Bday Weekend

My three-day birthday weekend is over =( But I had fun and that is obvious because I am now on the path to getting sick. It started with the throat and seems to be getting worse. The insane heat isn't helping!

So Friday hubby took me on a shopping spree which was fun =) I had tried on some pants that I bought last summer and all of them are too big now since my butt and hips have disappeared (I miss them). But, alas, the stomach is still there so I got some new wardrobe additions =) Stores that took my money: Express, Forever 21, Delia's.

At night we went out to dinner with the family at my favorite mexican restaurant - Cancun Charlie's. I was serenaded by their mariachi band (sooooniaa oh soooniaa) - haha that was great. It was also great to see their mouths open when hubby said I was 25. Whoohoo!
































Saturday we were supposed to go to a wedding and reception but made it in time for the cocktail hour. The place was gorgeous - oh how I love rich people getting married! The centerpieces were absolutely gorgeous and the lighting was delicious. I wish mood lighting had been more popular around my wedding. It makes such a huge difference. I cried at the reception when the bride's father spoke and then choked up (his eldest daughter of 3 was the bride). Reminded me of my daddy.















Sunday we made our way to nyc and got there in time to see Wicked. It was good - the sets and costumes were amazing and we had great seats - seeing the facial expressions of the actors so clearly is great. I didn't like the story itself as much as I loved Mamma Mia but it was worth seeing for the sets and presentation.














After Wicked, we went over to the Sepia Mutiny meetup at La Lanterna which was great. It's fun meeting new people who know little to nothing about you =) I got to see Anna again which is always a joy and got to put a face to the mysterious Ennis =)

We went to dinner at Andavi which was very yummy. The bruschetta was probably the best I've ever had and bruschetta is my favorite food! Unfortunately, they lost points because they didn't have a souffle chocolate cake for dessert which is a must at every italian restaurant. We stayed at the Sheraton in midtown and were pleasantly upgraded to a nicer room - probably due to the fact that we checked in late at night and were probably the only non-tourists there.

Sunday we wanted to have brunch at Danal but when we showed up it was closed. Bastards. Hubby found another place in the West Village that was yummy though so all is good and Danal will be saved for another occasion.

Then we headed over to Hoboken, NJ for a picnic/BBQ with a bunch of other Sikh folks. It was thrown in honor of the may birthday girls. I got to cut a second cake =) We were there for the rest of the day and left around 9pm. Good food, good people, good view. Didn't get home until 10:30 and then wound up just crashing.











Overall a busy weekend that flew by way too quickly. We need more of these 3 day thingamajiggers =)

Back on the East Coast as of last night. I miss California more than usual this time - even the thought of seeing hubby again didn't make the missing california feelings go away. Sigh.

Today is my quarter of a century birthday =) Don't know how I feel about turning 25 yet but I definitely don't feel excited about my bday! But my babies are coming over in a little while and it was so cute hearing my niece wish me a happy birthday on the phone.

We're doing a family dinner tonight (after hubby takes me shopping hehe). Then tomorrow we have a wedding and then we're spending Sunday and Monday in the city. There's a BBQ on Monday in NJ - we wanted to stay in the city but it's for the may birthday girls of which I am one so I'd feel weird not going. We'll see. The Sepia Mutiny meetup is also on Sunday.

Ok going to start off my birthday by doing some laundry =)

So I was supposed to fly back to the east coast this morning but last night my parents convinced me to stay longer .. haha. It cost more money than I would have paid but luckily I'm not the one paying for this =) There's still work to be done here, and I dont have to be back until Friday so now I'm flying out Thursday morning. Yippee!





Also, I'm in love with this dress but I need to go out and get those clothing measuring tape things so I can measure myself because I don't know what my size is with them. But the $5 shipping ends today so I must order! Isn't it hot? Gotta pick a color. Here's the link.

That's Wicked

Wicked it is!

We looked at a few shows - some had bad seats, some had no seats. Anyways, we were down to Wicked, Producers or Cirque du Soleil. Wicked had no seats, Cirque had bad seats, Producers had bad times. But hubby found tickets on Ebay for Wicked so we just got those.

Whoohoo!

Broadway Show

I need to decide on a broadway show to see for my bday. I've seen Rent and Mamma Mia. Any you would recommend or really want to see?

List of shows

Some I'm considering:
Les Miserables
The Phantom of the Opera
The Producers
Cirque Du Soleil - 'Corteo'

Girls Trip

My best buddy and I are thinking of taking a trip for a few days in June ... any suggestions? I'd rather do something low key that doesn't involve lots of running around/sightseeing. But at the same time a little more excitement than just sitting on a beach.

Oh, and somewhere warm near the water =)

Any ideas?

Bollywood Barbie

Haha, look at skinny Nicole Richie in a pink, cotton suit with a tabla =)

Where's the vaja ?!?! Why ya cheatin with a keyboard?

I'm Vain

Another tidbit for OIJ's blog =) I don't think I'm that vain though! I'm so low maintenance with my looks - but I do look at myself always if I pass a mirror.

You Are 67% Vain

You're a little vain, but you also work hard for your good looks. Just remember, everyone knows you are a total hottie. You don't have to remind them.

How Vain Are You?

My best buddy

I spent part of the day with my best friend yesterday - she's one of the people I miss most being out in CT. We met freshman year of college, had some issues, but we've been best friends for a few years now. I couldn't have planned my wedding without her =)

We did our usual - Frappucinos at Starbucks, a walk to the lounge chairs at Santana Row, lots of deep talk mixed with gossip, and then a bathroom break at Borders. Lol. Of course, then we had to rush home to watch Lost because no Wednesday is complete without that.

I love the things I figure out while talking to S. She's the perfect person to bounce ideas off of and get honest opinions from.

I've been working all day but later will be off to Valley Fair to get my rings cleaned at Tiffany's and then do some shopping and have dinner with S.

Back to work!

20 things

20 things you don't know about me - got the idea from OIJ's blog.

1. My favorite color is green and for much of my life I was completely obsessed with all things green. This may stem from my selfish love for my green eyes.

2. I got married a month after I turned 22.

3. I'm only 5 feet tall.

4. I still have my maiden name and have been meaning to change it to Kaur.

5. I love pajamas and live in them. I never wear pajamas with matching tops - always pajama bottoms with an old t-shirt.

6. Hubby and I were officially married in Las Vegas.

7. I went to a private, all-girls Catholic high school.

8. I've been quoted in quite a few newspapers.

9. I played the harmonium for many years and have been meaning to teach myself again.

10. I am terrified of public speaking.

11. I've competed in many bhangra competitions and have only won once. I blame this on the fact that our tiny school forced us to take anyone who would dance vs. the bigger UC's who got to have tryouts.

12. I was Vice President of Intandesh, our South Asian Club at SCU for 2 years.

13. I have watched Bend it Like Beckham over 10 times. The first time I saw it I loved it so much that I started it over and watched it again.

14. I get emotional and tear up very easily, especially when hearing songs about father/daughter relationships or watching baby diaper commercials.

15. If I have two boys, I want to adopt a girl from Punjab.

16. My very first car, a red Toyota Tercel, was named Rudolfo (after Rudolph Valentino)

17. My favorite car was my gold Nissan Pathfinder. I cried for 3 days when my dad traded it in for a new Lexus for my mom. I didn't even get to kiss it goodbye.

18. I kinda miss getting hit on at parties.

19. I don't like pets. I figured if you're going to put that much effort into taking care of something, you should just have a kid.

20. I have an Excel spreadsheet with potential names for my children.

Hola mis amigos - so I am now in the sunny land of California =) Everything here is so much lighter, warmer and less stressful. The flight was amazing and the steward dude was hilarious -- he told a bunch of jokes while we were waiting to take off. At the end when most of them do the normal schpeel on baggage shifting so be careful when you open the compartment, he said "Listen up folks, this is important, shift happens." Haha, we were all cracking up. Ok, you had to be there.

Anyways, some food and a nap later, I think I'm adjusted. Must start my california job tomorrow morning but until then I'm wasting time and catching up with the familia.

My mom says I'm too skinny and when I told her how much I weigh she freaked out. Then she told me how beautiful I looked last year during our anniversary trip. This was at my highest weight when my oval face turned into a circle with chubby cheeks. And it only took 5 pounds for me to look like that! Anyways, she says I look like a girl again instead of a woman. Of course, in her mind, married Indian women should be fat. Haha. My dad said don't get too skinny and my sister wants the details on how I did it. This is fun =)

Ok now to go take care of this massive jetlagged headache.

Ok I just wanted to clarify that I lost those 5 pounds since I started working out late last year .. not since I last posted about the Abs diet like a week ago. I don't want you all to think I'm some superwoman and then call me a biatch behind my back (behind my computer screen?) Haha =)

Ok today we're going to a communion and then to a wedding reception - jampacked. Must get ready.

And I'd just like to thank Ani for introducing me to my new favorite word - Patheticut (as in Connecticut). This is going to drive my husband crazy =)

So hubby and I went to a ballroom dancing class last night at the Y and it was pretty fun. The class was split in half - old people and young people =) The old people were so beyond cute, I wanted to hug all of them. Anyway, we learned the fox trot and the merengue which was fun. It sucks that we'll miss next week, but then we have 2 more classes after that.

Today is my sister-in-law's birthday which means dinner out. I guess this will count as our cheat meal =) But yay, I get to see my babies!

My cousin from England got married last year (well, she's from India and married her high school sweetheart who moved to England a few years ago so now she's my cousin from England). Anyways, she just sent her honeymoon pictures and she looks so cute! I swear she is the most beautiful girl. Lucky biatch.

I'm losing weight! I don't care much for the actual number, as long as I look better. But I've lost 5 pounds from my highest which makes me extremely happy =) Haha, I remember the days in college when an old friend and I would sit around talking about how we would throw a party if we ever got to 100 pounds. Oh, how I want to slap my former self now =)

I got the hookup

So I contacted the PR people for this makeup artist - Shalini Vadhera. She does a lot of celebrity makeup and recenty released a book and beauty line at Sephora. Anyways, I just wanted to know if I could put up a description of her book on IWS. Her PR people instead told me they'd send me a package of material. So I figured I'd write up an article on her for next month's newsletter. Well, I just got the package and can I just say that I am finally experiencing the perks of this damn business ?!?!

The package includes:

Press releases and docs on her beauty line
A $45 Coconut Revitalizing Hair Treatment with Amla
Her new book, Passport to Beauty

I feel like such a pimp. A pimp who's going to have some sexy hair.

Funky Searches

So in a month on IWS, there are at least 2,500 different search words/phrases that bring people to the website. I check through them once or twice a month and always get a good laugh. Here's some funky ones so far - I'm sure there's plenty more to come, it's only the 11th.

free e-cards marriage invitation south indian
uh, dude, wedding e-cards are kinda tacky

marathi webs site on camera lenses
wow, so the marathis have special camera lenses?

luxury wedding night lingerie
ooh la la, try victoria's secret

wallpapers indian wedding mandap
now, are you trying to decorate your new home or computer in wallpaper with a mandap design, or are you trying to create a mandap out of wallpaper?

planning a sikh wedding in goa
ooh, invite me please!

animated asian bridal dresses
were you looking for a cartoon?

in england prize indian lehnga
is this like the prize winning pig contest?

magi designer for wedding
as in maggi noodles?

indian wedding wish
oh, keep wishing

chatwal wedding card
well gee, if i got the card and was invited, i would probably be too rich to be sitting here! meanwhile, take a look at their wedding pictures.

where to buy neeta bhargava
hmm, she might sell you some of her designer clothes but I doubt she'll let you buy her.

It's Wednesday!

*So I've been sitting here all day sending out the IWS newsletter for the month - I need to pay someone and just get this automated .. it takes up too much of my time sending a newsletter to over 3,000 people, 20 each minute.

*Today is a new episode of Lost! Whoohoo! Oh how I love this show.

*I have to go to a communion this saturday for hubby's friend's son - I've never been to one. But a buddy told me it's just like the mandatory masses we had to go to at our Catholic high school. Then we have a wedding reception at night. Ugh, that means finding another outfit. I hate that. I would hate it less if I could fit into some of them though =)

*Britney Spears is pregnant again! How crazy is that! That woman is insane, though not as insane as her trashy husband. Soon we'll get to see pictures of her endangering both of her children at the same time. How fun!

Randomness

A bunch of things I've been meaning to blog about but haven't had the chance to:

-My sister-in-law's anniversary is today, her birthday is friday, and mothers day is sunday. how much does that suck!! All these gift-related events in one week.

-My nephew is 6 months old =) He's so adorable .. I love how easy it is to make him laugh now - reminds me more and more of his sister when she was a baby. Hubby and I have been dancing with Sukhmani (niece) for years now ... she knows that when we come over, it's time to press play on her barbie stereo and get dancing. And now Kabir gets to join in on the dancing =) He even moves his shoulders when he hears music so we know we won't have any trouble passing on the bhangra to him =) I will post pictures of them soon.

-The NY Culinary Festival is coming up and it looks awesome. Unfortunately, I won't be here but I'm hoping my foodie husband will go. It looks very cool - check it out.

-Hubby and I signed up for ballroom dancing classes. It's a 4 class mini-session at our gym and starts this thursday. We took a few dance classes before our wedding but not since then so hopefully this will be fun =)

-I saw Mission Impossible over the weekend - good movie, but not as good as the others. But it still had me on the edge of my seat at a few points. Oh, and Bahar Soomekh had a small role in it which surprised me. That woman is hot.

-I can't decide on a birthday gift for myself. I saw this diamond necklace I really like but now I keep seeing it on TV and in all the catalogues and I don't want it as much. I also wanted the pink Razr phone but it's being advertised as a mother's day gift everywhere and that makes me want it less. Any cool new gadgets out there that I'm missing? I'm so not a girly girl - I would much rather have something electronic than something with bling. Ooh, but electronic bling could be cool.

Ok, back to work I go.

The Abs Diet

So I'm going to start the Abs Diet.

It's a 6 week program that involves regulating what you eat and has specific exercises to do. Supposedly I will see my abs by the end of this. Hubby and I are both going to do it and got the book this weekend. The website looks very commercial-y but the book is a very good read. The author makes some great points that really make you re-evaluate what you've been eating and how you've been exercising.

There are certain foods that you can eat - and not much is limited. You can have bread, just whole weat. He focuses a lot on smoothies. I have to go buy some ingredients, like whey powder and flaxseed. There's also a lot of emphasis on berries and nuts. And we practiced some of the exercises at the gym and wow do you feel them. He's not big on reps so you're not in pain afterwards, either. You're supposed to eat 6 meals a day instead of 3 and there's one cheat meal per week. I think the program makes a lot of sense and hopefully it'll work!

I'm going to CA for a week so I won't officially start until I get back but I'm going to start getting into it before then.

If I can get my abs to look like the women in these pictures by summer, I am going to start dressing like a hooch. I have already warned my husband. Haha.

MASH

I just randomly decided to play a game of MASH online (remember that game from the sleepovers?). This is what I got:

You will live in Apartment.
You will drive a blue mazaratti.
You will marry j and have 1 kids.
You will be a online marketing in tahiti.

Hubby has alerted me to the fact that I spelled Maserati wrong. But hell, if I'm rich enough to be driving one it doesn't matter how I spell!

So I figure Tahiti will put up a huge, luxury apartment complex and I will do online marketing for it and they'll love me enough to buy me a fancy car and then I'll have a baby with my hubby (who we will ship off to the U.S. so he/she can go to Harvard).

Oh, the things I do at 1am when I should be sleeping.

Books Books Books

I'm really bad at coming up with clever titles for my blog posts. Maybe it's because I write the title before the post and that doesn't make sense since I often go off on random tangents. I've been known as the picture caption queen, but I think I need to give up that title as my camera never really sees daylight these days. Must take more pictures!

So I've been reading a couple books - Freakonomics and Playing House: A Starter Guide to Being a Grown Up.


Freakonomics is exciting ... I'm reading it for a book club. I love the theories these guys come up with - can't wait to discuss it. Unfortunately, I have no memory so I have to take notes after reading each chapter. But oh how modern my world has become - I used to take notes on paper and now I take them on a blog (not this one, my other book review blog).







Playing House is fun - I'm absolutely not a grown up even though I will have a mid-20-life crisis later this month. I really don't cook or clean well or host parties or any of that other grownup stuff. So this book has been helpful - I learned the difference between nonstick and regular pans and more importantly, when to use each one. And now that I think about it I can't even remember when to use either. Maybe I should take notes while reading that one too. Geez .. I need those memory pills/vitamins.

Busy Weekend

I had a fun, yet very tiring weekend. Friday night we ate lots of pasta! We've been on a chicken/fish and salad dinner every night routine for about 3 weeks now. So weekends we let ourselves deviate and Friday night seemed like the perfect time for pasta =) Then we went to eat ice cream in New Haven at this yummy little place called Ashley's. I think it's fun hanging out with Yale students and pretending I'm one of them haha.

Saturday morning we set out for the Sikh Day Parade in NYC. Now I went one year and vowed to never go again, but it was our nephew's first parade and we wanted to see him and our niece all dressed up. Oh, first, we stopped by hubby's new office to drop off some books and research. Wow is all I can say! He's on the 41st floor and his office has a view of Midtown, Central Park, some bridge, some cliff, some more water etc etc. Yea, I'm not good with names of places =) Anyways, it's absolutely gorgeous and a few steps up from the office at his last job that had no window. He's a spoiled man now.

Ok, so the parade was crazy and crowded as expected. I just love getting pushed by aunties. We attempted to take our niece to the playground area which was horrid. I don't understand how parents let their kids free in a place like that. There were over 100 kids on one small play set .. complete with 15 year olds pushing 5 year olds to get to the slide. My husband yelled at so many kids =) Oh, and I saw Waris again. That would be my third Waris sighting.

Then we stopped by a cousin's place in the city and got ready for a wedding reception that night in Jersey. We skipped the wedding for the parade =) The reception was a blast .. good music (for the most part), great place, good people .. what more do you need? Ok you need a lot more - food was good, centerpieces were amazing, bride and groom matched and looked very happy in love, etc. Their first dance song was the same as ours!!! I finalized our song only a week or two before the wedding (I'm a music fanatic). Anyways, it was this very unique punjabi love song that no one had ever heard and I figured no one would ever hear again. And they did the same song!!! Bastards. Haha, ok, my anger cooled down once I started doing bhangra. My entrance song at our engagement party was also extremely unique and then I started hearing it elsewhere. I am convinced that people have taken my choices (Dj's to be exact) and copied them elsewhere. Seriously, I hate it. But oh well, what are you gunna do. Lots of things have been copied from my wedding - including my sangeet books, without my permission.

Sunday we hung out with the niece and newphew and shopped at Target. What was supposed to take 15 minutes took over an hour and a half and $150 later we were out of there. Why does this always happen at Target! Damn that store.

Ok, back to work I go.