Piper's Corner

Latest craft project (and side-business!)

2009-06-19T07:42:00.001-07:00

As some of you know, the crafting bug has REALLY bitten me lately (go figure; I hate crafts, as you have seen from previous posts!). This is my latest--it's a diaper cake! It is a 'cake' made out of diaper layers, covered in blankets, baby clothes, toys/books, and stylish ribbon--much cuter in person than in pictures! This was a real conversation piece at the baby shower I helped host this afternoon.

I loved doing it so much that I think I'm going to turn this into a side business. So, if you know of anyone who needs a darling gift for a baby shower, young child's birthday party, or housewarming party (in India!!), let me know!

Bill Johnston's visit

2009-06-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

A former colleague (and softball team member!) of mine, Bill Johnston, was in Bangalore for business during the past 2 weeks. What kind of tour guide would I be if I did not make sure he saw some of my favorite Bangalore sites? Naturally, the most interesting was Bannerghatta National Park, where we saw...

Lions!

..and tigers

...and bears...OH MY!

Close encounter with an elephant (which later wiped its trunk all across the front of Bill's white shirt...!). I informed him that he'd been blessed!

Piper, peaceful

2009-05-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Forget cat-naps--those are for amateurs! Piper is very, VERY serious about sleeping. Hang that Do Not Disturb sign!

Crafty?

2009-05-09T06:21:00.001-07:00

Well...
So those of you who know me (hopefully anyone reading this!) also knows that I come from a line of 'crafty' people. My Grandma Nelson makes lovely decorative eggs, my Grandma Opp sews well, my mom is skilled with just about everything even remotely 'decorative', including painting, sewing, arrangement of furniture, etc., and my dad's really good with woodworking and structural design; even Gautam has great taste in paint/furnishings and can readily see how things can and should fit together.

...and then there is me...I cannot even cross-stitch, nor do I posess the ability to do any of the above very well, either...however, I have renewed hope now! Today I recovered a lamp shade that is destined for the guest room in our service apartment. Maybe I just needed a real reason to unleash my crafty genes!?!

Before--clearly needing some serious help, especially with that dent (one of many)

After--recovered in a green & blue cotton (which will go well with the accent wall in the room) and beaded/sequin trim!

Yes, feel free to applaud, now, while I pat myself on the back and revel in my craftiness.

Trekking in Chikmaglur

2009-05-01T05:41:00.000-07:00

Some of our friends invited us to a place called Chikmaglur for the weekend. By road, it is about 5.5 hours from Bangalore to their coffee estates, Handi & Kalmane. It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend filled with great company, sleeping in, and trekking. Here are some of the trekking pictures (sorry, no pictures of Gautam's golf trip because I took the camera trekking with me!).

The types of rocks we were hiking over
Rahul, Tejas (Gaurav & Shruti's son), and Dhiraj
Me, with Tejas & Shruti, taking a quick water break

Trekking scenery--we'd come from here.

Shruti & me, surveying the territory

Gautam's cousin Alonzo comes to visit!

2009-04-20T05:58:00.000-07:00

In late April, just after my folks went back to MN, Gautam's cousin, Alonzo, came to visit us! As Alonzo is from the US, this was the first time the cousins had ever met, so it was a lot of fun having him here and getting to know him! He spent a total of about 2 months in India, the majority of which was in Hampi, doing bouldering and some volunteer work (in addition to dealing with a potential brush with rabies and being hit on by a member of a religious cult). :)

Then, he came to Bangalore for several days, during which he met the majority of the Mandanna (Gautam's mom's) side of his family--5 aunties, 2 uncles-in-law, 2 cousins, 1 cousin-in-law, and 1 2nd cousin...phew...lots of relatives! Though perhaps a bit overwhelming for him, we (and Piper, too!) really enjoyed having him here, and hope to see him, and maybe his sister Juanita as well, later this year.

@ Hard Rock Cafe, Bengaluru
The cousins @ Lal Bagh Garden, Bangalore

@ Hard Rock Cafe

The boys kickin' it: Gaurav, Gautam, Akshay, Revant, Alonzo

Unbridled enthusiasm!

Mom & Dad's visit, March/April 2009

2009-04-12T05:28:00.000-07:00

My folks arrived in Bangalore in mid-March and were able to stay until mid-April! It was wonderful having them here, despite the multiple forced games of Phase 10 (Ben, you know what I mean, and you & I are in total agreement about that game...). We spent a lot of time together, relaxed, did some gymming, some minor sightseeing (next time, come when it's cooler!), and tried a few new restaurants. Looking forward to seeing you at Christmas!
the girls...delighted with their Pictionary-cheating ways...
Ok, so Piper is just a little bit unruly...I blame lax (grand)parenting! Evidence of lax grandparenting...
Mom & Gau
Dad & Gau me & mom
Puri & Nelson families

Family photos

2008-12-25T08:19:00.000-08:00

Family Christmas photos--these are our first family photos in a long time!

Christmas trip, 2008

2008-12-14T07:18:00.000-08:00

This Christmas, we were back in the US to meet up with my family. This was my first 'white Christmas' in about 5 years, and Gautam's first, ever! We had a very harrowing journey, with our Bangalore-London-Chicago-Minneapolis flight becoming Bangalore-Azerbaijan-Frankfurt-London (overnight stay)-Chicago-Minneapolis. We finally arrived, but unfortunately our luggage did not! It was eventually delivered the next morning, so all's well that ends well.

It was bitterly cold in Minnesota for about 50% of the trip (-29 windchill!), and the other 50% was oddly warm (around 30 degrees). We spent a lot of time trying to successfully navigate the weather! We also spent lots of time gaming, movie-watching, munching on good home-cooking, and resting, so that was fantastic. We really enjoyed our trip, probably Gautam especially (honestly, who can compete with an in-house snooker table and a stocked beer-fridge???) and it was great to be with the family again! Looking forward to seeing them in Bangalore soon!!

Kicking back in the plane while grounded in Azerbaijan.
Relaxing

The boys (Gau, Ben, Matt) at an Irish pub...just before the Jaeger bombs

Just after the 3 wise men was consumed

Our anniversary

Giant Guinness

Ben and April

Snowy St. Paul

10% alcohol-beer...danger zone

Everybody loves boozy beer

Ben & Joleen

Matt

The boys @ Brian's house

The girls @ Brian's house

Gau steals Ben's cell to talk to Ben's girlfriend

Nelson cousins @ the bowling alley--Trey, Brennan, and Adam

More Nelsons

B & G...bowl and beer

Showing off the skills...

G, in top form

Gautam meets the local color in St Paul
Maria & Ben
Gau & Sam

10% beer...gotta love it

Beautiful Brussels

2008-11-12T05:36:00.000-08:00

We just got back from our first trip (together) to Europe; we started our trip in Brussels, where my folks are staying while my dad is working on a project. We had a great time and loved being able to spend some time with them!

Yes, we take any available opportunity to pose with a statue...
So do they!

In Grand Place

Flowers on display; what a terrific range of colors!

Gautam's favorite part of ALL of the markets we went to in Brussels---the rotisserie wagon!

The gorgeous lake close to my folks' house

One of the million photos Gautam took at AutoWorld. I will (kindly) spare you the rest.

Outside of AutoWorld
Mannekin Pis; a mandatory photo for all tourists.

2008-11-11T06:49:00.000-08:00

Some more photos in Brussels!

In the Grand Place
Gautam sees his future in the Palace of Justice

More Justice exhibit photos

Where is Gautam?

Living it up!

Hmm...thoughtful

A cathedral in Brussels

Atomium

Riding the carousel after the Atomium

Ghent

2008-11-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

We took a quick day trip to Ghent; it is such an old-looking city filled with great history and a lot of interesting sites.

Cathedral, parts of which are dated back to the triple-digits

The middle of the door on the church

Stained glass in the cathedral, taken before I saw the 'no photos' sign (oops)

Fountain in the main (central) city square

Sharing a laugh in the lane in front of the music school---wish we could remember what it was about, becuase EVERYONE thinks it's funny!

Great Ideas...

2008-09-20T05:26:00.000-07:00

This was a letter to the editor in the paper in early September. This letter refers to the need for the city government to do a better job keeping the city clean of trash and other waste, which sometimes does not happen very effectively here. However, I can't say I agree with the writer's point of view on this issue!!

Random photo of us

2008-09-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

Taken last weekend, after our all-night party--all things considered, we don't look too bad for an 8am wake-up and a 5am (the next day!) bedtime. :)

New Photos & furniture in the house

2008-09-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

My uncle Keith's photos, finally framed and put up in our serviced apartment. Plus, the furniture we got in Pondicherry, finally put into the house as well. Sadly, Piper got to the large trunk before it got moved, and a part of it bears teeth marks...Driftwood (Keith Opp)

Paper from Auroville--the yellow wall shows through the holes in the paper

Dunes (Keith Opp)

Light fixture from Auroville/Pondicherry

Paper, small trunk, and chair (yes, missing a cushion but that's being fixed tomorrow!)--from Auroville/Pondicherry

Small phone table below dunes photo

Large trunk from Auroville/Pondicherry...Piper chewed the front left corner...

Brass handles of the trunk--we loved these. Sadly, this photo slightly shows Piper's handiwork...

Kevin Hughes' visit

2008-08-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

My friend Kevin (formerly of IBM & Fidelity, now again with IBM) came to Bangalore on business. In the true style of Indian hospitality, we took him to brunch for lots of food (and more drinks) then drug him to Amoeba for pool, foosball, and air hockey.

Furniture from Pondicherry

2008-08-10T04:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Gau and I took delivery of the furniture that we picked up in Pondicherry--2 trunks and a small sofa set. Now I have to find the time to upholster the sofa & 2 chairs...in all my free time...!

Hanging at the Hard Rock

2008-08-01T04:51:00.000-07:00

Akshay's youngest brother Aniket was in town for a couple of weeks, so we met up with the crew at the Hard Rock Cafe (Bengaluru!). As expected at the HRC, a good time was had by all!

Aniket, Gau, Revant
Gau, Akshay
me
Meher, Gau

Everybody's got a message

2008-07-29T04:47:00.000-07:00

As is so often the case when I see autorickshaws with a message, I don't quite understand this one, either. I'm hoping that with time (and beer) I can gain some clarity! My favorite part about this message is that it pairs a lovely red rose with the word "blood" actually appearing to drip...blood...ah the imagery!

Weekend in Pondicherry

2008-07-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we had a last-minute change of plans for our weekend. We were supposed to be in Chikmaglur with friends but a lot of the folks were not able to make it, so we decided to head to Pondicherry instead. Pondicherry is a former French settlement on the east cost of southern India, and it's very common to hear French spoken by those living in Pondi. We stayed at a lovely heritage hotel called Hotel de L'Orient (http://www.neemranahotels.com/pondi/index.html.htm). The photos on their website do absolutely no justice to the place--it is a smallish French-style building on a beautifully quiet tree-lined street. The interiors are all antiques or reproductions, and the staff was extremely accommodating and friendly. Pondicherry offers lots to see and do, and we are looking forward to finding some time to go there again and continue exploring!

DAY 1

We are ready for a vacation!
One of the many huge temples we saw on our drive

Devotees on their way to the temple
A temple in one of the small villages we went through--we saw TONS of devotees here; every other person (including many foreigners) seemed to be dressed in saffron clothing.

A small village on the way to Pondicherry--most of the houses we saw outside of the major cities in Tamil Nadu had these thatched roofs with very low eaves.
Smoke break for the driver

The Pondicherry city limits--Pondicherry is called Puducherry in the local language (Tamil)
View of the hotel's courtyard/restaurant from our room's private terrace
This is the HUGE bed in our room (the honeymoon suite!)--it was at least 4 feet off the floor. You certainly didn't want to miss the steps in the middle of the night!
The door to our room
Showing off the private terrace from our room
Lunch at Hotel Le Dulpiex, on our first day in Pondi--enjoying the peace and quiet away from the bustle of the city. We wanted to try out as many different restaurants as we could while we were away.
Lunch at Le Dupliex, on our first day in Pondi. Since Pondicherry is a coastal city, they get amazing fresh seafood, and I think we practically grew tentacles and fins from having so much of it this weekend!
Lunch at Le Dupliex--enjoying the relaxing atmosphere...
Lunch at Le Dupliex--enjoying the relaxing Kingfisher...The outside of our hotel, at night
Courtyard restaurant at night--every night the line the courtyard with small oil lamps and lanterns, and keep the electric lighting to a bare minimum. It is really pretty--but hard to capture on film!

Mahatma Ghandi statue on the ocean-front
At the Nehru statue
At the Nehru statue
A bead-seller in Pondicherry

DAY 2
We spent part of the next day at Auroville, which is about 10km away from Pondicherry. Auroville is quite an interesting place despite my skepticism; I won't bore you with the details but you can read about it on this link: http://www.auroville.org/. After spending some time in Auroville's tourist part, we drove around deep inside the complex and saw some of the houses and factories--it was so peaceful but so far away from everything! Finally, we concluded our lazy day by shopping at an antique furniture market, and we picked up a few pieces that we really liked. Hopefully the refinishing will go well--we should know in a couple of weeks!

At the Auroville Mantri Mandir---my expression is courtesy of the idiots in white behind me (they were part of some sort of military group and spent the day ogling at every woman on the property).

At the Auroville Mantri Mandir--Gautam reminded me that it was not intended to be Epcot Center...
Enjoying a refreshing brew after a long day of wandering and shopping
Stoneware mugs are great for keeping beverages cold in the heat and humidity! Some Australians (Tasmania) we met--the younger 2 (Sam & Sara) have been touring Asia since January; the older one (Bryan) is the Sam's father. They didn't seem to be loving

Incredible India yet, but maybe their upcoming trip to Kerala will change that!
Listening to the live band play (lots of Eagles & Dire Straights...)On the rooftop terrace bar
Gau driving us home after a lovely break from the city. It will be hard to go to work on Monday!

Gau plays cricket

2008-07-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

Reliance Retail Limited now has a cricket team, ready to wage war on the other internal Reliance teams. With such smart uniforms, how can they lose?!?

Team huddle
Discussing strategy
Spectating
Spectating
Waiting to take the field

Sights of Bangalore--Monsoon time

2008-07-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics of how much rain we've had. Just see how soaked these people are, and how deep the water is in the last pic!

At the Gujral house

2008-07-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

Akshay & Meher always host terrific parties--filled with good food, good drinks, and good friends! The theme this time was whiskey & non-veg food. Rohit is not always in town (he and his wife moved to Bombay a couple of years ago), so we all enjoy seeing him when he can be here. We're just waiting for Bidisha and the kids to accompany him!

Gau, Ro, Manu, Anu, Nitesh
Gaurav, Gau, Ro, Nitesh (don't ask what they're doing...) Gaurav, Akshay, Ro
Meher & Ro
Ro, Nitesh, Shruti, Neel
Us

At Bangalore Club

2008-07-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

We're all ready to start the weekend!

Manu & Rohit
Akshay & Meher

Evening with friends

2008-07-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

Our friend Anand's family was here from the USA to visit him--we met up with them and enjoyed unwinding after a long week.

From the left are Anand's brother Satya, Anand's g'friend Shubhashree, sister Chitra, niece Morgana, Anand, me, Gau.
Guillermo, Gau, Satya
Anand, Satya, me, Ana

Final-night shenanigans

2008-06-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

Mom took us out for a lovely dinner the night before she left (thank you!!). We had a great time; some of us even moreso than others. See if you can identify some of these classic (and believe me, classy) moves, inspired by the entertainment at the Taj Residency Hotel (one skimpy hour of a girl with a laptop full of synthesizer-like music, which she was karaoke-ing to...and no, noone else was allowed to sing!).

Gau's Girls, ready to go
Yay! Taking our own picture!
Piper resisted appearing in previous photos with Gau...but now has no choice but to grin and bear it with as much dignity as she can muster while being picked up like a goat...
Listening to karaoke-singing gets these two in the mood to paaaar-taaaaay
It's fun to stay at the YYYYYYYYY

MMMMMMMMMMM

CCCCC? (which way? really?? are you sure???)

You may have noticed that these two have consistently had directional issues throughout this visit. However, life in China has significantly evolved Mom's internal compass, even though the backwards C shows it has not FULLY evolved!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Walking (sitting) like an Egyptian...

Uber-traditional

2008-06-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

And there you have it--the newly-stitched birthday gift from Ma & Pa Puri to Mama Nelson. The perfect outfit for an afternoon at Bangalore Club!

The perfect remedy

2008-06-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you need a luggage strap for your suitcase and your whiny adult daughter refuses to walk all the way to Commercial Street in search of the perfect specimen (and forces you to buy the one in the shop next door, albeit the less-than-perfect and comes-with-a-built-in-combination-lock blue one)? You do what any smart parent does: buy the blue combo-lock strap, and take the whiner for ice cream! You even get some for yourself, as a reward for putting up with this kind of thing! Finally, once you're back at the house, you swap the whiny daughter's luggage strap for the imperfect blue one, and discover that EVERYONE is now happy.

Mmmmmmmm....Movenpick The eye, the day before Mom left...still looking a bit like "a little black-eyed pea", according to my Dad

Bangalore day-in-the-life

2008-06-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

"Paying the fine"...into someone's pocket

Determination, and sheer grit

2008-06-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

Despite not seeing much wildlife (and seeing too much 'movement') on our early AM trek on the 14th, we were still determined to experience jungle animals in their natural habitats. Therefore, the morning of the 15th saw Mom & I up with the chickens again to take a jeep & bus safari (this time, 5:45am, but again, sans Gau. Excuse this time was "I have to drive later; you don't want me to be tired for that"). The folks at the resort were so happy it was her birthday, and they were VERY eager to ensure she left Masinagudi & Jungle Retreat having seen a wild elephant. Did she get her wish?Mom, riding in the passenger seat of the open jeep. It's always a comforting feeling when you realize that someone's broken off the base-part of YOUR seatbelt, and the driver's the only one who has one that works. Of course, he's not wearing his, either, so really, it all evens out!

A wild boar, searching for breakfast
This is wild enough, all on its own--double-click on this pic and you will see why (to the right of the door--the faint writing)
Wish granted: a mother elephant and her calf, grazing on scrub
The peacock; India's national bird
More traditional 'wildlife'--a large herd of cows blocking our way

A Little Cormorant suns itself on a rock

Elephants grazing, and ignoring the tourists snapping photos

Happy (jungle) Birthday Mom!

2008-06-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Mom's birthday at the resort after returning from our long trip to Ooty. We'd organized a cake and Gau had all the lights turned off in the room while he brought the cake, complete with lit candle, out (Mom thought it was just another power failure!). The cake was delicious and we adhered to a few Indian traditions, though not the one that says you should smash cake in the birthday-person's face, nor the one (called "birthday bumps") where the birthday-person is kicked hard (yes KICKED!) repeatedly by his/her 'friends'.

Smile! It's your birthday!
Family fun time
Gau supervises the cake-cutting to ensure there is a big piece with his name on it
Indian tradition #1--birthday person must feed cake to his/her familyIndian tradition #2--birthday person must be fed cake by his/her family and/or friends

In the jungle (June 13, 14 AM)

2008-06-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

On Friday AM, Gautam's plan was to leave at 6:00am...however, due to getting up late, lack of pre-packing, etc., we finally left the city at...8:00am! We've made the drive to Jungle Retreat (http://www.jungleretreat.com/) many times before, so no one was more surprised than Gau to discover that we were, in fact, lost. Somewhere along the line, just after Mysore, we somehow made a wrong turn, and were left with no choice but to spend 30 minutes taking a small, one-lane connecting road across to the next main road.

Um...which way to Masinagudi??
Yes, it is monsoon season, thus roads tend to flood, creating mud. In his haste to make good time, Gau thoroughly splashed through the deep puddles, causing plenty of muddy water to fly through his window and back onto Mom, sitting innocently in the back seat...in a white t-shirt...
Yep--that's her--black eye, muddy shirt, and lost in the middle of south India
Ladies doing laundry
Temple on the way to Masinagudi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once we arrived at the resort on the 13th, Mom & I decided it would be really cool to try to see some wild animals since we'd come all the way to the jungle. To this end, we booked the 'Morning Flat-Trek'; this started with a 5:00am wake-up call on the 14th. As soon as Gau learned that the 14th was intended to start so early, he promptly exempted himself from anything to do with trekking, and kept up a busy snooker schedule for the rest of the evening!

Jungle day-break (~5:40am)

Guide Masi & Mom on top of a large rock formation as day breaks in the jungle

Our guide, Masi...checking out tracks in the mud (I believe this one was "sloth bear--baby footprint")

Panoramic views of the beautiful Nilgiris mountains

Delirious after the 5:00am wakeup call on the 14th

We found the deer we had been tracking at one point during our trek

Mom powers up another rock formation to look for wild elephants. We didn't see any on this trip, though Masi proudly pointed out a huge pile of poo, while stating "elephant movements"...we're pretty sure he meant that the poo was evidence that elephants had moved through that space, but at that time of morning, "elephant movement" was way funnier to us than what he was trying to convey.

In the jungle (Ooty, 14th PM)

2008-06-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

After our early morning jungle trek, we returned to the resort for a huge breakfast, then got ready to head out to Ooty for the remainder of the day. Ooty is a hill station about an hour from Masinagudi; hill stations were where city people traditionally went to escape the summer heat in the cities. Ooty was one of Bangalore's main hill station destinations in British times, and once we got there, it was easy to see why. It was MUCH colder there than at the resort; pants & fleece jackets were just about the perfect weight & warmth for the weather.

Goonda (loosely translated: "mafia guy/thug") lounges in the morning sunshine
This is a sign for a shop where you can have a punctured tire fixed--a "Puncture Shop"
Modelling some of the local Ooty headgear--doesn't she look like Heidi, Girl of the Swiss Alps?
And I quote "They're making me do this---if I don't, they will hit me again!"
Held up by roadwork in the mountains--everyone got out of their vehicles and wandered to the front of the column to give the eye to the foreman and the workers.

Having a look--what's the hold-up?

The road we were stopped on was overlooking one of Ooty's many gorgeous tea plantations; this is one of them. They make use of terraced farming as they're growing tea and other crops on the side of the mountains.

Scenic Ooty

One day before vacation

2008-06-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

No sense in doing a bunch of cooking when you're just going to be leaving early the next morning on a fun jungle vacation! We hit the Oberoi hotel for a chilled-out evening of draft beer (or wine, as the case may be) and appetizers in their Polo Club lounge. One of the best spots in Bangalore to just enjoy a laid-back night with friends or family!

Olive Beach

2008-06-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

Olive Beach, a lovely Mediterranean restaurant, has a small market on some Wednesdays, so we went to check it out. Though the market itself was fairly lackluster (waaaaaaay too many dirty-hippy types), the food was amazing; some of the best stuff any of us has eaten in a long time. It was nice to have dinner there as the atmosphere is terrific for relaxation, even in the heart of the city.

Gau demonstrates the giving of black eyes
Just kidding!
Us

Black-Eye update...the chronology

2008-06-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

And here we go, with a day-by-day update on 'the eye'. Since this happened, my mom's been dealing with the openly-shocked stares of strangers, immediately followed by their pitying sideways glances. Someone, somewhere, is cursing my poor, innocent father!

Day 1
Day 2; the color deepens
Day 3; not much change
Day 4; on the mend!
Day 5; much better than before; making progress

Taking care of family

2008-06-10T03:05:00.000-07:00

So...this morning, someone in the house was very much looking forward to a long-awaited yoga class. As that particular person opened their bedroom door to leave the house, Piper sprung up and jumped in delight...all over that person. One misplaced bounce of Piper's head into an unfortunately-placed human eye-socket, and you have one heck of a sexy shiner. Estimated time to restore normal color...5-7 days... This is a certain someone's first black eye, courtesy of my bad dog. Nothing like a fun family visit---it may be time to call social services...

Bangalore Walks

2008-06-08T23:22:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Mom & I got up early to join a Bangalore Walk (www.bangalorewalks.com). We were amazed at the terrific historical information that the guide had to offer, and really enjoyed a new take on a city we thought we already knew reasonably well. A tasty South-Indian breakfast at the end of it didn't hurt one bit! Little does poor, unsuspecting Gau know, but he's going on that walk sometime next month!

Holy Trinity Church; there are a lot of old miliary memorials posted inside the church from the days when the British were in residence.
View this picture at a larger size; you can see that the words on either side of the stained glass are in both Tamil and in English.
View from the Holy Trinity Church terrace, right outside the bell tower, looking down MG Road.

Lunch with the Puri clan @ Bangalore Club

2008-06-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

The Puri clan treated us to a nice, relaxing Sunday lunch at the Bangalore Club--terrific weather and good company; does it get any better?

The Col., G, Mama P.
Mama P and Mama N, two Indian ladies in their Sunday clothes
The whole crew!

Happy Birthday to me

2008-06-06T23:07:00.000-07:00

What better way to drown the birthday blues but with some Asahi and hot sake? We went to Harima, a terrific Japanese restaurant, and had lots of good sushi and the requisite beverages. A great way to spend a lazy-day-off afternoon!

We love "Millers 46" restaurant!

2008-06-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

Millers has the best bloody marys EVER--so a trip to Bangalore is truly not complete until you've sampled one (or hey, have 2!). Luckily, their food is also very good, so the drinks aren't the only thing to recommend it!

The new Miller Man, complete with cowboy-esque belt buckle
just us girls
G takes us for a spin

Cheers!

2008-06-04T04:09:00.000-07:00

Nothing like relaxing with a Cosmo and your son-in-law. :) Salute!

In Bangalore...

2008-06-02T03:50:00.000-07:00

...everyone's got a message to share, but I have no idea what this auto-rickshaw driver is trying to tell me!

Relaxing

2008-05-29T02:34:00.000-07:00

Friday night hangout...and first cigar in AGES (don't tell Mom!) :)

Monsoon is here!

2008-05-28T02:16:00.000-07:00

The monsoon is upon us now, meaning that we get rain consistently just about everyday, and usually at the same time, too. Until I moved here, I had never experienced rain like this very regularly--the sky opens up and it just pours relentlessly for at least an hour. This causes two-wheeler-riders to abandon all hope (and their two-wheeled conveyance) and make for the nearest bus stand to wait out the weather, and also causes localized flooding. We're lucky that in Bangalore, we don't have nearly the flood/drainage issues that other major cities like Mumbai have, and after the heavy rains, we enjoy beautifully cool weather.

Police barricades, being swept away by the mini-flood
Check out the wheel; you can see how high the water is
Commuters huddle in the bus stand and wait for the torrent to let up

People without enough to occupy themselves...

2008-05-25T01:43:00.000-07:00

Time to get a life...

Hi Mom--Happy Mother's Day--your present below

2008-05-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

Hi Mom--wish you could be here to receive your Mothers' Day present in person but since that's not possible, we went to pick it up today. Photos below...

Double trouble...
Trying out the baby teeth
Another set of adorable babies
Shoes are also tasty

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Just kidding---we are definitely not getting another puppy, or another TWO puppies--the one we have keeps us plenty busy already! I just posted these so you could see how cute Anand's latest crop (consisting of 3F & 1M) is, since they will be in their new homes by the time you arrive. See you soon! xoxo J&G&P

Hanging with Akshay & Meher

2008-05-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

Akshay & Meher had us over for dinner on Wednesday with some other friends. Their daughter Ira wasn't too excited about going to bed while the party was in full swing, so she was hanging out, too. We were teasing her about being a monkey, so everyone made monkey faces... Trust me, it was pretty fun post-midnight!

J & Ira
Gaurav, Gau, Nitesh
Chetan, Akshay, Gau
Sanjay (speak no evil), Meher (hear no evil), Manisha (see no evil)
Biggest monkeys!

Royal Challengers Cricket

2008-05-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

We went to cheer on our city's cricket team on Monday. The team did unbelievably poorly; I don't think there was anyone who was not surprised by the sad (and extremely early!) turn of events. The next day, a couple of key folks were fired and others received veiled threats of similar fates...let's see how things pan out for the rest of the series!

Double-take

2008-05-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

Take a close look at the photo above, paying particular attention to the cargo this man is carrying. You may note that it is comprised of approximately 20 live chickens, with their feet tied together. It's pretty strange to see them flap around or crane their necks to look at the passing traffic. Sometimes the cargo is more substantial than chickens; I have also seen goats carried on the back of scooters, and on my way to the gym the other day, I saw a Great Dane in an autorickshaw!

13th Floor and many firsts

2008-04-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

Jen arrived from the US for her first trip to Bangalore. We met up at the 13th Floor pub, where she then experienced numerous other firsts....1st Kingfisher, 1st taste of mutton (sparking a lamb vs. goat debate), and 1st hookah...a lot for one night. Let us also not forget other notable firsts of the trip: "1st purchase of little Indian drum", closely followed by "1st autorickshaw ride", and the eventual "1st Delhi belly"--yikes.

Luckily, on this trip she did NOT get attacked by a wild, rabid monkey, nor was she run over by passing traffic, despite a few near-misses.

Jen & JillianAkshay
Jen
Manisha

For our friend Peter Vasey

2008-04-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Peter, I owe you Rs. 10 if you know who at least one of the people below is, without reading my description. :) You & Natalie have to come to India to collect on this debt, though. LOL!!

Gau & Rohit graciously hold the girls' handbags while Jill & Beena bust a move on the dance floor (one of the last songs played this evening @ Bangalore Club was the club mix of Ice Ice Baby--people are so impressed I can rap along with Vanilla Ice...).

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Tonight we attended an after-party hosted by Vijay Mallya, following the cricket match. It was at his soon-to-be-opened shopping center, UB City, and was fairly up-market. Thanks to Sanjay & Manisha for scoring us an invite! The place was full of minor 'celebrities' such as socialites & cricket folks, but most of us were just there for the Kingfisher draft beer. :D

However, we did meet a few folks...

Shane Warne & Manisha: Her comment: He looks older than I thought...

JR & Shane Warne (we met previously in 2004 @ the India/Australia International Test Match in Bangalore). Shane said he remembered meeting me...My thoughts: that is very doubtful, especially considering the controversy that dogged "Warney" shortly thereafter.... However, he was extremely gracious in posing for these pictures with us, despite a long day on the pitch in the hot Indian sun.

Gaurav & Shane. Clearly, SW prefers the ladies--no smiles for Gaurav.

Manisha & Gaurav with two of the Washington Redskins cheerleaders. They are at the center of a rather vocal controversy here..."are cheerleaders corrupting the youth of India?"

Sanjay with members of the Washington Redskins cheerleading squad. They are in Bangalore to cheer for the Bangalore-based Royal Challengers IPL cricket team, and apparently are corrupting the 30+ year-old population moreso than the youth...

Gautam & I meet Jenny. She's a Redskins cheerleader based in Washington, DC, and she really gave Gau a run for his money in the political debate they were having. I'm not sure who was winning.

Garden, take #4!!

2008-04-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

The garden in the Indiranagar house has (again) been renovated. Since Piper & Brandy ruined it last year, we've been unable to successfully rehabilitate it. Here's hoping that this latest round will finally take!

"Japanese" rock garden
Entry from the side door
Main lawn
Watering hole

Sights of namma Bengaluru

2008-04-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

The IPL (India Premiere League) comes to India, and to the world. Chinnaswamy Stadium (yes, it is spelled differently on the bus stop signboard below) is now a madhouse whenever the matches are on in Bangalore, and I inadvertently got stuck in it last week. Foolishly oblivious, I didn't realize that it was the first game of the entire IPL---the first time Indian cricket has been played by city-based teams instead of only by the national team. Big mistake!! 45 minutes of Chinnaswamy views...ugh!

Sign at the bus stop

Gautam enjoys the traffic jam on ILP opening night

Bangalore's team is the Royal Challengers. It is no small 'coincidence' that the team's main owner is Vijay Mallya, owner of Kingfisher/Kingfisher Airlines, as well as Royal Challenge whiskey... He is, after all, the "king of good times"!

Amongst my favorite billboards--if this does not induce you to pay taxes, I don't know what will.

Wyclef Jean concert--Hard Rock Cafe, Bangalore

2008-04-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight we saw the Wyclef Jean show at the Hard Rock Cafe, Bangalore (a great buy at around $12.50/ticket). Our group was made up of new friends from the Bangalore Expatriate Club, India Mike, and Bangalore American Meetup, as well as friends from our various offices.

We had a good time but you'd be surprised how many people you can pack into a given space when you don't have to deal with any of those pesky fire codes... As my Wyclef pics were extremely fuzzy, you'll just have to trust me that we were there!

Some of the crew
Maninder & Indira
one of Monica's colleagues, Maninder, me, Monica (from Chicago)
G, Anand (from FL), and me
US

Group photo

David (from Norway), G, Christian (from Norway)

Bath time

2008-04-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

Oh the misery...

We found 2 ticks on Piper today, so into the bath she went.

If this look doesn't scream "Why me?!?" then I don't know what does.

She struggles to get out of the tub--bathtime is a 2-person job.

Post-bath, she runs through the house and hops into her beanbag--happy to get away.

Taking solace in her toys, while waiting to dry off.

Running errands

2008-04-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

On my way to finish the grocery shopping (traveling down a road generally covered in traffic) I looked up from my book to find myself staring at some camels while stopped at a light. They were being walked down the road, and there was another small group about 3-4 blocks ahead of them. No one seemed to notice them except for me!

Bangalore Club: Fashion Show

2008-04-12T08:26:00.001-07:00

We met Gau's parents and our friends, Manu & Anu, to check out the Fashion Show that was hosted by the Bangalore Club. While the fashion was dubious, at best (see-through, yellow knickerbockers with welly-boots for men; tent-like, curtain-style dresses with ankle-boots for women), the company was top-notch.

Anu & Manu
Gau reminds us that while the fashion was not so great, at least the beer is affordable!
Us
Manu concurs regarding terrible fashion, but is happy that "DJ Chikoo" is busting out the "YMCA". A chikoo is a round, brown, fruit---we were all forced to agree it was an apt name; the DJ did look rather chikoo-esque!

BLR Expat Club social

2008-04-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

On Friday we went to a social event with some members of the Bangalore Expatriate Club. At first, we didn't know anyone. Who are these strangers standing with me?

After a couple of friendly drinks, conversation flowed. They are Steve (USA) and Sara (Europe).

But THEN...an important discovery. Nebraskans do exist outside of the USA! Steve's family, originally from Iowa (yes, he did mention "idiots out wandering around"), now lives in Lincoln! We hope to meet his wife and kids in the summer.

Steve had talked to Gautam already, so he knew I'd grown up in NE. Instead of 'hello', I got a "Go Huskers" greeting. :)

Boys' Night

2008-04-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

Gautam had boys' night out on Thursday with his good friends from way back when. Amusingly, the venue he chose happened to be the same place that I was having dinner with a friend! The boys still had fun, though, even after the restaurant tried to seat them right next to us girls (we quickly got that sorted out!).

Gaurav & Gautam
Bala, Avinash, Gaurav
Anand, Bala

Obedience?

2008-04-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

Gautam's mom might be the only person in the world who has actually trained her to TO sit on the sofa, instead of trying to prevent the dog FROM sitting on the sofa. The 'command' of "sofa, sofa" results in this:

Scenes from BLR

2008-03-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pictures I took while out & about in the city this past week.

On the way back home from the grocery store, the police randomly strung a police tape across a major (busy) intersection during rush hour. There appeared to be no reason for it--no "VVIPs" or accident--but there we sat, for about 30 minutes. Good thing there were tunes on the radio!
The festival of Holi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi) was last weekend. It's essentially a festival of colors celebrating the triumph of good over evil (and the arrival of Spring), and is most vigorously celebrated in the North. However, Bangalore also had its share of festivities!

Rain, Rain, Go Away! We've had a ton of rain here for the past week or two, which is really tough for most of the country as the majority of people walk, or ride bicycles/scooters/motorcycles to get where they need to go. Though you might think that there are mannequins in the shop window behind the vehicle, they are actually people, sheltering from the downpour.

Piper update

2008-03-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

Piper's happy I spend Fridays working from home. She proceeds to spend her day devising new ways to irritate me (tossing toys under the sofa, then wedging herself underneath the frame while digging at them and barking is a new one). Yes, she seems to save it all up for that one magic day a week. We've invested hundreds in rawhide bones in an attempt to buy ourselves a few minutes of quiet time!

Just after being told to cut out the digging & barking, and get out from behind the coffee table...The pacifier

We got jokes

2008-03-18T00:33:00.001-07:00

It's shocking to my HR sensibilities, but in India, ethnic jokes are largely considered extremely funny and perfectly acceptable to tell/forward/etc. As with any large and diverse country, there are lots of different communities here, and each have their "hilarious" stereotypes. I don't know---usually I don't find them all that funny---maybe you have to have a native background to 'really get' them (!?!).

Here's an example of one that was forwarded to me today by my wonderful husband. I showed it to a colleague here and he thought it was great. I am posting this particular one because it's at least easy to understand why someone might find it amusing!

What is common between : Lord Krishna , Lord Ram, Gandhi-ji & Jesus..?
Sardar-ji Replied : All are born on Government Holidays.

Try not to laugh yourself sick, or people will come to investigate what's so funny... :)

Hot Diggity Dogs

2008-03-15T03:40:00.001-07:00

Today the puppies turned 1 year old. My in-laws hosted lunch for two close friends of the family, so Piper and I stopped in to get some lunch, too! Brandy & Piper wrestled constantly, made a complete mess of the in-laws' house, and ate lots of 'birthday cake' (http://www.recipezaar.com/227258). Both seemed quite happy to receive birthday presents and fight for extra attention.

Piper, then & now

Brandy, then & now While many things in life change quite frequently, some things remain constantly the same. Sibling rivalry is, apparently, one of those...

Copper Chimney

2008-03-14T03:33:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about India is that your friends and family always look out for you. With Gautam traveling a lot for work, our friends make sure I'm not sitting around, bored, on a Friday night! Copper Chimney served up some tasty food, and these guys provided food for thought (especially about the upcoming US elections!). :)

Devina, Suresh, Rohit
Shivani, me

Why I hate nature

2008-03-12T05:37:00.000-07:00

So I'm working from home today, and two of these little beauties took a flying leap and landed in the middle of my TV room. Piper COULD NOT have been more delighted with the new and unexpected playthings. Believe me, I was considerably less happy--most of you know how I feel about rodents (and snakes, and roaches, and monkeys, and...).

Luckily one of them immediately escaped back to the great outdoors, but the other seemed to have been scared witless, and was trapped indoors for about 25 minutes, with the dog in hot pursuit. Piper continually flushed it from its many hiding places (corners, under furniture, climbing my curtains), caught it about 6 times (after dropping it every time it wiggled), and eventually killed it.

Towards the end of the saga, our man Friday, Raja, came up to 'help' me (though really, we just watched to dog terrorize the squirrel to death--how the hell do you catch a squirrel?!?). Once the deed was done, he picked up the dead squirrel in one of my cloth dinner napkins to dispose of it. Apparently, once he got out my front door, the squirrel awoke from its delirium, twisted out of Raja's grasp, and ran away. So no, for all those that were just a little bit sad, the dog did not actually kill the squirrel; just scared it a little bit.

Piper is now exhausted from her successful vice-squad capers, and I've screamed myself hoarse shouting encouragement to her as she ruined my TV room in search of her prey. Luckily for you guys, I had the presence of mind to take some photos during the fun. Hey, 25 minutes is a long time for a drama of this scale to unfold!

Lessons learned: 1. close the gaps--all the gaps, even if the landlord refuses to pay for it, 2. change the tableware, as no one wants to worry about using the 'squirrel napkin', and 3. no one will want to visit me anymore, unless they have a rabies shot first. :(

This photo was taken from the web, so you can see what the Palm Squirrel looks like, up close

Piper corners the squirrel behind the futon, and prepares to lunge for it while it is playing dead

The squirrel in full view, with Piper in hot pursuit

Happy Birthday, Divya!

2008-03-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, we met some friends to celebrate a birthday! Happy Birthday, Divya!

We had a great meal, and met some fun new folks.

We were also happy to congratulate Divya & Vasanth on their recent engagement!

Divya & me

The boys

The girls
Vasanth & Gau

Hanging with the relatives

2008-03-02T10:04:00.000-08:00

Just some pics of the post-Coorg relaxation. Good, wholesome family time would not be complete without matching glares (sunglasses, to the uninitiated) in the afternoon, and a few cold mugs of brew. These guys are internationally stylin', thanks to Kingfisher & RayBan.
Piper digs coming home from the kennel, or any other time she can ride in the car, with her face out the window, and tongue & ears flapping in the breeze. With the close proximity of traffic here, she inevitably terrorizes some poor soul on a motorcycle...
Chilling out in front of the fan, after a long ride home.

Nina fights Pi for the Jack...it was a pretty even contest!

Coorg wedding

2008-03-01T23:06:00.000-08:00

These are some of the photos from the wedding in Coorg. You will notice a lot of "aunty" and "uncle" stuff in these---here, anyone who is older than you is automatically "aunty/uncle" for respect. Makes for a lot of typing for me, though...

Nanju-uncle is Gautam's maternal uncle; his mother's brother. With him were his wife, Padma-aunty, and his two daughters--Nisha (bride) & Nina. They live in the UK (bride) and Germany (rest of the family) so it was my first time meeting them. We enjoyed spending time with them and having Nanju-uncle & Nina visit us in Bangalore!

Nisha (bride), Padma-aunty (mother of the bride), & Nina (sis of the bride)

Bharath's friend, Bharath (groom)

Nina, Jillian

far right: Nisha & Nina's grandfather

center: Ranji-uncle
Gautam, his Dad, Vikram
Jillian, Nanju-uncle (father of the bride)
Nanju-uncle & Gautam
Nanju-uncle & Vikram
Dad-Puri, Jillian, Vikram
Shekhar, Sanjeev (cousin), and a friend of the groom's
Us!
Gautam's dad & Nanju-uncle

Coorg: trip to a coffee estate

2008-02-28T22:42:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, we were in Coorg for a family wedding (congrats, Nisha & Bharath!). While we were there, we were taken through a family member's coffee estate.

Us, jouncing along holey roads in a military-style jeep
Ranji-uncle--ready to share his knowledge
Pepper plant
Coffee beans
Vikram, mid-hike

2008-02-28T22:00:00.000-08:00

Coffee plants mixed with tall trees. On these estates, everything has a purpose. The trees often have other cash-crops attached to them, such as pepper or cardamom. Otherwise, the trees are cut and sold once they reach a certain height.
Gautam and Vikram learning about arabica vs. robusto beans from Ranji-uncle
Lovely scenery
Maturing coffee beans

Beer & Bowling!

2008-02-17T22:34:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since we did a Beer & Bowling extravaganza. We started at the Oberoi Hotel in the Polo Club garden for a few pitchers, then finished off by showing our mad bowling skills at Amoeba Sports Bar in the Leela Galleria. Let's say that our skills seemed a bit off, but we didn't care too much!

Meher & Manisha
Us
Akshay & Meher
Jillian, Meher, Manisha, Sanjay, Akshay, Gautam

Jan 26th/27th: Happy Birthday Meena!

2008-01-31T19:35:00.001-08:00

Saturday (Jan. 26th) was our friend Meena's birthday. We celebrated with her on Sunday with brunch at a terrific restaurant here in Bangalore. As you can see, the weather was beautiful and Gautam really enjoyed the oysters! I'm not so big on raw oysters, so I decided to skip out on those in favor of all the other goodies!

Gautam & the birthday girl!

Enjoying the sunshine and the great company
Hmm...Not really my thing...let's see if Gau will have it
Gau quickly shows the giant oyster who is boss...

Hard Rock Cafe comes to Bangalore

2008-01-10T22:27:00.000-08:00

The Hard Rock Cafe has arrived in Bangalore...uh...I mean, Bengaluru...

Tina Turner...simply the best! Posted for my mom, Tina's biggest fan!

Not such a great fit anymore-10.5 months old

2008-01-06T23:41:00.000-08:00

Poor Piper. She has discovered that she can no longer under the desk. That does not, however, prevent her from trying on a regular basis. She always seems surprised at the realization that she can't quite wedge in there anymore, no matter what manuever she adopts.

Shanghai Christmas & New Years, 2007

2007-12-21T19:31:00.000-08:00

Museum under the Pearl Tower--yes, that is an Indian-guy statue...but we're not sure why! Note Gautam's amazement...
Making friends

Shanghai's famous Pearl Tower

350?? That's a lotta meters--you can see where we're at within the tower's 'bubbles' based on the photo
The Shanghai aquarium
Um...there is supposed to be aquatic life in here behind me

2007-12-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

Manish
Our first Christmas tree!
Shivani

Gaurav, Nitesh, and Shruti
Radhika, Gau, and Karen

Christmas party, 2007

2007-12-16T19:09:00.000-08:00

We had our first Christmas party on December 16th--we'd invited all of our friends and celebrated with our now-famous 'Apple Jack' shots (thanks, Terry S.!). We had a great time--it was fun having everyone over to round out the end of 2007 in Bangalore.

Saloni, her nephew, her son, and our friend Radhika's daughter, Ria.
Manu, Anu, and Shweta
Rui, his girlfriend, and Vasanth
Talla

Merry Christmas (early)!

2007-12-04T22:09:00.000-08:00

In lieu of Christmas cards, which have gone missing consistently since I moved here, we decided to go this route instead--the benefit is that it's still personalized! :) Put your speakers on, and jam to the jazzy Christmas melody!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1170885147

Bannerghatta National Park

2007-12-01T18:56:00.000-08:00

On Dec. 1st, I took a couple of friends (Donna & Molly) to Bannerghatta National Park. The highlight of the park for me is always the elephants, because you get to see them up close & personal--including feeding them and getting an Indian-style blessing (elephants symbolize the Hindu god Ganesh). You also see a variety of other animals--sometimes a little too close for comfort. Just after I took the picture, this zebra tried to bite me!

Bannerghatta National Park

2007-12-01T18:30:00.000-08:00

More Bannerghatta pictures.
Donna with the elephant, who was really happy to have gotten a great big bundle of grass as a snack! Hey, what do you expect for Rs. 10??

2007-11-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

Piper is getting bigger (and wilder) by the day. She's weighing in at around 60 pounds, and eats like a horse. Considering the mess she makes everyday, it would probably be easier looking after the pony I always wanted!

Lunch with the neighbors!

2007-09-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had lunch with my neighbors Derek, Lindsay, and baby Chandler. It was great to have some time to catch up with them; with a baby in the house you can imagine they are kept quite busy! Chandler is quite the handsome fellow and a very sweet little guy--he is also developing sophisticated culinary tastes, as he kept going for my leftover pickle chips from Lynnwood Grille!

Why blogging is hard to do

2007-09-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

This is why it's so hard to keep up with the blogging...the 'cyber point' computer center is a bit up & down at the moment! Just kidding, we have internet at home, ya know!

Notice that the door is securely locked with a very large padlock. Wouldn't want anyone coming in and stealing the valuables...

Out with friends

2007-09-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

Out for dinner with our friends, Rohit & Shivani, at 13th Floor.

Piper--5 months, 3 weeks old

2007-09-06T08:04:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of new pictures of Piper. These were taken shortly after she finished her 6:30am barking frenzy. The area we live in is heavily populated with stray dogs so we hope our neighbors thought it was just some early morning street noise.

These are the koi fish that live in the pond at the hotel we often frequent for some nice draft beer and terrific appetizers. Sorry to all of you nature-lovers, but I just wasn't quick enough with the camera to snap the rat that was wandering around the hotel gardens about an hour before I took these...

40th Anniversary--Mom & Dad Puri

2007-09-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

Sept. 3, 2007 marked Mom & Dad Puri's 40th wedding anniversary. We surprised them with a small party to celebrate the occasion. We were all happy that Gautam's older (and only!) brother Vikram was able to stay a couple of days extra, and help the folks celebrate!

Garden at the Indiranagar house

2007-09-03T07:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the garden at the Indiranagar house (the one we give for rent). It looks great, and all we had to do is get the puppies out of there first!

Raleigh photos

2007-08-17T01:52:00.001-07:00

Raleigh pics--pirated from Jen's camera.

Piper: 5 months old

2007-08-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

As you can see, Piper is getting big--I told Mama Puri "I left you a puppy and you're giving me a pony back!". She's now in that "long & skinny" stage and a little bit gawky but we still think she's cute, except when she's sitting in our beanbag chair, which she knows she is not supposed to be doing.

Piper has learned some fun commands by now, including 'high-5', but she only does them for a treat (and you have to prove you have a treat first) or when she's in trouble and hoping to get off cleanly.

Back after a long time!

2007-08-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
It's been a long time since we've been online; who knew blogging could take so much effort?!? That's why I am so impressed by my friends' blogs (links appear on our main page)--you guys inspire me!

We just returned from a lovely vacation in the US and are thankful to have seen many of you during our travels--we spent time in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and North Carolina. Thank you so much to the friends and family who made our trip so wonderful! It was great seeing you again after such a long time, and we were serious about you all coming to visit.

Here are a few photos from our trip; the rest will be posted on Snapfish soon (link to be posted). For those that can't quite believe their eyes, yes, it IS karaoke in some of these...

"It's fun to stay at the....YYYYYY....MMMMMM....CCCCCC....AAAAAA!"

"Ben...you're always running here and there..."

http://www.lyricsdemon.com/144929/michael-jackson/ben/

Make no mistake--Michael JACKSON'S rendition is not nearly so heartfelt and touching as Michael NELSON'S.

SALUTE! GRAZIE! ROMANZA!The pre-bowl Bloody bar...and no, you cannot get extra shrimp!

The Hevlins and their foreign exchange student on the Stillwater trolley car :)
Just like old times--who knew we'd make Lynwood Grille the local hangout?!?

Little Angels?

2007-06-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

Cute, babykins, angel dogs...words not enough to describe these 2. Look at the innocent faces...you just know they would never do anything naughty...
Weeellllll...dad kinda got in the way n paid the price (yes, he is covered in red mud and is sporting a nice hole in his shirt). This is what happens when they are happy to see him!
Aaaahh...cuppa hot joe, a great way to begin a day that started at 4am with frantic barking and yelping to be let out (wanna strangle those 2!). Naturally we're in fine form for work everyday (at least Coke & NesCafe are making some money now).
Devil spawns...the real picture. Beware: cute pups with an evil twist. Watch this space next for what has happened to our dream garden :( Dad's shirt (above) was just a warm-up...

Meet Brandy our Newest nightmare :)

2007-05-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

Cujo & Pal

Ears!

2007-05-21T10:45:00.001-07:00

Both ears up!

Not too keen on posing for pictures; it is more fun to bite.

8 weeks old & settling in

2007-05-21T10:40:00.001-07:00

She discovered she likes frozen meatballs...but mostly to pounce on and not so much to eat...

Just one ear up; the other one should come soon.
Food's more fun when you can really experience it with all the senses.

Piper-First Day home

2007-05-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

Piper at 6 weeks

2007-05-21T02:29:00.000-07:00

Here is Piper at 6 weeks old. Don't be fooled by the innocent face; she is anything BUT! We had to scoop her out of the mud in order to take this picture and were lucky to snap the photo just before she made a break for it!