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From the yearly archives:

2009

Chain letters & emails

Those glorious days when I reel with anguish awaiting for Pa’s letter. Pa was pretty much working out station most of our child hood. We relied on snail-mail services as point of communication. But one day, things went awfully bad when I opened a letter addressed to Ma. It was a chain letter, something I was not sure at that time. When I confronted Ma, she was quite bemused and rigid.

Remember those good ol’ days chain letter fiasco’s? It’s not the end—I keep getting them in my e-mailbox! Sigh! Is it just me, or does it spell omen? I am not superstitious, but I try not to get it in my head nor risking any one. By following my instincts, I thought, “why not just forward this email as requested in the chain letter?”. Trust me, I am a risk taker, but chain letter’s like these freaks me out! I proceed forwarding the chain emails to everyone on my mailing list. I feel for them. Seriously I do. Sigh. Do you get any chain emails lately?

Don’t you dare spam me with all those chain emails – Yes, I admit getting freaked out—one of my petty weaknesses. But I am also very good at returning the favor, if you know what I mean 😀


Update: For those who are unfamiliar with chain letters, you can read all about it here.


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Happy Independence India!

India – a country with lush history, boundless spirits, cultural richness, abundance of humility and a haven of food. The list is long, but allow me to summarize it – there is nothing like our INDIA :)

August 15th, it reminds us of our struggles and the responsibilities as a citizen. Though we are independent from an occupier, the true independence lies when the weakest amongst us would be able to live his or her dreams, no matter how big or small it may be, or how varied we all are in terms of color, religion and caste.

Independence is not merely a destination, but a journey which should be cherished by every Indian, in every breath and moment of our lives. Though we have come a long way, we need to strive for greater heights ahead.

Jai Hind!

Kiran & Tarun

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Travelogue Part 2 – Insomnia

Love life, engage in it, give it all you’ve got. Love it with a passion, because life truly does give back, many times over, what you put into it – Maya Angelou.

I can’t recall when was the last time I actually slept for 6 hours or so. The max was 3 hours. For months. It was grueling. And was about to be even more nightmarish :) The flight from Orlando to Amsterdam, though pleasant, I could not sleep a wink!

Clear blue sky!

Clear blue sky!

Gazing into Netherlands

Gazing into Netherlands

Arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport on 17th Feb 2009, at 11:30am. It’s freaking chilly! As I make my way towards the baggage carousel, I realized that I did not know which carousel would have my luggage. So, the panicky girl I am – I panicked! Calm down Kiran, there is nothing to worry about. So what if these people spoke more Dutch than English? I approached an officer on duty, and with a sigh of relief, he explained to me where I would get my carousel information. In English! Yay! Hail O’ Netherlanders!

I claimed my luggage and walk towards customs and security, with a breeze. It was a “touch and go” security. At God’s speed. Har*, Jessy* & Tas** was constantly on sms with me, awaiting for my arrival. Very sweet of them 🙂 Meeting them – with teary eyes, laughter & smiles – after a very long time. Bitter sweet reunion. Thank god Jessy brought a jacket and scarf for me. It’s freakishly cold! What’s wrong with the EU weather? It was chilly, dark and gloomy.

Jessy & Tass apartment :)

Jessy & Tas's apartment 🙂

We headed towards Jessy & Tas’s apartment, where I was greeted with warmth from the heater and amazing scent of home made food. Pure bliss. We ate, laughed, shared stories and exchanged gifts for one another. Though extremely exhausted – not sleepy – the feeling of content, being surrounded by family are beyond words.

18th February 2009 – We decided to stay put at home due to my lack of sleep, exhaustion and jet lag. The next day was my next direct flight, and this time, the destination would be Malaysia – Truly Asia. I barely slept at all :) Perhaps due to excitement?

Part 3 coming up, stay tuned!

…

Click here to read my previous Travelogue’s.

* my sister’s

** my brother in-law

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Before and after

As part of my grand plan of setting new year resolutions, I have made some subtle improvements to our home interior. I am not an interior designer, mind you – considered warned if you need my advise in this department – If you have or given the right materials, tools, accessories, and theme, this task of re-decorating can be as simple as reciting your favorite song – without a tune, which is so much easier. The photos begins with the formal dining room, living room, kitchen and butler’s pantry. Butler’s pantry are commonly used for extra storage. Personally, I use it “buffet” style when we entertain family’s and friend’s. It’s very convenient when the dining table is not occupied with platters of food.

I have made some improvements in other areas of the house as well. Feast on the photos below:

We do not use the breakfast bar during meals – instead it is now a pedestal for my beloved indoor plants :)

I love indoor plants! In fact, I am planning to salvage some of my pots and pans and turn it into planters. Very green and economical.

Our favorite venue, especially during the summers. Endless BBQ’ing. The planters are filled with seasonal fresh herbs such as basil, rosemary, mint and curry leaves. Sigh, I can never live without curry leaves :D

Money plant! I heard many myths about money plant. So far, it fails to amuse me. People, stop spreading myths!

This is a very cute toilet placard :D My sister bought it for us from Amsterdam. We are so depended on Google Maps, and now we need a placard over the toilet door?

I need help on wall coloring as well. Do you think I need to paint different colors on my wall? Currently the walls are beige, all over the house! Suggestions on colors would be great :)

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Any progress?

The first half of 2009 has surpassed without any warning. Time flies huh? I guess it’s time to revisit the ol’ new year resolutions I’d made. Why did I had to? Why? Anyways..

1) Develop a new skill or revisit an old one. I’ve started a small cross-stitching project. Nothing huge, just to rekindle the memories of old school handicraft classes that I took back then. I would take on knitting projects in future. For that, I need to Google.

2) Get fit or develop a healthy diet. I am back on the treadmill and so is Tarun. Whilst grocery shopping, we’ve also developed a habit of reading nutrition labels. It is important to know what and how much goes into food preparation rather than assuming. Prevention is always better than cure my friends.

3) Get more organized – virtually. My laptop is such a let-down these days. But it has stayed on with me, through thick and thin. I have since backed up, deleted and did some housekeeping. But the performance is not at par. Despite all this, we still went ahead with our domain name registration and self-hosting. Adventurous, I must say.

4) Spend more time with friends. I’ve been to a couple of dinners and catching-up sessions with friends. I foresee more gathering’s in future. Cheers to that!

5) Catch up on reading. I was introduced to Sophie Kinsella’s Shopholic series and I am hooked! I am currently reading Undomestic Goddess. And yes, Sophie wrote it.

6) Begin a home improvement project. Does interior decorating counts? I have no background or experience but I must say the transformation is not all that bad. Before and after photos are coming up later.

7) Get more involved in community and charity. We are involved in a charity for the Disabled American Veteran’s. And back in India, we are consistently donating food supplies to the less fortune’s.

8) Blog often. It’s an ongoing process. Now that we have our website to manage, people might view it more of an obligation to blog. But for me, blogging should be more about being responsible, expressive and less about obligation. Freedom of speech in writing, who am I to object it?

9) Begin a personal project. I am into photography these days. Nikon D60 is my new toy.

10) Meet and greet neighbors often. It’s an ongoing process. There are a couple of neighbors just moved into their new home. Giving them time to settle into their new environment. Welcome to the neighborhood :)

So, tell me. Any progress with your new year resolution?

On a separate topic, we are expecting some major changes in our lives, and I have been preparing and researching so much about it. There have been several and on-going soul-searching sessions between me and Tarun before decision making. I am sure some of your curiosity thermometer is peaking at the highest of reading. I can’t reveal something that is undecided at the moment. Not even a gist. Sigh.

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