Enabler…Now WHAT? again…

I am addicted to "House", the TV Series about a Doctor who is a genius. Oh well, I am addicted to House, Mentalist, Family Guy, 24, etc. I am a TV-Addict…:)

So, one of the Episodes of House is about this girl who is addicted to Blogging. She is obsessed with Blogging and she blogs about everything that happens in her life. She writes about her Relationship with her Husband, Sex, Fights, everything and anything. She feels that it is easier to express herself to someone she cannot see. It is easy to open up and talk about feelings and thoughts. I kind of agree, any strong reaction from a Stranger (you cannot see) is easier to fathom than someone you know and can see. She is a popular Blogger with lots and lots of followers. She likes the Audience.

Her husband is a simple person. He doesn’t necessarily likes that she talks about their relationship in details on the Blog. He doesn’t agree with the fact that she is telling her followers about him. He says I don’t want you to discuss me and our personal life with people I don’t even know. At several points in that Episode, I thought that if I were the Husband, I would walk out on her. But he doesn’t. He stays. And I kept wondering WHY?

So, she gets really sick. She has a decision to make about something that will affect her relationship with her Husband. She blogs about it and says that she cannot let her Followers down. She will have to ask them and make a decision. The Husband is a little frustrated, he says, it all started like a fun thing. Blogging was like Free Therapy. But not anymore. He thinks that she is addicted to the Audience and popularity. He still doesn’t leave her. The decision would affect their Future, but he still stays by her side. Again, I wonder WHY?

Finally, in the very last scene of this episode, they show that it was a minor problem and she will live. She makes the decision based on what she feels is right for her and her husband. All is Well. Suddenly, the Husband hands her the Computer and says, I know you will go crazy if you don’t write about all this. And she says, Thank God you are an Enabler…seriously…now WHAT? again…What does "Enabler" mean? A person who is too good to be real? A person who is capable of truly accepting everyone as they are? It is a good concept to talk about…but actually living and practicing it..I don’t know about that.

ENABLER…hmmm…interesting. It got me thinking and I wondered if I am an Enabler? That should be a Gautam Question. He will know the best. But digging a little deeper, I realized…I am an Enabler with quotes (""). I am a "Selective" Enabler. I let my partner be what he wants to be with some Rules. I am selective in my approach. I get to decide how I wan to enable him based on how I feel. Say, for instance, sharing things about our relationship with anyone other than the 2 of us. He cannot share it with people I don’t like. My Ego is too big. I don’t want to ever be weak in front of people I dislike. What is Enabling, letting Gautam do what he wants, the way he wants it? Or letting him do what he wants but not exactly the way he wants it? There is a very convenient definition of Enabling. I always let you do whatever you want, the least you can do is…do that whatever according to my Rules. The Enabling I know, is to make people feel obligated, so things happen to them but according to your terms.

Is it right? I don’t know. Do I want to change it? I surely do. We all like to use big words and talk about philosophy and a perfect life, but do we really practice what we talk about? Not all the time.

In fact, the more I think about all this, the more I wonder. Do I Enable myself? Maybe not. I have all these boundaries for myself. I don’t know who I am. I have never known. I don’t think I will ever know or anyone else would ever know. The first step to Enable self would be to be an Enabler. Actions speak better than words….so, talking and writing about all this is much easier than actually implementing it. The key probably is to not make it about self. Enabling is about just letting it be without getting personal.

Oh, the best way to do this is by "ENABLING the ENABLER" !!

When Fairy Tales Meet...

Mike is always respectful. He comes across as a person who is caring and thoughtful. Brenda is cute. She is always smiling and cracking jokes. She is soft-spoken and nice. When I first met them, they came across as a fun couple. I know them for about a year or so and I keep hearing stories about them from Amy (Brenda's sister).

When I first found out about Brenda and Mike deciding on getting married, I was really happy for them. I love marriages, and I almost always like to believe that Falling in Love and deciding to get married are like Fairy Tales. Anyone getting married for the first time, gets into it thinking that this will last forever and this is once in a lifetime, so it has to be almost perfect. So, when I found out about Brenda and Mike needing a photographer, I offered to do it for them. I have a theory, Pictures cannot justify the memories but at least they try. Brenda and Mike were kind enough to give me the opportunity to click them. I did try my best to make their Photo-shoot almost perfect... :)

Brenda and Mike got married on 20th Feb. I wanted to do a Photo shoot for them prior to that. So, we decided to meet on a Saturday a week before their Wedding Date. It was a perfect day for Pictures. Sun was out and it was bearable temperature to be outdoors. We roamed around Austin to click pictures in different locations and capture as much as possible. It all started in Arboretum -> Downtown -> Oasis. It ended with the Sunset. It was a long day.

When we met at Arboretum, I was a little nervous and realized that if I screw this up, probably will be horrible for Brenda and Mike. Gautam was awesome; he tagged along and helped me with everything. He was my chauffer and also carried my equipment around. He helped with picking good locations, poses, sun light direction, etc. I can never thank him enough. It was just perfect. Both Brenda and Mike were awesome. I was as always picky and being a perfectionist...I made them change 4 times. I tortured them with posing, smiling, walking, talking, standing, looking...Perfect. Thanks a lot guys for putting up with me. I hope you love the outcome and don’t hate me as much when you see the pictures.

I believe my Fairy tale is all of the things I dream of becoming. Out of the million things I want to do in my life…one is to become a Photographer. Travel the world and click People and Places. Thanks to Brenda, Mike and Gautam my fairy tale dream came true too. It was an ecstatic day for me.

So when our Fairy Tales met, the result was lovely. I cannot wait to click pictures for the lovely couple Brenda and Mike for their upcoming reception in March.

Brenda and Mike, Congrats and all the very best !!

A glimpse of our Fairy Tales !!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sdarak/ClickIt?authkey=Gv1sRgCO-Gn5_MqOXmjAE&feat=directlink

Down in the Town !!

Streets never sleep
Where I live…

It’s always Singing and Dancing around
It’s hard to miss the upbeat sound...

The people and the places, The smiles and the faces
Elegance is always glowing...

It’s a friends destination and Lovers paradise
The Bars and the Dance Floor are always shining bright…

Oh the Police and the Ambulance siren
You do have to make some compromise…

When the clock ticks an hour the Bell sounds
It’s like a signal to keep moving on with your Life...

I am at peace in the middle of this commotion
This sure feels like an once in a Lifetime...

New Beginings !!

June is here,
Buying a House is near.
Downtown was a Dream come true,
Which is almost ending too.
Bidding Farewell to Downtown,
Will be sad and depressing.

Let's get it together,
And start looking for a Realtor
The space will be huge,
So lets just divide.
Let's get some Fluff,
And Buy more Stuff !!

We'll fuss over the Budget,
So that we don’t regret
As expenses will rise,
We need to be wise.
Pool and Staircase are must as
they will be the first.

To Pool views and gorgeous Backyard
To suburban living and the Staircase in the house
To Nice Locality and Nicer (hopefully) Neighbors
To sunset in the backyard and Glamorous Home Owners Life
To a new Home,
Settling down…hmm…Here we go !!

Pretext: http://sumgum.blogspot.com/2008/05/downtown-calling.html

Desi Dess...

I just read somewhere..."Family is Family"....you dont need appointments and weekends to visit them....u dont have to schedule....its amazing how Family's always willing to schedule everything around ur schedule.... :) ....Juss got bak frm a month long trip to India...my home...the place where I belong and feel loved...I claim to know it and still it never ceases to amuse me....This trip I travelled a lot and did a lot of things that were on my mind...things I had decided to do for a long time...Things I was planning and waiting for....

We started from Austin. Reached Newark and were tired by the time we got in the plane for Bombay. Newark airport sucks...It is the pathetic airport I have seen....All the shops are boring...Duty Free doesnt have most of the stuff I wanted to get....No Lindt and Liquer choclates....can u beliv it??

Once on the flight to Bombay...it was all fun...It was about 14 hour journey filled with watching movies, sleeping and eating...wasnt too bored....well...didnt really got a chance to get bored....there are abt 300 or so Free movies to watch...new and old...:)

After an amazing journey of 14 hours straight from Newark to Bombay, we landed in Bombay on the 7th...I read in a novel about Bombay, "Breathing in Bombay is like breathing in water....Lungs become Amphibian...there is so much water in the air". It was extremely humid...so as soon as we landed all the jackets and coats came off....Immigration took us abt an hour ....felt like forever....tired and almost ready to fall we made it out of the airport. There was a crowd of about 1000 ppl waiting outside...As I like to say...So many ppl came to welcome us...:)...Bombay has a Distinct smell...there is no name for that smell...oh well its called "Bombay"...:)....Its a mix of every smell I know....its is smoothing and welcoming....thats the smell of my land....place where I always feel "I belong".

Nothings changed.....its all the same....ppl, cars, traffic, streets, constructions, dust, pollution, and the fun of all of it...:)...Jet lagged and excited didnt get much sleep....Went Saree shopping the very next day....Wrapped about 10 or so Sarees in the Shop before finalising on one to get....it took me forever to buy the one I had ruled out earlier....so was kinda too much for the ppl who were helping me out....well...its always too much for the ppl who r helping me out...its amazing how Family never minds it though.... :)

Bombay was a different experience this time...we went partying in Bombay....its amazing how you can be the Richest of the Rich and the poorest of the Poor in Bombay....You can have a lot of money and you can have nothing at the same time....the difference is evident and seen everywhere...

We took a road trip from Bombay to Pune and stayed a nite in Pune with Vikrant(my cousin) and Pooman(The wifey)...as always meeting cousins after a year or so is always fun....lots to talk abt...was meeting Poonam for the first time...as I told her...She is a perfect match for my crazy cousin... ;)

The next day, mom, me and my Bro (satyajeet) drove to Aurangabad....my home...I dont know how I can feel the same way as I use to when I was living there...nothings changed...as soon as I entered my parents house...the first thing I wanted to do was clean it up....donate all my old stuff and free up the space for Mom...and thats wat I did all the 3 days Gautam was not there....I was cleaning up my old room and clearing things....the highlight of Aurangabad trip was meeting "Arya" for the very first time....One of my cousins adopted a baby boy...Arya...he is a sweetheart...surprisingly he took abt 5 mins to come to me...and he was all happy and started playing with me instantly...he is a Head banger and a Rock star... :) ....all 10 days in Aurangabad were full of meeting ppl...Met Shaunak (my cousin sis's new husband)...He is this lively cute fellow who dances really well... :)

Rest all we did was eating...and doing nothing....Mom was busy cooking and making stuff....My Granny (mom's Mom)....Bai...also joined in...so it was a brigade on mission to cook and feed us.... :) My Dad hardly went to work...he owns his own small Agricultural business...he was on a break...he use to be around all the time...and tats amazing....coz once i am done with my 10 days stay...i dont miss him all that much.... :)

We took Gautam to a Farm for some fresh "Hurda" Party...it is complicated to explain wat it means... ;) ....its juss a fun experience of Rural Indian life...with typical "Dehati" (rural) Indian food... :) He loved it all...The fresh fruits juss plucked from trees...the corn and the fresh sugarcane juice...Yum.. :)

Then came my Sis, Bro-in-law and Ayan....the get-togeher for Ayan was a hit...Gautam and I decided to sing....so we sang..."Pappu can't dance saala"...one of Ayan's fav song....it is also a hit Bollywood number...I like to beliv we did a very good job at singing....as everyone stayed put.... ;) The last day in Aurangabad was a grand worship that my parents organized at one of the famous temples near Aurangabad...it took forever...was a different experience...then was the final Good-bye Aurangabad Drinking Party...where everyone gets to do some shots... ;) Leaving frm Abad was hard as always....I cried a lot....I dont know when I am going to get over this....at times I think the sooner the better and sometimes it feels like, good if this stays forever....i will always have a place where I will feel "I belong"....no matter wat....

Rest of India trip was filled with more travelling and meeting ppl...We went to Jaipur by train, it was 40 or so of all our relatives travelling together....from Jaipur 20 more joined in...In all, 60 of all extended Family went to Kuchaman (Gautam's ancetartial place)...it was like a mini Wedding...we all stayed at the same place for 3 days....there were various things going on every single day....when u live in places like these for a few days...u realise how ppl survive on the bare minimum...there are no Heaters and 24 hours Hot water facilities...the temperature is in the the 40s (F)....its cold and it is dry....but ppl wake up as early as 4-5 in the morning to start their daily routine...which for most begins with going to the Temple for worship. In the 3 days we stayed in Kuchaman, we did our share too...we went to 4 or 5 different temples....we visited the Kuchaman Fort...it is beautiful...we danced and we sang...it was awesome.

Being Carefree without a thing to worry is the best....all we had to worry abt was getting ready on time...everything else was taken care of...we feasted on awesome Indian meals 3 times a day...all we were did was Eat, Talk, Play, Dance and sleep...oh and go to Temples... :)

We came back to bombay tired...stayed in Bombay for the last 5 days of our trip...which went by really quickly....Meeting ppl, shopping and bad health kept us busy...New Year's was another fun experience...we went Gautam's cousin's place for pre-party...it was an awesome bbq (veggie) and cocktails party...after that went to a Frd's place for House party...I was tipsy and did some stunts like Falling in the stairs and spilling my Drink on everyone...at Mudnite, a scare-crow called 2008 was burned in the middle of the street and everyone danced around it....this symbolizes Farewell to 2008 and welcome to the new beginnings in 2009. It was a new way of celebrating New Years for us... :)

What does New Year's bring...Happiness, Excitement, Joy and a sense of New-ness...I am all set to take this year as it comes...with only one Resolution..."Dont make the same mistakes with the same person again and again" :)

Happy New Year !!

Its that time of the year....

What do you do when you turn 29?

Hmmmm....Use your matured muscles and act like you are a grown up....take responsibilities and stop Procrastinating....Be a little sad that you are growing old and have a drink or two....Use this as a excuse to Party hard, you can always say: This is my last year of youth before the Big 3-O.... ;)

What does growing old mean??....I dont know....its some kind of fear....Nothings really changing in my life....except for the Age number....I am still doing all the things i use to do when i was 25...i am still going to work...doing things i love...so wat changes when u grow old??....oh i know...u become more anxious....Singles become anxious to get involved or find the right person....Married ones become anxious abt their future and the "Right age for having Babies" theory....Someone who is turning 21 is the happiest, they can Drink legally....YaY... :) ....Someone turning 16 is also Happy...coz its called the Sweet Sixteen...Also, someone truning 50 is happy....Well half the Decade on this Earth with all thats going on with the environment is not a joke...and also....If its 100th B'day....well....nothing like it....More the Merrier.... :)

So, it means that...Before 25 and After 30 its all Good...I have never seen a person in his Thirties complain...once you cross 30...its all good and the numbers dont bother you as much....Well...the 30th B'day sure is a big deal.... :) ....These 5 years are the toughest on most people i know....Some who are not searching or looking for something are better off than others....but its almost the same....Isn't this supposed to be the best age...I fail to understand why all the worries in the world strike at this wonderful time in Life....

I was talking to a Friend and she said "I wanna be my age all my life"... and it got me thinking...I think I dont care abt the age as much...."I wanna be as I am for the rest of my life"....Yes...I hope I am like this till the day I die...Age matters and in the end it doesnt matter....It matters when u r talking to ur parents and they think it is the right age to Start Working/Get Married/ Have Kids, etc etc...It matters when you are talking to frds who like discussing who is younger than whom.... ;) ....Age discussions are fun...Getting old...hmmm...maybe a little less fun... ;)

So, all said...wat did I do for the Pre-30 Party of my life.... :) ....had to be something wild... The Butterfly Effect !!

Baar Baar Din yeh aaye....

It's my Day....My Birthday...One year older...One year Wiser....One year passed....One year of Joy....One year of tears....Juss one more year !!

So wat the heck....

Baar Baar Din yehh aaye....
Baar Baar Dil yehh Gaayee....
Hum Jiye Hazaro Saal...yeh Meri haiii Aarzoo...
Happy B'day to me...
Happy B'day to me....
Happy B'day O Sumita....Happy B'day to me...

;)

When Ambition meets me...

I am not Ambitious....but.....I like to do a lot and achieve a lot....
I am not Ambitious....but.....I like the Praise and the Appreciation.....
I am not Ambitious.......but.....I like the Perks and the Bonus'......
I am not Ambitious......but......I like to Top all things I do......
I am not Ambitious......but......I like to have knowledge about everything and anything.......
I am not Ambitious......but......I like it when my Parents are proud of my Achievements.......
I am not Ambitious......but......I like to hear "I am best at what I do", again and again......
I am not Ambitious.......but......I like to receive Awards......
I am not Ambitious.......but......I like to be called the Person who has done it all......
I am not Ambitious......but......I like to be called the Person who can do it all......
I am not Ambitious.....but......I like it when I am able to help out coz I know more......
I am not Ambitious......but.....I like all "AMBITIONS" I have......

Claying Away....

I was that kid who is always covered in mud and who will always be on a heap of soil/mud/sand, digging away....who will always have black finger nails with mud filled in it....I was the kid who loves to play in soil/mud/sand....who loves to build castles....who loves the coldness thats hiding in the depths....:)

I love everything earthen....I love the look, touch and feel of it all....thats what inspired me to take up Pottery....I wanted to start with the Wheel Throwing....as it is classy and glamorous....most of the Romantic movies have the wheel....remember "Ghost" and the amazing song....Unchained Melody....Oh, my love.... :) ....But my instructor convinced me to start with Hand Building to get a feel of it....and I agreed....I took my first class almost 2 years ago and I loved every moment of it....I was facinated by my creativity and by my amazing creations....it was a load shedding "My" time....I loved it all....I became the amature Potter.

Finally after such a long time I decided to get back to it....and I love it all the same....:)

I love making things that are Earthen and Beautiful....A frd who is taking the class with me keeps wondering....how the hell did i manage to stay away from this for so long when I am so much into this....when I love it so so much....I dont know....

My best creation so far is the "Ganesha". Attached is the pic of the "Ganesha" in making....

Want to be Everything !!

I want to be an Actor. Actor's get to be everything. A lot of professions facinate me.....But....oh yes there are 'Buts'.... :)

I want to be a Doctor who saves a life and is thanked by the patient's family and considered next to God...But I hate any kind of needles pricking my body, so never want to use them.

I want to be a Freedom Fighter who fights against injustice ....But I cant bear pain so I never want to take a Bullet.

I want to join the Military and become a Soilder, fight for the honor of my country....But I dont want to take a life.

I want to be a Lawyer who fights for Rights of the underpriveledged....But I dont want to be caught representing the wrong party.

I want to be a Baby who looks at the whole world with big huge eyes, who loves everything and has a complication free life....But I dont want to lose my ability to Talk.

I want to be a Baker who bakes amazing Cakes....But I dont want to be patient and work very very slow.

I want to be a Chef who cooks the most amazing Dishes.....But I dont want to clean the kitchen.

I want to be the CEO of a Multi-National company.....But I dont want to constantly negotiate.

I want to be a Rich, spoiled Brat who spends and the only aim in life is to have Fun....But I dont want to set a wrong example.

I want to be an Alien who is super intelligent....But I dont want to look wierd.

I want to be a Make-up artist who can make anyone look beautiful.....But I dont want to put up with the people who dont like the end results.

I want to be a Teacher who is loved my all students....But I dont want to put up with extremely spoiled Brats.

I want to be a Guru who is a Know-all.....But I dont want to be responsible for anyone.

I want to be a Genie who can make all the wishes come true.....But I dont want to be anyone's slave.

I want to be a Home Decorater who makes any place look beautiful..... :)

I want to be a Dress Designer who understands Curves and Colors..... :)

I want to be a Potter who gets amazed by her own Creativity..... :)

Poker Retreat !!

I took my parents to Vegas....they loved it....they loved the Glamor, the Shows, the Gambling, the Decors, the Strip....They loved it as much as anyone who visits Vegas for the first time....they were amazed..... :)

I have been to Vegas 3 times now....specially if you go there the 2nd time in a year....there is not much to see and explore....it all pretty much stays the same....Gautam and I had discussed this a lot....Budget for Gambling....we came to some unreasonable amt and we agreed on it....rather I agreed.....I guess I agreed coz I know both of us won't rather can't spend tat kind of money on Gambling.....So it all started.....We finally got to the Poker tables....Gautam started playing and I was sitting behind him yawning my world away.....finally I told him....lemme go to the rest room....and if u win when i am gone....i am going to the room and sleeping as i am not lucky for u....so, I went and got bak and he actually won some money.....I decided to leave.....and suddenly, out of nowhere....as I was abt to leave....I thot....lets play some Poker on a different table....So, I started playing....

I started with $100 chips....and lost a few initial hand....again started yawning my world away....and then as soon as the Dealer changed came a good hand....I started making money.....The pile went from $100 to about $400.....I pushed a guy to come All-in and he lost....well he lost with a face-card pair to my card 2 - trio, that too the last one came as the River card....he was not very happy with me....I lost some and won some.....finally left the table with $300 something....tat was abt $200 up.....I won I won....I won money in Poker.....my Glory moment....winning money playing Poker in Vegas.....I was so excited.... :)

After we got bak...Gautam asked me....wat was the best part abt the trip?....I enjoyed the trip coz my parents loved the place and my Dad made some money playing "Rollette" and "Slots".....My Mom liked all the Hotels we visited and she lost money in "Let it Ride" and made some money in "Slots".....Gautam lost some in "Poker" and made some in "Craps"....oh but the best part was my "Poker Retreat"....my Glory moment.... :)

New Year !!

The New Year is here and I am not feeling it....No Resolutions this time....no Ho-Halla....Every New year resolution I have ever made has been "Be a Better Person"....oh well....now how do u get to tat....I have made a concious decision to take up just one thing at a time....and for now....my one thing is my 'Half Marathon'....:)

Its been great so far....I am running 10 Miles every weekend on Saturdays....The longest I have ran so far is 11 Miles....Oh my God....really cant believe this.....Its amazing the way I feel after every long run.....and also during the Run....:)

There are so many Runners and so many reasons to Run....in the midst of all the excitement I forget abt who I am....Good or Bad....Nice or Mean.....I am just this person who has a goal to reach the Finish line....

I love each moment of it....the trails, the roads, the river, the people I pass, the waves and the 'Good Jobs'.... :)

B-Day !!

I love Birthdays....I have loved each and every one I have had.... :) and ya....I have had over 20 and alas, I cant say nemore that it is under 28..... ;)

Getting older makes me worry if I look at the numbers.....but if somehow I forget the numbers.....its wonderful.....getting older means getting wiser...hmmm....ok....mayb a li'l bit wiser.... ;) .....I am mostly surrounded by ppl who talk abt age all the time....who like to be called "oh he/she is under 30"....or "oh he/she is in her late 20-ties" and not early 30-ties..... :) ....and there are others who think "30 is a great milestone is life..."....I wonder wat i think....I like my life and love the way its going rite now....I definately dont want it to stop going forward....and if it goes forward means I am bound to get older with each passing year.....so....I guess....wat I feel is simple....I love my life and I dont want it to stop....so I am ok with getting older.....oh well....i am almost ok with getting older.... ;)

Yesterday, we went for my Pre-B-day dinner to Olive Garden. All the waiters gathered to sing for me....one of them asked me my age...and i hesitated a li'l bit....but then, I said it "I am 28".....he gave me a smile and announced...."Ladies and Gentlemen, We have a special guest here who is turing 21 today....." ...... ;) .....tat was funny.....I had a great start to the B-day celebrations....and I am sure this will also be a memorable one....Juss got flowers and a singing (loud) card frm my hubby.....Opened the card at work and woke up every1 around me....so its fun so far.....sincerely hope this is not the end of B'Day fun.....and hope I will say this till the last one I get to celebrate "I love Birthdays !!" .... :)

Dressed Up !!

I love to Dress Up. I have always got Compliments/Comments from friends about it. The one that I always get is: "You are soooo Dressed Up !!". The doubtful one is: "Why do you have to dress up to go to work?". The sarcastic/annoying one is: "You look like you are going Downtown". (oh paleaase...Downtown dressing up wud be 100 times more than this... ;). The commenting tone is telling some1 else in the group: "She is always dressed up" (as if saying she is always over dressed). One more is: "You are soo Dressed up....But You look Good !!". And than there are some like: "She has a good taste". Oh...yeah...."You always wear nice colors". Today I got one from a co-worker: "I think you like everything nice and beautiful....I bet ur home is beautiful". (based on the way I dress :) ..... The interesting one is: "I have always seen you wear nice colors....It says a lot abt u...it says u r a fun loving jolly person" .... :) .....one co-worker cautioned: "This is a very casual company....No1 dresses up" (Wanted to tell him....its a matter of choice....I love to dress up :) ....My personal fav is: "She always dresses up....everything suits her...Everything looks good on her".

Dressing up is such a fun thing....I like to wear clothes that look gud on me and get all the compliments..... :) .....I like to hear when some1 says that no matter wat i wear it looks good on me...."Compliment" is a best thing to give and receive..... :) .....This also made me realise tat a lot of ppl wud form an opinion abt u by the way u Dress....it is important....u dont neccesarily have to wear everything expensive....its a matter of choice.....good taste and also wearing stuff tat suits u....i am passionate abt clothes....i love colors, soft fabrics and nice cuts....and most of all I love all the compliments i get..... :)

Call me: 1-800-DressUp .... ;)

SoulMate !!

Do u beliv in SoulMate?

I do....but i dont beliv tat solumates are necissarily the ones u love (romantically) and want to spend ur life with....i beliv tat soulmate can be anyone....and also u can have more than one soulmate......

For me.....Soulmate is some1 who knows u inside out....who u can talk to and who can complete ur sentences in the exact same words tat u wud use..... :) .....some1 who understands...and judges....but still accepts....and is in the relationship 100 %.....u can gossip with them and u can tell them ur deepest darkest secrets....w/o the fear of being evaluated who u r based on tat....they will judge u and form an opinion....but tat wont change anything....the relationship wud always be the same..... :)

All this sounds too perfect and too gud to be true.....i always thot abt it tat way....till i realised....i have been blessed with such a "Perfect Soulmate"....i have had this too gud to be true and perfect relationships....oh well.....to my great surprise i still have this perfect relationship going on.... :)

We lived next to my uncle's family....and his daughter and i were very close....though the age difference was considerable....somehow both of us were always on the same page.....we use to hang out together....talk abt a lot of issues....and knew each other and were happy with the way we both were.....and yes....we use to love to Gossip.... ;) .....we were the gossiping buddies....i have had a wonderful relationship with my younger sis....one full of sharing, understanding, hating each other at times....not talking for months at times....the bond has somehow always been the same....no matter wat....

After i got married and moved to the US....i always had a fear tat my relationship with my sis wud changes....we wud juss grow out of it....we wont be able to talk endlessly as we use to....i called her one day to check and ended up talking for 2 hrs....i was so happy and relieved....somethings never change....we were laughing the whole time and we were talking abt everything and every1....gossiping and imitating ppl....it was juss wonderful.....i make it a point to call her once in a while and catch up....we talk abt our lives abt our situations....abt achievements and abt failures.....we juss understand each other and even if we r miles and miles apart, we support each other thru better and worse.....she is a wonderful person....i have learned so much frm her....we were unseparable and we still are unseparable..... :)

It feels like grace to have a wonderful soulmate.....who is always with you.....I consider myself lucky to have met some1 like tat and luckier to have had the opportunity to actually spend some great years with this person....part of who i am and what i am is bcoz of her....thanx for making me a better person and keeping me sane on a lot of occasions.... :)

Happiness !!

Few days bak, Gautam asked me are you "Bigger Bore" as compared to 2 years back....and I said 'No'....I was never a Bore.... ;) ......than he asked me if I am a "Happier Person" as compared to 2 years back.....and I said "Yes".....that got me thinking....Am I a happier person???....What is Happiness??....For me it has always been a relative term.....A few years bak it was always something like: If I get good grades, I am happy....If I meet my close frds everyday, I am happy.....If my father likes me for who I am, I am happy.....If I can contribute positively to the society, I am happy.....If I can make my Mom proud, I am happy.....eventually it became.....If I make my In-laws happy, I am happy.....If I manage not to fight with Gautam for a week, I am happy.....If Gautam surprises me with something, I am happy.....Basically the "I am happy" always comes with an "If"..... :)

What abt all the other times??....I am not unhappy....if I really think abt it....I am tired/bored/angry/frustrated.....but as soon as it come to my mind....unhappy....no I am not unhappy.....its funny.....

Happiness is relative....but even if there is no "If" present for the happiness.....there is no unhappiness.....or mayb its juss the way I think.....I choose not to be Unhappy....Happy or not.... ;)

Welcome To The US !!

I got married to a guy who lived and worked in the US....After marriage he came bak and left me in India to get a visa....I got my visa 2 months after our marriage.....And I flew to the US.....:)

Air India troubled me in all possible ways....and after tat I (almost) missed my flight from Chicago to Austin....thank God to the "Technical Problems".....the flight got delayed by 5 minutes and I could make it.....So basically after almost 26 hours of no sleep and bad food....and very less water.....i finally reched Austin !!!

I got a welcome similar to any Local Minister in India flying frm Bombay to Pune......There were flowers and a lot of people to welcome me.....I was feeling like a celebrity and was really happy to finally be with my Hubby....and ofcourse damn tired.....wanted to go home and sleep.....and ya eat.....My sis also lives in Austin....So they had a small get-t0-gether at their place to welcome me....we were supposed to stop at her place for sometime before heading home.....

My Jijaji and Jiji came to pick me....Gautam and I were sitting in the bak seat and we started driving towards my sis's place.....I was tired and was asking this every five mins....."How long will it take??".....after 26 hours in moving things.....u wud definately hate the 20 25 mins drive.....

Suddenly, in the middle of the road....a person abt 6 feet tall appeared and stopped the car.....and than came 3 more....in all 4 tall guys with loud voices and caps covering most of their faces were banging on the car windows.....they started threatening and asking for all the money, Cell Phones and Wallets......I was damn scared and confused.....always had an impression tat US is better than India.......road side Loot-Maar is not tat common.....my sis, bro-in-law and hubby gave their wallets to the tall guy.....I didnt know what to think.....i was really zoned out and feeling extremely bad.....all three started saying things like.....it has never happened in austin before....and they all were really tensed.....tat made me feel worst.....didnt wanna go to my sis's place....but every1 started insisting on lets juss stop by for 15 mins.....as soon as we entered.....there was a girl standing with Aarti Thali.....there were abt 15 ppl.....and than comes a Pretty girl with a Thali which was covered with a napkin....and she tells me "We always gift this to any1 who comes to the US for the very first time".....I took the thali and underneath the napkin were all our Wallets, money and Cell phones....well....this is how my "Wud Be" Family greeted me for the very first time.... :) .... "Welcome to the US !! "

Giving Back !!

First of all, I am finally here....I did it....my very first blog ever....always wanted to write something and share it with every1...had all the stories and all the talent (well...i can write in english;) needed....didnt had the inspiration....finally got it....:).....i did something amazing....tat I am so proud of and really wanted to share it with all....

Gautam (my husband) had an offsite last wednesday and his group was going to do some community work....I had nothing important to do so I decided to tag along....

Wednesday was the most windy day of the season....when we started out at 7:00 in the morning I thought the wind is going to blow us away....but fortunately we made it to Georgetown (a place near Austin)....we were among the first few who were on time and were shivering in the early morning wind and cold.....:)

The project is part of 'Habitat for Humanity's effort to provide housing to the lower income group of our society. People receiving these houses are required to perform from 300-500 hours of volunteer work called the sweat equity and they purchase the house with a loan from the Habitat for Humanity group and the mortgage is for 20-30 years with 0% interest. We were to volunteer at one of these construction sites with 5-6 homes being built.

Now comes the most amazing part of the project. The management team. It was a bunch of oldies (all retired). Bob was the leader of the group. He assigned work and divided us in groups to do the work assigned under our leader. The work varied from Dry walling, electric work, to painting the houses. As its a very common observation with these guys, I was assigned the painting job as girls love to paint. Our leader was Shirley and Bill. As we got to work we also started talking. Sirley is retired and doing this volunteer work for almost 3-4 years. She told me that when she was young she always wanted to give back to the society. She had a good life and she wanted to help others achieve the same. And that was not just her. All these cute old guys Bill, Bob, shirley and others were all so excited about building these houses and giving the underpriviledged the satisfaction of owning a home....it was just amazing. I was so pround of myself. I am so happy I was a part of their great work atleast for a day.

It gave me new inspiration. Taught me how to be selfless and do something for others. These dedicated old people, who are supposed to be burdening the new generation were actually helping the new, young generation to achieve their dreams. These guys have shown me the satisfaction of selfless work. Their glowing smiles and satisfied look at the end of a hard day's work lifts u up. One cant help but be thankful to god for such wonderful people who are willing to take responsibilities and make it a better world for everyone. Thats the way these guys are "Giving Back".