Pesked out!!!

Disclaimer: to be read by those who believe in the capacity of imagination - in themselves and in others. Of course, they should be lovers and fanatics of imagination.


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There is NOTHING more agonizing and pissing off than annoying neighbours who share a house with you in the same building. And I cannot wait to seek my revenge because yes, with loosers and cretins like them, revenge would just be the ultimate thing.


When they 1st moved in, there was a bit of excitement in the air because news had it that 2 dogs were coming along with them. But now, I will not be able to say who's the dog and who's the human. Seriously. To drive home my point on how truly annoying these people are, I shall elucidate this fact with a few instances.


A: They are FILTHY. They have old, torn and truly ancient chappals of all shapes and sizes, with holes of all shapes and sizes adoring their front door. Add dust and shit as well.


B: They are ATROCIOUS. They close all their windows at all times and choose to dry some clothes inside their house. Despite the fact that there is a huge terrace for them to share with us which provides sunshine and breeze free of cost to dry their laundry. Instead they have dirty kitchen towels gone black hanging in their kitchen, still being used. I'm pretty sure they wear wet underwear every day, if not unwashed underwear.


C: They are LUNATICS. They believe that their 150 year old rusted cycle will get stolen which is why it was kept in a pathway that blocked our way to go switch on the motor in case we ran out of water. Now they've put their cycle just in front of my brother's bike and replaced the cycle's former place with a row of big cactus plants. So, if ever we need to switch on the water motor, we have to walk outside our own house to switch on our own motor.


D: They are IMBECILES. Why? Because even though they hear water leaking from an overflowing tank upstairs, they REFUSE to switch the motor off. And then they have the balls to say "So much water has leaked" to which my maid said "We're sorry we forgot. But if you heard the water leaking, couldn't you have switched the motor off?" They now refuse to pay money for additional water ma calls for. There is no water as I type this post and they still haven't switched on the motor. 


They crib, complain, act like idiots, are idiots and there can be nothing more agonizing than living with them on the ground floor.


2 daughters, a son and a grandma. 


I hope their potty overflows inside their own bedroom, I hope their boobs fall off, I hope their underarm hair gets knotted, I hope they grow bald, I hope a lizard falls on them, I hope their dogs bite them (and many times and hard!!), I hope someone steals that cycle, I hope someone eggs their house (and you know who'll egg their house!), I hope they all fall in a ditch. And stay there. I hope I hope I hope... I hope they frikkin leave before the tyrant in me is unleashed. There's only so much we can take!


I have never hoped for bad things to happen to people generally, but I really hope these people get what they deserve because they're nothing short of a pile of shit living here! Big fat turds, the whole lot of them!


Human beings are an astonishing lot!

Random

Winter has arrived and it's my favourite season of the year. All I ever want to do in winters is snuggle into my quilt and dream happy warm dreams. And not stay up till late. And not wake up early in the morning. 


Winters = woolen socks, warm pjs, layered clothing, big fat quilt, happy dreams, clear cold blue skies, early evening walks, comfort food, winter sunshine and bathing in it.


Winter, you make me happy. But only when I'm warm and can live up to it fully. And not cold, shivering my beep off on my way to work because I don't know which woolen piece of clothing will go with a sari. 


I hope you're frikkin cold and awesome this year! :D


Allahabad and New Delhi, I will always miss you. Every winter. But thank you Bangalore, for making it bearable. Every winter.


On a more random note, here's a picture I love. Perhaps because it has the people I love in it. Perhaps also because of how happy it is. In more ways than one.

Winter = happiness :)

Weekends and Crime

And just like that, Sunday is fast setting and the weekend fast fading.

It has been a good weekend nonetheless. A jam-packed and fun-filled saturday made way for a lazy and chilled out sunday.

Working on saturday should be made a crime. Really. The fact that people are required to work (forget work hard for the time being) on weekends is sad. Saturday should be the party hard day and sunday should be the chilled out day. But no! The universe being what it is would have it no other way! Nonsense! 

Anyhow, I try really hard to not let my trudge and travails to college/work affect my weekend spirit too much, if at all. So saturday began with 2 hours of class, an hour of paper corrections which stopped dot on time due to dwindling enthusiasm owing to the fact that bullshit disguised as answers were blitzed on quite a few papers and that a beautiful saturday lay ahead of me which I wanted to make the most of.

So post work and a very swift change of attire (for who's gonna paint the town red in a sari?!), I made my way to what I can only describe as a wonderful meal! Kairali, known for its Mallu cuisine drew me to it like God knows what! Good company and good food always make a great combination! So unlimited vegetarian meals, their signature beef chilli fry and chicken kababs made a happy journey to the tummy and mind. All was well. And undoubtedly so!

Post lunch, what makes a lady's day is some soul-warming pampering. A good haircut, an even better hair spa, a head and shoulder massage and voila, it's *kachingg* time! Million bucks, here we come! :D Add girl time spent together during such pampering just triples the experience!

Yes, after we turned many heads many times came some family-friend time! So what was a mums and daughters date turned out to also include a brother and a common friend at the tea party! Pots of vanilla tea, pomegranate tea, masala chai accompanied with sandwiches, chicken momos, french fries, waffles and maple syrup, cheescake, frozen mudpie and chocolate muffins made the tea party what it was - a gluttonous feast! :D

Blueberry cheesecake, vanilla tea and chocolate muffins

Pomegranate tea

Delicious waffles with maple syrup and butter

The very challenging-to-eat frozen mudpie

AND post that feast ensued some family time with the mother, brother and me where we were whisked off for some comfort food a.k.a Chinese food. I ended my day with a clear soup which was not so nice, but what the hell, I couldn't complain for the day had been nothing short of perfect! :)

Sunday brought baking, leftover Chinese food (I love leftover food!), reading, writing, playing with the joojies, sleep and green tea! 

So, getting back to my point, working on the weekend should be made a crime because see the goodness we'd miss out on then! Criminal!

Weekends, I louuu you! :D

Feeling like a million bucks

and this is all it takes! :D

There's something about being in the presence of students. The atmosphere around them is just electrifying. 


A truly memorable day at work.


And I'm hugely proud of every student out there! 


It's them who make me wanna get out of bed before dark, come all the way post 3 bus changes and get home after dark as well.


Heartness.

Mind games or whatever...

I've been subject to quite a few coincidences over the past few days, more than have ever happened to me before. I'm usually the one to brush it aside and flit on to my many other thoughts. But so many in a row is pretty freaky. 


Here's what led to this post.


It's been a week since I saw my brother for various reasons and I was actually missing him a lot today. I'd decided while traveling back from college to call him once I get home and say "It's been so long and I haven't seen your face..."


And just at that moment, an almost Harry Potter-Dumbledore moment happened where that exact sliver of thought was pulled out from me and vocalized...


...for a guy traveling with his guy and girl friends started singing "It's been so long and I haven't seen your face..." (the ensuing lyrics and song don't matter)


Coincidences!

Continuing with the fun times...

Happiness moments 350, 355 and 370

Everyone loves a good draught. By the pitcher. With crab cakes. Love the ambiance at Windsor Pub. Located near Kodava Samaj in Vasanthnagar, this place offers Coorgi and Mallu fare. A bit overpriced and the food could do with a face-lift considering the cuisines that are a part of their menu which have so much to offer! But the draught, music and ambiance make up to make it worth a 2nd, 3rd and 4th visit! Good company always recommended!

The dessert named Concorde is what you see above. Right from the famous kitchen of Fresco's, the desserts here are more than what a few words can say. The meringues however were the best part of this dish. The chocolate mousse inside didn't quite hit it with me. I liked that it wasn't overly sweet and presented itself to be a well-balanced treat! But Fresco's is synonymous with its great desserts. Piece of advice: starve yourself here to do justice to the array of desserts that await you at Fresco's.

All of us also like good comfort food. Sometimes that could be ma's food, drums of heaven from the nearby Chinese restaurant, a bar of cold chocolate you grab from the fridge or even sometimes, a good cuppa with its ideal accompaniment - the chocolate muffin. I'm a bigger fan of another relatively new cafe but Costa would make me go back there for the 2nd time. The muffin was comfort food till about the top layer after which an overdose of chocolate ensued. Nice ambiance with a decor that makes me look back twice. This place is still to grow on me as it faces STIFF competition from another cafe which deserves a separate mention! 


Happy times happy times happy times! :)


More for later... 

A bit of this and that

I like change and I don't like it. I am a bit fuzzed up about opinions on change but I don't care. It goes well with moody me.


I've been eating out a lot off late. But I've had to make up with what I eat when I eat out. And fortunately, I've discovered a few places that make it easy for me to eat out and eat good. 


Salads have started growing on me. And no, there's no need to recoil in horror because the non-vegetarian in me is still alive and kicking. So a chicken salad it usually is. Add plates of steamed momos, bowls of leafy chicken noodle soup, crispy salads and it's all good. 


I love that I can eat out minus worrying about the grease, colour and what not that outside food makes us worry about generally, if at all.


Happy times! :)

Flitting. 


That's what it's about.

Desperate times call for desperate measures...

...where you need to switch on the "glow sign" on one's forehead, as my friends call it. And I'm a through and through believer of this concept. Insensitivity to those who deserve nothing much at all, is my mantra. Of course it hasn't been easy. And practice comes with experience. 


But. There's only so much you can do to make that sign shine on bright. Beyond that, Mr. Murphy exists. And so well, sometimes desperate measures fall flat on their face when Murphy decides to come into the picture.


Let me illustrate this concept with an example.


So. I disliked considerable portions of my school life, disliked most of my schoolmates who couldn't have been bigger jerks for more reasons than one (here's one), I never craved to go back to my school days, never bonded with any of them, never made the effort to keep in touch, never gave them a reason to communicate with me ever again and so the list goes. I always always make it a point to cross the road when I see any of them approaching to make myself invisible and if I ever happen to be in a Murphy-like situation where they're almost in my face, I choose to see through them and pretend like they don't exist. (Yeah, it's called a "glow sign" for a reason!)


Anyhow, Murphy who (I believe) holds a grudge against us all in one way or the other, decided to take me for a not-so-fun spin! And how? By having a schoolmate and me go to the same gym, at the same time and do almost the same exercises. (Eeeesh) And the gym being what a gym is i.e. mirrors personified, guess who has to (literally) stare at her feet and workout? For (let's call her) schoolmate babe CANNOT stop staring at me from next to me, from away from me, from far far away from me, all thanks to mirror personification! Argh. Murphy should write or throw down a book from wherever he is on 'How To Make Someone's Life Hell' dated (for) eternity.


So yes. School(staring-starer-son)babe is crazy for she cannot stop looking staring at me (and no, it's not flattering before you try and make me feel nice about it). And how do I know? Because trust me, when you have someone stare and I mean STARE at you throughout their workout, you JUST KNOW. Dodging stares don't help either because when you miss one, five others hit you (and I'm not exaggerating). Drinking water - stare. Exercising - stare. Walk - stare. Talk - stare. Joke - stare. Lie down - stare (eeeks). Take off shoes - stare. Wear shoes - stare. Walk out - stare stare stare STARE. You get the stare-y story! 


And I think my "glow sign" has burned out. I'm exhausting my capacity to be the super bitch and with fast depleting resources comes fast depleting hope! But super bitch will rise from the ashes. I have the faith. And I definitely have the capacity!


Because we do know how much Mr. Murphy loves us at the end of the day and to give up so early in the day is not at all super bitch-like.


There! So the desperate measure I followed from day one was to see through her, pretend like she wasn't even in the same room as I was in. But then Murphy came along and made us workout together today. And fascinatingly enough, only the machine next to her was working. Centimeters apart. *shudder* I think my neck hurts.


And so yeah, while Murphy keeps volleying me situations like these, the super bitch in me has to rise up and do something about it. Again and again and again for desperate times always always always call for desperate measures because we're either plagued by annoying people or Murphy decides to play his game of Desperate Havoc with us on a pretty regular basis.


All hail the "glow-sign".


Pip Pip! 

In The Deep

It's the sense of touch. 

In any real city, you walk, you know? 

You brush past people, people bump into you. 

In L.A., nobody touches you. 

We're always behind this metal and glass. 

I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other...
just so we can feel something.

- Graham, Crash (2004)

If I were to ever make a movie, this would be my sole inspiration. Words fail me when it comes to Crash. And since I'm a strong believer of the bigger picture, of us all being connected to each other in one way or the other and of us being here for larger things in life, this movie is IT. It's heart-wrenching, gripping and heartwarming all at once. It makes you want to stop breathing and breathe a sigh of relief. It makes you want to cry weep and also jump with hope. It's a paradoxical mix of everything that makes us who we are and couldn't be a more apt representation of what human relationships are like. To get what I'm saying, I suggest a dekho if you haven't already gotten yourself one.

If I were to ever make a movie, this would be my sole inspiration.

Here's a glimpse into one of it's heart-rendering scene (which I couldn't embed) and track. Have a listen.

Lyrics:

Thought you had
all the answers
to rest your heart upon.
But something happens,
don't see it coming, now
you can't stop yourself.
Now you're out there swimming...
In the deep.
In the deep. 

Life keeps tumbling your heart in circles
till you... Let go.
Till you shed your pride, and you climb to heaven,
and you throw yourself off.
Now you're out there spinning...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep. 

And now you're out there spinning...
And now you're out there spinning...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep. 

In the silence,
all your secrets, will
raise their worried heads.
Well, you can pin yourself back together,
to who you thought you were.
Now you're out there livin'...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep. 

In the deep...

Now you're out there spinning...
Now you're out there swimming...
Now you're out there spinning...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep...

My senses are going berserk so to speak. I wish photographs could appeal to the sense of smell as well for then I would definitely put up a photograph of an apple and cinnamon cake that's smelling divine from my oven as it bakes!


I love how there's so much one can do and it feels like I've experimented a considerable bit since where I started off from: vanilla sponge cake, chocolate sponge cake, vanilla and chocolate marble cake, banana cake, vanilla and chocolate chips cake, dark chocolate with chocolate chips cake and now an apple and cinnamon cake... I refuse to use a full stop at the end of this sentence


Baking, such a wonderful wonderful thing :)

And it's here...

My November blue sky... I remember spending a moment every day from college till date to look up and check if my November blue sky had arrived. And today, I know it has.


I love it. Crisp, blue, calm and expansive - a sky of blue I would love to dive into.


It brings along a promise that winter is not far behind with crisp sunny mornings ideal to slip into warm comfort! 


Winter, welcome back again :)

I'm once bitten, twice bitten and hope thrice shy. 


Or so help me God.

There's nothing like a...

good dance! *sigh*

A walk on a cool windy late evening which builds into a jog and then a run with music pounding in my ears as are raindrops on my shoulders is all it takes most often. 


One raindrop missed, ten hit on an empty street with lights twinkling in the rain. And as the music's tempo builds, so does my speed.


Blissed out. 


And most often, this is all it takes to make my evening!

(And that would be the endorphins talking!) ;)

Breaking Point

I'm at a loss for words because I don't know what to say or what to do. I'm certain I've arrived at my tolerance level, my threshold beyond which I cannot take anything in anymore - I'm certain I've arrived at my breaking point. 


At this point in time, I have no hope. And I am speechless.


Why?


The latest word to hit the world of news, current affairs, sensationalism and our political scene is SCAMS. And all we get to hear these days is how this minister bungled up x crores of rupees, how another municipal head's haste killed x number of people because of the shoddy building he must've proudly supervised and inaugurated and is now absconding, how a sporting event chairman's misdeeds led his country to crumble in front of the entire world and be the butt of their jokes, how an ex top-cop got away with rape... I think there are enough and more examples to shame-face every Indian and counting. 


I cannot understand the psychology of corruption. Yes, we all like to be powerful in our own right. It is a basic human need and all of us have the right to need and attain a sense of power in whatever respect. But corruption is a different ball game altogether. I can understand the need for an uprising in retaliation to being suppressed which led to such a state of radicalism. But things spiraling out of control to such an extent just goes to prove that nothing is ever enough for man. And it hurts to generalize this because I sincerely believe that there are good people in this country doing their bit like tiny drops of sunshine in a blizzard. Everything's seething white and blinding - that's how despicable corruption feels. And we're all cold and numb to this process. We just cover up, find our warmth in other things and move on. 


I think my breaking point happened today - when our beloved chief minister justified his land scam by telling everyone that he's just following the footsteps of his predecessors, that everyone else does it, so he has every right to too. 


I think my pride tore when India was the butt of everyone's jokes and comments courtesy Suresh Kalmadi and gang.


I think my values took a beating when I saw forests making way for mines, our coasts making way for private beaches, when agricultural lands were snatched away for 6 lane highways with a promise to relocate hanging heavy in the air still.


I think my heart broke when I saw trees, plants, animals, forests, rivers, mountains fall victim to our needs and our smug justifications...why? because it's needed; because I didn't do it, someone else did and because it's not my headache.


Why am I so drained of hope?


Because a full stop here is obsolete, if not extinct.
Because there are no boundaries.
Because values got left behind.
Because we cannot take responsibility.
Because we pass the buck.
Because we are money starved.
Because ethics don't exist.
Because we simply don't care.
Because we're only bothered about ourself at the end of the day.
Because we're proud of our doings, whatever they may be.
Because we're so vengeful we can't see beyond getting what we never had, at the cost of anything or anyone.
Because others are just a joke to us.
Because money scales everything.
Because we've been this way for generations and getting progressively filthier.
Because it's ok and chalta hai
Because, like I said, we've never heard of full stops and don't have the mettle to stop when or where we're meant to stop. 


I'm at a point where I can't be livid anymore. Or hopeful. Or whatever it is that these atrocities are supposed to ignite in me. 


I'm actually scared for this country. I am scared because I fear the worst. I fear a retaliation and a nasty one because there is only so much people can take. And then it'll be back to square one - the oppressed outclass the oppressors only to become the same. And so the story goes. I am scared for this country because instead of owning up or accepting one's mistakes, we continue making the same mistakes and learn not from them but how we can better justify them. 


I'm scared because I'm at the breaking point and I don't think I can tolerate much of this anymore. I cannot tolerate a country so vibrant and colourful and talented to crumble the way it is. The rate at which we're falling is astounding and like I said, there's only so much we can take.


There's only so much I can take.

The Inside and Outside of It

There's something in me that always wants to cringe when I see people outside our culture flaunt their spirituality. And I don't know what I want to cringe at - the outward show, the in-my face spirituality or the desperate attempt to seek whatever is being sought...I don't know.


The point of this post is not an 'Us vs Them' outlook. The point of this post is to look inward and see things for what they really are. I could debate and argue on this topic endlessly because it is something that deeply moves me. 


Spirituality is very very subjective, internal and I am absolutely certain that each and every one of us is spiritual in our way and right. And I'm not here to comment on what is spiritual and what is not. For that's none of my business or anyone else's. 


However, whenever I hear someone say things like "I'm here to find myself", "I'm on a spiritual quest", or whatever else people say when "finding" their spirituality, something irks me. 


I don't get this outward show of things. The sudden need to clad oneself in dhotis and kurtis, to grow dreadlocks, to wear bathroom chappals and make your presence felt all over the place, etc etc etc. In my opinion, you don't need to wear a certain attire to "become" spiritual or behave in a particular way to attain spirituality, as it were. You don't need to be in a particular place to feel spiritual. And I really don't get this entire show. This need to suddenly be पवित्र  and cleansed off one's so called sins. 


You do not need to come to India to "find" yourself. Spirituality to me comes from within. It is a part and parcel of who you are and what you choose to do with yourself and others. Spirituality is to be grateful, thankful, faithful to name a few. My outlook towards life, the way I conduct myself, the things I choose to say and act upon, my thoughts and feelings, the paths I choose to walk on, the way I approach my life are all parts of my spiritual sense. I do not need outward signs and shows to chalk my path towards spirituality because very honestly speaking, spirituality being within me can surface when I'm at work, with my friends, with my family, with my pets. And that according to me is what matters. Not where I go to find it. 


And what annoys the crap out of me is how the same thing comes and hits us back in our own face. So we now have people outside our culture teaching us yoga, talking about meditation, teaching us the sayings of whoever and we accept it like newfound knowledge. We allow it. And I hate it. 


And if I were to delve into the philosophical undercurrents of it all, I'd just say that the roots of colonialism still hold strong somewhere. But that's another story for another time. 


It's not an 'Us vs Them' outlook. It's an inside vs outside perspective I'm taking. Because at the end of the day I'm no one to say what's right or wrong with others' choices and doings. All I can do is look outside and inside and see where my reality lies.


I'm a Sanskrit illiterate who can't differentiate the Mahabharat from Ramayan and it's ok. I do not know who my Gods are and who controls what in this universe. The only thing I know about the Bhagwad Gita is that it talks about duty. I barely know 3 shloks. I can just about say my prayers. I know no customs. I do not light the lamp every day. I eat meat whenever I feel like it. I eat beef. I enjoy my food. I am superbly grateful for all that I've been given. I feel hugely blessed. I love my family. I love my friends. I love my pets. I love my life. I love my job i.e. interacting with students. I find my peace within myself. I love my space. I am very thankful for all that I'm blessed with. I thank God for seeing me through each day. I respect. I give 200% of myself when I work. I take care to look after my health and that doesn't mean I diet. I give my mind and body what they love because I couldn't have got better. I pray when ambulances wheeze past me. I talk to God. I lose faith when it gets too hard. I try and not ask for much. I try and give back to my planet. I give time to myself. I indulge when I feel like it. I dream of seeing the Himalayas in all their splendour. I connect with the river Ganga. I wish to see her birthplace. I smile. I give. I respect. I care. I love. I live.


And that's the inside and outside of it. Nothing more. Nothing less. 


And no, I have no dreadlocks.

Mornings

My days on a general basis begin at a pretty unearthly hour. And now that we're heading towards winter with shorter days and longer nights, I wake up to dark mornings and they feel terrible. For I'm the one who would love to spend some extra time in bed, toes cuddled in my quilt ready to finish the dream that was playing on my mind. If only... But then, when did we ever get everything we wanted? 


So to make up for the dreary cold and oh-so blah mornings, my journey to college somewhat compensates for everything else. I guess it's always the start that taxes me but as the morning progresses, I prefer it to any other part of the day - travel-wise at least. And here are some reasons why...


It's a brand new start, and a sari clad me loves a no-crowd no-traffic road while I head to the bus stop.
The buses are superbly empty and it's all peaceful and quiet (no horns or screeching brakes or abuses hurled anywhere).
There's a sense of calm, a sense of peace and of course, there's a sense of ease minus a rush. There's no jostling, pushing or anything of that sort. 
The sun is just the right amount of warmth, there's a cool breeze afloat the entire bus and everything feels fresh.
Traffic signals don't work till about 8am so there's no concept of long signals or motorists going crazy sitting on their horns at that hour.
There's no 'office rush'.
The platforms are not too crowded, buses come in clean and washed most often, drivers go grab a newspaper to keep them company while conductors get accounts and tickets checked.
There are students ALL over the place and there's something lovely about having students (in uniform and otherwise) around - running towards their bus while buses ease out of their respective platforms, talking, laughing, listening to music, reading novels, worrying about assignments not done, breathing a sigh of relief over assignments done, dreading upcoming tests/exams... it's a very very invigorating feeling to be around students.
The highlight of my morning is boarding my bus to college, the 'Hanumanji bus' as I call it. It's been my (and many others') saviour for the number of years they've studied at college. Aboard the bus, I'm all settled, music on and I know that I'm going to be in college well in time, which is a very very comforting feeling :)


And as my bus leaves the bus stand, the best part of my morning ensues. As we turn towards MG road, and stop at the signal, my bus is surrounded by students galore. Students of all ages and sizes. Baby students huddled in autos with their colourful bags hanging from the auto mirrors; BMTC buses filled with students from start to finish - eating, talking, sleeping, jumping, looking outside, playing, reading, singing or just being - taking students to their respective schools; children cuddled with their mother at the back of a car; children rehearsing lessons with their parents; big, small, long, sleek, box-ey yellow school buses saying 'Children Aboard' driving past; matador vans in all colours taking children to school, carpools, siblings fighting, girls adjusting their clips and hair; boys their belts and ties; mums instructing their kids - ALL converge at this signal for those few seconds. 


And as the signal turns green, we all diverge at a gathering speed, going our own way for the day. Till we meet again, tomorrow and every other day, at this signal, doing what we do. And so it goes. Every morning. Children have a way of making everything better.


I couldn't ask for a more exhilarating start to my mornings. :)

Of Romantics and Cynics

You've Got Mail

It's showing on WB as I write this post. This movie has more to it than its romantic, cute, awwww feel that a romantic comedy usually does. To me at least. I remember watching this movie on a summer's day when I was what? 11 years old. Keeping aside feelings a nascent adolescent goes through, this movie is one that spoke to me and stuck with me ever since. It wasn't even an epic movie or a much awaited sequel one would await eagerly. It was just its concept, its simplicity and its feel that appealed to me.

I loved the movie and still do. And very much so. It awakened the romantic in me, it made me dream, it made me believe and it made me hope. As the movie played along I conjectured and hoped for a similar plot to feature in my life. 

I wanted the enigma of chatting with a random stranger to happen with me.

I wanted that random stranger to actually be someone I knew.

I wanted someone who I hated so badly to gnaw his way into my life. In a good and not so in-my-face way.
I wanted him to love me over and above his ego.

I wanted him to become my coffee pal, my friend and my confidant.

I wanted him to fall in love with me.

I wanted to fall in love with him eventually.

I wanted to be ShopGirl.

I wanted to get back home and have someone to talk to.

I wanted to have someone who got exactly what I was saying minus those many words.

I wanted him to force his way with me just so he could take care of me when I was ill. With ease at that.

I wanted him to read to me, to bring me my favorite flowers, to laugh with me, to go for walks together, to eat together, to meet in between work... to do sunshiney things together.
I wanted to meet him at a park with 'Somewhere over the rainbow' playing in the background.
I wanted my random stranger to be the one who was my best friend, my confidant and my everything.
I wanted the Joe and Kathleen story.

I wanted so many things and more.

I still do.

I dreamt. I made friends with random strangers online, one of whom I will never forget. I hoped. I wished. I even prayed.

But somewhere at the back of my mind the realist in me never let me cross a point. I knew that at the end of the day, You've Got Mail was just a movie and when did our lives ever really become movie-ish? When did such sweet sugary things ever happen? I for sure had never seen any of it in reality, so why expect or hope for it all? 

So with that, I let the movie be. I let myself enjoy and soak in the movie, but from a distance. I loved it minus dreams. 

I don't know when the romantic in me gave way to the cynic, as many people say. I very honestly believe that the romantic is still there in me, somewhere. Perhaps hidden till required. I am cynical for sure not because I'm against all things sweet and dreams but because anything else leads to expectations which can become such heart-breakers. I firmly believe that it's not always the person but what you expect from a person that guide the way we see relationships. And so I prefer donning the cynic's costume over anything else.

I know the romantic is still alive in me but is in hiding, like I said. Someday, somewhere when it is time, the romantic in me will flourish, and how!

I still hope and that's all I wish to do. I guess it's all a part of growing up. For me at least.

And that's the realist speaking, because when did our lives ever really become movie-ish?

Happiness is more than just an emotion. It is a state of mind, it is a state of being and it is the joy of everything.

Teaching is also more than just a job or a career. It is a way of living, a way of delivering and it is most definitely, a way of believing. 

Teaching is more than just a job or a career. It is a very very close approximation of happiness. And it most definitely is the exact approximation of a full circle.

And today, after a lull, I felt a part of that complete circle again. Not in class, but after a full day on my way back home.

Elvis Aaron Presley

There's not much I can say about this man simply because my words wouldn't even do justice to what he means to me. 


I don't need to talk about his life or biography or music or even the fact that he was ultimately THE King. And I won't. Google does more than the needful. 


To me he surpassed just being the King of Rock 'n Roll. In fact, all those details really don't matter to me. I'm not what you would call his die-hard fan. I'm just a lover of his music and a piece of this mosaic. Nothing more. And nothing less.


Why I choose to mention him today, in this post, is because he encapsulates all my adolescent memories. Memories of hot, sticky summers in Calcutta which were spent entirely in his presence, be it morning, dusk or midnight. I was just remembering dusks spent on the tree house with us humming Hound Dog or Heartbreak Hotel or Jailhouse Rock or Welcome To My World or Can't Help Falling In Love or Return To Sender or Suspicious Minds or The Girl Of My Best Friend or Always On My Mind or Are You Lonesome Tonight or Love Me Tender... I could go on and on and on. We even spent ages practicing and then eventually recording a karaoke version of In The Ghetto. Man did it feel good! :D And those were summers well spent.


Before I move on I need to mention how I got introduced to him. I owe it to my cousin sister entirely. Now she is a die-hard fan. She had all his cassettes back then in the 90s. She had the posters, the books, the heritage from her family, she had the faith, she had the love, she had the awe, she had the respect, she had it all. And more. And I think a tinge of it rubbed on to me. 


The King needs a special mention because I spent all those years listening to him with his songs keeping me company all the time. And he was there with me through all those raging emotions and states of mind a teen could possibly go through. And for that, I am happy. I love the baritone, the pout, the panache and the entire get up. I love his earlier days though...the rustic boyishness to him. 


Anyway, my teenage years onwards = Elvis Aaron Presley.


The King needs no special mention otherwise. 


Here's leaving you with a few favorites
















And finally...





Enjoy the King :)

I love the concept of washing the front of the house that takes place over here. I hate to differentiate but this is something I see only here, i.e. South India. In the north people do wash their houses but it's a different feel altogether which deserves a separate post.


What I love is how everything is fussed over in a non-fussy way, how it's just a part of every day life. The sweeping, then the washing and then the rangoli. I've always been fascinated by these designs and have tried my hand at them back when I had the enthusiasm to do it all. I love the simple every day designs, the complex festive designs, the colours, the combinations and everything! 


So because today is Diwali and because I live here, this is what is outside my house today thanks to my mum who always wants one on a festival and thanks to my cook who takes the initiative on every festival.

Happy Diwali :)

Rain and Church Street

So, continuing with the Diwali and festive spirit, here's another scoop from today!


I absolutely despise having the rains appear at this time of the year. Yes, it's supposed to be refreshing and cleansing and blah blah, but if we were to remove ourselves from that poetic and ideal world and come back to our reality - so called roads in potholes, slush and muck, drains overflowing, wading through godknowswhosespitandcrap, uncouth motorists who think the roads are theirs', missing pavements (wait, roads in potholes would automatically imply no footpaths), sleeping civic authorities (I could go on and we know how never-ending this list is) - having rains at this time (or any time as it were) SUCKS.


Also, since it's time for Diwali, I really hope the clouds clear away for just these 2 days to not dampen spirits, so that the diyas stay lit and the entire show doesn't get washed out.


However, amidst all this rain and thunderstorm that was enforced upon us, today afternoon was hugely rewarding. Tucked away on Church Street is where we sought shelter from the downpour, and because I was here, I lost track of time. Rain, namesake sunshine, thunder, storm and blah blue bleh, I chose to drown myself here...

And this here happened to be none other than Blossoms. Our Beloved Blossoms! Sorry the picture is a little blurred because I was a) so excited by the stacks of books, b) I was shivering from the cold, and lastly, c) I was trying not to catch the eye of the many cameras they have hidden all over the place! I after all didn't want to be thrown out on suspicious grounds from this haven, back into the horribly cold stormy afternoon on stinky Church Street.


Yes, so where were we? Ah, stacks of books *drool*
And yes, I lost track of time. As is always the case, I had already managed to load my arms with a few (ok fine, 5!) books, and it was just the beginning! *excitement*
I LOVE this store. And Bookworm as well. 
I LOVE seeing 2 price tags - the original one and the Blossoms one - and flipping (mentally) at the discount.
I LOVE the variety, the volume and the range of books they have! I could pull all those books down and just dive in them.
Or have an American Beauty moment by just lying down on the floor watching books fall at me in slo-mo (and gently).
I LOVE the character this place has! No other fancier store can ever ever replace it (though I am a sucker for Crossword as well)
I LOVE this book paradise and this readers' haven! It is just so beautiful! And marvelous. And awe-inspiring. And so much more.


So much later, at the risk of maxing out my card, I walked out with my three prized possessions: Jhumpa Lahiri's 'The Interpreter of Maladies' (been waiting ages for this one!), 'Tales by Hans Christian Anderson' (the graphics are so so gorgeous!!) and 'Mahatma' by D.G Tendulkar (which looks so frayed as though someone from the 50s owned it). I cannot wait to dig in. 


Oh wait, I have D.H Lawrence's 'Sons and Lovers' and two huge collections of novels by R.K Narayan... So yeah, hallelujah! :)


So yes, I am feeling forgiving because such an afternoon couldn't have had a better silver lining, that too tucked away in books. 


Blissed Out.

My life the past few months has been a colossal attempt to study for an exam. And I've FAILED miserably. Anyway, this post is not meant to be about how less I have studied and how I haven't gotten anywhere with them. 


What this post is about is that it's DIWALI time and it's time for me to gear up and welcome everything that this festival offers with open arms.


So, basically what I imply is that it's time to keep my books away away and head out to paint the town red! Bye bye books and exam worries and hello diyas, food, mehendi, sweets, fireworks and more! 


Weeeehaaaa, it's Diwali time! :)