EmGi's Empire

We've Broken Up

2009-07-28T14:20:00.002+05:30

I have not been too happy with blogger for some time now. It had started taking me for granted a lot. Then I guess it understood that my feelings for it had changed. It began sulking, refused to let me post my blogs on Firefox. I tried to reason with it that it was acting childish and that I would never switch to IE just to pamper it. It took offense and refused to let me comment on my own posts!

The break up was now evidently around the corner. However, I decided to end it discreetly and peacefully. I informed blogger that I was moving on, and that I would move out all my stuff as soon as I’d find a new place. It had grown tired of me as well, I guess, for it readily agreed and even recommended a few places where I could park my posts.

Wordpress had been a good friend for some time now, so when I went to it for some sympathy, not only did it offer me shelter but also helped me set up a cool place for myself. Blogger was probably happy to see the last of me, for it helped me move my files and posts to Wordpress.

So friends, I have moved. I have requested blogger to not bang the door at peoples’ faces if anyone comes looking for me and it has agreed to keep this page on for as long as it can. I will try and personally invite you all to my new address, but for all of you who land at blogger’s looking for me, please don’t mind if it misbehaves ( I hope it won’t. It WAS very decent and chivalrous when I got to know it.)

Do update my new address: happyhoursbeginhere.wordpress.com.

(Slightly long, I agree, but these days shorter addresses are as rare as a house in posh south delhi! So suburbs it is. It’s a nice locality, though)

See you all there.

I'm So Happy Today ...

2009-07-24T11:47:00.002+05:30

...It took me two and a half hours to pick TS from his office and reach home ...a distance of 15 km
.

The monsoon are finally here in Delhi.
Yayy.

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Marriage Is Give And Take...

2009-07-21T16:03:00.006+05:30

...You'd Better Give It To Her Or She'll Take It Anyway

When I sent out invites for my wedding, I got some particularly amusing congratulatory replies from well-wishers. Few mentioned how lucky I was to get married (!) for marriage is a ‘turning point’ or ‘a life-changing’ episode for a girl. I gritted my teeth then at the apparent gender bias , but now I am sure that the statements are not only biased , but untrue as well.

How can marriage have changed my life when it’s my husband who

Can’t leave towels lying around like he used to,

Can’t wear the same pair of socks for two days in a row, like he used to,

Can’t smoke at all

Can’t do a movie marathon of action movies on a weekend, well he can, but the notion of the wife going to bed without him doesn’t appeal to him yet.

Can’t visit his friends without being asked to ‘bring Bhabhi along ’,

Can’t stay at home on weekends without getting dragged for ‘lunch at mom’s ‘ or ‘shopping for more shoes’

Can’t arrive home from work and philander, with the PS3, if the wife has had a bad day at work (and wants the husband to cook)

So, tell me, pray, how does Marriage change my life and not his?

Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince

2009-07-20T17:15:00.004+05:30

Yes, after all the activity for Mission Harry Potter, the husband did get the tickets, and despite not liking the Potter movies himself, accompanied me for the show. (We’ve been married less than a year. Tell me this will last !!!)

The movie itself gets a 7 on 10 from me. To say that I was disappointed is an understatement. I mourned the entire weekend. Over beer.

The special effects and cinematography are simply superb, though. The characters have all acted so well, it’s hard to believe they’re still in their teens! Look at the teens here in our city. New York shorts and each nail painted a different color. Duh duh.

I specially liked Lavender Brown. And Draco. And Harry.And Ron, though he’s not looking like a 16 year old in the movie.Hermione has proved again that she’s great actor, though she’s a stunner, very unlike her book-character. I missed You-Know-Who though.

So, coming to why I was disappointed. I thoroughly thoroughly disliked the deviations from the book. Some were for pure publicity; some didn’t make sense at all. And some were totally against my imagination. I felt, at times, that the script writers had not read the final book. Or, as TS says, David Yates hates Potter!

So there. Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince.

Do watch it once. n tell me how you liked it. Am I being biased because I'm a book lover?

And for me, I'l wait for the next movie(s).

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Knight Life!

2009-07-15T14:01:00.002+05:30

My knight in shining armour..(only he would prefer to don a chaddi and vest given the choice) has been working on saving the world day in and day out (or saving his ass at work , as he insists on putting it). So he has been getting up early and dashing to work , not been following our customary ‘Hi babes, I’m alive. And You?’ call routine during the day, and has been getting back home at ungodly hours just as the poor, worried wife has been about to send a search party to look for him. He’s working on a hush-hush project regarding You-Know-Who.

Yes. The dearest darling husband is doing some work for the latest Harry Potter movie about to hit the screens . (psst psst .. Note the nice adjectives being used to describe the spouse. All well thought of and designed to win a first day ticket to the movie. Considering the spouse dislikes the Potter movies and hasn’t watched any after the first was screened in 2001 (why ofcourse I’m a fan!), every bit of pleading will be required to get the damn ticket. )

(psst psst .also note the singular tense in the word ‘ticket’.Even if I have to watch the movie on my own, I will. I surely will)

So there. The reason for not blogging in the last few days is because I’ve been running around trying to please the husband into giving me one piddly ticket to THE movie. I'm even trying to cook!

What about you? Like it? Diss it? n Why?

Honey, We're Outa Gas!

2009-07-09T16:18:00.004+05:30

Our cooking gas got over a couple of days back. Now if you’re a young couple living in a useless city where one piddly gas connection requires a mini-marathon equivalent exercise of:

running to agency -- Running to District Court for Affidavit --Running to Photo Studio for passport size photos -- running to agency -- Running to Photocopy shop to get THEIR documents photocopied -- Running back to agency -- One month for the cylinder to arrive, you realize that life isn’t easy.

So, its been over three days, and we’re still waiting for the agency to send a substitute cylinder.

Not to bad , considering the maid gets her evenings off and I get total time out from the kitchen. But all the eating out, or perhaps the glee of eating out has resulted in a bout of upset stomach in the household.

I haven’t told my mom yet.

Do you want to listen to a half-hour lecture on why not to eat out? Me neither!

I haven’t told my sister too.

Do you want mom to find out from the wise sister that you’ve been eating out a lot? Me neither.

I haven’t even told my dad.

Do you want an even bigger lecture on why not to eat out and why to cook yourself? Me neither.

I think I’l tell my nephew. He’s at the age where anything I tell him makes him admire me more. Unlike parents.

And why is it that you crave for things when you’re so not allowed to have them?

*Goes away trying hard not to think of Chocolate sundaes and kulfi faloodas and cheese pizzas and kebabs and malai koftas.*

Egg-sacerbating Times!

2009-07-08T13:58:00.002+05:30

Monday evening, TS and I realized that the eggs were over.

Now eggs are an important part of our diet. So I trotted to the grocer's downstairs while the husband waited for the AC repariman (that...makes a rather abusive post, someday)

"Do we need anything apart from eggs? And Bread."

"Hmm, get some butter. "

"Ok. Ciao"

Enter grocer-store.

Bread: Check

Butter: Check

"Hey…we’re out of cooking oil too. The maid uses oil like it’s an energy drink! Good I remembered. "

Oil : Check.

I saunter back home and then it strikes,

Shit, I forgot the eggs.

"No problem, lets go to Supermart. We can have some egg rolls at Nizam’s and buy some from Needs."

"Okie. I’l carry the Sodexhos."

Drive, Curse at Cabbies, curse at lack of parking, squeeze car into tiny space between two cars.

Egg rolls: Yum.Check

"Oh, I needed Contact Lens Solution. Good I remembered"

Lens Solution: Check.

Enter Needs.

"Pick up a basket, no."

"But why? We’re here to buy only eggs."

"We might like something "

"Hmm. "

Maggi : Check

HappyDent : Check

Frozen Salami: Check

Rose Wine: Check

Garnier Under Eye Gel: Check

Khadi Strawberry soap: Check

Pretty-shaped biscuits: Check

Nutritious namkeen (!): Check

Mach 3 razor: Check

Bill for1500/- : Check

Trudge to the car, heave the bags home where two adults smack their forehead in unison.

Shit, we forgot the eggs!

Every Morning

2009-06-29T13:40:00.002+05:30

Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up and knows that it will have to outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed.

And, every morning in Africa a lion wakes up and knows that it will have to outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.

Author Unknown

And every morning in Gurgaon an employee wakes up and knows that he will have to outrun his colleagues to work or he won’t get a place to park his vehicle!

Most people at my workplace travel 30-40 kms to reach office, commuting more than 5 hours everyday. I pity them. When people ask me why..I tell them that on good days I take 7 minutes to reach office and 15 on bad. That’s 2 songs on a good day and 4 songs and some ads on a bad .

Cheeky , eh?

And then on rare occasions, like today, when the signals go kaput or the roads are being repaired, it takes me 25 minutes. That’s 6 songs on Matchless Music Hour.

And that’s when I start praying. Oh Whoever-is-responsible-for-the-sun-the-moon-and-traffic-jams, please save a parking slot for me today.
Please.

Till date my prayers have been answered. This means that despite the 6 songs, I have been outrunning the slowest colleague to work.

So, in Gurgaon, it doesn't matter if you live near or far from office. When that sun comes up, you had better be driving.

Except my husband, ofcourse. He has a different strategy:
Make friends with everyone in the locality who goes towards his office. Then get up late, and start calling people to find out who can give him a lift.

In Gurgaon, if you are like TS, you don't get bothered by the sun :D

Did You Know

2009-06-24T13:47:00.004+05:30

Twenty-six is:

The number of letters in the English alphabet, if capital letters are not distinguished from lowercase letters.
The number of miles in a marathon rounded down (26 miles and 385 yards).
Often the number of episodes in a television program each year; this allows one new show per week for half the year, and one rerun per week for the rest of the year.
The age at which males can no longer be drafted in the United States
The atomic number of iron
The number of spacetime dimensions in bosonic string theory.

(Source: Wikipedia.org)

And 26 is also how old I turn today.
What a coincidence.

Yes, the party began last night. The Coronas and Cake will be low in stock in Gurgaon shops today, but available in plenty at my place. Do join in.
Hic Hic Hurrah.

photo from www.indiachocolatedelivery.com

Copyright 2008 by Meira

I Have Been Dishonored

2009-06-22T14:39:00.004+05:30

I've never been so mortified .

Since the day of the marriage. I have been stared at, lewdly and jealously. Despite showing every possible signs of being wedded, there is no end to the lustful stares that I have been getting for the last two months or so. All my attempts at covering up with dupattas or stoles have been in vain. I have caught people bending and craning their necks to get better views. Men, staring and guiltily looking away when they feel livid, fiery eyes glaring at them. Even females, glowering with hatred and yet a longing for what holds the attention of so many.

As if I'm an object that can be lusted after.
As if just because I'm delicate I can be victimized.
As if I have no feelings.

I will not take this horrid horrid treatment anymore. I will..I will..oh I simply don't know what to do. Please help me.

Oh, silly me! I forgot to mention that this is not Meira posting. This is a guest post by me, Meira's Wedding Chain. My name is Mangalsutra.

Sob! You stared too .
Sigh!
"

PS: Sorry for the not-so-good picture. Had to take it with the phone. The camera needs to be repaired. Which reminds me...TS...

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Those Pesky Days

2009-06-18T18:28:00.004+05:30

When I was in Kindergarten, a piddly tyke of 2-3, I would look at my sister and her friends in high school with envy. High School seemed like heaven, and I would worship the sister and co. with an ardor only a hankering child can muster.

Once I had cruised through junior and middle school to finally reach high school, I came to the realization that though I had reached the age where other piddly kids looked up to me, I had not yet reached my heaven. I had chosen another idol to worship.

The college teen.
This time college seemed like paradise. And I hoped and prayed to be transported into their world. No uniforms, no attendance, no notebooks being checked daily, no carrying mom's idlis for lunch everyday. Sigh. College was so cool.

Yet again, by the time I had chugged through school to enter graduation, the paradise had moved. College was fun, yes. But just look at all those people who are working. No cooking up excuses to pester dad for yet another increase in the monthly allowances, no 2nd class train journeys on 'student budgets'.
Yes. that was IT. To earn was the best gift to mankind, finalized the mind during yet another drowsy lecture.

And now, as the 'earning stage' has also been sampled, the fickle mind longs for the Kindergarten days . The days of detached happiness, when the only stress was to learn the 26 alphabets, while trying to learn what 26 meant .

Tagged by PS to write about the 'good old days'. She says they're good only because they're over...even though they bring back happy memories. She's smart. Me? My fickle mind can't even decide which of the old days were really good.

Sigh!
Does a fickle mind bug you too? Tell me , G, Iya , Suresh, Revs and others too.

Copyright 2008 by Meira

The Doting Wife

2009-06-09T14:05:00.001+05:30

5 : is the number of clocks/watches in our bedroom and one is the number of clocks TS chooses to follow...the one ...the only one that runs 10 minutes late.
So does He! Everyday.

Not anymore.
4 clocks now run 15 minutes fast and his favourite runs 10 minutes fast. The wife will do anything to ensure the lazy husband gets out of bed in time!

Copyright 2008 by Meira

It's amazing when strangers become friends, but its sad when friends become strangers.

2009-06-08T11:33:00.003+05:30

I got this as one of those daily dose of forwards that make one's day at work bearable. Reading this, I was reminded of all those strangers who are now good friends and all those 'friends' whom I hardly understand anymore.

Strangers-who're-now-friends include people from blog-land, some whom I've never met but who know whats happening in my world.Then there are people at work. People who've worked with me for less than a year, but are now qualifying for the speed-dial entries. Cousins whom I meet once every 5 years , but who are now regular midnight-chat pals.

Friends-who're-now-strangers:It makes me feel sad to think of them.

Like the friends from school/ college who are so absorbed in their lives that they don't have time to take calls/ reply to mails. How? Why?

Like those friends who think 'trust' grows on apple trees. Lush and available, all year long. To be peeled and eaten, and thrown away at will. There was this friend of mine, who borrowed a reasonable amount of money nearly a year back. I had been reminding her about it every once in a while, and was always told that it would be re payed 'as soon as the quarterly bonus was credited."
Quarters went by without me getting any penny. I suggested she repay the money in installments, for which she readily agreed. When my wedding neared, I realized that I would need every penny I owned and more, to finance at least sobme of the events. By this time I had started giving her almost daily reminders, when she assured me that the cheque had been deposited. Another week of no money and another round of calls later I was told that the cheque had bounced. She swore that she'd return the money positively before my marriage. When I didn't get it right till the day before the wedding, I wrote a slightly distasteful message asking her why she was behaving so strange. And that I had now lost hope of ever seeing that money. I had just about come to terms with the loss of this huge amount, when she asked me why I was 'putting our friendship at stake', again promising to return it before the wedding. Well, a couple of months have gone by, I haven't heard from either the friend or the money.

I am confused. On one hand I trusted her. I understood and accepted her delays for over a year, only because I thought she had problems. What hurt me most were the lies and the deceit. I could have taken a frank," I'm hard up now. I can't return it till next year". But a " I'm not in town' and "The money has been transferred" again and again bugs me. Once a friend, now a stranger. Sad.

She's taught me never to lend money to anyone who's not a blood relation, unless I'm ready to consider it charity.

30 Nosey Fun Questions Tag

2009-06-04T15:43:00.004+05:30

PS of JustAMotherOftwo found yet another fun thing to do. I had thought I'd take it up as a tag, but as usual, ended up late. Monika and Chandni have already answered the 30 nosey fun questions.

Here go mine:

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?

Aargh! Sleep Deprived!Again.

2. How much cash do you have in your wallet right now?

546 and (500 hidden away for a rainy day)

3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR?

Bore (As in bore-dom at work, which is why I finish 2 tags in a day :))

4. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?

Brad Pitt.

Umm...ok. An ex colleague, P...who had asked me to collect his Form 16

5. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone?

House M.D (Adapted from teardrop by Massive Attack)

6. What are you wearing right now?

A lovely embroidered chudidar kurti . At work, you see :)

7. Do you label yourself?

Recently. was labeling the spice-jars in the kitchen. Absently stuck one on my hand. It read 'Chat Powder' !!

8. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently own?

Bata

9.Bright or Dark Room?

Both.

10. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?

PS is a bundle of creativity and fun.

11. What does your watch look like?

A Fastrack one Er...I left it at mom's place. That reminds me...TS, my birthday's nearing.

12. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Finishing 'The Witch Of Portobello' by Paulo Coelho and polishing off Kwality Walls Vienetta.

13. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?

"Presenting the virtual action service from TS. You have been hugged"

Yes, we do things like that :)

14. What's a word that you say a lot?

"Pata nahi"

15. Who told you he/she loved you last?(please exclude spouse , family, children)

N, an ex colleague and friend

16. Last furry thing you touched?

A tiny stuffed toy- the toblerone gift set one.

17. Favourite age you have been so far?

25, so far. :D

18. What was the last thing you said to someone?

Will do - to boss, who advanced yet another deadline

19.The last song you listened to?

Another day in paradise - Phil Collins.

20. Where did you live in 1987?

Lajpat Nagar, Delhi.

21. Are you jealous of anyone?

Envy yes, jealousy no. Ok. A wee bit. Jealous of all those who like cooking. gah to you all. :D

22. Is anyone jealous of you?

Oh, lots of people.

23. Name three things that you have on you at all times?

The engagement ring, the bangles and the mangalsutra- yes. the in laws are visiting!

24. What’s your favourite town/city?

Delhi.

25. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?

During graduation ..2004:(

26. Can you change the oil on a car?

No.

27. Your first love/big crush: what is the last thing you heard about him/her?

That he's moved back to his home town.

28. Does anything hurt on your body right now?

The neck and the back. Damn chairs at work!

29.What is your current desktop picture?
Calvin n Hobbes " Life's disappointments are harder to take when you don;t know any swear words"

30. Have you been burnt by love?
Umm, No.

I tag anyone who wants to take it. Or anyone who's not done it yet. It's fun.

Copyright 2008 by Meira

The 15 Book Tag

2009-06-04T14:30:00.002+05:30

Tagged by G:

The rules go like these:
"Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag up to 15 friends, including me because I'm interested in seeing what books my friends choose."

1. Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchet - TS's gift to me in the hope that i'd show some of his love for Pratchett. I will, soon.
2. God's Debris by Scott Adams. Spectacular
3. The Zahir- Paulo Coelho. His best, me thinks
4. Persuasion-Jane Austen Captain Wentworth oooo
5.Phantom :The ghost who walks ooooooo
6.Contact : Carl Sagan One of my first successful attemts at Sci Fi
7.Matarese Countdown :Robert Ludlum His death, I mourned
8.Enid Blyon - Famous Five, Secret Seven and Malory Towers :D
9.Icon: Frederick Forsyth and others by the same author
10. The Second Lady: Irwing Wright Awesomely frustrating ending
11. Man in The Iron Mask. I cried. I was a teen. I'd still cry, I think!
12.Sherlock Holmes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Anyday
13.Agony And The Ecstasy-Irving Stone
14.Arabian Nights Sir Richard Burton :D
15.Journey to The Centre of The Earth Jules Verne The movie was superb too, but...

Anyone who hasn't yet done this tag..take it up. Now.

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Maybe Men ARE From Mars!

2009-06-01T17:09:00.002+05:30

I don’t understand men.

The same man who’l snub Koutons and say he can afford ‘better stuff’ like Tommy Hilfiger and Prada

will

also fill 100 bucks of fuel in an empty car tank before a weekend outing.

“ I thought we’d go to Delhi and get it filled there…it’s cheaper there”, so he reasons.

Do you?

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Attires and Adverts

2009-05-27T12:34:00.003+05:30

There is a call center in my office complex. The employees remind me why parents raise eyebrows when you introduce your BPO friends.
Some of them dress most horribly!

What I presume is the Latest Technique in Dressing.

Get up in the morning.
Blindfold
Open wardrobe.
Pick whatever comes into the hand
Voila! A Nobody-can-make-out-what-I'm-wearing look

They have a Transexual too. Now I have nothing against his/her gender preferences, but I really wish he/she would make it clear who he/she is trying to be. Pink hearts on the skirt one day and a John Players trousers the other makes it very confusing for us to determine who he/she is.

Anyways. Ahem

We also have an advertising agency nearby. The ad guys also dress using the Latest Technique, but since all clothes in their wardrobe are either wacky or creative, they end up looking like just like their ads - Out of This World!

That reminds me...have you seen the Amul "Bahut ho gaya oye. Ab Macho." Ad? I think it starts out so well, and loses right after the temple scene. What do you say?

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Friday Afternoon Phonecalls

2009-05-22T15:38:00.002+05:30

Any random Friday afternoon before April 2009.
Not even any remarkable weather

Phone rings.

TS: Hi baby, when are you getting free this evening?
Me: The usual. 6:30pm. What plans?
TS: Lets go out for a beer. I'l pick you up by 6:40 max.
Me: Cool. Ciao *Beaming*

Today, a rare wonderful Friday afternoon

Phone rings

TS: Hi baby, when are you getting free this evening?
Me: The usual. 6:30pm. What plans? * perking up*
TS: Can you leave early today?
Me: * Happy happy * Sure. Where do we go today?
TS: You go home . The refrigerator repairman will arrive at around 7. You manage, I'l get late.
Me: Huh?
TS: Chal bye. Got to go.Ciao.
Me:

Copyright 2008 by Meira

When The Conscience Feels Good, All Other Parts Hurt!

2009-05-22T10:36:00.003+05:30

Attention ye fellow bloggers, lurkers and others,

This is to bring to your attention that the owner of this blog is being hurled into curfew zone for a month.

All our stock of beer, wine, eggs and the likes are being stashed away (read: consumed with a fervor) .

You are hereby informed that the MG-TS household will not entertain any requests for the above mentioned goodies nor will allow any of the said items to come in the vicinity of the house, until mentioned otherwise.

Readers are requested to kindly pay heed.

PS: All invitations for outings which include any or all of the above mentioned goodies will be entertained with gratitude.

Yes, the in laws are coming for a visit.

Hurrah! I Survived The First Month!

2009-05-21T11:11:00.002+05:30

Its been fun. The entire marriage saga. And we're all back to work now, trying to settle down in a semblance of sanity ! Here are some of my observations after the status changed from 'committed' to 'married' (Haven't you been following me on orkut?)

Shopping for curtains is as dis-heartening as the jokes make us believe. Before marriage, the curtains or lack of them never bothered either of us . Old bedsheets or two-pence rags sufficed, as long as they kept the sun at bay. Now, buying curtains has made it to top 5 urgent-purchases list. (The other four include a bed, a dining table, a fridge and an AC. Yes, you guessed right. The in-laws are coming to stay for a month.)
I am heartless, at least when asked to cook. Not even the husband giving his best pleading looks can send me to the kitchen. Waise I counted...he's made me food more than I have. The score so far is somewhere close to xx:0 (xx being in double digits already!)
No matter how early or late you chose to marry, you are designated "auntyji" . By children and adults.
The computer at work missed me the most while I was away. It was the only one who broke down!
The beau of 5 years changes in the one month of marriage. Oh he still doesn't remember my birthday or my favorite dish, but now he calls me up daily, and asks me to pick him up from work. If you ask me, he's not gained a wife...he's got a Coffee maker, chauffeur, cleaner and Personal Organizer rolled into one.
The husband has more clothes than I do. (how is this possible? Has he been buying stuff behind my back all these years? Goodness! The things you discover about spouses after marriage ! ) !Not acceptable. need to rectify ASAP. The clothes anomaly, that is.

Oh that reminds me. One of the best wedding gifts we I got was an anonymous gift voucher worth Rs. 15,000/- from Wills Lifestyle . Thank you, Anonymous Benefactor. You'l be glad to know I'm using the entire amount to rectify the clothes anomaly.

Copyright 2008 by Meira

To,

2009-05-20T11:32:00.002+05:30

The lady who 'complimented' me on my lovely 'belly'.

I like you too...But the 'belly' is usually known by other names...

Sandals, shoes, footwear are some.

'Belly' is a confusing term.

Best wishes,
Meira

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Surprises are fun

2009-05-18T10:10:00.003+05:30

It was my dad's birthday on 5th May. And I, like a dutiful daughter, logged on to Ferns and Petals the previous day and ordered cake and flowers to be delivered to him, feeling all smug and good. Till elder sister called.

" We need to plan something for dad's 60th birthday tomorrow."

Oh I have. I already sent him a ....wha?? But its his 61st. 60th was last year.

"No, he turns 60, as in he completes 60 yrs and starts on 61..
We would have celebrated it last year, you moron. (No, she didn't actually say this. She is more sophisticated than I am.)

Think of something.

Er er...birthday...food...party...that's it. A surprise party.

Its too late to organize one.

Thats ok (the smug feeling crawling back in) we'l give him a surprise. You convince him and mom to take you all out for dinner. TS and I'l pretend we won't be able to attend the party and will surprise him by being there. Lets go to Yellow Chilli. Howzzat?

Hmm, sounds good. So you arrange the restaurant booking and I'l buy some gift. (Born leader, that one!)

Umm...what should I buy?

Lets see...he has all the gadgets he can use, a new phone, a watch, too many clothes from the wedding, books....wine...how about some vintage wine?

Yeah? And Mom will break the bottle over our heads! You tell me the good shops around here, and I'l go hunt for something. And yeah, get a cake tomorrow as well.

Goody. Will do. See you :)

Next day, TS and I wished dad and pretended to be too busy at work to be able to drive an hour and a half to reach their place. His tone was a tad dejected, while we giggled in glee. the smart sister kept everybody out of the loop, to make it a surprise for all.

Over hundreds of messages and dozens of calls were exchanged, between me and elder sister to arrange things, between me and TS to ensure he got out of office in time, before TS, his brother and I finally started for Yellow Chili. Beating a weekday traffic was chaotic enough, and we had to stop for the cake too. TS welcomed the halt and snatched the closest snacks off the counter, while I glared at him and threatened that I'd kill him if we got late. He was probably praying to all the gods he had heard of, while gobbling the cheese patties before I threw them out, for though we made it late, we were informed that dad and party would arrive even later.

It gave us enough time to compose ourselves (read me), and order starters and lemon juice (government had declared it a dry day! gah!)
Sis miss-called just as they were about to enter and we lit the candles on the cake and shouted a wee 'surprise'. Needless to say dad and the rest of them were very happy to be surprised, while we sisters were pretty pleased with ourselves.

Surprises are fun.
Umm...my birthday's coming up...just so you know. :D
And NO, we did not gift him wine. The idea of being walloped by mom was too ghastly...would have been a waste of good wine!

Copyright 2008 by Meira

The Wedding Saga

2009-05-15T17:16:00.002+05:30

The entire wedding saga was a fun filled event, at least for me. The husband, though, cringes whenever anybody mentions the word "marriage" .
My sympathies are with him. Let me tell you why.

1) The groom-party arrived after a long, tiring train journey and were welcomed by the photographer and videographer, along with others. They did use the photos and video of a bedraggled, harried groom in all albums. The bride was escorted from home, a 2 minutes drive from the venue, in an air conditioned car, minutes before the groom party arrived. She looks fresh and pretty in all videos and albums.

2) Bride and groom-party stayed at the venue for 3 days. The groom spent 4 hours (really) at a Salon getting the tiredness out of his face (He actually wanted to get only a hair cut and a head massage from a roadside barber, but somehow ended up at a men's only salon, getting a facial, hair straightening et al. Ha.) The bride got a henna-professional to 'henna-tattoo' her arms and feet.The bride was complimented on the intricate designs. On getting back, the groom was smeared with turmeric all over.

3) Morning of the marriage: After the half-hour engagement ceremony, the groom is dressed in silk dhoti and angavastram, and is sat in front of the 'havan' for over 4 hours in the hot , April sun. (no wonder he still refers to it as the 'pyre' !) . Then followed what is known as the 'Kaasi Yatra'. (need I mention more?) All the while, the bride is allowed to rest in her room, wherein she promptly goes to sleep again.

4) The groom is forced to fast the entire day, due to some mis-communication between the relatives and the cook. The bride avails of room service, all day long.

5) Wedding: The bride is complimented on her attires (she changed twice for the wedding) , accessories, look, hair, smile etc.
The groom...Now really!what would you say to a guy who's wearing the same, drab white dhoti, has been painted with turmeric, has been made to pour ghee into a havan-kund in the heat, has not eaten well the entire day, is made to click photographs with colleagues and friends in the same drab white dhoti ?

"My sympathies are with you."

See, I told you.

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Hiya

2009-05-14T17:30:00.001+05:30

A lot has been happening at my end of the world!

I have been traveling a lot. Been to Bangalore, Chennai, Jharkhand and Manali, apart from the usual Gurgaon-Delhi-UP trudge. Has been awesome mostly, except for a certain 16 hour bus drive from Manali to Delhi, which could have been avoided.Never take a bus in the hills.
Things at work are bad. very. I have decided to make the blog password-protected. Only those who give me 2 references for a job get to read my blog from now on. Ok.Good.
The elder sister (do you even remember the characters of the blog? )So the elder sister has moved. From 2061 km, she's now just 43 km from my place. Nicelies. This means she and others in her family will figure more often in the blog, of course in the 'comic' section.
Even I've shifted to a rather nice place in the city. The traffic is the only unwanted baggage I carried with me.

Oh,I also got married. Last month. Thank you.

How have you all been?

Missing Persons' Report

2009-02-16T21:55:00.002+05:30

Meira! Meira! where have you been?

I've been to Chennai on a long shopping spree.

Meira! Meira! what did you do there?

I drove the family crazy and laid my account bare.

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Meddy Kiss Mass

2008-12-19T17:51:00.004+05:30

Its Merry Christmas time and Cold and Cough are here for a visit. They call in regularly, once every 3-4 months, but this time they've decided to stay for a longer while. I was letting them be, thinking they'd go away in anyways, but my colleagues made me realize that they have overstayed their welcome now and must be asked to leave...

So we were standing next to the coffee machine , sharing the weekend plans, when a colleague started gushing about a restaurant I had been to the previous day.
Gossipy colleague: Have you been to this place, XYZ? Awesome food. Pleasant decor.

Sniffy, coughy me:Oh yes
Infact I went there yest too
Though the first time experience was bad.
Achchooooooo
But I liked it yest ...

Only to stop midway

For the colleagues suddenly went from keenly interested to utterly disgusted. Two mumbled something about unfinished work and wandered away, and the others glowered like I had called their family deity names from a porn movie.

I looked around,trying to figure out what went wrong, when one of them sighed, took me my the shoulders and demanded,"I thougth his name was TS?"

Me: Duh?

And then she, sensing my confusion,revealed .
What they had interpreted my Minnie Mouse squeak-for-a-voice as:

I wed Ted Wesdoo
Though d firsht night experience was bad
Achchoooooooooooo
but I liked it yes

Sigh!
I will do du de dogdor dodight.
You hab a good weeken

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Another One Gone

2008-12-16T10:50:00.000+05:30

Another friend sacrificed at the altar of marriage
It dawned on me yesterday that most of my once co-bachelorettes are now living the 'happily ever after' chapters of their lives. Most now have kids old enough to choose their own life partners ( 4 is the new right age, right?)

Coming back to the latest entrant into the not-in-circulation-anymore category, the bride's one of my best friends.

She introduces me to people telling them I'm her only female best friend!
The tom boy that she is, the only time she looked like one of us girls was when she was on the marriage stage (More to do with the irritating videomen who hassled her into smiling and posing every 3 minutes...yes, at one point I DID keep count!)

I seriously believe the entire trousseau was researched and bought by the groom...she was looking absolutely breathtakingly beautiful! However else can a smart yet bohemian look be traded for a more traditional and elegant one!

No, she did not stop talking, not even on the stage with the cameras flashing! Nor during the garland session. She earlier confessed that the beautician had predicted that the make-up would fade away if she continued gabbing.I was with her till the groom took her hand and led her away...and she showed no signs of stopping.I like the fact that some things don't change.

The groom's one of the most sensible and fun loving people I know. I do wonder at times how they ended up together.But if opposites do attract, then they're the best example.Handsome, sane, responsible, and a good sport,he's the polar opposite to her harum-scarum, child like antics.

And at the start off to being man and wife, here's wishing Neha and Kulvinder a lifetime of happiness and cheer, half a dozen babies teasing their patience, and a prosperous home filled with food and drink, and an extra bed or two , to accommodate the bunch of friends who will always hang around .
Cheers to you two.

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Hurray Hurray its a Jolly Lovely Day

2008-12-15T10:33:00.000+05:30

When the niece was born, my biggest concern was that she would be brought up far away from me. Her elder brother had spent most of his growing years with us and I choose to believe that his being a brat is a direct consequence of his being brought up in my company. And I was worried that the niece would miss out on being a mischief-maker.And turn into a prim and proper lady(I am already getting news that she is the soft spoken one!)

Well.
Not any more. The elder sister and family are hauling bag and baggage to Delhi FINALLY, which means my sister's got a lot to do...search for a place to stay, move, find a school for the kid, fix transport, arrange her own transfer , along with managing my entire marriage shopping ...while I teach her kids new mischief tricks .
Yayyy
Hurray all the way

Copyright 2008 by Meira

The Butterfly Award Goes to...

2008-12-12T12:30:00.005+05:30

Meiraaaaa.

Another award. Yayy. This time The Beautiful Butterfly by The Unsung Psalm.

And I will award them to others as soon as ~~The Unsung Psalm has treated me to the promised cake~~ possible. Till then, Thanks TUP.
Now, back to work.

Chapter 4: WInding (Him? ) Up

2008-12-12T10:47:00.002+05:30

Manya decided to quiz him about the songs…and she did so on the night he chose to be conveniently drunk. And it was during the diplomatic interrogation that he confessed …on having a hidden blog ( such blog fanatics !!!) and even gave her the link after making her swear to not open it.

Well, what do you think she did…??? Half suspecting what she's find, she assured him she wouldn't check…and she dint
[Yeah...dolt she was]

Until Manisha almost threw her down the terrace for being the world’s biggest dunce! Even then, charming Manya took his permission, by which time he was sober n not too smug. But she went ahead and read the blog. Which confirmed what Manisha had been trying to tell her since the beginning. And thus started, yet another tale of two people, who were brought together by good ol internet.

The rest, they say, is the Future

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Chapter 3: Words Are All I Have To Take Your Heart Away

2008-12-11T11:22:00.004+05:30

It was then that Manisha asked her…”are you sure you aren’t falling for him? Cos I think he is.”

“Are you nuts!!! This isnt the kind that falls for girls yaar. I mean, I just might fall for him someday, but he would never”

Manisha would give a just-you-wait look before Manya would dash away at yet another missed call.

Manya's room mates were sick of it, her best friends were irritated, yet 'the thing' between Manya and Akshit neither advanced nor fell apart. Continued for over a year. And then one day her mail box was flooded with songs she had mostly never heard but ahem..she liked them all the same.She would listen to them and force her room mates to listen to them too. When suddenly Manisha came in , looked at the playlist n claimed..” Babes, he’s fallen for you”

Manya: Aw comon, just bcoz hes sent some songs, thats a nice gesture but totally platonic.

Manisha: Oh yeah ( pitch increasing at every pause) and since when has “platonic” meant “tanha tanha dil dhadke”, “aa doob chalein”, “someone like you…” and since WHEN did YOU start liking Harivansh Rai Bachchan???

Manya:(cringing) Err… now that you mention it…you think he really like me? But I never thought so.

Manisha: Lady! You have been spending 80% of your waking hours talking to him! You blush at his messages, you forget others while he’s online, he sends you love songs on the eve of an exam…what are you??? a dolt? n what more signs do you need? He ain't coming on a steed for ya babes…!

Manya: Speechless for quite some time

Chapter 4

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Chapter 2: Love across the Nile

2008-12-11T11:07:00.005+05:30

The repartees were cut short by Akshit's trip to Egypt for his Summers while Manya came home for a stint at Dabur. And she surprisingly realized that she missed the wit already

(wait a minute…this guy’s rude with a pumpkin-waiting-to-burst-due-to-an-overdose-of-arrogance for a head who’s probably got better things to do than chat with girls like her across time zones.)

But thats actually what he was doing. For they did meet online, where he promised to include her in his mailing list for news about Egypt ( Hey…Manya'd always thought Egypt to be cool…black magic n enchantments )

So it was his detailed mails and her one line replies till they both returned to their respective campuses . After which started yahoo messenger. And boy did they get hooked!!! When firewalls blocked all chat options at Manya's campus, this guy proved again that he (at times) did have a good head on his shoulders by coming up with dozens of alternatives (showing how desperate he was to talk to her? ummm.ok)

So they continued to chat well into the night. About everything on earth. And oh! the arguments. They loved to argue.

Manya took the relationship to the next level by surprising Akshit with a phone call on his birthday ( which Manya had conveniently forgotten till he reminded her) and she decided to atone by spending her meager pocket money on an STD call to Calcutta.

He was surprised, flabbergasted, amused, amazed, thunderstruck, bowled over n yada yada ( Actually he didn't even recognize her and from his drunk n neutral replies it was evident to Manya that he wasn't. But he claims he was, so be it!)

So the next step had been taken. But they were still two educatees on student budgets , so STD calls were not possible. So they stuck to giving each other missed calls which implied that the sender was staring at the computer screen waiting for a certain message window to pop. And the other would rush to the desktop, at times bodily throwing whoever would be sitting at it…

”project???what project?dont you know I have to chat? I’l vacate in half n hour n then you can work on your silly project. Who told you to stall till the last day? Shame on you…" all the while mentally cooking up an excuse for not having even begun on the project herself!

And the half hour would stretch to over 6 hours almost daily!Projects conveniently forgotten n blissfully unaware of the murderous glares from roomies.

Chapter 3

Chapter 1: The Gods Must Be Crazy

2008-12-08T14:14:00.004+05:30

It was by no means a boy-meets-girl love story. Heck! The boy met the girl well after they fell in love! And deep down, they must thank Pranav-the unsuspecting friend who was totally unaware of the blossoming relationship !!!

Akshit n Pranav were friends from their KGP days. And Pranav was a good friend of Manya's friend Kriti. So Pranav n Manya became Orkut friends. And Akshit once saw Manya's profile in Pranav's scrapbook amongst a horde of other females (yeah…thats Pranav alrite!) , checked out Manya's profile and liked what he saw ( he later confessed he liked the pic most!!! So much for the creative Account Manya had over there on Orkut!!!)

What Manya hated most about this stranger scrapper was his I'm-sure-about-myself-preppy-snooty attitude. That displayed in most of his scraps n mails n chats to come…

So his scrap had this arrogant air about it which Manya couldn’t resist replying to. “saala samajhta kya hai apne aap ko!!!Do brand tags lag gaye toh duniya ko impress kar lega!” thats what she thought of him.

So she shot off an equally stuck-up reply. And grinned in glee! Only to have yet another snotty scrap stare at her arrogantly next night. No, she wasn't daunted. So it continued for some time. Till both of them got sick of pretending. And came back to the tried and tested “So what do you do” and ” how you doin” lines.

Chapter 2

Drum roll Please

2008-12-03T12:47:00.003+05:30

Nancy has sent across this pretty flower for an award, making it my first ever award in blogosphere.
Yipee yoo hoo.

Here's the Award:And here are the rules:

Display the Award in your page

Award them to your favourite commentators.

Ask them to forward it to their favourite commentators.

And dont forget to link their page to their names.

And the Award Goes to...
Drum Roll Again.
ME .
Oh ok.
The award goes to go:
Suresh
DIM
XH
~nm
PS

Take a bow

Take That, You

2008-12-01T17:53:00.002+05:30

Got this SMS a couple of minutes back: I HAD to share:

"We have taken care of the men who came by boats...Time now to sort the idiots who came by votes."

What do you think?

Weekend Ahoy!

2008-12-01T17:38:00.002+05:30

Weekend 1:

Meet old friends for dinner. Visit soon-to-become-a-mommy best friend

Weekend 2:
Blood Donation camp, the one you have been preparing for.By gorging iron-rich food like you're being rewarded for it.

Oh ok...the major reason being a certain cute doc from Red Cross who'l appreciate your blood!

Weekend 3:
Special Bhajans and Puja at mom's place. You HAVE to attend.It has been organized on the happy occasion of your upcoming marriage ! And you have to be there to help with the arrangements. No, you don't become a guest at your parents' home. Never.

Weekend 4:
Best friend's wedding.The one you've done no preparations for. Maybe because ~~cute doc ain't gonna be there~~ ~~TS Isn't accompanying~~ ~~you're lazy and not to be bothered with clothes~~ duh!

Weekend 5:
Weekend trip to Amritsar. Yet another 'bond-with-the-family' mission .

Weekend 6:
Ahhhh!
Sleep.Wash clothes.Sleep.Experiment with cooking. Sleep. Clean room. Sleep. Arrange wardrobe.Sleep.Shop for groceries.Sleep.Visit tailor.Sleep.Call the plumber and electrician.Sleep.Checklist for marriage.Sleep.Date.Sleep.Download mom's songs.Sleep.

Wait. What weekend 6?

Darn! When do I sleep?
---------------------
Oh...and I now have a toroidal entity on the third terminal member of the left hand. Cool, eh :D

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Why?

2008-11-28T09:52:00.000+05:30

Why?

The Battle That Ended Up In Smoke

2008-11-26T12:17:00.002+05:30

I have been fighting a battle.

I hated smokers. I hated them on TV, in movies, in the theaters, at school, in college. And the company I kept was largely based on their being non-smokers/smokers. The closest I ever came near a smoke was in trains, when passengers would smoke OUTSIDE the compartment, near the toilets. Yes, I remember picking up insane number of fights in buses, not allowing people to smoke around me. No one I knew smoked, family or friends.

Things changed when I met TS.

He smoked. ~~Most of his~~ All his friends smoked. Oh hell!! The world around him smoked.

I never understood it.

Never understood how it made them feel better? how it soothed them during stress? what pleasure they derived from it?what about it was adventurous?

They tried to explain, but I could not fathom.

That was when I tried a cigarette for the first time.

But after one fag, I was more baffled than ever.

The world is crazy about finely ground carcinogen carrying particles that didn't even taste/smell good?

Duh!

This was then.

Since the last 5 months, I have been spending much of my time hanging out with TS and his world.

Have choked in a room full of lighted cigarettes, the smoke burning my throat and tears stinging my eyes. I choked but stayed put.

I am in a workplace where most females take more smoke-breaks than coffee-breaks. (I know a lady had to quit...the job due to severe respiratory problems, has had a miscarriage due to it, but is unable to give up her smoke)

It was a culture shock for me, and I unfortunately, reacted to it the way a small town graduate would, on joining a BPO in a city.

I was overtly fascinated. I thought they looked impressive. The small stick made them look so cool, so elite. And I wanted to try one.

And then the principles started to shatter.

I wanted to be part of the 'elite' club too. Share a fag with colleagues just to feel 'cool'

The idea of buying smokes with the guys, sounded bold n exhilarating.

I wanted to feel the pleasure of a drag, as experienced by others.

The idea of 'lighting up' with joy was inviting.

I wanted to drown my sorrows and displeasures in smoke.

The idea of having something that could bring relief during troubled times was enticing.

For I was feeling cheated. Others had a refuge. Something that could calm them, delight them, relax them...something that I didn't have. I wanted my share too.

This was the battle I'd been fighting.

I came so close to grabbing one and plunging into the dangerous adventure, I got scared. Scared of the control that the mere desire of smoking was inducing.

I stopped going to his place. I stayed in during breaks. And confronted the fear. It worked. And I won.

The detest is back. I now abhor the cigarette with the same hatred that prevailed initially.

Though now I'm more tolerant towards people who prefer the smoke to fresh air. I now don't choose friends based on the earlier criteria and don't cringe when they want to smoke near me.
But Phew! What a battle it was!

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Mark My Book

2008-11-25T14:06:00.002+05:30

I hate people who borrow things from me and don't return them.

Especially books.

Primarily books.

Why can't people take my nice clothes or cool shoes instead?

Wait.

I don't HAVE nice clothes or cool shoes! Most people who know me have observed that I have a very drab dressing sense.

So lets scratch that. Only yesterday, TS quipped that on a scale of 1-10, he'd give my dressing sense a big ZERO! Duh!

But why books?

As a rule, I lend my books only to family and friends. With them, I am always sure that I can arrive at their place anytime and return with my books (and ransack their lot in the process ). I do that every time I go to Bangalore. Visit, browse, and borrow heavily from Elder sister's collection.

But I get furiously fussy when a stranger asks for my books.

Is he a genuine book lover?

Will she worship my book like I do?

What if she dog-ears or loses the bookmark? (Yes! Each book HAS to have a bookmark. Earlier they used to be hand made ones. Now, I refuse to pay until Landmark hands me at least a dozen .)

So I resort to excuses, whenever .

Mostly I forget deliberately.
And during those unfortunate circumstances that one cannot escape from,(i.e. when mom hands away your books to her students, hoping to clear the junkyard you've left behind) , I sit and fume, calculate my loss and appreciation in value, and go spend double the amount at Landmark.

What are you reading these days?
-------------------

The wedding kick off puja was held this sunday.

That is to say the mother and the would be mother-in-law performed the rites while their off springs slept on. The Bride-to-be was woken up (to tie the customary thread on her wrist) , while the Groom-to-be slept on, grabbing the benefits of staying away from parents! (You owe me one, TS!!!)

If You Can't Ride Two Horses At Once, You Shouldn't be in the Circus!

2008-11-24T14:54:00.003+05:30

Can you jog to the pick-up point,
a half eaten sandwich in one hand,
handbag and lunch bag slung over the shoulder,
attempt wearing a jacket,
phone wedged between the ear and the other shoulder,
try to wake up a groggy TS,
wave a friendly hello to the newly befriended neighborhood-retired-colonel,
while trying to avoid his 8 assorted dogs from chewing your sandals?
Phew!
Let me catch my breath.
How well can you multitask?

Photo from here

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Between Friends

2008-11-21T15:26:00.004+05:30

Sandra Bell-Lundy's popular comic strip. Last week's , in case you missed it.

Taken from Times of India , dated 12th -15th Nov 08

Lets Go

2008-11-21T10:59:00.004+05:30

This is where the blog and its owner would like to go...a cottage in the snow!
In the true spirit of Winter Season.(Shudder!)

Only, not able to adjust the sub-header . (the 'A Riant Lil Place to Chill' is almost lost in the clouds!)

Any tips?

Do you like the new template?

Was earlier looking for a celebration one (complete with champagne et alia) but designing one was too time consuming! This html n coding stuff is mind-boggling! Kudos to all you designers!

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Eureka Eureka

2008-11-20T09:45:00.003+05:30

Service providers should not have tampered with the conventional ring of phones. Whoever conceptualized the Caller Tunes probably did not know he was about to create a Frankenstein's monster . That is, he didn't anticipate that Himesh Reshammiya would be around!

So Caller Tunes have become a rage, and hapless souls like us are being subjected to the likes of Sir Himesh (he hasn't been knighted yet?Why?)

I have the perfect solution, though.

Remember the option where you can dial * to copy a caller tune you like?

Well, if you call someone and he's got a ~~Himesh Reshammiya song~~ caller tune you don't like, simply dial *+ and voila...his caller tune gets changed to your liking, automatically.

Spread the message

Help eradicate ~~H.R.~~ Bad Songs.

Copyright 2008 by Meira

Hallelujah!

2008-11-19T09:38:00.002+05:30

The one reason I never thought about PR as a profession was because I sucked at planning and organizing events. The lazy streak has been implanted in me since birth (has either been implanted else I am an adopted child...this run is definitely not genetic. When I was a child I reveled in the assumption that Elder Sis was a fellow laze-r...but she proved to be a chip off the old block,a stickler for orderliness, and thus a major disappointment for me)

Coming back to PR, as I said,I was never into planning and organizing events.
So the marriage news came as a huge shock (well, not the marriage part, but the activities hidden in the meaning of the word 'marriage'. The part where the parties involved have to prepare for the 'supposedly best day in the life')

I thought and I thought about it and came up with a management-centric solution.

Outsourcing.

Planning would be taken care of my Elder Sis (she being experienced and good at it :P)

Organizing is obviously a job for the parents and the would-be in-laws. They certainly have the authority and the resources required. And the staff too, to run around and acquire resources.

That leaves me to do the controlling...on what hideous rituals to do away with and what songs to dance to (this from the list of songs being prepared by friends!)

So here I was, relieved that all responsibilities had been smoothly taken care of. And all I had to do now was to wait for the D-day and go pose for the cameras, right?

WRONG!

Or so it dawned yesterday.

There is the list of invitations to be prepared and sent. And since the parents do not know the company I have been keeping for the past few years, this has to be tackled by me!

There are clothes to be stitched-all of which require me, or at least my measurements.

Oh..accessories to be bought! Damn! Why can't I get married wearing denim and sneakers? No matching jewelery, no matching footwear, no fitting blouses, and most of all, no shopping for clothes required! Ahhhhhh!

Then there is the question of where to live after the entire 'affair' is legalized! And considering that mon beau (hereby referred to as TS) is the biggest competitor in the Laziness Department, this responsibility is uncomfortably resting on my shoulders.

Is there a way, any way, that I can outsource the shopping and the planning, organizing part to someone?anyone?

It's Time for a Toast

2008-11-17T10:54:00.005+05:30

The bride's your smart n popular tam
The groom, an intelligent gult bram.

Love was discovered in 2005
Till date, tis been a smooth drive

It would have been fun coz we were planning to elope
But parents caught whiff, and now there's no scope

So running away we are not
Instead are being made to traditionally tie the knot

So I invite you to be part of our parents' plot
Which they hatched soon after we were caught

April 12,09 is the lucky wedding day
Block dates, and I'll arrange for your stay

So do come to grace the grand affair
And bless Meira n Abhilash, the euphoric pair.

:-)

Work To Ride and Ride To Work. *

2008-11-13T09:57:00.003+05:30

I drove a motorbike for the first time when I was 12. Dad had a Hero Honda then and I was adamant that I’d drive it.

I did.

Straight into a ditch.

Which was good .For there was a huge, huge drain right in front of the ditch, which would have definitely swallowed my dad’s bike. I, naturally, would have left all controls and darted for my life! (Those were my pre-swimming days…and I also never fancied swimming in a mucky drain)

So that was my first attempt at controlling a bike.

And also my last so far.

No self-respecting father would give his precious vehicle to a daughter who abandons ship on the minutest indication of trouble.

Few years later, when I hinted that I was old enough to learn driving his car, he promptly signed me up for driving lessons.

“Go wreck havoc on somebody else’s car”, he declared!

Wise Man!

Times are bad now.

The economic doom is towering menacingly over our heads.

I drove around with Rs. 200 /- worth of petrol for over a week (On TS's confident predictions!!), hoping that the fuel prices would come crashing down, but the economists disagreed.

I decided to walk home from office, but winters sneaked in, with dark evenings and chilly winds in tow.

We decided to share a car pool, but the ridiculous parking scenario in Gurgaon is botching this idea of ours as well.

So, I have decided...to start driving a bike to work.

Bikes can maneuver through the Haryana traffic with ease. And I'm sure a woman on a bike looks more dangerous than a woman in a car. She does, doesn't she?

Also, I can park almost anywhere. In between two cars, chained to a tree outside or even drag it up the lift to my floor! (ok, maybe not)

I will get to save on petrol too. And I won't have to wait for 40 minutes at a single red light.

Yipee

Now all I need is

a) A nice, shiny new bike (Easy as compared to b.)

b) Someone to teach me (again) to control a bike. (Not-so-easy...considering my history with bikes!)

*Author Unknown

Homeward Bound, I Wish I Was

2008-11-12T09:57:00.002+05:30

You know you have stayed out of your parents’ house for a long time when

Every time you visit, you have to escort the spiders out of your bathroom, imploring them to look for other abodes.

The tube of toothpaste you hate so much refuses to get over!

You forget where you had ‘safely stored’ your clothes and have to pester mom to help you search.

You get out of bed on the wrong side every morning, hitting the sharpest edge of the bed, using pain-therapy to get sleep to give up hold on your body.

Your wardrobe is being used to store stuff nobody needs, while your resident clothes are being used as swabs.

Couriers addressed to you are sent away saying, “She doesn’t stay here anymore”!

You enter the kitchen to try and impress your parents with your culinary skills, and feel like a stranger! (Whats with moms and renovation anyways?)

The local er.. Romeo finally, FINALLY stops gazing at you with hope in his eyes!

The neighbors inquire about the beautiful, intelligent and humorous daughter, every time they greet your father

(Al right, I made up the last one. How could you tell?)

I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good

2008-11-10T21:43:00.008+05:30

The weekend does this to people like me...

(Eagerness to go home!)

And Monday Morning blues do this to me...

(Being forced to go to office!)

“I Like These Cold, Gray Winter Days. Days Like These Let You Savor a Bad Mood.*

2008-11-10T11:08:00.003+05:30

Did you realize winter’s set in?

I didn’t!

Well! Winter has arrived. And it crept in while we were sleeping, and it settled in for the season as we reached out for the blanket.

There was a time when I bragged to every possible listener how I loved the winters.

I am ready to eat my words** right away.

Now, winters are good as long as you are tucked under a blanket, a mug of hot chocolate in one hand and chili pakoras in the other and of course, no work to be done!

It was simple when we were children. Mom used to ensure that we woke up despite the 6 am fog, got ready, were fed and sent off to school, every single day.

Now that we’re (supposedly) grown up and mature, the winter clocks have gone weirdly awry! Getting up is governed by how late one can arrive at work without HR wrecking havoc on the salary, and how well one can disguise the I-got-ready-in-5min-flat look. And mothers seem to have lost their charm as well. Mine succeeded in waking me up only at 10:00 today! That too despite of reminding me that I was in her home, and should follow her rules! (She gets up at 5:30am even on Sundays . Yes, even I doubt that I am adopted !)

Oh well!
Lets get the mufflers and coats out, and the scotch bottles handy, to battle yet another season of frost and chill.

Season's Greetings :)

*Bill Waterson

**( if the term means what I think it means!)

Difficult Things After a Drink!

2008-11-07T15:45:00.001+05:30

I lost a relative yesterday.
My dad's youngest sister.
I got the news when I was unhappily losing yet another game of 29 at A's place
( I have realized two things about 29:
a) Donot drink and learn a new game
b) Stick to Literature! 29 sucks!)

Went about normally for some time, till I reached home and hit the bed. And then the spirits sank. I called A and held on lifelessly to the phone, to the comfort of his voice!
Losing a sibling, or a person one loves creates the worst black hole ever possible.
Distance notwithstanding!
I felt so when we lost Smriti, and can imagine what dad would be going through.They might have grown up and gone their own ways, but they would have had so many wonderful memories of growing up together!

This aunt had been ill for some time, but was courageous to pull through till both her kids were married. Which brings me to a *currently sour* issue.

Marriage.

Of why it is still the most crucial event for most people in our society?
Of why we can't let it be..let people decide whom and when and where they want to get married, if they want to. (No, don't get worried. The Kidnapping Plan is still on :D)
But why are Muhurat,Invites and Kharcha more significant than the couple?
Gah!

Forget it.
have a great weekend.

The Heels and the Deals of Life

2008-11-05T10:37:00.002+05:30

Do you know Murphy's law?

It is when you wake up early, defying the laws of laziness that govern you otherwise, hit the fast forward button on the otherwise snail-ish processes of getting ready and cooking your breakfast & lunch, manage to reach the pickup point in record time,despite the 3 inch heels going clickety clack at a speed unheard of...
...and your pickup from the car pool is late...terribly late!

And then the above mentioned 3 inch heels go clickety clack at work, at above mentioned speed, the entire morning, without even a single coffee break, saving the organization tons at the coffee machine, fire fighting for the Important Meeting in the afternoon, handing the 'important documents' to your superior in the nick of time, surprising the wits out of him...
...to be nonchalantly informed that the above mentioned Important meeting got cancelled .

And then ,on your way back home, when the car pool drops you 2 kilometers from your place and the same 3 inch heels now go slug and slow, taking you more than the usual time to get your now-filing-for-divorce feet home...
...to have your friend calls to inform he is near your office and can 'pick you up'!

Moral of the story???
Stick to sneakers!

Can we , please, all come together to bring sneakers into fashion? Only in Business formals, I assure you. Please I implore!

PS: Pictures taken from here and here.

Yipee Yoo Hoo

2008-11-04T00:13:00.003+05:30

The IIMI guys were kind. They increased the size of their Hall of Fame entries. And guess what that means?
Late, crazy fanatics like me, who got on to the Klueless bandwagon a week after it was launched got to figure in it.
Yup, I cracked it and am I glad.
It was fun...the two sleep-deprived nights and unproductive days at work.

There it is...in the hall of fame for Klueless 4.
Ah...peaceful sleep once again, atleast till Klueless 5 hits the town! :D

Klueless 4

2008-10-30T16:13:00.006+05:30

All right.
I confess.
I'm addicted.
Will take some more time to get over it.
But I'm trying...hard!

Help me if you can.
http://www.iimi-iris.com/iris-2008/klueless/

See you all :)

PS: A lot of people seem to be reaching here looking for solutions. Leave a comment and I'l give you Klues, if you wish.

You Start Out To Touch People's Lives...

2008-10-27T12:22:00.000+05:30

...and you find that your life has been touched as well.

Its our Diwali today. So I was at parents place where we had to hurry through the puja so that I could rush to work.
Yes. Office today!
Not very pleasing, considering the whole diwali affair, that includes preparing sweetmeats and dressing up in finery, diyas and candles, had to be called off.

Add to it a 45 km drive on a viral-stricken day with the whole city heading for work (whats up with Delhi these days? We are not meant to be workaholics!!!) and you are left with a not so happy diwali.

I realized that I was in the dumps as I reached the Toll Gate, with its long line of irritated honking vehicles, impatient to cross the borders to Gurgaon. As I neared the toll counter, I realized that the attendent behind the counter was having a worse day than I was, battling against the malignant, loud and uncouth mouths of the commuters.

I decided to let go of my mood and wish the poor guy, a la those Chicken Soup stories that we used to read way back.
Mission 'Smile' in place, I kept out the change and snailed my way to the counter where the harried-looking young lad was moving about, probably wishing away the pre-diwali crowd and hoping to go home himself.

I handed him the money and as I cleared my throat to wish him, he looked up, smiled and said,

"Happy Diwali , maam. Have a nice day'.

"Uh..Thank you. Have a good day yourself", I mumbled and took off, slightly confused at having my 'good deed' moment disqualified.

Here I was, feeling sorry for someone who was tired and annoyed, and the same person turned around and made my day.
Well, now I have something to take me through the day.
oh...and some chocolates and namkeen in the car...care for some?

Wish you all a very happy Deepawali. :)

The Cost Cutting Syndrome

2008-10-24T10:30:00.003+05:30

7th Aug 08 Notice

It has been brought to the management's notice that a lot of paper is being wasted at the printing machine due to irresponsible printing habits of employees.
Kindly note that paper is an expensive commodity that adds to the cost of stationary, thus inflating the already rising expenses of the organization.
Keeping the above in view, the management requests all employees to show prudence while taking printouts and help preserve not only the company's money but also the trees on planet earth.

Thank you.
Authorized Signatory

---------

14Aug 08 Notice 2

With reference to the notification sent on 7th Aug 08, it has been brought to our notice that some employees were found taking multiple printouts of documents instead of using the photocopier and were found not heeding the management's requests for preservation of paper and resources.
To curb such innappropriate behavior, a committee has been formed that will meet once every week and come up with suggestions to help meet printing cost.
Please find below the details.

Commitee name : Vyaya Niyantran Samiti
Members: A, B, C ,D and E
Meetings: 11:00am every Tuesday

Note: The Vyaya Niyantran Samiti will submit its suggestions to the management team every thursday at 5:00pm . The Way Forward will be discussed and implemented and the Action Taken meeting dates will be notified separately.

Note 2: All employees are invited for high tea to celebrate the kick off of the Vyaya Niyantran Samiti at 5:30pm today in the cafeteria.

Thank you.
Authorized Signatory

--------

26th Aug 08 Notice 3

All employees are hereby notified that as per the suggestions of Vyaya Niyantran Samiti ,for the company's ongoing cost cutting drive, the following, with regards to the office printers, is being enforced with immediate effect.

1. It is being observed that employees give print commands on multiple printers at the same time. Hence the printers in the East , West and North bay are being removed . Only one printer will be used hereforth for all employees upto grade II(DGMs and below) .All employees are instructed to connect to the South bay printer immediately.

2. Due to the increasing cost of paper reams, on an experimentation basis, no paper will be provided at the South Bay printer. Employees are requested to contact ABC, the photocopy person , whenever they require paper for printouts. This will be followed for a month, starting today, 26th Aug 08, following which a final decision will be taken.

Thank you.
Authorized Signatory

-----------

26th Sept 08

Greetings from the Vyaya Niyantran Samiti(VNS) .
Further to the new rules implemented on 26th Aug 08, VNS is pleased to announce that our organziation has saved more than Rs 50,000/- under the head of Stationary, in the last month, by reducing its paper costs.

The committee has decided to modify the rules to benefit the organzitaion further. All employees upto grade II(DGMs and below) are hereby notified that the following is being implemented with immediate effect:

No employees will be given sheets of paper for printing by the Photocopy person. Each department head has to sign and collect one ream of paper for his team, from the Admin department. (Mr. GHI has joined duties as Admin Paper Assistant wef 24th Sept. 08 and will be responsible for doling out paper to Dept. Heads every month)

All employees will collect paper from their Dept. heads as and when required and the Admin Paper Assistant will maintain an MIS on how much paper each Dept. uses. The sole responsibility of paper distribution within the Department depends on the Dept. Head.

No employee will be sanctioned paper without written approval of the department Head and Admin Head.

The management and VNS is positive that this will not only help save tremendous costs but will instil a sense of responsibility and ownership among employees.

Thank you.
Authorised Signatory.

Note: To celebrate the latest cost reduction success, the management invites all employees for high tea at 5:30pm today at the cafeteria.

Match Makers Wanted

2008-10-21T12:45:00.001+05:30

Wanted: Bright, courageous and risk-taking volunteers to assist in the kidnapping of a friend.

Job Background Dossier:

Guy's parents are creating turmoil in his inter-caste marriage with this beautiful, smart girl.
Girl's parents have been hitting their heads against the stony in-law shaped walls for quite some time now and are now frustrated. (Gory details. Mentioned elsewhere)

The girl herself is annoyed at the guy's inadequacy in getting his parents to act amicably, and has hatched a plan.
A wicked plan.

She has planned to abduct the boy from his home, on a soon-to- be fixed date in November.
The tasks are in the process of being delegated amongst the chief plotters and my task is the trickiest...coming up with the most fool proof plan to abduct him without flatmates creating panic.

Others have to hunt for a pundit and bribe him to marry an intoxicated and handcuffed boy (I'm in charge of abducting him and getting him to the venue,you see :P) and a wickedly grinning girl, a court that will legalize the wedding in less than a month and toughest of all... induct volunteers courageous enough to take photographs of the wedding and go break the news to the hapless in laws .

No friends of the boy will be entertained.(Too high a risk of being beaten black and blue)

Disclaimer: The volunteers are hereby notified that the girl and the chief-plotters are not responsible for any kind of reception meted out by the in laws after the job of disclosing the news has been completed. No kind of monetory benefits will be offered in the unfortunate case of any physical injury or hospitalization.

Interested candidates can leave a message in the comment box and will be contacted, if found suitable for the humongous and challenging task.

Diwali Ideas?

2008-10-20T17:29:00.002+05:30

Photo courtesy www.cupertino-chamber.org

This Diwali is going to be different. Very different. Because I'l be spending the festival of lights alone at home. For the first time. I have plans though. Candles...from Nainital, that too! and... and thats about it. Sigh! So have you ever spent Diwali alone? And what do you suggest I do?

Celebrations ...

2008-10-18T12:31:00.003+05:30

I was there.

At the Jagjit Singh Live In Concert, on 16th October 2008, at Sirifort, Delhi.

Getting to the venue was a herculean task, considering the last minute confirmations of passes and attendees, and of course , the Traffic!

The concert was, well, different from any other that I have attended.

Jagjit Singh's is not particularly my favourite genre, but I admit, he's got a very good voice, even at his age.And he did sing a few ghazals that I , as a non ghazal-lover, recognized and enjoyed.

I will remember the night for a lot of things other than his voice though...

It was the night we created new records...in making decisions. The plan to attend the concert was vetoed by all of us in the morning of the show. And yet chirpy calls were exchanged at 5:00pm 'i can try and get out of work by 6:15pm so that we can leave (for the show that was to start at 6:00pm:D)' The decision making and coordination was at its best at 6:00pm- who would get the car, who would meet whom where and who would not forget to keep the passes!!!

It was also the the night commuting 20km took about 2 hours.( I wonder what would happen during an SRK Live In Concert. Guess I'l never know...Would not attend any, you see!)

It was the night a plate of Aalu Chaat got sold for Rs.40/- and gluttons like us still bought platefuls!

It was the night Ms.K was in charge of the navigation...which explains why we reached Kasbah at GK I, N block instead of the intended Not Just Paranthas in GK II, M block! (Kasbah's good.On the expensive side though...but go for it)

And oh yes, it was the night I listened to more than one of Jagjit Singh's tracks without walking out of the room!

Celebrations indeed :)

10 Songs In 4 Days Yo Ho Ho and a Strip of Avomine

2008-10-17T14:51:00.003+05:30

That sums up our latest weekend getaway.

Nainital, Kausani and Gangolighat were the three places that we went to, sandwiched between four jam-packed days, garnished with fun and exhaustion.
The group of 18 started on 8th night, slept through the train journey to Kathgodam, and crammed their way to Nainital. Stopping on the way to puke, sightsee and puke some more.

Nainital's a cliched town.
Everybody's been there atleast once.
The 70s people for their honeymoons, the 50s and 60s ones for their 3rd-4th honeymoons and us 80s and 90s with our 50s-60s parents on their 3rd-4th honeymoons!

But the city never ceases to appease our beauty-hungry minds.Be it the hour long cruise in one of the assorted boats at Naini Lake, specially in the evening, with the nippy breeze and frosty water conspiring to freeze you into human icicles.

Or the long,winding roads, succeeding in spinning you around, far better than Kylie Minogue's Eyes! Or even the Tibetan market, with its heaps of woolens and candles, available dirt cheap for the professional bargainers!
Specially the candles. Beautiful, intricate patterns and designs to blow your mind! With Diwali round the corner, we did buy boxfuls!

The best place in Nainital is probably the Eco Cave Gardens. And if you go there next, remember that there are 5 caves, FIVE caves that you need to encounter. Getting in and out of the first one (called Tiger Cave) is a breeze, but the second (Panther Cave) gets trecherous. But DON'T LOSE HEART. and find your way out... INTO THE THIRD. Yes...I implore. We couldn't. I'm so disappointed!
And do stay in the Tourism Guest House at Sukhtal. No lake view, but an overall good experience.

We stayed in Nainital for a day, and then drove to Kausani, stopping on the way to frolic in streams and click pictures of temples! Kausani's beautiful, and pleasantly cold. And offers breathtaking view of the himalayan peaks.One stops grumbling about waking up at ungodly hours (to watch the sun rise) as soon as the landscape turns picturesque. A quiet and slow place, you just have to park yourself in the hotel's balcony, and the sun and snow will come and pose for you. The overzealous can go for treks, though the population of monkeys can be discouraging!
We gathered for countless rounds of Literature and tea.

And then proceeded to drive up and down the hills to reach Patal Bhuvaneshwar, the most awesome cave temple I've even been to. A tiny opening leads to a narrow , trecherous and slippery 90 feet of descent, which, once crossed, opens into caves of Brobdingnag proportion. But be prepared to crawl, and squat and lie down and hang and rappel before you reach the cave.

The caves themselves are remarkable. With rock formations that bear uncannily close resemblances to mythological images, tunnels and smaller caves that are shrouded in mystery,and an engrossing guided-tour, the one and a half hour spent inside the earth were spectacular.
Except for the small accident where I slipped and hurt...my pride and the back of my trousers! Too many trousers sacrificed this trip!
Payback time!

And oh...one of the Innovas we took did entertain us by playing the same 10 songs over and over again...the entire 4 days we used it, non stop.
Yes, we were fools not to carry our own cds!
No, we didn't find any good cds on route.
Yes, its a lesson learnt.
No, don't rub it in.
And stop snickering right now!

When In Doubt, Wear Somebody Else's Clothes

2008-10-15T16:50:00.002+05:30

We bribed the nine year old nephew, B, with a trip to the snow-peaked hills, to fly alone from Bangalore during his Autumn break.(Will blog about the trip later. Still collecting the photographs)

Now while carrying out the bribe, we were staying in one of the tourist guest houses up in the hills. Time was short and we had to freshen up before leaving for the day's sightseeing.
Mom was having one of her 'harried parent days' trying to send B and me for our baths. I, the dutiful, mature daughter was expected to line up first for the 'torture in the cold' while she rummaged through the suitcases to lay out clothes for the nephew.

She was left gaping when I sauntered out of the bath, collected the clothes she had laid out for a nine year old, "Gee thanks ma for getting out my T shirt".

"YOUR T-shirt? I thought they were B's "

"Duh huh?"
_____

We came back from the trip on Monday and since B had to leave for Bangalore on Tuesday, mom had a busy day gathering his stuff and jamming them into his suitcase.
Well, B reached Bangalore yesterday and I got the following sms from his mom, my sis.

Sis: Do you have a pair of black numero uno jeans size 28?
Me:One of my good ones. I recommend Numero Uno *Beaming as I recalled the perfect fit*
Sis:Well you will stay without them for some time coz mom put them in B's luggage.
:D

Attention All Telecom Service Providers

2008-10-07T12:29:00.003+05:30

Wanted: (for scatterbrains like us.) A mobile phone that can search for tangible items that have been stashed away safely

Something that goes like this:

BOCK GONE hic hic hic.

2008-09-08T12:36:00.004+05:30

And so it rained last night.
So heavily Gurgaon almost got flooded, as usual. Trees got uprooted, water rose to alarming levels. So we decided to go out for dinner in the weather. Only we ended up at a friend's place for tea (at 10 in the night!) and somehow ended up buying tickets for Rock On!!! Sobriety at times has effects similar to tipsiness, I have observed.

Dripping wet, shivering due to the cold, with only corn for dinner, we sat through 3 'Not-Too-Rocking' Hours of Farhan Akhtar and more Farhan Akhtar.

The reason their band Magik broke up is the same reason the movie wasn't a rocking success ...Farhan getting too much screen space.
He's the guy with the boring office and house ( cold is the right word here) and a painted mannequin for a wife. Guy acts reasonably well , I agree. But there were others who were better. Who could have shared screen space equally. And did you notice he looks just a bit like Hritik Roshan? Roshan, Harman, and now Farhan! Boy! Talk about look-alikes and named-alikes!

Arjun 'Joe' Rampal outshined. The worried I'm-unable-to-support-my-family burdened husband character was well enacted. The last few minutes where he saunters onto the stage, strumming his guitar with his hair flowing wild with his guitar was breath taking. Guy can act.

Purab 'KD the Killer Drummer' was goofy, to the extent of being funny, and thus good on screen.He flirts with the girls,has a positive view about life and sells jewelery for a living. He overacts a bit at the end though , when a band member almost ditches them. But manages to prove that his acting skills exist.

Luke Kenny as Rob: He's now there-now not, has cliched dialogues and the saddest life of them all-imgine having to sell jingles and work with Anu Malik! Sheesh! But talented.

Shahana Gowswami's done a good job. And looks good too. Though poor girl's just 22 and doesn't look mother of a 7 year old .Dusky is so in these days.Remember Sugandha 'Shaleen' Garg from Jaane Tu...? As the ad goes...they aren't fair, but they're lovely.

Prachi Desai should have stuck to her serials...anonymity suits her! Even Koel Purie showed she could act when she flirted with Purab Kohli in and out!

The songs weren't too amazing, and lyrics were a let down. Come on, "Silk Mein Hai Narmi Kyun...Socha Nahi To Socho Abhi….." or "dil karta hai TV Tower par main chad jaaon..." isn't particularly Javed Akhtar's established style!

Worth a one time watch, but considering that we ditched a friend, A who wanted to watch the movie...we might have to watch it again.
In a multiplex.
Sobriety be darned this time!

Smoking Kills

2008-09-05T12:49:00.002+05:30

You and people around you.

Is it so difficult to understand?

Fly Away Peter Fly Away Paul, Never by Peter for He'l Only Crawl

2008-08-25T15:50:00.003+05:30

If you're in Delhi some day and want to take a morning flight to Bangalore, I ~~suggest~~ advise that you refuse Jetlite even if they offer to fly you for free.

Flight S2-321 just might offer you a free ticket... word would have spread from the 200 + passengers on board that day, affecting the flight's traffic.

Incompetent and inefficient cabin crew, irresponsible flight crew, and worthless ground crew!

Let me ask you...
What flight in the country, scheduled to depart at 7:10 am ,finishes boarding at 6:30 am and then proceeds to make the passengers wait inside the craft till 8:40 am, with the Air Conditioning switched off?
Sahi jawaab: Jetlite S2-321 Delhi-Bangalore-Coimbatore, 13th August 2008.

Which flight announces that it will 'serve' a complimentary bottle of water to all passengers and then proceeds to threaten them to pay up, muttering something about 'other passengers having taken your complimentary bottle, sir' while the cabin crew was, doing what,applying the right shade of mascara?
Sahi jawaab: Jetlite S2-321 Delhi-Bangalore-Coimbatore, 13th August 2008.

What flight employs crew that provokes already-harassed passengers into picking up fights and then prompts to 'throw them out'? (Bad english, bad etiquettes, bad management.Whichever institute Jetlite recruits from, tsk tsk! )
Sahi jawaab: Jetlite S2-321 Delhi-Bangalore-Coimbatore, 13th August 2008.

Which flight is managed by pilots who say nothing about the 'correct flying time' till an hour of chaotic and murderous waiting and then casually inform that there will be another 5 minutes delay due to air traffic and proceeds to fly after 25 minutes?
Sahi jawaab: Jetlite S2-321 Delhi-Bangalore-Coimbatore, 13th August 2008.

Yeah yeah, I know. It could have been a bad day for most of the crew. But having paid more than 5 grands for a ticket each, passengers expect the most basic of courtesy from the crew, i.e. information! Or I want my money back. Have to pay dad for the tickets.

Oh yeah, I took an Indigo while returning.
Better,Definitely better!

Deja Vu, Anyone?

2008-08-25T14:47:00.000+05:30

Have you read The Devil Wears Prada?
Did you gasp,"Yes! this has happened with me" while reading about the life at Runway?
No?
The Gucci and Seven clothes on exhibit?
No?
Size zero becoming a new religion with you being the only athiest around?
No?
Bang & Olufsen cell phones looking down upon your nokia, which, till a month back was the" coolest phone ever"?
No?
Stilettoes and accents, fake concerns and antidepressants?
No?
Not even at the phrase,'Boss from Hell' ? Impossible & demeaning demands, incompetent & capricious interruptions?
No?
I wanted to know how it feels to say "F*%$ You" to a Miranda Priestly.
No precedent?
Damn!

Urban Updates

2008-08-06T17:33:00.003+05:30

Trin trin

Moron : XYZ Hardware
M : Bhaiya I'm calling from __, we have a small drilling job at our place. Can you send a carpenter over?
Moron: 250 bucks
M : Excuse me?
Moron: 2.5.0 b.u.c.k.s
M : To drill a couple of nails in the wall?
Moron: No ma'am. Drilling cost ekshtra.
250 bucks Carpenter Consulting Charges. Standard rate. No discount.

The Mystery of the Clackety Clack Car

2008-08-05T11:52:00.003+05:30

Dancy Nrew was enjoying a cool autumn Sunday morning with her father, attorney Darson Crew in the family's two-storied house in Hiver Reights. Dancy had decided to cook breakfast that day, allowing their housekeeper, Gannah Hruen a day of rest. Mr. Darson was sampling the omelette while going through the Hiver Reights Times.

"Ah, what a lovely day", exclaimed Dancy, " I think I will take the car out for a spin today."

Darson looked up from the business section and nodded his affirmation," Don't forget to shop for groceries. The larder's empty", he added as he picked up his bag and coat. "I have a meeting with some clients today. Should be back by evening."

"Sure dad. Have a great day", smiled Dancy as she removed the plates from the table.

And then something whizzed past her, making her almost lose her balance and drop the plates.

"What was that", gasped Dancy, turning pale. "Dad, there is someone in the house. I felt something zoom past me and dash into the bedroom", she cried out while trying to regain her poise.

Darson, always on the alert, dropped his case and hurried into the room, snatching the thick walking stick from the stand and scanned every nook and corner.

Dancy saw an orange ball scrambling across the room as Darson looked up laughing,"There you go. The culprit.A vagabond cat". "Gee dad", Dancy heaved a sigh of relief, " For a moment I thought it was the beginning of a new mystery".

Darson rolled his eyes, collected his things from the floor and walked out," Keep the door closed if you don't want the cat to make this place its new home. I'm sure it'll sit outside and meow miserably, calling out to be let in"!

Dancy closed the door and ran upstairs to get ready. "Well", she though out loud," no way I can let a cat into the house. Gannah will flip out."

She emerged out of the house a few minutes later, looking around happily and breathing in the cool, fresh air.
And there it was, its orange fur flying in the breeze, looking up at her quizzically as if admonishing her for taking so long.
"Oh no you don't", Dancy chided, "you definitely will not be let in."
" I have to take the car out, so you go find yourself another home ", she added while throwing her purse in her blue mustang.

Dancy walked around to open the front yard gate, thinking about the things she needed to buy at the super mart. She came back to the car and was relieved to find that the cat had disappeared. " Good. Now I know cats listen to me!", she laughed as she started the car and backed out .
She had almost crossed the lane when the car made a weird sound . "Funny", she frowned, " I got the bumper fixed last week. Wonder what's troubling the car now".

The sound became louder as she picked up speed on the main road.
"Oh! Will have to send it for servicing again. These mechanics are useless".

The weird noises continued till she parked near the super mart and Dancy decided to visit the Car Servicing Garage that afternoon itself. She spent the next couple of hours buying things for the house, and by the time she returned to the car, she had forgotten about the problem.She even smiled cheerfully at the lady in the next car.
The lady, who was about to back out of the parking lot, scowled and rolled down her window. " What a nasty girl you are. No manners, you thoughless creature.How can you be so cruel", she bellowed before screeching away .

"Whoa", Dancy was perplexed," I only smiled. Old ladies I tell you!" She shifted the grocery bags to one hand and fumbled with the car keys, "Bonkers, I tell you!"

Clang Whiz Crash Bang Boom
Ouch!
A number of things happened at once as she opened the car door.
The weird, loud noise started again, as if somebody had fired a gun on a quiet afternoon. And then something orange jumped into her already laden arms, hurting her and this time startling her into losing her grip on the bags.

"Oh dear, not again", Dancy wheezed,gasping for breath as the plump, orange cat, annoyed at being locked inside a car for over two hours, scratched the girl some more, before darting up the nearest wall.

"So THAT was what the clacking was all about. The cat got inside the car. No wonder the lady was fuming. She must have thought I was being inhuman to the animal."

Dancy wrapped her scratched arm in a scarf and picked up the bags to check the damage.
"But how did the clever thing get inside"
**************************************

PS: Excerpt from Dancy Nrew, ace detective's diary two days after the event:
The car has been stinking since day before! I do wonder why!

"There Are Some Things Money Can't Buy. For Everything Else ..."

2008-08-04T14:31:00.006+05:30

Plastic Car Number Plates ...Rs. 150/-

Metal Plates with Golden binder Rs. 200/-

Listening to your friend rant about losing two number plates in a fortnight...Priceless

Concept courtesy : Mastercard
Photos courtesy :Google Images.
Idea & Subject(Guinea Pig): A

WHEN THE TIGER COMES, FREEZE. No, SNEEZE . No, TEASE. Oh no, SQUEEZE !

2008-07-30T11:34:00.002+05:30

Day 1: A saw M at the super mart with M's boyfriend and asked M next day if he was her beau.
"Yes, he is", replied M truthfully, not aware of the wildfire she was kindling.

Day 2: A told B, "M has a boyfriend in the same city, convenient, no"

Day 3: B told C: "A told me something about M. M has one convenient boyfriend in the city. Wow!"
Day 3: D to C: " I was talking to the new girl, M. She has traveled a lot. Has stayed in many cities...."
Day 3: C to D: "This M, wonder what kind of girl she is. B told me she has one boyfriend in every city. Oh My God!"
Day 3: D to E: "Do you know M. I just found out she's extremely interested in guys. Has multiple boyfriends...wonder how she manages them all"
E to D: "Hah, wonder which one she sleeps with"
D to E: " Ofcourse the Gurgaon one. Probably the Delhi one on weekends. Oh ha ha ha "

Day 4: E to F: " Do you know M sleeps with her boyfriend "

Day 5: F to G: "psst psst...heard the latest...the new girl M,she's living with her boyfriend."

Day 5: G to M: "Hey lady. Just heard something about you .Is it true you ..."

Weekend made!
Scandalized for nothing...are you listening, M & Beau?

And oh,
Chinese Whispers was DEFINITELY invented by a lady!
And yes,of course A to G were females!

It's Gonna Be A Good Day, Just Wait And See

2008-07-25T12:26:00.002+05:30

They say life is measured by the small leaps of success we take.Or by happiness derived from small incidents.
Accordingly, I believe there are good days and then there are bad.

Good when power stays,deciding to show mercy on you when you iron clothes for the day.
Bad when power stays,laughing at you for acting judicious and ironing the day before (yeah, the thought of separating oneself from Friends long enough to iron clothes in the evening is worse than wearing wrinkled ones due to power failure in the morning)

Good when the maid comes and leaves the house spic and span before we leave for work (so what if it loses its clean look 5 minutes after we enter from work!)
Bad when maid turns up late...after WE have done the dishes .

Good when it takes 7 minutes from home to office parking and 10 from parking to desk.
Bad when it takes 25 from home to parking and 15 from parking to desk ( Gimme a break. I am, after all, a female driver. Parking and females, you know the routine!)
((Today was one. An LPG supply truck exploded near Signature Towers. Traffic got held up less due to the obstruction and more because of all the curious people stopping to stare at the mess.))

Good when you buy bean bags for 1200/- each as compared to your friend's 2200/- per piece.(Nyah nah nah nah nyah nah)
Bad when you find out a third friend has discovered similar ones for as low as 800/-! Damn Bargains.

Yeah, small incidents of happiness leading to small leaps of success. And tiny moments of unhappiness ensuring your feet stay firm on the ground.
Have a good weekend.

Take Me Home, Country Roads

2008-07-19T15:27:00.003+05:30

Staying in a small town sure has more cons than pros. Well, of course every place is within 3 km of your reach, but the accessibility turns out to be a curse in disguise.
Imagine bumping into your boss at a mall on a day you were allegedly 'sick with stomach cramps'?

Or chancing upon a friend while stepping out from a lunch meeting with a client ?
"Hey babes, bunking office yet again? Oh can I borrow the only red-hot-top you own? Just for a day?"
BAH!

Or coming across your father's dumbstruck childhood friends as you walk hand in hand with your beau, after a rather confounding happy ending of a movie?
BAH!

Or reaching the grocery store at 7:00 in the evening, with an I've-been-working-like-a-dog-don't-mess-with-me look greasing your face , and encountering equally oleaginous colleagues form work. Have you ever been pitted against co-workers while shopping for vegetables? It sucks!
Imagine having to fight over ripe tomatoes and fresh fruits?
An extremely unbelievable degree of gnashing and cussing graces the entire next week at work!

Yeah, its a pretty small world, and an even smaller town that I have landed myself into!

On a positive note,despite being a small village, I have managed to somehow choose a pretty good locality to dwell (damn! Now I know why the rent's burning my pockets!). A place with mansions so aesthetic they leave one flabbergasted . Grab any copy of Good Housekeeping or Swagat and you are sure to come across a few .
The first week of my moving here, I was walking with a sprain and strain in my neck and eyes, due to all the craning and peeping!

There, there's one .Close to where I live.
(Couldn't link the exact article. It appeared in HT City today, 19th July 08, page 14.)

Ladles Laden with Load

2008-07-14T14:57:00.002+05:30

"Living alone comes very beautifully gift wrapped.

And you think the gift is perfect for you until you go to the supermarket and discover a better brand!"

-Meira

The two hostels that tried to make a human being out of me did succeed...to a certain level, but I definitely did not have any lessons on dealing with absent maids who got hospitalized every month , thanks to drunken wife-beating husbands.
Or sneaky neighbours who'd stand out in the rain peeping into rooms.
Or guys downstairs calling up requesting for home cooked food , pretending to be sick, while nestling a can of Foster's.
Or carpenters who'd insist on coming for repairs at 9:30 pm , having found out the previous day that the ladies live alone!
Or of cur...oh ok, you get the picture.
So such has been the last fortnight. Have been tackling this and some more. Wouldn't say it has been bad, for the experiences have been pretty insightful...weird, but insightful.
Will blog more, in some time. Right now, exploring some proxies to access That-Which-is-not-to-be-Named.

Thanks for all the wishes.
See you soon.

Reporting live from work

2008-06-12T17:55:00.000+05:30

God Bless!

These days, apart from the 'naya ghar, nayi naukri..badiya hai' status, I am also getting to hobnob with er... drivers, my own personal chauffeurs. And plenty of them too.
Its like this:
I take a company cab to and fro work everyday.
Ghaziabad to Gurgaon.
Day after day, five days a week, five hours commute a day.

Thank you for all your wishes and concerns.
Yes, Im barely alive.
No, Im not going to continue it for long.
But till the life graph stops enjoying its rock-bottom condition and starts climbing up, I get to experience 'miscellanea'!
So having cab drivers sleeping outside my gate overnight and knocking at my door at 6am has become a la mode .
I wake up in the morning to their 'madam kabe aa gayi' and go to bed wishing them good night.( ofcourse, no one else is around at the hours that I reach, !)
Take yesterday... I started from work at 7pm and the cab had to drop a fellow commuter in a place called Munirka.
Throughout the 'long' journey, I noted with glee that its not just me. Even hard nosed Call Centre Cabbies lose their ways in Delhi.
No, Im not in a call centre.
Yes, the call centre is a Sister Concern.
It was 9:30pm when I called up my dad telling him I had reached a milestone. "India Gate looks swell at night, dad. Will be home in another hour or so"
Had to pass the time. So I stated chatting with S, the cabbie.
And let me state, I have developed a new-found respect for all Call Centre Drivers. And trust me, you should do so too. With immediate effect. If you value your life. They are cruelly overworked, with an immense sleep deficient. Mine confesed that he had managed to catch only 3 two hours break in the last 3 days. Thats 6 hours sleep in 72 hours! Gross! Then I realised that he was showing signs of major fatigue. Fatigue!! People can die from lack of sleep. And I have no intentions of dying because other people dont catch their Z's. So I sat straight and chatted nonstop. And prayed. Hard.Dint you notice the first statement of the post?
I even offered to drive halfway- the gallant guy refused shyly ( Though I realised later he would have taken one look at me and and decided a sleepy cabbie was definitely better than a sleepy and tired chit of a girl!) Damn! Should have shown him my licence.

However, the fact that this post gets submitted is proof that Im alive, and so is the driver.
Must go now, another cab drive ahead.
Oh yes, the same cabbie turned up in the morning, bloodshot eyes and all.Sheesh!

Stop, I'm now a Criminal.

2008-05-26T15:01:00.003+05:30

Court room scene

Guilty looking female being dragged to court.

Jugde: You, you despicable woman. Do you know why you are here.

Female: Yes, M'lord. But if you only ...

Judge :(thundering) Order. You will speak when asked to. Listen, and listen well, you unworthy woman, you have sinned.

Female: But I...

Judge: Order. You, like every other in your species have succumbed to wickedness. And you will be punished , be warned.

Female: Huh? Is it that bad?

Judge: That bad? You ask? Spending about 10,000 rupees on shopping on a single day , and you have the audacity to question the severity of your evil deed? Shameless soul!

Female: But M'lord, it was all...

Judge: Khaamosh. I have seen too many of your kind. Every other day one is dragged to my court. Wasting hard earned money on trivial things. Thousands of rupees down the drain. I am fed up with you all. But don't worry. I have a solution to this menace. I will nab each one of you. And punish. Yes, I will punish you all.

Female: But I just b...

Judge: Clean the streets and remove the last of you filthy creatures. And then I'l see how anyone will even think about splurging on shopping. Disease , you all are, a disease!

Female: M'lord, please, listen to me. I just bought a ....

Judge: Nonsense. I sentence you to one year of compulsory labor in one of the malls of the city. You will sweep and mop the very places that tempted you to shop. And you will not be tempted again. One year. Next.

*Bang*

Guilty and distraught looking female being dragged away from court

Female: M'llllloooooooord, But I only bought a 160 GB hard drive for laptop data backup and 3 books from Crossword. No clothes, no bags, no shoes, no ...

Spirit-ized on a Weekday

2008-05-21T11:51:00.009+05:30

What do you do when four of your acquaintances and you decide to go out for a treat, plan and reach the venue of choice after the usual Indian Standard Time delays, and then sit and stare at each other, not knowing how the ice will break?

Easy.

Bring on the alcohol!

Well, it did a hell of a good job for the following 5 tight lipped bunch of kids yesterday!

M & S: The sensible ladies

A, J & P : The fun-loving gentlemen

The plan was to disappear from work at 6:00pm and drive to the nearest hangout base - Connaught Place. Twas looking to be a success, four of them had their systems shut down by 5:50pm, when A declared unabashedly,
" Just 10 more minutes, I need to draft this mailer".

Sigh! Workaholics!

The 10 minutes stretched to over half an hour with the other four glaring at his back every couple of seconds. Four hungry and tired yet enthusiastic people can do a lot to burn your back with their fiery stares!

So A took half an hour for a 10 minute-mailer and then they commenced.

M had her car and all 5 squeezed into it.

"Where to?" , drawled M in her most pretentious chauffeur accent, only to realize that nobody had an inkling.

So after the likes of 'umms' and 'anyplace' and 'Dublin ?' and 'Get real!' and another half hour of battling the traffic, they parked in Inner Circle.

Another 20 minutes of window shopping ( The Guys suggested this, the girls just tagged along complaining about the long walk!) and they landed in front of a place none of them had ever been to.

Spirit.

Yeah, like the ghosts and supernaturals. The place had a haunted look too, with candles that made silhouettes dance in spookiness. Oh ok, none of the five thought so initially. But after you have downed a couple of drinks, your imagination runs awry and decides to kick sense and logic in the butt.

So they drank and they laughed, and they ate and they laughed, and they drank some more.

Till it was time to go back home.And thats when trouble brew (Punny indeed :D)

M cannonballed down the stairs, staggering. The others stared in dismay...the only person with passable driving skills was showing signs of inebriety.

M had to drop J and P and A.

A got cold feet and decided to take an auto home!

P prayed, probably for the first time in approx. 24 years

S was thanking her stars that she lived nowhere near M's place.

J offered to drive and drop M home. The only problem: M lived near Mars and J's bike was parked near Pluto. That far!

M pshawed all concerns and promptly positioned herself at the steering wheel.

Oh no, no mishaps. M dropped her wards safely and also lived to narrate the story.

But the moral out here is :
You may survive a drunk drive, but thats just once. Only cats have nine lives.

So Long, Farewell

2008-05-15T11:21:00.001+05:30

Okay, so there is this 'once-a-popular blogger' who has now decided to give up blogging for good. I though I should give him a teary senti-menti farewell, but ended up sitting staring at a blank screen for ages!

In the end, I coughed up the following points and realized Mr. Popular Blogger is popular for some really lovely quirks of his.

Mr. A

a) Says he's now 'beyond blogging' ...much like Jonathan Livingston Seagull, who was 'much beyond' the squabbles of living like a gull!!! If only!

b) A's a guy who writes a Shaadi.com award winning post , Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, and then goes n declares that he doesnt believe in marriage! The heart breaker!

c) Gets an ISD wake up call every morning, sets two alarms every night, and still promptly reaches office late ...everyday! "The 9:30 - 7 office timings are crappy", says he :P

d) Cribs about how shoddy an author JKR is and then sits in OFFICE to COMPLETE HP-7 in one go!

e) and after d) goes on to crib some more on how hectic his work schedule is and how tired he is. ( ok ok ok...he doesn't crib much, just a teeny weeny lil bit, but then the send off are supposed to be neat, right???)

Hey Mr. A , here's wishing you adieu from blog-land and er... thanks for saving some cyber space :P

Cheerio!

PS: Wrote this some time back, found it while cleaning the Outlook trash ( What WAS this doing there in the first place???!!!)

Ek chammach cheeni...bas

2008-05-05T15:39:00.002+05:30

Recipe books! Whenever I see one, I groan.

Believe me,I loathe cooking,be it boiling water or preparing a full course for lunch .

Most well wishers advise that recipe books are the best friends for people 'like me'!!!

but then,they don't understand,do they?

My problem is not that I cant cook,but only that I'm too lazy to be holed up in the kitchen cooking up delicacies to reach people's hearts through their stomachs!!

Anyways, cookbooks!!! I find them humbug

Exact measures never seem to work! c'mon...moms never go by them and have you tasted their cooking lately? incomparable! And what's amazing is how they always know how much of sugar to add for the gajar ka halwa,"aadhe se thoda zyaada,ye paani chodega phir quantity kam ho jaayegi" Wow!

Or how just another pinch pf salt would make the most delicious of veg pulaos
or even how half a second extra boiling can take away the flavour from healthy 'poondu rasam'(garlic rasam,for the uninitiated)

I've never seen her follow the instructions in any cookbook...the '2 teaspoons of butter' always becomes 'is katori ka aadha ...2 chammach bahut kam hoga',all while I look on in wonder!!!

Sigh! guess the only way I can reach that state of 'culinary perfection' is by spending hours in the warmth of the kitchen,burning my fingers and a few er.. dishes too!

Oh Well!

Taa di dum tum

2008-05-05T12:46:00.001+05:30

...Early morning surprises - Joey antics - Broken beds- Driving lessons - Thin crust pizzas - Cricket matches - Power naps - Back massages - Chocolate treats - laughter & songs ...

It feels so good
I knew that it would
Nothing's gonna take this day away
Cos it feels so nice
Oh so right
Nothing's gonna take this day away

That kind of a day it was yesterday.

Now if only it wasn't for the damn cigarettes!

Anyhow, how was your Sunday?

With Great Power Comes Great Cuts

2008-05-02T11:45:00.005+05:30

Get me some duct tape please. Two pieces actually. One for each eyelid. So that I can at least pretend to be awake and alert today.

You will not even ask me why if you know that I

a) Live in Delhi

b) Its Summer Time here

You got it right...Power Cuts.

Though they are mere cuts no more. More like deep slashes, draining blood, sleep and the pocket ! Leaving behind angry welts that can be caused only by the most ruthless of mosquitoes and dark circles that resemble chocolate donuts stuck on the face.

So power woes have gripped the city , and are threatening to tighten their hold further, till complete blackout sets in.

I see a pattern these days in office:

-Attendance is full - better a zombie in the wonderfully-air-conditioned-workplace than a corpse in The-Inverter's-gone-kaput-again home.

-Lunch and Coffee breaks have reduced in frequency and duration.There are better things to do- sleeping at the desks. Chatting and talking at the tea-machine tires the body that requires rest.

-Overtime in Overabundance : People work on Saturdays too. And the laptops are humming even at 7 in the evening. Who wants to go home to irate spouses and fussy kids . Let them suffer the heat some more !

-Even driving back home has become considerably better. No one seems to be in a hurry to reach home these days.

Does anyone of you work in a Candle or Japanese hand-fan-making company?
Business must be doing amazingly well, eh?

**********************************

Friday mornings are for Movie Reviews. The Dress Circle page that decides the fate of the weekend- to be holed up inside one of the umpteen multiplexes in town , cursing or praising the reviewer's tastes , or to give license to the imagination, and find some hazaar ways to Sweat out in the Sweltering Summer Sun.

The past few reviews have saved me a coupla hundred bucks every week. And the cussing and movie-gossip that takes place Monday lunchtime makes me want to pat the money-saved in pride and glee.

Take today for example.

The movie Anamika.

They call it the 'Untold Story'. Only it was told first in 1938 by a lady called Daphne du Maurier, in a book called Rebecca, which went on to become one of the popular dramas of that era. The 'Story' was also made into a movie of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock.

So... are we sure we'd want to watch a 'Bollywood'-ised version of the 'Story that has been told and retold' ??? And one starring the un-accomplished Dino Morea and Minissha Lamba?

Go watch if you must. Please do come back and tell me how you liked it.

Or if you want the original story that was 'told' first, try this.. or I might even have the book stashed away somewhere .

Yesterday Once More

2008-05-01T12:03:00.004+05:30

Radio Mirchi's airing some nice ads on the eve of its 5th anniversary here in Delhi. Ads that gets all nostalgic about Delhi and which end by mentioning :

" Yeh Dilli Hai. Yahaan Radio, Mirchi Ke Naam Se Jaana Jaata Hai"

Mirchi may have jostled along with all the other stations to reach the top for 5 years, but there was a time when there was an undisputed Station of the Nation- AIR FM 102.6 or FM Rainbow as it is now known as. Rainbow was synonymous with Radio till privatization hit in.

And AIR probably launched Delhi girl Shibani Kashyap. Her jingles were aired forever, even the new ones are in her 'evolved' voice.

The best thing about AIR is the number of programmes being aired. Most shows get about half an hour to an hour of broadcasting time, which means many RJs and a variety of shows. So even if an RJ is not too good, we dont get to listen to the cacophony for more than 60 minutes, unlike the other stations!

The RJs, some of them at least were awesome. Remember Shamsher Rai Luthra ? Or Raman Barnod of Livewire fame?

Sunday nights ended with his show on the headphones, under the covers with a book in hand, good music and a great voice!

Most of the good old jockeys of Matchless Music Hour - Pia, Jobin, Pooja, Sunil Verma, Rajesh Lekh and the squeaky PKJ are still around. Its the new ones who sound like they need lessons in Pitch and Tone Management. The latest I've heard is the RJ who calls himself the "Man At This End Of The Machine", and sounds more like a constipated machine than a man. And Medha and Divya, I feel, need to stop thinking of Himesh uncle as their role model.

The other English programs were interesting too. Aired before the E-mail days, they had people writing letters and making friends and requesting for songs. So we had people calling themselves Dalilah, IceGirl, Scorpion, CoolOne and other weird names, all becoming friends long before Orkut and Blogspot stepped up traffic in Cyberworld.

FM always had something for every member of the family. Be it a Counselor for Stressed teens or a Doctor on Call, A Vet for your Pet or Advise for the Housewife, the list of programs was huge and the vareity was always welcome.

With the entry of other channels, most good RJs sought greener pastures...Fiza Khan went on to become Simran and sizzled on RED FM, Jonathan Brady aka Nitin and Pallavi moved to Mirchi . I dont know whether the Hindi RJs , more popular ones like Manisha Dubey and Shruti Raizada are still around or not. I dont even tune into 102.6 much these days. Worldspace and the other myriad stations take care of my music needs these days.

But the feel of AIR FM those days was unforgettable. And thinking of it always brings pleasant memories of Country Summers, Lots of free time , Simple hits and an old Radio Set.

Made in China and other Tales

2008-04-30T10:13:00.003+05:30

( Got this as a forward. Makes our local toy shop's cheap 'Made In China' goods seem pale in comparison!)

We've read about it, frowned upon it, burnt candles in protest, and felt for them, but Im sure the reaction THIS merits hasn't been associated with the China Vs Tibet issue till date.

On a more serious(!) front, I am now joining hands with majority of our countrymen...I am hopping on to the 'unemployment cum disguised-employment cum depressing-employment bandwagon. So all the energies will now be focussed on jilting the current employer and looking for something that provides some challenge and fun for the next few years ( and also takes care of my roti-kapda-makaan during the process )

So here's wishing more power and new avenues to me.

Hey You...Just Stay Awhile and Listen...

2008-04-29T14:18:00.003+05:30

Dear ...,

When you  arrived for the first time, I was filled with utmost disgust.

Your next few trips after that were also terrible. So much so that each visit made me curse my stars, my luck, on having to be the one to receive you .

It was bad, you know.Not knowing you, not knowing how to treat you, not knowing how long you’d stay. You, however, made yourself pretty comfortable soon. You, of course, were more experienced than I .

I took some time in getting used to you. After a while, I guess I had resigned myself to my fate…that I was bound to you, lifelong- more or less.

So your visits were not as troublesome now. I decided to become more prepared now…the list of girlfriends to listen sympathetically to my woes was ever ready. 

Then came the time when it stopped mattering. You would come, we’d interact some and you’d go away. I stopped getting affected completely and became more or less indifferent. Guess you got a bit bored too. Your visits became infrequent and erratic. 

But now, oh  now…every visit is blocked on the calendar. With special measures being taken by me to bring you here regularly. One day’s delay in your coming and I get fidgety. I look forward to your visit eagerly now.

Love,
Mei

Ah!!!The vagaries of being a woman. Periods are  weird!

Babes' Days Out

2008-04-29T13:26:00.003+05:30

Yes, schools are off for the summer break.

So the nephew has come to Delhi for his vacations.

And its been a good time so far. Its been just two days and I am already seeing an upward curve in my otherwise horizontal-lined learning graph.

Oh yes. I am learning ever so much from this four feet menace. My 'Child Rearing' skills are being stretched to premature distortion .

On a slightly offtrack note, don't the eating habits change when you have a child in the house?

I have suddenly found myself reaching for the boxes of Chocos and Pasta for breakfast, hunting for toys inside biscuit packs in the department store, binging on Lays and Kurkure for the evening snack and kiddie meals for dinner.

All this is fine, but we have an infant visiting us next week...

Bring on the Cerelac!

Er...this happens to you too, right?

Beware...while falling for HR females... Your love will be measured in KRAs :P

2008-04-28T13:45:00.001+05:30

The bugging 40kms between our places, his lazy-highness' stalling the purchase of a vehicle, my mother's weird Sunday get-togethers, unpredictable working hours result in Beau and I meeting only on weekends. That, last week, earned him the title 'Weekend Boyfriend' which, naturally, did not amuse him .

Me: Giggling at my own ingenuity

Beau: You know...I am NOT your daily dose of Laughter Channel or Cartoon Netwrk for you to be laughing at me like this

Me: But you ARE. You are my daily dose of laughter. And you're so good at this stuff.

Beau: Bah! You're contradicting yourself. This means Im NOT a weekend boyfriend.

Me: Oh, but that doesnt qualify. See, you're just a good joker. You still dont meet the required KRAs of a boyfriend.

Beau: (Stunned...beyond description... with malice and contempt dripping from the voice) NEVER, never get a girlfriend in HR!

Wonder Girl

2008-04-15T14:11:00.005+05:30

Meet Mini.

The tiny fighter who entered this world this year on 21st Feb.

Who decided that nothing in this world was going to stop her from surviving.

Who was born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.

Which meant that her diaphragm had a hole, through which her intestines and bowels had moved up, displacing the heart.

Whose lungs functioning was not clear to the doctors.

Who found solace not in the arms of her mother post birth, but in a ventilator in a Neonatal ICU. For two weeks.

Who underwent surgery when she was three days old.

Who was poked and punctured everyday for 16 days to give her Intravenous Antibiotics.

Who was born a tiny 2.2 kgs and plummeted to 2.0kgs despite regular feeds.

All this and more.

More, for her parents werent allowed to meet her for a week in the ICU.

For they werent allowed to kiss her tiny forehead to comfort her while she screamed at another injection puncture.

For the hospital visits continued , even after she was discharged. Twice daily.

For her brother , during his final exams would come to the hospital daily, to meet her and to pray for a quick recovery.

All this, and so much more...

They have named her 'Akshita' - Wondergirl.

Truly a Wonder.

What You Googling?

2008-03-20T16:40:00.002+05:30

The Stats Counter is a pretty interesting tool to have on a blog, or so I discovered today while surfing.

I have a 'Keyword Analysis' option on this which tells me what keywords people use in their Search Engines to reach my blog.

Some of the search words are insightful!

Sample these:

Some 3-4 people hit upon this blog trying to find out more about "Maata ke darshan" or "Vaishnodevi Miracles" If I remember correctly...the contents of the post would definitely not have pleased these devout people!

Then there was one who came here looking for "flirt gtalk status message" !All the way from Malaysia.

Hmm, too bad this blog comes with a PG rating. Here too, I seem to have lost expectant audience.

And the one who came looking for "Idli Kurma Blog" would have dropped a virtual curse ...on finding no recipes or any culinary tips of any kind!

And there are people who came searching for "Indian pearls of wisdom" and for "Indian wedding woes" (alright!). But my favorite's the one who entered "God send me a message"

Hope you got one.

Inspiring...this blog is. Aint it?

Sages under the Sun

2008-03-20T13:05:00.003+05:30

You're at the Airport, waiting for your father to step out from the fish market of an Arrivals Lounge.

Standing next to a Sadhu baba, a la Sage Valmiki from Ramayana, complete with the Ochre garbs and unkempt hair and beard. The 'Padukas' and the ' Kalash' were missing , though he had a huge Ocher Jhola that would have definitely held one or more of these.

Amidst the cacophony of 'grateful-to-have-landed-at-last' passengers and 'tired-of-waiting' family and taxi-drivers , the melodious cooing of cuckoos and doves suddenly fill the air.

You jerk your head upwards, searching for the nearest tree to spot the welcome intruders. You snap your head back into position, mortified, realizing that you're in the Capital's Airport and not in a Bird Sanctuary. You look around, suddenly grinning to note most others around you are gazing around in amazement too.

The musical sound becomes louder as more and more people put on their masks of astonishment, trying to locate the birds.

And then you see them, unfolding in front of your eyes...

The Sage Valmiki's lookalike, shaking off his stupor , delves his hand into a pocket and draws out an urbane Nokia cellphone and proceeds to talk into it, the birds from his ring tone finally giving way to the cackle of his voice.

There's more:

Ten minutes after the Cuckoo-in-the-Airport debacle, as you've taken to staring at your watch every 5 seconds , cursing the flight delays and hot weather, a sudden commotion diverts your attention from your heavily-scratched watch to a group of similarly dressed, burly young men jostling out. And then you notice the Sage rushing not away, but towards the well-to-do crowd .

And then you notice the source of disturbance.

Bollywood's floundering-actress and Hollywood's seductress (?), Shilpa Shetty strutting out with her entourage. (Notable Fact: hell, she's tall. Taller than most of the burly guards in her group)

So there are Sages and Airports, Sages and Birds, Sages and Phones, Sages and Celebrities, while you are left with your father, looking harried after a 4-hour flight and relieved to be walking after the cramped quarters , a one hour drive in the traffic and pollution of Delhi and the heat.

Gee! Some people lead pretty interesting lives!

Remembrance

2008-03-17T13:33:00.005+05:30

A couple of years back, I had completed a tag- one that had a list of 200 statements and I was supposed to tick the ones I had experienced till date.

It was long back, but suddenly searching for it and ticking a new one became very important yesterday.

The statement that needed to be ticked:

Have you buried a loved one ever.

We lost Smriti on Friday.

Remembrance-thats what her name means. A name that defined her completely.

She became a wish, a memory for everyone who knew her.

The Smriti I've known loved simple things - she loved a good book, cooking, a walk, a nice dress, a laugh shared with a friend, a phone call...life.

I have never come across anyone who hasn't been affected by her liveliness and infectious laugh.

She was one who would saunter into a room , chat for hours and forget the reason for her entry, and go back laughing at herself.

She would repeat day-to-day yet memorable incidents to every second person, again and again. No one would want to interrupt her, the twinkle in her eyes and the excitement in her voice were welcome all the time.

She taught a lot of people to be happy, to accept difficulties in life and focus on happier moments.

A beautiful young lady, she was madly in love, and grateful to be so. I remember the days in college when she would flaunt her brother's photo in front of every classmate and plead them to get married to him.

" The only way big bro will agree to my inter caste marriage is if he has one. And once you marry him, you will campaign for me", she would gaily scheme.

A talented writer, she loved to write poems- or "couplets" and 'bursts of emotions" as she labeled them.I have one with me, one that she shared just before she was diagnosed with Cancer.

Cancer- Ovarian cancer. Thats what it took to break the spirits of the girl who fought against all odds.But then maybe not. For she never did break down. Not till the end when she decided to stop fighting. And as she lay, silent... for the first time , her body weak and destroyed by chemo, her strength still showed, or probably I felt it.

For I know that wherever she is now, she's at it again, smiling and laughing at life's small treasures .
Adieu , dear one. Will miss you. And will smile every time I think of you.

(The poem she wrote before being diagnosed with Cancer)

With every passing moment it dawns upon

There’s a lonely soul around, waiting to be hugged

A malapropos with a wish to be born

There’s a loud cry silenced by the time

Some intervened task to be carried on

Inept souls demanding a right to live

Starving efforts struggling to survive

Smiling vagabond with nothing to give

Spreading the uncanny richness n’

Filling hearts with the courage to forgive

Amongst it all rises this tide

The desire to express and no more to hide

The pain of servility to be put aside

To wield the flow..shed the subjection

Let the shrieking silence speak and guide

Towards a step , a beginning , an effort

An effort to gather , to mend ..amend

All that is torn ..all tht’s scattered

An effort to light a torch in each hand

To rekindle hope..the lost desire

Lest the last breath died

A Solemn Promise to Myself
-Smriti

The Hip Hop Morning Walkers

2008-03-13T11:37:00.002+05:30

People in my locality can be broadly classified into two categories.

One: The Elite , Classy types who step out of house with every hair strand in place.

Oh yes.

Lip gloss shining, hair gelled and the designer dresses well ironed. This, at 7 in the morning.

Reeboks that look as good as new everyday, tracksuit designs that would put Tommy Hilfiger to shame. This , at 7 in the morning.

The second category consists of color un-coordinated cartoons , who are too bleary eyed at 7 in the morning to consider their 'external appearances'. So along with the few Classy (!) morning joggers , there are also a few jokers dressed in weird garbs and carrying cans and fumbling towards the Milk Booths. Who are unconcerned by the stark contrast of their Himalayan Sadhus' hair, clothes that look ( and certainly are ) slept in.

I noticed this today. As I rubbed open my sleepy eyes on my way to the Booth at 7. Noticed that my shabby, uncombed hair and bedraggled blue pajamas with red tee stood out. That I was getting stares of acute shock by almost every person I passed.

Funny, why had I never noticed this before?

Must investigate if the family has a history of somnambulism ( Yeah...Wikipedia rocks!)

Anyways, as I was saying, there are two categories in our locality:

One, the Classy kinds which includes 99% of the neighbours.

And the other 1% , namely me, the dishevelled , colour unco-ordinated cartoon.

The fortnight that flew...

2008-03-12T14:49:00.002+05:30

..rather propelled itself into an outer space named Chaos.

Dad and I were in trouble.

The garden had a thick carpet of 'Autumn'-ated leaves , un-raked and inhabited by various wiggly-ugly species.

The backyard was layered with different variants of sand - I could identify cement, brown sand, red sand, white sand, brick, sawdust...and others that are still un-inspected.

The furniture inside too, had a layer of fine dust.The coffee table still sported the tic-tac-toe I had outlined last week.

One week!

One week since Mom had been away and the damage that she had warned us about had already set in!

The house was in malignant disrepair.

By the end of her 'Away' status, ours was 'Beyond Repair'.

The maid became AWOL.

The office hours became longer.

Cooking became part of my Resume.

The fridge became infested with rotten veg'tables and curdled milk. Yeah...(Delhi-->Power failures, you get the idea)

We ate pizzas right from the box ( unlike days of yore when each member got a separate plate and garnishing of his choice) as all utensils were stacked precariously in the sink.

Dad and I proved to be efficient last minute multi-taskers! We managed to fight the cancer of disrepair in less than a day.

Yeah. And I broke my back sweeping, swabbing, washing and dusting. Not to mention cooking and ironing some. All after work, last night.

And all because the Lady of the House arrived this morning, back from her supervisory-tour to Bangalore.

"Hello", I called her up today hesitatingly.

"Sairam"

(Aah..doesnt sound like she's noticed the dirt shoved behind the door) "Whats up"

"Relaxing. Drinking coffee"

"Good" (Lets out a breathe she didnt know she had been holding)

"Waise the house looks clean. "

"Oh yes"(seizing the opportunity) "the maid's absconding, I had to clean all by myself..It was..."

" Thats good. I was thinking of discharging the maid. You can manage the house so well on your own."

Crash...Bang...Whoosh....!!!

Bumper-ed

2008-03-10T09:59:00.002+05:30

Have you seen those bumper stickers - a maruti 800 announcing "My Next Car is an SX4" or a Santro declaring it'l be replaced by an i10?

I was taken in by this latest trend of Delhites to declare their Ulterior vehicle contrivances so creatively. I mean, I have known people to have boasted about their Car Preferences in public places- a fat man aboard a crowded Blueline from Mehrauli to ISBT talking loudly on his mobile, telling a friend how he's considering buying a new Accent, wiping the forehead with a much grimy sleeve.

But bumper stickers was a new one for me. And I decided to go with the flow, give into peer pressure and get one for myself.

But my hunt for the perfect sticker has met with sheer failure as all Car Accessories Salesmen stare at me in utter disbelief when I demand the one I want.

Anyways, I went ahead and designed it on my own...

February Facts

2008-02-08T12:03:00.001+05:30

Being away from Blogosphere hasn't been too great an experience. Not only has the plethora of ideas decayed and developed fungus in the mind, the gift of gab is also now up for grabs on an imaginary E bay. I decided I need to hold on to whatever is left of the writing-thinking skills before they are auctioned off . Not easy- considering I work in an almost-barbarian environment where the shackles of mediocrity are leveling to pull me down.

Nonetheless ( I love this word. An RJ on 102.6FM used it unceasingly and I caught on. Come to think of it..I love some of those RJs on FM Rainbow.!)

Nonetheless, I realized some days back that a lot of species in this world regale in pulling us towards the depths of unhappiness, where they reign. The choice and the tools to fight them lie within us . I was not sent any angel to hold my hand and lead me on. I was instead shown my own capacity to be a savior, for myself.

Well, I fight back. haven't yet collected energy to continue in the same sarcastic/funny/innocent tone I had adopted earlier. haven't yet decided to reach out to other bloggers as yet.

But let the ball roll and let the scenes unfold and adapt on their own

The Chair, The Fights, The Family!

2008-01-03T14:22:00.000+05:30

Families fight. Often.

At my place, a not-too-depreciative reason for frequent fights is The Chair.

Yes, The Chair.

We are divided over a chair.

This chair in question is a super comfy swivel chair, that reclines and rocks, is soft and cozy, and a completely perfect fit.

So we fight.

For all three of us like the chair.

And if one is settled in it, an earthquake is what it takes to pull him/her out.

So even if the dog's barking her lungs out to be let out or a bulldozer is yanking the house next door demolishing it, the boiling milk's decided to wreck havoc in the kitchen or a neighborhood brat is buzzing the earsplitting bell continuously, the one sprawled on The Chair doesn't budge, pretending to have become temporarily deaf , dumb and blind!

At the same time, the other two are at their observant best.

All their energies are concentrated on telepathically throwing the Chair's occupant out. And if, miraculously, the chair becomes vacant for a minute or less, the two fight their ways to it.

Couple of days ago, one of The Chair's wheels broke, making it recline, but precariously. My parents suspect I may have something to do with the damage, for while they are now wary of the leaning, I seem to prefer it this way.

What? Ofcourse I am the Engineer of the house.

Don't Mess With Us

2007-12-27T17:35:00.000+05:30

Four men.
A Business Head (BH)
His Marketing Head (MH)
Two of His Team Members (TM)

One trip
Delhi- Ahmedabad
Overnight Superfast Train
Business Meeting the next day

All four strut around in office wearing casuals on a weekday.
"The HR chicks will raise their eyebrows at us at least on this occasion"

6:45pm
All four rush to the Railway Station , wanting to beat the exhausting traffic.
Make it to the Station an hour before departure.

Cups of tea later, Train arrives.
All four clamber onto it.
BH:"Say, what are our seats"
MH: "Which one of you two jokers has the tickets?
TM1 : Huh? I dont.
TM2: Tickets? We had to get the tickets?

Moral of the story: Never give HR your dirty work!!!

Have a nice day :)

Letters to God

2007-12-26T16:00:00.001+05:30

Dear God,

Did you mean for religions to divide and rule people or are we, morons on earth, goofing up ?

Love,

Meira

Dear God,

Did you mean for education to make people snooty or are we, morons on earth, taking too much for granted?

Love,

Meira

Santa Uncle is here today

2007-12-24T17:37:00.000+05:30

Do you believe in Santa Claus?

I did. For a very long time. And my parents complied , being the proxy Saint and stuffing the stockings with gifts year after year, until I finally realized I was too old to carry on the charade.

And I passed on the Santa n Gifts ritual to my nephews too. Who, in their innocent childhood, believed the stories of Santa and his Reindeers ( atleast till the X-mas episode of Full House exposed the legend. After which, for most of them, the stockings stopped, but the gifts didnt!Kids!!!)

As for me? Who says only Santa has to bring presents? What are parents for?

Merry Christmas to you too.

Say...what did you get for Christmas?

Express Yourself

2007-12-20T14:21:00.000+05:30

Online chat can refer to any kind of communication over Internet, but is primarily meant to refer to direct one-on-one chat or text-based group chat (formally also known as synchronous conferencing), using tools such as instant messaging applications—computer programs, Internet Relay Chat, talkers and possibly MUDs, MUCKs, MUSHes and MOOes.
Copied from Here

After the rather gibberish( for me) information about IMs, let me confess that I am a Gtalk addict. Most afternoons, I am found staring at the Contacts screen hoping that the 'Busy' red contacts turn green. And mind you, the moment I find anyone 'Available' , I pounce.

Chatting is so much fun.

For someone who stays connected morning till evening, who , during her hostel days,has been known to rush to the desktop, at times bodily throwing whoever would be sitting at it…

”project???what project?dont you know I have to chat? I’l vacate in half n hour n then you can work on your silly project. Who told you to stall till the last day? Shame on you"…mentally cooking up an excuse for not having even begun on the project myself! And the half hour would stretch to over 8 hours almost daily! Projects conveniently forgotten n blissfully unaware of the murderous glares from roomies.

Ayways, for someone who likes to chat so much, finding partners in crime can be a great task. People usually can manage a half hour chat before slapping the 'brb' message. So I invent games. To keep the conversation going.

Have you played the Crimson Room?

Its good.

And have you tried the Un-Smiley game?
Instead of using the smileys ( emoticons, right) to display 'emotions', try describing the emotion that is felt .
So :-) is *smiling* or * beaming* or *grinning ear to ear*. Even *twinkly * and *yellow-teeth-show!!!*
:-P is *yaaaaa to you* or * bugging you is so much fun*
:-( is *you moron* or *go bug someone else*.

Try it next time you chat. And let me know if you can stick to 'expressing yourself creatively'
* Im so cool. *

In Desperate Need

2007-12-20T10:34:00.000+05:30

of Exercise

Some months back, the mirror gave off an alarm as I asked it how the new muffler looked
( I like mufflers- or scarfs, to be femininely correct. I have 3 of them ! I wear one everyday. )
But this day, the mirror decided not to share my likes. It told me
( it speaks to my mind. So do all my clothes. They usually send alarm signals that scream " I dont fit nomore", "You Fatso", " Torture...you're tearing me alive"!!! )

Yes, so it told me I needed to exercise , the fatty tissue was no longer cute or hidden by the layers of sweaters and jackets.
So I googled for the Best Exercise Regimes.

My favorite was a random site that mentioned that each individual should select the exercise routine that he/she is comfortable with.
Good. I like this.
So I thought I'd experiment and select the best. Made a schedule that looked like:

Day 1: Jog . 6:00 am
Day 2: Stretches. 6:00am
Day 3: Aerobics. 6:00am
Day 4: Skipping. 6:00am
Day 5: Yoga . 6:00am
Day 6& 7: Visit an offsite to calm mind and to decide which activity suited me.

Good. This was well planned, organized, the 2 days off was motivating and would lead to successful 'Waist Management'.
Right.
WRONG!

A week later, the same schedule was edited a teeny weeny bit:

Day 1: Jog . 6:00 am Sleep till 7:00am
Day 2: Stretches. 6:00am Sleep till 7:00am
Day 3: Aerobics. 6:00am Sleep till 7:00am
Day 4: Skipping. 6:00am Sleep till 7:00am
Day 5: Yoga . 6:00am Sleep till 7:00am
Day 6& 7: Visit an offsite to calm mind and to decide which activity suited me. Depression!

Sigh!

Naming a baby?

2007-12-15T10:54:00.000+05:30

My sister's hunting for names.
For her second child who'l rock the world in April.

Actually no.

My sister is on an eating spree while I am hunting for names.

And I have come up with some really nice names for a baby girl.

But I cant for the life of me think of interesting boy-names ( Is this intuition? Should we paint the walls pink ? Oh the suspense is at its peak already!)

But the round was won by her first born, V , who's Dennis reincarnated (Arent they all???)

I raised him , and his parents say most of his antics are inspired by me.

Anyways, when the lil champ found out about ( and understood the concept of !!!) getting a younger brother/sister, he proved more adept at naming them than the rest of us.

"Leon if its a girl and Mini if its a boy" ,
was his instant reply when asked to suggest names.

Though the adeptness was a sham, or so my sister discovered when he forced her to watch the next episode of Blazing Teens on Pogo

"kiddo, you want to name your brother after a fictitious Yo Yo champion?"

"Huh? I cant? "

"Its a foreign name. "

"Umm... what about Lisa?"

"Or Micheal?"

"I know...lets name him Timothy".

Did I mention I raised him when he was a baby. Gee!

Tagged? Me? Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

2007-12-11T15:15:00.000+05:30

Tagged by Serena.

My very first tag. *grin jump jump yoo hoo hoo*
I love tags.
This is going to be fun.
Yahooooooo! A tag

Ok. Here it is.

"What is your comfort food / drinks and why is it so? Grab a picture of it and post it if you may. Enjoy!"

Comfort food: Im a Breadaholic:

Toasted bread with lots of butter, some haldiram's bhujia and ketchup. Slurp. Awesome Stress reliever .

Wait. I will tell you my comfort drink too.

Comfort drink: has to be coffee.

Filter coffee kick starts my day every morning. Sugar and caffeine content be damned.

I can also make extremely delicious Nescafe. Another stress reliever. High on taste.

You want to talk about your comfort food? Go ahead. You're tagged. tell me and I'l come sniffing.