moving moving moving
ok - i'm going to get back to blogging - its been hard becos do i reeeeeally want to record my daily battles with contractors from hell - my apartment gives me nightmares. and then peppercorn is now no longer a manageable size - i suspect i waddle. A LOT!!! feel bad i used to razz the Josh about her catwalk changing to a aelephantwalk now.
So, anyway - since life is no longer just maragiratsandmiaows - well, miaows still there and freaking out over the multiple cupboards at prashanti lodging & boarding and margaritas also still there except they now the non-alcoholic type and the baaast frend is like why would u spend 120rs over frozen nimbu-paani!!! it just makes me feel better thassswhy.
so, anyway - notice how being pregnant makes me ramble!!! shall be moving to new blog - address is www.peppercornjournal.blogspot.com
soon!!!
New addition to our family
We would like to welcome the newest addition to our family - Inder Kumar!!!! Who said the entertainment industry did not provide value entertainment!!!
p.s. For a body like this you need to simply eat 18egg whites a day!!!
lots of moves!!
So, we came back from holiday and i was sitting o my ass - tralalala and then husband said you know we have to give up this place by 15nov. At which point i fell out of my chair and went into what? how?? why?? mode. Luckily my good looks hide a razor sharp mind and strong common sensical attitude to all obstacles - annoying land-lords and finicky new company policies are no match for the razor sharp mind of nish w/ child!!! see double power.
I had planned for exactly sucha contingency and gotted a really nice place in versova - ok, its the bondooks but guess what - Arshad Warsi and Mini Mathur are die-hard versovaites and its really not so bad. So we started the move plans.
And now we are at prashanti - the peppercorn is making me fatter and fatter but luckily finally looking pregnant and not like i've just been gorging on pizzas in my have-to-leave bandra depression. OK - that too. But yay!!! Of course nothing fits me from regular clothes - i have maternity jeans that i have to keep hiking up becos stupid me got them prematurely at h&m in september thinking i would get reeeely fat but am actuallythe same size except for the tummy.
Then i have to take these supplements called pregna-care - like thanks i didnt know that i was pregnant - the big belly is really a secret kheema-rice craving tumor!!!
Anyway - shall now be more faithful abt recording peppercorn and my doings - just to have a little record of pregnacare related insanities.
Lots of days in Provence and Paris
I was waiting patiently for the husband to upload all 300pictures to add drama and belivebality to my stories of what we did - becos nobody would belive that I spent a LOT of time in FNAC - the gadget chain stores A L L O V E R F R A N C E A N D S P A I N.
so day 2, we actually got up bright and early (my head was reeling, the husband can never manage bright and early on vaccys) and went down to tourist office to start a historic guided tour of aix-en-provence. Actually a guided tour of historic aix, and it was FREE FREE!!! turned out was some Memorial Day and everything including museums was free.... so, walked about the winding roads. Cezanne, the famous french painter was from Provence who attained fame after his death (you know, like I will and then everybody will be sorry they did not pay me enough now!!!) and to celebrate memorial day, the Aix Mayor had collected paintings from all over Europe museums and private collections to show in the museum there. Which also unfortunately meant the line to get tickets was 3 hours long an dthe only tx available was for 3am. I'm like oh, well... lets just buy some repro post-cards then. So, that worked out well.
Then after guided tour this FRency ex-professorish lady who was on the guided tour but not giving the guided tour thought we needed more guidance and dragged us to a couple of museums... and I'm like, ummm we want to go to L'OCCITTANE and she's all, no no come come its educational. so we did not go to L'Occitane and Le Nain Rouge which is a provencal ki'd toy store that I really wanted to get a train set from for Babay O but instead went to a provencal palace that the family had thrown open for public viewing and the tour was given that day by the young male heir, which meant that technically he was a prince!!! but the socialist frenchies were all like, oh it doesnt mean anything. Plus I was with husband so had to pass on chat-up opportunities with a real live prince... and L'occitane........sigh. Culture!!!
The next day, husband vetoed plans to go to Arles to go for a 'short' hike in the hills of provence. I sweetly played along since all the stores including L'occitane were shut - lazy frenchies dont want to work on sunday. Little did I know that was is facile (easy) for frnechies is difficile and gasp-inudcing, under-the-breath-husband-cursing agony for me. Finally had to stop all such ideas of hiking and lie down on a picnic table while the husband went off into the blue yonder minus me. Also threw in a few lazy-socialist-europeans-who-dont-keep-stores open on sunday between the cruel-husband litany - but was rewarded with awesome couscous and citrus chicken tagine later.
Monday, we went to Marseilles - a port town that is also completely surrounded by hills so very vertigo inducing. Inspite of all the rare raves I read on all the traveller sights, I think France is over-rated. I think Italian port towns are way cuter and I didnt spot a single blue-eyed cute police-man this time..... though they did have ZARA!! oh, and for culture we took this itty-bitty tram, that climbs and climbs to the patron church of Marseilles Notrde Dame de Garde or something. Again being a church was free!!!! Then we enetered FNAC... and some random shoe store. That took care of art-fix I think for the husband.
Day 1: Paris-Marseille- Aix-en-Provence
It was quite a trip – I hate hate hate not being able to fly biznez class. Is no fair how me and Speedy have to slum it. I had to keep apologizing to him!!! Though I think he should have apologized to me – after all, he should have ensured my flashing of him got us an immediate upgrade!!! (Speedy25 is my new LV bag, for those who don’t know about my important birday gifty from husband; which was very sweet of him given how he totaly disaproves of my brand snobbery)
Then at Paris air-port we had to transfer to our flight to Marseilles, and that was delayed and the plane was really dinky. But for amusement, I counted the number of colours in the co-passenger's dread-locked hair!!!!
From Marseilles, we took a taxi to Aix-en-Provence and got ripped off desi-style. Bloody frenchies are all cheater-cocks – they don’t even start their meter at zero – decided to be much nicer to our bihari taxiwallas from now… Atleast they understand you…. And not go EH????
Then we finally reached Aix!!! It took husband all of four days to learn to say EX instead of AXE!!! By which time we had to leave…
Aix is pretty pretty… all old peach coloured mansions. And fountains – apparently it was called the city of a 1000 fountains but they only really have 40 or something. Given that it’s such small town the fountains did seem like a million though, at every corner and every hundred on the main streets.
Our room was not ready when we got to the Pierre et Vacances residence. We were all WTF and the receptionist was all Eh, gallic shrug. So, we set off towards the rotunda to have a very very late dejeuner. And seated ourselves in a very nice café on the main stret to indulge in people watching. They had super looking mussels with ROQ cheese dressing – which I can not have… sob. So I settled for well-done duck, a giant salad, and pommes – frites. The husband had freshly made pasta with Bolognese sauce, which rocked and I happily finished off both meals while the husband gaped. YAY, my appetite is back… after 2 weeks of feeling very poorly.
Then we strolled or rather waddled down the Cours Mirabeau, the most beautiful main street in all of Europe supposedly. Guess the first store to enter – bloody FOOT LOCKER where husband decided to start trying on sneakers…. I had this feeling of impending doom that this was what the rest of my holiday would be like – and it did… trailed husband into every sport-store in Paris, Madrid and Marseilles!!!!
Went to Monoprix, got dinner fizxings and got back to our apartment, which had the cutest little one wall kitchenette...with lots of plans for the next day
Toujours provence!!
YAY, after all the debates on where the husband and i must go on important holiday - its finally done!!!
We leave for France tonite - head straight to Aix-en-provence, where I shall stroll in white linen drawstring pants and cheery frenchy style low-cut top and my LV bag and buy local produce....
And go to Atelier Cezanne....
And Arles to see where Van Gogh painted his starry night picture - a very bad repro of which hangs in my guest room....
And hopefully Avignon to do a Rhone cruise...
And then Paris to shop, eat and hang out with Sunil, my SPJain and many night illegal joint-sharing in Bangalore buddy with his frence wife and hopefully show husband a little culture....
And then Madrid to PARTEEEEEEEEEE and eat loads of tapas....
will be back with loads of pix...... and shoes...... and a french riviera tan!!!
Bigot-Spigot
I tho dont understand this uproar over Mel Gibson's so-called anti-Semitic statements. Ok, guy was drunk and said racist slurs when he got pulled over - Dont we all??? I know that i say stupid madoo asshole when the idiot in front of me, wont let me go to my free left turn, or I'll say idiot punjabi when some mega-Honda accord will cut me off!!! Thats life in the fast lane, ROAD Rage - deal with it, people.
And i'm wondering what gives us the right really to pass judgements on what people do, when they are not doing the things that we are actually interested. Unless it's illegal or damaging to public health and safety - like when Steroidal Sallu ran over some street-dwellers. And when he gets arrested his first mother also tries to get milage by feigning a heart murmur!!! But that sshould not stop anyone from watch Krazy Khan's movies. The really bad action and production values will do that anyway.
So, let Mel be - this man has made the most awesome movies I have ever seen - Mad Max, Lethal weapon, Braveheart - he has stood firm for what he belives in by making the Passion in a language nobody speaks or understands - and yet it was a world-wide hit. I didnt understand most of it - but then the Da Vinci Code had yet to be released you see (thats where all my understanding of Cristianity comes from).
Though of course, it was fun to finally spot Patrick Swayze on TV defending him - dude, has anyone seen him since Ghost? He had totally disappeared and looks like for good reason.
