Wednesday, May 21, 2008

things that make you go hmmm

To be without desire is to be content. But contentment is not happiness. And in contentment there is no progress. Happiness is to desire something, to work for it, and to obtain at least a part of it. In the pursuit of beloved labor the busy days pass cheerfully employed, and the still nights in peaceful sleep.

For labor born of desire is not drudgerey, but manly play. Success brings hope, hope inspires fresh desire, and desire gives zest to life and joy to labor. This is true whether your days be spent in the palaces of the powerful or in some little green byway of the world.

Therefore, while yet you have the strength, cherish a desire to do some useful work in your little corner of the world, and have the steadfastness to labor. For this is the way to the happy life; with health and endearing ties, it is the way to the glorious life.

Max Ehrmann
1872 - 1945

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Being Childless

I could never foresee how traumatic this would be for me. Have not seen everything in life but seen some, might even say I am fairly tough, but this one is a bummer. Time and again it surfaces and its like a never ending black hole. Very few things in life actually manage to set me back, so much so that it scares the shit out of me , but this one..i can not explain, is like a ...
The need to care, share and love, is but natural and for me it's a right that is taken away which comes to millions naturally. I can question a hundred "why me's " but that really doesn't take me anywhere does it?

Some people would encourage me about how fortunate it is and how it is peer pressure that is controlling me, but i know deep inside that is not the case.

Being childfree is a choice, being childless is a state of NO choice.Wait, maybe there are choices that we are blind to..at least most are.

Sometimes I don't even know why I am going through these tests, these treatments, I DO NOT want to do it. The more I do it, the more stupid I feel. Its against every grain of my being. I believe in things coming naturally. If this isn't meant to be, so be it, maybe there is a different road to take. Every day I lose a day, adding another day miserable about not being able to do something that will make my life whole.

I have always wanted to adopt, even when I was not aware that conception would be difficult. Sometimes its family, sometimes its us, sometimes its this and sometimes its that. I feel angry and upset, that everything around me is moving , except for me to do what I have always wanted to. It really isn't much to ask, and I know I have never willed anyone , ANYONE ill in my life, rather I have tried to keep most happy around me. Sometimes I think, that is where the problem lies, I have probably bent over backwards trying to maintain a balance, in the process screwing up my own.
I can scream it out how much it hurts, how pointless it feels, there is no one to hear.
Every one is so caught up in the present, in themselves, their thoughts, their values, their morals... and I am so sick and tired of it all.

"Desiderata" (Latin for "desired things") is an inspirational poem about attaining happiness in life. It was first copyrighted in 1927 by Max Ehrmann.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Vagabond

" A vagabond is characterized by almost continuous travelling, lacking a fixed home, temporary abode, or permanent residence. "

Hmmm ... That actually makes me think, when ever things come to a standstill, that's exactly what gets me back on track, so does that make me one?
Travelling has always gotten me excited, be it planning it, or actually doing it, everything about it smells new experiences, new beginnings. I wonder why others would not do the same, start with clean new sheet, especially when you've got a block.
I sure have one huge one!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Tata buys Jaguar in £1.15bn deal

Whoah!!!!
have to paint mine tri color now..weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

"I read this several months ago somewhere but can't for the life of me recall exactly where. Anyway, the article had said that the chairman of the Indian Railway Board at the turn of the last century when the British ruled India, a Sir Upcott, was so skeptical of the fledgling Tata, that he had rather cockily announced that he would eat every pound of steel used in the construction of the railways that Tata could produce that actually met the exacting British standards.

It is said that in the two decades that followed he suffered from severe indigestion. biggrin.gif

No doubt the Mittal-Arcelor merger, spurred Tata to expand to S.E. Asia last year. They're bidding for Some Russian and S. African companies as well."

chk this out
http://eternalsensation.blogspot.com/2007/01/mr-frederick-upcott-we-have-26-million.html

Monday, March 24, 2008

Holi 2008

As usual, it was the 3rd year hosting holi and every time i see the house after it is over i wonder why i volunteer!!!?
But we love celebrating it and it was good fun.
The only thing being i couldnt play very much myself as Puddles rendered my Arm broken the night before while trying to catch a ball!
Here go the photos...

Nice...

The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning. ~Ivy Baker Priest

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Tired...Very tired !

Don't know why i have been feeling tired. Almost everyday goes by , getting up, working and then sleeping. All of a sudden and the day is over before you know it. Work is dragging to a close slowly, thank goodness !
I am getting a little tired of this project now :(. cath's work is almost done from my end so hopefully it will wrap up fast. The new dining table is looking nice and picked up a new office chair for myself.
This week i also went for what is officially in my books the worst concert ever! The Dubai Desert Rock! 250 dhs down the drain and a crick in my neck for a concert that was neither in the desert and nor rock but pure noise! Poor souls here trying to make the best of worse, for the lack of knowing any better!
The weekend is going to be busy as well, with Rohit coming down from states! So no sleep quota making up for me! A little annoying actually though it will be nice to see them again after so long...or may be not!
For now life sucks..nothing in particular wrong, but just dead boring...

Sunday, March 02, 2008

My Dogs have Ticks !!!!!

Past 2 weeks have been trying to get rid of the ticks on Phoebe and Puddles that the stupid cat has brought in!. It belongs to our landlord but lives in our house and we feed him, but i have no clue if he is inoculated or clean, but he surely brought the ticks in..grrrrrrrrrrrr.
I have since last night taken it upon myself to rifd the pets and the house and the garden of them...here comes - ME!

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Weekend Fujairah Trip

Musandam got cancelled because of stormy weather so the camping gear is still sitting under the bed! We headed out to Fujairah instead and this time via RAK. The drive was different through more mountainous terrain. We went to Sandy Beach and had a chalet this time. Frankly it was not as bad as expatwoman paints it out to be. We swam, bar be qued and then Sandeep, Rajarshi & Chandana joined us later in the evening. Was nice and relaxing. Shiva and Puneet enjoyed too for which i am glad , it was a change of scene.



We headed back to drop them in RAK and ate at Ceasers, the food was great and we headed back for Dubai / Once home , the usual, grocery shopping, home, doggies and sleep :)

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Feb in a nutshell

February just wizzed past. Trips to India concerning B's dad. It was a difficult time for all. Things were much advanced than we expected but dad is bearing up to it very well. he does not have any pain as of now and we will know ina month if he is responding to any medication. We have considered them moving in with us ina month or two, it is just a waiting game as of now. I pray for all to go go smoothly.
Work wise has been interesesting. Work payments got sorted out so thats a plus.
We need a break and are looking forward to a camping trip to Oman on Friday, hope it is nice. wish i had not sold the Jeep :). Well, one can not have everything is it?

Friday, February 01, 2008

The Year Start

Well! 2007 zoomed away or so i can say. Started off slow with me recovering and what seemed to have seemed like a slow year picked up from September.

The previous months had been hard with my side of the chipping having stopped. I realised i should just get back to work and let things happen as they happen. I had had enough of brooding, enough of sympathisers and just needed to move on. Move on I did ! Work came in from all quarters. That was a blessing. The money scene sorted out and the pressure was off. It is surprising how financial pressures can change you as a person. Gone are the days when people said the "best things in life are free". I firmly believe, "If you have cash in the safe, it makes life a hell of a lot better" !. 2007 was landmark in the sense i blew all my personal records in project earnings, hope it keeps steady any ways :). B bought me diamonds and i bought myself some more, in all seriousness, I now have nice diamonds be proud of ! Not to mention the Air India fiasco where a lot of my favourite jewellery got stolen!

We travelled a lot in November & December. Throughout India ( Khajuraho & Orchha) & Europe ( Denmark, Holland, Spain & France) . I enjoyed Spain and got back with an old friend. Life is too short to hold grudges. I have decided against travelling in Europe in the winters though, it is pure sadism! Wrote a lot in travel blogs and one came out in Chauhan' magazine. Pretty decent actually.

January on the other hand has been topsy turvy! My best client went in to a "non payment mode" ! Sure got me by surprise. This month end it has sorted out somewhat. We got the upsetting news that B's dad is seriously unwell, all of it we still do not know. What we know is not good. Makes you wonder about parents, and them being alone, both of us do not like the idea, but we also do not know what else to do !?

Shiva has started working alongside on projects, Things are coming in, so that is positive.
These have been the highlights so far.
Cheers...and here is to hope for better.

Windy Friday

It is cold and windy. Weather department has given out a warning on fast winds for the next 3 days. All grey and cold :(. We will go for the zakir Hussain show today later in the evening, hope it is nice.
B has to call Doc about dad as well. Keeping fingers crossed that all is well !

हिन्दी ट्रांस्लितेरेशन Feature

Hindi Transliteration Feature

यह तो बहुत ही फंडू है !!! सुपर कूल
~ पापिया हाजरा साह

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Grey

It's all grey outside and cold..guess one doesn't usually write like that about Dubai, but so it is. Apparently some freak weather! The day has started lousy and i am in a shit mood.. Guess me and the clouds just don't get along. grrr...

Saturday, December 22, 2007

minus 4 in Amsterdam!

landed in heavy fog, like you cant see the plane infront of you!
Its -4 here and bloody cold, too tired to write today, hopefully tomorrow.
cheers! and looks like a white christmas this time.

Friday, December 21, 2007

woke up at 7:30 AM!

It is our last morning here at Copenhagen before we head for other places in Europe. We are flying SAS to Amsterdam at 6:00PM but leave around 2:00 PM after a late check out. We will leave our 2 suitcases in the care of the hotel and leave with our backpacks ( now that is the holiday part!). Will be back on the 29th to pick them up before catching our flight back to Dubai.

B insisted that i have breakfast with him at least today!! So I woke up at an unearthly hour of 7:30 and went and had the horrible breakfast. I am not my best in the morning, most who know me will tell you that, i am actually like a sore gorrilla who you should stay away from. Actually it is not a horrible breakfast but having scrambled eggs , 10 days in a row is not my idea of a nice morning break! Apart from that there is this silly Christmas song they have been playing with lyrics including "ding! ding!" every 2 lines which was so silly that imagining Bobpsy listen to it every morning made me laugh :)

Came back after confirming a late check out. Am now considering if i should sleep a little more or not..Maybe , its not a bad idea!..see you later then..at the airport

Hasta la vista København...until the next time then

Thursday, December 20, 2007

19th-20th December - Copenhagen

Well, I have been back in Copenhagen this week and mostly in the hotel in the day time and out with Bobpsy in the evening. Did all my research and updated all the writing so i have material to finish write ups later.

A typical DSB Train

Copenhagen Central Station

Inside a R - DSB train

Interiors of the S Train ( one we usually use daily)

Yesterday i took the S train to Lyngby, where B's office is. Walked past Cafe' Annie's ( a coffee shop i visited frequently during my summer stay, a year ago). Reached at 4 AFTER i messed up by missing the E train at Copenhagen, while i was looking at the wrong platform! Sometimes i amaze myself with my own stupidity! I got so excited when i realised that one could smoke on the platform that i quickly walked up to the TT and confirmed it was okay, meanwhile the train came and went, so i had to wait another whole 9 mnts!!. As i said, i love the rides on the Dane trains :).
The occasion was that, Henrik had invited us for dinner and we were to leave together from office.

Henrik has a lovely home, very few homes actually make me jealous, this is one of them!. I had seen their baby when he was a new born, but Simon is a shy 2 yr old and very tall. We chatted and had a typical Danish christmas dinner with them, Potatoes caramelised, pork and vegies with schnappes. We came back by 9, as dinners are usually early this side of the world.

Today has been spent mostly in packing and writing, as you can see, the last 3 posts were written today!!We will leave the main 2 large suitcases back at the hotel here and pick it up on 29th just before we head back for Dubai. We are looking forward to the Europe tour that starts day after with Amsterdam, then Madrid followed by Lyon ! Yeayy..i am already excited ! So we are all packed for now and the hotel room looks neat. Time to write my review on tripadvisor then ! will do so tomorrow.

Had a burger for lunch. I walked down to the station and got it from the Mc Donalds counter. I love the spicy chicken sandwich and the cheapo vanilla cone :)..some pleasures in life are so cheap!..Thank god for that!

We had dinner at Nam Thip again, but they had run out of red curry and i had green instead. As usual it was good and i stuffed myself! then we walked back to the hotel restaurant for coffee and dessert. B had cappuchino and i had a tea with an original Tiramisu, soaked in booze :). I tried to take off my sweater and as always my head got stuck and B had a laugh ( something he always does when im stuck in doing something silly ! ) pretty embarrassing & infuriating. We cam back to the room and he is working for a presentation tommorrow and i am, as you can say blogging !

I am a little sleepy now so will go to bed, its 1:40 AM here
Gnite, Shalom
~Me

Funny Photo on Facebook

I came across this on facebook and thought id put it up here :)

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Sweden trip

There are such silly things i feel happy about ! I ACTUALLY found the lost glove next to the bus station ( the one the pick pocket had chucked ) !! hurrah...


I thank Jacob every morning at the hotel for lending me his electric kettle because i can now drink tea without room service! yippee...

Anyways lets talk about the Sweden trip...

When i was here in Denmark, a few years ago, Pashu suggested Sweden many times but at that time i think i was still not used to the cold and declined. I am glad this time i went, Pashu' old college mate Ajit Pandey was in Sweden at that time as he was on a project with IBM. His family also was with him. I had not met Ajit since our pre marriage days, on one such occasion, Ajit has gotten very drunk and irritated me a lot!! :)...doesn't sound a good enough a reason to meet does it ? ..but no i was looking forward to seeing them as well.

We woke up at about 12 noon and i was still nursing a hangover, so had a bath, popped some panadol and we went out for breakfast before we boarded the intercity train from central station. Pashu had been missing Shwarmas, so he convinced me to have one as well. I wasn't keen but went along. I need my tea when i wake up..they didn't serve any..and THAT alone labels them useless in my eyes.

Sculpture just before the townhall in central Copenhagen

It was a beautiful bright day with loads of sunshine..how weird is that ?!


A Carlsberg beer marketing stunt at a cafe in central station , which basically says " you don't have to drink alone " ! ..a lil girl very amused with it

So we walked to central station and took a little more time than we anticipated in getting the Malmo train tickets. We went to one of the many coffee shops and i finally got myself some tea and a cherry muffin :)

Munching on a muffin
We finished and headed for our platform and boarded the train, there was a real nice lady sitting on the next seat with a little dog in a bag. Makes me wish i could travel with my doggies...but then, my doggies are neither little , nor can they fit in a bag, in fact i think Phoebe would make quite a scene, if she was going on a train, i can imagine she'd be thrilled and friendly and take it on personally to meet and sniff each and every person in the compartment!! on this thought i gave up fancy visions of traveling with phoebes :)..Puddles on the other hand is better behaved. Not that Phoebe isn't a nice dog, she is my favourite..but she is too Human if you can believe it!

I love Danish trains, they are fast, spacious, on time and the rides are pretty, pretty much the fanciest local trains i have seen ANYWHERE in the world :). Having said that, we sat back and enjoyed the ride, past fancy neighborhoods of Copenhagen on the sea side! This is where the rich Scandinavians stay!


watching the world go by

As the train approached Helsingore, we could see Ferries and the coast and right across you could see Sweden.

Now the Ferry, isn't an ordinary ferry, so i have to write about it, for starters it is HUMONGOUS! I was expecting a launch ferry, like ones you see in the rest of the world,
"Scandlines is one of the largest ferry operators in Northern Europe, transporting more than 20 million passengers each year. Operating 12 ferry lines between Germany, Denmark, Sweden and the Baltic states."


Some details on our ferry MS Aurora are here

RouteHelsing�r - Helsingborg
Building year1992
Building yardLangsten Slip & B�tbyggeri, Tomrafjord, Norway (#157)
OwnerAurora 93 Trust
OperatorScandlines AB (S)
Length111,2 m
Breadth28,22 m
Draft5,0 m
GT10.845
Machinery4 * W�rtsil� 6R32E
Speed14,9 kn.
Number of passengers1.250
Number of beds0
Number of cars238
Lanemetres535
Number of railway tracks3
Length of railway tracks266 m
Port of registryHelsingborg
FlagSweden
Former names
Former ownersSweFerry (1992-1993)
Sister shipsTycho Brahe
Notes-

Forget about carrying 1200 people at a time, these buggers can ferry Buses full of people on the bottom deck! Comprising 6 decks, it has casinos, restaurants, shops, smoking aisles etc, brilliant. It was a great ride and we were the only 2 sillies, on the top open deck taking photos, i didn't mind, it was a beautiful day, full of sunshine :)

On the deck on the ferry from Denmark across to Sweden

Leaving the city of Helsinore in Denmark behind as we head to Sweden
Helsingore Castle, the summer home of the Royal Family in Denmark

We reached Helsingbore in 20 mnts, i was so surprised once inside the ferry that i actually asked Pashu, where the Ferry was, and he said, "you' re standing inside it" . The sea in this part is deep and treacherous, but as the ferry moved you could not even tell it was sailing! I'm sorry to be such a bore, but i get totally kicked about these things :)!!!

We reached inside the terminal and realised we were 20 mnts early and Pandey would not be around as yet, so we were lounging next to the escalator and Pashu spotted a familiar face coming up ..we made silly noises and finally Pandey recognised us. He hasn't changed at all..looks exactly the same and promptly reminded Pashu that HE did not look the same! ( i love this ...hee hee ). It was good to see him again.

Pandey & Pashu, meeting after a very very long time :)

City center in Helsingborg , Sweden right outside the main ferry station in Sweden
His place was a short walk and in the main area. We saw a few things on our way to his place. Helsingore, is the 6th largest city in Sweden with 118,000 Helsingorians..so i will leave the math there :). It was pretty and the sun was still out.


Ajit and Ritu' year old daughter Suheli

We met Pandey's wife Ritu and Daughter Suhali, Suhali is also called Paakhi ( means bird in bengali) so being a bengali, i was rather pleased. Most evening we guys chatted made egg curry and caught up. One of the strange things in Sweden is it is illegal to buy booze unless from a govt shop! as opposed to Denmark, where i wont be surprised if i saw vending machines in children' parks ! It being a Saturday and the shop being closed we stuck to cans of Tuborg. We chatted into late night and i wasn't up before 11 the next morning.

At the market in sweden

Probably one of our happiest photos, in front of the fort / castle in Helsingbore, Sweden
thanks Ajit!

We guys left home at 1 after a quick brunch and strolled in the main market square and saw the fort up close. The city is quaint with little shops and narrow streets. As we shopped and window shopped, it got pretty cold and we all ducked into this fancy Thai Restaurant. Over some wine and food, we all warmed up and finally headed home at 4. At 5 after tea, Ajit dropped us off at the ferry station. It had been so nice catching up with them that we didn't want to leave and he did not want to say good bye...anyhow all things do come to an end. We headed back on the ferry towards Denmark. We were back in the hotel in 50 mnts. Imagine that, crossed 2 countries on 3 diff modes of transport..in 50 minutes
..think about it :)

Click Here for the link to our Sweden trip pictures

The Christmas Party 14th dec 07 - Copenhagen

After shopping the whole afternoon in Stroget i struggled with bags and came back to the hotel and bathe and change for the Christmas dinner. Bobpsy came back shortly and we both got ready and ordered a taxi.

The taxi had no signs of arriving being weekend and it being busy, so we decided to walk out on the street and look for one. As we walked i realised my little purse was open, so closed it and funnily enough saw the guy in front of me chuck what looked like MY glove. Only later did realise that it was a pick pocket. My gloves were gone, so was my ticket pass for the train and my hotel card key! but thankfully there was no cash or my credit cards. This is the first time anything like this has happened to me anywhere.

We got taxi soon enough and listened to our Punjabi driver jabbering away in amusement!. The restaurant was in Nordhavn ( where we lived in when we first arrived in Denmark 3 yrs ago ). It was right in front of the water and looked pretty fancy. We later learnt that it was designed by
Jørgen Utzon of THE Sydney Opera House fame and was called Paustian (website). The food was..interesting with dried cucumber for appetizers, but what i remembered the most the next morning was the fantastic wines!! they served almost 6 kind, and all were good and i had all of it, so you can imagine the rest!

Our Table with Karen, Peter, Bodil and Johanes

There was this dish that was served for Dessert that looked right out of the sci fi books. It looked like frozen ammonia! but it was icy and sweet and when you ate it, it gave out lots of smoke!!

Me surprised and Karen laughing as i tried the dessert

Finally we wrapped up and some colleagues decided to head to a bar afterwards downtown. I was pretty drunk already but went along, to "The Dubliners", i had seen it while shopping but this was the first time we went inside it. I stuck to water while others had some. Klaus got pretty plastered and when i confessed that i found him a stone face, he took it upon himself to prove otherwise. After endless banter i now stand corrected.. Klaus please to note if you read this!

Fredrik & Anna at Dubliners

Klaus plastered!

Proof of plastering :)

Anyways we were pretty tired and left in a bit and walked back to the hotel, i looked in vain for the glove i had seen being chucked earlier but could not find it. We wanted to rest as we were heading to Sweden to meet Pandey & family over the weekend.