The badam Saat company

last night was the 'last' night that we played badam saat. It was only two months back that we had started this ritual. Aai, me and my better (?) half.

My better half (?) goes for tennis at least thrice a week. Either after that and having dinner or after having quick dinner, we used to sit for a few rounds of badam saat. It used to refresh our mind and make us leave our creases on forehead. We used to laugh and bicker like kids. It was usually me who used to win the first round, so much that momma and better (?) half used to tease me to start directly second round. Either Siddhant used to be prepared for bed or in process. Depended on time we found.  We started watching "Tarak Mehta ka ooltah chashma " with our dinner was also one of the ritual. Then we used to put Mtunes or 9X and used to play badam saat to the tune of Siddhant singing sadda haq.

I thought that we may not play yesterday as better (?) half came late from his "tenniswa".  "I guess we may not play today" momma said a bit dejected. But I was determined to play. For her. Better half (?) came and without a word sat to play with his dinner plate on his lap. " I guess he has badam saat" momma said. I searched for his closed cards and opened a card. It turned out a badam 9. Better ( ?) half quickly licked his mutter paneer fingers dry and searched for badam 7 And thus round 1 started. I prayed that momma should win at least win one round. Her luck was not with her for a few days and I didn't want her last game (before she goes to India) end on a bad note. I lost first round. I was elated. Coz momma won. There was no cheating to lose but genuine skill at winning. She won two out of four rounds. One won by me, one by my better (?) half. I was happy. 

We wound up after Siddhant started pulling momma for going to sleep. I gave a sad smile. Days of idyllic bliss were over. Momma.. Come back soon. We have already started missing you.

The final ice cream at cold stone

My 'last' list started from last Wednesday night. And it's continuing, much to the annoyance of momma. Just like today morning when she finished cleaning vegetables, I told her" this is the last time you are doing that" she shot he a real annoyed look stating " now shut up your nonsense".

That's how I learned to keep quiet and rather than be whiney, I kept my tears inside the eyes, well stocked till she was gone. Smiling, patient and enjoying the lasts with her.

I am not very fond of ice creams. But she likes them, especially from "cold stone". So we went on the 'last Friday' for scoops of ice creams. This creamery, incidentally serves custom made ice creams with any additions and combinations you want. Which I went for usual dark chocolate and my better (?) half for a nice caramel, momma got mojo (?). Though the name didn't explain an ounce, the flavor did it. Rich and creamy with swirls of caramel and peanut butter and slivers of roast almonds nestled in between, her flavor was definitely the best.

I was happy that she got something to remember us by and a small memory was thus created.

That was a real long vacation.. Happy to be back

Whew.. The legs still ache by the thought of sitting 12 hours continuously in car with two breaks in between. One for lunch and another 15 minute one for coffee.

Two months back ( yes it took that long to post this) we were in Pittsburg, having taken Shri balaji  darshan and promenading after sattvik lunch of tamarind and curd rice. Night we ate home cooked food and saw Pittsburg from a mountain, where we went by an incline railway. The incline railway was not as exciting at the Chattanooga but nice. The night scene was really good and Pittsburg looked liked bejeweled diva.
The next day we left for niagara where we stayed for three days. We saw niagara and its cluster of water falls ( American falls, bridal veil falls and horseshoe falls) by visiting them through the garden around, by cave of winds tour where we got wet in niagara and saw the expanse standing in a boat. Momma enjoyed the most as it was her dream to see niagara. My better(?) half had the best satisfied smile on his face when he saw us awestruck seeing the expanse of  one of the biggest waterfalls. We stayed there and so much that after a while it was same old thing. We saw niagara from almost all angles and direction. Saw the history in form of short film.
We left for newyork on Wednesday, after having a breakfast of coffee and donuts at dunkin.
We visited Times Square at night which was next Mumbai. The same traffic. Same crowd and same brightness. The next day we saw Statue of Liberty . A hot and hot ( not humid) newyork welcomed us. We saw from the top of the statue and it looked nice. We spent some time in the park that surrounded it, shopped a little and went to our hotel. In the evening we had a sneak peek in life of working newyorkers by traveling in metro and saw peaceful wtc memorial.
The next day we left for 12 hour continuous journey and hats off to my better(?) half who drew it without a complaint.

Finally home, we ate khichdi which tasted like ambrosial after a week of outside food. Back to pavilion I was refreshed...

Last Thursday today : sands of time just went too fastn

My mood is at my lowest currently. My best friend will be leaving me in a few more days and going to where she likes most. To hew own place. Own people. A place called India and my best friend is my momma.

It was just yesterday that I was counting the days when she will come to stay with us.. The day she came still etched in my memories. The uncertainty when she stood at arrivals, scanning people and her relief when she saw us. She was already bored in two weeks of stay with us. But forged ahead. She got to see snow which we never saw when we were in India. I was praying that it would snow here and it did.. At end of February. When they had already predicted that it won't. God this incident sounds just so far off. I remember our arguments and stubbornness of a Leo mom and libra daughter. She cried, I did as well.. But in the end we managed .. Even without a sorry. She used to sit on the sofa which faced the door and TV at the same time so that when I came from gym, the first thing I saw was her. Either knitting, solving word finder puzzles or reading with TV in the background. Now when I will come, the space will be empty and the home will be silent.

I remember her excitement to see niagara and how she still praises my better (?) half for organizing a trip there for good 3 days and a hotel so close by. She loved it and her excitement will be still etched in my memory.we did see Washington, D.C., Atlanta, newyork city and its Statue of Liberty but nothing excited her as much as niagara.

I remember her suggestions and tips on how to excel in my mediocre ( read horrific) cooking. Yes. I developed confidence and can now cook well and confidently, thanks to her. She helped me to thread my wits about me with her thread of patience , compassion and coolness. She was like my psychiatrist who was unpaid. She relieved my anxieties about my pilla and now I see so much positive change in me, thanks to her. My pilla chirps now. And I shout less at him noe, thanks to her. I will remember the picture they created of my pilla and his grandmomma made as he stuck to her like second skin, cuddled on a sofa.

I will truly miss her as a constant in my life for past 6 months. It will be me alone again in the pavilion. With only an hourly or half hourly call with her.. Just won't be enough. Now I will be counting days it I have already started doing that. That when can I have her again with me for such a huge chunk.

Will truly miss you aai and now I have to start hiding my tears, shedding them when no one is around. And just count the days when I can have you back with me again.

Gali gali

Ok it's not gaali but gali. The schedule of yours lovingly lady of leisure includes a daily 'dose' of gym. Ok I enjoy it.. But mostly I do it so that I am free to eat what I want. And that includes dark chocolate cupcakes, chips, salted mix nuts, Indian sweets, ice creams. Ok now it sounds like I binge on them.. Maybe I do sometimes but mostly portioning helps. But it's for these binges that I use net of gymming.
 Gym can get quite boring after a while. But music definitely helps and some all time favorite movies and sometimes new movies which I see on ff mode and later threaten my better (?) half on revealing the story..
 Digressions aside. Sometimes movies seem very repeatitive especially if you have seen amol palekar fibbing 2 weeks back and wonder what to put next.
It was one of such moments that when I didn't want to see Hritik gyrating to bang bang and farookh sheikh's innocence that it struck to me a few songs that I had seen or heard or done both in my childhood and a twang of music evoked in my brain. From back ground music to actors who had now gone old, to memories related to the song. Like one "gajar me kiya hai ishara" where my sister argued that skeletal ( then) madhuri dixit wore the best and modest clothes (?) ( they are wearing belly dancing clothes) and that we saw "tridev" the movie from where the song comes on a now defunct  rented VCR and VCP systems using a now seemingly old video cassette. The other one being madhuri dixit (again.. I hated her then and the feelings have been same since, thanks to her obvious jaw breaking fake smile which I don't think so should be visible in an actor..I don't know much about acting...) starred "tezaab "..

So my current YouTube ( not cassette player or Walkman) list has following songs:
- gali gali  - tridev ( fantastic music to walk on 4.2 speed of treadmill)
-oye oye - tridev
-gajar ne - tridev
- aap ke aa jane se - khudgarz
- Jumna chumma- hum
- Jane do Jane do - shehenshah
- Saat samundar- vishwatma
- tu mera janu hai - hero
- yar bina chain kaha re - sahib

.... Workout done ;);)

what more can say??

She is not my mother. Nor my grand mother. Nor my mother in law. Yet she is that someone with whom I shared , share and will share a lovely motherly bond. She maybe maximum 10 years older than me. More like a sister than a mother. But bond is more of a caregiver.

I never shared close bond with my sister. With mother its a different story. We fight like alley cats but we laugh together and cry together. It's like we share our life together. But that's a different story and surely requires a separate post.

I met "maa" as I call her in my old office. She was team lead of a French project and I was working in global French pool so whatever was spillover work from her project, we us d to get it. I was always free due to my exceptional (?) speed ( read translating similar stuff) and I started handling most of her spillover work. We used to ping each other on office communicator. I used to call her mam. But somehow one day I typed her as maa. Oops I thought. But she took it playfully. In fact she loved it so much that she coined the term "beti" for me. And that's how our relationship went on. I wondered if my maa was just 2-3 years older than me and just joking around with maa- beti stuff. Maybe mocking me. But that was not the case. One fine day she came to meet me at my desk. A soft "beti" call and a warm bear hug, she was way into my heart.

Most of the colleagues or "friends" fizzle off after we leave that office. But maa and toli were exceptions to this. I was at my lowest best and it were these two who brought me back. Especially maa. For this maa, I am truly indebted to you. And especially when your whole world had become upside down as well. You are gutsy and you didn't run away. Neither did you blame. I have a lot to learn from you but at the moment I can just say. Thanks for being with me, for me and next to me.