Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Monday, July 16, 2012
I have crossed over....
To my brand new blog:
thelady8home.com
Please please come visit my there. You will find loads of happening stuff there that keeps any household ticking.
http//:thelady8home.com
I realized early on that managing the home is the most underrated and overworked jobs in the universe. Be it someone who works as a full time homemaker or is a professional working on deadlines, there is no escaping the humdrum routines of home life. I am very passionate about having a lively home atmosphere, and I love to share my passion. DIY ideas around the house, mouthwatering recipes, Housekeeping tips to K9 care - I have it all covered. Please feel at home with the thelady8home!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Last week, we went to Coronado Island. We had our dogs with us. Naturally we went looking for a food joint which had seating outside. When we found one, we actually had to wait 15 minutes before a table cleared up and we could sit.
The question is, we were waiting to be seated outside because of the dogs. However, the place had at least a dozen other tables and they were all full, and not one table had a dog for a reason to sit outside. All these people were there just because…they were outside!!
The Island of Coronado is beautiful, surrounded as it is by the Pacific on all sides, with beautiful beaches, walkways, golf courses, parks and buildings. This food joint too was a pretty little place, it wasn’t anywhere near any of the above mentioned attarctions. True, it was in the downtown, but lets face it, it’s no Paris or London. In fact, it’s not even green, grassy or remotedly fancy. Our finest view from where we were sitting was the back of cars horizontally parked by the sidewalk right next to us. Come to think of it, not only the pedestrian walking right behind us could see that little tomato peaking out of my sandwich, but the Honda City which pulled up right behind me could actually sniff at my plate. Not to mention my closest companion was a parking meter!
Oh, and did I mention the bicycle which almost crashed into the table next to us because the bicyclist was too busy admiring our dogs?
What is this fascination with dining ‘outside’?
When we were at Rhode Island, we considered it summer the moment it stopped snowing for the last time according to the weather forecast. The barbeques were aired, cleaned and hauled back to life. Some of us lugged an entire refrigerator out and filled it up with all the ‘wrong-for-you’ designated drinks, just to lounge back and enjoy our cold drinks in the hot, flee infested outdoors right under the blazing sun. All this so that we could eat…outside!
Just like animals do.
Come summer, and we leave our climate controlled cool kitchen confines to struggle over a Barbeque grill in the sweltering heat trying to get that chicken or the veggie piece grilled just right. We lather sunscreen all over us, spray some bug repellants and then sit under the baking sun, braving wind,rain and mosquitoes. Just so that we can say ‘hey, we are dining al fresco’! Oh, and we forgot to bring out the napkins. Let me get the ketchup. Get the glasses please. Please fetch some ice. Can you get me the spoon from inside? Not that spoon, the other one.
Whenever I let Leo (my dog) out into the yard, he is back in minutes, his nose pressed against the door. He wants in, not out! Yet we spend thousands of $$ to pretty up our backyards with dining tables, chairs, grills, pools etc , all so that we can have our guests leave the comfort of our home, step outside and exclaim, “oh! How lovely”. Never mind she is squinting in the sun, getting sun burned, or even developing a headache from all those rays. She loves it.
Lets face it, so do we. We get ready, don are lovely sun dresses, and step inside a climate controlled softly lit restaurant full of empty tables, and ask hopefully, “Do you have a table outside?’. Now if the ‘outside’ was in the lush greens, or by a river or overlooking an ocean, I would understand. But most likely, its right across a parking lot, or Home Depot or, if you are lucky, a fancy Imax theatre (or a Walmart if you are not). Yet we wait patiently in line for a chance to sit outside and enjoy....what? The humid 90 degree sun? The bugs? Scrunching the eyes? The bees? All that yelling going on around us because the passing cars and trucks drown our voice? The flying napkins? The mile long walk to the restroom?
Ironically, I too am a part of it and mind you, I do not mind it at all! This weekend was devoted to getting our backyard ready for the summer. Maybe I too have decided to take a leaf out of those fancy English/ Italian movies which made dining outside a fashion. Never mind their gardens were lush, and that they had servants. Or perhaps my inspiration was the grazing of all those cows and sheep I saw in my childhood….maybe they don’t know any better, but hey, they do seem to enjoy eating outside. And maybe its quite foolish, but so do I!
And I just forgot the ice. Can you please fetch some, Neil?
The question is, we were waiting to be seated outside because of the dogs. However, the place had at least a dozen other tables and they were all full, and not one table had a dog for a reason to sit outside. All these people were there just because…they were outside!!
The Island of Coronado is beautiful, surrounded as it is by the Pacific on all sides, with beautiful beaches, walkways, golf courses, parks and buildings. This food joint too was a pretty little place, it wasn’t anywhere near any of the above mentioned attarctions. True, it was in the downtown, but lets face it, it’s no Paris or London. In fact, it’s not even green, grassy or remotedly fancy. Our finest view from where we were sitting was the back of cars horizontally parked by the sidewalk right next to us. Come to think of it, not only the pedestrian walking right behind us could see that little tomato peaking out of my sandwich, but the Honda City which pulled up right behind me could actually sniff at my plate. Not to mention my closest companion was a parking meter!
Oh, and did I mention the bicycle which almost crashed into the table next to us because the bicyclist was too busy admiring our dogs?
What is this fascination with dining ‘outside’?
When we were at Rhode Island, we considered it summer the moment it stopped snowing for the last time according to the weather forecast. The barbeques were aired, cleaned and hauled back to life. Some of us lugged an entire refrigerator out and filled it up with all the ‘wrong-for-you’ designated drinks, just to lounge back and enjoy our cold drinks in the hot, flee infested outdoors right under the blazing sun. All this so that we could eat…outside!
Just like animals do.
Come summer, and we leave our climate controlled cool kitchen confines to struggle over a Barbeque grill in the sweltering heat trying to get that chicken or the veggie piece grilled just right. We lather sunscreen all over us, spray some bug repellants and then sit under the baking sun, braving wind,rain and mosquitoes. Just so that we can say ‘hey, we are dining al fresco’! Oh, and we forgot to bring out the napkins. Let me get the ketchup. Get the glasses please. Please fetch some ice. Can you get me the spoon from inside? Not that spoon, the other one.
Whenever I let Leo (my dog) out into the yard, he is back in minutes, his nose pressed against the door. He wants in, not out! Yet we spend thousands of $$ to pretty up our backyards with dining tables, chairs, grills, pools etc , all so that we can have our guests leave the comfort of our home, step outside and exclaim, “oh! How lovely”. Never mind she is squinting in the sun, getting sun burned, or even developing a headache from all those rays. She loves it.
Lets face it, so do we. We get ready, don are lovely sun dresses, and step inside a climate controlled softly lit restaurant full of empty tables, and ask hopefully, “Do you have a table outside?’. Now if the ‘outside’ was in the lush greens, or by a river or overlooking an ocean, I would understand. But most likely, its right across a parking lot, or Home Depot or, if you are lucky, a fancy Imax theatre (or a Walmart if you are not). Yet we wait patiently in line for a chance to sit outside and enjoy....what? The humid 90 degree sun? The bugs? Scrunching the eyes? The bees? All that yelling going on around us because the passing cars and trucks drown our voice? The flying napkins? The mile long walk to the restroom?
Ironically, I too am a part of it and mind you, I do not mind it at all! This weekend was devoted to getting our backyard ready for the summer. Maybe I too have decided to take a leaf out of those fancy English/ Italian movies which made dining outside a fashion. Never mind their gardens were lush, and that they had servants. Or perhaps my inspiration was the grazing of all those cows and sheep I saw in my childhood….maybe they don’t know any better, but hey, they do seem to enjoy eating outside. And maybe its quite foolish, but so do I!
And I just forgot the ice. Can you please fetch some, Neil?
Monday, June 1, 2009
Bookie....
A very close friend wants me to answer these questions....so here I go.
1) What author do you own the most books by?
Judith Mcnaught and Hardy Boys.
2) What book do you own the most copies of?
Gone with the Wind, 2 of them, both gifts from friends.
3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
As long as they are not propositions of any kind, it's fine by me!
4) What book have you read the most times in your life?
I have read quite a few.
Pride and Prejudice has been an all time favourite. Pillars of the Earth is another one I have read several times.
5) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
Shadow the Sheepdog by Enid Blyton
6) What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?
The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chavalier. The protagonist Ella is so whiny, selfish and vapid that I lost steam 1/3 rd into the book. It would have been so much better if the author had focused on Isabelle instead, rather than trying to contrive a connection between the two women born centuries apart. To make it worse, the connection at the end seemed pretty pointless. Some parts were extremely touching, others so far fetched and ridiculous that I ended up rolling my eyes and snorting in disgust. The ending was the last straw.
7) What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
8.) If you could force everyone to read one book, what would it be?
The Prophet by Khalil Gibran.
9) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for literature?
Dear me! I have to now start on the translated works as English writers seldom get a Nobel Prize.
10) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Not a Penny More and Not a Penny less - a wonderful feel good book which will make for a brilliant comedy if executed properly.
11) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
A Thousand splendid Suns - some stories are best left alone in their original form.
12) What is the most lowbrow book you’ve read as an adult?
The Bourne Legacy by Eric van Lustbader. Someone wanted the Bourne legacy to be continued after Ludlum's death, so they found Lustbader. Lustbader decided to ruin Jason Bourne beyond redemption once and for all so that he would never ever be called to write about Bourne again. Nauseating two dimentional caricature of the once very human, multi dimensional and beleivable Jason Bourne and a crappy story. A must miss.
13) What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?
Mila 18 - it's heartbreaking.
14) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare.
15) Austen or Eliot?
Jane Austen anyday
16) What is your favorite novel?
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
17) Play?
The Winslow Boy by Terrance Rattigan, Tugluq by Girish Karnad.
18) Short story?
The face on the wall by E.V. Lucas, Parson's pleasure by Roald Dahl
19) Work of non-fiction?
Anne frank - Diary of a young girl
20) Who is your favourite writer?
I cannot name just one person. There are several who come to my mind - M.M Kaye, Ayn Rand, Khalid Hosseini has just joined the list, Ken Follet, Elizabeth Chadwick, Eric Segal, Leon Uris in historical fiction, William Dehl, Sydney Sheldon, Jeffery Archer, Ken Follet, Robert Ludlum in Thrillers, Judith Mcnaught, Lisa Kleypass, Brenda Joyce in historical romance, Susan Elizabeth Phillips in contemporary romance etc etc. Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Charolette Bronte, Mark twain, and of course Shakespeare.....the list is endless!
1) What author do you own the most books by?
Judith Mcnaught and Hardy Boys.
2) What book do you own the most copies of?
Gone with the Wind, 2 of them, both gifts from friends.
3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
As long as they are not propositions of any kind, it's fine by me!
4) What book have you read the most times in your life?
I have read quite a few.
Pride and Prejudice has been an all time favourite. Pillars of the Earth is another one I have read several times.
5) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
Shadow the Sheepdog by Enid Blyton
6) What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?
The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chavalier. The protagonist Ella is so whiny, selfish and vapid that I lost steam 1/3 rd into the book. It would have been so much better if the author had focused on Isabelle instead, rather than trying to contrive a connection between the two women born centuries apart. To make it worse, the connection at the end seemed pretty pointless. Some parts were extremely touching, others so far fetched and ridiculous that I ended up rolling my eyes and snorting in disgust. The ending was the last straw.
7) What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
8.) If you could force everyone to read one book, what would it be?
The Prophet by Khalil Gibran.
9) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for literature?
Dear me! I have to now start on the translated works as English writers seldom get a Nobel Prize.
10) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Not a Penny More and Not a Penny less - a wonderful feel good book which will make for a brilliant comedy if executed properly.
11) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
A Thousand splendid Suns - some stories are best left alone in their original form.
12) What is the most lowbrow book you’ve read as an adult?
The Bourne Legacy by Eric van Lustbader. Someone wanted the Bourne legacy to be continued after Ludlum's death, so they found Lustbader. Lustbader decided to ruin Jason Bourne beyond redemption once and for all so that he would never ever be called to write about Bourne again. Nauseating two dimentional caricature of the once very human, multi dimensional and beleivable Jason Bourne and a crappy story. A must miss.
13) What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?
Mila 18 - it's heartbreaking.
14) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare.
15) Austen or Eliot?
Jane Austen anyday
16) What is your favorite novel?
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
17) Play?
The Winslow Boy by Terrance Rattigan, Tugluq by Girish Karnad.
18) Short story?
The face on the wall by E.V. Lucas, Parson's pleasure by Roald Dahl
19) Work of non-fiction?
Anne frank - Diary of a young girl
20) Who is your favourite writer?
I cannot name just one person. There are several who come to my mind - M.M Kaye, Ayn Rand, Khalid Hosseini has just joined the list, Ken Follet, Elizabeth Chadwick, Eric Segal, Leon Uris in historical fiction, William Dehl, Sydney Sheldon, Jeffery Archer, Ken Follet, Robert Ludlum in Thrillers, Judith Mcnaught, Lisa Kleypass, Brenda Joyce in historical romance, Susan Elizabeth Phillips in contemporary romance etc etc. Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Charolette Bronte, Mark twain, and of course Shakespeare.....the list is endless!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Super Student indeed
Friday, son came back with Super Student of the Month award and he got to lunch exclusively with the principal. His parents, obviously were thrilled to bits. Though, till now, don't really know what he exactly achieved to get that award......to us, he never ever studies, always busy with his legos, psp or Discovery.
This Saturday went in a rush of shopping haze. I haven't shopped for an Indian get up in years. Some sarees and kurtis here and there sufficed. A party invitation sent me to some exclusive Indian garment shops in Artesia. While browsing through some salwar selections, came across this beautiful lehenga - deep pink and black. Felt like a bride wearing it. Bought it - the whole exercise of choosing, trying, getting it fit, matching jewellery etc etc was more thrilling than the party itself, which incidentally was a dead bore. Loads of people, free drinks, and lots of noise. Sushi was the only interesting part in the whole affair. And my outfit :)
This Saturday went in a rush of shopping haze. I haven't shopped for an Indian get up in years. Some sarees and kurtis here and there sufficed. A party invitation sent me to some exclusive Indian garment shops in Artesia. While browsing through some salwar selections, came across this beautiful lehenga - deep pink and black. Felt like a bride wearing it. Bought it - the whole exercise of choosing, trying, getting it fit, matching jewellery etc etc was more thrilling than the party itself, which incidentally was a dead bore. Loads of people, free drinks, and lots of noise. Sushi was the only interesting part in the whole affair. And my outfit :)
Monday, January 26, 2009
An Era gone by
I have never blogged. I have been following some, astounded at the flow of expressions that flow from the heart of so many. Giving away so much, yet so little. I have never chronicled my days of my life either. I wish I had - the pages would have been easy to flip and then colour them anew. Now all that remains are memories - of shared innocence, of jubliant triumphs that meant so much at that moment of time, of agonising pain of childhood dissapointments, of relief that some tasks are over. Ah! Innocence, of pretend playing, of missed opportunities, best friends and mortal enemies - all have now blended into a one whole picture getting hazy over time. Reasons do not mean so much any more, laughs over those eventful days more precious. Some life changing decisions taken in a split of a second, the magnitude of the moment not registering for so long.
An era gone by.
An era gone by.
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