Ceasar Sallad

I guess because sallads are not common in India,  this Ceasar Sallad was a big deal for me. During my year in India, I've had sallads twice...one time at an Italian restaurant and one time in our own home. 

There's a Gelato (Italian ice cream) place in my sisters house.  Starved as I am on really good ice cream,  I've had it every day since I got here.
Normally,  I'm not a culinary person,  but it's no fun writing about all the stress and boring things I've done during the week so....

Bitter taste

This visit to Sweden has been totally characterized by a very bitter sweet tone.

Sweet is meeting my mom, sisters, and friends,  having a cheese burger,  doing some baby shopping. ..but sister time is the best!

Bitter because so many administrative things to take care of in short period of time. ..ie stress with not much space to really enjoy myself.  Add the fact I miss my own family beyond words!!!

Megasale

Half off half off. ..that's a sale where I'll buy some things for Lil Baba.  Do you remember "plastisock"...well it's some sort of it.

Long overdue haircut

This is loooong overdue.  A haircut!  Since getting pregnant and afterwards,  I've kept my hair in a ponytail. ..never styling it really.

So this is my extravaganza during this visit to Sweden. ..to get it done professionally.

Funny neck pillow

I bought the weirdest looking neck pillow I could find. Actually,  it was the one that felt most comfortable. 

It's like 2am and I'm on my way to Sweden.  Tired is what I am and my eyes are small, red and itchy.

Indian vs Swedish phone "rules"

Indian

- Starting at 10 am, it is ok to call as many times as you want at almost whatever hour.
- If the person does not answer...call 4 times in a row just to make sure
- People call you until like 10 pm, Saturdays included
- Everybody picks up the phone!!! no answer machines here. If you don't answer...something seriously wrong with you.
- It is ok to just hang up anytime during a conversation especially if you're a sales person and is beginning to feel uncomfortable with for instance speaking English
- If you don't want to waste your own money or just say like "I'm here" or any other predetermined reason, dial a missed call
- Speak really fast
- If you don't know English, speak your own language even if I have no clue what you're saying (ok, I'm taking Hindi classes now because I want to adapt and learn)
- Any business you come into contact with bombard you with SMS and phone calls. (This morning I received 7 calls and 5 SMS from one hospital...within 1 hour)

Swedish

- Never call on Friday night or Saturday unless you are good friends or it is something important. 

- Don't ever call people like 4 times in a row...they'll think you're weird

- When calling any doctor or hospital,  expect to be greeted by an irritating voice mail speaking extremely slow. Usually there is only ONE hour each day where you can call.

- Everybody has voice mail with their phone service

- Even children have the latest Iphone version cus few Swedes pay their phone cash. The phone is included in the postpaid plan that is designed to make Swedes "believe" they are not paying for the phone. ...which of course they are AND with interest

- People talk diffently with friends, people they don't know and officials. They use different phrases and "thank you"

Beautiful like a rose

I bought this bouquet of roses when I went to the market to practice my Hindi. They use food color in the water to get the roses blue and green.

The market made me philosophical.  Like life itself, there's ugly and beauty. Good and evil. I showed you the garbage, and then there was an ocean of gorgeous roses....garden of Eden.

Yum!!!

This snack is the best. It's like Indian chips but made of fried lentils and flavored with salt only.  Compared to chips this is healthy cus it has no sugar and stacked with proteins.

Say what "image academy"

Hmm, I wonder if this name selection would make the photography course popular in the west?

Lame Lazy Lying Low Lifes

Why are so many things a headache here? Since moving to India, I've started analyzing and thinking about logistics a lot because it truly is bad here.

My washing machine broke down on Sunday. The technician came on Monday and said he would return on Tuesday and fix the machine. It is now Saturday. Why have I been waiting, waiting, waiting....calling customer service numerous times? Why has not the technician bothered to inform me of his delay?... instead saying - I will come today, tomorrow, in a few hours. 100% I will come today etc. Why is it so difficult to know that words matter and treat others (me) the same way the technician would like to be treated. I have a baby and need to wash his things all the time. I've also been waiting for cooking gas, basically the same story.

Then the scooter delivery man who tried to cheat me on money and the put on a huge performance when I said that I had bought a very expensive scooter and was not going to pay him anything except the auto fare.. Or the auto driver who stalked my auto 10 km because I did not want to go in his auto when he tried to make me pay 4 times the fare. Or the person who stole my bicycle.

It's like people are stuck in snail like behaviour called laziness. Manjana, manjana, who cares. I'll show up whenever it suits me.

Then the cab services I book one hour before needed because they are always late...or never show up, like this Tuesday when I was taking my son to his music class. When the cab was a no show, or "the car broke down", "sorry mam" bla bla bla...it took me three hours to calm down. Why? When I see my sons happy face, shyly and really enjoying the song and dance in this class...then it makes me furious when the jerk cab drivers have no morale, ethics and blatantly lie to me.

Jerks are everywhere of course, but today I'm in a really bad mood.

Yuck!!!!

Who is hiding under the pillow?

This dog!! She is one of a kind. Ever heard the expression of grass being greener. ..? Add this to behavior of elderly citizens. ..like..I'm old, I've done my duty in life and now I do what I want.

This is she. The primadonna who takes every chance to sleep or be where she is not supposed to.  She sneaks up on you when you're sleeping,  only to be revealed by her stinky breath.

Phone conversation

Phone rings.  I answer.
- Hi Mam. Did you send the documents on email yesterday?
- Yes. I sent them before 7 as promised.
- Ok. Then I will open my system and check my email.

Eeeee??? Da!!?? That is a logic that is not logical

Machine gun sales woman

After running from the machine gun sales woman at the TVS store in Rajaji Nagar. .(go there for the fun of meeting her) , I looked at Vespa but went for a Yamaha Ray. So now we're owners of a brand new scooter! !!! 

This lady. She started shooting verbal bullets at me about my paperwork until I yelled... Hey Lady!! you are starting at the wrong end! I have not even seen the scooters and don't even know if I want to buy one!!!

Whats else... I pulled a tooth from one of my dogs. Why? I don't trust local vets to give her anesthesia. My son puked me in the face when we were playing this morning. An Auto driver tried to charge me rs350 for a rs100 ride and then stalked my auto to where I was going. Another auto driver looked like a cloned young Ronaldo.

Varms my heart

This is from a most welcome spammer..my little sister.  The past weeks my phone has beeped and made sounds for incoming sms and Facebook messages.  I love you!

Me and many things

Today my baby puked me in the face when I was playing with him.

The other day I pulled a tooth on one of our dogs.  It's because I don't trust the vets to give her anesthesia. I used the same technique as pulling milk teeth on children.  You wrap dental floss around it and jank. ..voila!

I found Picsart on my phone and started playing around with it. Wow. That's a fun app!

My son's first word

My son's first word is....Ghee

I wouldn't say it qualifies as a real first word,  but if you know India,  you definitely know what Ghee is.

Ghee is clarified butter used everywhere.  To a westerner it looks like melted butter,  but I know there is more to Ghee. My Hindi tutor explained the process of making Ghee to me, but I'm not going into the details.

So now that lil Baba knows Ghee, it's Ghee when happy, Ghee when upset, Ghee, Ghee, Ghee (with his parents laughing)

Buy ONE

India is the country where big pack does not exist.  You buy one battery,  one razor,  one pill at the pharmacy etc. When we go to buy baby food,  there's always just one! So we have to order a huge amount. ...like 6 cans so I don't have to run to the store every day to buy one more.

I take a medication where I usually get 200 pills a box, but here the biggest size is 7 pills a box.  So basically we vacuum entire Bangalore when I want my "big pack" that lasts for a few months.

On a more serious note,  there is a reason for this ONE system.  Money. People can't afford to buy bulk. Today God specifically told me to not only give a few rupees to a beggar. He said - Can't you afford to pay for this man's entire next meal?....so I did.