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 :-)