now my most favorite is the show which is available on Netflix called "Lie to Me." It has Kang Ji Hwan (hero) and Eun Yoon Hye (heroine). The hero is a rich hotelier and the girl a smart civil servant. Fate makes them cross paths and then...well...it is soooo cute and romantic...phew...totally in love. Happy things on TV makes me happy.

Now, I can recognize Korean actors. I love Eun Yoon Hye. I have seen three shows of hers so far and all three of them are spectacular. My other favorite Korean show is "First Shop of Coffee Prince." And I really think Kang Ji Hwan is super handsome, especially when he smiles.

If you think the language sounds funny, try watching it in mute or low volume till you get used to it. I can now understand like about 15-20 words in Korean and the vocabulary is building. Either it is mid life crisis or I really am nuts but I want to learn Korean...hmm... strictly South Korean :)

Annyeonghi Gyeseyo (Bye bye)


Love (sarang)
ART

Careful...It Might Tear

When I was a little girl my father had these amazing collection of Britannica Encyclopedia and some other beautiful books, full of information, stories, and images. My brothers and I went crazy over it and wanted to read it all the time but my father had rules. First, we had to prove to him that our hands were washed. Then we had to choose which book we wanted and he would bring it to us once we were comfortably sat on the sofa. Then he would clearly explain the rules to us. No flipping around pages. Have to turn pages using the upper corner only. No earmarking. No tear. No smudge or smear. And I do not remember a single time I had missed any of his rules. All of us strictly adhered to it and eventually big brother S got the collection...hmph! If only I had known!

Anyways, so the other day I was telling G about how kids take books for granted, blah, blah, blah...and then when I saw Babs lift my brand new Ipad, I yelled out her rules to her and told her to hold it carefully. She is not to lift it without my knowledge and she should be sitting on the sofa. She cannot watch a movie holding it in her hands and has to be super careful. If she even hurt it a little bit, she will be hearing about it from me for the rest of her life.

Then I realized that I had just read out aloud to her the Ipad riot act. My Ipad to me is what my Dad's encyclopedia's were to him. Every generation has something that the younger will disrespect or take for granted...the cycle was coming around to me! It is catching up...I am getting old...

So Babs, if you ever think that I am strict, remember I am so because my dad was so...and we all turned out alright :)

Loving Amma
ART

Vagaries of Parking

I used go to Wal-Mart or any other store pretty often with or without G before Babs was born. Once she was born, G took care of all the shopping and I took care of the house work...we had to share chores...carrying Babs around everywhere was not an option, other than for parties, of course.

So once in a while when I do get out and go shopping I have issues parking. Like yesterday, I have three parties coming up and three gifts to buy, so I went to Wal-Mart. First I drove around trying to find a close-to-entrance parking and could not find anything. Then when I was about to give up, I find the first parking right across from the entrance...Bazinga! I pulled in, proud and happy smiley face, got out and went in.

I did not come out for the next hour and half. With my left knee in brace I walked through every single aisle and finally walked out with what I wanted. Pushing the massive cart around, I forgot where I had parked. As my car stared at me, I walked into the parking aisle, far down, only to turn back and run to my close-to-the-entrance spot. Now the happy smiley face was not there. I might as well have parked far away to start with instead of doing the slow drive of shame.

And this is not the first time it has happened to me!

Love
A confused ART

Illegal Parking

I am one of them. The ones that cannot relax when they do something wrong. I am the kind that is not meant for living on the edge. If the door to a park says, "shuts at sundown," then I am out at sundown. I will not park if some place says "No Parking," I will never drive more than 5 over speed limit (which is why G always does the long distance) and so on. Then I wonder...am I stuck up?

The time we were in Mumbai going around the city late in the night, I bugged G and his cousins about the safety of doing what we were doing. I wanted to enjoy but I was constantly on the edge. But that is me, I always wish I had, in retrospect...

The same happened this Sunday, on such a small scale that I was on the verge of legging it. I was to take my daughter to an Egg hunt. I bungled and missed the egg hunt itself but made it there to meet my friends. I had to park illegally on the street to take my daughter to meet my friends. I freaked out. I kept repeatedly asking my friends if it was OK, if my car would be there when I got back, etc. I was flitting and did not want to converse much, my mind was on the car. I bugged my friends so much so that we left the park in 10 minutes. I was so glad to find my car still there along with the 30 others who had illegally parked. In hind sight I wish I had spent more time with my friends and their kids but at that time nothing else mattered. Wonder why I am this (rhetoric, does not need an evaluation!)!

Also, of course, I mismanaged time and miscalculated distance and gave a wrong address to the GPS and go to the place 15 minutes too late...and my daughter had to miss her Egg Hunt...but all was well when she got to play with her best friend A for almost an hour or more.

Love
ART

Nature Can Kick Ass!

As the tornadoes swirled past my office building all of us huddled inside the cozy confines of the stairwell. I am glad tornadoes move fast else we would have all suffocated inside the overcrowded stairwell. My mind randomly raced through a list of essentials that I would have to pack if I had to evacuate my home. I was confused. There are so many things...then I started feeling sad for all those who were forced to leave their house or have their houses taken away by nature. Nothing can replace the precious hours spent trying to make a house into a home with all the little detail.

It was at that time I realized how much I miss the small things I had collected or mom had made for me when I was a child back in India. When I came (like most of us) to the USA, I came with whatever little I could cram in two suitcases and a hand luggage. Left behind were memories, trinkets, greeting card collection since I was a baby. Cards that my father had sent to us from every corner of the world he had traveled to. My dolls, my toys, my posters, my TV remote that I had fallen in love with, the favorite location on the couch, the awesome arm chair, the other favorite tees that did not make it this time, friends, and a life that I had absolutely loved. I missed everything as I stood in the stairwell trying to get in touch with G and Babs's school. And once again my heart went out to the people who got affected by natural calamities. Even the thought of not being grounded sucked.

When I was driving to pick my daughter I saw the clouds were still dark but moving away and things were calming down quite a bit. It was then that I realized that nature showed us that we can build awesome buildings, live great lives but when you decided to put the fear of God in us, it means business! I am so glad that you let Dallas get away with a few damages here and there and that most of us got back home to our families safe. And for that we Salute you.


Love
ART

Therapy!

On Friday last week, I was at my Ortho-recommended Physical Therapy session. I thought that they would make me move the earth with my left knee and went dressed in gym appropriate clothes. Of course I got disappointed. The therapist taught me how to lift my knee. I am not kidding...I learnt to do exercise like a 4 year old, lifting my left leg and my knee slowly and back or doing a knee squeeze. I gave the therapist my "Are you bloody kidding me" face and she patiently replied to me, "if you don't get your strength you cannot walk normally." I was put in place and now I embarrassingly do my daily 10 minute workout (hehehe) and G sits and holds himself from ROFLing.

This is really annoying me because I need to workout to keep my weight in check, I hate dieting so that is not an option. I have not worked out in almost 3 whole months. I feel like I am the kid who wants to start studying for the exam right after the power cut. I want to run when I cannot even walk normally without my brace! And of course the therapist strongly suggested that I quit running and even going for walks moderately for a while. How sad is that?

A Limping ART