Happy Holidays you all!

How do you write? Me? Oversized shirts and a three quarter faded pants and the idea which can make me scribble for a while. I have loved scribbling all my life and frankly I do it quite often (Ah, used to).

It has been crazy settling from my life in Oklahoma to Chicago the transformation of being a student and walking along the magnificent mile in downtown Chicago. Also balancing a profession where I am learning something new everyday and endless worries about deadlines and the urge at the same time to keep up with my hobbies. A work break structure as they say in project management is the only way to survive. I realize that and yet I have so much to do it is difficult to manage your mood with your desire to do something specific.

So, this is what I have been doing all these months (excuse for not writing my blog if you may say)-

• Started my other cooking blog, yeah I haven’t written that in a while too.


• I am writing for a local Chicago magazine about fusion cooking (happened by chance).


• Working my ass off (almost new job).


• Balancing work and personal life (ooh so clichéd!!!)


• Gym, joined to loose some- well you know what.


• Planning other plans, my original idea for a book for school kids.


• Working with an only girl’s school in a small village in west Bengal, India. A school run by a teacher in collaboration with the state government where they try to get them food, right education and talk about hygiene, give them hope about future and tell them it is possible even if you live in house made of mud and have thatched roof made out of leaves. You can fight even if you don’t get to eat twice a day and want to have a job someday. Everyday they fight harder and I learn more about life in being in touch with them.


• Helping my aunts plan and develop an ethnic retail and accessory business (trust me its lot of work).


• Trying to keep in touch with myself, so hard when everything else needs your attention.


• Studying to keep up my job (too much to finish!).


• Some shopping, yes (online, lack of time).


• Enjoying the first snow of the season and some hot chocolate.
  

I am back! So, I will write more often now and try to utilize my calendar planning templates to organize. If I get exhausted and don’t feel like writing, leave me a comment or a call to remind me that I am running late in my schedule.

Enjoy the holidays!

life changing

This changed my life and I know will affect yours.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=362421849901825950&hl=en

true story

It's been an exciting month, almost stepping into a new life and basking in a new hope.

My mom and I were on the phone this morning and she narrated how so many children in india do not get the chance to study even after scoring more than average grades just because they can't afford it. Recently, she found an article in the newspaper about a village boy who wants to study English Literature. His family cant pay for his education because they are weavers by profession and so poor that the aspiring English Literature scholar is malnourished. My parents contacted them and hopefully he will get his degree. It's amazing how much people struggle to get their dreams.

Now, while surfing the internet, I got this video clip- see this and you will know the struggle and the effort so many people undergo and how fortunate the rest of us are who are sitting back at home enjoying weekends and watching this on the net.


http://videos.nighi.com/video/video/show?id=549954:Video:15842

my journey so far

I'm not shying away from life as of yet, over the years I have fought for my rights- every single one of them and have harbored the right to remain free and live my life my way. From the day I decided to study literature instead of science, the day i wanted to free myself from my parent's identity, the moment when I took my own decison when the world was against it- I have lived every bit of it.

I have yet to give up because someone says I can't, my marksheet doesn't approve of my dream or tradition comes along the way. I have always been grounded who firmly believed and knew what she was made to do.

The day i decided to move on to Delhi and live on my own, I knew i was ready. I wanted a break and the money to live on my own. Working in a call centre was not something my parents expected, but against the common belief it is a lot of hard work. The pressure of working almost on a perfect scale and achieving by talking over the phone is an art in itself. I have made some friends there who will live more than a lifetime. It was the easiest way to get a job in Delhi, a city where I knew no one.

A small town girl in a huge city, the switch was tremendous, almost like moving to New York from Oklahoma. It took me a while to get used to the culture, the huge city and living alone all by myself on my self earned money. Dont get me wrong, I'm used to staying on my own since I was 15, I moved out for further studies. But I wasnt used to living in a place where my parents couldnt travel in a single day and I paid my own rent. I've learnt my most valuable lessons in life from there, the patience to fight and never give up. I wouldnt be in USA today, had I not been in Delhi alone.

I'm not the rich kid who lives around the block, but i have fought every bit for my dreams. Sometimes, when life gets stubborn on you it's human nature to complaint and God i have done that so many times. When i look backwards i know i have done something , most people will not do. I havent given up yet, I still think, scribble and dream of writing a novel one day.

I would be selfish, if am saying that i did all of this on my own. I have acheived nothing, nothing to brag about nor do i earn in six figures- I'm still struggling every bit if it......

Today, I watched this amazing film DOR and I prize every bit of my life and am so thank ful for all my friends who have believed in me when I have given up. Thank you to all of you ( in no particular order)....

• Soumitra- for teaching me to be comfortable in my own skin and loosening up -from the 'no-fun- serious' kid i used to be. For providing me with everything I need to keep my dreams flowing.


• Joy- he is a pillar of strength and so creative. My guru of life, I talk to him mostly when i have no hope left. Joy and preeti will remain the most treasured people of my life.


• Win- she is one of those persons, am glad i met. Our calls are mostly about everything. she sees me going places and dong my things. i miss the dorm room late nights that we enjoyed over marshmellows and wine and all the emotions that you dont allow yourself to see.


• Naparat- my first friend in USA, she gave me company when i was alone and scared to be 'me'. we shared classes to notes, to giggly laughters for nothing.


• Indira- we started running together and talking about making our own film, about boy friends and silly things.


• Clint- My boss in University, I worked for him. The most amazing guy and full of energy, he broadened my vision and someone I'm very comfortable talking to.


• Abhijit- we share the passion for cooking and food and can talk endlessly about it.


• Pulin- we fight everytime we talk, yet he wishes me nothing but the best.


• Sumana- in whom i found my best friend. never though we would click, her depth, her philosophy is spell binding- she can give a lessor or two about love to anyone.


• Titu- my sister and yet i like to think of her more as a friend. we have pulled each others hair and fought like there's no tomorrow and now with the years added, we understand without talking and respect each others space.


• Mom- she has been there when no one was. believed even when she knew i was wrong, trusted my independence and my knack of doing things very differently. one of the best role models a daughter can have.


• Tinni- supposed to be my cousin, but we have met just twice. distance has always been the common factor between us and yet the 'email' turned us into friends. she is a self made strong woman and an inspiration for anyone.


• Moose- my prof, who changed my way of thinking and life. she is strong and creative as you would want to be.


• Sneha- we were ackward, alienated and finding her was knowing the strong fire within.


• Sean- hes funny and good to talk to. a lawyer in making with a hunger for knowledge and life.


• Akshat- who was always there, bought me medicines when i sick and took care of things when i was too messed up.


• Soumen- he taught me to live in a city and use ATM and my first ever credit card.


• Amartya- a friend in making, a good laughter and some crazy talk.


• Trang- we baked together and discussed our dreams.


• Fome-my cousin back in India, she is unpredictable and we huddle together to talk about everything.

There are people more than I can pen down to thank and am so grateful for all of that.

Things will happen i know and like everyone else i want them fast. The only update is that i have been munching packs of Doritos and gulping down Coke with much anger but I have not yet given up on my fitness ritual of walking and jogging and I intend to keep it that way.

updates

1. I'm finally ready to trim off the fat:).
2. Exercising everyday, rather trying to jog- end result a sprain that kills.
3. Weight- 115 pounds.
4. Inspiration- none whatsoever, except my growing waistline.
5. New Reads- Dorris Lessing's- Golden Notebook.
6. May Special- Writing lifestyle columns for a local Chicago magazine.
7. Cigars smoked- none
8. Happy- sort of. My new blog- Ginger n Garlic is doing good.
9. Movies- some, watching Bridget Jones for the 100th time.
10. Wishlist- new spring hair cut with a red highlight may be .

LG Fusic

My new LG fusic looks fabulous, has great features, inbuilt mp3 player and everything one needs to say its the right phone at the right time. An upgrade on my sprint phone and a liberal discount, which meant ended up paying just eighty bucks for the $299 phone.

My cell phone history goes a long way, my first when I was a student in Santiniketan, my fascination with gadgets and curiosity to see it for myself had me tutoring a bunch of kids (well just three) when i wasnt studying myself. The money went for my second hand cell phone that I got from Kolkata (India) courtesy my cousin who found me one that fitted my budget.

I was the first among students then and a handful of others in the campus to have one and lord, it was big and heavy and looked almost like a cordless phone. I treasured it night and day and my parents allowed it because I was 22 and was easier for them to get in touch than wait forever to get through the dorm phones.

It was a tight secret that me and my roomies kept, didn't want to be the snob who carried around a cell phone in her purse to show off. A year later, sold off my phone for a decent cell that my dad gave.

When I moved to US, money was tight and I figured out just getting a phone would be enough as long as I can communicate. So got the free basic phone that came with my Sprint service. My first camera phone for sure and a good one, I liked it till i saw everyone around flipping phone's like candy wrappers. I wished I could change mine...............probably would have but then whats the point in wasting money, that I could save for some trip or have some extra grocery.

Yesterday, I knew it was time. I have learnt bargain shopping from Indira (friend from Indonesia) who looks like a million buck but never spend more than a few. So I waited for the right time and chose my LG instead of the Upstage - the new phone that comes with the flip service. A cell on one side and mp3player on the other. Looks great but its so sleek and pretty I almost fainted. Same price but after some consideration I went with the LG. Have learnt the craft of chatting up with the customer service rep and he was more partial towards my LG and also ended up giving me a $ 50 discount which the upstage didnt have. What else could I have asked for?

Pocketed a new good looking phone and have been toying with it ever since.....need to download some music and am all ready.

Story of Ram Charan

Lots of people have inspired me in some way or the other but nothing of this calibre has ever happened before. I am amazed by this man's story and proud to be an Indian. All you have to do is read the link below.........

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/04/30/8405482/index.htm

Now you know what I was talking about.

spring bursts

I don't get a lot of time these days to read. However, I came across this wonderful article and thought it would be nice to share. Not having adequate time , is nothing more than an excuse.

http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200704/20070403/slide_20070403_284_104.jhtml

It's a common saying, when you are stuck in an elevator with another being and have mothing
else to talk about- you mull about the weather. I say, weather is a good discussion when after months of snow and cleaning your car in the dark gloomy morning, you wake up with a clear shimmering sky and the roads are flooded with people who have dumped their dark long coats and are dressed in tank tops and high heels and try to find an excuse to walk out.

The park smells spring and is packed with people enjoying their family time, playing ball and running around with their pets. I am on.....ready to keep my promise to walk for 30 minutes everyday.

spring

From the snowy evenings to a perfect spring:) The Sunday asparagus, zucchini and olive pasta brunch to my bday cake (which was yesterday!!!)

food heaven:)

It's been a while, that i almost forgot my password. Now, thats when you know that you better write down something.

Things have been going pretty fast, so let's talk something casual and my latest passion these days. I have been cooking, oh yes let me tell you this sometimes things dont work they way you want to. Last weekend i wanted to make croissant and ended up making really bad pretzels.

Along with baking, I tried some great food and God i love Chicago for that. From pita sandwich to amazing dumplings, lip smacking biryani and a great cosy little tiny bar that has some amazing food as well as drinks. Thats Louise, I am not a big fan of going to bars- i would rather stay in home and enjoy a glass of wine or a vodka mixed with seven up with three olives. Louise just made me feel right at home, the big tip is to go on weekdays if you are not a big fan of over crowded places.

So, these days when am in mood for something special, I search for it on the internet find out a place which is affordable and head towards it. Ah and i have to mention I am driving in Chicago finally!!!!! Three cheers for that :)

I am in heaven every time i go to a real good grocery store, so this week my special was asparagus, zucchini and blue cheese. Perfect for a good sunday bruch of pasta and here's a little secret, blue cheese is really salty and is very tasty even when u want it like a snack, so to take off the salt I use some apple juice. A sip of juice and a bite of the cheese while you are busy working:)

So, I promise even if i dont open up a small cafe, you are invited to come over for some fusion food my style:) Will post some sunday pasta for sure:)

pizza time

for me food and advertising goes hand in hand. here's my first trial for a home made pizza right from the scratch. the advantage is that you can keep a count on the calorie and go lighter on cheese, mine is a veg pizza with portobello mushrooms, bell pepper, tomatoe, onions, mozarella and parmesean. it was awesome to finally taste it and be assured it was really good:)

oh and did i mention the advantage of maintaining a blog- it even helped me to nab my credit card confusion, i realised that an amount was charged to my account and was sure it wasnt mine. checked all my statements and finally my last resort was my blog. well, it usually has most of the things i do or helps me remmber the rest. it worked this time and finally after the reading the postings for that month i remembered the expense. saved me more worries and some calls to the bank.

its nice to stay warm in home, avoid the flurries and enjoy your own home made pizza!

mind blowing

It is amazing .............while I research some ad agencies and send my resumes, it is stunning to see that I am sending resumes to places whose ads i adore. It's like a dream- the ads are mind blowing and I have enjoyed them.

http://www.element79.com/facts/work_tv.php

Check this out and see the ads. It is a funny feeling to see that finally i am applying to real places, real agencies. Though not very sure how the entry level hiring works, specially for me without any inner contacts and no consultancy.

The snow covered Chicago is really cold, but yes i did meet my school friend after twelve years right here this weekend. It was fun:)

(Pic of me and Urbi, my friend from Carmel in an Indian Restaurant in Chicago).

post all the fun

I dont have much to say these days.havent done much. It has just started snowing here in Chicago, its freaking cold, so i dont even go out for my walk these days. I have been watching a lot of TV and cooking (i love experimenting) and finally have woken up and realised -its time to get the job.

So,am studying trying to brush up on excel which i havent done in the last....well....cant even remember..so yes doing that and my portfolio almost done. looks good but may be will do a few spec ads.

Watched the movie DEPARTED today, it is one hell of a movie. The media is welcoming diversity- shows in the ads- the new vaselin ad (its really good if you ahve seen with lots of hands in the black background) has Indian music in the background- an indian classical dance music score, the new phone ad where the guy juggles all the phone has a sitar rendition in the background. It is nice because it brings in a fresh appraoch to the ads.

The one I hate- the office depot- hand ad- how many people actually like it? It is spooky, a slice of hand coming out of the box helping you getting organized. Am not sure if i would be too comfortable with that.

Am not sure if am using my time rightly, may be i should work more and sleep less:) I think I work better in deadlines. How i miss oklahoma...... and the fooling around with my friends and the life in school.

2007

New year and 2007 is on..................it is perhaps one of the most important year of my life..............there is so much to happen and get going.

I moved to Chicago in december, graduted and had a lovely christmas and new year- its time to spread my wings and do what i love doing the best...........................

Happy New Year everyone and let this year rock everyone's world.