Monday, November 16, 2015
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
The Art of Playing Scrabble
Believe it or not, I like nerdy games. I have never downloaded
Candy Crush or Temple Run game or anything that doesn’t need my brains to
explode. I unwind by doing word searches!
Yes, I don’t blow my own trumpet without proof. I think I need to play with a Harvard person now to get back to earth.
Oh man, I feel so proud of that. You see, when you are the CEO of a
household a.k.a. a housewife, you need all sorts of encouragement that you are
no less than that Statistical Data Analysis person (Read: Chandler). And when
you beat great minds in a game of words, your confidence reaches great heights.
Now I play scrabble like I am going to war. It began with a friend
who use to cheat a lot. So I started to cheat as well. You know, when in Rome
thing. Then it got really boring because we were making words like 'Mesoderm' which didn’t make any sense to my tiny brain with a minuscule vocabulary. Without explaining to each other, we quit.
Next was my dear husband. Now you know what position they are
usually in. Even if they have the strongest horse and the sharpest weapon, they
would hang their head in the battle-field if their wife was the opponent, because
if they didn’t, God save them in real life.
But you see, my Boy is made of a different breed. He takes
pleasure in being hit on his head and seeing me pout and sulk. In the process,
he made me strong and smart. There have been times when he has been on a
winning streak and seen the worst in me. But there have been equal number of
times when I have thrown his IIT-IIM degree on his face and used statements like 'How’s that, sucker!?'.
To give my ego another boost, I started playing with a bestie who
is a big journalist at Economic Times. I am proud to tell you my dear readers
that she is now on sob-mode because she has lost all three games she has played
with me. She even gave a virtual slap to the Boy when he commented 'Badi aayi journalist'! Oh yes, birds of feather, swear together!
That is not all. Since people I know don’t want to play with me anymore, I
started using the random opponent ‘Smart Search’ option. Words with Friends
Application tried its best. Most opponents I got had better records than me. However, since
yesterday, three of them have resigned because they couldn’t keep up with me. And
this last guy, I think he will quit today because I am a 100 ahead of him even though he has won 1950 games
more than me.
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Monday, October 5, 2015
The Saturday Biryani Party
The title of this post might make you think I am posting about a social gathering that I probably went to over the weekend. Well, you may be correct but only partly. This Saturday Biryani Party with Construction workers is special; I'll tell you why:
A few weeks back I came across a Facebook page by the same name. Out of curiosity I clicked on it and was hugely impressed. A certain man called Mr. Abbas Khan living in Bahrain had started this initiative a few weeks earlier. He would collect Biryani meals from a restaurant, add some salad and chutney (that's how it is meant to be eaten), pick a juice or a cola and go to construction sites.
Now these construction sites in Bahrain have labourers from different countries. Men come from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Ghana, Uganda and other countries where it is easy to find cheap labour. Most men earn anything between 50 to 90 Bahraini Dinars. With the going exchange rate of 1 BHD = 175 INR that roughly translates to 13000 to 16000 Indian Rupees. These men sometimes have to pay for their own accommodation. Their meals are entirely their own responsibility. So that doesn't leave much in their hands to save and send home - the reason they are here for - to collect as much as possible for their families who live back home.
Not only this, the unbearable heat of the Middle Eastern sun is what they struggle with each and every day. We do have winters, but they are combined with high velocity winds and sand storms. Good weather lasts much less than the bad, and so, we feel badly for these people who live here alone, away from their families living on paltry income.
Mr. Abbas started visiting the sites with his family members and a few friends. People around him liked the initiative and started supporting him by helping him with funds. What started as a family event has now united a lot of people in the country who help him out by accompanying him to the sites and donating a part of their income.
Last month was very busy for us and we kept postponing our visit. This Saturday, however, we were not going to let anything come in between our trip! We messaged Mr. Abbas that we will be joining his 'party'. His usual trips start at around 10 or 11 a.m. and last for maximum 2 hours. We went out for breakfast and then headed to the meeting point. Something had kept us away from this - the first week we thought of going, my friend was hospitalised. The week after that I was staying with her in the hospital. And then, we had to go for our vacation. We were quite eager after 5 weeks of postponing, but we were stuck in an unusual traffic jam and thought we won't be able to make it in time! Talk about roadblocks when you want to do something good!
We reached just in time to see Abbas and his troop ready for delivery. I was impressed to see how punctual they all were. We introduced ourselves. The crew members were from France, South Africa, Australia, India and Pakistan. Lots of kids joined us too. Since it was our first time, we asked if we could accompany an older member in his car. Mr. Hasan readily agreed and we joined him. Actually it was a good thing - Hasan seemingly had been co-ordinating with Abbas since a long time and told us about the whole initiative. He told us how they resource food, their costs, the way they try to find funds, etc.
We went to our first site where we distributed food to 180 workers. The moment we entered the site, I saw so many happy faces! Apparently the SBP had been visiting this site since four weeks now and so they were kind of waiting for us. We were handed over our distribution items and the workers formed a queue within seconds! I think it must have taken us hardly 10 to 15 minutes to distribute food to so many. Everything was so well-organized.
After that we went to three other smaller sites where there were 10-40 workers. Over-all we distributed 300 packets of chicken biryani, chutney, salad, water and juice. It was indeed an over-whelming experience that filled me with pride that I am able to bring a smile to the faces of people who are probably struggling a lot in these conditions.
The crew took a lot of pictures that they share on their Facebook Page every week. I tried to invite a few friends to their page - what they do about it is completely upto them. I hope we can keep going regularly to the weekly event because it really does feel good to go. I'll leave you with these pictures. If you are reading this and you live in Bahrain, do like their page. It is a rare and impressive charitable initiative in Bahrain to help the labourers. If you wish to join the party, call Abbas on +97339874541 or email him at: absclix@gmail.com. You can even leave a comment here and I'll guide you through the rest!
Have a great weekend, just like these labourers just did!
A few weeks back I came across a Facebook page by the same name. Out of curiosity I clicked on it and was hugely impressed. A certain man called Mr. Abbas Khan living in Bahrain had started this initiative a few weeks earlier. He would collect Biryani meals from a restaurant, add some salad and chutney (that's how it is meant to be eaten), pick a juice or a cola and go to construction sites.
Now these construction sites in Bahrain have labourers from different countries. Men come from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Ghana, Uganda and other countries where it is easy to find cheap labour. Most men earn anything between 50 to 90 Bahraini Dinars. With the going exchange rate of 1 BHD = 175 INR that roughly translates to 13000 to 16000 Indian Rupees. These men sometimes have to pay for their own accommodation. Their meals are entirely their own responsibility. So that doesn't leave much in their hands to save and send home - the reason they are here for - to collect as much as possible for their families who live back home.
Not only this, the unbearable heat of the Middle Eastern sun is what they struggle with each and every day. We do have winters, but they are combined with high velocity winds and sand storms. Good weather lasts much less than the bad, and so, we feel badly for these people who live here alone, away from their families living on paltry income.
Mr. Abbas started visiting the sites with his family members and a few friends. People around him liked the initiative and started supporting him by helping him with funds. What started as a family event has now united a lot of people in the country who help him out by accompanying him to the sites and donating a part of their income.
Last month was very busy for us and we kept postponing our visit. This Saturday, however, we were not going to let anything come in between our trip! We messaged Mr. Abbas that we will be joining his 'party'. His usual trips start at around 10 or 11 a.m. and last for maximum 2 hours. We went out for breakfast and then headed to the meeting point. Something had kept us away from this - the first week we thought of going, my friend was hospitalised. The week after that I was staying with her in the hospital. And then, we had to go for our vacation. We were quite eager after 5 weeks of postponing, but we were stuck in an unusual traffic jam and thought we won't be able to make it in time! Talk about roadblocks when you want to do something good!
We reached just in time to see Abbas and his troop ready for delivery. I was impressed to see how punctual they all were. We introduced ourselves. The crew members were from France, South Africa, Australia, India and Pakistan. Lots of kids joined us too. Since it was our first time, we asked if we could accompany an older member in his car. Mr. Hasan readily agreed and we joined him. Actually it was a good thing - Hasan seemingly had been co-ordinating with Abbas since a long time and told us about the whole initiative. He told us how they resource food, their costs, the way they try to find funds, etc.
We went to our first site where we distributed food to 180 workers. The moment we entered the site, I saw so many happy faces! Apparently the SBP had been visiting this site since four weeks now and so they were kind of waiting for us. We were handed over our distribution items and the workers formed a queue within seconds! I think it must have taken us hardly 10 to 15 minutes to distribute food to so many. Everything was so well-organized.
After that we went to three other smaller sites where there were 10-40 workers. Over-all we distributed 300 packets of chicken biryani, chutney, salad, water and juice. It was indeed an over-whelming experience that filled me with pride that I am able to bring a smile to the faces of people who are probably struggling a lot in these conditions.
The crew took a lot of pictures that they share on their Facebook Page every week. I tried to invite a few friends to their page - what they do about it is completely upto them. I hope we can keep going regularly to the weekly event because it really does feel good to go. I'll leave you with these pictures. If you are reading this and you live in Bahrain, do like their page. It is a rare and impressive charitable initiative in Bahrain to help the labourers. If you wish to join the party, call Abbas on +97339874541 or email him at: absclix@gmail.com. You can even leave a comment here and I'll guide you through the rest!
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| Biryanis ready to be devoured! |
 |
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| The crew that day |
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Thursday, September 10, 2015
The Week That Was
Friday: The Boy had an office brunch planned with his team-mates
and their families. In the last four years of him being with this Bank, this
had never happened. We were all excited and looking forward to this. The over-priced
brunch with unlimited food and drinks had only one amusing aspect – the Indian
magician. We smiled, we laughed and even wrote him a recommendation in the
review page. Just that it wasn’t so much fun; we were only trying to get our
money’s worth by enjoying everything that was being served!
Saturday: We went shopping for the upcoming trip. Listen to
this: we sold our previous car to a person who was driving a 15-year old car before that.
He works with this group that manages stores like Zara and
Mango. This guy, through no persuasion of ours, offered us his 35 percent
discount card! Decent people that we are, we’ve asked him to come twice in the last 15 months and he
has been so generous and kind. I can’t tell you how happy he makes me!!
We also went to my close friend’s new villa. She use to live
one floor above mine before I moved a mile away from her. After 4 years,
she has now moved at a bigger house which is miles away and it is quite disheartening. The villa is
gorgeous but that doesn’t make it easy for me to visit her. Damn these changes.
Sunday: I thought I’d start packing! Ha, who I was kidding!
I lazed around on the sofa all day and loved everything about it!
Monday: We went to the close friend’s house again. She sent
us emotionally black-mailing messages. Since we just love to meet, I mocked at
her message and went any way. It takes more than 30 minutes to reach her place and costs a bomb.
Oh, I don’t know when I will stop cribbing about that.
Tuesday: A friend invited me for lunch. I just love it when
someone else cooks for me! Being a housewife, you tend to get bored with your
own haath ka khaana. It is a respite when someone else makes the effort of
inviting you over. Now I have met this girl a lot of times socially and also as couples with our respected spouses.
This was the first time we were meeting alone. I opened my heart to her and it
felt great. It makes me comfortable to know that the person I am interacting
with knows a few things that are very close to my heart and I don’t have to
pretend. Ofcourse I don’t open up to every Sally, but once I call someone a
friend, she needs to know who I am before I can really talk.
‘Who I am?’ sounds like a celebrity line, doesn’t it?
Wednesday: I thought I’d pack, ha, who I was kidding again! The only
smart thing I did was cooked lots of food so that I wouldn’t have to enter the
kitchen on Thursday.
The other smart thing I did was that I downloaded a lot of videos
for long, boring journeys. Cheap air tickets should give us a to-do list as
well; and they should hire me to make that.
Thursday: I thought it would be a busy day, turns out, not
so much. I cleared the kitchen in the first hour of waking up. And packed the
suitcase in the second. Oh ya, I am a pro by now!
The rest of the day has been spent in calling home, and
counting my blessings. I can’t wait to get on that plane now. Our last long
trip was in 2013. Since then our trips have been no more than 9 days. I am
looking forward to rolling on the green grass, inhaling the smell of trees,
eating desserts, strolling around beautiful cities with nothing on my mind, kissing the Boy out in the open, panicking over getting on a train, irritating the Boy with my plans and then missing things on my
itinerary, clicking a thousand pictures, and most of all, making a million memories.
See you on the other side of possibly the best holiday
ever. *
*I tend to get overwhelmed by each new destination and
somehow feel that it is indeed the best ever. I also keep praying that insanity
prevails and my enthusiasm remains the same forever.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
It's September!
It seems I've been away from the blogging world for quite some time now. As they say, life took over and I could not find time to talk about it here.
The last post I wrote was about a dear friend's baby shower. As much fun we had on that particular day, it was in no way compensatory for the trauma that followed. 'A' had a doctor's appointment on the very next day and was asked to go the emergency room. It was her 30th week (most pregnancies last 40-42 weeks), and we were not expecting this.
Since no private hospital here in Bahrain takes a case before 34, she had to be taken to a government hospital. Even though the facilities there are the best in the country, not knowing any doctor in such a critical situation was nightmarish. After keeping her under observation for 2 days, they decided to do a c-section. The babies were born and taken directly to the incubator where they would live for a few weeks till they are ready to face the real world. The mother, initially shocked, worried, emotionally a wreck, is now doing ok and is all set to take care of the babies. Oh, she had twin angels, by the way!
Between the home and the hospital, our lives as close friends got very busy as well. When you live outside your own country, you are hugely dependent on friends for support. While one was constantly in touch with the friend's mother back home so that she can make the perfect food for the new mom, I tried to be the emotional support at the hospital. This government hospital in an Islamic country doesn't allow men to stay over-night in a private ward. For the first time in my life, I stayed in the hospital for over three nights and fared decent!
Now all we want is for the babies to become stronger and come home. In a few months, they would become so adorable and cuddly!
The other thing that is now keeping me busy is another holiday. Oh yes, every one we tell this to goes green with jealousy and cannot understand how we manage to do it all. Well, some people have kids, some people have work, and some people dream to travel the world. Obviously, we are doing the third one and refuse to be judged on that.
We leave this Thursday for a fortnight. This time we would be touring Amsterdam, Brugges, the Black Forest in Germany and Munich for Oktoberfest. This holiday was planned in December last year and a lot of it is from the bucket list. Also, we got a three-year Schenghen visa this year, so be prepared to see a lot of Europe on my site. Frankly, I don't think the whole world compares to this beautiful continent. So even if we go there over and over again, I wouldn't mind it at all!
I've not even completed my last holiday's trip report. Hopefully the memories of the new one wouldn't blur the last. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case ever. Isn't that the reason we travel - to make new memories that last a lifetime?
Prost! (That's 'cheers' in German - the only word I remember so far because it is going to be used a lot during the beer festival!!!)
The last post I wrote was about a dear friend's baby shower. As much fun we had on that particular day, it was in no way compensatory for the trauma that followed. 'A' had a doctor's appointment on the very next day and was asked to go the emergency room. It was her 30th week (most pregnancies last 40-42 weeks), and we were not expecting this.
Since no private hospital here in Bahrain takes a case before 34, she had to be taken to a government hospital. Even though the facilities there are the best in the country, not knowing any doctor in such a critical situation was nightmarish. After keeping her under observation for 2 days, they decided to do a c-section. The babies were born and taken directly to the incubator where they would live for a few weeks till they are ready to face the real world. The mother, initially shocked, worried, emotionally a wreck, is now doing ok and is all set to take care of the babies. Oh, she had twin angels, by the way!
Between the home and the hospital, our lives as close friends got very busy as well. When you live outside your own country, you are hugely dependent on friends for support. While one was constantly in touch with the friend's mother back home so that she can make the perfect food for the new mom, I tried to be the emotional support at the hospital. This government hospital in an Islamic country doesn't allow men to stay over-night in a private ward. For the first time in my life, I stayed in the hospital for over three nights and fared decent!
Now all we want is for the babies to become stronger and come home. In a few months, they would become so adorable and cuddly!
The other thing that is now keeping me busy is another holiday. Oh yes, every one we tell this to goes green with jealousy and cannot understand how we manage to do it all. Well, some people have kids, some people have work, and some people dream to travel the world. Obviously, we are doing the third one and refuse to be judged on that.
We leave this Thursday for a fortnight. This time we would be touring Amsterdam, Brugges, the Black Forest in Germany and Munich for Oktoberfest. This holiday was planned in December last year and a lot of it is from the bucket list. Also, we got a three-year Schenghen visa this year, so be prepared to see a lot of Europe on my site. Frankly, I don't think the whole world compares to this beautiful continent. So even if we go there over and over again, I wouldn't mind it at all!
I've not even completed my last holiday's trip report. Hopefully the memories of the new one wouldn't blur the last. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case ever. Isn't that the reason we travel - to make new memories that last a lifetime?
Prost! (That's 'cheers' in German - the only word I remember so far because it is going to be used a lot during the beer festival!!!)
Sunday, August 23, 2015
A Baby Shower for the Sweetest one!
I had heard that you can make best friends only in school/college. However, I would like to tell the world that if you have your heart in the right place, you can and you will find them at every stage of your life.
And so I met A when I got married and moved to Bahrain. Although our personalities are poles apart, we connect at so many other levels and love each other to the core. She understands me extremely well and I try my best to do the same. She's loving, caring and certainly the sweetest person you will ever meet. Special people like her need to be treated in an equally special way and so, we planned a baby shower at my place for her this weekend. Here is a poem from that (Oh, I tend to write poems for my close friends on their special occasions!) and a few pictures:
And so I met A when I got married and moved to Bahrain. Although our personalities are poles apart, we connect at so many other levels and love each other to the core. She understands me extremely well and I try my best to do the same. She's loving, caring and certainly the sweetest person you will ever meet. Special people like her need to be treated in an equally special way and so, we planned a baby shower at my place for her this weekend. Here is a poem from that (Oh, I tend to write poems for my close friends on their special occasions!) and a few pictures:
The bestest girl in the whole world is going to have twins,
Double the love, double the joy and multiply by two grins!
She met the daddy at a wedding some 12 years ago,
Love blossomed, rings were exchanged and now they are the sweetest couple we know.
The excess of 'Luv' in their home needed another angel,
God blessed, sent His favorite two, and added to their stable!
We think these babies will inherit the good looks and definitely be hard workers,
Very lovable, absolutely charming and definitely be high 'performers'!
Lots of love to the mommy and daddy to be - they deserve the very best
And thank them for the babies too, like them we also feel blessed!
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| Photo Booth! |
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| Wishes in Poetry |
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| Our favourite part of the decoration |
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| It's a Baby Shower! |
Wish her and her babies lots of love and good health!
Monday, August 10, 2015
Trip Report - Aiya Napa, Cyprus
There are a lot of people out there who have not heard of
Cyprus. I don’t blame them – it is a tiny island, not marketed like Seychelles
and comes lower in the ranking from its neighbours - Greece and Turkey. Since I
have been to both (Greece and Turkey), I can safely tell you that the beaches
in Cyprus are way better.
Obviously a few people will disagree with me since I have
not seen ALL beaches in those two countries. But what I can tell you from what I
have seen – you will get more value from what you see in Cyprus than what you
will see elsewhere.
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| Crystal, CRYSTAL clear water |
We decided to take a short trip to this island this Eid. I had
read that July and August are the busiest months in the country and also the
best time to visit the beaches. Since our visit to Greece, particularly
Mykonos, was in the off-season and hence a total let-down, we thought it was better
to go when there are crowds.
Frankly, I had no expectations. We have a couple of friends
who have been there and told us it was ‘nice’. No pictures, no details, just
nice! This was an indication that they did not really enjoy their holiday but
did not want to discourage us either since everyone perceives a place in his or
her own way. Anyway, we still went because we wanted to and took a direct flight
which was just 3.5 hours and it was the fastest since I was lost in a book (To
Kill a Mockingbird – awesome it is.).
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| Wine, poetry and a book on a plane to a new destination - Life can be absolutely perfect sometimes! |
Before I tell you about our visit, let me tell you a little
about the country. Cyprus is around 9000 kilometre square in area. The west is
known for Greek Mythology. The east is known for its lovely, sandy beaches. The
capital of Cyprus is Nicosia which is located in the centre of the country and is also the last divided capital in the world.
By divided I mean that Northern Cyprus was occupied by
Turkey in the 1970’s and still is out of bounds for Greek Cypriots. They need a
passport to enter the region, just like any other person. It is sort of another
country within the same country. While you drive around Cyprus, you can see the divisions. There are a
lot of checkpoints throughout the region where there are proper immigration
counters. Oh yes, it is complicated and I feel very bad for them. It is hard to
take sides without knowing the entire history, but whatever it is, it is
horrible to be divided like this.
Anyway, the main area for tourists are Paphos in the west,
Limassol and Troodos mountains in the centre, Larnaca, Aiya Napa and Protaras
in the east. We chose Aiya Napa and Protaras for our 7-day trip since I read that these two towns had the best beaches. The weather was in 30’s during the day
- we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!
On day one we just hung around the harbour and the restaurant
street in Aiya Napa. It was long and full of people. I was amazed to see how
girls and boys just wore beachwear even on the roads! Yes, girls in bikinis and
boys in just their swimming shorts. Although it is not rare, but I have not
seen any beach destination where clothes were scarce even far away from the
beach! It was a treat for the Boy nevertheless and I sulked on having a bigger
body than most of the girls!
Day two was a Sunday. I had read that the most famous beach in
Aiya Napa was Nissi beach and they have foam parties on that day. So we had
breakfast, took another nap, caught a bus and went to Nissi at around 2. Yes,
we were lazy. But Cyprus is a lazy destination where you can start late and end
late - just ideal for a holiday!
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| A walk near the harbour |
We went to the far west corner of Nissi because I had seen
pictures from the party (yes, planning helps! Otherwise we would have been in a
dead corner!). The bar was buzzing and there was not a single sun lounger. The
Boy wanted to quit and just take a chair. But I was patient and pleaded him to
wait. We found our beds in ten minutes.
Now Nissi beach is by far the best beach I have ever been to
in my life. I have seen beaches in Goa (India), San Diego (U.S.A), Oludeniz
(Turkey), Nice (France) and Mykonos (Greece). All these places had great
beaches but always lacked something or the other. Nissi beach had everything –
Clean water, shallow sea (you could walk over a 100 meter without having to
swim), had the softest sand, an entertaining bar and very friendly but decent
crowd. The sea had little or no waves which is exactly how I like it.
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| From a sun lounger at Nissi Beach |
After swimming/walking(!) in the water for 2 hours, we went
to the foam party. They had this huge shower from which they were pouring foam.
Fifteen minutes of foam was followed by fifteen minutes of water. Everyone was
decent enough to let others have a chance under the water. The foam wasn’t even
slippery and it was great fun to be in it and watch others when you weren’t directly
under it. Oh boy, it was one interesting party! So much so that we went there on Day 6 as well
since there was another foam party then!
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| Foam Party at Nissi Beach Bar |
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| Touristy picture! |
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| The start of a very long stretch of bars, clubs and pubs. |
On Day three we went to Makronissos beach - or atleast we thought we did. The thing about doing a trip on your own on public transport is that you can easily get lost. We got off at a bus stop and followed signs to this beach which was stated to be the best in Cyprus. The marketing guys got us and we headed to an isolated beach where they had a bar and a huge party area. Since we had walked over a kilometer in scorching summer heat, we thought of staying there and not finding the real thing. I wish we could because this area was nothing like what I had read online. It was not bad, but it wasn't the best in Cyprus!Well, adventures make us smarter, don't they?
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| Beautiful Water |
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| When you don't know what else to do - click pictures! |
After two days of sun, sand and beer, we thought it was a good idea to step outside of Aiya Napa and see other areas of Cyprus...
Coming up next - Our trip to Larnaca, Troodos, Nicosia and 3-days in Protaras!
Coming up next - Our trip to Larnaca, Troodos, Nicosia and 3-days in Protaras!
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