IndifictionWorkshop edition 8 - Blog Marathon 17

The 8th edition of India Fiction Workshop came up with the below plot.

There is a dilapidated old fort in a forest bordering an Indian village. The villagers believe that inside the fort is a chamber, locked shut by an ancient King, and guarded by spirits invoked and trapped inside the chamber by that king.

Unknowing of the folklore, two thieves who have escaped from a nearby prison take shelter in the fort. Thinking that there might be treasure inside, they break open the door.

Narrate the events up to and after this point, in FIRST PERSON POV of the thieves. You can choose to do it from POV of one thief, or alternating between the POVs of both.

Rules:

1. This is a horror genre story, so the story must be spooky and scary!
2. The story must be written in first person POV of the thieves. You can choose to do it from POV of one thief, or alternating between the POVs of both.
3. The major characters must be the two thieves
4. There must be no loose threads when the story concludes.
5. Minimum 2525 words and Maximum 2828 words.

The plot is accrediated to Jayashree Srivatsan.
Conceptualized by two popular bloggers TF and C. Suresh, Indifiction is a workshop for writers interested in fiction. 

For more details please visit my plot at
http://indifictionworkshop.blogspot.in/2013/06/the-spirit-of-haunted-chest.html

Edited to add: This story won this Edition. Happy me

2013 - Wednesday C-Rec C Level-Week4- Blog Marathon 16

26th June:- This week were were playing the top team so far in the league. They were unbeaten as far as the first two weeks statistics goes. Again we were short of 1 girl so we had to play 4's for the first 2 sets and then later on we had one girl join so we played 6's.
The net result..we Lost and that too miserable. It was not as if the other team were great players it was just that we played bad.
The sun and the heat was not helping at all and we lost all 4 sets.
Our strategy was all wrong, we had no communication among us.
Wrong, wrong, wrong..I am thinkin of giving up Volleyball and play tennis

On Facebook Updates, Likes and Other Statuses -- Blog Marathon 15

We all are a part of the social media and there is no denying it has entered and integrated into our lives.
There is not a single day when we do not check our emails, our FB page, Twitter etc etc.
There are so many articles written that tell about the effect Social Media has on people.
In this example I am specifically targeting Facebook as that is the most widely recognized/used media today.

It is well known that people keep in touch via FB, they also upload thier vacation pictures, their party pictures which is all fine but the problem is the effect it has on others. Friends of thiers going through a rough patch in life may get more depressed or may feel left out(if its a group of frnds which they were not invited).

What gives me the creeps is when people update thier status with cricket match scores, I am watching the match live and even following the commentary on ESPN. I really do not want you to put the ball by ball score on FB too.

Or for that matter when people who are travelling start updating their status --@Chicago Terminal, @NewYork airport. It saddens me to think that these people instead of enjoying their vacation and sightseeign or being with thier loved ones are busy updating their status.

Or for those one who like each and every status you put. For ex: one of my friends had put a status of how she narrowely escaped an accident during a snowstorm. Many of them commented asking how she is etc etc whereas there was this one friend who actually "Liked" her status. How funny was that!

Or for those who put thier awards/achievements everything on FB, Really, there are blogs where you can do that and intersted and genuine wellwishers will comment not every 504 people on your friend list.

I personally do not post status updates on FB as I dont think people even read before liking unless it is a major announcement and I need the whole world to know till then I will keep it within my blog.

What do you think?

Flowers from my Pot - Blog Marathon 14

We planted some seeds early winter and now we have tomatoes, chillies,beans growing all over. We also have some very pretty flowers.

Weekend outing - June 22,23 2013-Blog Marathon 13

The vendor that I work for decided to host a summer family fun this Saturday. There were forecasts of rains and so though hesitant we still decided to go.
It was at Como Zoo/Town. We reached by 1:15pm. Luckily for us they were still there as the official time was 11-1 pm and so we got our writst bands but no food.
We decided to roam around the zoo and Como Town. Ritvik went on the big kiddies rides as he is 42''in now.
Some pics to share..

55 FIction - Blog Marathon 12

Bhaiya and I met with a car accident. My parents rushed us to the hospital.I could hear mom sobbing. The doctors were ready for the operation. The pungent odour of the hospital seeped into my nostrils.

The next day the bandages were opened. Tears flowed down. I could see through my brother’s eyes.

Written as part of WriteUpCafe here http://writeupcafe.com/articles/720/15/valuable-gift/tab/2019

Poetry Recitation - Blog Marathon 11

I had this wonderful idea of doing a Poetry Recitation for the kids. According to me kids have so much of talent and it is for us to nurture out the best in them. Accordingly I told my idea to the other ladies and everyone agreed to do in in April 3rd week(mid-week) in the party hall.
I was in charge of getting the speaker and mike which we usually keep in the basement.
At home preparations were started and I though Ritvik his poem which he learnt in 2 days.

Aeroplane Aeroplane, up in the sky
Where are you going flying so high
Over the mountains, over the seas
Aeroplane, Aeroplane, wont you take me?

It so happened that on the Friday before our recital there was a breaking and robbing incident in the apartmetn basement. Many people's things were stolen. Due to this the management decided to keep the basement open only during office hours i.e till 5 pm.

On our decided Poetry Recital  day I was working from home. Usually on any such events I get the speaker home in the morning itself but this time I thought I'll get it later in the evening and go directly to the party hall. At 7pm I went to the basement only to find it locked. There was a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I went to the party hall which was filled with kids, moms/dads. I had to convey the message to all of them and we decided to postpone it by a week i.e May 2nd 2013.

Finally on 2nd May 2013 we had the poerty recital, we started with little kids who told thier nursery rhymes and then with the older ones. Some of the kids did a good job, some were overwhelmed to talk in the mike for the first time, all in all it was fun.
Hoping to do more such events.

2013 - Wednesday C-Rec C Level-Week3- Blog Marathon 10

The Weekly Volleyall Co-rec league was on Wednesday and this week it was at 8 pm.
The team we were playing against was Notorious D.I.G. Looked like they were a family, grandma,grandpa,mom,dad,kids.
We won all 4 matches.so yeaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

Waiting for next week.

Picture Post - Blog Marathon 9

Some pictures from our evening walks

Veggie Biryani -Blog Marathon 8

Earlier Post:-
Normally I cook veg biryani in a one-pot style but today being a Saturday and since I had all the time I decided to make an elaborate version of it.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower cut pieces

Cabbage

Carrot - 1 piece sliced

Paneer cubes

Yoghurt

Basmati Rice

Veg Biryani masala

Mint leaves

Coriander leaves

Salt

Spices- (Bay,Cardamon,Cinnamon)

In a vessel heat some oil and add the spices, then add some jeera, to this add the veggies that you have, sprinkle salt, turmeric,green chilly, coriander powder, mint leaves, coriander leaves, veg biryani masala, once it is cooked add little curd, to this add some paneer pieces and cover and let cook for 5 mins till the masala is well coated with all veggies.

In another vessel boil water and add basmati rice and let it cook (70%).

In another vessel take oil and saute onion till they turn golden brown.

Now seperate the veggies that you had cooked in another vessel. To assemble take half the veggies, por the remaining yoghurt, heat, check and adjust seasoning, sprinkle half the fried onions, add half rice, now add on top the remaining veggies, sprinkle remaining fried onions and cover with reaming rice, garnish with corainder leaves and serve hot.

Note:Pic will be posted soon.

Congratulations...You won the gift card - Blog Marathon 7

This is an old one from last year(2011) but as this place notes down everything, something to brighten up my day.
So the new management of the apartment we live in have started this monthly newsletter, where in they give a puzzle for us to complete and submit by a certain date.

Once that is done they will draw a random winner from the correct entries.
Also this month they had a ping-pong competition for which we were supposed to give in our names.
So being the (interested in games) household that we are we submitted the puzzle in baby's name and me and hubby both gave in our names for the ping-ping tournament.
LAst Friday we got a paper message at the door which said-- Congratulations --You have won the gift card for the puzzle.
So from all the correct entires it was my baby who won. muaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
And then 2 days later we also realized that me and hubby won the ping-pong as well(reason being we were the only entries..wink wink)..still muaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
Loving this month.

Current Reads - Blog Marathon 6

I read a lot. Initially I used to stick to the Jeffrey Archer, Sidney Sheldon,John Grisham type of books but nowadays I have expanded my reading list.
In this week I read

Lucia, Lucia – Adriana Trigiani
This is the story of Lucia, a young Italian girl who is living in America with her parents and brothers. Though the normal convention for a woman is to get married and have children Lucia is a person who guards her independence and her freedom to the core. She just doesn't want to follow the flow but wants to do it only if she feels right.
All in all a  good read.

Mrs. 'arris Goes To Paris – Paul Gallico

This is a total fun read. It is the story of a London char(maid) who wishes to have a Dior dress and her adventures that lead to it.

Mrs. 'arris Goes To New York – Paul Gallico
This is a sequel to the above book. Though the first book had its own tales that would really not happen in real life, this one was a even bigger fantasy tale (none of which would really take place) but still one can read through it to read about the cheerfullness of Mrs 'Arris in her troubles.

My inspiration to read these books came after reading the reviews on
http://thegalnxtdoor.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/books-fresh-off-my-bookshelf/

Please go to this blog if you want more suggestions on books.

Short Story - The Essence Of Family- Blog Marathon 5

The Nook was the only place open at this late hour. The diner was situated in a burgeoning residential and business district regarded by real estate experts as one of the “top five up-and-coming” areas in the nation. As I waited in my car I looked through the window at the two men situated at the only occupied booth. A plate of burger and french fries was laid on the table alongside steaming coffee. Neither of the two men noticed the food as they talked nineteen to a dozen.


This was not the case few months back. My family consisting of my husband Marc and my son Reno lived in a 2 BHK apartment in the suburbs. Marc was working as an Assistant Director in an esteemed organization. We were a very close knitted family and loved the time we spent together. Week-ends were meant for barbeques and parks. Yearly family trips were much awaited event for all of us. Due to his hard-working and diligent work Marc was promoted to the Board of Directors. Very soon we moved into a lavish well furnished bungalow in the city. It was built on 3 acres of land and came with its own majestic well pruned lawn. For the first time we even had a butler along with 4 servants for the house-work. The house encompassed of four bedrooms along with a great hall for entertaining, guest and servant rooms. We even had a big swimming pool in the backyard.

I got introduced to the socialite club through a few friendly ladies from the neighborhood. They were a group of high society ladies who spend a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at the fashionable events. I was sucked in their glamorous and pristine world.

Reno was starting high school. At his previous place he was good student, an athlete (on the varsity swim and water polo tennis), and a lauded student journalist. On the recommendation of Marc’s other colleagues we enrolled him in one of the affluent schools in the city. Reno did not appreciate the fact that he had to leave his friends behind but Marc convinced him it would be fine and we were there for him.

Marc started putting in long hours at work; he also was travelling a lot. Reno had a hard time fitting in his new school. Most of the boys knew that he had just moved in from the suburbs and gave him a really tough time. He came home dejected to talk to either me or Marc but we both were busy in our own bubbled world of riches. Since Marc was not home most of the times he made it a point to get Reno the best of everything. He always provided the latest iphone, the latest mac, home-theatre system and also gave him lots of cash.

One week-end that Marc was home we decided to use the much neglected pool. Reno was eagerly looking forward for his Dad’s company. As we stepped in Marc’s cell phone rang and he rushed to an immediate board meeting. I was too tired and went to rest in my room. Reno was left alone. Marc’s company soon lost the contract of a major client they were handling. This was a major set back and all Board of Directors had to put in extra hours to get their business in order. Soon Marc took to drinking and started getting irritated and angry at minor things. He usually came home late at night in alcohol induced stupors. On one such night after reaching home he was checking his voicemail which had Reno’s teacher’s message. He notified Marc about Reno’s falling grades and asked him to visit school the next day. Rage filled in his bloodshot eyes and he walked over to Reno’s room, dragged the sleepy boy out of his bed and began thrashing him hard. Reno’s initial shcok turned to resentment and he started crying out loudly. Hearing all this commotion I ran down and could just about manage to stop Marc with the butler’s help and take him to his room.

Next day Marc left early. I too heard of Reno’s falling grades and decided to stay at home to question him. As soon as Reno was back from school I asked him about his school friends but he avoided answering any of my questions. He said he had some work and locked himself up in his room. I made some coffee for the two of us and decided to talk to him in his room. I went up the landing and knocked his room thrice before it was opened. Reno refused the coffee and did not allow me to enter inside. That is when I clearly noticed my son, his eyes were hazy looking, and I could see dark circles under them. I also noticed the fatigue in the lean structure that was enclosed in a loose sweatshirt he had on. Tears flowed down freely as I walked downstairs. That night I waited for Marc to return. I told him I was worried for our son. Marc consoled me stating that the previous nights events were taking a toll on my thoughts. I should just get some rest.

Sleep evaded me as I tossed and turned the whole night. The next day I cancelled all my to-attend functions and visited Reno’s school. I first met his school teacher who said that initially Reno was keen and eager to adapt to the new environment, was attending all his classes but off late he was absent for most and that affected his grades. He asked me to talk to one of Reno’s initial acquaintance by the name of Chuck.

Chuck informed me that Reno and he got together due to their common passion of water-polo. Reno was teased a lot in school as “low-class”. He hurt a lot at this nick-name and wanted to be cool like everyone else. He soon started flaunting all his latest toys in school. This caught the attention of the elite club of boys that invited him to their late night parties of booze. Mike attended a few but Reno was like a spider caught in his own web. He kept falling and falling deeper in the mesh. Soon he started keeping his distance from Chuck and others, started bunking classes and was seen only with the other gang of boys.

My heart ached on hearing all this, did this change in my baby happen under my very own eyes. I returned home and waited for Reno to get back. It was past midnight when Reno returned home. One look at his face and I knew things were totally out of control for us. I started questioning him and immediately he looked at me with contempt, “Where were you when I needed you the most. You and Dad left me by myself and now you want me to answer you. Never! “saying this, he strode towards his room. I was shocked beyond words. When Marc returned later I told him of the events of the day. Marc was in denial to all that I mentioned.

The next day after Reno left I ransacked his room. I found pills (psychedelics, ecstasy, uppers, downers), in addition there were syringe and needles with tiny bottles marked heroin, crack, and crystal meth. My body trembled as I took these up to Marc in our bedroom. We were like zombies. “This can’t be happening to our son – our Reno” he was protected by his intelligence, his education- his family. That is when it hit us hard, we were not available to our son when he needed us the most. Our greed for money and power left our adolescent teenager vulnerable and lonely. The past few months flashed before our eyes. Myself and Marc knew that we were accountable for all the change that had happened in Reno’s life. Without blinking an eye Marc took a decision then and there to quit his job. He was stressed out completely by the work pressures and now for the mammoth burden that it had laid on our family. He wanted to tell of his decision to Reno himself. We waited up together for Reno to return.

Reno was surprised to see both of us waiting for him. We drove to the Nook. Father and son went inside while I sat waiting in the car. Through the window I saw Marc put an arm over his son as they walked to the booth. The sat side by side as they placed their order. I could see Marc mouthing few words and suddenly there was a genuine shock and delightful surprise on Reno’s haggard face.

I parked the car and walked inside. I hugged the two best men in my life . We would get over this, after all we are a close knitted FAMILY.

This post is part of  Contest 8.. on WriteUpCafe.com

55 Story - Blog Marathon 4

I dwindled my thumbs as I waited for his arrival. The Arrival board indicated the flight had landed. My eyes kept glancing to the terminal gates. It would take time as his was an International flight. It was 6 months since I had left him, even though I knew he needed me the most. He is the true love of my life, yet I left him to get a much needed break. Would he re-acknowledge me back in his life immediately or would we have to work it over time. As these thoughts circled in my head he walked out, our eyes met, his stared back blankly, my heart ached, we drove home silently. Back home I once again looked him in the eye with outstreached arms. “Amma”, he said gleefully and jumped in them. Tears of joy rolled down.






***************************************************************************************************

Note: True story of when my son returned from India after his 6 month stay with grand-parents. I left him when he was a year old.

How I manage my time. - Blog Marathon 3

In our apartment complex most of the married  ladies are SAHM, there are very few 2-3 of us who are working. The other ladies always comment on how I can do so much even after working. I come back from office and cook, go for walk, play volleyball(in summers), spend time with my son, read to him, make him write etc.
If there is any social gathering(I am usually the one to initiate it) I will always be in the fore-front, managing, getting accounts, co-ordinating and even hosting.
And for all those who ask me how I do it, I have only one answer I love doing all of it.

I set my priorities, At this time Ritvik and his needs are more important, so like getting food ready is a definite must. Once that is done I can do whatever in my free time.
Morning 9-5 I go to office, there is no escaping that. As soon as I return home I make tea for myself and hubby.
We sip our tea and snacks and look at R's antics.
5:30 - I start preparing meals. It takes me about 35-40 minutes. I usually make a sabzi and a curry. Thankfully we have a rice cooker for cooking rice so I have to just put the rice and water, set it to cook and leave. If it is chapati then hubby will make the dough, I can just return and make chapatis.
6:15 7:15 - I go running/walking.
7:15 - 9:00 - Play volleyball/play with Ritvik
9:15 - Retunr home, have dinner, dishes are washed by hubby( I read to my son)
10 - 11:00 TV time
11: 00- Bed

Really, it is not at all difficult to manage time if you know what you want to get out of it.
So tell me what is your typical day like?

2013 - Wednesday C-Rec C Level-Week2 - Blog Marathon 2

Yesterday's game was against Kiss My Pass. The new girl B did not turn up and hence we could play with only 4 members (2 girls + 2 boys). We had 4 games and we won 3 out of them. The opposition was not all that good and we must have played really bad to loose that 1 set.
I even took a dive but that turned out to be futile as the ball was nowhere near the net.

Looking forward to the next one.

Rain Song - Blog Marathon 1

Today morning it was raining heavily. After brushing me and R were siting on the sofa looking at the rain and I was thinking of making up some rain song for him to listen and drink his milk. I told him I am going to sing a rain song and suddenly he says, No Stop-I'll sing and he started singing this made up song with actions.

"Kutti kutti kutti mazha vardhu"
"Lightining vardhu, thunder varudhu"
"Nariye clouds dash panite break aayidh"
"Apram adhan sun varudh"

Translation:
Little drops of rain are falling
Lightining coming, thunder coming
Lots of clouds are dashing and breaking
and then sun is coming out shining.

I am so impressed with his song, he made it on the spot and a proud mommy is still humming the tune.

2013 - Wednesday C-Rec C Level

SANDVOLLEY - 2013 SUMMER - 005

Teams may have double headers on any given night.Teams should also pay special attention to the start times each night of play, as it

may vary to adjust to accomodate to sunset.

There are no games on Wednesday, July 3.

There will be playoffs the final two weeks, August 14 and August 21. Brackets will be sent out closer to those dates.

In case of inclement weather please call our Weather Line, 952-949-8449, which will be updated with any cancellations by 4:00pm.

Otherwise, if inclement weather occurs after 4pm, the officials on site will cancel from the courts.

Date/Time Facility Home Team Vs Away Team

Wed, Jun 5 6:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Panino Bros Hit Squad Vs Team BM

6:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Sandstorm Vs Notorious D.I.G

7:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Hit Squad Vs Sandy Drawers

7:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Kiss My Pass Vs Kiss My Ace

Wed, Jun 12 6:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Kiss My Pass Vs Team BM

6:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Kiss My Ace Vs Notorious D.I.G

7:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Hit Squad Vs Panino Bros Hit Squad

8:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Sandstorm Vs Sandy Drawers

Wed, Jun 19 6:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Hit Squad Vs Sandstorm

6:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Kiss My Pass Vs Panino Bros Hit Squad

7:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Kiss My Ace Vs Sandy Drawers

8:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Notorious D.I.G Vs Team BM

Wed, Jun 26 6:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Team BM Vs Sandy Drawers

6:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Kiss My Ace Vs Sandstorm

7:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Notorious D.I.G Vs Panino Bros Hit Squad

8:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Hit Squad Vs Kiss My Pass

Wed, Jul 10 6:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Notorious D.I.G Vs Kiss My Pass

6:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Hit Squad Vs Kiss My Ace

7:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Kiss My Pass Vs Panino Bros Hit Squad

7:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Notorious D.I.G Vs Team BM

8:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Sandy Drawers Vs Panino Bros Hit Squad

8:00 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Team BM Vs Sandstorm

Wed, Jul 17 6:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Panino Bros Hit Squad Vs Sandstorm

6:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Sandy Drawers Vs Kiss My Pass

7:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Hit Squad Vs Notorious D.I.G

League Schedule- Custom with Emails

Date/Time Facility Home Team Vs Away Team

Wed, Jul 17 7:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Team BM Vs Kiss My Ace

Wed, Jul 24 6:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Sandy Drawers Vs Notorious D.I.G

6:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Hit Squad Vs Team BM

7:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Panino Bros Hit Squad Vs Kiss My Ace

7:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Sandstorm Vs Kiss My Pass

Wed, Jul 31 6:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Hit Squad Vs Sandy Drawers

6:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Sandstorm Vs Notorious D.I.G

6:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 3 Kiss My Pass Vs Kiss My Ace

7:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Hit Squad Vs Sandstorm

7:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Kiss My Ace Vs Sandy Drawers

7:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 3 Panino Bros Hit Squad Vs Team BM

Wed, Aug 7 6:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Kiss My Pass Vs Team BM

6:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Hit Squad Vs Panino Bros Hit Squad

7:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 1 Sandstorm Vs Sandy Drawers

7:30 pm Riley Lake Park - Volleyball Court 2 Kiss My Ace Vs Notorious D.I.G

************************************************************* We are Team BM and our first match was yesterday against Panino Bros Hit Squad. We reached Lake Riley by 6:15. The ratio of Women had to be more or equal than Men. Me and Kavitha were already in and as the other girl opted out G had to take another girl from the rooster. Since this delayed for so many days let me just say we Won the first match.
Hurray

June 1-2 week-end 2013

June 1st we decided to go for the Gems show. There is an annual gems show at the MN state fair grounds each year. This time I was not planning to go but finally I ended up going and did buy couple of stuff for myself.
There were lots of beads and gems and jewellery sets.
Evening we had a bday party to attend.
Sun was bad as I woke up with a tummy ache and then thre up everything that I had ate.
Full day went in resting in bed and not eating a thing.
Evening also was very tired to do anything.
Night took a crocin and slept soundly.
Much better this morning.