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Saturday, February 23, 2008

That reminds me!!!

Ok, As i wrote my last post, I remembered that our neighbouring building had been affected by bees. The enterprising bees had found a cranny in the building,
built a nice big hive, then being very generous, started visiting the two flats that were in the same side as their hive was.

And our neighbour in the ground floor flat got real mad at them for daring to impose on her home. So she called thee pest control,a dn all this week, they have been hard at work. They removed the hive, broke down the cranny, let it soak in the cement mix, put the stucco,and a nice design as the rest of the buildings have,
So now the bees have been displaced, and now have to go find some other innocent, non suspecting building/ cranny to make honey again.

Our neighbour was very emphatic, when she told me this, "I had bees on the walls of my home. I do not like bees, and I do not like their honey. So I am having them removed. "

Weekend Busy Bees!!!

Well, a lot happened this week.

Mads was off to florida for a business trip,and I stayed back home, with Frisky to keep me compnay. He ame back safe and sound on Friday afternoon, and that evening, we launched our clean up office room project. We had accumulated too many things there,a dn badly needed another bookshelf.

So Saturday morning, after bnreakfast, we were off to the IKEA showrom here. Wonderful place, wonderful stuff, and a lovely husband who can fixz it all in a jiffy.

Came back at 3:00p.m. had another guy come over for an estimate on our windows, Then took Frisky for a walk. By the time I came back, Maadhu had assembled the whole bookshelf by himself....a ttal of 24 shelves. I was supposed to help him out, but in the one hour I had ben walking Frisky, he had managed to fix, adn assemble everything. All he needed me was for lifting up the top 8 shelves,and putting them in place. My, that was FAST!!!!

So this was our big weekend project part 1 complete. Tomorrow we arew gonna put all the stuff, books,fils, stationery, cd's etc in the book case. So cheers to the hardworking madhu, and his encouraging wife.!!!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Lego's memories!!!

BOOhoooooooooooooo!!!!!!!

I MISS LEGO!!!

TODAY I got a couple of replies from friends who had seen the album I had sent out. This made me want to see the pictures again.

And I did!!!! And I miss her now!!!!!!!!!

The amazing fact is how she grew on me in just 10 days that she was with us.
Whenever I came out after a bath, I used to find Frisky on one side, Lego on the other. ...One would wag his little tail, the other would meow. One would run in front of me, the other would come and rub her body against my legs, telling me she wants to be cuddled.

Of course, this was after we decided to let her inside the house. The first 2 days she was on the patio chair outside, because we didn;t know if she was a stray,and what diseases she had on her. So we let her be.

Even then, the minute she saw me going out/ or coming in, she would look up, meow,and then immediately jump out of the patio chair, to stand next to me, while I opened the door. She wanted to be let in. Her meowing also had a strange insistence to it, as if she was saying, " why don't you understand me?"

If that wasn't sweet enough, (exasperating at that time to me), the minute she came inside, she would go straight for the showcase, to sit on the lowermost shelf, or make a bee line for the bathroom, to drink water from the tap. At these moments, it was very difficult to keep Frisky away from her. He would whine, growl,and generally let the cat know she was an intruder in his space. One day, it was windy and chiily outside, so I decided to let Lego in,and did the mistake of trying to vacuum the house.

That was a Herculean effort, to say the least. I had the job of making sure both of them didn't go for each other's throats while I vacuumed, because I wouldn't hear anything. I had to continuously switch off the vacuum, and go and see if Frisky was away from Lego. To separate them, we had put a divider in the small passage way we have b/w the two bedrooms. One was Lego's area, the other Frisky's.

I was hoping Frisky wouldn't think of jumping the barrier. In fact, it was Lego, who continuously came out, jumping over the barrier, coming to sit on the lowermost shelf. I had to put her back to her side thrice.

Frisky is terrified of the sound of any motor,and running away from the source is his first instinct. With the divider separating the rooms, Frisky didnt have much place to run and hide from the sound of the vacuum cleaner.

And so, when I had finally switched off the "monster",and taken it away, Frisky ventured out, shaking, and Lego was MIA. Lego had been so terrified herself, that she chose to hide under the bed, in the deepest corner possible.


Some other cute things she did, once she began trusting us.

The minute I touched her forehead, she would purr, come out of her bed,and lie down beside me, to be cuddled. She would stretch all her 3 legs out in contentment,as I scratched her back, her ears, and talked to her. (Oh yes, however funny you may think it is, I have had conversations with her in the kitchen.)
My husband as my witness, she understood me!!!!

However, she was a mature cat, and she would watch from her bed, as Frisky ate her food.( yes, the stupid pup we have, would prefer to eat her food, from her bowl, rather than his own food. And she compensated, by nibbling on his food, when she came out. ) So we tried putting Frisky's food in Lego's bowl, in her place,and behold, Frisky gobbled it down. Look what a little bit of competition can do, huh?????

I can go on some more about the little little things I found so endearing about Lego. However, I shall stop here, and hope that some day, I get a chance to cuddle another sweet cat like Lego.

Until then, my sense and sensibility tells me one pet(and one husband to pet!!!) is(are??) enough, even if the gender equation at home is imbalanced again, after lego left. !!!!

Friday, February 15, 2008

Valentine's Day 2008!!

This year's Valentine's day was special.

I baked a cake for Madhu myself, on my own!!!!

Having never attempted any baking on my own before, I sought help from a neighbour of ours, who is a professional cake maker,and she agreed.

So Monday morning I went to her home, after Madhu left for work, (as this had to be done hush-hush). She told me what to do, and I did it. So after the cake was baked, a heart shaped one, she said we need to freeze it for 2 days, then we will do the decorating. So Wedneday morning, I made another trip to her place, Frisky in tow both times,and we decorated the cake, with white icing, pink and white hearts,and sprinkles.

Since she had software to make greeting cards, I made one at her place. A cat( for Madhu), that says on the front...
Happy Valentine's day
with hugs and kisses,

and on the inside,

"This card is addressed to someone I love

Do you think I will put up with all your nonsense if I didn't?"

Since this was a surprise, I didn't want Madhu to see it until the day. So Wednesday evening, I brought the cake home, and put it in the fridge. Thursday, when Madhu woke up, I first gave him the card, and while he was reading it, I brought the cake from the fridge,and we cut it together.

(photos have been taken, in our not-still-fully-conscious -state, but we will still send them out. )
Frisky expressed his love for both of us, by licking the cream off the very first piece of cake. So he is in the pictures too.

Then business as usal. Madhu to work. nithya to Red Cross.
In the evening, Madhu came to pick me up at the Red cross office, and had a couple of surprises himself.

First, was this huuuuge gift bag, with a fluffy white puppy, a heart shaped box of Ruissel Stover chocolates, and a sweet, senti, card with (yup, a doggie as motif). And turns out, he had made reservations for dinner at a restaurant called Flo's.

Needless to mention, this dinner was lovely. I have had very limited choices at restaurants, being a vegetarian, but I really liked the fare here. Whether my hunger accentuated the taste of food, I do not know, but I really enjoyed the meal,and we went home, tummy happy,and ready to sleep.

And yes, Madhu's fortune cookie read, "You and your spouse will be happy in the years to come.".

Isn't that the nicest way to end such a happy day??????

Doggie restaurant in Gurgaon, India.


This is an article I saw while browsing another link. Reproduced here from the website link straight. I am sure many doggie lovers/owners will love to hear of this kind of venture in India.



It’s a dog’s life!
Want to give your dog a special treat? Take him to 32nd Milestone and you can literally doggie bag the food too!


Mumbai: Visions of elated canines and their beaming owners are common sights at the Bow Wow Club, which is located within the 32nd Milestone resort in Gurgaon. A venture by an ardent pet-lover Mamta Sharma, this one of a kind club boasts of a restaurant just for dogs, a canine carry out, lodging, grooming and training facilities.

Business begins at home

“The concept has generated quite a bit of curiosity. I had seen dog restaurants in Manhattan which are doing superbly well, but I hadn’t heard of a thing like this in India,” says Mamta.

This was not started as a commercial venture but as a friendly service for dog owners. “It started on a personal level. We are a dog loving family and treat our pets as family members. We had to leave the dogs alone whenever we went out to eat and that used to make me very sad. So I thought of starting a place where the dogs could come and dine as well,” says this proud owner of four dogs.

So while you are having a blast at any of the restaurants at 32nd Milestone, rest assured your pet will also be having an equally memorable dining experience at the Bow Wow Club. Family dining seems to have acquired a whole new meaning!

Safety first

If you are worried whether your canine will be served dishes which may not suit his system, then you needn’t worry as the menu has been designed in consultation with the best canine experts in the country.

“All of this has been developed in consultation with vets from Pedigree and Dr Rana who is an ace veterinary surgeon. They have looked at the menu and have advised us on what to include,” explains Mamta. So ingredients like chocolate and onion don’t find a place in the menu as they are a strict no-no for dogs.

Menu please!

Your pet can enjoy an array of vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes while basking in the sunshine. All the dishes seem to have been come straight from doggiedom. So your pet can start off with a Crunch-n-Munch which is a mixture of fruit and vegetable bits and can further warm itself with a Subz Slurpz Shorba, a yummy vegetarian soup with lots of bread, veg dog food croutons and a dollop of white butter.

The main course offers a mind boggling number of dishes. You can opt for the Bow Wow Chow, a delectable blend of wheat flour chowmein with chopped veggies and a sprinkling of vegetarian dog food and soya pellets or a simple Paw-Widge, which as the name suggests is a healthy porridge cooked in nutritious brown stock. Light and easy to digest!

And if your canine wishes to dig into some meat … The Pupparoni Pizza will surely appeal with its mixed meats and crunchy puppy dog food topping. “We have a special Slim Is In Section which comprises of low fat dishes. It is ideal for smaller dogs, especially the overweight dogs,” says Mamta.

Slow n Steady

Agreed, that the concept is unique and novel, but has it generated a satisfying enough response? “I have seen that as far as paying up is concerned people are more happy with things that offer them added value. So people have been coming more for grooming, training, lodging, shopping at the pet store and for the canine carry out. The response to the restaurant has been a bit slow,” shares Mamta. However, she has not embarked on any marketing or publicity blitzkrieg for the restaurant. “There has been a slow yet steady word of mouth publicity. When a satisfied customer shares his experience with others, more dog lovers turn up. I am not rushing the process and I believe we will get there in time,” she says.

Love your dogs first

People who have seen Mamta expertly handle her dogs may be surprised to know that she is not officially trained in pet care. In fact she is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, where she topped the post graduate diploma in advertising and public relations. After having interned with HTA (now JWT) and post a stint with Saatchi & Saatchi, Mamta started 32nd Milestone with her husband.

She feels that her knowledge of pet care is purely instinctive as it stems from her love for her dogs. “Also, whatever I have learnt has been on the job. I kept scouting for the right sources and the right experts who could guide and advise me on my endeavours. Their inputs helped me get things right. I got well trained and sensitive dog handlers and I think that has made all the difference,” she smiles.

A Wholesome meal- Starters: Rs 40- Soups: Rs 75 (veg) and Rs 175 (non veg)- Main course: From Rs 60 to 120- Dessert: Rs 60- Beverages: Rs 40
- By Vandana Saxena