is orkut a dying craze?

when it 1st started, it caught on like a mania. most people were addicted to it, including your's truly. but off late, i feel that the orkut craze is diminishing. there used to be a time when one would log in with anticipation that the number on the scrap counter has gone up by atleast 1. you'd keep refreshing your page with the hope that people you have scrapped have responsed and incase you are logged into gmail, " so n so has scribbled in your scrapbook" was an absolute smile inducer. and "bad bad sever, no donut for you" were words that could almost start a riot :)
But i see more and more people not using orkut anymore or atleast using it to the bare minimum. most phots albums that were choc full of the person's latest pictures are totally empty now. last scrap received shows a date more than a month ago.
is it the misuse( or the fear of misuse) of pictures? is it the monotony of just writing hellos or responding to them too much? is it the fear of revealing too much info that you may not want other friends to know about? or just plain boredom from something that we were once addicted to? Is orkut going to fade away like so many other fads??

Blockbuster online Vs Netflix

i've been using blockbuster online for the past 6 months atleast. i've used netflix in the past and even though blockbuster had a rocky start, i think things have evened out now.
ofcourse everyone has varying opinions about either, but i think i may have started liking blockie more now.
yes netflix does have a much better collection of movies and it did send out movies faster at one point, but blockie is pretty ok now too-theyve started keeping some hindi movies too, which is great for me. and the best part about it is that you do not have to wait for the next mail delivery to see a new movie. if you have a movie at home, dont drop it in the box, instead bring it to a blockbuster store and exchange it for an instore movie+ you get 1 free in store rental anyways.
yeah you do have to return that in store movie back at the store, but c'mon, how lazy are you- well apparently VERY, coz otherwise you wouldn't have signed up for movies to be delivered via mail right?? hahaha!!
but all said n done, i am very pleased with my service and even though the lure of more 'offbeat cinema' makes me think about netflix, i'm not switching anytime soon.

Family-in law

Dadi- She is the matriarch of the family, an extremely religious and loving person. She can apparently do magic with her 'shlokhas'... well i dunno about that, but she surely can do magic when it comes to the embroidery needle! She is so skilled and even at such an old age, she can thread a needle without eye glasses-can't say that about most people i know.
Her days start and end with JSK and she will like you instantly if you say that to her.



Mom2- She is amongst my fave people in the world. she has an endless passion to do different things and study various things in life. she understands me really well, being an only child herself. We share our likes for all things 'arty' and share our dislike for 'anything math'. She is a yoga teacher and now is into naturopathy. Soon she will be a celebrity with her new CD!

Dad2- He is someone I was really 'scared' of for a long time, but have realized over the years that he is just very honest and tells it like it is, so means no harm at all. He is brilliant at Math n Science in general and my husband has def. got those genes from him.I think he has an awesome personality n the only person in the world i like with a beard! I am always praying to God whenever he drives and I'm in the car... the good part is i've gotten many a thrill rides without getting on a roller coaster, hahahaha!

Sis- I remember her as a lil' kid from my visits to their home long ago though she is all grown up now. she introduced me to the world of orkut n scrapping and also inspired me to blog. I love ganging up with her to harass my hubby even though we get v few opportunities to do that. She is getting to be quite the architect with all her awards at school. We've had many a giggle fits at the expense of various people lots of times. She runs her own blog with almost daily updates.

Love

My husband is my best friend. We have been friends for close to 16 yrs now, 3 of which we've been married. He is a total geek( and enjoys being called that!) and his passion are books, computers, his website www.ibookdb.net ( he would've killed me had i not linked it here) and me(?), not necessarily in that order. He is so totally calm and composed, almost nothing gets to him. His positive outlook on life and perpetual optimism are a stark contrast to my cynicism and fears.I suppose that is why we complement each other so well. I think the only thing he fears more than anything else is the dance floor(hehehe). He is the official 'laundry man' and 'chai maker' in our house and also the guinea pig for all my cooking endeavours!
I can guarantee it that no other man in this world could ever tolerate my tantrums like he does and most definitely, he is my soulmate.

Family

Mommy n me

my mom and I share a special bond that goes beyond friendship and love. She is one of my closest friends, my confidante and my pillar of strength. She has been a task master and disciplinarian while I was growing up, has yelled her head off at me( in front of people, none the less :) when I was wrong; but at the end I know she is one person i can count on to be there for me no matter what. I miss her terribly now that I am away from home, but we talk often and she visits me every year!! She is one of the best cooks i know( and yes, everyone loves their mom's cooking, but i am not exaggerating) and I have learnt most of my basic cooking skills from her. She has such a fetish for cleanliness and I can only hope to keep my house as tidy as her's is.


Dad in clogs(Amsterdam 06)

My dad and I have a "love hate" relationship. He "loves" to irritate and bug me and I "hate" it when he does that. He is a fun loving person and would probably be travelling all year round if it wasn't for his demanding job. He loves me to bits and I can never in my life remember him refusing any of my demands. He would drive me to school, parties, heck even to college sometimes and never complained ever. He always tries to act like the big boss, but mom n I always gang up against him( hehe)!
He is self-made and extremely honest when it comes to his professional life.
I am a spitting image of him, down to the pointy, prominent nose and straight hair, alas i also got his short temper and quality of 'passing the buck' when it comes to conflicts. My mom feels I am too much like him, which is why we probably end up fighting a lot, but at the end of the day I love him.

Chile's peach orchard

'tarzan' at the peach orchard

this is an awesome place, it is a few miles outside of Charlottesville, about a 30 minute drive. it has rows and rows of peach trees where you can go and pick your own peaches in summer- the best part, you can eat them while picking them. i am not a huge peach fan, but the whole experience is really exciting.





you can also go to this place in late spring, early summer for strawberry picking! some of the most giant size strawberries i've ever seen.

thoughts

today is the absolute best day of this year! it is so sunny, warm and pleasant outside. my garden has just started to look like it has some life again. the little lillies are poking their green selves outside the soil and the sedums have sprung to life again. my vegetable patch looks like it needs work but hey! i did consume some lovely tomatoes, peppers and carrots from it last summer.


harvesting carrots


Ah! what an idyllic existence. I just read it is going to be lunar eclipse tomorrow, hopefully it wont be too cloudy and we can enjoy it.
My friend just had a baby girl yesterday!!! i am so excited to see her pictures, i never thought we'd be all mature and ready to be mommies, but i guess i was wrong!
I think i need to start painting again........no more TV viewing as the only form of entertainment.
I hope to post some amazing pictures of spring flowers from my backyard, soon.......................