Me so beautiful!

Not that you care for my opinion but I do really believe you are all very good looking. As a matter of fact every one of them out there is good looking, in their own way; are they not? You know exactly where I am arriving at.  That's right; I consider myself good looking too.

The at-average height, the scar on the forehead, the hiding grey hairs, the no-make-up face - none of these have ever bothered me. Never! I have always felt my best. What is the problem with that? Well, the problem is that I have failed to appreciate any makeups.

Not that I have never tried. But every single time I had felt uneasy staring back at a total stranger in the mirror who would have no resemblance to me. I had quietly settled for some pressed powder and lip gloss.

However it doesn't seem to fit in with the New York culture where almost every one of them is perfectly made up. The hair so perfect - smooth, curled or waved, eyes lined and shaded, face painted skin tone, lips carefully rounded, nails neatly filed, making the poor me looking all so plain all of a sudden. :(

An ad poster on the Subway reads: "New York city tolerant of your faith but judgemental of your shoes". It says it all!

So, here I am with an appointment at the local cosmetics store for this weekend where they are to match my skin tone and suggest the best suitable products for me. Hope I don't get too carried away. Will let you know how it goes.

I wish and hope I can still stay the same - beautiful! Please wish me luck!

On and on it rolls

At work they give us pizza on the last Friday of the month. It almost feels like it comes every other week. Why then the weeks drag for so long, I have no clue. Even as I write this it is hard to believe we are just over with Wednesday this week. I am ready for the weekend already!

In a matter of weeks school will be over. June 15th is the last day! As much as I am happy about it, I am also feeling a little heavy at heart as the current school year will become just a memory the kids will recall down the lane like, "When I was in fifth grade" or "During my 7th grade school trip" or something in those lines....  There will be no re-doing of their respective classes, forever! Wow! That is sad!

Every night as I put the kids to bed, I am thinking, "Another day of childhood has passed! Hopefully it brings back sweet memories years from now..." Because if we are not careful we (adults) could permanently damage what they (kids) retain from a day. All it takes is a harsh word or rude remark or an insensitive comment. This realization has helped me cool down a lot that even when I have to reprimand them for something it comes out normal without much modulation of the tone. This works both ways; my stress level stays low and they are listening!

However, one thing is testing my patience for quite sometime and I am sure to lose my cool one of these days. They are planting seeds. What's wrong with that? They are planting them in ugly trays and containers in the living room! All under Israel's influence!! They claim the sun shines bright only through that window and they need to make use of it. That's not true. It shines brighter and longer on the deck and even in the basement. They say it is cold out there. Excuses excuses excuses. Can't take it anymore!

There is another reason for my frustrations. For years I am asking for a flower garden and they keep focusing on vegetables. Who cares for their pumpkins and watermelons which will be hit by frost even before they yield? Or the carrots and potatoes for that matter, which the rabbits and ground hogs thrive feasting on. Cherries are the one thing I look forward to but birds overtake us every year!

So, this season I am taking over. Soon there will be flowers. It is May after all!

Life is good. On and on it rolls!

Martha, Martha!

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42

This is one area I struggle with - time and time again. I do not sit down to spend time with our guests rather I find one thing after another to do - for the guests of course!

I would start my day very early and work on so many dishes and stuff and soon things will get so overwhelming that I end up complaining about the family members who do not "pitch in" or "share the chores".

When the meal is served I hurriedly finish mine to rush with making coffee and snacks and the wheel spins non stop, while the rest of the family enjoys a leisure conversation with the guests.

Finally when I am ready to sit down it would be time for the guests to leave. Then I keep a long face that I didn't have any fun! Clearly I am like Martha on this. I miss out on the fun and fellowship as I am distracted by the endless list of chores to do.

But these days I am changing - though very slowly.

It sure felt awkward to order in a pizza for the unexpected guests who showed up on a weekday, instead of cooking a proper meal; but this way I too could relax catching up on things we had missed out on each other over the past decade.

We brew some coffee in the electrical coffee maker, which the guests could help themselves to, again giving me more of a quality time I could enjoy with them rather than hiding in the kitchen all the time or worse yet, ushering them in to help make tea (which I have shamelessly done over the past).

This way I can entertain more guests than I normally would or could or even should. I love to host - love to make friends - love to keep friends - love to get together as much as possible. Definitely my love for my guests stay the same. It is how I show it has changed - I appreciate their time more than my fancy show.

There is one problem though - some friends are not happy. Am I imagining things? No, not at all.

They are so used to my overwhelming attention that now to see me just sit around and talk nonsense is hard for them to take. I am no longer the "perfect host" they have come to know of me as. I have become one of them - a cool host at that! Laid back, relaxed, nothing more, nothing less.

One even confronted me directly, "Queen! What is wrong with you?". "Nothing really; just taking it easy..." was my careful response. The Martha in me warns, "Get up! Spin!" but I shrug it off. "They are not here for your show, but your time, so stay!", Mary insists.

Only one thing is needed, spending time together; everything else is a distraction. Martha no more; becoming Mary...

Spur-of-the-moment

It was all planned in less than 20 minutes! Our vacation by car from home, New Jersey to Orlando, Florida. We were still thinking-out-loud when we went to bed on Friday night; Saturday early morning we were on the road! If we had paused a minute longer to think it over Israel would have cancelled the whole trip; glad we had not.

There was a skip to our beat and music in our hearts as the rear view mirror blurred from view all familiar scenes... With little or no concern for the left behind plants and fish and home we were all smiles. It was a rare sight - seeing all five of us grinning from ear to ear! We drove a total of 2200 plus miles and loved every inch of it!

It was fun looking at how the weather changed as we drove South from NJ. When we left home it was 54 degrees; when we arrived in Florida it was 84 degrees! Passing through the different States (7 in total) we could see how the trees/plants were changing across the different landscapes. At the first sight of palm trees we were elated! 

Do you know that the locals eat boiled peanuts with or without spices in the Carolinas? That pecans are famous in Georgia?  That D& L farmers with screaming advertising boards for "$1 fruit bags!" are the biggest cheaters you would ever come by in the entire North America?! That South of the Border is so much fun even to drive by? That each State has put up beautiful welcome boards as you cross the state lines? Well, we too would have missed out on all these facts if we had flown instead of driving.

We stopped at a church on the way to attend Easter service. The people were so kind, their accent so different and the sermon so prompt. The pastor had shared about the promised blessings which is true for the here and not only the here-after. 

When we arrived at the hotel (Lake Eve) only then we realized it was a resort hotel; that explains how hurriedly we had left for the trip without even looking up the hotel's website. It was a pleasant surprise to open the doors to a beautiful fully furnished two bedroom condo with a full kitchen, washer/dryer, dish washer and everything. I was delighted to see pots and pans and plates and glasses and what not! It was like home! "Even better", the kids quipped, "...because it has a pool!"

While my friends find it easy and convenient to use paper plates for any get together, I insist on serving on proper plates no matter how many guests we have. I was therefore very pleased with the ceramic plates, cups and bowls they had kept for our use. We remembered the Scripture, "...how you measure, it will be measured unto you!"

Immediately we set out for a quick grocery shopping, loading our cart with basic items such as bread, bagel, milk, egg, bacon, chicken, salmon, shrimp, salt, pepper, oil, lemon juice,yogurt, cumin seeds and red pepper. Oh yes, a small packet of rice and a mini rice cooker too! It was fun cooking as a family. Shrimp and chicken and salmon tasted much better than the home made recipe - just with the bare minimum ingredients - pepper, salt, red pepper, cumin seeds, with or without lemon juice - sauteed in oil. Children loved it!

Every day when we returned from our day's event we were greeted by a clean room - with the beds made, the kitchen back in order, dishes washed and put aside. It was a pleasant surprise day after day and not even once I complained about the cooking. Over all Lake Eve Resort had won our hearts!

The days spent together have reignited the love and bonding between the five of us, the memories of which will last a lifetime! My heart sings songs of thanks to God Almighty. The pastor was right; the promised blessings are true for the here as much as the here-after...

Ocean Sea

Yes, I did! I did finish the book. No, it wasn't my kind of book but somehow the pages kept turning and before long it was over! Such is the pull of the Ocean Sea. Just loved it!

There is something beautiful about each character in the story and something mesmerizing about the way Baricco tells the story. Dol, Ditz and Dood are so enchanting though it is hard to understand if they are even real.

In Ocean Sea there is Plasson the artist. He tries to paint the sea with sea water and doesn't know where to start because he cannot find the ocean's eye. He is a portrait artist you see and always starts with the eye! So Plasson leaves his canvas blank. This he repeats every day.

Then there is Professor Bartleboom, who is so much in love with his future wife that he keeps her updated with happenings at his end. His letters would read, "Darling! I have safely arrived at the sea!" or "I met this fine lady for tea" etc. Very romantic indeed. The only problem is he cannot mail it to her because he does not know who she is. He longs to find her and hand over the box of letters to her.

I must brief you about Baron who is also an artist. He is good with making identical paintings. Loves his daughter and doesn't like eagles. If eagles must exist he reasons, it is better to have them up and far away in the sky. After a while the daughter shows him one of her paintings, in which she depicts men in mid air, up and away!

I don't want to give out too much spoiling the fun. You must visit them yourself at the sea!

Enjoy the showers!

Not bad! Not bad at all!  That's how I am faring*. It is April already in this part of the world. I am sure in yours too. The showers have arrived few days early, safe and sound. The sun is on a weekend break or so it appears; hope it won't be gone too long...

There was this sudden desire in me to watch some sea; yes, the ocean as we call it in this part of the town. Watched Poseidon; it wasn't all that good as there is not much sea but only the interiors of this huge ship you see. Then I tried Fools Gold which was indeed the kind of sea I wanted to see, the depth, the breadth and everything.

A day later @KParthasarathy had sent me this clip of Cape Horn that was much more than what I had asked for. The next day found a book called Ocean Sea by Alessandro Baricco, from our office library. It has a lot to offer in terms of sea.

But then just realized it is about people with some mind issues and might turn out to be a thriller and if so it won't be my kind of book. So I am at a dilemma whether to continue reading or quit now. Will decide few more pages later and save the book for Mom's summer reading.

Mother-in-law has left behind a nice long letter - almost a journal - for her children including children-in-law and grandchildren. Just got our copy in the mail and finished reading at once! Though I have heard some of the stories from her, it felt good hearing from her all over again. I could somewhat relate to her as she could express more in letter than in person. Her steadfast faith had kept her going through the downs and she had lived to see her promised blessings.

I guess that's all news at my end. Enjoy the showers folks; beautiful flowers are just around the corner! Happy April 2012!

Friend always,

~ NRIGirl

* faring vs. fairing - which is the right word to use? Anil? Tracy? KP? Anyone?

Missed Connections

Knowing my interest in people watching it shouldn't surprise you why I looked up Sophie Blackall as soon as I got off the Subway this evening. Turns out she was one of two artists selected for Subway themed illustrations for the year 2012!

I have always felt that mere words are not adequate to thoroughly explain the New york City Subway experience to someone who has never been on one. Well, Sophie has done an amazing job illustrating what she sees around and I can't resist sharing it with my readers and fellow bloggers with whom I have shared a lot of my Subway experiences - in words that is.

To begin with you'll notice the seating arrangement inside the new Subway cars that gives you plenty of leg room and ample bars at varying heights for the straphangers.

Next you'll notice the diverse mix of people riding the trains each of them unique in their own way, each having a story to tell. There are kids, elderly, musicians, artists, you name it. Each minding their own business reading or drawing or chatting or anything but avoiding eye contacts. On the occasional moments the eyes meet there is no smile or nod or any other recognition of it. We look away as quickly as we "met".

Then you'll notice the ample windows that give you something else to stare about at each station.

Sophie has done a tremendous job capturing the scene as it unrolls in front of her eyes. I understand she has also authored a book based on her Subway encounters, called Missed Connections. I am sure to find one for my reading. Apparently most characters in this piece of art is drawn from the book. So I just can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

Before I wrap up, here's an etsy video I came across on the making of the art in Sophie's own words. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

P.S: You may also visit her blog to find the portions of the picture upclose.

Until next time,
~ NRIGirl

A Note

Laying it down

I am crying. Not because of any matter big or small you would imagine; but because I lay it all down at the altar this morning.

Visiting friends over the weekend we attended Church with them this morning. The sermon was titled "Laying it all down" which went on to explain how Jesus Christ lay it all down for the human race, for me in particular!

The pastor sang a beautiful song I had never heard before, "He paid a debt He did not owe; I owed a debt I could not pay..." In the end of the sermon there was an altar call for 'laying it all down'. The Pastor asked, "He lay it all down for you! What are you willing to lie down today?" I chose to lie down my dreams and that's what I am crying about.

In my mind whatever dreams big or small, the ones that have been fulfilled, partly fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled, and even those that might never be fulfilled have all been lain down - to rest forever. This makes me weepy.

What are these dreams, anything big, you might wonder. It is my all - big and small. It even includes my long lasting dream to take a family picture in blue jeans and white shirts. One might find it silly as to why it has to be a dream and why not just get clicked. The fact of the matter is that a dream is just a dream until one acts on it and in our 13 years of home making we haven't acted on making this dream a reality. Whose fault is it? Why bother? All I can tell you is it remains unfulfilled.

Another one is my fancy for world travel. Israel, Australia, Thailand & Paris seem so close at times yet ever eluding. The big plans for visiting all fifty States as a family might never be fulfilled at the rate in which the kids are growing. It is not the funds that are limiting, though it is true at times; but the time in most cases and hence stays only a dream thus far.

My dream home in India is yet another that remains at large. Why would you spend so much money building a house in India while you live oceans apart is a valid question. But why not is my valid answer! Would it ever be fulfilled? Only time will tell.

Oh yes, my dream job at the Bronx Zoo (oops!) is still pending decisions, though I am hopeful.

But the fact that I have lain it all down at the altar this morning, makes me wonder if I could ever carry them back. By laying it down have I given up hope or surrendered for His will? Israel explains it is the latter while I fear it is the former which is why I am crying...

Visiting places

I have been a little busy lately visiting places and meeting people... It is hard to believe, in just over the last two weeks I have visited Paris, Israel, the Gobi desert in Mangolia, Iran, Iraq, and travelled all over Brazil in bicycle - yeah, 2000 miles of biking from Paraiba all the way to Rio-de-Jeneiro...

You have guessed it right! I did all the travelling sitting in front of my computer, watching movies... It is a beautiful experience visiting places, learning about different people, sharing their dreams, meals, and conversations...

I encountered a group of farmers raising camels in the Gobi deserts, lot of little children living in camps in Turkey/Iraq border, an interesting ostrich farm and a family story associated with it in Iran and visited the cherry blossom in Japan, life as it unfolds in Paris for many different people and the journey with James to Jerusalem was an eye opener - reminding about life's journey...quiet a challenge...

You must have heard of the phrase "Books can take you places". Well, I believe movies can take you further... Also, to me books are only enjoyable as long as I haven't seen the places described, whereas in movies when they show places I have been to, it gets more interesting...

If you have some time at hand and love to join here are some suggestions:

1. Story of a Weeping Camel
2. Song of Sparrows
3. Paris, Je T'aime
4. Turtles can fly
5. The Middle of the World
6. James's Journey to Jerusalem

When you visit, please pass on my love to the camel farmers, the beautiful mom in the middle of the world and the kids in the camp and especially "Satelite"... Tell the little boy who dreams to raise fish that he did a good job cleaning the dirty pond and I wish him the best in his endeavors and to James tell him I am sorry he got lost, the next time he is out of the prison ask him to please go to Jerusalem at once and hurry back to his village...

Sorry, I didn't quiet get to know anyone in Paris, may be you will ...

Please share...

These are heart wrenching stories, but I share for a reason...

On the 34th street Subway station a lady boarded the train this morning. She was about 50 years of age; had no bags or belongings; wore a jeans and a sweatshirt with sneakers.

As the train started moving she started speaking to us her fellow riders in clear voice. These were her exact words:

"Ladies and Gentlemen! I am hungry. Very hungry. If any of you can spare something from your lunch or breakfast this morning...  like an apple, an orange, a sandwich, anything, anything at all, please share..."

Then she passed the aisles from one end to  the other saying, "anything? anybody?" and not a single soul stirred. Few continued to read as if they didn't hear a thing. but many were just looking at her and seeing through her.

When no arms extended I too felt reluctant as I didn't want to be the odd man out. But at the same time I couldn't just ignore her. I had a banana other than my frozen lunch. I offered it to her ignoring the stares from the fellow riders. Her face lit up. She blessed me and accepted it. I could sense the glances from the people till I got down at my stop.

Though it made me feel a little uneasy I was glad I could share...

Last week when I returned from the Bronx, at the passage way that connects #5 train's Time Square stop to Port authority walk way, there was this beautiful young Mom standing with an infant bundled up in her arms, with a hand written note that read, "Lost my job. Have two babies to feed. Please help!"

I wasn't sure if I should help. Was that a trick she was playing? But then I looked at her again and she had such a grace about her that I couldn't just walk by. Gave her a dollar. Walked few more steps and then as if something dawned on me came rushing back to her. Fetched out a bigger bill and pressed it in her hand. There were tears in the corner of her eyes and mine too welled up as we held hands for that one brief moment. No words exchanged but it was all understood. I was sorry and she was thankful.

What if these were not genuine cases, one may ask. My response is, if they are that desperate, so be it. I have lost nothing!

Now the only reason I am sharing these with you is so that you too would give, share and help - the very least we can do. Next time you come across someone in need, please don't rush by. Give! Anything. Something. If nothing, lift them up in your thoughts and prayers. But please do not ignore... this is my humble plea...

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
~ Holy Bible

Taste above all else?

Traveling East these days is a bit annoying, as the Sun pops up out of the New York skyline, glaring with its powerful rays. It is almost audible in the silence of the hour making it impossible to sleep. But I pretend to anyways, lest my hands will fetch the handheld to stay connected to the outside world. I wish to hold off on that till the evening.

On return however, I doze off nicely, waking up startled to the reality. As I near home I can see the moon shining so bright refreshing my soul. Yesterday it appeared a little crooked but today it is almost full. Night sky these days has plenty of stars and the cool breeze only makes it more mesmerizing. I just stand there in the open air a little while longer!

I have been trying to write a poem in vain. I have scribbled off tons of paper in my mind already, most of them started along the lines of "Dear Moon", "Hello Moon" etc. Dear Moon? Then what? That's where I got stuck and had to leave it at that... Then it went on about stars for a while, like "scattered jewels", "shattered dreams", "sequined vail" etc and it didn't quite sound like me nor the stars; it was obvious I was desperately trying to come up with a poem, so called it quits. Poem has to be spontaneous, with no effort, right? Yep, that's what I thought.

Today in Subway I had seen some ads which I wanted to share with you. Now please don't think I am running an ad campaign for the product or the brand. Far from it! Just thought this was a smart and interesting idea... and couldn't resist sharing with you. I especially liked their catch phrase: Taste above all else! But is it? Have they tasted plain cold fresh water?!

Can't believe that alone made in to a nice post!

So, what are you waiting for? Anything interesting you see along, read along, hear along or think along bring it on! It has been so long hearing from some of you... Hope all is well.

Friend always,
~ NRIGirl