Bumbleday

On a lazy Sunday morning, so trademark you could almost see the ® on it... I'm startlingly awakened from a profound slumber by Deeps... It has occurred so often, I always experience a sense of deja-vu when my phone trings rudely. In between a heightened state of grogginess and a longing desire to fall back asleep (meanwhile muttering obscenities), I try to be as coherent as my protesting brain would allow. I mouthe an equivalent of a 'hello' and get back a shrill 'Avz! Were you sleeping?'. 'No,' I desperately want to say, 'At 8 am on a Sunday morning, I am playing cricket for India at Wankhede and boy-oh-boy, ain't I hitting some mean sixes!' But sarcasm is not what you begin with on a sunny Sunday, so I say 'Yeah... whats the plan yaar?' 'Movie' she says. 'Rock On... 10 am show.. Cinemax yaar... subah ko tickets milegi'. I was pretty excited bout this flick too, so I agreed nonetheless. Dragging my lazybones off my bed, I suddenly enter into autopilot mode. Its like those things they inject you with, and you instantly have this energy bursting in you. Zoom! goes my bedspread, neatly folded... whoosh! goes me brushing my teeth, splash! goes my 15-minute bath and zippp! goes my outfit on. Mom is at her Sunday best - yelling at me for not informing her sooner, preparing yummy breakfast at the speed of Wonderwoman (she is one!) and attending dudhwaalas, paperwaalas, kachrawaalas, watchmanwaalas and the like in the meantime... I wonder if she's got 10 invisible hands and legs to assist her in her daily drudgery. Anyway, my breakfast done, I scoot outta my abode into the sunny world outside! Suddenly I feel refreshed and feel a new enthusiasm in me. Going out does that to me.

Our plan-schedules are always tight, something like trying to fit into a size-26 jeans when you're in fact a size-28 (happened with me once, and though I managed to get them on... jeepers! It was excruciating to get out of them!). I hurriedly hail a rickshaw while on the phone with Shikhz who's to meet me at 9.15 am. Our show's at 10 am BTW, and we need to board a 9.29 am train. What happens next isn't a great shake, as Deeps is horribly late as usual. We miss the train and to our exasperation, there're no trains for the next 15-20 mins. In between some teeth-clenching and occasional giggles at our own silliness, we (finally!) decide at 9.50 am that we should take a rickshaw to our destination. We walk half-a kilometer to get one, and goad the driver to display his speedy best. But alas! All traffic lights had conspired to turn red at us today. We reach the station, cross to the east dodging spit, muck and what-not... we board another rickshaw.... time: 10 am... we know we're gonna miss atleast the first 15 mins. This rickshaw-guy was a real jerk... he persuades us to travel 4 in his rickshaw!! What if the cops nab us? And me being the skinniest of all, was forced to sit on Deeps' lap (I know how this sounds... I felt extremely stupid too) and suddenly, a 5 minute distance seems like an eternity..

But all said and done.. the movie more than made up for all the clumsiness that was the order of the day (and after a long time, a Bollywood movie catches my fancy). Fabulous performances by all actors, special mention goes to Arjun Rampal.... gosh! I've never seen any man look as sexy as he did with the loooong hair! Kudos man! And Farhan too... your unconventional voice did wonders to some very silly lyrics. And Prachi, darling... you look like an angel. Truly, you guys rock!

10 Things to do before I Die

I haven't set out anything unrealistic or larger than life for myself. (Like some looneybins quipping he wants to buy a stairway to heaven from ebay... aargh! I'd say - rather grow a brain, dimwit). Anyway, the list below is attainable. All I need is oodles of idle time, truckloads of luck and a smitten, crazy-rich husband to shell out some cool mega-bucks. LOL! Nah... I'd go dutch in this quest... pay my share of the expense (yes, I'm the most generic cliche in fashion these days - a fiercely independent woman of the 21st century... blah blah blah). Why ten, you ask? There're soooooo many things to do in this vast expanse of our world... Well, I'll add another ten when I'm through with the first ten. Lets begin somewhere, no?

1. Watch a live Formula One grand prix. (HIGH on my list.... I was so close to doing this but the plan fell apart .... grrrr... parents worry a lot at times).
2. Buy a round-the-world air ticket, a rucksack and run away... to tour the remotest places of the world with my beloved. Just him and me. (Are you reading this, future-husband?)
3. Drive (if not own) a Ferrari on the Autobahn at 300 kms/hr. (Are you reading this, dear Mr. Boss? I need a raise. Pronto!!)
4. Sleep in a lush meadow high on a Himalayan mountain, under the stars, a cool breeze teasing your body. (Ah, heavenly!)
5. Attend a huge sporting event (the Olympics for instance) or a Coldplay concert. (Chris Martin! If I could land just a small, teeny-weeny, lil' peck on your cheek for all those incredible songs you've penned and sung, I'll die a contented lady)
6. Skydive. (And land, marooned on an exotic island & bump into Sawyer from 'Lost!')
7. Shoot a gun, a real one. (Don't mess with me fellas!)
8. Enrol myself for a social cause, and stick to it throughout my life. (Meet future Ms. Teresa)
9. Take my kids to Disneyland. (And pinch Mickey Mouse's butt... lol!)
10. Get lost in a jungle and come out of it alive. (With a handycam full of adventures!)

Happy Wishes...

I know I was fretting 'bout growing older 'n all a few posts back... but I gotta admit... on the day of your birthday, all that whining can go take a long jump in the nearest pit! Awaking to a brand new day of a brand new year, having a flurry of friends and family call you up (each hoping they were the first ones to call), donning that spankin' new outfit, have a yummy cake with your name written on it cut in perfect lil' squares (and some being smeared on your face too), gifted with flowers, dining out with the family and retiring to a day well spent and thoroughly enjoyed; this was one tiring day.... but a terrific one nonetheless. Not the usual in-your-face partying, dancing, clubbing, boozing and passing out... I think I prefer quieter, sober birthdays. Sets the tone for the year ahead.

A big thank you and a hug to all those who took out the time to wish me happiness on my b'day! Here they are - I love you all!

Ma, Pa, Sona (thats my family), Zarna, Priya, Krina, Ranjit, Arjun, Shikha, Mansi, Deepti, Divya, Rimjhim, Ajja & Ammi, Ronak, Chandramani, Pranali, Shraddha, Shruti, Sweta, Rose, Michael, Shiv, Vinay, Amrita, Saba, Ishani, Nitya, Merrilly, Sanjana, Lakshme, Sri Mami, Babu Mama, Ravi Mama, Aditi, Vinaya Aunty, Anjana Aunty, Ashwin Uncle.

The ones on Orkut:

Hiren, Jalpa, Tanu, Shraddha, Tanya, Yogita, Kalashree, Mamta, Trishann, Aniket, Vibhuti, Swati, Radha, Neha

And of course, the guys at work... there're too many to list!

I'm sure I haven't missed anyone. If I have... I still love you! Thanks a gazillion... You're all dahlings to me!

Pack of Cards

Thats my bratty cousin Aniket for you. He surprised me with his unrelenting dedication (and focus) while building the pyramid of cards. I bet he could've added more levels... he just ran outta cards. And he built this in a jiffy, shaming me in the process, as I could only manage 4 levels. The topmost level kept falling off, evicting several curses & under-the-breath mutterings from me. It ain't easy as it looks. The *bluhdie* stubborn cards just won't stand up (of course... duh! Its the oldest law in the book - gravity!). Never before has the statement 'fell down like a pack of cards' made more sense to me!

Beetle and the Parchment

I *like* my blog's header! No buckets of sweat though... all I did was a lil' bit of tinkering in Photoshop with a sketch of a cute beetle trundling along a leaf (pilfered from the world wide web - Vikifloki from Deviantart.... I owe you! Simply loved the splash of red & black against the green). Then superimposed a conspicuous, imperial-looking font ('Parchment' by I-dunno-who) on the same and voila!! My logo's ready! I must've committed a hundred copyright violations... but what the heck! I'll pay up when I get busted.... but first, I'll make you read my entire blog.

Lets see if you still want that royalty then.

World of Pain

Apologies for posting such harrowing pictures (yes, I'm no different from those blasted news channels on TV... though I did not post the video... which is twice as disturbing with slow replays of Jamos Baranyai dislocating his elbow, played an excruciating 3 times over! I almost threw up).... but these pictures really got me pondering about the gruelling drill that these athletes go through. In the name of honour for the country (or for individual glory, take your pick) they undergo phenomenal amounts of training, sometimes bordering on the inhuman. Naturally, there is a breaking point. My heart goes out to Jamos Baranyai. He must be in a tremendous world of pain. I hope he recovers soon. But please, do not push yourself or your protesting body to a point where even life becomes of secondary antecedence to you.

Nostalgia

Its been extremely BORING for the past few days. At work, at home... everywhere. And as if to corroborate this grim situation, the weather goes ahead and exhibits its gloomiest best. However, I have this nagging feeling that my current predicament may not have anything to do with dismal weather, lackluster colleagues or exhausted family members (and hence the spillover effect). Rather, its because I'm approaching a point in my life they call the 'quarter-life crisis'. Not yet though, I will turn 24 this 28th of August... but yes, the dreaded '25' looms before me like a rabbit in a car's headlights. Only this time, I'm the shit-scared rabbit.

I've been through an assortment of such stages: the I-can't-play-with-barbies-anymore crisis (10 years old), the gawking-boys-are-staring-at-me crisis (15 years old), the sweet-sixteen-is-an-illusion crisis (yes, 16 years old) and the most tragic of all: annoying-aunts-are-trying-to-marry-me-off crisis (20 years old and still going strong)! WHY? Why do we have to grow older? (thats a brainless medical-cum-philosophical question. I seek no smartarse answers; this is a purely rhetorical query). I then came up with a wisearse statement to cheer myself up (which my pal thinks is a brilliant quip) - "I'm getting older.... but so is everyone else!" Good one, innit? But alas, it didn't work. Saw these schoolgirls the other day and was immediately struck with a fresh bout of despair. How I wish I was in school again! How I wish I wore starched-blue uniforms again, fought for the front row seats every morning, sniggered at my malyaali teachers pronouncing 'air' as 'aiyer', fought for the duster to clean the blackboard, stood in line in stoic silence at assemblies, memorized long speeches for annual days, shared my dabba with my classmates, wore a 'color' dress on my birthday, distributed candies for friends (and Cadburys for teachers), scrammed at the ring of the closing bell & ran for window-seats in the school bus! Ah, how wonderful were those days!! How carefree we were, cocooned in the protective shells of school & family! How I wish it never ended!

And now... here I am, at the threshold of a another phase in life, engulfed in mild agitation & uncertain of the future. Its not as if I don't look forward and anticipate exciting times ahead. Its just that sometimes I wish we never grew up so fast. I wish I was stuck in this continuum called 'time' for a wee bit more longer? But as a wiseman said 'Time and tide wait for no one'. Soon this quarter-life thingy too shall pass. What matters is how you make it more wondrous & beautiful so you'll always have memories to cherish in the future.

Just as I cherish my amazing days in school at this stage in my life.

Droooooooooool

Ok... I've always been biased towards Sony Ericsson.... frig the specs (I know, I know... I can hear howls of disbelief there, but I'm no technophile) But they come out with stunning phones! And with the SE W902, they have a beauty-pageant winner! I adore this one...cop a glance at it... lounging there like a slab of sinful, delicious chocolate (slurp!)... and its a 3G Walkman phone!! How bad can it be? Plus... for all those Walkman phone owners who whine 'bout their cameras... rejoice! Coz this 8GB stunner comes equipped with a 5 MP camera with autofocus & flash. YAY!

Must cost a bomb though.

BTW donations are most welcome. All proceeds will be humbly utilized to buy, covet and then ultimately trash (when a better one comes along) this phone.

Gee, I can't believe I yapped about greed, avarice & freedom from the same in my last post.

Hypocrisy as a style never goes out of fashion. Atleast for me!

Some Independence

I'm not talking about larger, national issues here. Like how liberated we really are, or not for that matter. Don't get me wrong or categorize me as an unpatriotic cynic... its not as if I dismiss the past 61 years of so-called independence as periods of zero-achievements. I'm proud of my country. We have attained a lot, scores of people are definitely better off than they would have been in that era; globally we are emerging as a powerhouse, we are nuclear-equipped, Indian companies are acquiring foreign ones, men are being outsmarted by women in both schoolplaces & workplaces and yes, Bollywood (and its audience) finally accepts mainstream smooches, much to the delight of frontrow whistlers.

I think we term it 'independence' because the only independence we gained is from the British, and that too, territorially. Individually, we are still enmeshed in webs of our own mentalities. We may possess more moolah than our forefathers ever dreamt about, but where is the tranquil life that they led and we so desperately seek? Today we have lost ourselves in the whole rat-race of roti-kapda-makaan. Isn't it funny how we've turned the most basic of human needs into a parade-of-affluence itself? Nah, I don't want a simple roti with boiled vegetables. I want a jumbo McBurger with extra fries and yes, you can add 2 extra layers of cheese too. I don't want to don a salwaar kameez (jeez, I'll look like the local behenji)... I want that new autumn-mid-half-winter-or-fall-whatever ensemble from Versace. A two-room bedroom? Gee, thats so 1990's. I want a plush new apartment with min. 4 bedrooms, a jacuzzi and a pool to play water-polo in. And that too, not in some 'gawti' place like Mira Road. Nothing further than Malabar Hill will do for me.

Nah, I don't think we are liberated at all. We are all silent, unprotesting slaves to the oldest enticer of all - avarice. It consumes us with all its opulence & insatiability and leaves us begging for more. Greed is the source of all troubles. And I'm afraid, it is a bottomless pit we're all falling into. And still falling. There's no coming out of it.

Some independence we have obtained from ourselves indeed.

Wondergals

Yeah well, I'm not.

The (very, very cliched) statement of 'Friends Forever' has been done to death with... But in cliches lie ultimate truths. So, I proclaim that I'm proud of these girls! Each one of them is a wondergal, super-achiever, golden-hearted & super-fun-to-be-with. Plus the fact that you've stuck around with a whacko like me for all these years says a lot 'bout you gals.... You are all rockstars to me!

And yes, hope we stay Friends... Forever!

For you... Priyu!

I've been (unfairly) accused of using extremely difficult language by my good friend Priya (hear hear... I hope you're reading this Priyu... *makes a Bachchan-like-pose* Aaj khush toh bahut hogi tum). She would rather breathe easy if I use some simple (read sensible & comprehendible) sentences in my blogs. You know... get rid of overtly-used adjectives, never-ending sentences, exclamations (!), brackets (boxes, braces or normals), random thoughts (@#$%*) and the like (in short, she means STOP! educating people with crap) Well.... mera blog hai yaar... meri marzi... but I'll try my best to keep this entry short and devoid of any rubbish sentences (do I hear collective sighs out there?). Gee, I didn't even take my English teacher as seriously as Ms. Priyu (a.k.a. Nautanki a.k.a. Dhakkan a.k.a. Ms. Directionless a.k.a. Her-Mind-Is-Out-Of-Her-Mind). So Priya... this is solely for you... short and simple (I hope).

I took a break to write this to ease my troubled friend
I left my work lying somewhere in a pile.. to which later I'll tend
I watched my screen fill with gooey goos
I feel there's nothing I can do...
*Insert guitarwork here*

I watched my screen fill with gooey goos
I feel there's nothing I can do...
Until the boss comes and fires me for my mid-day blues
I really don't mind what happens now and then
As long as you'll be my friend till the end...

If I go go crazy, will you still be my super-friend?
If I'm alive and well, will you be there with a hand to lend?
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might...
O my shining light...

(Apologies for any inspirations from 'Kryptonite' by 3 Doors Down)

Psst: I know this stupid, stupid rhyme sucks BIIIIIG time... but then again, you wanted something simple innit? Applause please... for the immensely lame & suckiest rhyme of the year!

Yaadein

Aren't there these lil' segments in your life when a particular song is just looping in that sucker-of-a-brain of yours? I've had my fair share of them... periods of addiction where batteries of my music player are consumed by re-re-re-re-playing a particular song until boredom overwhelmes me (or the music player which obligingly conks off) and I begin to wonder 'damn, what was I thinking??' Right now, my brain's gear's stuck in this one - 'Judaai' from the 'Jannat' flick. Don't ask me why. I just like it. A lot.
For now.

Char dino ka pyaar o rabba
Lambi judaai.. lambi judaai

Tere bin dil mera lage kahin na
Tere bin jaan meri jaye kahin na
Kitne zamaane baad o rabba
Yaad tu aaya, yaad tu aaya

Khoya raha mein, saason mein apne
Aahat bhi teri, bhool gaya hoon
Kitna jeeya hoon tanha raho hoon
Ishq tera bhool gaya hoon

Uljha raha mein is zindagi mein
Dil ki duhaai, dil ki duhaai

Tere bin dil mera lage kahin na
Tere bin jaan meri jaye kahin na
Kitne zamane baad o rabba
Yaad tu aaya, yaad tu aaya

Har bebasi mein, is zindagi ne
Tujh ko hi chaha, tujh ko hi maanga
Jin raaston se guzra yeh dil tha
Manzil mili na, pyaar na paya

Khud ko chupake rahon se guzre
Dil ko sambhale, dil ko sambhale

Tere bin dil mera lage kahin na
Tere bin jaan meri jaye kahin na
Kitne zamane baad o rabba
Yaad tu aaya, yaad tu aaya

Rotten day, anyone?

Just when you thought the day couldn't get shittier... it just goes ahead and does.

Got up late today, had mom yelling at me coz I snapped at her, missed the bus, missed the train... you know...the chain of events that follow thereafter (how typically Mumbai!). Ended up late at work, had noisy colleagues for company (apparently a combination of Friday, the Beijing Olympics & 08.08.08 gets them all frenzied-up like a nation of 1 billion+ does when it wins ONE solitary medal at the games..... do the correlation-math now, won't you?). Could contribute only a single paragraph to the entire report for the day. I *hate* an unconstructive day at work.

Just when you look forward to an end to the long, wasteful day (you have a friend to meet.... yay!) it goes ahead and pours like there's no tomorrow!! Braving the smashing pellets of water, wading through the muck & bumper-to-bumper traffic at Andheri station (I tell you, that place oozes foulness & hazard), having a dozen scurrying feet trample over your own, & boarding a wrong train, you end up at Bandra, realizing thats not your destination. And to top it all, I had this amazingly bright idea of wearing heels today. Now imagine me running amok on railway platforms with them one-and-a-half inchers! Amid pushes, shoves, near-trips & muttered curses, I finally board a train back to the correct destination. Only to discover the friend is late by 20 mins. The way back home isn't amicable either. The train, for some reason, decides to take a recess at Malad station. For a whole 20 mins. A simple 20-minute ride back home took an agonizing 45 mins. And no.... the day's woes don't end there. I commit the crime of hoping I can catch a rickshaw back home. But surprise, surprise, all of them vanished the moment it started to pour again. They could win a disappearing-act award hands down, you know. So, there goes another 15 mins. I can sense parts of my brain screaming at other parts now. Patience girl, patience. Patience is the word of the day.

I came face-to-face with my competition too. Thats some serious stuff out there. Of the good kind. And I must say, I lost. I give up. I'm just too exhausted to fight anymore.

Also realized what a fool I've been made of today. I've been lied to & subjected to constant insensitive behaviour for some time now. Early signs were right there, flashing like bright neon lights at me. But perhaps I was too blinded to allow better sense to prevail. Flattery & praise can do that to you. Night makes a fool of you in daylight. Learnt my lesson though. Beginning from today I will follow one mantra.

I will begin to unlove (yes, thats a new word).

And I promise that newness to myself.

Knightly Encounters

Its been 2 weeks since I've watched this movie... but frankly, it still resonates in my mind. Quite a riveting film by Chris Nolan! I won't go and deconstruct the movie... many with keener eyes than mine have already done that, so I'll stick to my favorite scenes:

1. The Pencil trick: This is one scene that everyone thought was marvelous. The ingenuity of it coupled with the execution was fantastic.... no one expected Heath to bang the thug's head on the table like that... the entire audience went 'oooooooooh' when that scene unfolded!!

2. The Truck chase: This one was a winner for me! With Heath in the truck goading Batman (on the Batpod) to ram into the truck, the will-he-will-he-not suspense & the ensuing truck flip thereafter, evicted applause from the audience (I kid you not, plus these were not some Apsara hooters...)

3. The Hospital scene: Noteworthy was the scene where Heath comes doddering out of the hospital & is upset that it didn't blow up completely and manically fidgets with some buttons on his remote. When it does blow up, he gives a start, as if he was not expecting it. Brilliant execution again!

There were many more moments in the movie that were magical. All in all, it wasn't the perfectest of movies (as it dragged a bit in some scenes) , but an entertaining one nonetheless. Hats off to Ledger for a fine performance (plus the grubby, I-don't-care-'bout-my-appearance look....I think he pulled it off quite well) that will be remembered for a long time to come.

And who can forget these quotes:

Alfred: Some men aren't looking for anything logical. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

And ....the *gem* of all quotes, I love this one:

Batman: Why do you want to kill me?
The Joker: I don't want to kill you. What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, you... you complete me.