And thats how it has been....

It has been a long time since I was here last. I know that because it is my blog (obviously) and because I had forgotten my password. Actually, I think I remembered the password but had forgotten the username. So, I couldn't post. Nyways the crux of the matter is I am reminded of good'ol Arnie in the Terminator, wielding the heavy machine gun & rising from the ashes like a phoenix (proverbially!) screaming I M BACK!!!! Hallelujah :)

I am now in Bangalore, jobless after 5 yrs of mentally fatiguing work, waiting to move to NY & trying to come to terms with the fact that I am no longer a Mumbaikar. Nd also trying to figure out why Bangalore is topographically sooo confusing...I mean I wonder who was the guy who came up with the brainwave of having a road identification system consisting of a 'Cross' nd a 'Main'. Surely, there is no dearth of leaders in India who can help simplify the road-identification process by lending the streets their esteemed names...

What warms my heart is how the locals smile benignly at me, like the friendly neighbourhood Santa Claus or your all-forgiving favourite uncle/aunt, when I try talking to them in the altogether distinct dialect of Marathi-mixed "Belgaum Kannada", with a strong Mumbaiyya overtone and frequently accompanied by lots of hand-gestures. Like the other day, I was trying to tell my driver about the need to go to Marathalli, when he said I reminded him of a school teacher from Dharwad who used to catch hold of every mischief-begetting student by their ears & shout "Ayyo, Mangya-Magane" (Translated, Oh son of a Monkey) Whatever!!!

Also, what warms my heart but for entirely different reasons, is the slothful, greedy, overcharging, meter-rigging gang of auto-rickshaw fellows. You come across a rickshaw stand and no-one is willing to take you where you want to go. Finally one agrees at a price that makes you wonder if you are making a monthly transaction. Then 7 minutes of haggling and a tripping ride over some 3 flyovers that look the same. And that's when you think of your years in Mumbai and how that prepared you for the world. And you sigh!

Now coming to the question often asked to me these days. Hows married life? Often accompanied by a big joking smiley (:P). As if !!!!

Theoratically, a Taurean & an Ariean are not supposed to get along with each other (Thank u, Linda Goodman!).We can prove u wrong, Linda. Amply demonstrated by the simple fact that would have never even thought about (let alone implement) preparing bed-tea for ANYBODY in the morning a year back!

Usually I talk to P really late into the night. (Please mind the usage of the preposition to.Implies I am seriously preparing for my GMAT) That is the only time we get to talk to each other. (There are snatches during the day, but they don’t count because then, we don’t fight and we don’t make up.) After a half hour of the routine arguments where he’ll keep saying, ‘What ARE you talking about?’ and not give me a chance to tell him what indeed I am talking about, we settle down and be very sweet to each other. We’re at this phase when both of us are blessed with bad memories, and I am quite grateful for that. I do know this is just a phase though. Otherwise, he never forgets and I never stop reminding – it’ll be fun to see where all this sharp memory will take us in the future.

But all things said & done, what I always love hearing from him is the , ‘How was your day?’ I think the reason my heart tugs at this question is because it is innocuous enough, but it seems weighted with care. It’s only a day and it’s over when P asks me about it.Sweet na! Gives me a chance to vent my feelings about my Houdini-incarnate maid who does the disappearing act every time there are lots of greasy dishes piled-up! Grrrrrr.....

Marriage gives you the right to preach to somebody. So, its ever-so-clumsy me, lecturing my hubby about leaving a tap "accidentally on" which flooded the entire kitchen. Or my perennially messy hubby lecturing me about how-he-cant-stand-a-messy-bedroom. However somethings seldom change. Still like to read on thousands of issues & debate it out. Earlier it was with the unsuspecting junta who were co-erced into reading my blog. Nowadays it is with my equally-enthu-about-debates-bring-it-on-hubby, with topics ranging as far & wide as commodity markets to the Jewish exodus from Egypt to the future of casteist leaders in the country to the latest one, theoratical physics!!!

Also never knew before marriage, that the simple weekend exercise of watching a movie can be made more entertaining by the usual- who-was-instrumental for--being-late-for-the-movie hall blame-game. Sometimes, I think I see more histrionics before entering the movie hall than after. Lolz.

Now who was the wise guy who said "married life is boring"? Bring him on!