Dinner Tag

Have been tagged my Jaguu. I have to list 6 people who I would like to take out for dinner and why.

• Malika - She can order wine for all of us. And I have this slight discoloration on my wrist and I would like her to take a look at that for me.
• ROS - She is my blog friend turned friend. I would love to meet and actually I would love to cook Aviyal for her.
• Sayesha - She is just a fun person to be around. Plus she can hang around the cold weather here.
• Silverine - She has such great sense of humor and I feel everyone at the table will love her company
• Virdi - Just because if I don't invite him, he will be calling Sayesha and ROS every 10-15 minutes. So how is it going? What are u girls taking about? Plus he can increase his Girl Gyan.
• Vikram - So that our poor Virdi will have company.

PS: Jaguu, since I already met you for dinner at Rumbling, I'm not inviting you here.

People I would like to tag
ROS
Virdi
Vikram

A Journey to Remember

I'm a very careful person, unless I'm with someone older than me. If I'm traveling with Shekar, parents or Veena (Didi) I tend not to pay attention to anything. One such trip was my India trip few years ago where Veena and I traveled together. Veena being the older was in charge of everything and all I did was tag along.

We had our all trip planned out. First visit family/friends in Trivandrum, stay there for 2 days and then take train to Tamil Nadu. So we come to Trivandrum, check all our bag (other than the ones we need for our Trivandrum stay) into the clock room (its a place in train stations where luggage gets stored) and go one our merry way to visit folks in Trivandrum.

After our stay in Trivandrum, we were ready to go board the train and go to Tamil Nadu. So we come and board the Island Express all happy as this was the first time our parents let us come to India alone. Veena and I are sitting in the train, I get the window seat and we brag about how responsible we are and all. The train leaves the station and that is when Veena says "Our luggage is still in the Clock room." We both panic (I panic more – me being younger and all), Veena goes, "O K you go get the TT and I'll pull the chain to stop the train." I run around the compartment looking for the TT (I saw him pass by earlier, so I know he is somewhere around us).

I find him and I tell him what is going on. He comes over, and my sister is still pulling the chain. TT goes, "Chain doesn't stop the train, as people keep pulling it so we have applied brakes to the chain." Veena and I stare at him with open mouths. He tells us that there is another crossing coming up in the next station (For those who are similar with Trivandrum, it was Kochu Velli station), and the train is stopping you can get out there.

The train comes to a halt and Veena and I get out and we make sure we take all our luggage with us. Take an auto rickshaw back to the station we boarded the train from (Thambanoor).

We get there, get our luggage and then take the next train (K K Express) to Tamil Nadu. It is during our wait for this train we met Rajat.

Over the Christmas weekend Veena and I met and we were talking about all the things we had done when we were younger and this incident brought smile to our face.

A - Z

Tagged by ROS

A- Age you got your first kiss:
Have got a lot of pecks on the cheek. First kiss - too private of a moment for a web blog.

B - Band listening to right now:
Nada

C - Crush:
1 - back when I was in 11th grade.

D- Drink of Choice:
No particular drink, Huge water drinker though

E - Easiest person [people]
My didi

F - Favorite band at the moment:
Don't have a favorite

G - Gummy worms or gummy bears?
Bears...

H – Holiday:
Spent a summer in Europe mainly Spain.

I - Instruments:
Can't play anything, but love guitar and drums. And Violin too..

J - Juice:
Like Mango juice, but drink more of the Vegetable juice v8. It doesn't taste all that great, but a good substitution when I skip a meal.

K-Kids:
Love them as long as I can return them to their parents when they are crying.

L - Longest car ride ever:
Took a week long road trip with friends. Covered 2200 miles in 4 days or may be 5.


M - Major:
Comp Sci

N - Nicknames:
Podi means little one in Malayalam. My parents still call me this, they are the only ones who call me this.

O - One wish:
All my family to have a long sickness free life.

P - Phobia[s]:
Cats

Q - Quote:
"All generalizations are false, including this one." Mark Twain

R - Reason to smile:
Having people to love you not regardless of all my flaws, but people who love me for my flaws.

S - Song you sang last:
kannukku mai azhagu
kavidhaikku poi azhagu Beautiful tamil song. Google it and read the translation, it is a very beautiful song.

T - Time you woke up [today]:
6:30 AM after like 10 snoozes finally woke up at 7.40

U - Unknown fact about me:
I can never climb/get down the stairs with out actually looking down at them.

V - Vegetable you hate:
Broccoli

X-rays you've had:
Dental were the recent ones

Y - Yummy food:
Love Dosa and Sambar.

Z - Zodiac sign:
Taurus.

PS: Folks, I'll be out of town for few days and will be back on Dec 27th.

Merry Christmas Everyone.

I know this guy

There are lot of perks about being married, but my favorite one is I do not have people (more like people I hardly know) coming to me and telling about this great guy that would be a good match to me.

I was 20 and an uncle (anyone older than me that I can not address by name), comes over and tells me about a guy.
Uncle: There is a Doctor in my family and we are looking for a girl for him.
me: (shocked this was my first proposal, I'm 20 for crying out loud) I don't wanna get married yet.
Uncle: That is the good thing, by the time it takes him to get to this country, you will be all ready
me: Then I'll marry him when he gets here.
uncle (smiles and walks away).

Never again has he approached me with any guy.

I was 22, there was this guy Binu who used to work with me and then he moved to Boston. One day he calls me from Boston.
Binu: How are you?
Me: (All surprised, its been six months after he left and now he calls me out of the blue): Good, what a nice surprise. It must be so cold in Boston (We were not that great of friends so I didn't know what else to say).
Binu: One of my colleagues, Shiju, is a nice Malayali guy and he is looking to get married.
Me: (Rolling my eyes..not again)This is so strange, I know a guy named Shiju too, who is looking to get married. I think they should meet.
Binu: Oh Come on..
Me: Hey I don't really wanna get married now.
Binu: At least talk to him and you might change your mind.
Me: That's ok Binu I really do not want to. ( I was 2 years older from the previous incident, so was more mature and hence the courteous reply)

Never has Binu called me after that, and what a relief.

I don't know when people see a single girl working, why they think "Oh, she is ready to get married and I know the perfect guy for her". What used to annoy me the most was that my parents never said anything about "we met this guy the other day", then why others.

So these days when I go anywhere, I flaunt my wedding band and Minnu and my beloved Shekar and no one comes to me with "I know this guy...."

I already have my guy and he is the BEST.

It's OK to talk to strangers

It was one evening when Didi received an email from a Rajat Thomas, who was currently working in LA. It was some random guy who got her email id from somewhere and emailed her. The courteous person that she is, she responded and they became email friends. They used to email like once a week and he emailed her a link to his personal website where she saw a picture of him. Like most sisters we shared everything so I knew who Rajat was, what he looked like and all.

2 years go by

Didi and I take a trip to India. We are standing in a train station to board a train to go to Tamil Nadu. Didi says "Don't look now, but the guy over there looks like Rajat". After few seconds I casually turn and look and I confirm that hunch. So I tell Didi, lets go ask if he is Rajat. Didi gives me the stare like I am crazy.

Between Didi and me I was the gutsy one, so I try to rationalize it for her.
Me: Let me go ask.
Didi: You are crazy, shut up. I knew I shouldn't have told you.
Me: What do we have to loose, if it's not him I'll tell I'm sorry.
Didi: I will not let you talk to random guys in train stations

While she is saying these words I walk over to that guy. Didi turns around acting like she is not related to me.

Me to Guy: Excuse me
Guy (looking all shocked):Yes
Me: Are u Rajat Thomas.
Guy (jaw drops, eyes pop out, he stands up): Yes and you are?

I beckon my sister to come over, she comes over.
Me (to Guy): This is my sister Veena who emails you.
Didi: Hi I'm Veena
Guy: Oh my god, I can't believe it.
…….. (they both start talking like long lost friends)

We ended up taking the same train and traveled half way together.

It is such a small world. When 2 people who meet here in US to be in India at the same train station at the same time I believe it is more than a coincidence.

Exams

I am not usually big into posting forwards on this blog.

This was an exception. It is just too funny not to share.

Have any of you done something similar on an exam?

Traffic Violations Anonymous

Hello I'm Thanu and I am a Traffic Violation addict. Well at least that is how it seems. Driving for almost 10 years I have accumulated almost 7 traffic violations.

1. Like how it is said the first kiss is the most memorable, same way the first violation is very memorable. I was going to college and was driving at 38 MPH in a 25MPH zone. Above that it was a school zone, so speeding is condemned. Got a ticket for speeding $70.00
2. I was stopped at a traffic light, light turned green and I took my car, only thing was the lady in front of me was still stopped. So I hit her car. Got a ticket for following too close $90.00.
3. One evening (April ard 7 PM), driving and a cop pulled me over. This time I didn't even know why he was pulling me over. Then he came over and told me that I was driving without headlights. And my response was "Its not dark yet." Got a ticket for driving without headlights $30.00.
4. I was coming back from work (used to work 3pm-11pm) around 11.30 at night, light turned yellow and I sped by. Got pulled over for running RED light. (The cop wouldn’t believe me that it was yellow). Then I couldn't find insurance card in the glove compartment. Got two tickets running a red light, no proof of insurance. I went to the court and showed that I did have insurance during that period , just couldn’t find the card. Fine $70.00.
5. Coming back from work one Sunday afternoon, switched lanes without signaling. Lo and behold another ticket, Improper Lane Changing - $60.00
   

That is when I decided to reform and drive very carefully and obey all rules. Plus had turned like 20 and I was becoming more mature. Four years went by and I was traffic ticket sober for all that while. Until one day:

• Few months ago, it was my last day at my previous job, and I was going to work. My car was already moved to west coast, so I was driving my dad’s car and got pulled over for speeding. This was my most expensive ticket. Speeding $200 +

Last few months I’ve been pretty good, but then again I rarely drive other than total on 10 miles to and fro to work. May be this is the reason Shekar drives me around, he is just scared to let me go by myself or to be in the passenger seat while I’m driving.

PS: This post is inspired by Parth and hopefully after reading this parth, you are feeling a lot better.

Running Low

I am one of those people whose car always has gas (petrol - I dunno why they call it gas here). When ever my fuel gauge shows quarter tank, I pull into a gas station and fill her up. This has been my habit for the longest time I remember.

Then I got married.

One of privileges that come with marriage is Shekar takes complete care of my car. He fills her up, takes her to all her services and washes her - the whole deal. The only time I drive these days are to work. I am liking this luxury too.

Shekar is the more logical one between us. He doesn't get panicky when the gas tank is 1/4 full. He can drive around with peace of mind.

So the other day I had to go somewhere and I turned the car on and the warning light turned on. Warning light - it goes on when the gas is low, but for some reason I brain sees the warning light and goes "Oh Oh the empty light is ON".

(Notice the warning light by the E on the Left hand side. )

My car actually has a trip computer that tells me how many miles it will go, it said 27 miles or something. But, I do not trust these things, I know strange but true.

The place I had to go was hardly 10 miles but still I'm little nervous driving there. To add to all this plight it was raining. I hate driving in the rain. First thing I did was pull into a gas station and get out in the rain and fill the tank, that is when I realized, "I haven't filled gas in my car for the so long"