Three months and counting..

It's been a while since I've visited this place and typed a few words. I've forgotten how to write just for the fun of it. For most people making a living out of their passion must be a dream come true. For me though, what started out as a dream became a living nightmare. Being a professional features writer/reporter, with an extremely lazy editor who barely appreciates having you around is far from a dream.

This post is an attempt to re-spark my love of writing again, without deadlines hanging like dead weight on my shoulders.

I'm back home in Chennai after three months of living alone in Bombay. I've learnt a lot in these three months - I've learnt that working with a sadass excuse of a magazine is a waste of time, finishing your studies always comes first; pay packets and companies will follow suit, firms are selfish and think only of themselves, some people are just opportunists who simply use you, without batting an eyelid, for cleaning up their mess and when that is done, they pretend like they don't know you anymore.

The experience has changed me. For 21 years, I was in a safe cocoon called home. Stepping out into the real world and seeing with my own two eyes that it's not a nice place for our children to grow up, is not a very comforting feeling.

Tales of gloom aside, I've also had the time of my life, in these three months. I've met some interesting people, I've fallen in love with the mad city Bombay is and I'm definitely going back for more.

Mommy..

The first thing i did this morning, the minute i opened my eyes was to give mommy a missed call. We had a 15 minute conversation which went like so.

Mom : Haan, whats up?
Me (groggy eyed and hippo-yawning) : Not much, just felt like hearing your voice.
Mom : Oh okie
Me : Mummaa, I'm feeling very tired. I don't feel like going to work today
Mom : Obviously, you'll feel tired. You're not eating properly. Just lunch everyday is going to make you loose your health and all your resistance. (and more food related advice)
Me : *coughing and sneezing*
Mom : Just come back home, enough of your Bombay experiment.

I managed to hang up after convincing her that I'll eat some more and that i was getting late for work.

As i was getting ready to leave, the conversation we had kept playing in my mind. And as i stepped out of home to catch the bus to the station, i saw little girls walking hand in hand with their mothers. The sight made a single tear drop trickle down my eye and it made me realize that i was really missing my mother.

I wanted to be 4 years old all over again and live a life of no responsibilities.

Samosas..

There is something very divine about a samosa. Words are too little to express how I feel when the taste of the aloo and the fried covering play around the insides of my mouth. I've had a fascination for this heavenly triangle for a very long time.

Most mornings i skip breakfast, partly because I don't get any at the PG I stay in and partly because I'm in a rush to get to work before the trains and the buses get too crowded. Traveling in Mumbai is something that you get used to only after a very loooooooong time.

I'm used to the grind now of pushing and pulling around with the fat aunties on the train to get that wee bit of space to breathe and jumping into the bus as fast as my legs allow me to.

This morning I left home earlier than usual and reached Dadar station at 9.20am, I had time to kill. So I took a slow walk down the crowded streets of Dadar, watching the shopkeepers dusting out their wares and opening shop for the day. Each morning I pass rows and rows of eat outs and I see food in abundance. The smells wafting out of each make my tummy cringe with hunger. And this morning I decided to answer the call of my tummy. I saw a huge basket of samosas being carried by 2 men, I walked right behind them, watching the samosas with lustful eyes.

They walked into a small street shop and placed the basket inside. The shop had a small counter selling samosas, dhoklas, pav bhaji and many more knick knacks. People were crowded around the shop like bees to a honey comb. I joined the crowd and asked for one samosa.

The man behind the counter, took out a samosa from the counter, wrapped it in a newspaper along with some spicy green chilly chutney and gave it to me. (his actions were at the speed of light, before I knew what was happening the whole bundle was in my hand) I smiled at him, payed him the amount I owed him and settled down on a steel bench with my samosa.

I could taste the freshness of the aloo stuffed inside the samosa, it was still piping hot from all the frying. The spicy chutney dipping added on to my mouth-orgasm. I was in a world of my own now - nothing seemed to matter except me and my samosa.

After I was done eating, I looked at the empty sheet of paper with sadness and made a promise to myself that every alternate morning, I would sin. Calories can just go to hell for all I care.

A new dawn..

A post after a million days - thanks to some violent prodding from a certain special someone.

R: btw i am angry at you
G:?

R : since you have joined work, you seem to have put your own writing at a complete back seat

G: yea, i know

R: you work is profession, and your blog is your hobby, y don't i see your blog being updated, during maybe the most eventful period of your life?

So here i am, trying to making a post - I've gotten rusty, i have forgotten how to just write for the fun of writing. I write now with thoughts of will my editor like it, does this fit the writing style of the magazine, would people give it a second read and so on.

It's funny how life takes you to these absolute dead ends and just when you think things just can't get any worse, your brain begins to see light - the light of acceptance. Shit happens and you just learn to deal with it.

I've grown up in the past 2 months, living away from home. Suddenly there is this burst of responsibility resting on my shoulders - starting with getting my clothes washed to meeting article deadlines to jumping onto the train quickly and hanging on to anything for dear life.

Living out of home is like walking on thin glass. It takes time to get used to it. But once the mental block of "Can i do this? Am i capable enough?" is out of your head, the world is yours to rule.

Mumbai food..

If food is life and eating is your only survival kit, then Mumbai is the place for you. There is a plethora of food starting from Rs 5/- to Rs 5000/-

I've been in this lovely city for the past 1 month and two eateries that really caught my eye during my brief stay here are, Jumbo king Vada Pav stalls and Amore Gelato ice cream parlor.

Vada pav is a Maharasthrian preparation of a deep fried mashed potato (much like our South Indian equivalent of a Bonda) served in a Bun with or without sauces. The first time I ever had a Vada Pav at the Jumbo king stall, I went bonkers. Jumbo king stalls are located at all the major railway stations of Mumbai. So after every tiring train ride I lunged towards a Jumbo king stall and stuffed my face with Schezuan Jumbo king with one large overly sweetened lassi to wash it all down. I could not get over the fact that this meal was hardly burning my wallet of moolah. The foodie in me, was over the moon.

Moving on to our next yummy in my tummy eat out - Amore Gelato parlour. The cousin and I ate one spoon of all the ice creams on display, starting with After Eight and ending with Cookies and Cream. After a lot of thought, I settled on a Belguim chocolate and she on a Mocha. We had them in waffle cones covered with chocolate sauce right where the cone opens out for the scoop to fall in.

As we dug greedily into our cones, three anorexic-food-is-for-losers women, walked in and looked around with disgruntled expressions at the array of ice creams on display and asked the ice cream scooper boy how many calories one scoop would have. By now I had ice cream on my hair, chin, cheeks and shirt, I perked up to look at the face of the ice cream scooper boy and I could see that he and I were harbouring the same thought, namely - "Get out of this sacred ice cream house NOW, or I will stuff a grenade down your throat."

They finally settled for some yucky looking fruit flavored ice creams served in paper cups (which by the way spoils the whole ice cream eating purpose, you either have your scoop in a yummy waffle cone or die)

I'm still exploring the city and eating as much as I can on the way. So, this post shall continue. Until then, keep the foodie in you alive and keep that ponch happy.

Rock On..

Musicians. We've worshiped them, loved them, been jealous of them, dressed and walked like them. And most of us would easily cut off an arm or a leg, to just live a day of their life.

Rock On is a movie about four men, whose lives take a twist from making music to taking up responsibilities that are thrown their way. Slowly, they are forced to give up their dreams and lead stereotypical 'make money, marry wife, have kids' life.

It is an eye opener for most of us who presumed that rock stars are demi gods, who lead perfect lives. Women, talent, free food at all the places where you play a gig, what more can you ask for?

It also strongly underlines the fact that life is uber strange. We never know where we're going, until we've reached. Planning out our entire life is a decent thing to do, i suppose. Our parents did it, our grandparents did it and they all did okie. But, okie is not good enough. Extraordinary is what we should be looking for.

Philosophy aside, the movie is killer. I loved it and I would definitely give it a second watch. The soundtrack is foot tapping and fun to hear. Investing on the audio CD would not be a total waste of moolah.

Sowmia Mohanlal..

Sowmia Mohanlal - Assistant Store Manager, with the Landmark group in the UAE. Sophisticated, hardworking and an out and out professional with only one thought in mind - meet the sales targets at the end of the month. To me though, she is Sowmi chechi. The woman who babied me ever since she was 3 years old.

Growing up with Sowmia Mohanlal was not half bad. I remember being fiercely possessive of her. I hated it when she babied other little girls, chatted up other random people and played with animals (because she was, is and always shall be an animal lover). I wanted her undivided attention at all times. She was my mother hen and i was the awkward duckling that nestled under her belly.

As i entered my teen years, i found that there was an ocean of differences in opinion between me and her. She continued looking out for me whilst i flitted around playing every bit of my rebellious teen years.

In the past 2 weeks though, i found that we have never been more closer to each other in our lives. My brother just got married and the pre marriage drill was taking a toll on the entire family. As things began to crumble, she stood strong and bold holding together all the pieces of our family like a tube of super glue. She passed on her karmic mumbo-jumbo advice to me as usual and for once, it all made sense to me. I realized that she is the BEST sister a girl can ever have. She has set the sister platform so high in my mind, that no other woman in the world can enter that position that she has taken in my life.

No other girl - be it sisters in laws, be it cousins, be it my very own sister (if i had one) can ever take the place of Sowmia Mohanlal - the best cousin and the best sister ever.

Disclaimer Note : She is single, drop dead gorgeous and up for grabs. So single men over 6 feet of height, well established in their respective field of work, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. =D

My Hot Hairdresser Boy - Part 3

This post is a sad anti-climax to my trilogy. Please refer blog archive for Parts 1 and 2.

I walked into the parlor with an air of hope, confidence and a tingle of excitement. I couldn't wait to see my hot hairdresser boy again and drool over him. Sadly, fate had something else in store for me this morning.

Mum and I walked into the parlor dot at 11.30 am. My eyes wasted no time. It immediately scanned the entire parlor for traces of my boy. Disappointed, i plastered on a fake cheery grin and enquired about him to one of the parlor helpers.

Helper : Sanjay is not here
Me : (wishing the earth would split in two and swallow me in) Oh.
Helper : He has gone to Bombay for a training
Me : Aaah! ='(

My whole world crashed before my eyes at that point. I couldn't think straight, I had to sit down, I knew I'd faint if i didn't. Looking at my pale face, the helper rushed inside and got me a glass of water.

Me : When will he come back?
Helper : I'm not sure
Me : Oohhh. Alright.

The rest of the day was a blur. I honestly didn't care about my hair anymore. The cute chubby aunty who owned the parlor chopped my tresses and two helpers blow dried it and gave it a nice bouncy curly look.

I insisted that i wanted the exact same hair-do my hair savior had given me. The wonders he did with my hair in ten minutes flat, could not be re-done with three women combined. They took 45 minutes to chop and set my hair in place.

At the end of it all, I do look exactly like how my boy saw me 4 months ago. But, the experience was sad and hollow without him. There is a definite void in my soul, now that he has left the parlor.

*sniffs loudly into a tissue and bites into a large bar of chocolate*

The Dark Knight..

Lets have a moment of silence now, clear our throats and on the count of three.. 1, 2, 3. SCCCCCCCCCRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEAAAM! WHATTA MOVIE! If you haven't seen it, jump off a cliff ten times and kill yourself!

I'm confused now. Who do i like more, Batman or the Joker. On the one hand, we have an unsung hero, someone who makes sacrifices, kicks some butt, annihilates evil and yet is hated and misunderstood by the people who he stands to protect, come what may. And on the other hand, we have a lunatic, who kills people for no reason, who just lives his life without a goal in particular. He just wants to piss Batman off and bring gloom to the city of Gotham by breaking their spirits, by killing their hopes for a good future.

The Dark Knight, is one of the most smartest, sleekest, nattiest, realistic superhero flicks' made in our times. The movie ends with the villain winning and the hero loosing. The Joker succeeds in driving a good man, out of his mind. He pushes him over the edge and makes him a villain. Whilst, Batman flees the scene like a criminal, although he did no harm.

More than the fight between good and evil, it was a movie that strongly underlined the choices we make. Sometimes the right choices have horrible consequences. But we can't shirk off those choices. We have a responsibility, to ourselves and to the people who believe in us.

Heath Ledger. Sir, i just have one word and one thought in my mind for you : RESPECT! You have changed the face of super villains. We love you! May your soul rest in peace.

Crossroad..

There comes a point in every human being's life, when she has to take a major decision. She must finally decide, what her purpose in life is. And once she realizes that, she must shirk off all the people who are not supportive of her and move on.

Life is not about keeping other people happy, it is about keeping yourself happy. It is about carving a niche for yourself in this world and fighting it out till the very end.

It took me 21 years, 5 months and 16 days to realize that i was born to write. I will make my bread, butter, jam and live off it, only with my writing. Nothing in the world brings me more joy than thinking and writing down those thoughts.

I have two job offers in Chennai, from very reputed organizations but i choose not to take them, i choose the non-easy way. I choose my dream. And I'll be damned if anybody, tries to stop me.

My first love..

Riding back home from gym today, I was thinking about my never-ending job hunt in Mumbai, my journalism dreams, my blog, the Oats oozing with sugar and 5 tablespoons of skimmed milk powder that would be waiting for me once i reach home and so on. Out of the blue, it hit me, I've written about a gallizion things in this space, except for the most important person/thing in my life. My first love, my baby, my purple Scooty Pep!

Our torrid love affair started when i was in my first year of college and I can say without a doubt in my mind that we're still going strong. She has been through it all with me. The good times, the bad times, the moderate times and the wasted times. She has borne the brunt of my sadness, anger, euphoria, excitement and all the other human emotions humanely possible. She has been a brave soldier for three years, battling all my mood swings. Ever-ready to take on any challenges head-on. Be it dodging stupid pedestrians who just can't cross the road for nuts, cyclists who take forever to crawl through traffic, dinosaur sized cars that try and act funny whenever they see a woman-biker on the roads. Yes, woman biker! My scooty is a Bike. She is not a moped, she is not a scooty. She is a Bike. Period!

Whenever she falls ill, i feel her pain. It brings me great sadness and agony to take her to the service station and leave her there with a bunch of men for 2 and 3 days. My life comes to a standstill for that period of time and i pray fervently to all the Gods to heal her quick, so that she can come back home, back to where she belongs.

My purple scooty pep, i have no words to thank you for putting up with me, for being my ever faithful sidekick, for being my friend and confidante during all the times i needed you the most.

I love you babe! Always and forever.

Dynasty - Speciality Chinese Restaurant

Dynasty is probably one of the most underrated eat-outs in the city. Nobody has heard of it. The Wangs and Mainland Chinas of the world are recognized more. And nobody ever eats in Dynasty. Whenever i walk inside, the place is almost empty. So, this post is to boost up the sales of one of my personal favorite eat outs in the city - Dynasty!.

To start off with, note down the address :

Old No 10,
New No. 57
Greenways Road (inside Music College Arch Lane)
RA Puram
Chennai - 28
Home Delivery numbers : 43060000/43060003

Right, now with the nittigrities out of the way, lets get straight down to business - the food! If you are a self respecting foodian, the first thing that you would do when you enter a Chinese eat out, is order their Chicken Lollipop. And if you don't know what that is, then read no further, this post is not for you. I strongly believe that you can judge the quality of a Chinese eat out, by just eating their Chicken Lollipop. Dynasty's Chicken lollipop will take you on a higher plane of bliss. It's definitely the next best thing to sex and chocolates.

If you're a nibbler, a spoilsport, an anti-food person, then order their Chicken Man chow soup. A delicious concoction of shredded chicken, chillies, fried noodles and mixed vegetables. By now, you'd be geared for more food. Your tummy would expand a little with anticipation, however strict you are with your diet. You'd find yourself praying to the Lord; "Forgive me, for this one night of sin. I shall workout tomorrow like a maniac."

Next on the list is Kway Teow or in non Greek, normal human being language - Flat noodles, with mixed meat consisting of pork, chicken, beef, prawn and crab. The perfect side dish to go with Kway Teow is Shredded Beef dipped in soya sauce, ginger and onion.

If your keyboard is not already overflowing with drool, then my friend, you have issues! Stop reading, start gorging. Bonappetit!

The call of the cookie jar..

Last year, and the year before the last.. and the year before that..

No, that doesn't sound right. Let me start again. For the past 19 years of my life, the first thing I did as soon as I walked into a departmental store would be running to the chocolate, ice-cream and cookie section. I'd run haywire in the shop, pick up bars and tubs of poison and stuff my already overstuffed face with it all.. without sharing it with anyone. I shared Joey's philosophy on food. I did not share.

For the past 2 years though, all that has changed. I joined a gym and the harsh reality of being 12 kilos overweight hit me hard. So, i quit food. I started the anti-food movement with a good friend of mine (who was skin and bones already, but she is, a paranoid person and thinks she resembles a walrus) We barely ate and over-excercised. Things were going smoothly and as per our plan until our health's got in the way. We started loosing our resistance. We fell sick more often, had fainting spells now and then (my coolest fainting spell was in the loo.. i felt i was flying, until my head hit the bathroom tile) and threw up certain things we ate.

I wanted this post to be a little funny.. But the flow of words have taken a different direction. Children.. Ladies especially, reading this post. Do not starve and deprive yourself of food. It is uncool and stupid.

Eat the occasional chocolate chip cookie and glug a whole glass of coffee with tons of cream on it.. You can sin. It's human to sin.

Yesterday my uncle picked up tons of Oatmeal cookies covered in chocolate sause. I tried not to eat them, but the cookie jar looked at me accusingly and seemed to say, "After all these years, can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me that you don't love me anymore" I hugged the jar and whispered back with moist eyes; "I still love you with all my heart" and before I knew what I was doing, I ate 2 whole cookies and ran as fast and far as my legs could carry me.

I repeat.. It's human to sin. Eat that cookie without hesitation. You know you deserve it.

Vacations..

The thing about vacations, especially the one vacation before joining work and right after you're done with college, drags on for an eternity. Nothing seems right. You're a little fuzzy all the time, disoriented and just plain lost like a puppy dog wandering on a dark street.

Deleting seminar notes, exam time tables and going through tearful e-mails of 46 other women who shared a 3 year roller coaster ride along with me makes me gloomier. I am, was and never shall be a fan of change. It is the one thing I hate.

Speaking about the land I'm vacationing at.. There is a food overdose, heat overdose and T-Rex sized malls overdose. I'm sleep deprived and on my toes most of the time, clicking away furiously with my digi-cam and drinking gallons of iced coffee with cream and chocolate sauce topping.

Last week, I was in this mall called the Dragon Mall.. it is shaped like a Dragon and all the shops inside sell Chinese stuff. Walking down one of the alleys in the mall, I bumped into an aunty I met on the plane. We made conversation, oohed and aahed over the freak coincidence. We didn't ask each other too many personal questions, and we left our names unsaid.

Yesterday, I went to a mall called City Center and bumped into my classmate from school. We stared at each other wide eyed, hugged and caught up on each other’s lives of 3 years. "You don't look the same at all, you've become so skinny" she kept saying for the first 5 minutes. I laughed and remembered my pro food days when I'd gorge on everybody's lunch boxes.

Vacations.. I don't like them! Dear blog readers, do pass on all your unfinished assignments and projects to me, I'd love to work on them for you.

My first impressions of Sharjah..

The 4-hour flight to start off with, was annoying. We had to wait in the airport for 4 hours, to finally board the silly plane. Once on board, my heart was in my throat and i had to suppress a few screams (because, i am scared of heights) as we took off the runway. I began to relax a little once the drinks and food were served. We landed at Dubai airport at an ungodly hour. The folks and i wandered around a little aimlessly at first and then we asked a huge Shake-man where to go and he replied back in Hindi "Neeche Jao". Multilingual folks these. We had to collect our original Visas from a counter and then go back up again to get it stamped from the other airport dudes. Shake-men are quite hot. They come in various shapes, sizes and heights much like our Indian men. They have very sharp features though and you can't help but take a second look and flash them a nice flirty smile.

Next, we collected our luggage from the luggage belt (for which we had to wait for another 1 hour) and we walked out of the airport, to be hit with a blast of really skin piercing hot air. We could feel heat bouncing off the roads and on to our faces. We walked around a little to spot my brother; mum made a passing comment about his punctuality and we continued staring into space. I suddenly felt a huge slap on my back and a "Welcome to Dubai Branson family". We stood there right at the entrance of the airport group hugging each other and giggling like a bunch of teenagers. It was a very Brady Bunch sort of a moment.

Next we rolled the luggage trolley to the car park and drove out of the airport. We looked in awe at all the enormous buildings and heavy traffic on the roads at 3am in the morning. I wanted to stick my head out like a dog and take snaps right away, but i was too fagged out from the nightmarish plane ride. I was half asleep by the time we got home. Nice sloppy kisses and huge bear hugs were exchanged with the cousin and the granny who were wide-awake and waiting for us.

I somehow managed to shirk off my clothes and get into my night suit and I crashed into bed like a pile of heavy wood. I was dead to the world for the next 8 hours. I got up the next morning with the sun shining right into my eyes. For a minute, I wondered if I was dead and God had finally come to say Hi. Then I opened my eyelids a little more and scanned the room around me. I walked out on to the balcony and looked down at the 13 floors below us. Cars on the road looked like small toys and people walking around looked like little moving dots. There were huge buildings everywhere and a nice harbor with ships and a good view of the sea. This place truly epitomized the word "Urban Jungle".

I think I'll truly enjoy my 1-month stay here. I could really get used to being pampered by the family and exploring this land some more.

Six Years..

Gather around boys and girls. It's fairy tale with a twist of horrible reality, time of the month again! Once upon a time which dates back to six years ago, there lived a loony 15 year old school kid and a very wise 18 year old college kid. They were cities apart. She resided in Chennai, whilst he in Dubai. They were very different from one another. But as the old norm goes - Opposites Attract. They met online, were hi-bye friends for a while. Then he decided to come to Chennai, for his break and so they swapped numbers. They spent a lot of time with each other conversing about everything and nothing. One night, whilst talking to him on the phone, he said he had already dreamt about her and the house she lived in. She did not believe him and so to prove a point, he drove his car right upto her house and she looked down at him from her balcony for the very first time.

They were probably in love with each other, but then again they were just children. They finally decided to meet in person. On the first date, the boy came a little late. The girl stood waiting for him impatiently, but the minute she saw him and the bunch of roses he held in his hand, her anger melted away. The date was absolutely fantastic. They met every single day that he was in town. Tearful goodbyes were said, when it was time for him to go back to Dubai. Somehow they lost touch with each other and the girl decided to dump him. (Yes, i know, what a bitch! If only she had a little bit of patience)

The reason why she dumped him, is still a mystery to her. She wishes till today that if she could have a second chance for that one moment in life, a rewind button or an erase button for life, she would hit that and undo her stupidity.

Moving forward, because life has to move on and so does our story - They kept in touch with each other, they were seeing other people of course, but they constantly were on and off in touch with each other. They continued meeting each other as well, each time the boy was in town.

Moving forward further to present day, both individuals still continued staying friends. The boy now shifted to Chennai. They kept meeting each other and finally the magic and the history of 6 whole years could be held back no longer. They decided to give each other a second chance, another shot, starting anew, from scratch.

Sadly, this time around, they squabbled over nothing. The boy had no time for the girl. He was committed fully to his work and frills of a relationship did not seem to be his priority. The girl tried to reach out to him, but he shut her away and turned a deaf ear. She was defeated. The one man who was always on her mind for 6 years, the one man for whom, her chest hurt like it had been rolled over with a huge bulldozer had finally said goodbye to her.

She cried, wails of agony escaping her mouth. She felt lost for the very first time in her life. She had a bright future to look forward to, but what was all that in comparison to the loss of the only man she fell completely head over heels in love with.

THE END

Tashan..

First up, cut the movie some slack. It's not all that hideous. It's a good entertainer and worth almost every penny, of the 100 odd bucks spent for the tickets.

The story revolves around 4 characters. Saif Ali Khan - A call center employee who is obsessed with women, this character is thrown in, to the portray the yuppie Indian youth of today. Kareena Kapoor - a slut essentially, but a slut with morals. (She's Indian after all remember) She is out to avenge her father's death and hence will trample things which cause roadblocks, men and material included. Akshay Kumar - a country bumpkin, who idol worships Anil Kapoor. I loved this character, partly because he really kicked some mean ass and pulled off stunt after stunt effortlessly and partly because he did full justice to the country bumpkin role. No one could've done it better. Anil Kapoor - a crazy Don, who wants to learn angreez, kill people, make a ton of money - you know, the usual Don stuff.

Kareena dupes Saif into believing that she is in love with him and swindles him of a ton of money, which belongs to Anil Kapoor. Anil Kapoor in turn, gets pissed off and sends Akshay Kumar to beat the shit out of Saif, find the girl and bring the two and the money back to him.

It's a typical Bollywood masala flick with the usual dose of song, dance, melodrama, childhood sweethearts and a mad villain of course. All in all, a fun 3 hours and something minutes!

Letting Go..

One of the most hardest things in the world, is letting go. However close you are to someone or something, at some point you just have to let things be and not obsess over it.

Parents, have to learn to let go of their children. Treating them like 5 year olds when they're 21 and can legally drink is uncool. Although, i suppose I'll know the feeling only when I'm a parent i guess. But as of right now, I'm on the other side of the fence and this is pure undiluted injustice!

Friends, are the best things ever. There is no question of letting go or giving them 'space'. You can be around them all the time and still not feel suffocated by them.

Lovers, are weird beings. It's a huge complicated mess when one wants a lot of space and the other would just like to spend some quality time. I hate love. I always have. It's never been kind to me. I have become a full blown out and out cynic. In fact, I've always had a very strong hunch that i was an evil queen in my last birth, who separated lovers and got between the way of true love.

Anyway, at the end of the day, you cant force things to happen. If you get hurt, deal with it. Don't mope for too long, don't mope for too little time. Mope for just the exact amount of hours.

If, on the other hand, you get lucky and end up with the man of your dreams, good for you! Just don't come around gloating about it to the rest of us single folks and make us look like wimps. Thankyou very much.

The Holiday..

The Holiday is for people who are going through a mid life, relationship crisis. This movie covers every nook and cranny about the highs and lows, of being in love. Clingy ex-boyfriends who take you for a ride and you get carried away because you're still in love with the idiot. Girlfriends who claim to be head over heels in love with you, but the minute you turn your back on her, she finds comfort in the arms of another man.

The movie centers around the lives of two women. Kate Winslet - the smart, pretty, kind, generous girl who is blindly in love with her stupid ex, who takes full advantage of her vulnerability and uses her as a nice and proper doormat. Cameron Diaz - a successful career woman, who owns a movie trailor making company. She is at the top of her game - sophisticated, rich, sassy. Her life couldn't get more perfect, except for the fact that her live in boyfriend slept with another woman.

The two women decide to take a break, from their messed up lives and decide to swap houses for 2 weeks. Diaz goes to Winslet's quaint little cottage and finds love in Winslet's brother, Jude Law. Winslet goes to Diaz's mini mansion of a house and makes friends quickly (she is portrayed as the English version of Munnabhai - she spreads cheer wherever she goes) and she finds love in Diaz's ex boyfriends' business partner.

Obviously, all ends well. I will say no more, because this movie deserves at least one watch. It's the perfect end to a perfect Saturday of binging at a buffet lunch and spending some quality time with the folks. *Burp* excuse me. =D

My prolonged vacation..

Vacations suck, especially when you know that after it's over, you will not go back into the routine that you were so used to for 3 whole years.. (I'm still heartbroken over passing out, so please bear with some emotional sop)

I just got back home after a 11 day fiasco, in coconut oil and overly hairy men land. The experience was moderately pleasant. I didn't miss coming online this holiday. Trivandrum for me has always been torture. I'm house arrested with no bike, no friends, no gym and no internet connection at home. But this time around, i embraced all that with an overdose of Zoom TV, MTV, 9XM, HBO and Star Movies. Crappy bollywood songs and ridiculously idiotic chick flicks and vague, stupid boy humour flicks are all on the back of my hand now.

I considered writing a book with all the free time in hand, but NO.. the idiot box screamed out my name the minute my eyes opened in the morning.

As for gymming, my next best friend after the internet, i compensated that with running up and down the hillside. My grandma has a house right on top of the hill. You get a splendid view of the whole city if you stand on the terrace. Anyways, back to my primitive workout sessions.. I couldn't feel my back for 5 hours straight after running all over the hill. And when i could finally feel some sensation on my back, it felt like a T-Rex had marched all over my back and jumped on it a few hundred times.

And finally, the sole reason for this unholy trip this year - Weddings! I tried my very best to slip out of my socially awkward self and make conversation and pretend to know my extended large deranged family with horny uncles and matchmaking aunts all in toe. As for cute boys, there were NONE! *sniffs*

Coming back to the point of this post - Vacations SUCK! Vacations are for losers! I want work, i want work!