1 down, 9 to go

That was in reference to the things I *MUST* do before I conclusively meet my maker. So in my unfeverish (in line with my indisputable vulnerability to procrastination) quest to finish off with the darn list, when Shikhz invited me to this concert at NITIE, Powai where Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy were scheduled to perform, I almost yelled, 'Hell, YEAH'! (Well, SEL are not Coldplay....but they'll do). Here was something breezing my way and that too, I didn't need to shell out a dime for it! So Shikhz, Deeps and me set out to witness what concerts are ALL about! None of us had ever done that before, so there was a throbbing anticipation in all of us.

As usual, Deeps was 'deeply' late, the day of the concert also being her last day at her organization. She was mauled by her ardent colleagues, all wishing to have a pie of her before she left for greener pastures (her exact words). Shikhz and myself hurried across the beautiful campus of NITIE, dragging our horribly-late selves on a steep, ascending trail (the college being situated on a freakin' mountain). But to our delight, we learned that we'd missed only 3 songs. So we chirruped our way, nudging and jostling to the front of the crowd (mostly comprising charged-up & extremely sweaty, but genial NITIEans). We soon found ourselves in the midst of the moshpit, with a ballistic mob all around us. And then, amidst flailing hands and sweaty heads, we spotted the stars of the night - Shankar anna, Ehsaan bhai & Loy uncle (the suffixes are merely for respect). The highly talented trio (with their equally-gifted band) regaled us with some of their chartbusters, the most popular of them being from the movie 'Rock On'. Though shrill demands for the bizarre song 'Zahreelay Saap' from the same movie were not met, the remaining songs took the crowd by storm. Esp, 'Peechle Saat Dinon Mein' and of course, 'Rock On'. Shankar also added in his trademark classical touch, by improvising on some songs and indulging in some jugalbandi with the crowd. Awesome stuff! Loy mesmerized us with some magic on the piano & also the harmonica! Ehsaan was fabulous on the guitar and looked dashing too. Some mellow songs were also played, which the crowd digested hesitatingly, but when Shankar told us to take out our respective mobiles and light up the dark night with the glow from them, the atmosphere took on a beautiful panoramic sight. Truly, a night to remember!

End result: My legs protested (those damn two inchers again!) plus I had my feet trampled on by atleast 20 people. My eardrums were completely torpedoed (we were standing right near some wickedly enormous subwoofers). My neck hurt from extending it to the highest possible point over the frenzied crowd. And my stomach growled, complaining over the lack of dinner. But despite this, the heart was content. Satisfied that I had a awfully great time at this concert. Thank you Shikhz (and her cousin Mayank for the free passes!) for I had a golly good experience that will be remembered for many days.

Here's to the next concert!

Now this makes a lotta sense...

A crisp, but sweet lil' verse from my pal - Shikhz (hat tip to you!). Like I told her - truer words have not been chronicled!

A heart is not a playing thing,
A heart is not a toy,
but if you want it broken,
Just give it to a boy.
Boys, they like to play with things
To see what makes them run,
But when it comes to kissing,
They do it just for fun.
Boys never give their hearts away
They play us girls for fools,
They wait until we give our hearts
And then they play it cool.
You will wonder where he is at night,
You will wonder if he is true,
One moment you will be happy,
One moment you will be blue.
If you get the chance to see him
Your heart begins to dance,
Your life revolves around him,
There's nothing like romance.
And then it starts to happen,
You worry day and night,
You see my friend, you're losing him
It never turns out right.
Boys are great though immature,
The price you pay is high,
He may seem sweet and gorgeous,
But remember he is just a guy.
Don't fall in love with just a boy
That takes a lot of nerve.
You see my friend, you need a man
To get what you deserve.
So when you think that you're in love,
Be careful if you can
Before you give your heart away
Make sure that he's a man.

Amen to that.

Happy B'day Ma!

Ma celebrated her b'day today. She's graced a full 50 years on planet Earth now, so yeah yeah.... golden jubilee/half century maraa. When she wakes my lazy-self up early in the morning, I wish her a very happy b'day and tell her I hope she lives a long life. Almost instantly she incredulously retorts, "No no, I don't wish to live for long... tum dono (me & sis) ki shaadi ho jaye... bas, uske baad mai Bhagwaan ko boloongi ki mujhe apne paas bulaale...." Sigh. As if Bhagwan is on her speed-dial chummy-buddy list, "Hey pal, now that I've sent my two batty kids packing off, do you think you can save a seat for me on that enormous lotus sofa of yours?" Dear 'ol Ma. Always the theatrical, semi-blackmailing, ultra-nagging but yet, extremely adorable one. What would I do without her?

I ain't gonna launch into a (cliched & dreary) tribute to Ma, cause honestly, she is beyond any such stereotypical eulogies. I could sum her up in one word though - WONDERWOMAN (minus the outlandish costume, of course). The enviable manner in which she juggles home, work and not to add, deal with two extremely unreasonable brats (I am one of them, the other is my pompous sis) is laudable. Hats off to you, Ma! You will always be my hero - the sole shining star in my darkest hour and the constant ray of light during my happiest times. Thanks Ma, for bringing me into this world. And untiringly being by my side whilst I journey through it.

Though gifts wouldn't convey a shred of what she means to me, for what its worth, Ma smilingly accepted a pretty saree & a neat lil' watch from me. Once again, happy b'day Ma!

The Killer

Now if this beauty comes out before end-09, I might just shift loyalties to Nokia from my current steadfast allegiance to Sony Ericsson (and the occasional longing glances at Apple). The Nokia 5800 is touted as the iPhone killer. Personally, I don't think the legendary iPhone is beatable... its in a league of its own. But the Nokia 5800 would certainly be a poor-man's substitute for its ridiculously expensive counterpart i.e. the iPhone; though Rs. 18000, before taxes, is not exactly 'poor' for the potential Nokia 5800 buyer. Still, I'm a little wary of the plastic band around the phone. Might pass off for a toddler's toy. Plus, from initial reviews, I've heard the touchscreen is not as intelligent (read, responsive) as the iPhone. Putting that aside (I hope Nokia resolve that!), gorge on some of the specs:

· 3.2-inch touchscreen display with 16 million colors
· 3.2 megapixel camera, includes a Carl Zeiss lens, autofocus and dual-LED flashQuad-band
· 3G UMTS/HSDPA
· Bluetooth 2.0
· WiFi
· GPS
· 3.5 mm headphone jack
· TV-out port
· 140MB on-board storage, upto 16 GB extendible memory
· 111 x 52 x 14.5 mm
· 104g
· S60 Fifth edition
· (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) GSM/EDGE radio

Can't hardly wait! A decision will be taken when the 5800 comes out. Either that, or the iPhone for me. After all, I've been a resourceful girl and been saving up for a rainy-day, haven't I?

Here's a visual comparison of the Samsung Omnia, the Nokia 5800 and the Apple iPhone:

MINE!!

The title is cautionary enough... this post has 'ego-tripping' written all over it. After all, its not everyday that you're treated like a very important person and majorly sucked up to. So when I step into this prominent outlet that wares that lustrous commodity called gold, people cluster around me as if I was distributing free tickets to a Himmesh (bah! I have NO idea why the multi-toupee-wonder is SO popular!!) concert to all and sundry. A beautiful lady, resplendent in a sari and a strapping, charming young man clamour for my attention, repeatedly addressing me as 'M'am', as in - 'Welcome, m'am'; 'What can I do for you, m'am?'; 'Please come this way,m'am'; 'Have a seat, m'am'; 'Would you like a drink, m'am?'. Please Note: This kind of suck-up fest only takes place when gold prices are up and shops are deserted. When prices plummet and hence, the shop is as crowded as a sabji-bazaar, no one gives bearshit about you.

So, I put up the 'pricey-customer' show too. Act I. I dismiss the lady by saying that I have business with one particular chap at the shop. So she can please get outta my face, thank you very much. Act II. I go to the chap who's grinning from ear-to-ear by now and hand him my order slip. "Please, I have to collect these today," I say. "Why, of course, M'am! Please have a seat, I'll be right back!" Almost breaking into a sprint, he dashes off, while beckoning someone to offer me (M'am again) a drink. "No, thank you," I say, "I'm not thirsty" (I almost wanted to feign the 'mineral-water-only' act, but I shunned the thought away... its too passe). "But m'am, please," he pleads, as if the stock of soft-drinks must be emptied today, "kuch toh lijeeye!" "Okay, okay..." I hurriedly say, getting very annoyed with the word 'M'am' by now... "I'll have half a glass, if you insist". With a satisfied smile on his face he runs off to get my bangles. And returns back with the gleaming ornaments. Its my turn to grin, I'm smiling in my drink by now. Weren't they just splendid! And I had every reason to be proud, they were MINE! I bought them. With MY hard-earned moolah. Gave me an unbridled sense of pride. Though I'm not a big fan of gold/diamonds (what a lucky husband mine will be!), I must admit, when you're in the gold-store with all those shiny lights twinkling on the yellow metals around you, you just give in to the dormant admiration inside you. Of course, it pinched my rapidly-emptying-pocket when I had to shell out a fortune to acquire the same; but my wise (and also, extremely persuasive) mom tells me its an 'investment'. She totally drools over gold by the way, and dons it magnanimously, a sparkling ring on each finger, goldchains, bangles, a bracelet and diamond-studded gold earrings (4 in each ear... I kid you not!) all gracing her queenly-self. A walking-talking gold mine, we chide her. Potential kidnap target too, but she never understands.

Anyway, the tryst with my first gold-purchase complete, I happily troop back home and reveal 'em to mom. She's delighted of course! After some 'oohing' and 'aahing'.... she promises me she'll keep it safe in a bank vault. "Okay," I say, "You can have them if you want". "No, no!" she thundered, "Its yours... an investment, remember?" Yeah, yeah ... I do! You conned me into buying this, right?

The picture below (with me in a rather silly pose) will not display intricate designs on them bangles, but take my word for it- they're beautiful!