Rain, Rain come again!!!

I got up this morning feeling very very cold...i had actually wrapped myself into a feotal position...
yipdee!!!!...the weather has finally changed...has the winter (read indian (hyd) winters: whr u dont faint from the heat) ..has it finally arrived...????
its only after i stepped out did i realized it had rained last night...and thats why temperatures had dropped
Anyways, the weather was simply brilliant today..the sky was slightly overcast and a there was a slight drizzle
For the uninitiated, it time for a little education.
See, in Hyderabad, India, it doesn’t actually rain, it only drizzles…
And if you been brought up on a healthy Mumbai diet of pouring cats and dogs, lightning, thunderstorms, waist high water, you walking completely drenched…the drizzle doesn’t just make the cut….
However, I wont complain, since the weather was awesome…
Besides hyd doesn’t completely disappoint on the rain front.
Firstly, temperatures drop to a really pleasant chill (for normal ppl)(for ppl like me…I get out the sweaters and jackets!!)
Secondly, and much more importantly, that miniscule drizzle actually manages to flood the streets to a respectable ankle high water level at least. I didn’t believe any city in the world could have a drainage system worse than dear old mbai, but bless hyd…it keeps me hoping.
Now, that’s what I call rains!!!
So I am the sole person dressed formally (read: office formals) on the street, whos walking away merrily in ankle deep water (read dirty water), grinning silly-ly from ear-to-ear…I have even broken out into singing once in a while.
My roommates have given up on me. I am sure they ( and most of the ppl who live on my road) think I am deranged…I mean they cannot understand that normal ppl might like walking through calf length dirty water..kicking and spurting water all around…!!!they are strange, like that! Whats not to understand??!!!

My happiness list (Things that make me smile...)

This has been inspired by Clare and her 3 beautiful things. This is a list of all things that make me smile...I plan to keep updating it...

1. Curled up in bed with a good book
2. A hot mug of coffee in one hand, and a book in the other
3. When its raining cats and dogs outside, and I'm sitting on my favourite sofa as home
4. traveling through the city alone at a window seat in a bus
5. Watching a little baby walking on the road holding his fathers/mothers finger
6. A young father carrying a baby girl
7. Listening to fast music while having a hot shower
8. Getting in touch with a old friend whom I had lost touch with
9. Planning a trip
10. Looking forward to a trip
11. Walking through ankle/knee high water in my old jeans and mackintosh...And its pouring
12. When my 2 month niece falls asleep with her head on my shoulder and her nose against my neck
13. Talking about books with friends
14. Mom still complaining that I'm never going to grow up
15. Talking total nonsense with old friends
16. Listening to classic songs..And singing along with my roommates
17. When a newly tried dish turns out well
18. Holding hands
19. Watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
20. Watching mushy movies
21. Getting personal mail from friends
22. Getting a snail mail letter
23. Getting a courier from home
24. Buying new books
25. Finding an unexpected book in a small book shop
26. Writing my blog
27. Getting comments on my blog
28. The first drops of rain on my cheek after a harsh summer
29. Finding a very old greeting card or school book at the back of my drawers at home
30. Looking at childhood photos
31. The smell of a new notebook...Reminds me of 1st day of school
32. The smell of new plastic...Reminds of new raincoats and new schoolbags
33. The smell of wet mud
34. The smell of paint
35. My nieces toothless smile
36. Listening to radio on a long drive
37. When I learn something new
38. Wearing new clothes
39. Fitting into old clothes
40. Sitting on top of the dining table at home
41. Discovering something new to eat in the cupboard/fridge
42. Riding pillion with the wind blowing through my hair
43. Rolling up and jeans and dipping my feet in a stream
44. Washing my hair, roaming around with slightly damp hair,smelling the shampoo in the damp hair
45. Having hot soup on a cold day
46. Waking up at 7 on a Saturday morning, realizing i dont have to go to work, and going back to sleep

Yipdee!! I have been promoted to lead fruit picker!

Was wondering about that cliche debate of balancing family life with work... And I thought-When the heck did this actually become an issue...
I visualized my ancestors back in the caveman age....
So this is how i see it...

Mr. Mehta used to go to the forest, kill animals, drag back the carcasses, plus some fruit and berries and give it Mrs. Mehta to cook over the fire... the little mehta boys used to amuse themselves by throwing rocks at each other and playing pretend fights with animal bones....while the little mehta gurls built small caves from the mud lying around outside the cave...
Mr. Mehta came back as soon as he had collected the essentials for his family and spent time with the kiddos...teaching little rohan mehta and ketan mehta how to give blows with a club and telling stories to little nita mehta about how one day she would have a cave of her own...
Mrs. Mehta went about her work which at that time included cleaning the cave, washing the loin cloths and preventing the little mehtas from breaking their heads in..

Now I agree that the womans life has definitely more enriched today..but leaving the gender issue aside for a moment, taking society at large...I wonder if Mr. Mehta back then ever said...
"hmmm..Mr. Agarwal is managing to get more berries than I am..and getting the meatier rabbit...I have to better my performance.
Did Mehta start working longer hours to get back with a rabbit that was just a little meatier. Did the mehta family get used to the meatier rabbit and expect still more.
Did mr. mehta start missing his evening time with mrs. mehta where they sat together at the entrance of the cave and watch the sunset and talk about how little rohan mehta wasnt mastering the art of bashing animals head well enough and talk about how he'd do in the future...
Did mr. mehta miss little nita mehtas concern that the agarwals son kept pelting her with pebbles and tried to show off his fire making skills to impress her...
Did mr. mehta stay out longer and longer just so that one day his name would be carved on the tree bark above mr. agarwals' for having collected more berries
Did Mehta come home one day with an extra bunch of berries and gift of a free bunch of grapes shouting "Yipdee!! I have been promoted to lead fruit picker!!!"
...only to find nita mehta had run away with the agarwal boy to live in the posh new cave colony that had come up on the other side of the forest with special facilities like a private rock bed for each cave for washing and a private hot spring geyser for a payment of 2 rabbits every month...
Have we really evolved in every sense???