The Awesome Birthday-a recap

This one is long pending again. I NEED to record it here for posterity. I never thought it would be so much fun or so much of activity. I was only thinking its going to be just another day while my friends at work suddenly said that they wanted me to take a half day off and go out. That was the beginning of what I thought would be fun. I was also told rather warned by Ms. NL that I should not be dressed in just a salwar and that I should get something else like a skirt to wear for later. What more reason did I need to shop? 🙂 Went over the weekend and bought a one-piece crushed cotton skirt too 🙂

ON the 1st morning the little fellow gave me a rose and wished me as I started for work. I went to work as usual and then with a lot of planning, each one of us left in 2s to the venue. I only knew that we were going to Phoenix Mall and nothing else. I was told to tag along with Ms.F. Once we reached there, she took me straight to the BluO lounge which until then I knew had a bowling arena and I thought that since I enjoy bowling the girls had booked bowling for us. But Naah! They had done something totally outstanding! They had booked an entire Karaoke Lounge with lunch included!! The whole lounge was a lovely 10 seater with Karoake TV and music with 2 mikes and a book of choice. The minute I entered the lounge I was so thrilled, that I hugged Ms.F and just jumped around with sheer thrill! We then went into the restroom to change and then started off checking out the karaoke system. One by one the girls started to arrive. They had even managed to get my friend S along with them who belongs to a totally different team. I cut the cake, they decorated my face with and also gave me bday bumps! We ordered lunch (surprisingly it was very yummy) inside the room, had lunch and while the rest of them left, we were 6 of us who stayed back-what fun we had – screaming songs at the top of our voices, dancing like we had gone crazy-I really did dance with total abandon! We were there until about 4pm and then we were all still not ready to leave. The girls had one more plan!! They threatened to take me to the fish spa but ended up taking me to Amoeba which had a 5D theatre. Another 20mins of fun at the 5D – laughing and screaming with water and bubbles and foam thrown on us 😀 (I am even now smiling as I write this) along with free jelly juices. We finished it all by 5:15pm when it was time for the others to leave. I didnt want them to go-I wanted to go bowling with them, but then I thought it would be too selfish- they all had kids waiting at home and it was getting late. So, while they left, hubby joined me and we went around the Phoenix mall, had coffee and burgers, went to Hamleys to check out some toys for the little fellow, and started from there at 7:30pm to reach home at 9pm.

The best part of all this was, I was overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of all these girls who put in so much of effort to plan what I might like, took half day off for my sake (Which maybe I would’nt do for anyone) despite having hectic work life and family to take care of once they go home, generally paid so much attention to me which I still feel I didnt deserve! They asked me if I didnt have any plan beforehand, ensured that I wore new clothes, ensured they made me feel like a princess (though Im now old enough to be the queen mother!) with the Happy Birthday Tiara and all, surprised me by involving my other friend-what more could a girl ask for?! Even with all the thanks and the hugs I gave them, it continues to feel less and meagre in front of their generosity. No other gift/gift coupon could have made my day better. It was no milestone Birthday but it was for sure, the most happening and awesome Birthday I’ve ever had. And for that, Im very thankful to these friends who made it happen.And the greedy me, I want to do all those activities again 🙂

The Hyderabad Trip Again

Its been ages since I posted anything at all here, and since SnS has decided to kill me if I dont put up this post, let me break my silence on the blogsphere with this one 🙂

I had to visit Hyderabad again for 2 days on work. I remembered the last time I was there and I met SnS, Swaram had dropped a comment saying that if only I had let her know, she would’ve joined too…So with that intention in mind, I spoke to SnS. She was again, as excited as ever, so much so that madam conviniently forgot to send me her address! Thank God for Swaram, that she knew where the house was…(SnS did send the address much later on monday!)

So, on sunday night SnS called me to confirm our meet and I was so tired after roaming around Ameerpet in the hot sun that I had almost slept by then. Not much conversation happened, we just decided that Swaram and I would go to SnS’ house in the evening. Monday morning, I get a message from Swaram asking me the where abouts of my office- which I had no idea about. So, after some 6-7message exchanges, I called her and she decided to pick me up from the security area outside the office at 4:45pm. At 4:40 when called her, she said she is on the way and so I hurried out to the security area. The best part-the auto driver apparently kept asking her if every passing woman was me and she didnt know how I looked, and she couldnt tell the driver that! 😛 Finally, she asked me where I was standing as she was at the gate and I began to wave my hand-she finally could tell that, thats the one who needed to be picked up 😀

I got into the auto, and we began our chatting-no matter that I have never met her before, no matter that we’ve been out of touch with blogging for a few months now too, yet, we just chatted. There’s an excitement in meeting a blogger for the first time-and it doesnt go down no matter how many bloggers you meet. It was a very talkative 45mins ride to SnS’ house with Swaram convincing the auto driver that we would pay him extra for getting us this far 🙂

Reaching there by 5:30 – we chatted and chatted about other bloggers, blogging, how are lives are currently and everything in between. I admitted to Swaram that Im in awe of her passion and the fact that she quit her job to be on the field (as she puts it) during the afternoons in the Hyderabad heat. I was happy for SnS that she is started to work towards what she calls her 2013 resolutions of baking and loosing weight (Yeah, I know they dont go well together, but I need to admit that she is managing them both somehow!) The kids were so good-they didnt bother us for a single minute. The last time I was there, they were so comfortable with me-sitting on each side of the sofa and colouring, but this time, they seem to have grown up-they hardly spoke to me, I wonder if they were shy…Swaram got us both hand made stone and beads jewellery and I being the fool that I am had forgotten to take the fresh Dharwad Peda that I had carried with me *just* for these 2 ladies. Let me not even talk about the guilty feeling I got when the kids even gave me a present to carry back to Chutku with happy smiles on their face. It was a total face-palm moment. We took a look at the Gollu, ate peanut sundal and had Pooris with Aalu subji in the kitchen.

In the meantime Swaram and I were also on the phone-Swaram with Su-insisting that he goes home and has dinner, and he insisting that he would wait for her *Awww* and me with my collegues who were planning for a dinner at Inorbit mall. SnS then called her husband, the very calm and softspoken CH, who rushed home to gobble up a few pooris and got ready to drop Swaram and me to the Inorbit mall where I was supposed to meet my collegues and Swaram would catch an auto to her part of the town. And I have to again express my Thanks to the gentleman, becoz he came home just so he could drop us off and then went back to work to take an office call at 8:30pm. He even said that I should let him know if I wanted to be dropped back to the Guest house!

Once I got dropped off, I wandered around Inorbit mall, again talking to SnS on the phone for some 10mins. She called me back again to check if my collegues had come for dinner by 9pm! My God! I thought, I didnt know anyone in Hyderabad and today I get called by SnS to ensure that Im safe and comfortable – Thank You too SnS! 😀 I felt blessed. While Swaram got off just before the mall, I was on a call and didnt even call her later 😦 Such is my attention span.

It was such an eventful Monday for me! I could’nt have imagined all these meeting friends for 2hrs here in Blore! 🙂 And now I cant wait to go back for another such trip and see whom else I can meet!! Swaram and SnS – the next time you girls are in Bangalore-I owe you-we need to meet again.