SATC- finally

This weekend has been really good.

I have recharged my soul, stayed indoors, cleaned up my apartment and watching the "sex and the city" movie finally. I have watched the series in TV, the release of the movie, the theatres everything happened and I just couldn't go see the damm movie.

Well, I am still in Calcutta (India) and wasn't sure how many people actually would go to the theatres to see the movie. As for me, I didnt find anyone who would accompany me- it's more like coming out in the open that you watch SATC!

Months later, todays is my day. So, while I lounge back in my chair and plan my week- I am watching the movie.

There are moments when you take the time to refigure your priorities and bam comes the moment when things fall into places and everything is crystal clear.

My blogs, writing in general have taken a back seat for quite sometime, for me I write when I am inspired and stop when I don’t feel like. I gave up my writing for a local Chicago magazine because I was getting tied up in my job and somehow weekends didn’t inspire me to grab my laptop again. My blogs of course didn’t have new posts and my life was taking charge in it self.

Few books and discovering Google calendar desktop application later, I want to get back not only to writing but few more.

Here’s my to-do-list:

Clear my CAPM exam in August
Start writing my blog (personal) twice a month
Post on my fusion cooking blog once a month
Start a new blog on my journey into project management and professional world and post every week.

Last week was my week off and visited my parents. I reached Dhanbad on Sunday, slept most of the time (I never realized how much sleep I really needed!) and woke up to grab a meal and spent few hours catching up my parents after they came back from work. Thursday noon, I was off to my grandmas place and back to Calcutta on Saturday.

(Given is a pic of the flooded Calcutta taken from the car and a map of India, with Calcutta marked- where I am ).

Had you been a girl

And not a guy would you still chide me on skype? Would you laugh at the man who wears too short a shorts and decide to stroll down the streets? Would the tiny keypads of your ever beeping cell phone squeak at the constant sms-ing? Would the smile still be a shade fader when you were caught in your own world and yet couldn’t bear to disappoint others?

Had it been easier to be friends, to share the secrets without test runs? To look at the stars, read the poems, wonder at words, the depth of songs, walk bare feet and share stories, real stories of life and beyond.

The days spent talking; with your head tilted on one side listening attentively and suddenly you brighten up, animated about that one incident that happened years ago. The roof seems quite, the noise of children playing in the summer evening floating by from somewhere far, the yellow and pink striped kite tangled in the coconut tree and a jug of lemonade at our feet. The soothing flavored water brimming in the white jug with pale blue starry prints crawling all over, the handle stretched and ice all clustered in the jug.

The aged door went back to and fro with the wind and downstairs the house over populated by guests and food, bustled with life. The black glittery sky with the pale round moon spread itself all over us. We talked and drank some lemonade and when the hunger couldn’t be replaced by lemonade any more, I ran downstairs to grab some food. The cement stairs still warm from the summer heat, my hand sliding along the railing, till I rushed in the house got the white china plates that were gifted last summer from my aunt with yellow cake like frosty piping on the edges. A few handfuls here and there and I ran upstairs skipping one stair at a time to get the plates on the white floor flooded with moonlight.

We laughed at the stories, the unreasonable arguments of moms, the desperateness to buy the black tank top with cropped white sleeves showcased at Allen Solly in Park Street. How life can change we thought, poems newly written were stacked in some corner, papers strewn all over, and the old leather bounded Tintern Abbey rested in the comfy chair used often as a tray for my tea cup in the morning.

We never had any excuses not to talk, not to walk past the coconut man, have dinner at the lit restaurant on the Ganges with Lobster and the over orangish flute of cosmopolitan while sailing away in the darkness. If it wasn’t for Conrad we would have never met, who would knew the power lied in the shelves of the library. Books dusty and spiders crawling, pictures sketched on half torn away pages. Crossroad came later, the swanky coffee shops and the palm pilot, the craze for flying away to other countries and drive cars with sun roofs.

The love of water, the sound of laughter, the cold touch of the steel scissor while the shabby parlor girl smelling of freshly applied cheap cream straightened the sprouting eyebrows enthralled us. The smaller things in life were happiness; like the paper windmill bought in the local train still stands faintly on my desk. I take it once in a while in the clouded summer storm and see that it can still turn and put it back for another year to stand among my books, pens, never sharpened pencils and the bright red lamp.

My diary has been scribbled all over, my fears, my losses, my first love, how I knew that I had the lucky stars in me and every time I was forced to study, I dreamt of me years later walking down some hall in stilettos and pencil skirt with arm full of files and papers and the crowd moving away as I walked through them.

You knew it all, what I thought when I looked away and had the distant look, how attached I was when I said I didn’t care, how I loved chocolates and McDonalds french fries and there would still be secrets I would perhaps never share.

Life would be a lot different only…only if you were a girl!

Knight Rider wins

The Bengali New Year was on April 14, so while the entire city celebrated and households were over stuffed with sweets and cuisines, needless to say I was at work.

I want to be out; get a drink and shop around. I live a double life here- at one end I wear Indian dresses, talk in the local language (which also happens to be my mother tongue), wear the cotton night gowns instead of my shorts and t-shirt and become invisible in the crowd. On the other hand, I need a drink and occasionally end up having cheese and miss out on the anti pasta platter. I look at the discount emails from Barnes and Nobles and New York and Company and I know I missing out on seasons, the weather, the beach and the fun.

The moment I call up my friends in US, I slide back to the conversation like I had never left. I miss out on my life in Chicago; on my 4 month here getting used to the city. I love it-hate it at times, with questions popping if I should stay behind. New opportunities have grown all over India and my career wouldn’t stop if I decide to. It would make my family happy and to be honest I am lost at times. The necessity to choose one over the another bothers me.

The Bengali cultural hub is famous for its richness, the artistic intricacies and the richness of the language. So, watching a play few days ago was fabulous, reminded me of my years here. A student of literature, I yearned for musicals and plays. I miss out on the fact that I don’t get a lot of time to write these days, job is all consuming.

The summer here is crazy, the heat, the humidity is good enough reason to chase anyone out of the city. The strikes called by parties continue and tomorrow being one, I perhaps will work from home.

Cricket rules Calcutta now, the “Knight Riders” owned by the King of Bollywood, Sharukh Khan himself has won the match today. The famous Eden Garden Stadium was packed with 90, 000 people if I remember right. Cheers to the team!

In search of the "City of Joy" (Calcutta)

Let's face it, a 16 hour work schedule can tone down your cooking inspiration.
I haven't been cooking a lot lately, except when i really need to eat something and nothings available in my refrigerator except raw vegies. Yesterday was different, very different- while i relaxed in my apartment i had the time to go through the cooking blogs once again.

The pancake recipe was more than inspiration, decided to go grocery shopping. Luckily, in Calcutta, India (where I am) you get everything. So, i did some really good shopping from mayonnaise, sandwich breads, almonds, mocha coffee, chicken, eggs, pizza base, cheddar, mushrooms, cheeseballs, chinese sauce all in good spirit to finish it off with a large pizza, coke, garlic bread with cheese dip and some good friends.

I have my refrigerator loaded with left over pizza, so the pancake has to wait. To top it off, we ended up in a quiet beautiful spot in "Princep Ghat". It's a perfect view with River Ganges flowing and the two prominent Calcutta bridges, boats can be seen now and then which includes a grand floating restaurant all lit up for the night.

I fell in love with Calcutta for the first time and it couldn't have been better. It's one of the places which can soothe you, comfort you, bring back the real you. It is a far cry from the sophistication of shopping malls and the pizza places, the restaurants and hustle of the city. The place has the power to bring back the poetic instincts, the sensibility and the affinity for life.
I am glad I found my own spot in Calcutta, like I have with most cities....something that makes you feel at home.

In the process, found friends, real friends for lifetime!

I promise to carry my camera next time I happen to stop by "Princep Ghat".
(pictures: Google images)

why am i not married?

I am used to constant honking by now and trust me the summer here is humbling. It's March and I wake up at the middle of the night sweating. I am still trying to live life in local terms, so i am yet to turn on my ac.

Amidst my crazy life and almost 16-18 hours of work schedule, I try to keep sane. Problems never stop and i do miss the spring breaks and the wonderful weather in Chicago now. Most of all the food with Easter coming along.

I have toned down my cooking expriments for the lack of time and the ingredients. So, most of the time it is all about doing it the local way. While my domestic help is completely ignorant of time and the fact that she gets paid to do the work, needs to show up at times. She has her own way of disappearing for days and I end up doing my work as well as hers.

The charm of the city lies in the people and the lifestyle. While you can step into local shops and then bargain for everything from grocery to clothes, you can get into the swanky newly popping all over the town huge shopping malls where every brand is available (local as well as international) and of course comes with a huge price tag.

Neverthless the people are friendly, some genuine some overly friendly (curious) trying to step into my life and finding out the nitty grities of my life in Chicago. Questions never cease- why I am still not married and when I intend to do so, takes over the conversation anytime. I am good at dodging questions these days, may be thats why i earn my living talking- talking to clients, talking to poeple, talking to the team......

Life goes on while I wait desperately to take a much awaited break. A beach, water and some peace!

life here in Calcutta (India)

My life is pretty much the same everyday. I wake up at 7am, have a huge cup of tea and loiter around, prep a little for my forthcoming project management exam and supervise my domestic help (yay! its really nice having some one do your housework, while you use that extra bit of time to your advantage). While that gets done, am off to shower and get ready for work. My driver (another yay! but trust me its not a luxury, the roads are crazy and if it was for me , i would be dead by now driving in the Calcutta streets) arrives at 8.20am and am off to work. it would have taken 15 minutes had it been Chicago but with all the unruly traffic and no rules, it takes about 40 minutes to get through. Am usually the first one at work and I really enjoy the morning. It's 9am and I get to work, tea time is the best time- very refreshing and it got me into a habit of waiting for it these days.

Like all jobs it gets a bit insane, lunch is mostly working lunch where i get some time to watch some training videos or get some work going. My work hours seem to get stretched everyday, so i leave around 7pm if I am lucky and head home. On the way, i catch up on some latest music or even drop in to get some grocery. Now this is where it gets interesting- you can shop at open markets where you have vendors all lined up with their baskets of fresh produce and you haggle and shout but you get it fresh and not frozen by any means. Or you can always go for the small shops that are popping up these days like "spencer" where you get to do it the American way. Let me say, you will get everything here what you would in Chicago from the frozen french fries to the shrimp. Generally the local crowd prefer the local markets than these. They are still getting used to the concept of doing it all on their own.

Once all done, am at home. A cup of tea and some Tv, a couple of calls to friends and family and am ready for some work/study again. I glance through some magazine and usually after a early dinner head of to bed.

Weekends is the only time, i get to step out and go for some shopping and food. You get all kinds of food and can feast on anything you like, shopping gets a bit tricky. Either you go for the malls and get stuff a bit over priced or you head out for the markets and haggle for everthing from clothes to food to jewellery. It is always advisable to have some local with you, if you plan to taking this route. While jeans is what i mostly wear, cotton is the style of the day. I do indulge in salwar kameez and all the local flare to keep me going with the weather.

So, while you shiver in the cold, here it is rather warm though you will find people wrapped up in all their winter wear. Enjoy the post, while i get back to some local food tasting:)

In Calcutta

I have been travelling and finally can sit down and squeeze in a few words. In India now and the new year was nothing but travel. I reached Delhi on the 31 night and the next week was a complete itenary of travels. Few days here and a few days there, I am finally in Calcutta, the city of joy!

I joined my work, the same office as in Chicago different location for a few months and works takes up my major chunk of the day. The apartment is nice, which was there but completely bare. So it took a while to set up, my basics and to settle in. While i rushed to and from work, my parents thankfully managed the rest of it.

Two weeks later, i am fine:) All, nestled up. Yes, it did feel different, the traffic and bursting city with people and energy but I am getting used to it, getting stuck in the jams and the constant honking on the streets. I am blessed with some great people I work with and that makes up for the rest.

My parents are back to their place and I am on my own. Yesterday, was my first weekend here after settling in. so, me and cousins went to some shopping malls, browsing new finds and trying to look for a pair of casual shoes. The best part about Calcutta is that you can find shops which cost you Rs. 890 ( saw one in Metra - a shoe store and fell in love with it) and also at the same time find at the street stores for Rs. 100. Of course needless to say, the quality is different but i did buy 2 of the, from the street side stores. They are adorable.

I will soon get back with some pics. For now, I am alive and kicking and meeting friends and family over the weekends while surfing the enw eateries. Lunch yesterday was yummy at Park Street's "PETER CAT", a good restaurant but a bit over priced.

Calcutta journal is on the way.............Enjoy guys!