Last good movie watched: No End in Sight ... a documentary about post-war reconstruction in Iraq and what America's leaders really did. Gave an insight into the various organizations which were sent on a mission of post war reconstruction without any concrete plan. It was not shocking since I was not expecting anything better... but it left me wondering how can people who have been trusted with such huge responsibilities make such obvious wrong decisions.
Bourne Ultimatum..yeah I was waiting for the DVD. The home theater, recliner and blanket beats the movie hall anyday :) . The movie was of course, the best of the Bourne series. I think I want to see another sequel even though the next in series, The Bourne Legacy is not written by Ludlum.
Taare Zameen Par..the child is an amazing actor. Too many songs though.
Current favorite TV show: Writers' strike.. all re-runs...no time for TV either.
Experience of the week: Losing my purse which contained my wallet, glasses and camera on the night before New Year's eve in Vegas, followed by losing my iPhone ten minutes before midnight on New Years' eve in a casino :( :( Two blows were hard to handle! Consoled myself with "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas"
Currently reading: The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
Book review: Desirable daughters - boring.. very vain.. very upper class Bengali vain.
Best software used/website/blog visited recently: Woot.. one day, one sale.
One recent good deed: Donation of clothes for Christmas.
One pending to-do taken care of: Overcoming the dentist paranoia and getting the much needed fillings done. I was completely impressed with the facilities. Having a television overhead while the dentist worked on my mouth kept me distracted all the time. The shots felt like an ant bite. And to think that to avoid those I had procrastinated and caused further damage!! One thing I don't understand is why do dentists ask questions to the patient while working on his mouth?
What I missed most about India this week: Getting clothes tailored easily. It is so difficult to find a tailor here to do minor repairs and alterations. Back at home the tailor would even provide home service!
And so did the "dhobis" or laudry men. Every Sunday morning our neighbourhood dhobi would come home with a set of washed and ironed clothes, sheets and towels neatly bundled in a white sack created from a bed sheet. Mom had a small notebook to keep track of the clothes she had given the dhobi last week and the cost of the items. The lists were maintained chronologically with itemized entries with descriptions and prices listed on the right hand side... prices like two rupees for a shirt and four rupees for a bed sheet. I am sure she still maintains it. She would even bargain or send some clothes back if they were not well washed or had blue marks left over from the whitening solution. How I miss such privileges!!
Discoveries of the week:
The game Mafia...one of the best and most addictive party game I have ever played.
Learning from a Nigerian colleague that he loves watching Bollywood movies and has grown up watching movies like Mard and Disco Dancer!!
Something I noticed this week: The difference in the usage of some words here. The word hostel is used differently here. In a conversation with a colleague I happened to mention I lived in a hostel in Bangalore. He was completely taken aback like it was not a suitable boarding option. I had to explain that hostels in India are not low budget lodges for travelers!
In India, the word holiday is used for any vacation day really... like Sunday is a holiday. Here holidays are specific vacation days like Christmas is a holiday or July 4th.
Obsession of the week: Saying "Boring" the Homer Simpson way when A tries to explain things like directions or football rules and how to use his set of tools (drill bits and such) around the house or how to do an oil change for the car.
Thoughts of the week:
Experimental hair cuts and salons can be a better experience than a known stylist..simply because the expectations are low.
How do people who work at chocolate factories survive the over dosage of chocolate intoxication? A half an hour tour of Ethel's chocolate factory in Vegas left me choco-high for the rest of the trip :D
Scratch and dent sections are sometimes the best places to look for a deal. Found a wooden wine bar with storage cabinets for half the price since a minor screw was missing.
Holding a 7 day old new born of a close friend is a beautiful experience.
Will the "Tata Nano" really make the four-wheeler a middle class household norm? 2500 dollars is still a lot of money for them, I think.
Felt very strongly for Bhutto's death. An Oxford and Harvard educated woman who fought for women's rights in an Islamic nation and who risked her life to get the country back on track is the kind of person the world perhaps needs.
Understanding American sports is essential in the corporate world here. If I start now, will I ever catch up? Cos its not just recent games they talk about, they talk about football in as much details as we would talk about Sachin's desert storm in Sharjah or Jadeja's innings against Pakistan in the 1996 world cup.
Gambling is not the main attraction in Vegas! (So I had thought till my visit there).
Walking miles in high-heeled boots is not an art that many Indian girls like me have mastered. I even had to take vitamins to get rid of the footache and sleeping toes!
Did you know the beginning of the year sees a high increase in the number of health club/gym registrations owing to new year resolutions!
I wanted to end this post with my sharable new year resolutions. I am still trying hard to remember what they are .....
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