two birds, one stone

This little game is going around Facebook like mad, so I thought I’d post it here as well. I quite like the random things I came up with.

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

1) Sometimes I’ll suddenly be struck with a desire to clean and can’t not do it. I heard Ush laughing in the next room the other night when I was cleaning the toilet at midnight.

2) When Sadie completely shredded my bromeliad, I didn’t really care. But I sobbed when she almost killed my peace lily.

3) I have very little self control when it comes to my favourite treats.. If there’s junk food in the house, it won’t last more than a few days because I’ll keep going back all day long for a bite or two.

4) Someday I want to own an uber high quality vaccum cleaner. I would choose that as a gift over jewelry, clothes, etc.

5) Even though I’ve had toast for breakfast almost every day for the last 3.5 years, I still manage to burn it at least once or twice a week.

6) I haven’t shaved my legs for over a year. I get waxed regularly and hope never to go back to shaving!

7) When I like and/or admire a public figure, they become ‘my best friend’. I will from then on address them as “My Best Friend Davina” or “My Best Friend Gary Barlow” etc.

8.) I loooove getting manicures and pedicures, but rarely do because I feel like its a waste of money when I can do it myself at home.

9) I really want to visit India someday, preferably for several weeks so we can travel all around. I also want to visit Thailand, Spain, Australia, Greece, Hawaii, Japan..(shall I go on?)…

10) I’ve grown to become pretty fierce about responsible pet ownership. I can feel my blood pressure rising even now just thinking about the stupid choices people make with their animals.

11) I have two degrees, but I’m not very interested in having a career. I just want a job that I enjoy and that pays well, that I don’t have to think about outside of work hours, a boss that values me and coworkers that I get on with. And thankfully I’ve got all those things in my current job!

12) I don’t mind doing laundry, but for some reason I hate putting it away. Ever since I was a kid. There’s pretty much always clean, folded piles of laundry sitting around my bedroom.

13) Facial moisturizer is the only ‘beauty product’ I am willing to, and regularly do, splurge on. I use it every day on my face, neck and chest.

14) I’ve always been a good speller. But, I went out during the first round of my school spelling bee, because I was too nervous to ask the judge to repeat the word, and I spelled what I thought I heard him say. I heard wrong.

15) I tend to crumble under pressure.

16) I don’t know if we’ll have kids or not, but I would love to be a stay-at-home mom.

17) I love to read. I can remember taking books to the dinner table as a child and being scolded for it.

18.) I’m pretty clueless when it comes to fashion, which is why I normally play it safe. If you see me wearing something that just doesn’t work, that’s why

19) We have a ton of nicknames for our dogs, and then we wonder why they don’t come running when we call them by their real names!

20) My husband is the only person who’s company I never tire of. (He’s pretty lucky to have me, you know, because I laugh every time he farts.)

21) I am in awe of this woman and want her to be my real life best friend. Problem is if I ever met her, I most definitely wouldn’t be able to think of anything clever or witty to say.

22) If my family and friends from back home lived here in London, my life would be completely perfect. (Or, alternatively, if I had the power to teleport and thus could see them on any and every whim.)

23) I still have both sets of grandparents. I try to write a letter to them every couple months.

24) Spike, the shih tzu I had growing up, was ‘the love of my life’ and he gets the credit for me meeting Ushwin. On May 8 2006, I received the most crushing but also well delivered text message from my dad: “Honey, God received the most precious puppy into Heaven today. xoxo”

25) I admire and adore my parents more than I will ever be able to convey. I aspire to be like them in so many ways.

On the completion of 27 years of life

On Saturday night, at the end of my wonderful birthday celebrations, I laid in bed and thought to myself, “Ok, let’s run through everything we did today so it’ll burn into my brain and I can blog about it later.”
I started listing them, bullet point style, and made it til about 11:30am (the day started at 8:30) before falling asleep.  It was a long busy day and I was pooped!

I don’t have any photos yet (get on it, Simon!) so I’ll just recreate the bullet points for you if that’s ok.

8:30am – Woke up to the alarm, got up and let the doggies out.  Couldn’t help but get back in bed.
8:45am – Happy birthday to me!
9:30am – Got up, showered, got ready.
10:15am – Anthony, Matt, Chris, Conal, and Hitomi came round, all ready before we were.  We all headed out.
11:15am – Arrived at the Natural History Museum. Simon, Michelle, Quang, and Ellie were already there.  I declared that Ush, Matt, and Ant were not allowed to talk about World of Warcraft all day.
11:30am – Walked through the Blue Zone.  In the mammals section, a volunteer was carrying a skull, telling us about it, and asking us to guess what it was.  I correctly guessed dolphin.
1:00pm – Quick hello to Lizzie and Lee.  Joined by Raj.  Initially planned to eat at the Museum restaurant, but instead left and walked a couple blocks to an Italian place for a proper meal.  Mmmm, a calzone and tasty white wine. Mikey arrived and joined us.
3:00pm – Back at the Museum, headed to see the dinosaurs!  Marveled at all of the skeletons and the presentation of information -  so clear and concise, well summarised.
5:00pm – Tried to go to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit, but it was closed for the day.  Gutted.  (Yet, also an excuse to go back, as it’s on through April. Woo!)  A few more friends left.
5:05pm – Went to the Green Zone and learned about creepy crawlies.  Fell in love with leaf cutter ants.
5:40pm – Visited the Museum shop.  Bought a beautiful print on canvas that is like a natural Rothko. Stunning.
5:50pm – And then there were 5!  We moved on towards Oxford Circus, walking from South Kensington to Knightsbridge (past Harrods!) before getting the tube to Oxford Circus to see Paul Foot at a little pub called The Wheatsheaf.  Not Wheat Chief.
7:30pm – Excellent comedy sketches by Paul and others.  Laughed at Raj for getting ‘Chris Browned’ by Paul.  Ush discovers he knew one of the other comedians from way back when.
9:30pm – Headed over to Leicester Square, via Chinatown, which was beautiful decorated with tons of red lanterns for Chinese New Year.  Ush kept talking about going to eat at Wonky’s.  Shell and I were dubious, but went with it anyway.
10:00pm – Arrive at Wong Kei’s.  “Oooooh!  Duh!”  Notice that our place in the back of the restaurant seems to be where they put all the non Asian/Oriental people and wonder if its a coincidence.  Eat a fantastic plate of Singapore Fried Noodle Rice that cost all of £4.  Everyone else enjoys similar low prices and uber tasty food.
11:00pm – Head home!  On the tube, at 11:24, I announced to Ush and Raj that I officially turned 27 ten minutes ago.  Their reaction: Um, I thought this whole day was about you turning 27???
12:00am – Played with one of my bday presents – Guitar Hero 2!  (We already have GH3, but I had mentioned recently that I’d like another version for some new songs. Ush found a cheap one complete with guitar so that we could play doubles.)
12:45am – Fell asleep before I could finish mentally recapping the day.

It was a lovely, wonderful day.  I got to spend time with great people, I received cards and text messages from more of them, and the next morning I checked my email and Facebook to find yet more, including a fantastic serenade from inside a chicken coop!

Best birthday in years.  Thanks again to all who were involved in any capacity.

Older but not necessarily wiser

Just because I’m 27 now, doesn’t mean I won’t still act like a tool sometimes!

I’m a bit cranky right now (because the ‘wet n wash’ vac that I used to try to clean our carpet instead made it slightly worse, and it’s partially my fault for being a tool) but fear not, I had a truly wonderful birthday.  Start to finish! Best in several years, in fact. It was pretty great even during the days leading up to it.

So when I’m finished pouting about the aforementioned carpet fiasco, I’ll be sure to tell you all about it.

Sneak Peek: It involved great friends, lots of walking, dinosaurs, calzones, “shire horses”, and cheap chinese food.

Although I like the cleaning products aisle the best

I really enjoy grocery shopping.

There. I said it!  It’s true.

I didn’t mind grocery shopping with my mom as a kid – she’d hand Alex and me each a little stack of coupons and send us off to retrieve our allotted items.  Kept us out of her way, helped speed the job along, and made us feel pretty important.

I generally dragged my heels about going to the grocery store with her as a teenager, but that said I seem to remember disliking everything she asked me to do. Disliking the fact that she had the gall to ask me to do anything!    Sorry ’bout that, Mom.  I was a doink.

In college, I don’t recall any strong feels about it.  I didn’t have to do it much, really, seeing as I lived in the dorms and ate at Melton every day.  (Ah, Melton… many a meal consisting of salad and cereal.. because that’s all there was.)  And in the short time that was post-college, pre-London, shopping was cheap and minimal because it was only my mouth to feed and I was pretty skint.

But now!  Here I am and I loves it.  When I moved in with Ush and Chris,  who had been previously taking turns with the shopping duties and only doing so when every shelf and cupboard was bare, I nearly immediately took on the job.  I enjoyed spreading the budget out over several trips during the month, rather than all in one go like they did, and picking out things that they each really liked.

I enjoy it even more now that I’m just shopping for Ush and myself, and the dogs too!  (They may or may not get a new kind of chew or toy approximately every time I go to the store.)

Comparing labels, comparing prices, trying new things, buying extra because they’re having a deal, thinking about what kinds of meals I can use each ingredient for, wondering whether Ush would notice if I sprinkled linseeds in the spaghetti sauce because I heard they’re good for you, wondering what other random healthy ingredients I can sneak into his food.
(I’ve been known to sneakily add carrots, lentils, spinach, and replace ground meat with soy – and he either didn’t notice or didn’t care!)

Anyway, all that said…  I just really love it when our fridge and cupboards are full.  Makes me feel happy and accomplished and thankful and…wife-ly.

the [ice] age of Aquarius

It was a neat day to be born. Sunday January 24th, The Bengals were playing the 49ers (who won by a touchdown) in the Superbowl XVI. And probably some other neat stuff happened too.

But generally it kinda sucks to have a January birthday! Specifically, in high school the end of January was finals week. So that sucked. And generally, January is winter, which definitely sucks if you’re me and a majority of the population.

Everyone complains about the cold and, where appropriate, the snow, and also the ice and biting wind and all the darkness and the lack of sunshine and did I mention the cold?

Finslippy conveyed her disdain rather poetically:-
“I have had just about enough of January. Really, January. You made your point. ‘I can make you cold‘, you said, and it’s not like any of us disagreed with you. But then you had to go and freeze everything. You vindictive whore.”

Granted, and thankfully, our weather here in London isn’t that severe. Nonetheless. In an accounting firm, January is the most dreaded month of the year. Week by week, it gets worse as the days on the calendar tick by. And my birthday, the 24th, is the beginning of the worst week of the worst month of the accountant’s year. The last week leading up to the due date for Tax Returns.

So I’m formulating a plan… In the office, it’s common to bring in treats for one’s birthday – chocolates or cake or similar dessert-y things. I think I’m going to take a different approach this year – also because its post-Christmas and most people are still burnt out on sweet treats and/or still well into their New Years resolutions to shed the poundage.

I’m thinking I’ll bring in something that will pep them up, give them a boost to push through that last week of mayhem.

Anyone know where I can score some ecstasy? Speed? Crack?!

Bella and Tara

This is why I love animals so much.

Along a similar theme, I got this in an email today:

How Enlightened Are You?

A Test:

Well. . .
If you can live without caffeine or nicotine;
If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains;
If you can resist complaining;
If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you any time;
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment;
If you can ignore others’ limited educations and never correct them;
If you can treat the rich and poor alike;
If you can face the world without lies or deceit;
If you can conquer tension without medical help;
If you can relax without liquor;
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs;
If you can have no prejudice against creed, color, religion, gender, sexual preference, or politics -

- then you have almost reached the same level of spiritual development as your dog.

stream of consciousness

I’m a bit stressed at work these days.  It’s January, after all, the busiest month in an accounting firm.  In this country, anyway.  I don’t know about the US.  I didn’t stick around as a post-collegiate adult long enough to really know how things work.  But here, self assessment tax returns are due 31 January which means mayhem.  Like high school students cramming before midterms.  Which is a simile.. I was helping my friend prep for a PGCE (aka teaching certification) interview earlier this evening. She came to me because she had a hunch that grammar was my thing. Which it so is – despite what it may occasionally seem on this site.) We also discussed gravity and practiced long division.  Anyway, at work.  I have too much to do and not enough time to do it.  Overtime, you say? I say bite me.  I probably will do some, but only begrudgingly, because the people-pleasing overachiever with an uber work ethic in me wants to do my job to the best of my ability.  (Which is not a bad desire, of course. One might even suggest its admirable.)  I also like my job and thus want to do it well.  So I’m stressed.  I’ve been listening to Classic FM in the evenings.  It helps me wind down after a busy day.  Also I read somewhere that classical music is good for quieting one’s ‘inner chatter’ – and let me tell you, as one who is always chattering on the inside, it has worked wonders!  Also nice is the whirring sound that our fibre optic Christmas tree makes.  Yes, it’s still up.  I’ve made suggestions to take it down a couple of times, but Ush keeps protesting.  So we’ll keep it up for a bit yet. My birthday is in less than 2 weeks… I’ll be 27.  Or rather, I’ll have completed 27 years of life, and will be beginning my 28th year.  (Saying it like that makes me think of my dad.) A whole bunch of us are going to the Natural History Museum.  All day, including lunch at the Museum’s restaurant.  I’m pumped!  Really wanted to do something different this year.  I got my first bday present from Ush already. This. I almost didn’t even want to open it, as apparently it’s pretty hard to find the set anymore, but I soon caved because I wanted to know where to find fantastic beasts. Speaking of reading, I haven’t been doing it enough lately.  But I’ve been thinking about Mariam and wondering how she’s getting on.  Need to finish that book. Its on the list with lots of other to-do’s.  Like sitting with hubby to watch some TV before bed.  Commencing now.

In lieu of content, post doggie picture

First week back to normal, post-holiday, has been pretty good!  I seemed to be immune to jet lag on Monday, but then it smacked me in the face on Tuesday.  Wednesday was bearable, and Thursday was back to normal.  Work is very busy, but also bearable.  I went on a small de-cluttering rampage around the house, a la unofficial New Year’s resolution to make my house more home-y, but will leave the major projects (ie: bedroom and spare room) for another day.

It’s been a very lazy weekend at the Pai home We hung out next door on Friday night with our old flatmates, playing Rock Band, laughing, and drinking Seb’s excellent cocktails.  It’s been quite awhile since I stayed up so late on a Friday, but they’re great people, so what can I say?!  Saturday, besides taking the dogs for a loooong walk, we didn’t do much except sleep in late like a couple of teenagers and watch TV.   We planned to go to cinema, but I kid you not, the guy in front of us got the last ticket for the movie we wanted to see, so we went for dinner instead.  (Speaking 0f – there are leftovers of my chimichanga in the fridge. That’s lunch sorted!)

I know this is all just fascinating information, but I don’t have much else to say at the moment!  So I’ll leave you with a rather comical photo that is SO representative of the dynamic between our doggies…

In case you can’t really see it, Toby has a small, thin strip of rawhide in front of him.  And despite the big honking rawhide bone in front of Sadie, she’s eyeing what HE’S got.  It’s always like this and vice versa.   Typical! It’s textbook ‘the grass is always greener’ syndrome.    Little farts.

Year in Review: 2008

Normally I post this on New Year’s Eve, but I was afk then…  So here you go!

 

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

Joined a pub quiz team, moved into our own place, visited Prague, became a two-dog family, dabbled in gardening (including using an electric push mower), did a reading during a friend’s wedding ceremony, hosted a BBQ or two, went a whole year without shaving my legs! (Don’t worry – I got waxed instead )

 

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I made a fake resolution during last year’s Resolution Game.    
And I sorta made a fake one this year too, hehe, though I DO genuinely want to cut down on my use of the f-bomb.  

My real resolution is to make it better known to those I care about that they matter to me, and to do so on a more consistent, regular basis. 
 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Dhiren and Maya had baby Tiana, and Jenny and Zach had Mia, and Elise and Benny had Callan.  And plenty more are expected for 2009 – it’s an epidemic!

 

4. Did anyone close to you die?

My mom lost one of her very best friends,  (my “aunt”) Becky.
But thank you Lord that another year has gone by and I still have all four of my grandparents. I’m so grateful.

 

5. What countries did you visit?

Czech Republic.  (I’m not liking this one-new-country-per-year trend.. Gonna have to work on that in 2009!)

 

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

More stamps in my passport!

 

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Moving into our flat, and the day we brought Sadie home.  Because both things were awesome and very much desired.

 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Beating Ushwin over and over again (I believe we’re 17-3 now) at “Scene It!” on Xbox
Nah, I suppose I am pretty pleased about how I’ve grown up, so to speak – I’ve learned to be more comfortable in my own skin, explored and developed my role as wife and “mum”, and learned not to care so much about what others may/may not think!  My worldview has also expanded greatly, something which I am still coming to terms with but also very proud of.

 

9. What was your biggest failure?

I probably made a whole bunch of mistakes, but that doesn’t equal failure.. It means I learned something, which is always good!

 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Not really.  I did have a minor case of shingles in the beginning of the year, which was weird and very unpleasant, and a weird 24-hour bug in Prague.  Basically I was healthy all year until I got a cold just after arriving in the States and which is still stubbornly hanging on.
Other than that, I fully believe that switching from sugar to honey in my twice/thrice daily cups of tea is the reason I have managed to stay so well.

 

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Adopting Sadie was the best thing we spent money on.  But also, on the more material side of things, I’d say the flat screen telly and the EeePC.

 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Ush won TOTY!   And, though I’m biased, I’d also say he deserves to win HOTY! (Hehehe..)
My brother is finished with uni and is easing himself into adulthood, and I’m always increasingly proud of him and proud to be his sister
My parents are incredibly supportive and understanding, and I’m so beyond thankful for them.
My mother-in-law is a wonderful support to us and we’re so grateful to have her as a regular part of our lives.

And, simply put, my friends kick ass.

 

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

The person who stole my purse, the coworker who complained daily and frequently about e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g., the people who go on political rants or pass on political rants without being totally informed, and anyone who is not a responsible animal owner.

 

14. Where did most of your money go?

Adult stuff like bills, and fun stuff like vacations!  (You gotta have a balance.)

 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Vacations, friends coming to London, friends’ weddings, going home for Christmas/NYE

 

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

“Fascination” by Alphabeat, “Follow Me Home” by Sugababes,

 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i.   happier or sadder? Happier, because this time last year we were REALLY wanting to get our own place, and now we’ve got it!

ii.  thinner or fatter? We finally bought a scale, and I weigh about 10lbs less than I thought I did! How’s that for a skewed self-image?!

iii. richer or poorer?  We’re both earning more, but we’re also spending more on the flat and a second dog.  So, about the same maybe?  But we don’t have any debt this year… Don’t know.  I’m just thankful that we’re comfortable.

 

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Worked on kicking my tendency to accumulate and allow the buildup of clutter around the house.

 

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Allowed certain coworkers’ incredibly poor attitudes to get to me.

 

20. How will you be spending this New Year’s Eve?

I was with some much beloved members of my 104 family

 

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?

Fell in love with the newest addition to our family, my little Sadie Sue (aka Grace (because she doesn’t have it) aka Shadow (because she is mine)).

 

23. How many one-night stands?

Well, there was that one night when I was home alone with a big bag of chips and a little tub of ice cream…

 

24. What was your favourite TV program?

Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Chuck, Peep Show, Dexter, Heroes, My Name is Earl, Doctor Who, How to Look Good Naked, Miss Naked Beauty

 

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No hating.  Although I didn’t enjoy all the political storming, Obama vs Clinton and then Obama vs McCain.  It all just makes me so very uncomfortable, because there will never be one ideal choice. They’ve all got downfalls.

 

26. What was the best book you read?

I didn’t read a whole lot during the first half of the year, don’t know why.  Jodi Picoult got me back in action with the excellent Nineteen Minutes and then I read the whole Harry Potter series and LOVED it. (I think it’s completely ridiculous that there was such a hullabaloo from the Christian community over those books, by the way. They’re no “worse” than the LOTR or Narnia series!! Or Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ for crying out loud! Once again, it’s people causing a big stink without actually checking all the facts.)
Anyway, I will read the Twilight series eventually. But right now I’m reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

 

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Adele, Alphabeat, paramore, Kings of Leon, Katy Perry

 

28. What did you want and get?

Our own place that ticks every box.  Another pet.  A job that I enjoy and a boss that loves me.

 

30. What was your favourite film of this year?

Wall-E was my fave new release.  And I finally saw, and looooved, the film “Once”.. It wasn’t a huge year for cinema for me, I suppose. Although there are whole bunch that have just come out in the last month that I want to see! Yes Man, Marley & Me, Benjamin Button, Doubt, Bedtime Stories, Inkheart…

 

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

It was my 26th, and a bunch of us went for dinner at Chimichangas, and then all came back to our place for drinks and giggles

 

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

I don’t find money all that important, but I can’t deny that winning the lottery would be pretty sweet!

 

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

I like my clothes cheap and frequently replaceable!
Particularly noteworthy is the fact that I wore a dress (willingly!) 5 times in one year! That’s pretty impressive for me…

 

34. What kept you sane?

Being able to escape into a good book is always a great way to de-stress.  Also found a lot of satisfaction in searching for recipes and cooking new meals for us.

When I was stressed about work, Ush was always such a wonderful sounding board – letting me gripe and moan.  I appreciated (and still do) that so much.

 

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
It’s gotta be Gary Barlow really…

 

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

Mugabe’s rule over Zimbabwe and the rest of the world doing nothing.

I became a lot more aware of animal rights issues this year as well, and such neglect and cruelty really grieves me.

And of course, all of the political crap which I’ve already mentioned!

 

37. Who did you miss?

Mom and Dad. 104, various homies

 

38. Who was the best new person you met?

I work with some cool people and it’s been fun getting to know some of them beyond the ‘colleague’ level

 

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:

More like a mantra that I frequently remind myself of:

“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.” – Og Mandino

 

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

“Your sex is on fire.”   Haha!  I don’t know, can’t really think of one to sum up what was really a great year.

 

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007