The Single Child Syndrome

I have never really liked being the only child. As a kid, I used to terribly miss the company of a sibling and had my heart set on an elder brother for some reason. My mother would try her best to explain how this was biologically non-viable but to no avail. After a while, when I was old enough to realize that my parents had no plans of expanding our family, I resigned myself to the depressing fact that I will be the unhappy,solitary child forever.My mother fearing that I would fall prey to the much-dreaded single child syndrome made it a point to inculcate the virtues of sharing in me and was in fact a bit too successful. As a result, I have very generously donated away my expensive, foreign toys and rare set of play things made out of clay by artisans in some remote place in Tamil Nadu.The sole exception was my collection of golis (marbles) which I refused to part with.I started with 5 of them and went on to amass as many as 200 marbles which I won fair and square in the goli matches from boys of all ages and sizes.But I digress.So the only hitch was when it came to sharing people, especially those close to me. If some kid as much as held my parents’ hand, I would get jealous! My friends were not allowed to be friends with any other kid. They were my friends. Period.And this trait just stayed on.

I have always found it painfully difficult to compete for someone's affection.Simply because I am just not used to it.So when my best friend Mads,decided to become girlfriend-boyfriend with B who happened to a friend of ours,I just refused to accept the change in scenario.I hated B for taking Mads away from us.Mads had to now divide her time and attention between us and him which was just so unfair.How dare he!I am just lucky I have great friends because had it been anyone else,they would have promptly disowned me or worse,completely misunderstood my feelings and intentions.But for some bizzare reason,Mads and B were both very understanding and Mads would actually go out of her way to make sure that I wasn't feeling too left out!

I go through similar emotions with my in-laws.I feel I am constantly competing against my BIL's wife A , for my MIL's affection.And it is just so damn exhausting.For instance,everyone acknowledges openly that I am a better cook than A.Inspite of that, every single time we talk to my in-laws over the phone,I make it a point to instruct M that he has to rave about something that I cooked during that week.And I feel very let down if he doesn't. Well,you get the picture here,don't you.It is not like I am trying to prove that I am better.All I want is for my MIL to love me more.And this is the only way I know to compete for someone's affection;by proving that I am better than my competitor.See how I contradict myself here?!And the fact that both A and my MIL are very warm and affectionate and sensible just makes it all the more frustrating.As juvenile as it may all sound,it is something that I have to live with.And when I am in such situations,nothing about what I feel at that moment is juvenile.It is a constant tug-of-war of emotions and believe me when I say that it is very very hard to not let it get the better of me.

I blame it all on my parents.Sigh.If only I had an elder brother.....

Its feeling-all-gurlie'n-pretty good!

I decided to splurge on myself this weekend and booked an evening slot at the ULTA salon.The prices are steep but the service at the salon is just awesome and the end-result is worth every damn penny!Mind you,the salon itself does not look all glamorous and spa-like.In terms of appearance and visual appeal,it lies in between a decent spa and a regular Super Cuts.So I was a little skeptical about what to expect especially since I was just about to burn a huge hole in my pocket.I was looking forward to get my hair cut by a gay male stylist with an exotic South American or French lineage and an unpronounceable name and incomprehensible accent.The lady at the front desk said that my stylist for the evening was "Naaa-chhh-chh-mae".It turns out that the stylist assigned to me was in fact this elderly Pakistani lady called Najma.So much for all the anticipation!I was so disappointed that my fantasy was shattered this badly that I forgot to greet the lady even.

Now as a rule,I usually refrain from conversing in Hindi with fellow-countrymen-strangers because some of them mistake this friendly gesture as an invitation to discuss all aspects my personal life.If it is a lady and she is older,the conversation invariably goes something like this :

[1] Older desi lady : Are you married?
Me : Yes

[2] Older desi lady : Do you have kids?
Me : No.Not yet.

[3] Older desi lady : *Loud Gasp* And pray,why not?
Me *smiling politely and shrugging shoulders and thinking* : None of your damn business,lady.

So I was somewhat pleasantly surprised when Najma turned out to be the non-conversational kind.After about 20 minutes into my appointment,we started conversing generally and discussed hair maintenance and conditioning.And then she abruptly announced that she was from Pakistan and asked me about my origins.I explained.In my head I go "Uh-ooooh,there we go." Then, in true desi style, followed the much dreaded questions.She asked me questions [1] and [2] and I answered them as mentioned above.And then she said , "Oh,whats the hurry anyway?Enjoy yourselves thoroughly before the inevitable responsibility falls on your shoulder." I couldn't believe my ears! The jinx was finally broken! I gradually warmed up to her and found myself talking to her in Hindi! We went on to discuss a variety of subjects ranging from real estate in the city to recipes to weather in our respective countries and I actually quite enjoyed our conversation! She even rattled away the recipe of her famous gosht biryani while she deep conditioned my hair.Just that she kept saying gosht over and over and over again that I finally had to admit to her that I was vegetarian and that I would probably stick to vegetables for my version of the biryani. She of course was shocked and tried to convey to me as politely as possible that biryani without meat was akin to sacrilege of the highest degree. She was relieved to an extent only after I revealed that M was as carnivorous as one could possibly be and he would certainly enjoy her gosht version of the dish.But the highlight of the evening was most definitely the super haircut that she gave me...just the perfect length and the perfect number of layers!She even recommended some hair-care products and made sure that I got a 10% off coupon at the front desk.Nice lady!

So here I am with a brand new hair cut and with my hair feeling all soft and shiny and silky.I feel all girlie and pampered and pretty.So what if it cost me a fortune?I am so worth it!*Grin*

Tag-me-along!

I was itching to blog but there were just so many ideas running amok in my head that I decided to sleep on it. It was way too much trouble to make a decision on what the topic of the day should be. And then comes along just passing by with this tag, thus making my job that much easier! So here goes nothing.

1. Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it.
I have several prize-winning scars mainly due to the tom-boyish lifestyle that I had so proudly adopted back when I was a kid. If I had to pick one, it would have to be the 2-inch gash on my right leg.

So I was playing cricket with the gang on the street when I accidentally stepped on a rusty metal strip that’s used to pack wooden boxes. I took another step and the next thing I know, I have a metal strip stuck in my right ankle and there is blood all over the place! The brave kid that I was, I walked all by myself in that condition to the doctor’s house. (She was my mother’s friend and lived close by.)And not once did I flinch anytime during the stitches or the tet-vac injection that followed. And the scar lives on to tell the tale of my spunk!

2. What is on the walls in your room?
Right now, there is a beautiful wall hanging of Ganapathi. Earlier we had 2 huge posters of McLaren,the hubby’s logic being : That is what you worship and this is what I worship. Go figure.

3. What does your phone look like?
I have a Motorola Razr V3.It is silver in color with black display.You get the picture don’t you? No? Then go here.

4. What music do you listen to?
Everything goes. Western classical (Bach) to Carnatic music(U Srinivas’s mandolin) to Bollywood hungama to Barry Manilow.

5. What is your current desktop picture?
Blue sky with white clouds and a lush green lawn.

6. What do you want more than anything right now?
For things that are in not in my control but which tend to affect me nevertheless, to sort themselves out.

7. Do you believe in gay marriage?
Yes. What is not to believe?

8. Are your parents still together?
Very much so.

9. What are you listening to?
Sound of the printer and that of my colleague typing away at her desk.

10. Do you get scared of the dark?
Ooooh yes.

11. The last person to make you cry?
My aunt.

12. What kind of hair/eye type do you like on the opposite sex?
I don’t much care about the type of hair/eye as much as I care about whether it is clean or not. Hair should be washed and should smell good and should be well maintained, as far as I am concerned.

13. Do you like pain killers?
Like is a wee bit extreme here,aint it?If I am in pain and I cannot bear it then yes,I would like to take a pain killer,thank you very much.

14. Are you too shy to ask someone out?
I never had to so I guess I will never know!

15. Favourite pizza topping?
Paneer, green pepper, onion, cheese and fennel seeds.

16. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?
Piping hot phulkas with chayote (seeme badnekaayi ) palya, cucumber salad and curd rice with mango pickle and the palya. *GRIN*

And now, in true blogger-style,I hereby tag Maddy,Mri and Divya and request them to do the needful.

And anyone else interested in taking up this tag is most welcome to do so :-)

Of birthdays and celebrations

I love celebrating birthdays, especially mine. The funny thing is when I was a kid, my birthday was just another day of the year for everyone including myself and not much importance was given to it. The first time I ever cut a cake on my birthday was when I was 16 years old! When I turned 16, for reasons only best known to my progenitors, suddenly my birthday celebrations assumed epic proportions and was treated like a festival of sorts. My mother would prepare this elaborate meal that consisted of at least 5 courses and 2 desserts and only my closest of friends and my maternal grandparents and aunts (all of whom lived close by) were invited. The not-so-close friends who dropped by all day long were served snacks and juice. And then came the presents. Anyone who came home would get me a present and a card, simply because it was the cardinal rule and had to be followed in order to gain entry into my humble abode. See, I wasn’t greedy or evil for that matter. But for someone who never really had traditional birthdays as a kid, this was my chance to make up for all the lost years. I absolutely loved to be the center of so much attention and would go around announcing that it was my birthday to anyone who cared to listen.

So with this being the state of affairs, imagine my bewildered state of mind when I realized that M does not believe in grandiose when it comes his birthday celebration. Well, its not that he does not enjoy being pampered on his birthday or any other day; just that he does not expect it or demand it and will not be disappointed in case it doesn’t happen. Unlike me; I do not think this kind of behavior is normal and will not endorse it or resort to it. Ever. So the man refuses to wear new clothes on his birthday because apparently he hates it when people go, “Hey, happy birthday. And look, new clothes!” He refuses to tell me what he wants for his birthday present. Now it is not like he does not believe in receiving presents; just that he wants to surprised. Of course he will be surprised because the only kind of presents he likes has to be electronic and must beep and light up. In fact, the first gift I ever gave him was a remote-controlled car and I secretly feel that it was then ,that his belief that he had made the right choice, was infact reinforced. Now, do you have any idea how extremely exhausting it is to think of such contraptions for every gift-giving occasion?

So during one of our random conversations, when he mentioned offhandedly about how he would just love to get hold of some books written by Mark Tully, I immediately knew what had to be done. I browsed through a couple of bookstores but none of them had a copy of No Full Stops in India. And I couldn’t even buy it online since he would be around when it would be delivered and that would spoil the surprise. So I placed a request at a local Barnes and Nobles and pestered them until they had a copy of the book for me. I was sooo excited about having bought the perfect gift for him that I blurted it out to him, 3 days before his birthday.Errrrr so much for not wanting to ruin the surprise!And the next day we went over to M’s brother’s house and the first thing that my BIL did was to thrust this gift bag in M’s hands. M thanked him and kept the bag aside and continued with the conversation. After 3 minutes, my BIL couldn't take it anymore and yells excitedly, ”Open the bag right now and see what we got for you.” So M does as he is told only to discover a Micro Flyers wireless indoor helicopter inside the bag. M grins happily. And my BIL is chattering away about how he thought of the gift and went about buying it and couldn’t wait to give it to M.

Its M’s birthday today. He plans to wear the new outfits that I got him for his birthday on Friday. He will not be getting any gifts today as his wife and brother turned out to be over-excited-blabber-mouths. (See what the pressure of getting the perfect gift can do to people?) I made kaju burfi for him last night in an attempt to make up for being an over-excited-blabber-mouth. And also because he absolutely loves kaju burfi.

Our conversation from Sunday night after I just got home from the Sathya Narayana Puje at my aunt’s place:

I : I got Bisi Bele Bath for you. My aunt made it. It tastes really really good.

After inspecting the aforementioned BBB,

M : It doesn’t look like the BBB you make. I don’t think it will taste just as good. So no, I don’t want to eat it.

:-)

Happy Birthday, M!

Wanting what you don't have and having what you don't want..

The weather outside is just perfect. A slight drizzle, temperature in the 80s and the sun nowhere to be seen. Perfect for taking the day off and staying in, snuggling with M on the couch, eating hot bajjis, drinking a big mug of piping-hot-elaichi-ginger tea and watching a nice desi movie. If only …*Sigh*

Last year, the same time around, I was still a grad student on a dependent visa which meant that I could not be legally employed. I remember how I used to hate spending time at home and couldn’t wait to get a job and start working all over again! And now the very thought of being able to stay home and laze around excites me no end! I couldn’t wait for us to buy another car so that I could gallivant all around town and go on those impromptu shopping sprees all by myself. And now the very thought of any driving other than that short, inconspicuous 10-minute drive to work, kinda puts me off! I couldn’t wait to start my new job as I could get to have my own space without any intrusions or having someone breathing down my neck all the time, like the case was in my previous workplace. And now I find my current work place boring because everyone keeps to themselves and the interaction between all of us is limited to our weekly meetings or when we bump into each other at the water cooler area or in the wash room.And hence...the title!

Actually the title of the post best describes my wardrobe situation.I never seem to have the right clothes to take on a trip or the right clothes to wear on a particular occasion.I never seem to have the right clothes or enough clothes for that matter.Period.M learnt very quickly that the best way to tackle the clothes-situation was to ignore it.But my mother somehow would get very flustered when I would complain about my non-existent problem.She could not fathom how her offspring turned out to be like this.So every time I would complain about how I had no clothes to wear,she would say "Thathasthu" and secretly hoped that someday I would find myself in exactly that situation.What love!

Something that I have never been able to justify though is how I have all these outfits in my closet which I chose and bought myself but went on to hate their very existence for some inexplicable reason,and that too after wearing them just the one time.

Of people and their names

---I know atleast 5 females named Arathi(and all the mutations/variations of the spelling of the name*phew*) and atleast 5 people of the male persuasion named Shreyas.

All the Arathi-s I know :

*are eccentric;some in a good way and some in a not-so-good way

*have short,straight,black hair

*are intelligent

*are fickle-minded

*do not make very good friends

*make great acquaintances

All the Shreyas-es I know :

*are cool dudes

*are fun to be around

*are super-talented in some form of art

*are good-looking

*have a great sense of humor

---I love the name Rhea and it happens to be quite a common name.Yet,I do not "know know" anyone named Rhea.

---In all this time that I have lived in this country,I am yet to meet a "John Smith" or a "John" or a "Smith".So much for commonality!

--I know tons and tons of Priya-s and none of them have anything in common except their names.

:-)

Fond memories

I have the fondest of memories of Independence Day celebrations back in high school.

Every single year our school would organize this cultural program that consisted of some dance performances and a couple of skits interspersed with some patriotic songs belted out by the school's prayer group.And no points for guessing who was an integral part of almost all the performances on the list.Yes people,apparently I was super-talented as a kid!But as I grew older,the talent went into hiding somewhere,never to be seen again.Sigh!So yes,the cultural program.It just so happened that due to some strange coincidence,the teacher in charge of the dance that I was a part of would invariably want us to buy an elaborate(read expensive) costume and jewelery to go with it.And my mother would invariably go ballistic when she found out what the dress cost, at the store.The first year emotional blackmail worked and the year after, a temper tantrum did the trick and she caved in.But after that,she wisened up and just wouldn't budge no matter what I did or said.Luckily,it was the same case with several of my friends and so we ended up doing what any self-respecting teenager would loathe to do.Borrow!

The best part of it all was that we would be called for practice during class hours!So we got to miss class officially and we would run past the infuriated Physics teacher going "yaaaaaaay dance practice",much to the chagrin of those who were not participating in the dance and had to stay back in class!The practice sessions were so much fun especially if it was a boy-girl dance.Most of the boys were awkward dancers and they had not,an inkling of grace.So it was fun just watching them attempting to dance because we knew that with the exception of a handful of them, the rest of the lot were just trying to impress us!D-day itself was an affair to remember.....all the performers in their colorful costumes ,the younger kids running around , laughing and screaming,the teachers dressed in the tricolor,the parents with their cameras flashing away!We then sang and danced and pranced around and performed to glory.And all the fun and games came to a befitting end when the prayer group sang the National Anthem and our National Flag was hoisted and everyone present stood there in attention and solidarity and with pride.

I am glad that this celebration and fun is what I associate with Independence Day.I am glad that my patriotism and love for my country are perennial and I do not associate or limit these sentiments with or to a particular date.I am glad that I do not have to resort to gimmicks to express my sentiments.

Happy Independence Day and a very happy anniversary to my ajji and thatha!

Weekend update

To compensate for the rough week that I had at work or something...the weekend was really nice!

We did the usual Masala dosa + buttermilk + tea brunch routine at Taj on Saturday and not to mention,the dosa was heavenly!And I had to host another show at the radio station but it wasn't half as bad as my regular show.Oh,I guess I haven't mentioned earlier that I dabble with some RJing at a local start-up desi radio station :)

Well,it all started when I got to know that this particular radio station was looking for people to do voice-overs for commercials and that their studio happened to be just down the same street as our apartment complex!So I went there and recorded 3 commercials and just got hooked!So when they called me after a couple of days asking if I would be interested in doing an infomercial,I said yes!The infomercial is sponsored by this guy HP, who owns a mortgage company.So its his show basically and I just play second fiddle.He talks a lot,I talk a bit,I play some songs and we take calls from listeners and he ends up doing the talking all over again! But it is a lot of fun and I get to "run the board" as they call it which means I get to operate that cool looking mixer in the studio.Yes people,it is a live show and no,I do not get paid just in case you were wondering because like I mentioned earlier,they are a "start-up"?! Nice excuse!

So yesterday HP called me exactly 40 minutes before we were scheduled to go on air and announced that he would not be able to make it and I was supposed to handle the entire one-hour show by myself! Whaaat!?He mentioned 3-4 points which he wanted me to elaborate on and wished me luck.Considering that yesterday was my third time on air and that I have no fricking clue about mortgages and commercial loans ,I definitely needed all the luck I could get!So I did whatever research I could possibly do in 20 minutes and then somehow managed to do the show without throwing up even once.It wasn't my best work but I did manage to keep it together until the end of the hour so that was an accomplishment alright!And then I was informed that I would be doing another 30 minute talk show with some doctor guy about herbal remedies for common ailments.Yeah right,like that was totally up my alley!!But the good thing was that this guy came to the studio with a nice print-out that had all the details I needed including the questions I was supposed to ask him!So hosting that show was like a cake-walk because all I had to do was read out from the script!!

And I watched two gems of movies,both Tamil : Chennai-28 and Mozhi. Chennai-28 was fun all the way and lived up to all the hype that surrounded it.And it was based on cricket so I just had to like it!And Mozhi....what a wonderful movie;it was Jyothika at her best ever.It is such a pity that she decided to quit acting because her performance in Mozhi is absolutely fantastic.Go watch it,people.

I enjoy watching Tamil movies,especially the ones directed by Mani Rathnam and the ones that feature the Super-Star and this,I only have my mother to thank for.Though both my parents are Kannadigas,my maternal grandfather moved to Chennai when my mother was a 7-month old baby.So she was raised in Chennai and moved to Bangalore only after she married my father.All her siblings were born and brought up in Chennai so that was where I would spend my summer vacation every single year for almost 8 years.Yes,you read it right....summer vacation in Madras ! And thats when I picked up Tamil and was initiated into the world of the Super-Star.My mother and I have this thing...of watching these few movies like Mouna Raagam,Dhalapathi,Padiappa,Agni Nakshatiram....over and over and over again!We must have watched each of these movies over 20 times together but even today if any one of them is playing on TV,we will watch it and enjoy it just as much as we did the first time!That is one of our things :)

Oh,M and I made paaysa and puliyogre and voggarne mosranna for lunch and chilly paneer for an evening snack,today!Yes people,I did have a wonderful weekend!

A tradition...of cricket!

Cricket has been the one sport that everyone in the family follows religiously.Including the women-folk...well,especially the women-folk!

My maternal grandmother is a huge cricket buff.And her favorite cricketer of all times is...hold your horses...none other than Imran Khan!Every time there was an India-Pakistan match on,the tension in my grandparent's house was apparent to everyone who cared to notice.Here we all were,egging India on and hoping that they would scamper home with a victory,some of us praying,some of us getting super-superstitious(we once banished my mother into the kitchen for one whole hour because the moment she entered the kitchen,one of the Pak batsmen got out!) and some of us screaming our throats hoarse,some of us(especially my thatha) narrating cricket-stories from his days and some of us just soaking it all in!And then there was my ajji...she stood for everything that went against what the rest of the family believed in,in terms of cricket!She loudly and unabashedly cheered the Pak team on and would literally swoon every single time Imran Khan came onto bowl.She was in love with the man and still is!My thatha would glare at her every time she said something nice about our opponents,especially when his brothers were over!She made all of us look really bad I tell you!

The atmosphere in my parent's house was equally charged up.My mother and I were very vociferous in expressing our feelings and would love to crank up the volume to listen to the commentary.My father on the other hand,preferred to watch the match for the love of the game and with dignity and in peace and quiet.Every now and then,he would say "Appi,volume solpa kammi maadu"(yes,thats what he calls me.Get over it,already.).Mother and I would exchange glances and I would pretend to reduce the volume.Or I would just say "Hoon anna,hoon" and continue to watch the match.Or sometimes I would pretend I didn't even hear him in the first place!The players would break for lunch and so would we.In that 45 minutes,we simply had to and I mean had to be done with our lunch and whatever other chore that was there.(including restroom visits).

But the most fun I have had is whenever I watched cricket matches with my cousin ,Soms.She and I were born exactly 6 days apart and we are quite close and possess the same mad streak.And I kid you not when I say that every single time we watched an India match together,India always won.We watched that particular test match at her parent's place when Kumble picked up all 10 wickets in an innings and took India to victory.We watched that one-day match together at my parent's house when India successfully chased a target of 316 against Pakistan in Dhaka.

This particular day,what happened was,all of a sudden in the 45th over of India's innings,our cable went kaput.So Soms and I ran out of the house and ran all the way to my friend S's place which was in the adjacent street and stormed into their living room and plopped ourselves on the couch.We saw the TV screen and Soms says to me,"Sadhya,yerde-yerdu(2) balls miss maadkondvi"(thank god,we missed just two balls).The last two balls of the over were bowled and it was time for a commercial break.Only then did we realize that we were in S's house,in their living room,amidst 8 of her relatives none of whom I had ever met and that all of them including S's parents had no fricking idea who Soms was and that they were all staring at the two of us with their mouths wide open(literally)!I realized it was time for me to explain our actions to the shocked group,but by then the commercial was over and Soms says,"shhhhhhhh....match start aythu"(match started).And everyone obediently turned their attention back to the match.

I over heard S's dad whispering to her mom "I know who ILoveLucy is,but who is this other girl with her?I have never seen her before and she is commanding silence in our house so that she can watch the match!"

And that is the extent of our cricket-craziness!!!

When we finally won that day,Soms and I yelled and screamed and did an impromptu Zulu jig all over the living room and S and some of her bewildered relatives actually joined in!S's dad still had that perplexed expression on his face as he went out to walk their dog,Pinky.

Lets play tag!

My first tag ever in the blog-world. *grin*

Su and just passing by, since you gave me the idea,I would first like to tag both of you.(Yipeeeeeeeee!)

And let me add Mridula, Maddy and Pri to my tag list for good measure.I would have loved to tag Shruthi too but she has already completed this exercise a few months ago!

So people,all you need to do is list down "some of your favorite things" ever!

Oh,and here are the much-awaited pizza-pictures!(this time he added paneer and cilantro instead of black olives...god bless the man!!)

These are a few of my favourite things...

Making such lists is supposed to be self-therapeutic. So here goes in no particular order:

1.Smell of fresh coffee being brewed

2.Listening to "Venkateshwara Suprabhata" first thing I wake up

3.Watching a good movie

4.Good food

5.Hugging M

6.M

7.Mother,Father and I relaxing on the bed in their room....and talking for hours on end

8.Father's tea

9.Saturday morning gossip sessions on GTalk with Mother.

10.A good workout

11.Weekends with M

12.Conference calls with Maddy and Bhava

13.Getting an email from someone I know

14.Listening to the radio

15.Comments on my blog(*GRIN*)

16.Playing and watching cricket,especially with my cousin,Soms.

17.Playing lagori with Soms and the gang

18.Reading a good book

19.Smell of rain

20.Get-togethers/functions in Bangalore

21.Food in those get-togethers/functions

22.Shopping for clothes,accessories,shoes and books

23.When things go right and function as they should,at work

24.Cooking

25.Making fresh coffee for M

26.M making tea for me

27.Latte at Starbucks

28.Eating popcorn while watching a movie

Hmmm.Thats all I think of for now...will keep updating as and when something new comes to mind.


EDIT:
I wanted to include the following yesterday itself,but for some reason I felt kinda embarrassed.(I know,I know its my blog and I can say what I want.I will keep that in mind form now on!!)Then I read Shruthi's list and apart from several other lovely things,she has these 3 points written down as well!!So that kinda gave me the confidence about it not being so bad after all! Thanks,Shru!!

29.Attention

30.Praise

31.Well-deserved compliments(not the back-handed ones)

And also,

32.Chaat(yummmmm)

33.Dogs

Nothing in particular

While the frustration at work continues,I find consolation amongst my blog friends : new and old.So a big shout out all you nice people :)

M made pizza again last night and this time I managed to take pictures before the pizza disappeared into oblivion!Will put them up in my next entry.

My latest craze : Tall latte,non-fat,extra-hot,light-foam at Starbucks.I have always been addicted to the latte at Starbucks,only now I have gone "non-fat".Its either that for consolation or hitting the gym on a regular basis.Easy choice,no!(The regular latte tastes sooo much better
though *sigh*)

I absolutely loveeee shopping for clothes,accessories,shoes and books.And when I decide to go shopping to cheer myself up after a bad day,thats when I end up finding nothing I like.And this happens every single time.

Tell me something...when you are involved in a group activity,doesn't it go without saying that everyone in the group should contribute in whatever way possible?And if you volunteer to get something done,you actually go ahead and get it done?

Rant

aaaaarrghhhh

Nothing seems to be going right at work at the moment.I am stuck with this stupid task.No one has an inkling as to what needs to be done.But it has to be done.

How?What?...Why me?

Bleah.

Pizza made from scratch.....

.......is what we had for dinner last night.And guess who made the pizza?! No not me,you guys..it was M!

M got this sudden inspiration to make pizza from scratch and before I knew it,he had shopped for all the required ingredients and set out to make the dough on Saturday evening.And then last evening,he made the best veggie pizza I have ever tasted!The pizza sauce was his own recipe which was just so exceptionally good unlike the ready made sauces that you get in the store ,which are kinda overpowering in taste.The amount of cheese in the pizza was just perfect and so were the toppings.....green peppers,onions and black olives with a dash of garam masala,oregano and fennel seeds.Yes..fennel seeds....which gave the pizza an absolutely wonderful flavor!And the end result was this delectable pizza which was so yummy that only after I had devoured it to the very last crumb, did I realize that I hadn't taken pictures of it!!

We still have enough dough to make 4 more pizzas...YAY!!It is just such a heady feeling to be in love especially if it involves being treated to scrumptious pizzas!

Thanks, dear M :)

Justice served...?

I was listening to this radio show on a local desi station and the topic of discussion was the imprisonment of Sanjay Dutt and how unfair and severe the sentencing was.Plans were being made to send a petition on behalf of all the Indians here thus expressing their displeasure and showing their solidarity to the actor.

So here we have someone who was found guilty of no less than possession of illegal arms that were used in the 1993 Bombay blasts.But for some reason which defies all logic,the aam junta wants him to be set free.What if he was not a film star but one among the aam junta itself?Would these people still have shown so much mercy and solidarity?They say its all dirty politics and that the poor sod was misled and misguided into committing the criminal act.This one gentleman from our neighboring country went to the extent of declaring on air (on the radio show that I mentioned earlier) that procuring illegal guns in our country as well as our neighboring country is no big deal and it is not a crime by any standards and that too definitely not one that entails six years in prison.He went one step further and added that when Salman Khan hasn't been punished for his acts of crime,how can our Sanjay Dutt be subjected to imprisonment? *Kharma Kharma*

The "Munna Bhai" series seem to have done wonders in boosting the image of SD.But people should stop confusing the on-screen persona for the man himself.He may be a good man and his father may have been a great man and his drug addiction may be overlooked to an extent citing that it caused harm to just him and his family and to no one else.But when his actions result in a huge disaster ,one as horrific as the 1993 bomb blasts,I am sorry sir,but it cannot go unnoticed.I am not an expert on the legal system so I cannot comment on whether his sentence was harsh or not.But all I know is that he deserved to be punished.

Now coming back to Salman Khan,I am beginning to lose count of all his misdemeanors as he seems to be getting into trouble on a regular basis.He hunts down endangered animals and then decides that he wants to go one step further and see what killing a human being feels like.So he gets drunk silly and runs his car over helpless pavement dwellers who were fast asleep for Christ's sake and ends up killing one of them.(Reminds me of the Kannada movie "Accident".A gem)The fact that he continues to pretend to act in films is yet another unpardonable crime.So yes,lets ask the obvious here.Why wasn't he punished?Why wasn't justice served?
I bet if someone convinced him that after Paris Hilton went to jail for her DUI offense,it did her nothing but good and she made lot of moolah giving interviews on TV,our pal might just be tempted to follow suit.

Oh whatever.As long as idiots like our radio show pal continue to endorse the moronic behavior of our so called "Bollywood stars",this trend will continue.

(One of best friends lost her uncle and family in those 1993 blasts.I still remember how miserable I felt when she broke down after watching the movie "Bombay".)

Happy B'day Nik!

So its that time of the year once again...happy birthday my dear friend!

All my friends

Blogging is addictive!And suddenly,I seem to have all this free time on hand to pursue my latest obsession and I seem to have so many things on my mind that I want to blog about.Very convenient, huh!Well,just as long as my boss is unaware of my extra-curricular activities,I am ok.

So I was thinking about Basaveshwaranagar today and Lucy apart,something else that I remember vividly is that I knew almost everyone in that locality!Mother would refuse to take me with her to the angadi beedhi(street with all the stores) because I would stop every few yards to exchange greetings with some familiar passer by.And I was all of 10 years old!I don't even know how I got acquainted with some those people as my interaction with them would be restricted to a nod,smile and "Hi".But nevertheless,I knew them and thats all mattered.

In that respect,nothing much has changed to date.I know a lot of people; some of them are buddies and many of them are acquaintances.But what intrigues me is that I have very few really really close friends.And these handful of people are the ones that I have known for the longest time now; since high school and pre-university (PU).And whats even more intriguing is that I am not even in regular touch with some of them!Yet,if you asked me to name my dearest friends,its this very bunch that would figure in my list!It somehow seems that I have become incapable of going beyond a certain point in a platonic relationship/friendship/association.And this is very strange because back in school and PU,I used to be very picky about who my friends were,very unlike how I used to be as a child.And it just so happened that I got extremely lucky and effortlessly bonded with those folks that I mentioned earlier, who turned out to be friends for life.So I never really had to make an effort to make anymore friends as I had what I wanted and was content with what I had.

I,obviously,changed over the years and became more "tolerant" of people and their attitudes.So you would think that I would make more friends along the way and that too with considerable ease,right?Wrong.I did make many acquaintances but thats about it.And this is the case even today.For some unknown reason,I have just not been able to establish a bond with anyone in particular no matter how hard I tried.I would reach a certain point with them and then something would invariably go kaput.Even as a couple,we find it increasingly difficult to socialize with another couple and actually enjoy ourselves.Either the other couple has kids and we don't as yet and hence they cannot relate to us or they want to do a potluck and stay home all evening and talk and eat and talk and then eat some more every single time we meet or one of them(sometimes both) is so unbearably obnoxious that all he/she talks about is how things in India have changed and how poor and dirty and hungry people back home are and how getting a green card is equivalent to attaining nirvana or sometimes,for absolutely no reason whatsoever!So while we do socialize quite often,we don't have as much fun as we would have liked!

So when M and I met up with this newly married couple,RT and Jag, not too long ago and ended up having a whale of time,it was a very pleasant surprise indeed.And off late we have started going out a lot with M's colleagues and their spouses/partners and its been lots and lots of fun!

Hope the trend continues because I was kinda reassured that it is not me,atleast not always!

Partner

No no...this post has nothing to do with relationships and life and partners and the likes.Its just a rant about that disaster of a movie titled "Partner".

Last Sunday,I had this overwhelming urge to watch a good ol' Hindi pichchar and going by this review and the store owner's recommendation,I settled for "Partner".So not only do I endorse DVD piracy by renting this movie,I ensure that my entire Sunday afternoon was filled with agony and frustration with no one but myself to blame.M was busy doing his 750 piece puzzle so I had to undergo this latest-method-of-torture-CIA-uses-to-deal-with-maniacal-suicide-bombers,all by myself.
Why you ask?Picture this:

The cast:The movie is our own desi version of Hitch which has that idiot Salman Khan playing Will Smith's role and running amok in the name of comedy.He is paired with the even more idiotic Govinda who looks and acts like he is completely stoned.The fact that he is paired opposite Katrina Kaif just adds to the general misery.And then there is Lara Dutta posing as a brain-dead journalist.

The plot:Govinda falls in love with the super rich Kat and somehow manages to convince "Love Guru" Salman to help him get his lady love.In other words,pure torture...ashte.

Outstanding scene #1 : Lara is clicking away pictures of the notorious Chota Don(sic) at his adda which is somewhere in the outskirts of Mumbai.And then,one of his goons spot her and the whole lot scream bloody murder and run after her.And what is her exit strategy?She gets on to her bicycle and rides away to glory and lo and behold! she is now on one of the streets of Mumbai.Oh and it gets even better.Those 28 odd goons of the don are still chasing her....by foot!

Outstanding scene #2 : This annoying kid who is Salman's nephew in the movie designs a "rocket missile that gets activated by a command in that kid's voice".And at one point,it actually gets activated and goes after Salman with a vengeance!Salman,who is on a jet ski,does all kinds of stunts to escape from the torpedo.This scene lasts for atleast 20 minutes.

Outstanding scene #3 : The last 30 minutes or the so called "climax" of the movie.Please do not make me describe it,please.Watching it was bad enough and left me scarred for life.

Thats it.I cannot go on.If you want to see for yourself,be my guest,but just know that you have been warned.So proceed at your own peril.

The whole experience had me wondering as to how some body else's definition of humor and comedy and entertainment and good cinema can be so damn different from mine.Or is it just me?The movie described above is supposed to a huge hit back home.How?Why?I remember going through a similar soul searching experience when M and I were forced to watch another load-of-crap titled "No Entry" and too,in a theater after having coughed up $8.00 per ticket.Damn relatives!During the interval,this well-built Punjabi aunty is talking loudly on her cell phone inside the theater and her conversation goes something like this:
"Heeellooo,pammi bhabhi,I am calling from theater...hum log "no entry" dekh rahen hai...kya picchchar hai bhabhi..soooper dooooper hit!!!...kyacomedy hai anil kapoor ki..has has ke paagal ho gaye..you missed it,bhabhi"

Thats all.

Reality Bites...

My parents were here on a short vacation and so M and I decided to get the International package on Direct TV that comprised of all the Star TV channels and then some more like Vijay TV and NDTV.So mother and I would watch all the "reality-based shows" on the the desi channels and boy-o-boy...I was convinced that Indian Television had hit a new nadir.

Take "Koffee Kwith Karan".First of all,this obsession with "K" the man and his bum chum lady friend who rules the Ksoap Kopera scene,have.And then,the man himself!I have not seen anybody as narcissistic as this guy.Or even annoying for that matter.He seems to have patented the word "Fraternity" which he uses at the drop of the hat.And do not even get me started about his "Rapid-Fire Round" which comprises of the standard 4-Qs.Something about Rani,Preity,Kaajol and then Salman,Sharukh,Aamir,Saif and then something do to with Rakhi Sawaant and finally his pet peeve,homosexuality.Lord,give me a break!This guy is all of 34 and is touted as the "Maker of stars".More like "Maker of crap(py movies)".

And then all those shows which claim to be hunting for the next singing sensation and have this panel of so-called celebrities in the music industry.See the thing is I love watching shows which have something to do with music or dance.But when I watch "Indian Idol" or "Star Voice of India",it just depresses me.Agreed,some of the participants are really good and have real talent.But what gets to me is the utterly atrocious behavior of the judges on these shows.These judges are well-known personalities and at some point in their career,have made a decent contribution to music.Yet,they act like imbeciles who are possessed by some confused spirit.Their comments reek of stupidity and bias and some more plain stupidity.I pity the poor host of the show who gets caught in the cross fire and is unable to to do anything to bring back sanity on the sets.And in the worst situation, are the poor participants who cannot fathom what they did wrong or right for that matter,to ignite such a heated and meaningless debate amongst the judges.

But the award for the most ridiculous show ever goes to the "Antakshari" show hosted by that annoying 4-foot something,Anu Kapoor and that girl,about whom the less said the better.It is supposed to be a competition for kids but most of the kids that participate act like they are freaking 35 year old morons.And then we have the parents of these kids who act worse than 5 year olds fighting over who's pencil box is prettier(thats what we used to do when we were 5 years old).And the objections these parents raise and that too on National Television!!!One parent objected to the fact that the co-host did not hug his daughter as much as she does, the other fat kid on the show!*banging head on nearest wall*

I kinda like "Coffee with Anu" on Vijay TV.She focuses less on gossip and keeps the momentum of the show going without resorting to cheap gimmicks,unlike her male/gay counterpart on the other channel.I also like the "Super Singer" series which does have an annoying host as per current trend but everything else is nice about this show.The judges are a class-act and speak only when necessary and they always keep in mind that its young children that are being judged.The participants are well-behaved and act their age.The parents are restrained and show respect for the judges and their judgment.

My all-time favorite reality show is "So You Think You Can Dance" On FOX Network.I cannot even begin to describe how good this show is in terms of quality,grace,class and presentation.Its a dance based show wherein 20 contestants are picked initially.A girl and a guy pair up and each week,they pick a dance style which could be anything from Samba to hip-hop to Viennese waltz.They are given 5 hours to learn a new routine in their chosen style which is taught to them by a renowned choreographer who specializes in that style.America chooses the bottom 3 couples and the judges then decided which girl and guy leaves the show.This show is a class apart.For starters,it has the hottest host ever who is all of 7 feet and is grace personified.The judges are well-known choreographers who are so unbiased in their rulings.And the participants just rock.You will see a B-boy waltzing away effortlessly in the most complicated routine or a contemporary dancer rocking the floor with a hip-hop routine.All in all,a class act!I like!

Remember Lucille Ball or Fauji or Buniyaad...?