Boots

Now these boots are made for walking.

I bought these after the money rained on me. What do you think? Cool right?

I must confess that I have an obsession for shoes. Who doesn't? No matter how many shoes you have, you can always use more. Right? There are shoes for every occasion.

I probably have 40 shoes. This includes boots, flip flops and high heels. And sneakers. Some I wear. Some I don't. But I keep them for sentimental reasons.

I realize that this makes me sound like someone frivolous. But oye... don't make me go there. I can write a thousand posts in my defense and the blog will get very very preachy and boring.

How many shoes do you have?

Can't wait for The Mayor of Pottsville to respond to this:)

City Life

My entry for Photo Friday.

This is Los Cabos in Mexico. Every house has a breathtaking view of the Sea of Cortez.

I want to move there. Where would you like to live?

Happy Friday everyone!

Money Rain

Yesterday, it rained dollar bills on me. Yes it did.

The weather was beautiful yesterday so I went to my back yard.

I looked up at the sky, inhaled and closed my eyes. And thanked whoever or whatever was responsible for the beautiful day.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, money bills were falling from the sky. It was raining dollars. I grabbed them all and ran inside.

I debated whether or not to tell my hubby. And decided not to. What was the point? He wouldn't believe me about dollar bills falling from the sky. And then he would ask me to put the money in the savings. Or do something practical.

So I tucked the bills at a safe and undisclosed location. Like the squirrel and an acorn.

Today, I am going shopping for shoes.

I hope I have days like this everyday. I hope everyone has days like this everyday.

Some Answers...

I've been getting asked this a lot. So I figured I would answer this here. For those who don't know, I was born and raised in India. But I've lived longer in USA. Almost everyone I know here asks me about the movie Slumdog millionaire and what I think about it. I get calls and emails. So I figured I would write my thoughts about it on my blog.

Did you see the movie? Did you like the movie?

Yes I did see Slumdog Millionaire and I loved it.

There were some scenes where I cringed and was uncomfortable. I even closed my eyes and put my hands over my ears.

But overall I loved the movie. The music and the background music is just fantastic, The story is very very well written. It is directed very very well. I don't know if you heard but they actually used some actors from the slum itself.

Are slums really like that? Do these things really happen?

Yes slums shown in the movie are real. In fact, they are probably worse than what you see in the movie. It is reality and I have seen these things. The movie does not exploit or glamorize anything. It just tells a story. Everything in the movie actually does happen in India. I've actually seen worse things.

Some Indians are against the movie because it depicts the worse scenarios of India. What do you think?

Yes some of the Indian folks are embarrassed because they think that this movie represents India in a bad manner. They are mad because they think that the movie focuses on all the bad things that happen in India and not good things.

To that I say Bologna.

This is simply a story. They have taken some very dramatic and painful realities about India and glued it together to make a very compelling story. And ultimately it is an uplifting story. It is a story about hope, innocence, love and friendship.

As a writer, I take great offense when people question what I write or create.

Look at my wine opera. It is a silly silly story about wines with silly names. Never in a billion years would I have imagined that it would be this popular. But what if the wine industry gets mad at me? I only used silly wine names. I never gave merit to any wines. What if they accuse me of mocking the wine industry? And forbid me from having any wine for the rest of my life?

To them I say buzz of. It is my content and I will write and create what I want to. It is reality that these wines exist. And no one is forcing anyone to read my stuff.

So you recommend the movie?

Absolutely yes. Fantastic story. The slums and the harsh realities are just a background for an inspiring story. Fantastic direction. Fantastic music.

In one word I would say simply fantastic.

And to the wine industry I would say please don't be mad at me. I promise to write some serious stuff about wines. Someday. I just need some more wine.

Salsa

Salsa.

That's all I have to say about that.

Coloring

Coloring with a digital camera.

So did anyone watch the Oscars last night? I did. At least parts of it. Then I fell asleep. Right before all the good stuff came.... I so wanted to watch Slumdog win. But the show was so so boring! I wish that they would publish a list of winners before the show. Then people can sit back, relax, and watch the song/dance routine. But it is almost like... I will tell you who won the best movie but first I must force you to watch me dance. Or sing. And then I must torture you before I tell you the next results. Ha.

About the movie Slumdog Millionaire... people often ask me if the slums are really like that. And the answer is yes. And probably even worse. Maybe someday I'll write about that...

So the plastic surgery is off for now. While watching the Oscars, I was looking at everyone's faces. How much botox does Hollywood consume? How many face lifts have they had? Do I really want to look like a plastic doll?

Don't you guys love me as I am? Granted you have no clue what I look like but surely you have perceived me as someone beautiful.

OK. This post is going in a completely different direction than I intended. So I will shut up now.

Jai ho!

Mardi Gras

Last night, we went to a fabulous Mardi Gras party. The food was delicious and the company was awesome. We had delicious King's cake.

That's the delicious gumbo.


That's the delicious sausage and beans.

There was excellent bread pudding with whiskey sauce too but I was too busy eating it so no photos for you. Sorry.

Someone brought their baby to the party. The little baby slept through the entire party. I was so hoping she would wake up so I could play with her. I need a baby fix! But she slept away the entire time. How come my kiddos never did that?

Another friend of mine, I'll call him M. was there too. He of course does not realize my capacity to take photos. So I kept asking him to pose with the gumbo and pose with the sausage and beans. I asked him to give me shot of him eating the gumbo. I demanded that he have an expression that communicates how delicious it is. He was so gullible. He complied. The more I demanded, the more he complied.

Until I asked him to do a headstand and eat the gumbo. Wouldn't that make an excellent shot for the blog? See the things I do for you guys? I am so always thinking of you!

Alas at that point he realized that I was a photo freak. Perhaps this explains why my boys run away every time I pull out the camera.


Everyone wore beads but there was no flashing. For those who don't know, in New Orleans, you have to lift your shirt up to get the beads. But not at this party. Too bad. I had gone prepared to flash. Oh well.


The best part of the party? We got to take leftovers home. I can't wait to eat them. Yummy!

Plastic Surgery

So I've decided to get some plastic surgery done.

I know I've told you that I look exactly like Demi Moore but the reality is that I look more like Meg Ryan. Without the blond hair, blue eyes, and the duck lips. Or the cheek bones. Or the freckles and skin tone. Other than that, we are this close!

I want ducky lips. And cheek implants and a face lift. And who could not use a nice little tummy tuck?

Unlike User's wife who went to South America for this, I will be going to India to get this done. An old friend of mine is a doctor there and has promised to get me hooked up with the right peeps. He also promised to be in the operating room during the whole procedure. So I will be in good hands.

When I told my Aunt, who is a doctor, about it, here is how the conversation went:

Me: So I am going to India sometime to get some work done.
Aunt: What work?
Me: You know... face lift... this and that...
Aunt: Are you crazy? (lecture... lecture.... lecture... One would think that since she lives in LA, she would be more open to this. But nope....)
Me: I am also getting a tummy tuck... I got a buy one get one free deal... You want a free tummy tuck?
Aunt: Really? I am so in. I could use a tummy tuck!

One problem solved.

I also told my hubby about it. Now I am going to try very hard to articulate his reaction without being biased.

• Hysterical Laughter
• Shock
• "How much is this going to cost us?"
• Repeatedly saying, "you are beautiful as you are"

The last sentence could have influenced me if he had not started laughing hysterically again.

Men.

I haven't told my boys about my decision yet. But they'll find out sooner or later.

And ask me:

Mom! What happened to you? You look like you have a very bad allergy reaction!!! You look like you are really sick!!! Did a bee bite you on your lips? Did you eat peanuts? Take allergy medication and go to bed. You look really really sick!

Boys. Oye.

Wish me luck! I hope I don't end up looking like Joan Rivers!

Morning Routine

My entry for Photo Friday.

How it began...

This is the post that started it all. The silly wine opera. Based on what I heard through the grapevine.

Then for you my faithful readers, I started research.

There were recommendations.

Some relationship advice.

And then some adventures.

I also posted this for my bloggie friend. I recommended that she give it to someone who was a jerk in her life.

It was quite an adventure writing the wine opera. I hope you can read it and share my adventures.

Wine Opera: Complete Story

I've been getting numerous requests to publish the complete wine opera so it is easy to find. So here goes.

Each episode will take you approximately 2 minutes to read. And yes it is silly.

The complete wine opera...


Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15

Happy Birthday!

Happy 22nd Birthday sweetie!

I wish for you the keys to a successful and a happy life.

I wish for you much happiness and a gujju wife:)

OK. I am getting emotional now. Call me?

XOXO

Wine Opera: Part 15

And the Purple Cowboy said, "Yes I will love your goat.

I will take Care of you and your goat."

He said it with Sincerity

And so they lived happily ever after and had wonderful, well behaved, lavender kids.

Well there was this one time …

Director’s cut!!!

Enough!

The End.

Lazy Sunday

Hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's day. Just because I don't really believe in Valentine's day did not stop me from drinking champagne:)

On Friday, I bought the pink champagne. Must say that price have gone up.

We wanted to do the outside picnic but it was way too cold and windy. We decided to save it for another day. After all, Valentine's day is every day. Right? So we went to a grocery store called Whole Foods for lunch and shopping. I don't know if you have heard of the store but Whole Foods but it is lots of cities now. It started in Austin as a small store and that's where all the hippies shopped. Organic food, buy directly from the farmer etc. Now it stores in a lot of cities and even world-wide.

They opened up a huge Whole Foods here in Austin a few years ago. Did I say it is huge? They have many, many options for eating. We chose the sit down area and ordered some pasta. The cool thing is that you can pick any wine from the store and they will open it for you.

As soon we sat down, I took a photo of this lovely rose. Promptly someone popped up and told me politely to stop taking photos. I tried to tell them that I was a world famous photographer and blogger but he did not change his mind. Oh well. After that, I lost a little interest in everything. Actually what happened is this. I kept looking everywhere and found some great photo opportunities. But darn it. I couldn't take photos.

After partaking champagne in the morning, wine with lunch and pasta, I had to go home and take a nap. We did manage to buy some groceries before we left.

For dinner, we had lobster, asparagus, and stuffed portabella mushrooms. It was delicious but I was still full from the pasta.

Then came the chocolate attack. This was really an attack because I did not even bother to take photos of the chocolate. I attacked the chocolate like a dog attacks a bone.

So today, I am just going to putter around.

Tomorrow is the last episode of the wine opera. I am looking forward to it. It has been an interesting journey. I'll share some more information next week.

I hope you have a fabulous Sunday. See you soon!

Candy Lipstick Review

I am sorry but this is going to be a very short post.

So recently I won a contest and yesterday I finally received my prize. I was so excited!

It was candy lipstick! Yeah!

I ripped open the package. Inside the envelope was a card and in it the candy lipstick. Having never seen or heard of the candy, I immediately did what any normal person would do. I took out my camera and took photos.

Once I was done, I decided to try it out. First I applied it as a lipstick. The first thought that came to my mind was pumice stone. I would no longer have to buy that 20 dollar, expensive, lips exfoliating scrub. Yeah! Thank you Mythos!

Then I decided to taste it. Umm.... how should I say this.... it tasted like a mix of chalk, baby powder and sugar. Now here is where I did what normal person does not do. I ate them all. They were strangely addicting. I ate them all and wanted more. I craved more.

This morning I woke up with a stomach ache. Not good at all.

That's all I have to say about that.

I know you feel very sorry for me and want to sympathize for me, send me cards, send me flowers and send me money. But in lieu of all that, I request that all donations go to the Scriber's Web Plastic Surgery account.

Happy Valentine's day!

Cauliflower

Happy Friday!

Valentine Day Plans

So what do you plan to do on Valentine's day? Anything exciting?

I am one of those people who think that Valentine's day is a Hallmark created event. So I don't really celebrate it. I am just cynical and jaded. But don't let me rain on your parade.

What are you up to this Saturday?

So what if you are single. Are you planning on having a fabulous meal? Cooking? Some chocolates or extra treats?

I think I am going to cook some yummy food. Maybe lobster or crab. I've always wanted to make like a 5 course dinner. So I may try that. And definitely some pink champagne. Who cares if it is nasty?

Years ago, when I was sweet and innocent, my hubby and I had a tradition of having a Valentine's day lunch. This is way back when we could hardly afford to eat outside. We had Andre's Pink Champagne (3 dollars) and a subway sandwich (6 dollars). I would pack everything in a picnic box and we would go to a park and have a little picnic.

Over the years, we stopped doing that. I started working and could not do champagne lunches. Times changed and things changed. We changed.

Over the years I decided that I no longer wanted flowers, did not eat chocolates and did not want presents for Valentine's day.

Why celebrate love one day per calendar year? Why not everyday?

This is a difficult time for my hubby. Every year he never knows what I want or expect. Wanting and expecting are two entirely different things. I may not want flowers but I may be expecting them.

See how confusing I am?

So this year, I am going to make it easy for him. I am going to cook something for us. A nice, special dinner. I don't want to go out for dinner.

Does anyone have any ideas what I can cook?

Any web sites you can recommend for recipes?

I'd love to hear from you! I need serious help!

Wordless Wednesday

What's this?

So what do you think this is?

a. "Woe is me" statue.
b. "Why won't Brad Pitt call me?" statue.
c. "It wasn't me" statue.
d. None of the above.

Any ideas?

It is the statue of Maria's Taco Express lady. Guy Fieri from food network featured her.

Wine Opera: Part 14

The Proposal

On a bright and sunny day, the Purple Cowboy went to see the Good Daughter. And gave her a big Red Diamond ring.

"You are the only one for me. Marry me Sweet Pea!"

"I can’t live without you. I think about you 24/7"

"I will give you Bliss."

"I will use my Strong Arms"

"To build you a house made of Brick."

"Where flowers will Bloom."

"And Ladybug Red will fly."

"Marry me and give me some Serenity!"

The Good Daughter gasped and said, “But will you Love My Goat?”

To be continued next Monday...

Farmer's Market Austin

Yesterday we went to the Farmer's market in Austin. They had live music. There is live music everywhere in Austin. Even grocery stores and airport. Austin is the live music capital of the world.


Their chocolates put the recess back in recession! Somehow I just don't get it. Oh and here is a secure man wearing a Kilt. We don't get to see much of that in Texas.



And here are some fresh, organic veggies. We bought mushrooms, eggs and lamb.

And finally, here is a bumper sign I saw.

Beer Bust

Someone's cooler flew off a pickup truck and landed in the middle of the road. There was a lot of beer on the road. Chilled beer.

This man told me he did not know whose beer it was but he was just cleaning up. Right.


What he did not know is that my hubby and I drove past the scene just a few minutes ago. The cooler was in the middle of the road.

I forgot to take pictures so I asked my hubby to go back so I could take photos.

The cooler by then was firmly in this nice man's pickup truck.

But at least he tried to clean it up.

Pigs may not fly in Texas but beer surely does.

Photo Friday

My entry for Photo Friday.

Drive Home

Since some folks have posted photos of their daily walks, I figured I would take a photo of my daily commute. This is the traffic I face going back home from work. Notice that all the cars are at a complete stop which gives me an opportunity to take photos. Also notice the road going in the opposite direction. Completely empty!

When I first started working there, I was excited about the drive. It is one of the most scenic roads in Austin. There are cliffs and a beautiful bridge over the Colorado river and hills. Sometimes when it rains heavily, there are little waterfalls on the cliffs. Often there are low clouds over the bridge and you drive through them. Sounds do so relaxing and wonderful. Right?

Little did I know about the drivers on that road. They are maniacs. Here are some things you should know about this road:

• Shoulder is just another lane. You can get on the shoulder anytime you are in a hurry and drive 80 miles an hour to pass everyone. Your time is always more valuable than theirs. Only the meek stay stuck in traffic. And I am proud to be meek in this regard.

• The minute you give a right turn signal, whoever is behind you will speed up and inch closer and closer to your car. I can always tell whether they flossed that day or not.

• Big cars are everywhere around you. Suburbans. Big Macho Pickup trucks. And they want you out of their way! They know how to run over your car and are not afraid to do it. Doesn't matter if you have nowhere to go. That is just your personal problem.
  

• Gotto be on the phone! Everyone is always on the phone. In Austin, we don't have to use a hands free phone so no one uses it. Extra points if you can drive, talk on the phone AND groom yourself. I am not being a sexist here. I have seen women putting makeup on. I have seen men shaving, tweezing eyebrows, and lathering their faces with stuff.
  

• It doesn't matter if the traffic is at a complete halt. You must drive very fast and slam your breaks at the very last minute. So you give a few heart attacks to the folks standing still. What's your point?

• Traffic goes somehow thus. Stop. Wait. Stop. Wait. Speed, Speed, Speed, Speed, Speed! Slam breaks. Rinse and repeat.

So I'm off to face my morning commute now. You may think that I am passing through clouds, or passing by waterfalls or enjoying the scenic views. But the fact is that I am praying hard that I make it without being run over.

Wordless Wednesday

Crayons from South America.

Maze

Life can be a maze sometimes. Which way to go? So much to do and such little time.

Wine Opera: Part 13

The Consequences

The Purple Cowboy was about to Freakout.

This was all Jake’s Fault.

He should never have agreed to take Jake’s sister to The Show.

And now the Good Daughter was mad at him and he didn’t know what to do.

So he hopped on his best Longhorn.

He did The Stump Jump.

He did the Shoo Fly and then realized suddenly….

He had to go on a Mission to finally win the Good Daughter’s heart.

All he needed was a little luck and some shopping at Telegraph Hill.