Aha- the housewife diary

Saurabh thinks that I am too active to just stay bolted inside the house. It had been only 2 days - that too a weekend and I was wondering what I should do the coming week. Yup there is lots of work lined up - fitting my 9 suitcases into 3 cupboards, furnishing and decorating the apartment and getting it ready for a small housewarming, reading books on movie making- yes I visited the institute and met a few folks there and realized that I really need to be well-prepared before I join (did I tell the classes are from 8 in the morning to 7:30 in the evening + add 1 hour of commute on both ends + add the fact that more than 12 classes missed means you are dropped out of the course!). I also want to explore the neighbourhood (Mount Mary road - my association with Mary doesnt end). My flat overlooks ocean and also balcony of old-time movie stars - Jackie Shroff and Rekha (I say that it is fraud news as I havent seen them even once in last 2 days). Neighbourhood has band-stand and bungalow of shahrukh Khan and I need to just jog in bandstand area if the sun goes easy on me. Oh how I wish the sun was a little less harsher!
I need to get internet installed - wont be done till 12 more days - as it is going to be provided by our building -it is Reliance - now they are going the comcast way - one cable provides everything- right now I am stealing neighbour's wireless (>:)). . I have maid - Samita who comes and does everything except cooking - I wouldn't let anyone else cook at my home ever but Saurabh says that once my classes starts we will need it. There is someone for ironing clothes too. We don't have a car yet and I will buy Maruti Swift pretty soon. I already have a driver though - an overly talkative Wasim (whio currently drives a taxi) - who also wants me to buy a swift or a Toyota Innova (and I dunno why). I keep wondering what he will do outside institute full day and am thinking if I should drive myself but Saurabh says better to have a driver and not deal with the mind-numbing Mumbai traffic. I also keep wondering what I will do if my maid or driver doesn't come one day. I want to be self-reliant at the end of the day.
Mumbai city is bustling with people, very fashionable (which I find very interesting), the windows of the houses are open (that is a big deal after living in closed windowed apartments for so long), there is easy access to house help, you enter a shop and 4 salesmen are ready to help you, the 1-800 numbers have started, there is craze for IPL cricket matches, the shops have salsa and chakkali placed in the same aisle, fresh juices are cheaper than that from concentrate, there is an increased realization of the fact that India is young now with all ads targeting the youth, there is heavy inflation- infact I donot let saurabh buy half of the things (sugar-cane juice is now 8 rupees instead of 5 rupees), the traffic tires you more than the actual work, the various application forms like those for mobile etc ask for father's or husband's name, there is cuckoo and peacock and early morning alarm from all the hens and cocks in the neighbourhood, you call them and they come pick up dvd and then deliver photos, call and they deliver everything under the sun, but at the end of the day the biggest difference is being able to live with someone with whom I had decided to build my nest so many years ago.

Ok- let's unpack now :).