California Trip - Day Four (01/19/2009) ...part 1

I could faintly hear Ruhi in the other room. She must be up early or I might be sleeping late. The latter was true in this case. After little herding around, we got everyone up. Rohit, Shital, Hrishi and Ruhi went down to get bagel from the much spoken bagel shop. Sumeet was talking about this bagel shop from the time we reached Irvine. Shital too was excited about it.   

Meanwhile, Asawari and I set up the DVD player to get her play the nursery rhymes on the television. Neel was happy with the videos and Sumeet was singing to Neel. I have to tell you something about the Naagin dance that Sumeet does while singing “Twinkle Twinkle”. With both his palms interlocked, he raises his hand and in the move similar to Naagin style, he sings “Up Above the World So High…”.  Its like Seshnaag protecting Lord Krishna who is busy following his hand movement like a snake. But it works. Neel is quiet and he is busy eating his Farex like stuff (I donno what it is).   

When the Bagel party returned, they distributed the bagels to all of us. I had blueberry bagel with strawberry cream. Everyone laughed at my choice of sweet over sweet… again a Saadi me Saadi occasion. But I like it that way. Anyways, the much spoken bagel did not stand up to the hype created by Asawari, Shital, Sumeet or (A.S.S.).   

I finished my bagel and went to take a shower. When I returned, Hrishi was rolling on the floor laughing. I had missed something. Apparently, the marathi nursery rhyme “Ravivar mazaa aavadicha” was playing and Shital grooved like a kid not realizing that everyone else was watching. Hrishi captured it and couldn’t stop laughing. I cannot elaborate much as I missed that piece.   

Everyone was getting ready and Rohit for a change was one of the first ones to be ready. He was now confronting Asawari who was wasting time. Rohit then let out his Bramhastra (no.. not the gaseous one). He warned Asawari that “tyaachaa haat” and “Asawari cha gaal” were not too far apart. Asawari was ready in 15 minutes and we were off to the Laguna beach.    

It’s a beautiful place. Nice arty stores and lot of craftsmanship on shops. I love ocean side as I was brought up close to the sea. We all were brought up in a city very close to the sea (my beloved Mumbai). Sumeet was so excited that he crossed the road on “Do Not Walk”. And when we shouted at him, he came back (again crossing on “Do Not Walk”). We had nothing to say to him. We are used to it by now. We were heading to “Fish & Chips” to stuff ourself before going to the beach. Sumeet’s recommendation didn’t pay off again. The food was strictly alright. The fish and chips were good but Hrishi’s dish was undercooked. Being a connoisseur of fish, Hrishi hated it and didn’t eat anything.   

Question: Are parents really concerned about their kids? Hrishi and I wanted to test it. When Sumeet came out of the restaurant, Hrishi started running crazy with Neel’s stroller. He even banged it on something. Hrishi and I then turned to face Neel and started slapping him, punching him. Sumeet froze and then ran towards us to check on Neel. Neel was already at the beach with Rohit. Understanding the fiasco and the bakra played on him, Sumeet pretended as if he knew about it. Hrishi and I were nearly floored and were laughing to death. Choking time again for me!!! Hrishi and I then decided to play the prank on Asawari. But Asawari was smart and said that she trusts us. We would never do something like this ever. Very interesting!! We are Sumeet’s friends (as claimed by Asawari) and even then she trusts us more than Sumeet does. We walked to the beach but were still laughing over the incidence. Meanwhile, Ruhi was looking sad. When asked, Shital responded that Rohit had scolded Ruhi so she was sad. And then she said, “Rohit Ruhi la oradlaa…… ani mala pan oradlaaa”. That was a killer. Hrishi and I again burst out laughing. Shital made the same sad face that Ruhi was making. The only difference was that we cared for Ruhi; for Shital…. NAAAAAAAA   

The ocean was clean and clear. Blue skies reflected and changed the color of the sea as the light changed. Ruhi’s mood improved watching the ocean. She was fascinated by the huge waves that hit the beach and the beach sand that was soft to the feet. This was her first time at the beach. She was initially apprehensive about entering the water but soon followed her mom and dad.

Ruhi’s first steps in the water. She spread her arms to welcome the ocean and the ocean responded. It was beautiful!!

She played with her mom and both the girls were enjoying themselves. Shital was explaining her about the beach while she was just staring at the vast body of water. The cold water hit their feet and Ruhi jumped over the waves. Kids enjoy the sea and water. Although, the water was freezing, Ruhi was enjoying it. She was going nuts and wanted more. I am sure she will want to come back when its warm. A beautiful day and pretty water was refreshing for everyone.

All of a sudden, Ruhi spotted Asawari (or her lookalike in the water.. Hrishi points out to the lady in the picture on right). I don’t think that lady looked anything like Asawari, but it is said that “Mulaanchya dolyaat Parmeshwar asto”. So I will trust Ruhi’s judgement. While we were at the beach, Sumeet and Asawari were with Neel by the bench. After enjoying the beach for a while, we came back and cleaned ourselves. A nice warm day and cool beach asked for yummy ice-cream. So while rest got pastries, Asawari and I got yummy ice-cream…

The next stop was Hollywood but the people in van wanted a drive along US-1; the scenic drive. The US-1 drive is a slow 55 speed zone drive along the ocean. Knowing that the drive to Hollywood will take a while, Sumeet raised concern over this idea. However, since he was the driver, the executive decision came on to him again. Our beloved executive was now in a dilemma. If he takes US-1, then we will be late to Hollywood. On the other had, if he doesn’t take US-1, he will have to listen to bickering all his life. A huge chip on his shoulder; he had to keep everyone happy and plan appropriately. With consensus and some more discussion, Sumeet decided to take US-1 for a while and then join the freeway half way to Hollywood. Great decision and I was about to be really proud of our executive. However, we noted that the discussion had cost us 45 minutes and delayed decision making had made it possible to cut short the US-1 drive anyways.   

In the next 30 minutes drive along US-1, we saw the beach just once for less than a minute. I have no clue why we spent 45 + 30 minutes over this. I know that the road is scenic but I never saw that part of the road. Oh yes, I saw a lone standing building of Google. It is a square building with Google written on it; nothing fancy. When Sumeet moved away from US-1, we saw some high real estate areas. These were the infamous houses that have been impacted the most in the down economy. While some people made great money during the housing boom, others were doomed. Ms. Lalita Pawar (not the real name) was discussed in this respect as well some other that lightened the mood in the car after the huge let down by US-1.   

I wanted to write the next part of the journey i.e. to Hollywood in this blog. However, looking at the size of this blog, I will split the day in 2 parts. I already am out of breath laughing and I think that I need a break. The next blog will be posted soon (Ekdum “soon saiba soon” saarkha OR “as soon as soon, jail sagla dhoon tevhaa kalel”….. couldn’t resist writing this!!!.. few of the readers will understand this)   

L8r!!!