You know your hubby is consistent when…

He buys the exact same b’day card for you as last year’s for your b’day this year again, and doesn’t believe it till I have to pull out last year’s card to prove my point. I don’t know why he wouldn’t’ believe in the first place – after all these years doesn’t he still know that I’m ALWAYS right? I seriously am.

Let’s see what else funny happened on my special day today. I decided to give myself a treat for lunch – Mc Donald’s French Fries. Not much of a treat exactly, but it was something I wanted to do for myself anyways. The closest McD to my work is inside the Folsom Walmart. So I go there only to be flabbergasted on being charged extra for some mayo with my fries. I usually get a packet of mayo instead of ketchup and this is the first time I was charged for it. I mean I know our economy is down in the dumps but when McD starts charging for mayo it starts getting a bit scary or maybe the lady in the counter was just possessive about the condiments. She even refused to give another customer an extra packet of bbq sauce.

Despite all the evil karma from the McD lady, I’ve been reminiscing about my birthdays when I was little and how different yet special they were. Since we had to wear school uniforms to school unlike schools out here, it was customary for the birthday girl to come to school in ‘color-dress’ (regular clothes) on her birthday and distribute candy while the rest of the class sang ‘happy birthday’. Everyone looked forward to that special day in their lives since only on that day the b’day girl was the focus of attention of the entire school in her special outfit. I always wanted to be that girl but unfortunately never got to go to school in a ‘color-dress’ due to the fact my birthday was always during our month long Puja Vacation. That really saddened me. However the bright side was that my birthday was always a holiday and I got to spend it with my family. My cousins would come home and my grandmother would cook special goat curry and rice for that day. My dad would usually buy me a new dress and that was about it. Yet, those birthdays were so enjoyable and all us cousins would spend the day chatting or playing games. As I grew older and started going to college, my birthdays were spent with a group of very close friends going out for lunch. We always remembered each other’s birthdays and spent hours buying a birthday card that had the most appropriate verbiage to express what we felt for each other.

Those were glorious years and I miss them. I hope the Sushi tonight makes up for all of that! ☺

Escape

I looked into her eyes and knew she had secrets, the kind that if exposed could definitely ruin reputations of a lot of people in that crowded room. Not for once did I catch her attention though. Her gaze was fixed upon the ice cubes in her glass as if they held the window to the whole wide world and if only she could escape this darned party she would be getting herself lost in one of its wonders. She was beautiful and successful. Exactly the kind of lady I would like to be one day.

That day was long ago. I don’t even know where Neepa aunty is anymore. Once I had read about her in a magazine. I think she had recorded an album. I remembered her having a remarkable voice and Nazrulgeeti’s always suited her better than Rabindra sangeets. They were my favorite too. And today here I am, neither beautiful nor successful but with only one thing in common – the urge to get away from this crowd into the wilderness of that unknown world of wonders.

I have secrets too. Secrets that have nothing to do with others but myself. About things I’ve done, people I’ve loved, things I’ve witnessed and felt, things I’ve written. And I want to sing too - about all those things unsaid. But instead, I smile at known and unknown faces alike and ask the bartender to pour me another whiskey, this time on the rocks and comply with my host’s request to sing a ghazal.

Picture Perfect

Finally a family photo I LOVE.

For some reason I do not like going to a photo studio for pictures. It was only once that my dad forced me to get an 'arranged marriage' photo taken at a studio back in Kolkata whose caption read 'ek chobitei biye' (transaltion: a single photograph of yours will get you married) and that was enough to keep me away from any future posing at a studio. So unlike most of my friends out here and back at home, we do not have any family portraits that I can hang on walls.

Thus my excitement about this particular photo taken by a professional photographer at a friends wedding a few weeks ago. I love it because it is no natural.

And of course I had to share this one too :)

Its about time!

I finally accepted a job offer and start working at Association Resource Center in Folsom on Oct 13th. The company specializes in association and conference/trade show marketing and management services to state, national and international associations and organizations.

I did realize that it is really hard to get back into the job scene once you've taken a long break. In my case it is a year and the timings couldn't have been worse. There is an absolute scarcity of graphic design jobs in the area. Thanks to my friend Marcy, I got to know about this opening. She has been really supportive and helpful throughout this dry spell and I cannot thank her enough.

I am definitely looking forward to some adult time during my days. Now starts the process of finding a suitable daycare for Evani and having to deal with leaving her every morning in the prime of her separation anxiety phase. That I am NOT looking forward to.