I believe in capital punishment

I was seeing the story of this young girl on NDTV. A boy had thrown acid on her face (because she refused his proposal)... and her face was completely burnt & disfigured and she was blinded. The family has no money for her operations and is totally devastated. From being an earning member of the family, she has suddenly become a dependant...she is now suddenly living a vegetable's existence and can see no hope in life...

 

My first reaction was of horror, anger and a want to get hold of that guy and bash his head against the wall...what is wrong with society... what is wrong with this whole f***ing world?? I mean imagine how sick the perpetrator has to be, to do something like this! I generally consider myself to be a peaceful person, but when I see cases like these, sahi mein khoon khaul uthta hai...And like I've said before- these people should be hanged, or rather they should be pelted with stones till they breathe their last breath...

Yes. Yes. YES.. !

Caught the new Jim Carrey movie yesterday- "Yes Man"... it's not your regular, mindless comedy with Jim making weird faces. It is a movie that sends out a simple message- "say Yes to Life". Try out new things, be open to opportunities, go out and live life, don't get stuck in the rut of office and home.. just do things that you enjoy... 

Why I related so much to the movie (and I think most of my MBAs friends would too) is that after a point in time, we all get stuck in that zone- where we worry about work, deadlines, family, relationships etc.. we forget our hobbies, our passions, the things that we would do as kids... or hoped we would do when we grew up.. like flying a plane... going bunjee jumping... going biking on a starry night...  I've done a lot a lot of things in the last couple of years, but lately the itch seems to have started again :D So I'm gonna start saying YES to life again and see what opportunities come my way :)

Thank you Shekhar, for your nice comment on my previous post. But I'm sad to admit that I have already broken my resolve twice already after writing that post :P Or maybe it's god's way of saying that "tujhe jitna rona hai- issi saal mei ro ley... fir agley saal masti kar liyo" :D 

Couple of things that I have to on my mind right now- which I just HAVE to write about...

a) Another baby born in my family... the third in 3 months (We are going through a baby boom) :P

b) I hate this Indian mentality of wanting a son... people were actually crying (!!) yesterday because another daughter was born and they wanted a son!

c) I'm looking fwd to my upcoming trips- getting in the party mood :)

This year I pledge to...

The New year is just 10 days away and it's that time again when I make my resolutions and resolve not to break them for at least 2-3 months :D Every year my resolutions are on very very similiar lines. I generally resolve to be a better person, to make better relationships, to be happy and to not cry at all in the next year... (the last one is always the first to be broken every year :D)

So as this year ends, I again look back on the past year and see the error of my ways.. and I tell myself that the coming year will be better...and that I will be a better person next year... I resolve to stay happy, whatever the circumstance and to not let anything bog down my spirit and enthusiasm. I will be grateful for whatever I have and be proud and content with my achievements, yet strive to excel in whatever I pursue (this is beginning to sound like my MBA SOP :D). 

People will once again see that side of me, which I have kept hidden for the past 6-8 months... the side that people can see only glimpses of...that fun-loving, carefree person...look out guys... I'm coming back in FORM :D

Being in a senti mood today (though, when am I not senti :D) I have decided to say thanks to a couple of people who have stuck by me, without hope for any returns and out of pure love. One of these people is K- who I really admire and respect. This person has been like a rock- giving me support -even though he needed a lot of it too... I don't think I have ever come across someone as "suljha hua" as him... though he always begs to differ :) 

The other person is R-who refused to accept my testimonial on orkut- because I openly claimed that I love him and he was not sure how his girl friend would react :P The reason why I feel so nice when I talk to these people is that- they seem to know the answers to everything! Seriously...! 

When I feel bad about something or worried or plain confused- they just seem to say things that make the whole situation so simple :) Like- K says,"We all make choices in life.. and your choices will not necessarily make everyone happy... but that's how life is. You've made a choice- so now just stick to it, instead of questioning it!" 

Thanks guys... love you :)

Welcome to adulthood...

Every now and then people remind me how much I've changed since campus days... how I've matured and sobered down (as opposed to being immature and wild??? :P)... people tell me how I'm no longer just that masti, fun-loving girl and they assure me that this change is for the better :)

But then, how come I don't feel so great about it? How come I want to go back to that immature, naive kid who landed in K, feeling ready to conquer to world? (I think I was a more fun person then and I've come back to my boring self again). Surprisingly, other people also agree to having similiar feelings. VB says that when we reached campus, it was as if we had pressed a reset button on our lives and we could change who we were and be who we really wanted to be. But this reset was meant to last only those 2 years- after that you come back to normal life, out of that dream world.. into adulthood, with responsibilities, pressures... 

Put your hand into God's... trust Him to lead you...

For once I found myself praying for someone else instead of myself. 

Lately, i seem to have got into the habit of asking God for only things for myself... (don't we all :D)... umm... but then I heard about this person who is very sick and actually has been sick for quite some time now... over the past 2 years I have seen how his deteriorating health has affected the people near and dear to him... and everytime I feel thankful to God, for protecting my family, and yet a feeling of despair at the unfairness of the whole thing... 

Well, somehow last evening, I just walked to the nearby temple and prayed... simple prayed for God to make this person better and to give his family some rest.. don't be so hard on them god... 

It's really surprising how other people's pains and troubles always make our's seem so trivial....

(pout) 

:((((

Just thank god that you're normal...

All those who've studied in an all-girls school might be able to relate to what I have to say today.. 

Was there any girl in school who was the classic tom-boy, with boy-cut hair, comparatively flat-chested- the kind who most people considered "wierd"..? At that time, maybe you didn't know the meaning of a lesbian or a transgender- but you simply knew that this girl was different.. she'd be made fun of, there'd by smothered giggles... she'd be remembered well, even years after you passed out of school...

Well.. umm... now what? What if you meet that person again today and you found that she was still the same... the same boy-cut hair, the same boyish clothes, still flat. I'll tell you what you'd do. The next time you met your friends- you'd go......"Hey, guess who I met the other day... XYZ... and guess what, she is still the same, man..!! I couldn't believe it..."  And there'd be an uproar and people would laugh and remember their school days and her "funny" ways...! No one would really care about what she's doing with her life, whether she's happy, whether she's working somewhere... no- she'd always be labelled weird and that's what will always matter to people...!

**"V@T&@Ll**..so cool I m... :D

Ok- this one's Hillllaaaarious!! :P

You know what I love about Orkut? You know that option where you can see the names of people of visit your profile...? 

Well... you'll love this one... here is the profile of some guy (click here) who visited my profile yesterday... His name is Vatsal (so cool am i!) and and and- he has put up a pic of Shahid Kapoor (is that spelled with a double "o" or a "u"?). You have to read what he says about himself... I mean this guy crosses all limits of Narcissism! :D Oh and you HAVE to read the testimonial... "god take care of the person who is reading the testimonial....blah blah!! :))))

Hehehe... my day is made :)

 

Heal the world...

Every time I come back from an Elaan meeting I get pepped up and think that I'm going to change the world from tomorrow onwards.  I know that's not entirely possible, but I hope I can make a difference somewhere, somehow...

The reason why I enjoy interacting with these people is because now, for once, I seem to have met like-minded people... I have gone through my entire school life and college life and MBA life, being tagged as a feminist or a crusader or a rebel without a cause. Somehow I feel at peace with these people. They have very similar believes as me, they all want to make a difference somewhere, they all feel strongly about certain issues... 

p.s. The pic is from the new upcoming Elaan office- where we had a short film screening and discussions- on World Day against Child Sexual Abuse. There will be more posts on this soon...

Don't try and make a line shorter. Draw a bigger line above it.

Ok ok ok... I go back on what I wrote in my previous post...! I am not going to keep changing my decisions... I will stick by them till the end! And I won't worry about things... I'll just leave everything to god from now on... bas done...!

GGrrrr....

I am such a bad decision maker!! I don't know why I simply can't decide one thing and then just leave it... I keep going back and forth, back and forth about it... !! I'll be dead-sure about something today and then tomorrow I'll go- is that the right decision? Should I do it? Should I wait and watch to see what happens? And then I'll delay the execution... I don't know... when did I become so dumb? :(

Couple of random things...

When you get too excited about something- things are bound to go wrong somewhere.... you know like you've been waiting for this weekend trip for a long time, but when Saturday comes- you find it raining cats and dogs... or you've waited months for a particular event and something goes wrong or it's not really as much fun as you'd hoped... well life is like that... 

Some people are so egoistic you can't believe it!! I've had my share of snob relatives/aquaintances- who think they are  god's gift to mankind and would never condescend to talk to or mingle with other lesser mortals... I say- such people have a really false sense of importance and they can go wash their heads in the toilet! :D Though I guess such people wouldn't condescend to read MY blog, so they wouldn't read my piece of advice to them... tsk tsk tsk... :D 

I like orkut... but I'd like to know if there is some way in which you can cancel someone from your friend list... like maybe I can banish them from my kingdom... :D

Memories are wierd things... they have the ability to make you laugh or smile or cry :) Though as you get older, even the sadder times will evoke a smile from your face- as you realise that well, life isn't all that bad... So, if you're down today... tomorrow you'll smile at the memory of this day coz you'll realise that your were sad for no great reason.. :)

Have you ever tried those stupid online quizzes..? Like the ones about "What's your colour.." or "Which celebrity are you" or "What will be your last words"... 

Do you sometimes get the feeling that none of the options given suit you, or that maybe the most boring answer suits you? You know that you have to be truthful, but somewhere inside you want to cheat and give the most tempting and best answers... hehee... while taking the quiz only, I start feeling that this was a bad idea, because the answers that suit me, make me feel so dumb and "normal".. like I don't do something hatke... like I'm just another brick in the wall... but I'd like to feel that I'm different from junta...  

I'd like to give answers like "I go bungee jumping or skydiving on weekends"... but my actual answer would be "I stay at home and play with the kids". So the answer I got to my quiz was "You'll die peacefully in your sleep...that's nice, though quite boring..." ;)

Picked up this tag from shekhar's blog...it seems like a nice idea... let's see :)

The rules are as follows-

a) Put your music on shuffle mode

b) For each questn, press the next button to get your answer

c) Write the song name, no matter what it is

1. If someone says "Is this okay?", you say:
Janu meri jaan...main tere qurbaan..
main tera, tu meri... jaaney saara hindustaan..

2. What would best describe your personality?
Pappu can't dance saala...

(That's SO NOT true! :D)

3. What do you like in a guy?

Tumse milke aisa laga, tumse milke ...

armaan hue poore dil ke

Ae mere jaane wafa

Teri meri meri teri ek jaan hai

Saath tere rahenge sada

tumse na honge judaa...

4. How do you feel today?

Bhaage re mann kahin, aage re mann chala, jaane kidhar jaanu na...

5. What is your life's purpose?

Jaaney woh kaise, log the jinke... pyaar ko pyaar milaa..

humne to jab, kaliyaan maaangi... kaanton ka haar milaa...

6. What do your friends think of you?
Maula mere.. maula mere

maula mere.. maula mere...

7. What do you think of your parents?

I want to break free...

(Oops..!)

8. What do you think of very often?
Tere bina... jiya nahi jaaye....

tere hi maine... hai sapne sajaye...

9. What is 2 + 2?
Jhoom barabar Jhoom..!

10. What do you think of the person you like?
Khwaab dekhe jhootey moothey...

batiya banaye kaise...

sajna anari beyimaan...

11. What is your life story?
Don't funk with my heart... (hehehe...)

12. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Pyar zindagi hai... pyar bandagi hai.. (Shaan)

13. What do you think of when you see the person you like?
Chhod do anchal... zamaana kya kahega ;)

14. What do your parents think of you?
Meri mehboob, qayamat hogi...

15. What will you dance to you at your wedding?

Khuda Jaane ke mein fida hun
Khuda Jaane mein mit gaya
Khuda jaane yeh kyun huwa hai
Ke ban gaye ho tum mere khuda

16. What will they play at your funeral?
Intoxicated 

(hahaha...! I hope I don't die drunk :D)

17. What is your hobby/interest?
Heartbeat (instrumental)..

18. What is your biggest secret?
Tu jahaan jahaan chalega...

mera saaya, saath hoga... mera saaya.. 

(yeah... actually I'm a ghost ;)

19. What do you think of your friends?
Allah ke bandey...

aww... so sweet... love you guys :*

20. What should you post this as?

badalon ki gehrayee main, soche kya huzoor

oonche oonche chehre hai...zameen se kitne dur... 

21. What do you think about this tag?

tu bin bataye, mujhe le chal kahin...

Well that's the end of it... I'd like people to definitely try this tag.. it's good fun :)

Yippee! I won..!

The last time I felt such a nervousness must have been on our Annual Sports Day in XIIth standard... !! Standing in position, waiting for the whistle to blow and seeing the full stands- believe me I thought I'd pee in my pants :D But well, once the race started I was fine and even managed to come a decent 2nd :)) I consider it decent owing to the simple fact that my competitors were all around 14 yrs and in the final lap I thought I'll simply collapse right there!! I never realised that I was soo damn low on stamina! 

Obviously people at home and some friends found it funny that I was actually nervous for a stupid competition- which was meant for children..! (On my behalf, the turnout was much much more than I had expected... and there were participants from almost all over Calcutta..) But then someone said to me, "Don't consider yourself the oldest there, coz most of the other students have been skating for years... so they are the seniors and you're pretty junior. Fall if you have to today, but win it!" :)

I'm sad that I didn't come first (I could have easily beaten that girl, if my breadth hadn't given up on me :( But I'm happy I didn't come last..! That would have been really sorrowful..! And I got this really nice silver medal... so I'm pretty pepped up... and gearing up for the next competition in December, which is for the advanced category... I hope I don't come in last! :)

Life on wheels... :)

The only high I get these days, is when I am on wheels... I have been learning roller skates for a few months now and I love the feeling of childlike glee, whenever I get on my pair of skates.  I am also proud to announce that I am pretty ok on roller blades too (basically, the wheels here, are in a straight line instead of four wheels in the four corners, like in normal skates) 

For those who don't have a decent sense of balance- don't try it.. I consider myself to be progressing really well- and yet I fall a lot :D Believe me, it does become embarassing when you suddenly find yourself flat on the ground with your arms wide apart and your legs at a wierd angle (like an X!!) :P And it's definitely not funny when the entire class starts giggling at your antics :D (thought actually, it is- if you take it in the right spirit :) 

I really enjoy speeding and racing with the other students... but more than that I really enjoy the artistic part of it... I never thought that I could ever do things that I'm doing- skating on one foot, sitting, jumping, skating backwards... you know how you see these ice skating shows on television... I know I can never reach those levels but I am very happy and proud of what I'm doing :)

The average age of the class is 11 but believe me I don't feel out of place... (ya ya... I know K junta will start off about how I was always the kid in the batch!! :D But seriously speaking, I am finding out that it is never too late to learn anything new and you're only as old as you think you are :)

I know I've been sounding really down and out in my last few posts... well, for those who are concerned- I'm all right... I'm just at a stage where am looking for new opportunities in life and currently feeling that I'm kinda stuck. This is something which happens to most people from time to time (at least I'd like to believe that I'm not the only one feeling like this :DD) and it's no big deal... I've never lived under any misconceptions about life being a fairy tale... never really believed in the "happily ever after" hogwash... so basically I'm fine... and absolutely fine... am terrfic... am great.... thanks for the concern though :)

So near yet so far...

Do you sometimes get dreams that seem almost real? I mean like real dreams- when you're asleep. Have you ever dreamt about something that you really wanted, really really wanted... and in your dreams you actually get it... and the feeling seemed so real that you can almost feel it? Like the dream seemed so real that you could smell, touch and feel everything... This is not like any regular dream where you just see things... these are surreal... these are like sooo sooo real that you can feel emotions in your dreams... 

When you wake up after such a dream.. you get a feeling of elation at the whole experience... it's like you know now that this IS exactly what you wanted and how you'd feel when you achieved it.... but this feeling only stays for a micro mini second... till you realise that you're awake and lying in your lousy bed- nowhere close to your dream... and you get such a fuck-all lousy feeling that you won't believe... i'd rather not dream at all if this is how it ends... 

When you really really need someone to talk to- just go to damn chat page and talk to a stranger... in times of real desperate need you'll find that you don't want to call up your friends... how many times will you call them up and cry in front of them? After a while you'll feel embarassed or will feel like a fool... 

So listen to my advice- go to a chat room and catch some random stranger... you wont even have to bother about him again and next time get another random stranger! 

Russel Peters Rocks!

After being at the Russel Peter's show last night- I have come to a conclusion. Anywhere in the world, comedy comprises of only 2 things- sex and shit! These are the only 2 topics which comedians today can think of, that people will laugh at...I'm not saying I didn't laugh... Oh, I did... in fact we laughed so much, we could have pee'd in our pants... :))

But that's not the point here... maybe we laughed because he just said the most grossest things possible...! :) But comedy it was... in fact I thought that the guy next to me would fall off his chair.. (personally, i thought he wasn't getting the jokes, so he was simply pretending to find it funny... coz he was laughing even if RP just said Fuck! :)

When you're sad or feeling the blues- you need people around you to get you going... but who do you call during your stressful times? My experience has taught me that the people you call at 2 am in the middle of tears, are your actual friends... these are the people you trust the most and the ones in front of whom you don't keep any pretences... 

you might not necessarily call these people every week... you might not even hang out with them as much as you do with your regular gang of friends... but in the time of need- when you browse through your phone book and keep rejecting people and finally reach a name which makes you feel, "Ah, this person I can call..." well, thats the kind of people to keep around you... those are the kind of people who won't judge you... they'll just be your friend... 

p.s. I'm glad I have a couple of names at least and people who I can count on- when my tears don't stop :)

Jokes@telegraph.com

Now that I have run out of comics and joke books - I simply pick up the daily newspaper and gobble up all the funny things that happen in our country... our great elected politicians provide enough material for a good laugh early in the morning :) Details below-

Front picture in the telegraph today (click here). A TMC panchayat samiti sabhapati picks up her slipper and throws it at an MLA. The MLA (guy in red circle) also picks up his slipper to throw back at her- but is stopped by police. Tch tch tch... poor guy... would be missing the street fights he used to have in the by-lanes of Kolkata. Aik aurat se maar kha gya? What will my friends think of me..? Ek baar to chappal maar deta yaar... :( 

The lady, err ahem...I mean woman, would be happy that her picture came in the front page of Bengal's largest circulating daily!! But why, oh why didn't she wear her new sandals. The bright red one with big heels on them (bought from New Market during Durga Puja)! They would have looked so nice in the picture. But chalo never mind...at least I got to hit that guy... have been dying to vent out my frustration for quite some time... now my shaashu ma and hasbaand will know what will happen to them if they mess with me next time! :))

Go fish!

People are of 2 kinds- the married and the non-married...! 

What I like about the non-married ones like me, is that they are bindaas and chilled in life and happy to stay that way... Now, the married ones have already been belled and so they cannot see us enjoying a carefree life... so, you will find people (invariably the married ones!) asking questions like, "So, when are you getting married?" 

Now the possible answers I'd like to give to that are-

a) I got married a month ago- but didn't wanna invite you :D

b)  When are you having children? 

c) I'm engaged to an African witch doctor- as soon as he comes back to India, we're settling down :)

d) I'm actually waiting for my parents to accept my lesbian relationship with my girlfriend

All in all the point is that I'm not getting married so soon... so anyone who wants an answer to that question- please refer to any of the points above! :P

One wild night!

After a really really long time I partied really hard.. like it was One Last Night.. I was enjoying the haze, the loud thumping music... danced like hell... and I couldn't care less about who else was there or whether people were looking or not... Just felt this crazy need to dance and dance some more till I couldn't move another muscle in my body and to just fall into bed exhausted...

Was definitely one hell of a night...!

I'm sitting all alone at home on a Saturday night, passing time on Orkut! I can't believe ki ab aise din dekhne padenge mujhe... :)) Gosh I miss those days when I could just walk out of my room or house or hostel and just go anywhere I wished to or do anything I wished to... the things I miss the most these days are-

• Sleeping really really late at night 
• Last minute snacks in the NC at 2 am
• Having maggi for dinner
• Waking up at 2pm and rushing for lunch
• Campus parties
• Staying up the whole night and being the first ones at breakfast
• Making plans for every weekend while in Mumbai
• Rushing off to Alibaug in an impromptu plan with only a female friend... (today I can't imagine being out after 8, at a coffee shop 5 mins from home!)
• My PG aunties telling me that I don't go out often enough ;)
• Being woken up at 3 in the night and taken to Nasik by friends :D
• Lovely breakfasts/brunches at the best hotels, without people telling me not to spend too much :P 

How many of you have seen a completely new born baby? Like a really really new born one- only like 10-15 mins into the world... the sight has to be the sweetest, most marvelous and miraculous thing in the world... I am the proud Bua of this little baby and believe me it feels great to be called an aunt :) 

Though if you actually stood back and just looked at the baby you might not necessarily feel that it was the most beautiful sight in the world. It was red all over with some white stuff all over it... was kind of gooey... and the umbilical cord was still hanging out from its navel (don't get me to describe it... it wasn't pretty believe me :)

But yet, like I side earlier, the whole concept of child birth is just so miraculous that you forget all these little things... when you hear the baby cry (actually you can't even hear it, coz everyone around you is going all ooo aaahh.... ) it just feels like wow... and its teeny tiny hands and feet and its red face- they all just seem so special- its out of the world :)

Came across this blog- http://stupidindiatv.blogspot.com
I strongly recommend everyone to see this... it has to be the funniest thing I've ever read in a loonngg time :))
INDIA TV Rocks :))

Looking for some goals in life... can't seem to find something interesting or something that would enthuse me enough to forget everything else and devote my entire time to it...

The first thing I look forward to every morning when I come to office and switch on my computer- is to log into gmail and check my mails... not that I have any important world changing things to read about, but I like the few messages and forwards that I get. It somehow starts my day.

So when you log in and see 7 new messages in your inbox- you'd obviously be a little excited- ki chalo let's see what's happening with my friends and your sure to get at least a few funny forwards or jokes to lighten up your day :) But no! It's not to be... all you get are reminders from Linkedin, friend requests from Hi5, some advertisement from IndiaPLaza and some from Magic Bricks... Bas yehi sab hai aapke inbox mei.... and believe me that's such a loserish thing that the only mails that you get are advertisements???

But then suddenly- a ray of hope- there's a mail from A- a set of cartoons about the subprime crisis in the US and some Wall Street jokes.... I love A... she's the only true friend I have! God bless her :) I feel so much better after reading the cartoons and showing it to the couple of people around me in office... press the fwd link and send it to some 15 people and then finally feel relief :)

I love love stories..!
There I've said it :)
Whether they are silly romantic comedies (or Romcoms as they are commonly referred to) or SRK movies like Dil to Pagal Hai, DDLJ or Kuch Kuch Hota hai... I love reading Mills and Boon too.. and not coz they have some steamy scenes (then I'd just pick up a Sidney Sheldon).. but rather because they have sweet endings... a boy and girl meet (in a weird situation, I admit) and then they fall in love and then something goes wrong, but in the end they both admit their undying love for each other and things end happily ever after :)

It may be possible that love stories happen only in fantasy land... and even if you are one of the lucky few people who have found true love- believe it or not- that romance will fade and things will become boring and dreadful... you will have diagreements over money/children/housework.. anything... the point that I was making was that this is why I love love stories... whether they actually happen or not- i know that the novel will definitely end up with a "happily ever after.." and I like the sound of that phrase.. happily ever after... as if things are just perfect from henceforth and nothing ever goes wrong... well what's the harm in a bit of dreaming :))

The grass on the other side..

You know what pisses me off the most..? When people say things like, "you've got an easy life.." or something like, "tumhara to achha hai... baap ka business hai- jab office jana hai jao.. warna chhutti maar lo..! you're living a life of luxury..." Mera mann karta hai ki aise logon ko ek MTV style ka "one tight slap" diya jaye!

No one's life is easy.. no one has an easy life... and I for one have never felt that i've got things on a platter. I've also had to work hard for things in life... so, just 'coz I didn't take a loan for my MBA education, it doesn't mean that I didn't have other obstacles in my way... try living in a huge  family with loads of expectations from you but yet a family where girls get married at 21. Where completing graduation for girls is considered to be a formality! Where females don't work- because they're not supposed to... !!

When you work in a family business- you have to maaro that much more effort to prove yourself... because, for the person you are reporting to- you are not an IIM grad- you are their 25 yr old son/daughter and you will always remain that in their eyes! You don't have a defined role or defined objectives... you just plunge into it and swim your way around.. you don't even get a salary!!! So I am glad to say that I'm happy and very proud of whatever I am doing with my life and career and I dont need any Tom, Dick or Harry to come and tell me otherwise!

Before making statements like that, realise that different people come from different backgrounds- if you've studied under street lights and yet made it big in life- Good for you... be proud of it... But that doesn't mean that other people don't have struggles in life...! And if they actually don't have struggles- be happy for them instead of making it seem like you're the bigger individual- just coz you've had more hardships in life! 

That's all I have to say in this matter! 

Am feeling very very frustrated and loserish right now! Don't even bother asking why. I really don't know what to do and who to turn to :(

Life seems to be moving at its own pace... there are days which are sooo quiet, they seem like the lull before a storm... and then there are days when it seems like time is running out and I need to stop for breath. Sometimes I pay so much attention to just one thing that I forget all other things of importance. Your life is not only about your job, for example. It is also about family, relationships, friends, health etc.. it should be a blend of these things... Try and focus on the other smaller moments of happiness... life is not so bad.

There is this article in the paper today about a man who got out of his jail sentence by marrying the victim...! Basically- the perpetrator and the victim were lovers 10 yrs ago...after the female got pregnant and the guy refused to marry her, she filed a rape case against him. To avoid being arrested the guy finally agreed to marry her (10 years later!) and now the female is withdrawing her case against him.

This is not a new case...it's something we've read often in the papers or scene in movies... Now, my concerns here are- a) If the couple were lovers, how can the female charge him with raping her? My understanding is that rape is supposed to be with the use of force or coercion, which is obviously not the case here? b) Both the parties were adults when the crime was committed- so how come it's only the guy who's at fault here? It's not like the female in question did not know what she was doing? She should also have been careful about the consequences of such a matter. c) Now that the guy has finally married her- she actually says that "they are happily married" and she wants to withdraw her case. It seems more like she got her way and forced the man to marry her finally, by hook or crook.

Prima Facie there seems to be no case against the man for having raped or even attempted rape. In fact I feel that the female should be booked for misguiding the court. In fact she should also be sued for bringing a bad name to all womankind. Because of dumb females like these, genuine victims have a hard time with their cases. Women are being accused of using the law arbitrarily for their benefit. Just because she is a woman- doesn't mean that she is necessarily the victim!

p.s. I am not saying that the man was not at fault. He should obviously be made to stand up for actions- but definitely not like this.

This post is coming a little belated but I just have to mention it....Friendship day this year was very nice....Adi and Naush went all out and were in their school girl mode... :))
I have never really been the kind of person who shows her emotions very easily or makes people feel that they are special to me... but the effort that Naush put into the day was really cute... she'd made this scrapbook with some really really really old memories... there were pictures of us as 5 year-olds as well as some at our kinkiest best on Rashi's bachelorette party :D
Pictures of school trips, fun days at school and especially of this play that we had once done... (the mahabharat scene from "Jaane bhi do yaaron"...) where I was Dhritrashtra! :D
Here's to all my friends...! Cheers! :)

Drink to me only with thine eyes...

Drink to me only with thine eyes

And I will but pledge with mine.

Or leave a kiss but in the cup

And I'll not ask for wine.

The thirst that from the soul doth rise

Doth ask a drink divine.

But might I of Jove's necter sup

I wouldst not exchange for thine.

Love this verse by Ben Jonson. The words are simple and the thoughts so profound...

Anger is a very very bad thing... Someone once said, “For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness." I beg to disagree...for every minute that you get angry you lose at least 2 hours of happiness. And that loss of happiness makes you even more angry and then that further adds to loss of happiness. So basically it's all inter-linked... somehow I seem to have very little or almost no control over my anger, stubborness or irritation. And what happens is that I let it go the first time and the second time.. but the third time I just BLAST. Maybe it would be better if I didn't let it go the first time and let my displeasure be known... then I wouldn't get really pissed off like this...

It's funny how we often mis-judge your parents....we live under the impression that parents belong to a different generation who will not understand us, our feelings, our ambitions, our turmoils.... we feel they just don't get it. But somehow they always surprise us.. they'll do something or say something which would be so simple and yet so profound that you'd go... "whoa...! where'd that come from!".

I remember this friend of mine from school who was in love with a guy from her engineering days... but she wasn't sure if her parents would agree to her marrying a guy from a different caste... Due to an unfortunate turn of events, this guy lost his parents... and her dad somehow agreed to the union... he said, "the poor guy has already lost 2 of the closest people in his life. If he lost you too, he'd be shattered." That's why he said yes! My friend was like... "I was soo surprised... I never thought dad could be like this!" Well now she's happy and settled in UK.. and i miss her... :)

So basically my point was, "Just learn to trust your parents. They've seen more of the world than you and me... and they care about you and don't want to see you hurt... Just take care you don't hurt them either." :)

p.s. There was an instance in campus, when I needed some serious advice, but was apprehensive about calling dad, coz I'd gotten myself in a mess.... but once I called him, things just seemed so much simpler... and he told me that i had to do what i had to do... and that was that! He was sooo supportive that I couldn't help being bowled over..! :)

Indecisiveness can be a very very bad thing. You should never take a decision without considering all the pros and cons of the situation. And once a decision is made, STICK to it... and it's never a good thing to wonder if it was the right decision or not... whether you are doing the right thing or not....
Once you've taken the plunge, you've taken it... that's that!

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high...

The headlines in the paper today justly reflect the sad situation in the country. No one knows whats going to happen next... it's like a lull before a big storm... remembered these lines from a poem by RNT (that's not Ratan Tata, that's RabindraNath Tagore!). I think it suits the situation very well...

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
~Rabindranath Tagore

Updates

Nothing new happening in life actually... met up with an old friend from IIMK & his wife... felt really nice to relive those old days.... and actually after meeting we realised that we had never really been good friends in the proper sense of the word... guess we were just acquaintances- but the mutual liking and respect ensured that we 3 had a really nice time together...amazing pastry at Kookie jar and then a flopped trip to Victoria Memorial, ensured the day was pretty memorable :)

Landed up at a friend's place at 7am to give her bday wishes.... we entered her room, with the cake, singing "Happy Bday" at the top of our voices.... and when she suddenly woke up completely shocked, we knew we had achieved what we had set out for :) Then an amazing english breakfast at Flury's... not to forget Rashi's rendition of Happy Bday on the saxophone...
overall a very cool start to a long day....

Love the new Airtel Ads

Simply love the Vidya balan-Madhavan Airtel ads.... in a matter of seconds, the couple portray their love so simply.... and I really like the simple actions in the ads... like Madhavan lying on the bed and talking to her.. or Vidya Balan throwing the cards at his face in the train sequence... or the scene where she keeps stopping the elevator when he is leaving for a trip....

Very very smooth... great execution...

Picked/stole this one from Sheeba's blog. It just says so much :)

Gggrrrr..... %$#@&*&%$#

Men are such cheap creatures, I wish there were no males on this earth! The world would be a much nicer place to live in! My 10 year old niece experienced her first eve-teasing today... she is, I repeat 10 years old!! What the f#@* is the matter with this world?? Am I the only one here who feels that something needs to be done to stop this!!! Why should an innocent kid have to go through something so cheap and vulgar for no fault of her own? Simply because two sex-starved males thought it would be fun to see her squirm in discomfort???

You know what is the sad part?? That moms tell their daughters to ignore all this or women just get used to it and take it lying down. How many of us have been grabbed, squeezed, pinched or leered at, at some point of our lives??? I'm sure almost half of the world's population- and the perpetrator is the other half of the world (the supposedly superior half!) Bloody hell!! As usual, my concern is about those men who are supposedly educated (believe me, they are just literate!)...I know for a fact that most guys have done any of the following - stare at girls, pass comments, make cheesy remarks...! They think they're very smart- or that girls like that kind of attention.... Well, thanks, but no thanks.

There is a role that women also need to play here- they need to tell their partners, friends, brothers, sons etc that this is not something funny. Everytime we find ourselves at the receiving end of this kind of attention, it leaves us feeling disgusted, irritated and vulnerable. Just stop it, please....it's a humble request.

You know what I like about blogging? I like it when people read what I've written and relate to it. Sometimes they'll leave a comment, totally empathising with my thoughts or situation. Sometimes they even call or ping on gtalk and say that they could totally relate to what I felt... or give me their views... the best is when people leave messages saying that I shouldn't feel down, or give me advice to keep calm etc... It's nice to know that I am not a freak and others go through similiar patterns or thoughts like I do...

Of Birthdays and other nice things...

Birthdays are very nice occassions... they give you an opportunity to make people happy... however much people may deny it- they all look fwd to their birthday and wait impatiently for gifts. Whether it is a small token of friendship or an expensive gift, just the thought that someone cared for you is enough :)
I remember sending flowers to a friend for his birthday, a couple of years back. When he received them he was soooo surprised because it was completely unexpected. I remember his call in the middle of the afternoon, thanking me profusely. He said, "You know, no one has ever given me flowers before.." :D
That's what I like- being able to make people happy (esp. when they are ot expecting it)

Confessions of an Agnostic mind

I am not very sure about what I think of God. Frankly, I've never given it much thought. It's not that I feel there's no god At All...but I admit I tend to laugh at people who fast on Mondays in hope of the perfect spouse, or those who say that I don't eat non-veg on Tuesdays...I mean c'mon! I really don't care about going for pilgrimages, apart from the tourist angle of it.

But I repeat, I am not a Non-Believer. In times of crisis, I do find myself praying. But, that's more to calm myself down, than to ask Him to sort out my problems. When I'm low, I do seek some kind of spiritual means to uplift me. But I can't go into the whole mandir-going, reciting-verses bandwagon. I used to find a lot of solace in the temple-down-the-hill on Campus...I used to go to church very regularly in Mumbai... I liked the peace and quiet that came with these places.... they really help you just calm down and forget all worldly issues.

But today when I went to this temple just across my house (which I think I used to frequent as a kid, but I must have gone there after 15 odd yrs!), I din't know how to behave. I mean it.. I was just standing, waiting for my cousin to finish praying. I folded my hands for 10 milliseconds I think, but that was all. And then when the priest offered to put a tilak on my forehead, I just refused! Believe me, I don't know why I did that. I even refused the prasaad that he was distributing. I mean, is something wrong with me? Why did I go there anyways if I din't wanna pray? No one's forcing me!

The boss' daughter

You know what's the difficult part about being the boss' daughter? People don't take you seriously. They treat you as either of the following-
a) Some dumb female who'se just doing timepass till she gets married
b) The boss' daughter- who you have to speak only in monosyllables with and always look down at her feet!!

I know I have this habit of cribbing too much... maybe I sound like I'm never satisfied in life... but then if one is completely satisfied, then what's the use of living any more... it is this greed and desire for something more, that keeps one moving more and more towards perfection...

As a kid I was very content. Content with whatever gifts or toys I was given. I never screamed or threw tantrums... never begged for more chocolates or for more television time... I was a model child...seriously! I was this angelic, well-mannered geek! :D Ya... I don't mind admitting it now... though what is the fun of childhood if you don't break some rules... if you've never experienced the pleasure of having done something naughty and hiding it from the elders...but I was always happy.... I still am happy... but well not completely... Now I want more... It's like, once you've tasted blood, it's difficult to keep you away....

Now I want so much more... so many things that my parents might not think are right for me... I want to break rules... I want to fly away... I want to live life My way... It's like the Pepsi slogan... "Yeh dil maange more"

Phew! 1/3rd of my Life!

I'm turning 25 tomorrow. There I've said it! I've reached a milestone in life, though I'm not taking any credit for it :)

I don't know how that makes me feel... some times I think, "What's the big deal!" A person is only as old as his heart thinks...and then sometimes I think-"Gosh, I'm gonna be 25!" That's like a third of my life gone (considering I live to be 75!?) :P

Physically, I don't think it makes any difference to me, or my attitude or enthusiasm. Mentally too, I am not really feeling that I've become any older (although I do get into "generation-gap issues" with my younger sister..) What I'm actually thinking about, is about what I achieved in these 25 years. Maybe I'm being a little harsh with myself, but I do think that there are so many people who've done so much more in Life at my age, and maybe I haven't really achieved enough.

Maybe I've done better than some people I know and worse than others. I could avoid comparisons with my peer group and just evaluate myself based on how close I am to acheiving my goals in life... Well not as close as I would like to be, but I'm not doing all that bad :)

Here's wishing myself a Very Happy Birthday..! Hope this year goes much better than the last :)

Ah, the arrows of love strike another non-believer...

Last night I got first-hand experience of how love can turn people's head :)

Of all people, if A can have that weird grin on her face (after being on the phone for just 15 mins!), well then I've seen it all.

A self-proclaimed critic of all things romantic, she has just started feeling the initial rush of being in love. The eternal cynic that she is, madam says that it's no big deal and that we don't know what we're talking about. She is not mushy, not romantic, never says "I love you" etc. But, but but... the moment his call came, she totally forgot her speech and was happily yapping away with the smitten look writ all over her face (Ok, we couldn't see her expression coz she turned her back to us!)... but the blush on her face when she turned towards us...!! We were simply ROFLing.... :))) It was just soooo cute to see her act like this :)

Everyone kept on and on about "A! Is this you?" and "We can't believe you said yes to a guy!!" ehheehehe.... overall an amazing slumber party with a lot of beans spilled out :))

"Babudom", here I come...

I am sad to admit that I have also become part of the "babu" culture of Kolkata. I reach office lazily at 9.30- 9.45 am. I take long chai breaks in office...and if I'm not in the mood to work, I just walk into the nearby Oxford store and spend an hour or so there. This is the one thing I was afraid of and never intended to happen to me. I always thought that I would be the kind of person who enjoys office and gives her best at everything. Even though I quit my job for the very same reason (not getting enthused enough about my job), I just hope this complacency doesn't become a part of me.

Writing your autobiography...

Have you ever attempted to write your autobiography? I wonder what age would be the right age to start one? When do you think you've done enough in life to actually put it down in a book? Sometimes a couple of years of your life are enough to fill in chapters and chapters, while sometimes a major chunk of your life may easily be fitted into one page.

One day I'm definitely gonna write the story of my life...it doesn't matter whether it gets published or not... or whether it becomes the next bestseller... but I think it will be a good exercise in introspection and standing aside and looking at your life. Definitely a good idea...

I'm really looking forward to this weekend :))
Can't wait for the day to end and Tomorrow to come :)

I am glad to inform everyone that I have quit my job! :D
yippeeee....! :P

These are a few of my fay-vo-rett things...

One of my favourite songs is the song from "Sound of Music"... "These are a few of my favourite things...." Well, here's the list of a few of MY favourite things. Things that make me smile. Things that cheer me up or make me laugh :)
In no particular order-

# The sound of rain. And the smell of mud after that
# A bunch of fresh flowers
# Watching kids play
# Compliments ;)
# Watching people sleep
# A good novel
# Good food
# The mention of IIMK
#Going swimming
# Dancing

I am down in bed with viral and am feeling very very miserable. I wanna go out and have fun. I wanna sing and dance. I wanna go swimming, I wanna party....(pout). It's not like I was actually doing all this stuff when I was fit, but just the fact that I can't do all this stuff angers me.

Btw, I've been trying to go get up in the morning (6 am!) to go swimming and have failed miserably the whole of last week. And my mom wakes up every morning and asks me, "Did you go swimming today?" with a wicked glint in her eyes- because she knows I haven't! As soon as I am out of bed first thing I'm going to do is buy a new costume (to give me an incentive :P) and then I'm going back into the water :)

Bar girls vs cheerleaders-

Yesterday there was this debate on television against the presence of cheerleaders in the IPL matches. There was some old politician talking about culture and censorship on one side and Prahlad Kakkar on the other side- laughing at him :D I also thought that a mountain is being created out of a molehill. If this is what people want to watch- well, let them! Don't make moral judgements against anyone. Just chill...!

Then came the head of the Mumbai Bar Girls' Association. I was totally expecting some wierdly dressed middle aged women screeching into the camera (a la Rakhi Sawant)... but was pleasantly surprised to find an elderly, soft-spoken lady who just made a very small and valid point.

She says that 2 years back these dance bars were closed down in Mumbai on the pretext that these girls are scantily dressed and watching them dance like this in public is "wrong". Now the same government is allowing American females to be scantily dressed and dance in public and that too on national television. This is a clear case of being double-faced and the very grounds on which they had closed the bars, now stand violated.

I totally agree!

which is worse?

Sometimes when I'm in one of my funny-cum-wierd moods, I like to come to this site whichisworse.com. It's very very stupid- but it never fails to bring a smile on my face :D
Sample these- You have to say which is worse?
a) Farting in a public bathroom that amplfiles the sound (OR)
Farting in a public bathroom that amplflies the smell
b) Having the guy you like making a really funny joke and you peeing all over the place because it was so funny (OR) (I'm ROFLing just imagining this one!) :D
Sitting next to your crush and farting in complete silence
c) Never being able to shower again? (OR)
Never being able to brush your teeth again?
d) Having terrible diarreah and not be able to stop it for eternity? (OR)
Having terrible constipation and not be able to go for eternity?
If you found any of the above in bad taste, do realise that I am really really really bored. And please don't judge me coz I laugh at crude jokes... but ya I admit it- sometimes I do find them funny :D

10 things I want to do before I die

This one's inspired by Paro's blog. Here goes- the top 10 things I want to do before I die (in random order)-
1. Own a Ferrari
2. Go on a world tour
3. Start my own NGO- (obviously women and child rights.. duh!)
4. Be able to dance amazingly, without getting conscious
5. Hear my Dad say once that he's proud of me. He'd say he is, if I asked him- but I want him to say it on his own
6. Have babies (in my own sweet time!)
7. See heads turn as I walk into a packed room- and have ALL eyes on me (for the right reasons :)
8. Come on television (with Amitabh Bachchan preferably)
9. Kiss Brad Pitt and Richard Gere and Tom Cruise (and George Clooney also... :D
10. Attain eternal Peace- be calm- be eternally happy :P

OK- so some of the points are more like fantasies instead of goals- but then IIMK's tag line goes- Dream Innovate Achieve :D
p.s. I wanna kiss Hugh Grant also.

&^#^*&^$##@#@%!

Hmm... I'm in a wierd kind of mood... you know when you don't know what exactly you're feeling..? I just know it's wierd coz one moment I'm singing loudly "kya aap paanchvi paas se thez hai..." (just loved the music.. :P) On the other hand I'm just feeling like life's not going great... I mean it's not all that bad, but it could definitely be better. I just wanna freak out and forget my boring office and my boring life...Now I know why people drink- I guess it just makes them forget all these little things and gives a high... but my point is that Life itself should give you a high na? And at one point of time, it used to give me a high... (sigh.. miss those days...)

p.s. Have been trying to remember that song between Jimmy Shergill and some xyz model- from that movie about Kashmir where he's in the army... there's a very very nice song in the woods... It's just at the tip of my tongue, but yaad nahi aa rha... ggrrrr....

Elaan

Have been meaning to introduce "Elaan" to this space for quite some time- but have been kinda busy. Elaan is this NGO that I have been interacting with for the past few months. They deal with Child Sexual Abuse (CSA). It's rare that you get to see such a motivated group of youngsters working for a cause they all strongly believe in. The owner is all of 21 yrs of age and Elaan is a full-time commitment for her...!

There is just so much filth in the world, you won't believe. How can you explain perfectly normal, married men, "touching" their nieces? Or some old grandfather spending some quality time with his grandchild (feeling him/her up!) What is sad is that once these kids grow up (it could be a male or female child) only then do they realise the extent of what has happened to them. Targeting a child has to be the most heinous of all crimes!!

Please do visit Elaan's website here and their blog. In case someone wants to help out in any way, you are most welcome.

God and his ways...

Went to attend a session on "Sexuality and Sexual Abuse" that was being conducted by "Elaan". (Visit their blog here). Elaan is an NGO that works against CSA (Child Sexual Abuse)- but this session was conducted along with "Swikriti" which works with people of alternate sexual orientations. Got to interact with people of different sexual orientations- like homosexuals, trans-genders and effeminate men...

Even though I act modern and open-minded, I will admit that I caught myself staring at a particular guy at innumerable occasions. He was dressed in female clothes with make up & earings and nail-polish etc. His mannerisms were such that you would not find anything amiss. But when he started speaking, obviously his voice gave away everything.

They explained the difference between Sex and Gender- Sex is biological in nature- what you are born as... whereas Gender is what you perceive yourself as. Society has set these rules where sex and gender are considered same, but actually they are not! So what happened to this guy was that he was born as a man (no problem there) but he perceives himself as a woman (which means that his Gender is Female). He likes wearing dresses, putting nail polish, wearing make-up and is attracted to men...

Imagine his anguish, in his childhood/teenage days when he did not even understand why he was behaving differently. Imagine other kids teasing him for being a sissy. Imagine his trauma at not understanding his dad's anger towards him. My heart went out to him when he explained that in his innocence he thought that he could win his dad's love if he looked pretty like his sisters. So he got all dolled up to impress him and got a sound trashing for it.

It's ironical that we think we live in a civilized society, but are yet so backward. And I am a part of it. If this guy was sitting next to me in office- I don't know how I would react. Even today~ when I have understood something about his perspective, I know I wouldn't be normal...but that's the one thing they crave- being accepted as normal.

The monk who spoke in English

Got the opportunity to sit through a Gita pravachan last week. It was not like one of those typical paaths, where you have a holier-than-thou, fat-bellied Guruji talking in heavily-accented Sanskrit. This guy was part of a new-age Mission, where they don't believe in preaching (at least that's how I felt- there may be other view points). He spoke in impeccable English and gave examples from Taare Zameen Par!

One thing that he said was that all humans have 2 goals- a Goal In Life (becoming a doctor, lawyer, MBA, entrepreneur etc) and a Goal Of Life (Our reason for being born- which is to find Peace and Happiness). Often, we confuse the two or completely forget the latter. Our goal IN life can often be a stepping stone towards the goal OF life- but unless we achieve Inner Peace, any other goal is fruitless.

Something else that stuck with me- was that there are 4 important organs in all living beings- Brain (intellect), Heart (emotions), Stomach (survival needs) and Procreating organs (reproductive needs)- {Physical pleasure is considered as a "base emotion" and not included in this list.}

So basically the point that he was making was that Animals move on 4 legs and thus all these 4 organs are placed horizontally (meaning that they are all given equal importance). {That's why they are animals!} Whereas in the human form, the head is the highest (and thus most important), then your heart, then stomach and then the sex organs. So to attain balance in life, a human must always move towards intellectual growth, then emotional peace, then satiate his hunger/thirst and then procreate (which I believe, according to our holy books- is one of the most divine acts).

Pretty philosophical huh?

Music has this amazing quality- it can easily steer your mood. My mood decides what kind of music I want to hear and the music decides what mood I am in. Sometimes a song can make me completely senti like no words can. Yet at times when I'm in a horrible mood, it can suddenly make me feel all pepped up. At a party, I start off by really enjoying the upbeat rhythm, but as the night wanes, I somehow get senti- Don't know about what, but I just feel like sitting there on the floor, under the psychedelic lights and just absorbing the whole thing... It makes me really frustrated coz I don't know what gets into me.. yet I somehow enjoy that sad feeling in a masochistic way.

Like now- I was sitting and listening to some general music- and slowly slowly the words start playing in your head, and it's no longer playing in the background... somehow it crawls into my mind and you start relating to the lyrics. Somehow I love that yet hate it... I was more comfortable when the words didn't make any sense....

Can you cook? :P

Who says India has become advanced? Who says Western influence has come in and is spoiling our culture (I so wish that were true!)? I think that our country is still living in that purana zamaana and the onus is on our generation to do something about it.

You still have the same ol' tradition of arranged marriage- guy's family and the girl's family meet at some place (the girl's side has to pay for the expenses!). The girl had better be dressed in a saree (never mind if she's never worn it in her life, and in most probability won't be wearing it on a daily basis). Questions asked to the girl- and this is the best part- so listen up-

a) What's your name? (At least read the bio-data before coming!)
b) How much have you studied? (refer to above point!)
c) Can you cook? (let's say she can cook... listen to the next one-)
d) Can you cook variety items? (Variety items??? huh?)
d) Do you know ghar ka kaam-kaaj? (like what? jhaadu-bartan-kapde dhona? that's why you want a bahu?)
e) Have you done any extra classes- like painting, cooking classes? (huh??)
f) Do you like going out? (this has to be the best one so far...! :D)
And the last and most important one-
g) Do you have any brothers? No? No brothers at all? Only sisters? Ohh.... Looks at the dad and says, "No sons?"

Not even one question judges the person within... nothing about what you want to be in life.. nothing about your personality... nothing about your expectations.... total timepass... and at least if the guy had been good looking, the evening would not have felt such a waste :D

Disappointment & redemption

I have never felt so let down by a novel before. The fact that I had written so much about the Book in my previous post (see below) or told people about how nice it was- just goes to waste.

The author completely dilutes the plot in the middle of the book. After keeping the readers engrossed in the plot and letting them raise their hopes that something's gonna happen now- he just completely loses his way. The novel falls down to the level of a very very common tale- describing Amir's love-life, his in-laws, his new house, his family. All this could have been captured in brief for the sake of continuation but there was certainly no need at all to devote some 60 pages on it. The plot wanders off aimlessly. You just keep reading because you have seen the potential of the writer, and are still curious about what happens in the end.

Thankfully- after painfully flipping/scanning through all this jazz- you come to the point where that 1 dreaded phone call comes to Amir. How one trip suddenly puts his life in turmoil again and he discovers a truth that changes his whole world for him. One truth that makes his entire 40 yrs of life a sham. Now he has one final chance of gaining redemption, of making peace with himself. Will he have the courage to finally stand up for something he believes in?

Along with Amir, I think the novel will also gain redemption in the final few chapters... wait and watch.

Breathtakingly beautiful :)

For those who've not picked up the Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) my advice is to go and get your book right now... I've only started reading the book 2 days back and I am completely hooked. The author has captured the friendship between the protagonist Amir and his servant/friend Hassan, just so beautifully. The intricacies of the child's mind come out so clearly- his love for Hassan, yet his envy of his courage and the place that he holds in his father's heart. Ali hopes to make his own father proud of him too, wants his father to love him unconditionally, wants him to smile at him affectionately and call him Amir Jaan.

But in order to gain that love (by winning the kite flying tournament) Amir needs to sacrifice something and takes the coward's way out. But now the taste of success is bitter. The description of that guilt, his inability to sleep, the crack in his voice are captured amazingly. Somehow you can totally understand and feel exactly what he is going through..

How Amir finally gains redemption, how he deals with his conscience, how does that incident on the day of the tournament affect his future and the person he grows up to be- I can't wait to get back home and find out :)

You'll definitely find out in my next post :)

P.S. Must read novel...definitely a MUST-read :)

You know what's funny? That I can't remember the last time I really really really laughed... you know like a rolling on the floor laughter... when tears start rolling down your cheek.... there can't be any feeling better than that... :)

Actually no- I think I laughed like that last week- during holi celebrations... :)

What I really need is a good laugh a day... I need to hear that giggle coming up from the bottom of my belly... i need to feel that uncontrollable urge to keep giggling and giggling till u feel you're gonna pee in your pants! :D

Look out people- I'm coming back in form :)

Today I spent some real quality time with myself...stole away to the nearby Dominoes during Lunch and sat there all alone just enjoying myself and my pizza :) Sometimes we forget that WE are our top most priority...that we should live life king size (or Queen size) for that matter...

So shut down your mobile phones and make a date with yourself....go to the salon and get yourself pampered.... go shopping... do something new everyday... pick up that new novel you've been eyeing and head to the nearby cafe...get a haircut...try art & craft... learn a new instrument... go dancing... basically go live life :)

Random random cribbing!

Sometimes when people ping me, I'm not sure what they want. There doesn't have to be any ulterior motives for people to ping me, but lately I just feel that I'm not sure what he/she wants. Sometimes people just ping when they see a funny/wierd status message and get curious. That I understand. Or they'll ping me and comment about something I have written on my blog. But other than that I resent people asking me personal questions.

Many people ping and ask me details about my job and you know what- I feel that if I tell them I'm hating my job, they'll feel better than if I say that I'm currently heading entire East India blah blah blah and am really happy with the growth etc! Which is why I always do the latter :D

Or they'll ask me questions like, "Why did u shift to Kolkata, what happened?", "Are you looking for a guy for marriage purposes?", "Have you found someone yourself?", "When are you quitting your job? You know it's high time you did."...... Who's asking you man! Please don't give me advice if I'm not asking for it. And if you want to, then please take permission. And don't ask me personal questions unless you consider yourself to be a very close friend of mine and are sure that I won't mind.

Bura na mano- Holi hai!! :D

This is the first time ever that I have had soooo much fun on Holi. (Apart from Holi@K- which actually could have been better, had the God's been on my side!) But this year- wwwooowwww! I never realised this festival could be so much fun.

We were in a crazy mood and soon people were being dunked in the tubs and everything from Coke, to thandai to Bacardi was being poured on people... hehehhe.... :)
Soon all the guys were being stripped- believe me the maximum hooting was being done by their wives ;) Soon we had Rakhi Sawants and Mallika Sharawats on our terrace- and with some raunchy music playing in the background (a la Kaanta Laga) I think I saw a glimpse of campus life at home :)


Awesome! :)

A yr after MBA

Music Playing: Himesh Reshamiya

It's been one whole yr since I completed my MBA. Can't believe how fast time flies. It seems just like yesterday that we were walking from the Harvard steps, through classroom 1A, towards the amphitheater... the convo seemed like a culmination of the entire 2 yrs of hard work on campus and the harder work done before that, while preparing for CAT.

How has life been post MBA? Well, if you ask me that, I'd say- not all that bad... I can miss Kampus and the fun we had there- But I choose to have even more fun today and make my life happier and more happening. I never let myself miss K while in Mumbai- coz I was living life to the fullest there. Even now that I am back here in Cal, I am making the most of life... that's what that matters :)
One thing I do miss- Mess parties :P

I love impulse shopping :D

I went down to find a mobile shop and ended up buying a 2 books from the roadside vendor :)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and err... umm... I picked up a Mills & Boon (there I've said it!) I just couldn't resist myself- the vendor must have thought I'm some college kid who's high on hormone these days :D He kept showing me the M&B (I must really look like one of those desperate kids! ;)
Well, so I said wtf- I'll buy it :)

So now I have 2 novels lying on my desk and I don't wanna work anymore :D

Cabilla Travels

For the uninitiated- Cabilla is my gang of friends- formed on a Goa trip- the best set of guys I've ever met- the coolest, funnest, nicest set of people :)

So let me introduce you to our new blog http://theincurabletraveller.blogspot.com/ where we write about various trips/ excursions we've made (either as a group, or alone). It's a travel blog- for all the wanderlust and travel freaks :)

Do read about my adventures at Duke's Nose in Lonavala and the Alibaug trip with Sheeba :)

Ciao for now.

I want tips on "how to patao a guy"...! Please don't be mistaken- the purpose in question here is completely non-romantic... I'm not looking for a partner/relationship.... but I want people (guys and gals) to tell me some very basic ways of pataoing someone... (not for a relationship- I reiterate!)

Just give me some simple rules- what do guys like, what makes them happy.... or actually even if you try and patao a girl- what do you do....? I know I'm sounding all jumbled up- (that's coz I can't write everything in here...!). Ok...lemme start all over again.

If you wanna make someone happy, or get in their good books, or suddenly start getting noticed- how will you do it...? I'm sure guys and girls can both give me tips on this :)

We could make a movie on this- "How to win a guy in 10 days" :D

I got a mail asking me a very simple question- "why women get more tax exemption than men"? Well frankly speaking, I never even gave it a second thought all these years... I just took it for granted that we get more benefits in taxes than men! I am yet to come up with a conclusive argument over the rights/wrongs of this.
Normally I would have said that if we women cry ourselves hoarse about gender equality, we should have the balls to stand up and say that we don't need any extra benefits. If we want equal treatment, we should not ask for 33% reservations or separate ladies' compartments or special tax benefits...! In schools would you say that the passing percentage for girls should be 35% while for boys 40%..!!!??
But yes, today I am definitely not complaining about a higher tax exemption limit... I know it's a two-faced hypocritical thing to say, but I have my reasons for saying this... Let's forget about women who've reached that stage where they can actually stand up on their feet.. those who've done their graduation/ post graduation and are earning hefty packages... the ratio of such females is still small in this country... in fact it's minuscule...
India is still a place where men and women have distinct roles in society and women have to face a lot of challenges to make it on their own... I think this is something that might give them a small push...
Anyone has any comments- I'd love to hear other opinions....

I know I want to write something... but I don't know what I'm writing.... I just want to blabber away... I just want someone with whom I can share everything... someone who I can trust completely...someone who wont judge me... someone who will say, "It's ok". Gosh, I can't believe you could ever feel so alone in life!

Our troubles in Life are not great...in fact they are not even troubles...they are just small inconsequential teeny tiny aberrations which come are way. There are just so many people out there, whose lives are so damn screwed up, you could never believe it.

-There's an old frail woman who doesn't know where her next meal is coming from
-There's a woman being raped somewhere
-There are children dying of starvation in Africa
-There's a man whose wife just walked out on him, leaving a small crying kid and a broken family behind
-There's a young girl being molested by her uncle
-There's a man dying of cancer
-There's a man who met with an accident that left him a cripple for life
- There's a 10 yr old girl being sold off by her parents to some pimps

When are we gonna wake up? When are we gonna open our eyes? When are we gonna do something?

Kabhi kabhi aisa nahi lagta ki you don't know what you want in life... and you try very hard to introspect, to write down stuff, to think... but the answers don't come at all... in fact you just get more entangled in a web of emotions, questions, concerns....
I'm feeling more or less the same today... and the trouble is that I know that this time no one can help me come up with an answer... at the end of the day, I need to decide ki mujhe kya chahiye life mei... wat is good or bad for me... wat is right and wrong for me....
Am I the only one who feels like that, or actually everyone feels the same, but no one shows it..? Sometimes I feel everyone is clear about their vision (not just career wise, but generally about life) and I'm the only one grappling with answers...

Hey... I just realised that the last post was my 100th post on my blog :))
Well, that's quite a milestone :)
happy 100th anniversary (? should it be called something else? like a golden anniversary?) to me :)

I'm feeling very happy :)
Don't ask me why... there's no reason... bas I'm just feeling good...
maybe it's the weather.... :)
But I'm all smiles today :)

Surrrrrprriiiise!

I like surprises... they make you feel really nice and special.... :)
You know, when you plan something for someone and go all hush hush when they enter the room... On your bday, you are obviously expecting that people will give you gifts, a party, will treat you special etc...but a proper surprise would be something out of the blue... :)

Like getting roses from someone, for no reason, no occassion.....when you're not expecting it at all :)
Like celebrating your B'day in Oct when it actually comes in May :)
Like landing outside your friends' door at 6am and dragging them to someplace fun :)
Like throwing a bash in your friend's honour for something she's done to make you feel proud :)

I've put a video from a surprise party that my friends had thrown for me... I think it was the BEST party I ever attended.... planned right under my nose- and I had completely no clue at ALL...! That's wat made it even more special :)