Bagging for more!

The Louis Vuitton Mahina XXL 4,210.$
Louis Vuitton Mahina XL 3,360$

*shudders at the thought of converting the costs above into Indian Rupees*

Me : Mr Banker Man, I need a loan.

Banker Man : Sure Ma'am, let me take a look at your financial assets.

(After a few hmm's and critical glances)

Banker Man : This looks all right, Now what kind of loan do you need? Home, Car?

Me : (sheepishly) err, I need to buy a bag.

Banker Man: (sound of pistol going off)

Unusually reminiscent of my childhood I am. A few conversations with an Uncle (Dads course mate - Batch of 1978) from the Navy and his wife have sent me down memory lane. And what wonderful memories to be reminded of!

I had the bestest upbringing. The Navy way. Of saying 'Good Morning and Good Evening' instead of 'Hi Uncle', of waiting for the Kraft cheese and Sausage tins from the monthly ration, of cycling down to IMSC (Integrated mess and sports complex) each morning at 6, only to be back home at noon after a morning of Badminton and swimming and piano lessons!

Of using short forms like NOFRA (Naval Officers Flats and Residential Area) to USC (United services club) and SNOFS (Senior Naval Officers flats) and attending functions like Beating the Retreat at Gateway where the country's best Band plays (The Naval Band), and Navy Ball where the sweaty stinky boys you usually play b'ball and badminton look like handsome young men in tuxedos and blazers and ties and girls are as pretty as can be. It was also when i was asked by a 'boy' for my first dance. Albeit in front of my folks and flustered as i was, i managed a meek 'but I'm leaving with my parents'. Never mind that I had played out a scene of a handsome young man asking me for a dance and Suave sophisticated lil me will gracefully offer him my hand with a flirty swish of my hair, and the delicate whiff of my perfume will just graze his nose...lol. But still given a 15 year old girl i did pretty well with the 'err i gotta go thanks for asking'

Its of Navy buses and Route no 5 which was mine, where the driver knew my dad and the liftmen knew my dad and the watchmen and the sailors and everyone knew my dad. Everyone respected my dad. In the Navy, every ones known for his work and his designation--- and he earns it in respect. That's a big difference in that life and this. In this life, you are what you are by where you buy a flat and which car you drive. In that life, you are what you are by what you do and how you command respect. Till date we have sailors and juniors and seniors who still respect him the same way. Its that lifetime of honour and awe and dedication that others displayed then, and display now that my dad will keep harvesting. . Its like Pension, with no money... but so much more.

Its of living in the best part of Mumbai, where each tree is painted red and white near the roots and has a count, where each building would get painted nearly each year right before Navy Week. Its about celebrating Navy day with your birthday, and feeling like all the ships are celebrating too. Its about first being Commander so and so's daughter and then being yourself, which I love.
Its just percolating some of that awe down to yourself.

Some people refer to me as 'Commander' jokingly, little knowing that to append that title to a persons name he spends close to 20 years of his life dedicated to the line of duty, with family and self coming second to loyalty to his job and integrity to the country. I would tell them I don't like it one bit, that they have no right to call me that simply because I don't deserve it, and neither does the title to be used in that light, but they wont understand... You need to feel it, or you wont get it.

Its in the uniforms, from the white sparkling shoes to the cap and the brass baton which was a weekly chore assigned to me. To be polished to a mirror shine with brass-o and a rag each Sunday morning. After which I must proceed with bucket of water and another rag to Maruti 800 (1988 model) and Bajaj scooter and my very own bicycle for their weekly wash. The best part of this was being seen walking to the garage and uncles and aunty's looking at me in admiration and passing on praise to my folks. Of course I rubbed it in and scrubbed extra hard when the car was parked outside the garage when people could actually see. and extra extra hard when a certain crush would be standing at his window looking out. (Darn the standard checked shorts teamed with a white t shirt. if i had my way, i would've had on my nice new wrap around skirt =) )

Its in the simplicity, and deep rooted integrity, firm handshake, punctuality, respect for others and family, in the doing things yourself and taking pride in it, small rewards, in knowing you have to move every 3 years and still loving it, fierce loyalty and steadfast dedication to duty. Its in all these wonderful things that today's generations live their lives without...

My uncle was (rightly) of the view that today's generation is a spoilt lot. This is of course generally speaking and there are a lot of exceptions to the rule. Today's generation is brought up in a world of cut throat competition, survival of the fittest and an intrinsic hunger to grow more and more successful i.e. earn more money. This of course could branch out into another topic altogether.

My brother, 9 years my junior is currently spending his formative years in a So-Bo neighbourhood where kids as old as 7 bring their own i-pods down to play. Never mind value for money. I regret him not having the life i did. The opportunities I enjoyed, the sports i played and the view I had from my balcony. the saving grace is he wants to join the armed forces.
Fingers crossed.

I got this in my mail today. Jai Maharashtra it says.

1. We should teach our kids that if he is second in class, don't study harder.. just beat up the student coming first and throw him out of the school
2. Parliament should have only Delhiites as it is located in Delhi
3. Prime-minister, president and all other leaders should only be from Delhi
4. No Hindi movie should be made in Bombay. Only Marathi.
5. At every state border, buses, trains, flights should be stopped and staff changed to local men
6. All Maharashtrians working abroad or in other states should be sent back as they are SNATCHING employment from Locals
7. Lord Shiv, Ganesha and Parvati should not be worshiped in our state as they belong to north (Himalayas)
8. Visits to Taj Mahal should be restricted to people from UP only
9. Relief for farmers in Maharashtra should not come from centre because that is the money collected as Tax from whole of India, so why should it be given to someone in Maharashtra?
10. Let's support Kashmiri Militants because they are right in killing and injuring innocent people for the benefit of their state and community..
11. Let's throw all MNCs out of Maharashtra, why should they earn from us? We will open our own Maharashtra Microsoft, MH Pepsi and MH Marutis of the world
12. Let's stop using cellphones, emails, TV, foreign Movies and dramas. James Bond should speak Marathi
13. We should be ready to die hungry or buy food at 10 times higher price but should not accept imports from other states
14. We should not allow any industry to be setup in Maharashtra because all machinery comes from outside
15. We should STOP using local trains... Trains are not manufactured by Marathi manoos and Railway Minister is a Bihari
16. Ensure that all our children are born, grow, live and die without ever stepping out of Maharashtra, then they will become true Marathi’s

And they Say Jai Maharashtra. I cannot start to say how ashamed I am of Mr. Raj Thakrey, of our politicaians all of whom are scared stiff of this man, our Coutry who has no rights to talk of development when we educated inviduals hold innocent public to ransom like this.

I am truly ashamed. To my Non Maharashrian friends who are bearing the brunt of this, I apologise.

Home sweet Home?

I was at Bhandhardara this weekend. Its a quaint little hill station nestled among the Sahyadri Hills about 185 kms from Mumbai, 35 kms off the Nashik-Mumbai Highway.

I fell in love with this place the minute the car took a turn off the Nashik highway! The lush green farms on either sides of the narrow road your driving on, the green topped hills (which we're not used to seeing anymore) and small herds of cattle herded by a typical farmer-cowboy with the traditional blanket on his shoulder to ward off bees is a pretty sight.

The Locals in Ghoti village (which you need to pass to get there) all wear traditional Maharashtrial dhoti-kurta and Nehru cap. Women are dressed in Lugdas (a variation of sarees) and it was most enchanting to see this traditionalism prevalent just about 4 hours away from the commercial hob-nob that is Mumbai where traditions and customs have all but taken a back seat.

The view from the MTDC resort is breathtaking, the photo below was taken just a short 10 min climb down the hill from my room. The fact that there are only two paces to stay here - MTDC and Anandvan resort has ensured that this place remains non- commercial, non-tourist attraction crazy and clean.
The MTDC resort rooms are your basic functional rooms, with no frills. But at Rs. 1000 a night (deluxe) what more can you expect. The rooms that we stayed at have been recently renovated by the Mah Govt, hence we had to pay Luxury tax (!!) on the cost!

The food was really homely, if you ordered right. we ordered baingan bharta (eggplant) and dal (pulses) and pitla (a besan preparation famous in Maharashtra) and Bhakri (roti made from Jowar) and thoroughly enjoyed.

Course there was a group of people on the adjacent table experimenting with Chinese (why they were doing that is beyond me). Its like ordering a Pizza at Kamat!

After sweltering in the Mumbai heat, feeling a chill in the air in the evening and wanting to cuddle under a blanket at night felt like a welcome change.

I'm pretty much at a loss for words to describe how beautiful this place was, which has resulted in a mediocre post trying to elaborate.

Why someone would want to pay anywhere between 45-75,000 a sq foot to live in THIS (see pic below) is beyond me.

" ...When you buy furniture, you tell yourself: that's it, that's the last sofa I'm gonna need. No matter what else happens, I've got that sofa problem handled. I had it all. I had a stereo that was very decent, a wardrobe that was getting very respectable. I was so close to being complete. "

- Fight Club.

And one more..

You now know where to look when you want to buy some 'Species'. Worry not, they have all kinds. :)

We're easy to ge along with ... once men just learn to worship us :)

The problem about most blog posts is - how do I start?! The general content of the post is known since it would be about a recent conversation, the weekend revelry or the likes. lol.

Offlate, for some reason, Ive landed up having the unanswerable question type conversation - 'What do woman want?!'. A lot of perplexed (male) friends are at their wits end since they've tried every trick in the book - been every kind of guy. Mr Naughty but nice, Mr Sweet but not so sweet, Mr sickly goodygoody, Mr never-fallin-love playerboy, Mr calculated moves, Mr commitment phobic, Mr lets-get-married, Mr anyone-will-do, Mr Ill-be-nice-to-get-into-your-pants, Mr Im-confused-about-my-feelings, ETC. You get my drift, Im sure.

So what do we want anyway? Half the world seems to be obsessed with the question. Its not that difficult, really.

First of all, its not a game, women are not dolls and if she likes you, its not checkmate, or a homerun. Women dont want guys who are 'playing' them, and calculating every move. Who we're more likely to fall in love with are men who simply fall head over heels with us, with no logic and reasoning whatsoever. This isnt something you can practice - so dont try.

Its in the little things - blowing on coffee and making it cooler, a flirtatious little smile or wink here and there, having that look in your eye, remembering what we like to eat, our favorite colour, insisting on paying sometimes... Since im not going in order of importance, one critical piece of information - Each woman wants to feel sexy, and beautiful to someone. No matter if shes ugly, short, fat, pimpled, too tall, too fair, she wants to feel pretty. Women of all ages, take a look in the mirror before they leave, powder their nose, put on that little makeup, wait in anticipation for that one tiny compliment from that special someone... its one of those things. Of course, not to mistake this by thinking 'All women dress up for men', because they DONT. The ones that have a boyfriend, husband, etc (err) DO (secretly or not). Then there are ones that wont admit it. But in the end, if shes looking pretty, TELL her! Men simply go wrong in calculating too much - every move, every sms.

A certain vulnerablity in unplanned feelings is endearing. Most of them also wait for the woman of their dreams, and often the one theyll never get over to move on to another guy before they realize ' shit i love her'.

We like the man BEING the man - insist on footing the bill sometimes (3 out of 5 would be a good ratio), buy an occasional flower, be well turned out and snappy when taking us out to dinner. Women LOVE men who take care of their physique, and pay a little extra attention to detail like - smelling great, wearing good footwear, neatly ironed clothes (I know this sounds like a lot to ask for from MOST men) But there are certain exceptions :) and im sure at least one reading this knows who he is.

More than what an average joe can accomplish has been put down here, so lets try slowly, one at a time. And then maybe we women can live happily ever after.

What I'm doing awake at this hour besides getting magnificent download speeds, and a stiff back is beyond me. Although I suspect it has a little something to do with having spent nearly half the day in medicine induced stupor. Common cold, it seems needs a combination of a 3-3-4 dose of the blue-yellow-blue-multicoloured tablets.

MANY Self prolonged random unnecessary falling-sick events have led me to visit a doctor within the first 2 days of feeling sick. This fares wonderfully in comparison to NOT visiting a doctor unless COMPLETELY miserable and then finally having to deal with antibiotics and scoldings by the new-enthused-i-was-so-right-you-shouldve-gone-to-the doc mother. (err, love u mom).

If you watched the news today, you've probably heard about the serial blasts in Tripura. Im beginning to wonder if theres a pattern here - twice a week, north-east-west-north or maybe bike-train-cycle-bike... Its just become a routine news bulletin -'Breaking news - 17 llive bombs found at xyz' or 'Breaking news - 5 low intensity bombs in xyz'. What is the Government doing about it? What is the media doing about it? What are WE doing about it?

Im sure even reporters have templated stories ready - just fill in the blank type documents.

" Bomb Blast in ___ kills___ and injures___. Bomb was found in tiffin/cycle/bike and left by two scarf/helmet/unidentified motorists. This happened in the heavily crowded area of____ at peak ___ hrs. Police are yet to identify who would be responsible for the blasts, and have so far arrested ___suspects. "

Has it really become that simple to disrupt public peace and instill fear, ACTUAL fear among us that the mention of the word 'bomb' and 5000 people got evacuated from BKC in Mumbai today, or that 150 people died of a stampede after the crowd ran amock hearing the dreaded word. Really, do we need Mr Raj T'rey to be spreading panic among Mumabikars? we seem to be doing a darn good job ourselves.

Its a matter of Public shame that our country is subject to these acts of terror, that the police continue to be clueless about how to tackle it, about how police forces and governments of various states do no work in synch towards the common cause of eliminating terror from the country. POTA is outdated - but who cares right?

As if quality of life - increased exposure to passive smoking, polluted envoirnment, stress related ailments and unhealthy lifestyles werent enough to reduce our life-span, we now need to worry about not accidentally picking up an unknown object on the road, (tiffin boxes emerging as the most threatening, who wouldve thought) or being in market places prone to bomb blasts, or tavel in trains at office hours, or being in a line at a religious site. This list shall be updated as when necessary.

The safest option emerges - staying home. If your living in Mumbai - you might want to reconsider - some buildings have a tendency to just fall apart.

Live and Let live anyone?

Happiness for free, anyone?

These pictures are taken en route my jogging track.. about a stones throw away from my house. Let me put things in perspective...this small area these kids are playing is reclaimed land, which used to be mangroves, to be redeveloped for a club house. There is a small fencing segregating the area these kids can play in from the jogging track-semi playground.

A look at the kids from elite South Mumbai families fortunate enough to be playing in the playground ... all of them would, needless to say be dressed in the best of clothes, most wearing the new fad among kids - crocs for footwear. (crocs cost no less than 800-1500 rs even in the kids range). All kids have their aayah's (maids) accompanying, and less than 3 feet away from them, monitoring their every move, fervently wiping dirty hands, cushioning a fall and other such activities within then realm of 'taking care of the child'. Each child has his or her own sand basket, skipping rope or some other fancy toy, swinging on dinosaur swings or the T-Rex slides... with neat little matching clips in hair, disney water bottles in short, each thing they own is monogrammed, branded or some form of exclusive.

The pictures of the kids above is from the slum nearby, who have made the Ganesh idol from mud, and worship it everyday with the accompanying music (provided by beating wooden sticks on stones and chants), dance around the idol. Been watching them since a few days, finally curiosity overcame and i hopped over and had a look at the Ganesh. The picture does not do justice to what these children have made. There are tiny flowers, buttons and other scrap adorning him... he's never left alone, always guarded by at least one child.

I am fascinated with street children. It takes sheer ingenuity, or possibly forceful circumstances to spend an hour playing with a broken rubber tyre or a few sticks and stones and be that engrossed, and happy.... I told these kids Id come give them printouts of the pictures upon which i was asked 'Aunty aap bhoologi nahi na?' (Aunty u wont forget right?), of course i cringed at the word 'Aunty' :) but whats there, my phone was tossed around 15 hands looking curiously at their pictures in it. These kids who on an average mustve been about years made for a truly Happy smile on my face.

When i first asked if i could take a pictue, they were a little skeptical... after all how many of us 'rich people' really bother to take notice and even spend a minute asking them their names, let alone taking pictures. Initial cynicism once surpassed, they were more than happy to pile into a photo and give me bigg grins.

It saddens me... these children are exposed to the other children in the park.. with their expensive clothes and fancy waterbottles and playing on colourful swing sets. How do you tell a four - five year old child that those swings are out of bounds? Your not allowed to swing because u live in the slum? would he even understand what rich and poor is?

Having said that, these children are content with their rubber typre hung off a tree. I didnt see a Single face looking at the park with the other children wishing he or she could be there, and for that Im glad.

I am what I am. And what I am, is careless.

After years of walking repeatedly into furniture, doors, tripping on flat surfaces, losing and misplacing things, having various other atrocities happen to hands and feet, I have come to the (un)happy conclusion that I am careless. This after a whole lot of denial and 'that was a phase', 'that was an accident', 'this wasnt my fault' and so on.

I (think) I have lost my swipe card today. (the access card for work). This comes close on the heels of me having lost my debit card 3 weeks ago. It was my good fortune that the person who found it was either an honest person who did not use it, or a foolish person who did not know how to use it. What worried me was the realization of the lost card came a whole 3-4 days after the last time I used it. (Of course, there was a reason - there always is. New wallet, money section separate from card section, cant see cards each ime i open hence didnt notice it).

That said, I got a lot of flak from people at work over my carelessness, some of which I deserved. I prided myself over being a fairly responsible person (when it comes to important things), but this is just questioning my belief . Major upheaval of one self is in order no?

One of my most famous moves is tripping on flat land. Its a patent. There is also a testimonial on orkut imploring to enrich the quality of my life by at least making an effort to tryyy not to walk into things, or have them run into me. :) But, then I was sent only like this. Defective, prone to mishaps, careless, restless blush monster.

Still still still, I cant go around losing my debit cards and swipe cards and other such important cards around like its part of my natural disposition to do so. (it is, btw). But this is a vow. a very solemn one that Im going to give this responsible, organised, documented person bit a very good shot. And this starts now. Cause one of my other great strengths is procastination. But that's another story :)

Rahoge fit, fit and fine!

Delhi - Nehru Place

A matter of Conscience

Last night as I walked out of Yoko's - a popular sizzler joint in town, something i will not forget anytime soon happened.

As we parked, just outside our car, lying on the pavement was a man drunk and passed out on the ground. I missed noticing him at the time since Mumbai is full of pavement dwellers, random people grabbing a wink on the footpath and the likes.

However, when we returned from dinner, and as I got into the car, I noticed another man opening this persons back pocket and trying to pry the wallet out. By then we (3 girls, 2 boys) were all in the car, and I had surmised that this person was trying to steal this drunkards wallet (and later i realized, shoes as well).

Since this was about one foot away from our car, this man noticed and at that time generally looked away so we dint think he was being suspicious. He also pulled his hand away from the other mans pocket (who was still passed out) which led us to believe that he could be his companion, or friend.

Once we started our car and began to pull away, I saw that this man quickly put his hand back into the drunk mans pocket, pulled the wallet out, changed into his shoes and very inconspicuously shuffled away. Seeing which i immediately almost yelled, and we stopped the car.

The drunk guy was still in an inebriated state... he would have woken up today finding his wallet (whatever little money would be inside) as well as his shoes missing. We could do nothing about it... since he was drunk, the other guy looked very suspicious,and could have had a gang, we were three women after all --- all those reasons. Still...

I couldn't get that image out of my mind for a long time - and still cant. I hope that the person who was drunk and passed out to an extent that someone could come and open his trouser button, take out his wallet, shoes and whatever he had on this person, learns a lesson and learns the limit. I also hope some luck comes his way and he doesn't have mouths to feed.

Offer me a rainbow

What is this phenomena of thinking in terms of blog posts, but when u click on 'edit posts' your face is a big white blank? In due course of time, someone should coin a term for it.

Its not even the lack of events that one has nothing to blog about. currently one would want pace of life to slow down a little as overwhelmingness could take over soon. Too much to do, too many decisions to make, too many webs to unentangle, and as is always the case, far far too less time.

What is is about inertia that just fogs your mind? I feel as though the amount of inertia is directly proportionate to the importance and time-crunched-ness of the situation. The bigger decisions and things of greater urgency I need to do, the more my usual proactive self takes a backseat.
Where is the dynamic-self-confident-sorted-out avatar when one needs it?!!

Add to that, one gets a horoscope saying "What are your goals in life? You might benefit from taking some time to write them down this week. Perhaps you'd like to find your soul mate, reach the top of your company, or lose a few pounds. But you can have the loftiest ideals in the world and not have the faintest notion of the first step to take! " Who asked Astocenter anyway. Even they know i need to figure out my life! Gah!! #$%^&@#

Add to the already unrequired inertia are things which one doesnt need - a familiar voice best left unheard, a relative with questions rather left unanswered, and conversations of matrimony when current mindspace is allergic to all of the above.

Aformentioned setbacks notwithstanding, Today I plan to make a note. Of the things I need to do. And action it. I think its my blogs fault. I used to have a diary in which I would actually write nearly each day, and make notes and pointers and felt guilty if I didnt do-a-to-do. This blog business is all public and all and then the concept is 'whats there, ill do it at some point'. no one makes me feel guilty about it. My diary was my friend. with real angry faces when i didnt do-the-to-do. lol.

So here's to 'The List'. (Currently there are two in my life - the one I will make today and the one in the book im reading - P.S. I love you.)

Why am I reading P.S. I love you? I needed to read a nice sweet book to tell me love exists and butterflies in stomach are real ... and in the first page i find out that HE DIES. Thank you Author woman. So much for my nice sweet love story, should've bought a Mills n Boon. 'A Special sort of man', 'Promise of passion', 'Love on loan' sound good to you?!! LOL!!

Driving, Drivin in your car...

If your driving me, here's a heads up on some do's and dont's. Applicable for EVERYONE.

• Dont drive at 40kmph if the road is empty. Revv up the engine and GOO! Cabbies especially, it is excrutiatingly difficult to be in a hot stuffy cab if your driving so slow that i could jog faster.
• Make sure the wipers work. In case of friends, let me work the wiper, i LOVE doing that (its a thing). If your a cabbie, just make sure the ONE LONE wiper you guys generally have only on the drivers side of the windshield is not too loose, not too tight and you dont have to prod it with a stick every once in a while.
• Always have tissues!
• If you dont have auto lock, TELL ME. Most cars today generally do, and if we (I) forget and conveniently walk out, its not our (my) fault. :)
• If your playing Music, let it PLAY! Dont rewind and forward and repeat and skip till I box you.
• In case your a cabbie, please give up on getting the EXACT frequency of the radio station, cause face it, each time we go over a speedbreaker the receptions gonna crack. Lets just go with peace and quiet. Unless its raining, in which case feel free to play old hindi songs. :)

Same sh*t, different day

U HAD to BE here to believe it. These are'nt bad resolution pictures - thats how the weather was!! Rain lovers in Mumbai - head to Lonavla/Khandala ASAP!! Of course, be sure to witness full aunty-uncle-tinku-minku type crowd, but so long as u got your little coterie with you, your set.

The expressway from the eating place at Dukes Retreat - the clouds completely shadow the hills that lie beyond.

Justttt before it started pouring and I could see this no more.
Its amazing - how a change of scenery can just put things into perspective. I came away from a small day and a half long picnic with a calm realization of the battle that lies forth, and how much introspection lay impending - and ignored.

Do we actually reach a point in our lives when past experiences shadow future endeavours? Off late I seem to have proved everyones point - that I did live in a bubble, and being too much of an optimist and hoping against hope is for fools, that ONE day I will wake up with a eerie realization - 'I'm no longer that crazy optimist I used to be, Realism and Pessimism have overshadowed my dreams and longs and expectations'

Do we reach a point in our lives that we're so scarred that every experience seems like a re-run of the past? And if it isnt, well still feel that cause once bitten, twice shy? Should you learn from past experience and guard yourself better, or should you give new people/new situations a fair chance to get to know the real, soft, unedited, vulnerable you?

If you learn from each experience you go through and figure - 'I need to toughen up' - you may toughen up so much that no one will ever reach a point that they can hurt you. I wouldnt want this.

Else, if you DONT learn from each experience and continue being the same, you'd just be allowing people and situations to get the better of you and continue hurting. I wouldnt want that either.

What about the people you hurt along the way? The people who did no wrong except allow themselves to be caught up in your mess? Can you pass it off by saying that that's their battle, just like you have yours? Or should you not have allowed that person to get caught up in your entangled, entwined mind?

Where's that fine line? Between holding on to youself and letting go? Between loving someone and falling in love? Between learning from the past and looking forward to the future? Between being independent and fiercely guarded to learning to depend and share? I would really like to cross over to the other side....

Lets go!

Offer valid till stocks last?!!

I cannot be resigned to an occurence, event or state of being.
I cannot not have Butterflies in my stomach
I cannot align myself to forces of nature other than the ones I choose.
I cannot stand a calm unruffled serene existence (although i would crave one)
I cannot not be fiercely determined to want all my 'things'**
I can only be foolishly in tune with that little voice inside my head that will revolt against the sensiblest of ideas, and walk into complete disarray, defying all odds.
I can only be strong enough to deal with whatever the hells thrown at me
I can only be unnervingly independent cause in the end, its just me.

And I can know all the above and know that Ill be ok. Either which ways.

There's a lot to be said about intuition - that little voice in your head that sometimes is right against all odds. I find that somehow, when I fall back on that 'Gut feel' Im somehow always right.

Understand it, I cant. Sometimes when all the odds are in my favor, and it seems like nothing could go wrong, I'll be doubting the outcome. 'Come on, your being paranoid', or 'Your being too much of a realist' are rationale offered to my uneasiness on accepting a situation by friends and family. After all, they've got reason, logic and facts on their side, whereas all ive got is a measly little 'But I Have a Bad feeling about this'. Explanations none, reason facts and logic even lesser.

People who explain things algorithmically fail to factor in the 'You-never-knows'. The flow of Your a good person? If yes ----> Good things will happen to you does not always apply. In fact, there are two categories of Good people - Good people to whom good things happen and Good people to whom good things happen after much ado and heartbreak, trials and tribulations. Fondly also called the 'Aa Bail Mujhe Maar' , loosely translated as 'Im right here wild bull, come n get me, Im even waving a red flag for you'category.

Ive seen Daddy go through it - a simple thing like a formality to be completed or a form to be filled... 7563485875 people ahead of him would get through with ease, and he'd get stuck since the person decided to be on a 3 month leave or some frivolous reason. Albeit, it would get done but was everything he had to go through even fair? We once celebrated a promotion since we got inside news from top quarters ... which fell through due to some highly placed politics. Honesty and Integrity were shown their true place in this world where time and again I realize we need to include selfishness, shrewdness and rid naivete of all forms from our portfolio of emotions.

I'd say I take in after him, and If someone can describe me as having even a third of the qualities he has, I'd be over the moon. His devotion to duty, deep rooted integrity, civic sense and strength of character have always made me in awe of him, and always will. That said, Im also as impatient, restless and lucked out as he is. Ive never known what it is like to have something 'easy' - be it grades in school, love, friends, or even a childish thing of winning a prize. The closest Ive come to winning a 'Prize' was 5 bottles of Citra at kids housie :) Mistake this not, it is not self pity that makes me write this, it is simply something unforgettable! (and funny)

I just need a little luck, a little break from tumultous situations and a little stretch of smooth road for a while, for sometimes even the strongest of minds and hearts wears thin.

Of alcohol induced bonhomie

This weekend started out itself with a brilliant friday evening - and since I had a couple of events lined up for saturday as well as sunday I knew I was in for a tiring next coupla days.

'Made of Honour' was my weekend fiesta initiation. The movie is mostly flat with Patrick Dempsey being the only thing worth watching about it. Ok no, make that two things, there's a scene in the movie when he kisses Hannah (his best friend) that made my stomach plummet to my ankles or thereabout. [I'm wondering if im old enough to stop being flippy about these things?]

Dinner was at Ivy Lounge, with a glass of Merlot-something. I like this place, though I wish the inside was as nice as the outside. I have a theory about wine being had in a slightly dimly lit place, with mellow music and a nice companion. Its kind of an intimate drink, in my opinion.

Saturday night saw Serendipity at 'Shiro' - a lounge bar/club type place, with FANTASTIC ambience. Its a go-in-a-big-group or go alone with someone-you-have-so-much-fun-with-you-dont-care-whose-around type place. They serve a nasty Mojito, in a tall glass, no less which can make a happy person veryy happy. Add to this the house music they were playing and it all culminated into a brilliant time. The only bad move being some alcohol induced decision of 'Lets go to Bling' at 2.30 a.m. in the morning. There were all of 2 people not drunk, myself included and two cars so apparently since we had non drunk drivers = number of cars, we had problem solved. [except the tiny detail of Bling being at Andheri, and Shiro being at Worli, and most of us living in South Mumbai].

4-5+ Drinks raises enthusiasm levels to off the scale limits, hence we all set off, reached Bling at 3.15 to find out it would cost us about 3 grand a couple to enter. Did we enter? YOU THINK? Got home that errr morning at a shameful hour, only to be asked by mom the next day 'Beta what time did u come in home last night - 3?' and I dutifully nodded my head apologetically , all the time thinking (phew, im glad that wasnt an open ended question, had she waited for me to answer, i'd have had to tell her 4.30!!)

Sunday was spent playing Taboo and Jenga among most of the guys who were stull hungover from the previous night, and who were (wonder of wonders) still drinking. Im a sucker for board games - Pictionary, Taboo, Monopoly, Jenga are my favorite favorite party games YET. If there were any words to elaborate how much ive laughed and the ridiculous things these boys have said in their half drunk stupor, i would. Until then.

Cyanide and Happiness!

"Intimacy is a four syllable word for, "Here's my heart and soul, please grind them into hamburger, and enjoy." It's both desired, and feared. Difficult to live with, and impossible to live without"
- Dr Meredith Grey

Edit - Completely Yearning for Season 4. Have watched until episode 6. Does anyone have the remaining? :)

Semi adventure sport # 2

Like completely overexcited, impatient fools who got carried away with the weekful of rains last week, we planned a trip to Durshet. Its a small forest Lodge close to Khopoli, that encloses close to 43 acres of land. Its a beautiful contrast to the cemented, commercial getaways we're generally used to. There was no television, cellular network or vehicles.

For once, you could hear the sound of yourself breathe, look out of the room and see an expanse of greenery and nothing beyond. The only spoiler (and what a spoiler it was) was the small teeny meeny itsy bitsy fact that IT DID NOT RAIN. However, the weather was overcast, cloudy and kept manipulating us into thinking that it will, in fact rain. But it did'nt. Darn it. Darn and Double darn.

source

The picture above is of the river Kundalika - where three of us from the group that had gone, went rafting. A must-do if u like thrills. Add this to the snorkelling we did at Maldives and im slowly striking off things i want to do from my list of 'Things i Have to Want to Must do'.

source

Its a whole lot of fun, although not life defying as we had expected it to be. As one of the people in our group said ' At no point were my balls in my mouth' lol. For the crass language, i apologise :). The rapids had interesting names -'Johnnie walker', 'Morning headache', 'Butterfly' etc. Our guide too, was the right combination of fun, serious, dispensed a lottt of information about the place and the sport which was good to know. The coolest part was jumping off the raft and into the river and swimming alongside for a nearly a km or two.

The drive to this place is absolutely picturesque, its as though your driving through small villages which have been untouched by technology and modern life. The roads are surrounded by lush greenery on both sides, and the other vehicles (!!!) will be the occasional meandering cows.

Did i forget to mention that like last time, im Tanned AGAIN?

Sunny side up

Must accredit the picture to my cousin who clicked this at Juhu beach...

We turn one year old today. This blog was born out of a long initial inertia to having someplace to take my thoughts. The Nomad, and I decided its high time so we set deadlines, and promised each other we wouldnt miss. And Serendipity was born. Why Serendipity? Why All that Jazz? She loves the word, hates the movie. Its got the right amount of enigma, can be understood with a romantic connotation if one wished, among other reasons. And thats what life's about isnt it? A little bit of heartache, a lot more fun, highest highs and low lows and all that jazz.

So heres to another year of being creepily moody, hormonal, brownie loving, incurably romantic, nostalgic and embarassingly crazy.

Of being there...and doing that.

Overrated and badly edited it was, but I came away from having watched Sex and the city very mellow. Was thinking to myself - 'Do I have a Charlotte or Miranda in my life?' The intense love and unquestioning caring between these women is the kind of friendship dreams are made of.
The scene where Charlotte hugs Carrie and doesnt let Big get near (on the road, right after the almost wedding) that sheer anger in her voice when she says 'NO', that assertive protectiveness in the way she held Carrie, that intense hurt she showed, gave me goosebumps.

I love the bond these women have, I love how 'each other' took precedence above all else, how everything is unimportant enough to ensure that they were there when Carrie needed them. 'Its the Movies' I KNOW! But by now its established that im a foolish foolish girl with stars in her eyes who still believes in romance and prince charming and all the other ghastly untruths of the world!

I loved the unthanking, assumed and seemingly routine way the love and friendship would be exhibited between these women, that there was no doubt Carrie was going over to Mirandas dressed in Pj's in the middle of the night, the undoubtability of these actions really struck a chord with me.

I LOVED that they love each other with so much passion, thats the only way love is meant to be loved. With a crazy intoxicating logic defying all encompassing execution of seemingly mundane things. Somewhere we're a lot more calculated, a lot less giving and even more held back....

Last evening i spent a few hours with someone who, thanks to my advice, Didnt hold back. he now regrets it, thanks to some confused woman who isnt sure what she wants. He asked me once -'What did i do wrong?' and i was B-L-A-N-K. The price hes got for being there, going ALL OUT, and giving her the benefit of doubt when she was acting like a kook is a broken broken heart. somewhere i blame myself, and my ridiculous theory of filmy romance. Maybe i ought to have asked him to play the game. Maybe i ought to learn to play the game myself.

That place

*sigh*

Wants, Needs and all the unnecesary accompanied reasons

I need shoes. Here are the top reasons why. (Let it be known that there are more, however in view of consumption of blogspace and saving of bullet points etc, I shall jot down only the most important ones).

1. Because i have only 2 pairs of stilettos now and one of them is really old.
2. I recently bought 2 really cute pairs of shorts and other than sneakers, have no other shoes that will GO.
3. In the last 3 weeks, two pairs of work flats BROKE. and I got only 1 replacement.
4. The stilettos at Nine west Called out to me
5. Ive always wanted a pair of really cool to-die-for Puma's. And if a guy friend validates that a pair of shoes is nice, imagine HOW NICE they must actually be!
6. I dreamt i owned the shoes in question
7. They're not shoes, they're a whole new me.
8. Because Rainy season's here and we ought to celebrate no?
9. The Ash moved to Kol and I no longer have anyone who convinces me into buying shoes i dont need. I mean i need.
10. Because ballet shoes look terrific on my feet. They told me.
11. Im a shoes and bags person. Also watches, perfumes and clothes. Which indicates i should be buying these things in quantities more than the average woman else i would be defying the definition. I wouldnt want to defy the definition now would I?
12. Its the 4th of June
13. After looking at these I had sweet sweet dreams.
14. My toes will be painted this weekend and deserve pretty shoes.

Good judgement and logic generally accompany most decisions. Hence i also made a list of why i should NOT BUY new shoes.

1. I am slightly broke.
2. errrr

Argghh. Why couldnt I have been born a guy. I would've owned a pair each of the following shoes in the following colours.

1. Black work shoes
2. Sneakers in Black, white or blue
3. Chappals in a colour that doesnt matter cos theyre chappals.

Coincidences anyone?

IT RAINED YESTERDAY!! And I, as someone rightly put it.. was in the right place at the right time. No coincidences this time, NO SIREEE! I was MEANT to be out when it rained first, it was a deal we'd made. Oh Joy!! Ive waited waited waited for it to rain again, and was counting down until it did!

Standing in the awning of Pheonix mills, i could barely contain my excitement. This thrill spread from head to toe.. i wanted to run into the rain, get soaked, splash into puddles, hug someone, yell out loud, get wet, get dry, go mad, wash off the past, bring in the new and top it off with a swiss hot chocolate from Barista. (with whipped cream on the side)

Never mind that this morning the sky is clear as clear could be, the excitement built up in me will tide me over for the next few days at least. Or when it begins to fade, maybe god can send me a shower :)

Ive done it before.. again and again and again ... talk about how much I LOVE the rain!
Its a complete treat for a romantic like me. The clouds which spell gloom and lethargy for some, mean dreamy, ecstatic fun for me. I left a lot of things undone the last rains, (somewhich i know will remain undone, for those are FAR too dreamy), but im determined to-do the others this time around. So here's my checklist -

• Sit at Marine Drive in the midst of a complete downpour, then walk down to Pizzeria and have a hot deep dish pizza.
• Sit in the corner window of a bookstore while it pours outside with a nice cup of chaii. How i wish Chabar had a window view, for they have brilliant ginger chaa.
• Drive down to Lonavla and back the same day. In all fairness, this was done the last time around too, but there are some things that just need to be repeated.
• Go to water kingdom on a rainy day. yipeee! MUST DO
• Spend all day getting wet, then get dry and have a nice cosy dinner with wine and fondue at Moshe.
• Have breakfast at U.S. Club in the smallshed near the Golfers Shop
• Drive around while it pours outside with a Caffe Caramello with whipped cream in my hand, and MUSIC (80's/ 90's english would be the cherry on the cake).
• Go to Aksa beach in the evening, get drenched, and then Vertigo for a drink :)

Phew. :)

Rajasthan Royals all the way!

As a rule, I land up supporting the Underdog. And this was no exception - Rajasthan Royals was defninitely the poorest team, with no coach and the only stars to boast of being Shane Warne battling personal problems and looking for redemption, and Graeme Smith.

They had no coach, no Icon as the Indian captain, no real crowd support, no big budgets for advertising and marketing, in fact, they had nothing to lose. Thats what the had going for them.

I LOVED the team spirit, the sheer determination, and never say die attitude that the team displayed. Had they lost yesterday, they had won our hearts anyway...really. Had we even heard of a Swapnil Asnodkar before this? This little guy, all of five foot somethign has held his nerves and undauntedly hit the best of the best for big overs. Niraj Jadeja, who looks more like he ought to be chilling at Barista with his teeny bopper friends had a MAGNIFICENT 69 run (6th wicket) parternship which won them a crucial match.

Each player came into his own in this team, each player found a niche and was supported by his team mates in executing it best. Words fail me in trying to express how proud I feel about a team full of youngsters who have shown so much maturity, so much calm and defeated the 'Icons' of this game - None of our four Icons Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid or Sehwag made their mark, faltering in strategy, teamwork, and at times in form altogether. With all the advantages these teams had, they went nowhere.

Have developed new found respect for Shane Warne...images of him patting Shane Watsons back after he (Watson) gave an over of 25 runs and telling him its ok, talking encouragingly to each player (some of whom dont even understand English very well), praising the 'young Swapnil' and Yusuf and the others, giving them the deserved credit, and taking very litle himself, will not leave me for a long time to come.

All in all, Im a little worried about what Im gonna do with all the excitiement and energy Ive managed to build up in the last 45 days. Phew.

Cats the way we like it?

Theres a new radio station on air. Its Mumbai's only 'Women only' channel. Err... women only channel? Do they not have male RJ's? Do men not tune in? Its called (wonder of wonders) 'Meow'.

Why Meow? Why women only? Not only did i find the idea ridiculous, but on tuning in, the channel itself is a waste of time. The discussions range from (hold your breath) 'Boyfriends' to 'Why Men are such fools' to (gasp) 'What women really want'.

The next step in progressing would possibly be discussing the 'Recipe for the week' sent in by an avid Meow listener im guessing. What a breakthrough in strategy . The channel clearly differentiates itself, carving a niche no one can (and will) dare enter - complete foolishness.

I wonder how i could forget to mention the traditional 'hello' being replaced by the (wow again) 'Meow'. it goes like this 'Hello abc, Meeeoow' and abc has to oblige with a 'Meeow' back. YIKES.

Someone explain to the world that we dont want womenhood celebrated in this way. We dont like cats, we dont like saying 'Meow' instead of hi, and we CERTAINLY dont like wasting time discussing boyfriend issues which for one, will ALWAYS be around. Men will always be Men and there will always be subsequent problems. :) Besides there are enough shows on the tele discussing these!

What we want instead, is an equal platform. Recognition. Gratification (from egoistic male boors who would rather die than admit it) for being the powerful assertive and rational beings that we are. Gifts, for being put through the confusion that surrounds male lives and having to help them deal with it. [Someone made on movie on 'what women want', why dint they just ASK]

A women only channel that calls itself 'Meow' is just moving in the reverse direction. I figured the COO is definitely male. [NO OFFENSE INTENDED] Its just validation of my initial guess.

The below excerpt from here.

Explaining the brand name Radio Today COO Anil Srivatsa said, "Meow embodies the attributes of a woman, where she can be all by herself. It symbolises spirituality, sensuality, professionalism. It is more than a cat call as everyone initially perceives. The cat is much more feminine, clean and free in itself. The various moods of a woman is explained. When somebody says meow four times, he can't help laughing. "

Really???? Thats how the womans mood is being explained??!!

Its no coincidence (Im guessing) that the channel is based on a 'On the air' host format rather than rather than 'jockeys' who host music programming. Since women love to talk?

I miss the midnight shift with Glen and the accompanying jingle 'I knoww your gonnaa diggg thiss!'

Death of an Innocent

Commonplace happenings these. Have been battling early morning rage on reading one devastating story after another whilst the breakfast tea routine. This has now given way to simply skimming through pointless tabloid-ish papers The Bombay Times and Mumbai Mirror, and then coming home and reading the paper.

Parents killing children, fathers fathering children with their daughters, siblings killing each other, incestous relationships, murders driven by fits of blinding anger and raving jealousy are an everyday piece of news. Not only that, the murders/acts themselves seem to have taken on more and more grotesque proportions since the recent past.

The recent case of the two murders currently in the limelight - the murder of a child Aarushi Talwar and manservant, and the other murder of Neeraj Grover. In the first case, not only is it appalling that a child was murdered, (that too in all probabilities by her father), but pains were taken to hide the manservants body in the neighbouring terrace to hide evidence.

I probably dont have all the facts with me, but somehow Rajesh Talwar and his wife certainly dont look like two innocent people whove just lost their daughter. On the contrary, they look more concerned for their own futures which right now, are at stake. Again, im no parent, but a discussion with my dad led me to believe that if your own child is killed one will be so overcome with grief (provided of course that one did not do it himself) that he/she wont be able to assimilate other goings on.

In the other case, one that only B grade movie plots are made of, two well educated, seemingly decent people went through hours of chopping up someones body into 300 pieces no less, in a bid that the body would not be found. I was trying to think of how these murders couldve gotten worse, and drew up a blank. They couldnt get more inhumane, more horrific than they already are.

Modern day lifestyles have led to shorter tempers, larger egos and more accesible weapons. Psychopath tendencies live in each one of us, its about dealing with it.

The world we are passing on to the next generation is just degrading day by day. we need something drastic to rekindle faith in humanity once again...Cause the way we're headed I see only Darkness.

Many Many hours ago..

It wasnt too long ago that this happened. Actually it was very long ago, hindsight tends to shrink time. Let her not start on her feelings for 'hindsight' and 'retrospect' :)

And he had to leave again. An abrupt end to her mini fairy tale. Which barely starts before the inevitable happens - 'Curtains' someone calls and thats that. Prince Charming leaves. Climbs onto his winged horse and speeds away, leaves an sms (i did mention a modern day story didnt i?) at a stopover reassuring her of his well being.

This however, does not suffice. She wants the whole enchillada. The entire story with the bling thing and the love shove and the mushy ending. Him leaving ought not to be an option. All in favor say aye! AYE AYE.

But what is a fairy tale without a teary farewell, a longing heart or suppressed passion? Had it been a smooth ride, an easy acquisition, and an uneventful journey, would she not have craved for some jitters? Man is a fool they say.. when its hot he wants it cool, when its cooled he wants it hot...all the way wanting, what is not.

This is her modern day fairy tale. A dimpled Prince Charming sweeps South Mumbai girl off'r her feet, only to disappear yonder far far away into the distant land, only to return for a few fleeting moments to remind his waiting (dare i say princess) lady of his determined love, give her a scent of his enchanting perfume, a whiff of a kiss, a breeze of a hug, and most importantly - a promise.

'Applause' says someone, as she narrates it to the world, for this sounds truly like an enchanting tale.
'A little less separation next time' says another...'Love must find some togetherness'
'Worry not', said she 'They will find love in togetherness' and thought secretly of the next visit, when two will become one, the two halves will be made whole, and not one, but two will ride away into what lies yonder...

Forever and ever, Amen

Now playing : Dancing on a ceiling (Lionel Richie)
Today i had an intensely happy moment. The kind that makes you feel soo happy inside, it made me well up and not have words to elaborate it here.

There are some songs, I realize, that hide away certain memories for you - that when u play them back, you can just magically disappear into that long forgotten moment for a while. Songs like Forever and Ever, I told you so ..Randy Travis, Lionel Richie etc are so reminiscent of my childhood.

Today i downloaded the songs mentioned above and rushed into my parents room and called Daddy into my room, and played one of his fav songs for him. It took him all of 5 seconds to realize what song it was, and this immense smile overtook all other expressions on his face.... it was this surprise old feeling for him. Those 2 minutes when we both were listening to the song, we both that strange, melancholic smiles - he too, was revisiting.

How do i even say it? 12 years ago, more actually...this same father daughter have heard these very songs played from a Hitachi 2 in 1 from cassettes that are long lost. Daddy would have a book with him, lying down with a beer on the table next to the bed, and I not to be outdone would be with my 'grown up' book of Enid Blyton etc, sleeping with my head on his stomach reading and listening to the music.

Daddy would smell of Brut, and have that typical defence hair cut and demeanour, well built arms and a staunch, principled stagger. Everything he did, I admired. The music he loved, I loved. I have many of his characteristics now, just like i hoped i would. Save for the dimple... the darn dimple i tired sooo hard to get. He's strong willed but soft hearted, aggressive but naive, principled and staunch, classy but homely, firm and steadfast in his beliefs and dreams and acheiving them.

In my teens i found myself growing more and more towards my mother and more and more away from daddy. My mom became my point of contact 'where are you, wat time are you coming home etc'. However Daddy came into the picture when an unknown boy called home. Let me just say this, for those who called back, Thank you. :)

Just before he left my room, he told me a few more songs he'd love if i 'get somewhere from the internet' ....quick kiss on my forehead and he went back to his room.

And just like that, for that brief moment I was Daddy's girl again.

Unbeatably beaten

With an INVINCIBLE name like the 'Mumbai Indians' i wonder how we are losing to EVERYONE we're playing with. I mean, really hats off to the genius who thought up that name.

Ah well, at least we're unbeaten at one thing - being beaten. In the last match against the Jaipur team who were (almost) in as bad a position as us I was hoping we could at least redeem that little shroud of self esteem we had. Of course, I was wrong.

The match however was fun. My family and I were laying bets on what our total score would be... I was of the opinion that we would be 100 all out which looked possible at the time. The score of 150+ exceeded my expectations fo sure.

Oh, another thing we ought to be proud (?) of... we got beaten by 10 WICKETS. 10 WHOLE WICKETS. It took only their openers (Gilchrist and VVS Laxman) to make our ENTIRE score. Did I mention in 11 overs? yeah, we got creamed.

If thats not enough, Mumbai is FULL of buses, hoarings, billboards etc with advertisements for the Mumbai Indians saying 'Jaao Mumbai, sabki bajao' (errr.... they ought to have explained to the team they meant SABKI bajao not SABSE BAJO).

Its a shame that Mumbai was the most expensive city that was bid upon, but has a team that looks more like its not even competing for the title and rather structured to give exposure to young under 19's. Like they're sending them for training or something.

Let me not even start on a certain overly aggresive bowler who cried like a fool on sunday. For all his zealous antics on the field while bowling, the sight of him holding his sleeve and sniffing like a little poodle has ruined it for me. I was actually getting fnd of the guy after the way he break danced on the Parachute Advansed ad.

So anyhoo, tonight its our turn to get creamed by the Kolkata Knight Riders. Jaao Mumbai Indians, Baj ke aao. (P.s this doesnt mean I'm not supporting them, im just wayy too disappointed to expect them to defeat the KKR's who right now, along with the Chennai Super kings look like THE team to beat)

Archiving

Just spent some time today going through my archives... this blog will complete a year in June. I started off as a wide eyed, confused blogger. This was my vent for that void in my life i couldnt talk about, or people wouldnt understand. That place and person who wouldnt judge me, and just let me be. Weird and silly and fun and confused and sentimental and excited, sarcastic and withdrawn, out there but not so, crazy and opinionated.

Post after Post I would come back to the same feeling of wanting to belong, of complexities, of that one love ill never get over, of that one love im IN, of people and places and tiny things that really matter to me. Of yearnings and cravings and dull aches and entwined wires and what not.

Off late, an increasing number of people i know have stumbled on my blog, and i grew more and more aware of it. Posts came few and far between, and topics grew vague. There were times i would think of something I would want to pen down here, rethink, and finally discard.

I miss it. Talking about random bygone feelings and unrequitted love and that one person who will always be a big part of my life without being in it. So this is it, im going back to the start. :)

Im too wired up and live with too many feelings and heartache inside me to really pretend it isnt there. At any point of time, there's ALWAYS some stuff going on, and im always dealing with it. (I know everybody does, but this is my blog!).

Disclaimer - this wont turn into a hormonal, eerily sentimental blog i promise. :)

Sun (Block???)

Have you ever read the back of any suncreen/sunblock bottle?

The one that speaks of SPF 60 and mattifying moisturising surefire foolproof 100% safe tested succesfully to block out 86% of the sunrays and prevent dark spots wrinkles tan and keep your face glowing your natural skin colour cos you should love the skin your in?

It doesnt work. Im almost merging into the shadows

Maldives Baby!

The view from the resort room.
Having walked down to the beach... 15 steps from the resort room and complete privacy. Thing is, Maldives is made up of close to 1,190 islands out of which about 200 are inhabited. Each island is actually a RESORT and freakshly expensive. Hnece the only people you wll find here are tourists and the resort management. NO locals, NO horrible men staring you down, nothing.


The coffee shop at Giravaru island where we stayed for a night. If your going to Maldives, and plan to stay at a resort, (if your not planning to go to a resort and stay, then dont go) be prepared to shell out anything between 500$ - 750$ per head per night. Laguna, Bandos
are among the few you ought to head to if you have that kind of a budget.

The View from the hotel room at Male - Hotel Relax Inn. The small island to the extreme right is actually an oil depot, and the tiny island next to it, is a jail!

Some little facts about Maldives -

• Male, is the smallest capital city in the world. It has a total length of about 7 kms and you can walk from one end to the other.
• It is a strictly Islamic country and all local women wear Muslim scarves on their head.
• You cant get a drop of alcohol on the island of Male due to strict Islamic policy. Many efforts by the men on the trip to 'do setting' led to nothing. How to beat this is to go to Hulhule, the airport island and hang out at the bar there. (Male doesnt serve alcohol but mostly all the islands in and around do)
• IT IS EXPENSIVE.
• Snorkeling and the Whale submarine are a MUST.

I am now close to 3 shades darker than i was when i left Mumbai, with no complaints. Being the water freak that i am, lets just say that the Indian ocean i saw on this trip has left me dizzy with its sheer beauty and wanting more. Anyone planning a trip there soon, ask me about the do's and dont's. Cos believe me there are quite a few.

Spot the Blogger!!

Cos she's gonna be somewhere in the MALDIVES!!!

Im tryinggg veryyy hard not to gloat. :)

Be back with tonnes of pictures, a tan and lots to say about the place.

Have a good work week y'all.

Title thinking in progress

There's a lot to be said about hospitality in Delhi. Having lived in Mumbai for the better part of my life now, i left Delhi and its mentality behind ages ago, got swept into the fast paced, nonchalance of Mumbai life.

The difference was stark, and it hit me hard. I was in Delhi the day holi was celebrated. From the previous day, my aunt and nearly everyone in the house was fervently cleaning the house (so the holi revelry doesnt dirty it?!) making holi food (Dahi Bhallas, Matthi, Gujjias, Shakkarpara etc). This went on for the entire day - i was made to eat dinner in my room since the entire surface area of the dining table (a 12 seater mind you) was covered with food!

Point being, so much trouble was being taken in order to serve the guests that would invariably drop by on Holi. I had my doubts, lookng at the quantity of food that was made. Wrong i was, as
early morning a flood of unidentified people were gathered in the living room. Neighbours, colleagues, friends everyone who knew my aunt and uncle looked like they were present.

I soon caught on to the festivities and reluctantly offered my face to the everyone who was waiting with baited breath. On Holi, a completely untouched, clean person is anyone's most desired bakra. People i did'nt know coloured my face and hair and wished me happy holi. What i enjoyed was the fact that everyone who i dint know, very gently rubbed colour into my face. It was a mix of 'your not supposed to be clean on holi, you ought to be pulverized with colour' and 'i dont know you, so ill be nice, lest you get offended'.

Of course, a seemingly innocent walk outside (to go to the Shiv temple outside) out of sheer naiviete led to a downfall, and i got smattered with more colour. Luckily it was mostly all dry since my refuge was my 6 month old niece who i was thankfully given the responsibility to handle.

Here is what it all leads to. Mumbai festivals. (Categorically speaking of myself here, as many of you might have family and hence celebrate festivals in a big way) I dont have ANY family (other than my folks and sibling) in Mumbai. Like 99% Mumbaikars, i live in a flat system and i dont remember entering any of my neighbours houses. Holi, Diwali and other festivals are subdued, usually small Puja's with four of us at home, followed by the traditonal food.

I have three neighbours - Catholic, Parsi, Parsi and Us. My building is predominantly Catholic/Parsi hence most festival celebrations are somewhat diluted. Although i would like to mention that my catholic neighbours children celebrate Diwali with equal zest.

I loved that people walked in and out of my aunts house in Delhi. I loved that if you dont go visiting your relatives and friends on holi and other festivals, they could be offended. I loved that the dining table was full of oily festival food and that my aunt spent the entire previous day lamenting about what she would do in case she fell short of food (HOW that would have happened considering the quantity of food made was beyond me). but thats Delhi for you. its the 'Beta tumne to kuch khaya hi nahi' (you havent eaten at all) after having eaten like a glutton or 'Yeh to short notice par itna hi kar pai' (in short notice, this is all i could manage) after having served you more food than you couldve eaten on an empty stomach.

I loved that people in Delhi dont necessarily have more time, but they make it. Family, friends, festivities take precendent over clients, deadlines or targets. That sense of longing i felt for that feeling of carefree frolic, of reckless joy, in a room surrounded by mostly strangers (to me) was something i dint know i missed living here.

But I do, and I hate that I know I do. And i hate that wishing doesnt make things better.

Chandi chowk mein chandni chamachh se ..something

Im currently in a place i lived in approximately 15 years ago. A place I moved to right after i was born. Delhi. There's SO much more to this post. soon... right now im tired from having -

• shopped at Chandni chowk
• eaten at Paratha gulli
• eaten Dahi Bhalla
• seen India gate
• having forgotten my bag in a store and having to make an hour long round trip to go back to the store and having a very nice uncle return it to me (after a mock quiz - what was in the bag, when did u leave it etc)

Tomorrow Connaught place, Nirulas, Lotus temple, Lal quilla possibly.

OOOHH I also travelled the Delhi metro. i pity us poor Mumbaikars travellng like a can of sardines in the heat and crowd of the local trains while Delhiites are way cooler than us in the Delhi metro - neat, clean, AIR CONDITONED, and extremely comfortable. but then thats another post.

Some strange things that have ALREADY happened to me

• my aunt asks me if i want to eat 'Bhallas' and i was stumped. seriously, Bhallas? and then she gives me this incredulous look -'dude u dont know what bhallas are?' they turned out to be what we know as Dahi wada's (only a nicer version).
• i asked for 'shakkar' and got asked a question - do u want 'chini' or 'shakkar' . again, stumped. cos according to me theyre the same! one is a powdered form of sugar and the other is cryatallized.

I really must go, tomorrow looks like a nice day. Unfortunately ive been craving some desi tandoori/kebabs type food and all the people i know are veg :( shucks!

F1 - 2008 is here finallyyyyy

'Its not because of a woman, its because of eleven men'
And to top it off, F1 season kicks off on March 16th, at Melbourne, Australia. Can the 2008 season possibly be as close-fought and competitive as last year? Will anyone step up to challenge Ferrari and McLaren at the front of the field?

Kimi the iceman Raikkonen,to you my support i pledge.

Top of mind

• Women's day is over-rated. There were 5-7 supplements in the paper just about women. None were a worthwhile read. If women crave equality, why do we need to shout out our little acheivements from rooftops? Apparently Croma electronics, had special womens day offers on printers, scanners, televisions and microwaves. How thoughtfull. Printers scanners and digital cameras are exactly what we crave, and so out of our reach.

• Vijay Sales has 'SPECIAL OFFER ONLY FOR TODAY, HCL LEAPTOP AT NEVER BEFORE PRICE' (err, last sunday hello!) [umimportant piece of information - I thought Leaptop was a typo until recently i saw a TVC for HCL where they say leaptop!]

• Kareena Kapoor is annoying me. shes EVERYWHERE. Someone mentioned she's designing clothes for the 'modern woman'. ok people, if your an actress/singer/dancer what qualifies you to be able to design clothes/jewellery/lingerie/perfumes etc. Given shes really worked at her body and deserves credit etc, but do i really need to know if she snubbed someone at a party?

• ITC is kickin' it! Cigarettes, biscuits, then clothes (Wills Lifestyle), High end perfumes/body lotions etc (Eseenza Di Wills),wafers (Bingo), then Shampoos (Fiama Di wills) and now recenltly soaps (Vivel di wills). Eahc brand launch supported by tremendous advertisements, celebrity endorsements etc. Wayyy to go!

• Gold has touched at all time high of nearly 13,000 rs for 10 gm. HOLY COW. Get with the program, everything's crashing, you should too.

Never drink beyond the Pint of no return

Saturday night. Henry Tham - veryyy hip club in South Mumbai, frequented by people whose occupation is generally described as 'socialite'. As in Ms. Blah Blah and then written in italics below, Socialite. So what does that qualify her to be? A fashionista? A newspaper column writer?
A social activist? I dont know why Queenie is writing an article in the paper. Ive read it all of once. And as if she wasnt enough, Sapna Bhavnani writes too! Why? cant she just get a blog and write aout her ex husbands and boyfriends and all that jazz on a blog? (disclaimer - no hard feelings about either women here)

Most of us dont even know what these women actually DO! Save for a few renowed names like Sheetal Mafatlal (of the Mafatlal controversy fame) etc, I dont know what say, for eg Queenie Dhodie does for a living. The obvious answer here is, Duh she doesnt have to DO any thing for a living, she just shouts 'money' and some of it falls magically into her lap. hehehe

So coming back to where I started. Henry Tham. The name of the place and the owner. his two sons - Keenan and Rishi (I think) Tham. WOW imagine having a place NAMED after you! With a name like mine, I can expect NO ONE to come. I can also forget about being a designer of any sort, unless i decided to see stuff in an assumed name, or a collection name or something.

Drifting again, I know. This is what comes from a LO-O-O-freaking-O-O-N-G day at work.

So, the point of this WHOLE post was this unbelievable drink i had that night. Since i cant recall the name of the drink, lets call it Whizz daddy. Here;s what i could taste Whisky+cinnamom+cardamom+cloves+brandy. Slightly warm. I-N-S-A-N-E is not even the word for it. The night ended with Bhurji Pav and Bun Maska outside the renowed (!!!!!) Churchgate station.

Another pointer - the bartender makes a MEAN mojito, and ALL the starters are brilliant. (disclaimer - only advised when completely loaded with cash and/or freakishly rich to care anyway). The better part of the evening was that I was treated. no birthday, no nothing. Just like that :) y-i-p-p-e-e.

All that post over nothing na? ;)

Errr... OK

Understood? Do not pluck flowers, plastics, or throw rabit in the sea.

This Baby is M-I-N-E!!!!

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T8100(2.10GHz), 200 GB HDD, 2GB SDRAM, 128 MB Dedicated Video Ram, 2.5 kgs weight, Intel® Wireless WiFi Link, DVD RW Combo, Graphics Accelerator
ATI Mobility Radeon™ X2300 .

These are the specs that i understand and which make a difference to me :)

This baby is sizzling Red, and currently the L-O-V-E of my life. Now all i need is to think of a name for her. Suggestions welcome.