Spending thousands of dollars on your kid's birthday...

Oh, I am such a bad mommy. I do NOT spend thousands of dollar on my kids' birthday. Infact I draw the line at $250.00 - give or take another fifty. And that too because my children are VERY social and insist on having 20+ guests in their parties...

I try to accommodate their little heart's desires while keeping an eye on the budget...More fool me. Here are the real loveing caring parents - $10,000 for child's birthday party?

It would appear people go nuts while organizing their little one's big days. Because, apparently a number of parenting polpulation is ready to shoot themselves if they have to endure another "paint-a-ceramic-bowl or stuff-a-bear party"....

So they hire companies like 'Over The Top' in CA and as a result - "Each Over the Top party has a theme and is run by a team trained in child development, says Dinsfriend. Her events -- from tea parties with fine china to military-themed parties led by former Marines -- usually take six weeks to plan and cost as much as $10,000."

Read on, because - "That's small potatoes compared with some celebrations. FAO Schwarz, the New York City toy retailer, rents out its store several nights a week for parties. The base cost is $25,000."

WOW... and look at their cake - un-bloody-believable

And look at these examples

Is it just me or does this sound WRONG on so many levels. Or may be these are just future Paris Hiltons and whoever is male counter part of Paris, being made...

Tamil Rap - What Fun!!

Here are Yogi B & Natchatra doing what sounds like an Illyaraja number... Really good.

Sadhu Well Connected

Another image of a Hindu Holy Man - on a phone and smoking , no less. Found it while searching for something quite different.

Mothers fight for thier right - to bring their babies in a bar !!

OK, this is just insane. I usually go with the flow and try to see everyone's point of view, well maybe not everyone, but still , most of population will find me a pretty understanding person. (Well, maybe not most...but we are getting away from the story here)

What the hell is this hoopla about ? Mothers got mad when some bars tried to tell them to not bring their children and stroller inside a bar. "But we have a right to pour ourselves a stiff one, just because we are saddled with kids should be no reason to stop us," cried the mom brigade.

Really ? You are a mother with little children and you see nothing wrong with this picture? This is simply amazing to me. You know I used to wonder about the parents who are sometimes busted letting their teenagers serve alcohol to their school friends. Who would do such thing, I used to think, now I sorta know...these would be the mothers who would see nothing wrong in their teen-agers drinking, I suppose. I might be wrong here but....

The Responsibility Project said something funny "Those pushing for more kids in more bars are usually the same people pushing the strollers: mothers of the pre-school set, who say: “We want to do everything we always did, but with our babies.”"

I really want to ask the ladies who are asking to be allowed in the bar with their kids this simple question - Would you allow your nanny to go bar hopping with your kid? How about your close friend or family? Do they get to take the kid while they go drink? And what is the accepted limit - is it like driving ?? " Oh not more than two drinks for me thanks, I am pushing the stroller..."


Sometimes things just do NOT make sense, unless you remember -
"Against stupidity, the Gods themselves, contend in vain."

Plastics are Cancer-Baits, Vitamins will increase your mortality - Good Morning World !!

I am back after a short break. I was busy being sick and recovering from a jet lag. Remind me to tell you the lovely tale of my India visit some time.

Meanwhile, we have US Government stating that some of the plastic bottles - including baby bottles, yes you heard it right, baby bottles, "may be tied to early puberty and prostate and breast cancer" ...Gee,thanks, Uncle Sam, took you long enough though.

And then , "Vitamin supplements taken by millions of people in the hope of extending their lives may actually increase the risk of premature death in some cases, researchers said on Wednesday"

Wow... I Wonder what happens to the vitamin supplement that comes in plastic bottles ....

Good reads - Tibet, China et al - in Fiction

Forget Amy Tan and Lisa See. As the world gets more and more in to the nitty gritty of Chian-Tibet-Rest Of the World triangle, try these lovely, worthy reads -

Elliot Pattison - Try his Inspector Shan series for a haunting , mesmerizing look at the Tibet and Tibetans and their relations with Mainland China and Han Chinese people. Start with Skull Mantra and then move on to Beautiful Ghosts, Water Touching Stone and Bone Mountain etc.

Balzac and Little Chinese Seamstress - by Dei Sijie - Do not, whatever you do, read his next book (Mr. Muo's Travelling Couch)or read it at your own peril. But, do read this little gem, to open your eyes about the cultural revolution and reeducation of the youth.

Try also some of the novels by the Chinese author (currently living in US)- Qiu Xiaolong, specially Death Of a Red Heroine, When Red is Black and Loyal Character Dancer. His last two efforts were not as good but these three carried a strong sense of China changing and still lingering at the culture of cummunism.

Reverse "Chori" - BlackEyed Peas stole music from Bollywood ?

From Kalyanji Anandji no less - see it here

Hey, you know what they say, what goes around, comes around - so 'yeh to hona hi tha'...all the decades of hindi cinema stealing music, storyline, complete scenes, dialogues and whatnot from western entertainment world...things are comeing full circle baby...enjoy.

I can't wait for someone like Timbaland stealing a Bhappi Lahiri tune, which he in turn stole from Boney M...now that would be something :-)

Dave Barry - Older , milder but still funny - and the Florida Vote

He has settled down a lot and starts his column pretty staidly 'I got to thinking about the Florida primary election mess the other night when I was watching TV with my wife."

But Dave is still funny and his book on history "Dave Barry Slept Here" is one of the best American History books around :-) No Kidding.

Read his column

Olympic Torch - Why all the fuss comes from old colonial masters ?

Are they repenting for the old sins ? Or are they saying 'only we get to be mean to humanity' ??
Did you see how the flame was extinguished in France?

Really, I do not get it. I see people show such vitriolic reaction to an event like Olympic, just because it is being hosted in, gasp, gasp, China !! And in most cases the protest comes from countries like UK, France and USA - a shining example of peace and tranquility, all of them. I mean, has anyone noticed, the meaner and bloodier the political past of a country, the holier (than thou) the current attitude of their government and people.

And I wonder, how about all those 'Made in China' goodies? How about those beautiful Chinese Yuans floating the bloody US economy? So, it is perfectly all right to enjoy the inexpensive labor and goods of one country and blindly borrow the (dirty) money, but Heavens forbid if the said country try and hold an Olympic Game.

I wonder if there were same amount of protest when the same event was held in NAZI Germany ?

It reminds me of all those stories of aristocrats who blew their money because they had stupidly lavish lifestyles and gambling habits. Then they would borrow heavily from tradesmen. There was never any shame in borrowing from 'them', but God forbid if 'they' ever try to mix socially...

I am not trying to condone China's human rights disasters. But I do feel that 'Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone...,' and that daahlings, would definitely rule out UK, USA and France....

NYTimes loooves Jhumpa too

Dang the female :-)

Look at the glowing review

Here is what bothers me - description of the children of immigrants in Jhumpa's work - "(they)are often emotional outsiders: having grown up translating the mysteries of the United States for their relatives, they are fluent navigators of both Bengali and American culture but completely at home in neither; they always experience themselves as standing slightly apart, given more to melancholy observation than wholehearted participation."

This is gross generalization, this is poor stereotyping...of the Indian immigrants and their children, if not the whole immigrant community. There are all kind you know, those who do not fit in, those who do, those who hate it here and still live here, those who love it here and have to go back to India...those who are fine here and fine back home...

There is a beautiful song in the movie Namaste London that just about sums up the whole immigrant and their children-

"koi nayi duniya ke naye rango mein khush rehta hai
koi sab kuch paake bhi yeh mann hi mann kehta hai
kehne ko saath apane ek duniya chalti hai
per chhupke is dil mein tanhaayi palti hai

koi dil mein jagah nayi, baaton ke liye rakhta hai
koi apni palko par yaadon ke diye rakhta hai"

(Some are happy in the new colors of new world,
Some, even after having it all, say
how lonely they are surrounded by the crowds

Some keep a place in their hearts for new things, new experiences
Some only live for the memories, lighted like a candle in their eyes.)

There are all kinds, and not all immigrant children are 'given to melancholy observations' ...though I am sure there are some who do and it would appear Ms. Lahiri is one of them.!!

I Don't like Jhumpa

Her new book is about to emerge and the gushing has already begun.

Maybe I am just jealous of her, and rightfully so, as the would be author whose first attempt is still stuck at the stupid seventh chapter, but God help me I Don't Like Jhumpa.

I think she writes not for me - she writes for non-Indian audiences, for NRIs of last generation and for Indians who have not ever set foot in any foreign land. Her USA is the USA her parents experienced - twenty, thirty years ago; her India is India her parents left even before that. How can one keep writing about today with camera angle set to thirty years ago ?

On the other hand, it IS 4:21 bloody AM , I am jet-lagged and insanely jealous.

I am sure people will lap up her "Unaccostomed Earth" ...Go Jhumpa !! Yaay.

Dhoom 3 with Karan Johar

So the rumor has it that Dhoom 3 is going to have not only my favorite brown eyed wonder SRK in it, they are all set to change the director too, poor Sanjay Gandhavi...

But Aditya Chopra ? Dahlings, puhleeze. He has been gathering dust since the mushy 'Muhabbatain'

May I suggest Karan Johar ?? who knows, he might bring in the permanently tear-stained Rani(that ought to please Aditya Chopra) and may be throw in the love of my life - Bachchan Sr.

Name of the movie ? why that would be easy -

KABHI DHOOM, KABHI GLOOM !!

Meeaow....