Clearly Time is in Abundance....

I found an insanely fantastic website, which helped discover the wannabe-superpower-enabled woman in Me. And here's how it turned out - I am 'Sergeant Sharpened Barbarian' owing to choice of abilities and accessories. However, I was a bit annoyed with the limited options I had whilst designing her - I could only change hair, accessories, clothes and weapons. Plus she seems too lean to be much of a Superwoman, and I was irritated with the emphasis on the how should i put it *Bust lines*

Hence I decided the guy would be better. And he is! I could fine tune facial hair, nose, although his eyes were slightly impish. And the body *gasps* :) see for yourself. Presenting, "The Courageous Shredding Bat" [Think I could do with another name no?] Don't miss the emblem with the 'S' You want to do also? Tell me who you were!

Go here and Your welcome!

Finish Yo Food. Or Else!

Sarry Verry Mujh Sirjee! I am being a small eater :)
(Seen at Vitthal Kamat - en route to Daman)

Holla!

I went Here for the weekend! Its a direction (Towards Gujarat) Ive never driven down in before, and was mucho excited! Somehow, all previous weekend get-aways meant driving in the Pune/Mahableshwar/Matheran/Lonavla/Khandala directions with the lone exception of Durshet which was covered on the way back from Nashik one day.

First the Logistics for anyone who wants to go. 2 days max, in a good resort since there isn't much to do in town. (Except drink like its free, cause it almost is). Hence a good resort is a requirement in case of wanting to spend time indoors, (Swimming pool contributing to a fraction of activities). Its a 3-4 hour drive from Mumbai, with a few decent stops on the way. There's a Kamat for breakfast/snacks along the way which is the only restaurant I would recommend since the rest looked like halts for truck drivers.

Stock up on the booze on the way home for drinking friends and relatives, since Daman is almost like one giant Duty free shop. The Beaches are a slight disappointment, this being my first experience with black sand. Devka beach is pebbled which means not only does it look cluttered (an aside from the usual smooth as butter sandy beaches) but also, there are no activities here.

Jhampore beach is slightly better off, (picture below) with some interesting photography stunts with my new camera! I'm going to try not gloating there, but the Sony DSCT 77 is a seriously bad ass camera. And I mean this in the nicest sense of the term.

I did Horse riding on the beach! Rode this Beautifully Tall and sturdy horse named 'Chetak'. It was the first time I got onto a horse since the tenth standard when my last year of training was. (Serendipity trained in riding for 4 years whilst Dad was in the Navy. If it interest you, the fee was 25 Rs per month for alternate day, 6.oo a.m. in the morning classes for defence kids and 625 per month for civilians lol!! )

I started tentatively with the horse owner (or his little son was more like it) holding the reins alongside, but soon after asked him to let go and broke into a light trot. It was exhilarating, that tiny little pick of speed with the reins in my hand and while we didn't gallop or even canter (since the Horse is not riding trained - only drag along trained) the feeling of being on a horse, saddled up with the reins in my hand was enough to feel a rush. He bucked a few times as the trainer hit him (which I got very angry with) but he wouldn't respond to my gentle prods with my ankles, which made me feel really sad. Having said that, by the time I got off, I was rejuvenated and excited that I could get onto a horse with confidence and not feel as though its something I Haven't done in such a long time!

The resort had a small pond-like pool. (What is with these tiny pools anyway?!) The Naval pool was 10 lanes, Olympic sized and has me spoilt for life. Anything smaller and I feel like I'm swimming in a bathtub or something. It was fun for small races with the boys though. Needless to say, I won (all!) and it does wonder for ones ego. Specially when one is the only girl participating against the boys and one wins. This obviously means the Boys get the privilege of hearing this from me very often. :D

Also, FUSEBALL happened! At Mirasol . Oh, and I also played Frisbee for the first time! It took a couple of very (very very) badly placed throws to get the action right. In fact my first throw was so bad, I was made to throw in the direction of someone standing near the sea, and it STILL (bloody hell) Boomeranged its way dangerously close to disgruntled Uncle. But then, got the hang of it. Cant wait till next time! :)

Ok, In addition to Maldives, Durshet/Kolhad Rafting if your planning a trip to Daman and need info, ask!

On other developing news items, Something transpired over the course of last night and this morning and 6 followers have dropped off my blog. This, for some reason looks to be a conspiracy to me with a lot more bloggers having followers withdraw their everencouragingloveandsupport. Thats just mean no? Is there tum ting wong? :D

I just realized, I got these, from Imps mom. Hence without further ado, Thanks Imps mom. :)

I pass them on to Sunshine, Hitch, Piper, Snow, Kiran, Parul, Abhishek and Aditya Take a bow guys!

Hitch - This guy is fun. He's almost always the first to comment on most of the people he reads. how he does it is beyond me.

Piper and Snow - are recent nameless, faceless blogger friends who I have no idea why, But I really identify with! Most of their posts have me n absolute agreement! and I feel as though I almost know them!

Kiran - Is an outstanding, Inspiring woman. Met her at Indiahelps and I love her stories with the extremely adorable Krishh, who I have to say, will break a lot of hearts when grown up :)

Parul's ranting about the loss of a follower too! :) I absolutely love her slightly sarcastic, easily funny way of putting things. :D

Aditya is also a faceless blogger whose blog I first commented on since he wrote something about Regal Barista - a stone's throw from my house!

Abhishek - Look at this as stimulus to blogging again, Since thats at least one avenue to 'feel in touch'. And the Poems HAVE to make a reappearance now!

Sunshine - Your the only anonymous blogger Ive added to my F/B account or even given my real name to. Think we've been the longest blog-buddies for my blog. :)

The Taggosaurus

I got Tagged! (Kinda has the same rhyme as VH1's Ashton Kutchers Uber cool show 'You got Punked') So, since this is a first (yay) and also since the same is required of me on Facebook, when a very old school friend wrote me an adorable message whilst tagging me (Emotional blackmail), I shall go the copy paste and the killing two birds with one stone way.

I need to list 25 random things about me. (I fear that when I start rolling, I'll reach triple digits) But shall restrict to top-of-mind answers.

Anyway, This is a disclaimer - If at the end of the 25 bullet points reader deems writer too weird to satisfy societal norms, I, err, wouldnt blame you. here goes. In no order.

1. I Love my star sign. No, you dont get it, if it was normal, it wouldnt be on this list. I LOVE MY STARSIGN, and almost qualities associated with it.
2. I can Kill for Brownies AND/OR Cheesecake. Really, if you want some, get your OWN.
3. When im crossing the street, and if there's a Zebra crossing, I walk ONLY on the white stripes. If Im walking on a cobblestone/tiled pavement, Ill only walk on the odd tiles/similar shaped/colored tiles.
4. I can NEVER walk past someone begging without giving something. Ive tried, but it doesnt really work. Its another OCD I have to live with.
5. I have 5 watches. And I still want more. Watches, Perfumes, Bags and Shoes. Thats it.
6. Im not a very Dog person. The only animals I even like are Horses. (Im gonna get socked for this one no?)
7. I currently have Sony Ericcson cellphone earphones plugged in my Ipod.
8. Until a year ago , The only perfumes I ever owned (and bought) were Mens. I am now the proud of 3 womens perfumes which were gifted to me :D
9. I started crying at a birthday party when I was 8 cos the FIRST gift i ever won at (ANY) party turned out to be a wrapped plastic cockroach. The next gift I ever won was 5 bottles of Citra in kids housie.
10. If You tell me a ghost story/ If I watch a creepy movie/scene, I wont get sleep that night. (or a few after that too)
11. I have had braces TWICE and my teeth are still having a party playing musical chairs.
12. I love babies. I could have some serious babykidnapping symptoms specially if i encounter a particularly cute one.
13. I tend to be jack of all, Master of none. I played basketball, badminton, swam, did horse riding, sailing and surfing in summer vacations every year, but never excelled majorly in any of them. The line stopped at good.
14. I had to take 15 injections in the sole of my foot (Interferon) for stupid warts that never even hurt, but bugged me when I looked.
15. I am a sticker for being a good host. So much so, Ill spend half my time out of the room catering to random requests.
16. Damn, I still got 9 to go. Will cleverly disguise randomness in one point so as to have one less muhahaha
17. I used to get my hair cut along with my Dad at A1 Gents Parlor till I was in the 6th standard. I suspect not many people in the parlor figured I was a girl cause my clothes of choice were ONLY shorts and T Shirts. Now I have a near waist length Mane.
18. I 've been Bald Twice in my life.
19. I secretly want grand romantic gestures (even in a little way) to be sprinkled along the course of my life. Romantic movies make me dreamy :D
20. I Hate most women drivers. (Sigh. I know)
21. I Hate when a guy thinks he's better than me. In any aspect.
22. At gym, Two women told me they liked my butt. I responded with an embarassed cough and an equally random 'You should try squats with the bar + 40 pounds' and shuffled away.
23. I need alone-time. If Im out all day, or at a party late night, I still need to come home and just spend some time with myself. Listening to music, looking out the window or even just doing nothing. I hate someone joining me for a jog. If I see someone I know, I discreetly try to switch directions. (is this two points?)
24. I was Memory game champ in an Interschool Delhi school competition in the 1st standard. I won a bicycle, a tea set and some cash. My mother won the award for 'Most supportive parent', courtesy a picture taken of her looking ridiculously nervous, standing next to my table when it was the final game. I on the other hand, was looking impatient (Get this over with and feed me people types).
25. Contrary to initial opinion, I actually enjoyed this tag and sincerely hope that you'll dont abandon me :)

Okay, so heres the problem - I have to Tag 25 people! I dont even know 25 people who wont think its weird I'm tagging them, or kick my butt for doing so. Nevertheless, here are the ones I want 25 utterly random things about -

Piper, Snow, Aditya, Rockpsyched, The Nomad, The Lonewolf, Smita, Abhishek, Imps mom, PJ, Perplexed, Jack, Mumbai Diva and Sunshine for now.

Please oh please pick it up, its only fair. :D and of course, let me know when you have and all that. Cheers!

Parenthood is not for kids

Alfie Patten, Age 13. With his BABY.

source

These are Images of Alfie Patten, Father to a young baby Maisie, conceived when he was 12 with his 15 year old Girlfriend.

This could easily be the pictures of a boy with his newborn sibling. But unfortunately it isn't so. In an incident that's sparked worldwide outrage, this UK based couple decided to have their baby (and were happier for it) a month ago. If that isn't enough for my conservative (Indian?) mindset, two more boys age 14 and 16 respectively have laid claim to the baby, stating that they could very well be the fathers. A DNA test is now being conducted on the three, to determine which child is in fact, the father of the baby.

Alfies father - Dennis (45) split from his wife after an affair with a 19 year old, and is reportedly the one who has advised Alfie to have a DNA test since "That's the only way to settle this".

Facts stated. Now. Such a horrific incident just brings to light the shambles that parenthood in some foreign countries is. This, in retrospect makes the Indian conservative married society and mindset seem like a blessing. The boy looks 8. E-I-G-H-T. I remember my own brother at 13, which was just 2 years ago. This is not even an age that s*xual organs are fully developed, let along the mental daring to go the whole way. Where has the innocence gone? For crying out loud, when asked how he will support his baby Alfie said he gets 'Pocket Money' of 10 pounds sometimes. It just gets worse and worse with speculations that Chantelle was having s*xual relationships with close to 8 boys at the time of conception. The mother however, trashes allegations asserting that her daughter lost her virginity to Alfie.

At 15, in my opinion even SHE is not ready to be s*xually active. For sounding like one old prude, I don't apologise. I see this incident as horrific, and disturbing. Alfies father has 8 siblings and seems to be supportive of this incident, in fact making money of it. Alfie is being paid 5 figure sums for interviews and the parents are caught in legal battle over who will get how much money.

Deemed to be a dampener on Britain's expensive s*x education theory, this just brings to light that kids today are far too exposed, blame it on the media, parents themselves, society as a whole or even the gradual breakdown of the wholesome family model. Its when you watch a popular show like Boogiewoogie and see a 5 year old gyrate (albeit very gracefully) to the likes of 'Kaanta lagaa' or other s*xually explicit popular songs number, that you know that cinema and media infuse s*xuality and vulgarity in the minds of our very young generation.

As i write this, a colleague comes to me with todays edition of the mid day with another scandal reminiscent of the Delhi school scandal with the 9th std school girl. India isn't far from all these scandals, I think we're just a little more discreet. we wouldn't proudly let our 13 year old son be photographed proudly with his son, we'd be hiding in shame and preparing to send him to boarding school or somewhere far away, whilst denying any rumours that allege the same. wont we?

I'm so shaken up right now, that I think I'm just going to hit 'Publish' and come back later with a little more focused, coherent vent.

A Certified Monica

Folks out of town? Maid On leave? EMPTY HOUSE? Sounds like Party time innit? :D

A-L-M-O-S-T.

Serendipity was recently diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive-Clean ship coupled with Extreme-neurospecific-guest-entertaining-feeding syndrome reminiscent of Monica-Bing.

Cleanliness is next to tiredness she thinks.

The occasion was - The empty house. It seems to be a magic word. No sooner had I said 'My folks are gonna be out of to..." than calls were made, people invited and type and quantity of drinks decided. (Food is an unimportant detail, apparently). People came from near and far, to join in the revelry that is the departure of parents for a brief stint. (Long live out-of-town marriages).

The evening arrives. Enter Serendipity along with four hungry friends. There is obviously nothing readily available to eat at home, so hungry looks and cute faces from the other three prompt the removal of Venky's ready to fry chicken cutlets with some mayo and bread. simple enough.

Enter friend number 2. Hungry as can be. (By now the dishes used for aforementioned snacks have been washed, cleaned, kitchen platform wiped). Out come more dishes, more cutlets and more wiping and cleaning. Once the process is complete, Enter wife of friend number 7 (whose not come yet). and the WHOLE ALGORITHM is repeated.

Remove-fry-wash-serve-clean-wash-dry-Replace.

Enter the last of the expected - friends 7 and 8. HUNGRY. (Surprised?)

Algorithm repeats.

One might ask why 8 hungry people were not anticipated. They WERE. the minute I had walked in home, had promptly ordered starters and food for everyone which naturally would take about 30-50 mins to be delivered. That 8 hungry as f*ck people are gonna land up in the space of 10 mins DYING of hunger wanting immediate gratification was one of those situations beyond control. In the midst of all this mayhem, there was also a dropping-and hence re-doing incident which I have not elaborated on.

Anyway, the evening proceeded with a lot of fun being had, jokes being cracked. (no breakage was reported), and Serendipity rushing to wash each dish the PRECISE INSTANT it was being placed in the sink.

Lol. All in all, it was fun. Friends over always is. Semi-Drunk friends? Even better!

And What you did on Valentines? Tell tell!

Kids say the Cutest things!

My little nephew, all of 5 years old came over this weekend. He's recently been given spectacles to rid a pesky squint, which although made him look very adorable, broke my heart at the same time spectacles at such a young age? =(

Anyway , in accordance with the sophistication and pseudo intelligence that spectacle wearing people (usually) emanate, he asked sincerely -
"Mom, should I be wearing my spectacles on the potty as well?"
My cousin is his validator for all doubts in life, guess all moms’ are. When I told him my car is faster than his, he looked at his mum with BIG sad eyes and asked 'No Na? Ours is the fastest in the world na?'

Reminds me of a few stories of my brother pre-spectacles. It started off with complaints from the class teacher that he was not completing his class work (in addition to incomplete homework), and when asked about it, he would very dramatically hold his head in pain and say 'I cant see the board' or 'My head aches', which unfortunately for him was a case of Boy who cried wolf. He seemed to have used the excuse little too often on my folks, who reprimanded him for his tardiness.
It was only my mother’s instinct that said 'What if he's telling the truth' that he got taken for tests - which indeed showed a slight number.

After which proceeded 4 days of trying to find a pair of spectacles that conformed to both the tricky conditions of socially acceptable (read: Considered Cool and hip) for my brother as well as conservative (read: No jhatak matak) for parents. Did I also mention budget? They needed to be cheap because of the frequency of replacing which was very accurately diagnosed by parents (How do they know kids so well??!). The first pair was sat on, second run over, third fell while playing football, fourth got stolen at boarding (how?!), fifth stopped being cool, sixth was left behind in the train and so on.

Having said that, he's a cutie. Working older sister situation is well and truly taken advantage of. Mom and Dad are for school fees, Uniforms, food and shelter and other such basic necessities of life. Sisters are for the more lavish extravaganzas to name a few - PSP (Playstation portable : Rs. 8,500 currently), Birthday treats (Movie at a multiplex for more than a half dozen kids with food before, after AND in between) and Nikes, Pumas among other expensive brands which parents readily replace for the more practical Power and Bata, but don’t now because they hate the "Rolling eye motion" which has been perfected from daughter to son.

I miss him. When I sent everyone in my mailing list this article, I marked a copy to him as well, since I realized he's grown up enough and has his own email id. Last evening when I spoke with him after nearly 2 months, he told me he loved it, and HE'S PROUD OF ME! My 15 year old baby brother, 9 years my junior is proud of me. And what a wonderful feeling it is.
He's due to give his boards this March -- and I wish we could be there for him during this very crucial time, Since we cant, Just gonna pray for him and hope he makes it. NDA awaits...

Luck by Charm!

Review time! We watched Luck by Chance last evening at the newly opened (and very plush) PVR Phoenix. First things first, I LOVED the movie, in fact all four of us who had gone, did.

Luck by Chance is First time feature director Zoya Akhtars offering. It shows a very realistic, no holds barred sneak peak into the life and times of actors, producers and film set crew. Although not so harsh as Page 3 or Fashion, this movie lets you in on what a newcomer trying to make a break into the world of films has to endure. The pace of the movie could seem slow to a few -- we're usually accustomed to the frantic pace and fast forwarding of events in commercial cinema. Not here, no. The director takes us step by step, engrossing us further and further until you don't even realize how long its been since you entered the theatre.

The story - simple, realistic, charming and well portrayed. It just strengthens the 'Good movies need good script' mantra critics have gone sore trying to teach the likes of Akshay Kumar and a few other top heroes who bask in the glory of 25 day collections made by high end marketing and promotion, but scripts that don't even need a mention. Why movies like 'Singh is Kingg' or even 'Rab ne ..' garnered so much attention and were declared 'Extraordinary' blockbusters is beyond me.

Coming back to this movie. Farhan Akhtar is effortless as as actor, very laid back and comfortable in his skin. This translates into a very subtle, yet impacting performance as one really begins to believe he is a struggling newcomer in this movie. And that's really the best part abut this film, each character carries off his role as though they've simply been filmed in real life, no one really feels as though they're acting. Konkona comes in with yet another completely adorable character, and fills it up with her simple charm. Shes put on a little weight, which is very visible in the film, but for some reason (I love her), I think its adorable.

Rishi Kapoor and Juhi are really cute... I think Juhis outfits (and hair styles) et all are a little over the top, but I'm guessing the character demanded it. Two of my favorite dialogues in the movie are (Farhan Akhtar to Isha) "You live in a cake" and (Rishi Kapoor) "He's a vulcano of telent" (no, there was no typo there :)) Dimple has EXQUISITE Indian wear and her bags are simply Dee-lish. If anyone (specially bag freaks like me) have noticed, her yummy Hermes Birkin in Burnt Orange and Large LV are unmissable :)

The only Link I missed in the movie was the role of Farhan's critical friend (the theatre actor) whose name I forget now. After the scene when the studio girl pushes his photos, there is no mention of it, hence I'm not sure where that even fit into the plot. I'm guessing it didn't. All in all, an enjoyable film, and the best part was the lack of songs. There's only one...the others are just woven into the movie/as background scores and don't bother you much. Go watch!

If anyone's into plays at all, I watched 'Murder on the Menu' last weekend, and LOVED IT! Cant tell you much, but I will tell you this - There's a murder, and as an Audience, your involved in guessing whodunit. A Fantastic script, and wondreful actors bring it all together in a 2 hour experience you wont regret! Its gonna be in Mumbai again on the 20th of Feb, so if u can make it, GO.

Priceless?

Without a doubt.
All roaming around on Marine drive. Started with me wanting to buy this one kid a packet of chips for fun, and while we began walking to the store, were joined by 2 -3-4 finally 6 kids in all.

They were all very clear on which flavor and brand they wanted. "Chittoz" yelled one while another wanted "Kukure". Not to miss the little boy on the extreme left whose name is 'Sehwag'.
Adorable little guy, covering another little punt of the same height, who could pass of his brother. Walked hand in hand with The Nomad and I to buy the chips.

Also, Sehwag and the kids in this picture are too little, but a few older kids we treated too (not in picture) were tellign us about 'Hamara Footpath'. go, have a look and if you have the time and dedication, you can get some happiness for free. Also, the chance to give loads away.

What with the Recession and all....

PIPS* WILL BE CHIPS :(

(* Performance Incentive Program Payments - Salary component, usually over and above amount mentioned in CTC, depending on performance of company, team, individual etc)

Fed Ex vs. Rafa last evening. Clash of the Top two seeds in the world of Tennis. Conversation with Mom just before the Match -
Me - "So, Mom whose side are you on?" {Mom's a DIE HARD Federer Fan}
Mom - " Federer, But Nadal has been playing so well, and its commendable how much of a challenge he poses to Federer. (pauses for a minute) No wait, Im a Federer Fan, so Federer.
(Some time into the match when Nadal just wins his second set with some BEAUTIFUL angled forehand shots)
Mom - (exults with semi Yahoo type stance) "Hes playing so well no? He should just stay cool now, and concentrate on breaking Federer in the first 2 games itself."
Me - "err, whose side are you on?"
Mom - "Nadal!"
Rangbadlu girgit type side switching detailed above continued throughout the match. When the game was at a crucial 2 sets all (and unfortunately we were out) but when told, she had an incredibly perplexed "Oh no, whom to support look now" with so much sincerity that I pinched her cheek and found her ultimately cute.
*************************************************************
Rafael, your cute. I like how your Racquet matched your wristband which matched your headband which in turn matched your shoes, which were contrasting your shirt very well. It brought our your tanned, even skin perfectly. Having said that, PLEASE wear better underwear. It was truly painful to see you undo wedgies every time it was your serve or 4 minutes, whichever came sooner.
*************************************************************
Here's a fair warning. At a party, If you take it upon yourself to order shots for a half a dozen people (or more) at a party, ASK THEM IF THEY WANT IT. Specially if said shot were to cost 400 bucks a piece, and taste like bitter bathwater and needs to be washed down with sprite.
*************************************************************
I just did this. And it turns out that my top three Qualities are Confidence, Openness, Extrovertism and Empathy. Which is true, but what about My great sense of humor and looks? GAHH. :)
Also, it said semi-high masculinity (68%) so i now have an official statistic to prove tomboyishness. err, anyone think i ought to be ashamed of this? hehehe
And you, reading this, DO IT! But, please to be making sure that 20 minutes are free since the quiz has long introspecting questions and 11 pages. Don't say I didn't warn you.
*************************************************************
You know that feeling when a client calls you up and RUSH RUSH RUSH this job is so urgent and time lines are so critical and then out of dedication to duty you work work work and get job done in condensed amount of time, only to mail said client and you get an out of office reply?
"I (client) will be out of office until the 15th of February with no access to mails and blah"
Aren't they just peachy?
*************************************************************
Last Sunday, the three girlies J, U and I sat for an hour and a half discussing travel plans (which I fear shall remain in exploratory phase only) to very ambitious (and out of budget) places like Ireland, Gold Coast, Ibiza, Bali and such. If any kind soul in aforementioned places would like to offer us help (stay, food and money lol) and advise, please feel free to do so. Also, European readers (if any) please to offer backpacking help which shall be reimbursed on your trip to India (or something).
Knowing trip above may not work out, I went ahead and made plans for Leh Laddakh with N. Leddus see where I go finally. Leddus hope I go SOMEWHERE finally.
*************************************************************
The Nomad and Serendipity met before their Indiahelps meeting very ambitiously to grab a soup and sandwich before. We called the Soup Watermelon Juice and the Sandwich was called an 8" Veggie Delight pizza.
*************************************************************
And I leave you with that. And this - :)