Teeing Off!

Wish the rest of my days could be such a lazy & a fun day that I had today....playing golf the whole day long! The weather was beautiful...perfect winter day! Not too cold!

First to the Range...practice shots hitting about 50 balls. Then to the course playing 18 holes! Thoroughly enjoyed myself learning more about the game which has always fascinated me. Teeing box...green...par...Started with playing foursome the first 9 holes and for the balance nine, twosome.

Broke up for lunch after 9 holes at the restaurant -"Olive Bar & Kitchen". Sat outside enjoying the winter sun and the beautiful view of the golf course!

This was my first full course that I was playing and I had a wonderful Caddy who gave me tips as we went along.....advising me to be a regular to perfect the game! I am told that I am good for a first timer! Yay! I hope to improve my game! I want to! I have to! I love the game!

Qutab Golf Course, New Delhi
Olive Bar & Kitchen, Qutab Golf Course.

Feliz Navidad

The office is near empty.....the holiday spirit is catching on and I am in no mood to be working! Many have flown away to be with their near & dear ones. I too would be flying to visit friends & family soon! The Stores look so pretty! I love the Christmas decorations and the offers are so tempting! Love this season.....the hope burning bright....the New Year would be a much better year!

Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad

Prospero Ano y Felicidad.

Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad

Prospero Ano y Felicidad.

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas

From the bottom of my heart.

[repeats]

Another Pair!

The week long holidays for EID comes to an end. I head to one of the Mall to enjoy the last day of the holidays indulging in my favourite pastime....shopping! Did not have anything particular in mind, just browsing....and what do I spy?

I know, I know....but a girl can never have enough of shoes! And a pair of Black Pumps? One always needs those! Check the one which I found today! The heels are simply gorgeous! And they are Oh! So comfortable!

Sexy Santa!

Got an invitation to visit Santa's Grotto to see Sexy Santa. It was real hilarious! Enjoyed the show thoroughly. Didn't expect Santa like this though!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Texas HoldEm Poker Again!

Climbing up the Poker ladder, I had comfortably found my niche in the Poker World. I was a Pro... still am as the title suggests but now don't feel anymore. I am down to $1,306 chips as I write this!

Started my day with Texas HoldEm Poker along with my morning coffee. Had about 218k of chips. Feeling a bit cocky I guess.... I ventured to play at the Big Tables and thats when I started losing fast! Thinking I would recover, I continued on and on and on. I had been saying to all my Poker Buddies "Play wisely"...but here I was...playing irrationally! I even had Poker Players, new Buddies advising me.....saying it was not necessary to play every hand! They were real nice giving me chips not once, not twice, but again & again & again. I was real touched with their generosity!

Lost all my chips and all of those given by my new Buddies. I feel miserable. I know it's only virtual chips but even then. I lost and I lost so much. Don't know how long it would be when I recover. Never lost so badly.

I am planning to take a sabbath starting now till I recover from this disgrace. I would have more time to read...more time to write.....even if it's the rambling that you see on this page. How long would it last? Let's wait & see!

Color in my life!

Amidst the grey, drab, colorless existence.....the only color in my life....here in the Arab World! The potted flowers in my villa!

Aujourd'hui!

It's been glorious since the last few days, weather wise. The unbearable hot & humid weather has now given way to cool cool breeze. Some weeks back I recall, the sky had threatened us with rain but it was just that...a threat...an empty threat!

Today, it was different! Aujourd'hui, elle est différente! As the French would say...sounds more romantic! The sky rumbled....the sun was not to be seen....then it thundered...and out poured the rain! It lashed for a few mins with tiny pieces of hail which dissolved as soon as it hit the ground!

The rain and the thundering continues intermittently....and I am loving every minute of it.... while it lasts!

Covering Letter

A Friend promises to try for better prospects for me. Wants me to send in my CV....and as an afterthought a covering letter! Later, he says he was just joking and that its just my CV he wants. But my mind raced, he will get a covering letter! This is what I wrote....to my friend.

Dear Mr. Fun-do,

I'd like to outline immediately the great skills I've obtained from many years of service within the garment field. This position that you have in mind (I am actually not very clear what title this would be but as long as the salary & perks are good I am ok with it) is probably in high demand, so please consider the degree of experience I possess both in my country (India) which has over a billion population as well as in the Arab land where the locals get people like me to do all the work except reap the rewards of the labor...meaning be paid adequately.

What some don't understand is that there's an art to doing business. Time management, having the right connections and of course getting the right product are factors that are key to good business. A person just can't open a business, buy some stuff with the hopes that those that are bought, will sell at whatever price he dreams of. A more scientific and proven method is needed to run a good business and see the profit coming in.

If given the opportunity, I'm sure I can pinpoint areas where your local businessmen or businesswomen are missing the mark with improper or nonexistent planning. It sounds simplistic; however, improper planning can be costing businesses all over Macedonia thousands from a lack of employee productivity to nonexistent planning.

Let me bring in a fresh outlook. Once I arrive, you can see for yourself. Your only regret would be.....why you didn't know me earlier.

I look forward to hearing from you now...as soon as you finish reading my resume. The answer is immaterial....Yes, No, I will see, I will think, ....whatever. Let's nip off the suspense quickly!

One and only
M

PS:- I am dead serious. Dont try reading too much into the picture on my CV....thats a picture I now have had for many years.

A "Shark" I am!

"Big Dog" I already was which is a Poker level having earned Four Stars. Now after a particularly good hand this evening I finally managed to cross the $50,000 mark!Instantly another star was added to my existing Four Stars and a "Shark" now I am!

As I played yet another game I realised, unknowingly I have become an addict....for want of anything better to do!

A windy day

I woke up to the call of my phone ringing....It was my youngest brother. Today happens to be the day when brothers invited their married sister/s home for a feast and showered her/them with gifts and for which they would be blessed in turn.....

I am far far away... Rarely have I got the opportunity to take part in the many festivities which my country and religion has to offer....rarely have I taken part in any activities....not that I don't want to.....it just so happens.

It's weekend here....this part of the world. I get my coffee & a fried egg with a toast. The winds are howling. Looks like it would rain....but no...not even a drop...

The news is depressing....bomb blast....threats....why can't people live & let live??? There's enough problems in the world....with natural calamities and sickness...why do some people have to contribute to all these miseries in the world. Just a while back, I come to know that a friend of mine had an accident....thank Heavens, it wasn't major...

The wind still howls.....

Poker Nights!

My evenings have been hectic.....these past few weeks! Received an invitation one fine day in the mail.....to come and play Poker. Since then I have been hooked to the game. Each game got me deeper and deeper into the game. No more hunger pangs I felt. Poker consumed my evenings and my weekends. I couldn't wait to get out of work and head to the Casino and to the next available Poker Table.

I had plenty of free drinks offered by total strangers and nuts & sushi too at the table. Some even bought me free entertainment....and I couldn't help but smile! I met guys who were not tight fisted.....and willing to lend chips to those who ran out! I even had some coming my way even though I never asked. Then there were these foul mouth men who rained obscenities but of couse all swear words were muffled immediately! I must say the security was good and they had some high tech gadgets in the casinos, overseeing all these!

I received plenty of Poker Buddy requests but only a few I have accepted. Its nice to see a nice familiar face at the table with whom you could chat on the side!

I called....I raised....I checked......and I folded!

I went all in....betted my way to success....won the pot with one pair of J's or K's and A kicker.....picked up a Straight.....a Flush.....It says, Getting the hand is luck... what you do with it is skill. Texas Hold 'Em is what I have been playing.........and I have been playing it online!

Serious Shopping!

Needed to pay my Internet Bill before they cut me off from the sane world. Hadn't seen our new Company Store too. So off I trotted to the Mall today. Our newest Store (LOEWE), being a high end luxury Brand is housed in the luxury end of the Mall where you can find Louis Vuitton, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Burburry, to name a few. So it was just look, look and look.........and it was nice to look and know that these were ridiculously priced!

Then I went to the other side of the mall, where you have the High Street Brands, the Food Court, etc. I wanted to buy something....used to have one earlier...but that was in Kuwait. I needed to buy it badly.....and I had made up my mind to buy it today.

And voila! Look! All shiny & new! I have every intention of taking it out of the box and using it every single day....starting tomorrow!

You

We connect
And we connect
Just so beautifully.

One day
You decide
To go away just.

Just as quickly
You go out of my life
You re-appear once again.

The spark still evident
The excitement not ebbed
The surprise still pleasant.

The reason...
You dont know
I don't know....

But then,
Not knowing....
Is reason.

Hey Baby!

Hey Baby!
You got me all wrapped....

When you came into my life,
I never thought I would feel it this way.
You know there's been nobody like you.
You take my blues away and make me laugh.

Hey Baby!
I may not be perfect....
But parts of me are excellent!
Don't let anybody and anything come in between us.

Hey Baby!
You're the best thing,
That has happened to me,
In a long long time...

Hey Baby! Hey Baby!

No Office!

My eyes flew wide open when the alarm rang at 5am but I was awake long before then.....probably due to the early night that I had! I tossed from one side to the other.....curling up spoon-shaped ....trying to snatch a few minutes more.....before another day starts.....and then it hits me! There's no office for 5 days...EID holidays! No office?! I jumped out of my bed wanting to embrace the "No Office" day!

Got my morning cuppa (green with citrus), a slice of bread and a fried egg well done. Logged online to see what the world has been upto while I was sleeping....and generally catch up on my mails, blogs, etc. A friend back in my own country was already in the office pushing his Team to get the 3.5 million dollar deal closed! I am imagining him sitting at the edge of his chair, drumming his fingers on the desk, getting impatient....waiting for the phone to ring...telling him, "Boss, all signatures are there on the dotted line!" We chatted for a while and laughed at some silly jokes.....he was distracted....his mind was elsewhere....the deal needs to be closed. I left him to deal with the deal and decided to get out....

The weather was sunny and not that terribly hot. The pool was inviting and I went for a swim at the back of the villa. I swam & I thought and I thought & swam....how lovely it would be if everyday was just like today! No Office!

Alone I swam.....in the blue blue pool....with the sun beating down making the water just about warm. The swim was really invigorating and I am thinking to myself....I must, I must try to swim every morning....good for my soul & good for my body!

The swim made me hungry. I am not on a diet, I just happen to love salad! A big bowl of green pasta salad - M's Special! On a bed of spirally pasta also called fusilli, some Japanese mushrooms layered with diced carrots, cucumber & corns and topped with scrunchy green lettuce drizzled with olive oil. On the side, deep fried "Red Snapper" with pickled olives! To round off, settled for a couple of pieces of that nutty chocolate from my small stash of candies & chocolates!

PS:- I wouldn't have thought of photographing what I ate.....but the couple of food blogs that I happen to browse this morning inspired me!

#This was my morning! Evening, we'll see!

My Song!

One night

Late into the night

Words flowed smoothly

Like it was all meant to be.

A song that I knew already

Strangely but not so strangely

It was the first time that I heard.

A song that I just can't get out of my head.

A song which has become my mantra, My Song!

My Friend!

To do or not to do
To say or not to say
That is the question
Which weighs heavily
On my mind sometimes.

To do and pay the price or

Not to do and regret not having done.

To say and repent having said or
Not to say and rue why it wasn't said.

Decisions I must take
On a spur-of-the-moment
Which makes it more difficult.

Then again with a friend
I Should never ever
Have to regret or repent
What I do or say
No matter what happens.

Thats My Friend!

Let's talk Business!

London was just not about shopping and sight seeing! We were on a Business Trip and serious business it was. The main purpose of the visit was to shake hands on a very lucrative deal....the contract for an exclusive Franchisee in the whole of the Middle East of their High End Luxury Brand and the rights of their very commercial brand, a High Street Brand for our country for the moment, as for other countries it is already taken.

We are mainly interested in that commercial brand but the Host Company is more worried in getting the right partner for their luxury brand. Understandable. Since we cannot get the exclusivity for the High Street Brand we have to bide our time and play along and try getting it in the long run....by proving we mean business...in handling of their High End Luxury Brand.

Seems our projections wasn't convincing. Need re-look the figures and the time frame. The handshake for now has been postponed. They will be coming here to the Middle East to check our outfit.....sometime soon and to talk business! Let's hope it happens then.

Below the Company Showroom....and the table across which we were having our serious negotiations!

The London Eye

The London Eye, the tallest Ferris Wheel in Europe.....a visit which I could just about squeeze in to our not so hectic Business Trip!

The London Eye....view from the Queen's Park....and then at the western end of Jubilee Gardens where it is located and finally from across the bridge on the River Thames.

To see the view from the top....a day to remember....nay the night....the ticket, a mere £ 15.50!

Meet Harrods from Harrods!

Being in London and not going to Harrods would have been unthinkable! So off we trotted to Harrods, my colleague & myself. It's massive and beautiful and its got all the Designer Brands....very very expensive! I was especially bowled over by those beautiful Designer Shoes so wonderfully displayed!

We indulged ourselves by having quite an expensive lunch at the Lebanese Restaurant upstairs. Then to remember our trip, bought some souvenirs...lil things for friends and family. For myself, I brought Harrods home with me!

Meet Harrods from Harrods!

Latest Edition!

London.....my feet were killing me....walking down the streets of London in my high heeled boots. I just had to get out of those boots into something comfortable. At Clarks, High street Kensington, London, spied this lil red number......very comfortable and tres chic! My latest edition.....on my shoe rack!

London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week....and I get to attend one of the shows! How exciting it was! Got an invitation from "Luella".....
You are cordially invited to view Luella Spring/Summer '09....

Just being there with all those beautiful people...the clothes, the shoes.....it was amazing! The venue too was very charming.....down the Hyde Park.....serpentine pathway....I went trotting on my high heeled boots. The walk nearly killed me.....but I would have gladly died in the name of Fashion!

My camera battery died out on me....didn't capture many pictures....had to resort using my phone camera!

Reality bites

The voice drones.....
"Earth to Ms.H.
Ms.H, come in."

Who is calling?
Where am I?
My eyes flew wide open
I am falling and falling fast.
I hit plain dirt.....with a thud!
Ground reality hits me
And it hits me hard.

What was I thinking??!!

For a while, my feet had left ground
I was flying up in the sky.
Building castles in the air
How beautiful life could be....

Alas, no this was not meant to be.
Reality is but heat, dust, humidity & drudge
In a foreign land all alone.....

Ms.H?

Ms.H?
Uh...Yes? That's me.
How are you?
So far so good....
I could be better though!
Ha ha!

I could always be better!
I could for instance be marooned....
On an island...no office, no phone....
No emails, no deadlines....
Lying flat on the beach....
With a floppy hat and dark huge sunglasses.
A glass of those wonderful colored drinks with a lil umbrella on it...
And him as my own Personal Slave.....my beck & call!
Hmmm......that would be just Heaven!

Alone I am

Alone I came to this world, I know.....and alone I would leave this world, I know. All alone I would be.....this I didn’t know.

Growing up I was pretty much left alone reading, writing, painting, cycling, going for walks.... most of the time. Now as I go about earning my living, I continue with my reading, writing..... and shopping seems to have replaced most of the other creative activities I pursued as a young girl....once again all alone.

Pretty brave.....courageous.....is what I am often told, I am. Courage....I heard.... it’s something what we have to learn and we learn every day...it’s not what’s in you....it’s in every choice we make each and every day. I choose to do what I feel is right....I choose to do what my heart & soul believes in....and my choices makes me live all alone.....

Lately I have been wondering is this forever and how long will it be.....’cause one night is all it took.....one day and I was hooked....

More wine....Interested? Yes!

I seem to have made a faux pas.....ooops! that’ s what I thought and was thoroughly embarrassed. What would he think of me? I apologized immediately but he leaned towards me and said, "No "oops" necessary....it's very cool" and put me at ease right there. This was the start.....

The wine was heady......and into the night we chatted like old friends. It was either the wine or the fact that we were all alone drew us closer and closer. We chatted effortlessly. Anybody seeing the banter between us would think we have known each other for years while the reality was that we had just met. He was a Salesman and he totally sold himself to me! I lost count of time.......the wine was good and the company excellent.

We discovered the uncanny similarity not only in our names but in the way we felt about various issues not to mention our likes and dislikes. He sounded so familiar and I told him so. Have we met before, I asked him? He doesn't seem to recall but then how is it possible that he knows all these things about me? How does he know how I feel and how I am? How does he know what I like and don't like? How does he?

He is everything I would wish for in a friend! He is smart, honest and oh so adorable! He is a Dream? My Reality?.....I have yet to discover. Meanwhile, more wine.....Interested? Yes! I sure am!!

Just thinking....

The conversation continues in my mind.....do not understand certain things but then I was never that bright. "Enjoy the ride" someone says......

It is not the ride that I am having second thoughts......it's what happens next. Then again I wonder, how long is the ride going to last? Just the thought of the ride is making me heady....already. I would like that we stop and smell the roses when we tire and then continue together..... exploring new places.......watching people go by as the sun goes down......for ever and ever...

There are billions of people on this planet earth and it is just one person that I ask for.....why is it so difficult? Tell me why can't we be together?

Just thinking.....

Ramadan once again!

First day of Ramadan. No eating or drinking in the office.....at least in open.....a small price to pay for short working hours - 8.00am till 2.00pm!

I went for shopping late in the evening. I had seen it earlier......just needed to pick it up. What better way to start the holy month of Ramadan by splurging on some gorgeous looking Shoes & Bags! Nobody indulges me......I need to indulge myself!

I love the heels that I got for the simple reason of the color and the stylishly creative heel! The best of course are my boots! It fits beautifully and the heels again are simply gorgeous! Check the Blings on it!

I love what I have shopped! Ramadan Kareem!

déjà vu

Experiencing......déjà vu?

I get the uncanny feeling, I know you from somewhere.
Your voice sounds so familiar and I am so much at ease with you.
You know what I feel and you know what I like.
You complete my thoughts before I can put it into words.
Now that you are here, I want you to know everything about me.

Ooooh Baby! One night is all it took.
One click and I was hooked!
One call for me to see that
You're easily the one for me.
The One for me!

It is said that the feeling that one has been there before is often due to the fact that one has been there before. In our past lives did we know each other?!

-i snor

Copenhagen, Denmark.......
Saw this interesting sign as I walked by the harbour. I guess it means Dogs allowed only if it is on a leash.!

Then I found -i snor on the net. Check this site out for yourself!

My Whirlwind Europe Tour -10th to 20th Aug (Copenhagen)

Continuing with my recent trip to Europe....
Next it was to Copenhagen that we went. Took the flight from the Schipol Airport which was about less than an hour and a half.

Copenhagen...beautiful city. As it was a whirlwind business trip didn't see much but what I saw...the pictures speaks of themselves.

The Harbour

The Palace GroundsThe Canal
An Anglican Church
Inside of the Church
The View......beautiful!