Songs green in my memory ...

There are so many "Evergreen" songs in Bollywood that it would be hard for me to narrow down my top 10 favorites. (although "Kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nisar is undoubtedly my Top 1 ... lyrics - such depth, music - top notch, rendition - Mukehs's best)

 Anyways, this post is not about the "Evergreen" top favorites, but those songs which continue to be green ... meaning songs I heard growing up, never were my favorite (if I may add) and yet are etched in my memory for ever.
 The other day I was watching "Zee TV Annu Kapoor led Antakshi" on youtube and some of the songs featured I heard after many many years and yet, I could sing along perfectly not missing a beat. I truly surprised myself.

 For starters, the Antakshari title song, I sang along so well, as though I had been practicing it all these years everyday ... then there were songs like "Noorani Chehrewali ..., Subah Subah jab Khidki khole .. etc" that I sang effortlessly.

I thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing those songs ... 

Movies watches lately

Naanu Nanna Kanasu - 4 star

Wake up Sid - 3 star

3 Idiots - 3.5 star

Avatar - 2 star

Rajneeti - 2.5 star

Pyar Impossible - 1 star ( did not ... rather could not complete it)

Don (SRK) - 3 star

Singh is Kingg - 3 star

Athiti Kab Jaoge - 3 star

ps: Lately is past 6 months :) only Naanu Nanna Kanasu was watched in theatre :)

POWER OUTAGE

Its amazing how life comes to a stand still in the US with a power outage. This morning, with no warnings there was a power outage in our area. A very rare occurrence for sure. We were already tossing in the bed around 5:30am because of the humidity when the power went out. That woke me up instantly.

 I am known in the family for waking up from my deepest sleep within a second the fan in the room is turned off. It was already dawn .. but I didn't know what I could do being awake. So I lay on my bed. The things we missed:

* A fan to keep the room

* Stove to make fresh tea

* Stove to prepare breakfast / pack lunch

* Lights in the hallway / bathroom

* Garage key since the opener wouldn't function

* My cordless phone

* Internet connection

It was almost our entire morning had come to a halt. Thankfully the power resumed around 7:40 am and we were back to our normal morning routine.

2009 begins....

I am back to work after a short break ... I had got adjusted quite well to staying home and spending time with family. Hubby could not resist the idea of spending time with family and he decided to take a break as well. It was simply great and relaxing ... but it could have been spectacular if:
* My mom's visa extension did not get rejected on the first day of my break and she had to make immediate plans to leaving the country.
* My sister had told me she would go with mom to India and get some rest. (she had a baby recently and was hoping mom would help her)
* Company did not force me to study for the certifications (I cleared it :))

Did I make that sound as if I had terrible holidays ... well No. We spent as much time as possible with Mom, sister before they left. We went out for lunch / dinner just to get away from cooking. My cousin and his wife visited us and we went to Downtown sight seeing. (any day / anytime ... that will cheer me) We attended a modest New Year Party and I cleared one of the 3 pending certifications.

So, now I am back to work and it doesn't feel too good ... especially since some of the team members have worked during the break and expect others to be doing so as well. So, the first day after break, I am asked to give my inputs on a 90+ functional spec within 2 hrs of handing over the same to me. I almost wanted to yell back at the person who expected that ... but thankfully restrained myself.

2009 has started on a quiet note for me ... anything eventful for you?

PLEASE REMIND ME ....

the kannada serial name which had introductory song that goes

Kaala Munde ... Naavu Hinde ... Jhootaata Jhootata ...

It was aired at 3:30pm weekdays ...

PLEASE REMIND ME ....

Musical interests ...

Ever wondered...

why we say 2008 as Two thousand eight, while we say 1997 as Nineteen Ninety seven?
Why don't we say Twenty zero eight OR One thousand nine hundred Ninety seven ? (I know some of us say Nineteen hundred ninety seven)

Hmmm ... I am thinking why ... you tell me.

Morning obsession

I had never tasted or tea for about 23 years of life. My parents (mother in particular) thought that caffeine would further thin my already slim physique. So when hubby ordered 2 teas during our Manali trip, I didn't know how to react. I was newly married and he didn't know my tastes / preferences. It was a very cold evening and we had been driving for almost 5 hours and were naturally tired and hungry. I desperately wanted to drink something hot and perhaps eat something spicy too. Obviously I couldn't get hot Bournvita in a road side tea stall and so I decided to try out "Chai" for the first time in my life. The tea stall owner gave us steaming hot cups and the aroma was itself very very inviting. My unsure self, took the first sip with a lot of apprehension. But one sip and I knew I had missed something so divine for such a long time in my life. I just fell in love with that cup of tea. (of course, I haven't tasted that special tea till date)
And so, I started drinking tea occasionally... gradually it become a habit. It replaced my morning cup of Bournvita and now it is almost an obsession. First thing in the morning, I need my steaming hot cup of tea.
I like my tea light and spicy ... little milk and mix of spices. I love it when I add ginger, 1 cardamom, 1 clove and just a bit of cinnamon. Over the years I have also learnt that boiling water with the spices and sugar for an extended time and then adding tea leaves and milk gives a totally unique taste. My taste buds jump with joy every morning when I drink the first tea sip. Its extra special to me since hubby makes that perfect tea for me. I prefer nothing to come between me and my tea during the morning. 5 minutes of divinity with my morning tea and I am good to tackle the long day with a smile. Disturb my morning tea time and I will grunt about something or the other for the next 2 hours ... well thats me :)

Simple pleasures ... and a milestone

Your everyday routine starts before sunrise ... you rush through the preparation of breakfast / tea, get 2 kids ready for school / day care (this takes more effort than one can ever imagine), pack lunch to self, kids, spouse, get the kid to do some reading / writing ... drop the kids off to school / day care ... work in office ... rush back home to energized kids , play with them, clean up the mess they have done, prepare dinner, do the dishes .... squeeze many more tasks in between ...
Thats one insane day if you ask me... and that is how MY weekday looks like.

So amidst this madness, if spouse and I squeeze in game of Carrom (unplanned) ... well thats priceless. Its such a simple pleasure.
Thats what happened yesterday ... we played a game of Carrom, with my elder daughter cheering us and younger one cooing every now and then.

Its a different thing that I lost the game 9-0 .... well my defense I couldn't concentrate .... too much cheering and cooing :)))

And on that note, I finish my 100th post !!
Hurray !! Cheers to me !!

Matadaana ...err ... Voting

And so Barrack Obama is the 44th President of USA. The votes were cast on the 4th Nov 08 and result announced the very same night !
This day brought back memories of my voting experiences when in India. I got to vote the first time as soon as I turned 18 ... I think it was for Corporation election. The enthusiasm of voting for the first time, the pride of feeling a responsible adult, strong belief of making a difference to the country ... and many more emotions were experienced by me at that point. My great grandma, (muttajji) who was a vociferous reader and a great enthusiast in politics was my motivator. She must have been around 85+ at that time and still was very keen on casting her vote. She was a retired head mistress who stayed in my grandma's house (her only daughter) After following the local newspapers and learning about the election contestants and the political party they represented I cast my all important vote at a near by college.
I remember showing the "Black Ink" mark (an indication of having voted) on my nail to my friends and debating with them what the outcome of the election would be ...

I got to vote the second time when Lok Sabha elections were held ... again I ensured my id was right .. went early to the booth and cast my vote. And that was the last time I cast my vote ... I moved to a different city and then to a different country, so have been unable to experience the sheer satisfaction of casting my precious vote.

Do you remember your first voting experience?

Gifting

When I was a kid, my parents bought us new clothes for very special occasions:
* Festivals : usually Ugadi, Ganesha Gowri habba, Deepavali ... sometimes for Sankrathi
* Birthday : No questions asked ... all my birthdays they bought me new clothes
* Important Family event: Like wedding of a very close relative

Rarely there were other occasions like when we going on a holiday or after securing good percentage in exams I would get new clothes.

And boy, there was superlative excitement each time I got new clothes. I don't remember ever going shopping for my clothes though. Somehow anything my parents bought was accepted by me. My sister got clothes for the same occasions as well, but she preferred selecting her clothes.

Today, I longer wait to buy clothes for occasions... may be I buy them before a vacation, but thats about it. There is no more charm ... in fact there is no more charm is getting gifts any more. Heck ... no one gifts me ... If I need something, I have to buy it myself :)

Tele Time

There was a time when I watched television no matter what was aired .... and my parents kept asking me to switch it off ... not because they objected me seeing what was aired, but because I saw it too much. These days the parents have to really be careful and screen the programs very carefully, before allowing the kids to watch television. (especially if they are of old school of thoughts like me)
Not getting into the debate of what is reasonable television time or what should kids be allowed to watch, let me recollect what I watched as a kid and now. (who knows I may forget the programs I watch now as they are not so etched into my memory as the ones I watched growing up)
During my school days: (pre-teen)
* Nukkad - Monday
* Buniyaad (tuesday / saturday)
* Khandaan (I did not follow this one keenly - wednesday)
* Satyajit Ray presents (thursday)
* Yeh jo hai Zindagi (friday)
* Quiz time (Siddartha Basu / Kavitha) (sunday)
* Giant Robert (thursday)
* Munnota (sunday)
* Sutta Mutta (sunday / monday)
* World of sport(sunday)
* Vikram aur Betaal (sunday)
* Dada Dadi ki kahaniyaan (sunday)
* Kachchi Dhoop (sunday)
* He-Man (sunday)
* Hum panchi ek daal ke (sunday)
* Chitrahaar (wednesday)
* Show Theme (saturday)
* DD's comedy show (saturday)
* Subah (wednesay)
* Trishna (sunday ??? - more like Pride and Prejudice)
* Chunauti (saturday)
* UGC programs
* Namma Nammalli

Some programs during my teens
* Neev (sunday)
* Indradhanush (sunday)
* Sanskrit news (sunday)
* Ramayan (sunday)
* Mahabharat (sunday)
* Chikka Chikki (sunday)
* Nirmaleya Saakshi (tuesday ???)
* Kashish (wednesday)
* Flop show
* Alpha Plus (quiz program)
* Sword of Tipu Sultan (what a master piece of music this one had when during the titles)
* Jungle Book
* Swabhimaan

All the above programs were televised on Doordarshan

Some of the programs I watched on cable TV were
* Sa re ga ma (TVS - Sonu Nigam)
* Close up Antakshari (occasionally)
* Henna (only couple of episodes)
* Saaya (only couple of episodes)
* Saans (Neena Gupta serial)

And what do I watch now ... actually nothing really is very interesting, but I watch
* Survivor series (people can be so manipulative ... really !!)
* ...

As can be seen, my interest with TV drastically reduced with time.