Just a thought...

If I decide to open a resturant someday...what do i call it???
....

ANYWHERE ANYTHING

Because, on an average when you ask people what they wanna have, they say ANYTHING...and when you ask people where they wanna have food, they say ANYWHERE...

Sleeping like a log

I am writing this blog because I have nothing better to do and internet is free at office.
This is an incident 6 years and 15 kgs ago...

A typical winter mid-night at hostel, we are all draped in our warm blankets/rajai's and snoring away to glory. Suddenly I felt something near my feet, may be I thought it was a pile of clothes or something, so I just kicked it to push it out of my lazy sleep. What ever it was, it fell on the snoring Lil's face with a thumppppp...and hell broke loose.
Ah...what a noisy dream, why is everybody shouting in my dream!!!?

Lil has a very vunerable sleep, she wakes up even when I turn a page of my book and yells at me...'can't you turn pages quietly???' and I go '@##$%^&^'. She can be quite troublesome if you disturb her sleep, so we normally maintain decorom while she is sleeping. And on that fateful night when something thumped right on her face, she woke up screaming so loudly, she could have brought the hostel ceiling down. My other roomie Supi woke up too. They rushed to swith the lights on...it was a CAT, an UGLY BLACK CAT !!! Now the combined effect 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara' and they kept screaming incesantly while jumping on their respective beds, so much to bring the girls from the adjacent room to ours.
A bunch of five girls trying to drive the cat out, jumping screaming and giggling all the way at midnight...takes half an hour to succeed.

And it was revenge time, Lil turned to me and I let loose a lazy snore. Enough to get her into one of her ugly moods, she pulled me, brought me to sit on my bed and everybody gave me a piece of their mind venting out their frustration on me for being woken up from their sleep. And when everybody left I went back to what I had been doing best...snoring.

I woke up a little not-too-fresh in the morning. I had had a bad noisy dream last night. I woke up Lil lest she misses the college bus. While we got ready I asked her the question of the century...
'Oye...Kal raat kkoi aaya tha kya??' (Did somebody come into the room last night ???)

I have an iPhone

No really I do...

Only its called an sciphone, has no wifi or multitouch, the camera is terrible, doesn't have the half eaten apple icon on it and costs only 2500 INR odd...one of the amazing copies that only China can churn out.
We had been to the SP road last night to look for some basic dual sim phone and we came accross this. This one totally swept me off my feet.
And...Maa Kasam, every single person in office whom I showed this phone, started with rolling their eyes on me with this people-have-so-much-money-to-spare look until I told them it was a cheap copy of the revered iPhone...and it gets me a lot of attention otherwise too.

Check this out...
I barely managed to grab one of the weird seats on the Volvo, the ones just infront of the backdoor of the bus. Its a weird place, you tend to see the asses of the standing passengers of the bus. As the bus started filling up, I could see more and more asses targetting me. What if they unite and target their natural gases at me...I could be knocked out for several hours. I tried to close my eyes, but the sudden jerks brought me back to the reality every now and then. Having nothing better to do, I started reading the labels on their asses...I mean the labels on their trousers...Arrow, Van Heusen and unknown brands like DeZire, Crimson and even RockStar...I chuckeled to that.

Ah...too boring...time to explore my new iPhone (I insist on calling it an iPhone).
And then the first ass turned, and the second one...and one by one all asses turned on me. I looked up, and what I saw was even more embarassing. I tried to concentrate deeper into the phone...the asses were better I thought. I remained hooked to the phone until most of the standing passengers were gone (ITPl is almost the last stop).

Yeah yeah, not a great experience with grabbing eyeballs I guess!!!
Nevertheless...the phone is all worth the money.

On the way to office today

Db dropped me at the Leela Palace bus stop as usual. I catch a volvo to ITPL from there everyday while Db goes to his office at Diamond District.

I waited for almost 10-15 minutes, but no volvo turned up to the bus stop. I was getting late and the crowd was building up. Even if the volvo came in another minute, I'd probably have to travel standing till ITPL. There was this descent looking guy standing next to me waiting for the same bus impatiently, making these impatient noises every now and then and looking at his watch everuy 30 seconds.

In another minute, a bus arrived, It wasn't the A/C volvo bus, rather a battered old bus, probably the ones which goes on a longer distance like Mysore or Ooty may be. Boarding this bus was pretty much mere shan ke khilaaf, but the conductor shouting 'ITPL,ITPL,ITPL' was too provokating. The young man standing next to me hesitated for a while then asked the conductor "ITPL???" and hopped on to the bus. The bus was still waiting and the conductor just standing infront of me was chanting incessantly 'ITPL,ITPL,ITPL'. I took a closer look at the bus, plenty of seats empty, something I wouldn’t get even if I manage to catch the Volvo. It was my turn now...’ITPL???’ I queried…it was less of a query and more of loud thinking. I hopped in too.

The bus was in a real bad shape, the seats were too clumsy and there was no A/C. But there were two TV's available at the front end which were playing some Telgu movie. There was a huge traffic jam, giving all us passengers the chance to watch the full movie. At first I wasn't interested until I saw Pravu Deva on a wheel chair. Awww!!! Such a waste I thought to myself. It was a movie revolving around some dance competitions and I must say the dances were pretty breathtaking. Prabhu Deva was the guru who had lost his legs to an accident and was training a group (which also included the main lead) to win the dance competition in question. But with the ususal non-sense that any south indian movie serves its audience, there were many such scenes where I went 'What Crap!!!'
Towards the climax, the friends of the main protagonist are kidnapped to prevent them from reaching the competetion venue. The lead is shot in his leg and his shoulders and has to dance aka Basanti to save his friends. Not just he manages to do that, he also manages to dance the competition to the quarter finals, semi-finals and the final, finally winning too. And worse, people in the bus were actually hooting, whistling and shouting while the hero danced his way to glory with bullet shots on his shoulder and legs. Nagarjuna and Chiranjeevi pop in from no where to misuse and abuse the all laws ever made by any physicist.

And the final nail in the coffin...as a token of respect, the lead wants to make his handicapped Guru to do some dancing too. To my utter horror, he carries Prabhu Deva on his shoulders while Prabhu Deva's vaccum pant legs are dangling in the air and they together dance, the lead doing the leg movements and Prabhu Deva doing the hand movements, together doing the Maa-Behen of physics. Newton must be turning in his grave while the passengers in the bus cheered to the histronics.

For sure, one of my best rides to office.

Complexed life

I am getting old.
Lets call it experienced or matured to make it sound better, but it eventually means the same thing...I am getting old.
I am going to be thirty in 3 damned years...that's something man!!! Feels like I was seventeen just a couple of years back, how the hell have the 10 years gone by so quickly.

Now its time to make some serious decisions...
serious??? Now all the decisions taken in the last 27 years seems to be cake walk...choosing between buying a skirt or a jeans, candy or icecream, Homework or TV, engineering or medical, serious relationship or crush-n-bounce.
Sounds really petty stuff...right!!!

Now we have big decisions, big...that could change life forever...one mistake and sooooshhh you go!!!

My age, my experience is also going against me at the professional front.
Three years ago, I felt like a insignificant part of a big company, and just the fact I had a job to hold on to, a kind of job people fancy about was good enough to make me happy and content. Despite of the fact that there were many things around me which I would have liked to change, I learnt to accept things the way they were. But this is a strange stage of my life, where I want to take initiative to go and change things around. But as they say, its easy to find a leader and be one too, but its difficult to find the first follower. Probably in a years time I'd turn into a dumb and deaf figure in the balance sheet of my company...and eventually find my solace.

Phew!!! I have become a serial-cribber...don't you think so!!!

Among all this...there's something to go yipeeeeee about.
I think I am losing some weight finally. The long travel to ITPL everyday, the walking I get to do on the way to office and also the ghar ka khana...looks like this combination is working. My jeans got a bit loose (or has the jeans expanded???) and my double chin is almost gone.

okay lemme just say it....yipeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Hush Hush...!!!

I have a secret...a BIGGGGGG one. One that I am dying to say, but I can't and I won't say it now.
All in good time!!!

And please...I am not pregnant!!!

I am getting old

Late twenties...not so bad i guess.
For some people life starts at thirty...but I seem to be getting old.

I remember during my college days, I was often complemented on my good skin. One pipmle and it showed off as a flashy torch light...and everybody seemed come come and ask 'Hai Hai!!! Tereko pimple ho gaya ???'.

But I feel my skin is starting to rot now.
Time to fight the seven signs of agening...darkess, patchy skin and blah blah !!!

But no Olay for me puhleese, last time I spent 600 bucks on the creme last time and ended up using it for foot massage. It left my face with a string of spots.

To Bhai - On Raksha bandhan

Okay now...this is not the pic of me and Bhai (we are far more cuter....teheeehee), but the idea of putting anything else sounded too cheesy to me.
But the story comes from when we were as small and cute(may be more) as the ones in the pic. I was this innocent younger sister and you were the Kamina walla wada Bhai...you listening Bhai!!!

I would tie a Rakhi to your little wrist and you would hand me the 5 or 10 rupees that Dad gave you for the occasion, while Mom watched and smiled at her sweet duo. And as soon as she left, you would hit me hard and take the money back from me and also take 2 rupees extra as the interest for keeping the money for so long.

I am sorry my Rakhi hasn't reached you this season, I hope it reaches by today evening. But if it doesn't don't get mad at me...consider it to be my revenge for one of the above mentioned occasions. And also to get even with you each time you missed to protect me from Db, when he forcefully switched the TV off finally at 2 O' Clock in the night, or when he refused to buy me one more Tee after I had already bought 5, or when he shouted at me for not taking bath on weekends, or when I refused to take medicines or see a doctor even when I'd be terribly unwell.
I hate you both for that...from the core of my heart. **wink**

I know you have been through a lot this year and earlier too. But now that you are at your road to revival, I wish you get more happiness than you can handle from now on.

Besh Wishes on Raksha Bandhan
From you innocent little sister on her way to ultimate kameenapan.

And this is our pic...you'd agree were cuter. Don't go by his innocent looks...that was just for the camera.

Really???

Its a little late to be blogging on this...nevertheless here it goes.

It was the 13th of August, we had this independence day celebrations at our office. We were requested to wear stuff which were specific to our origins...so I was ideally supposed to wear a Sambalpuri Saree to represent Orissa. But there was something the event managers conviniently overlooked. They sent out the mail only on 12th evening...so that people like me who had blown up to considerable proportions didn't get tome to jugaad the clothes to their currently fitting sizes.
So, no Sambalpuri Sarees for me...and its not my fault either.

I turned up in a routine salwaar kameez, and changed into a saree later in the afternoon.
V is one of our organizers for the event.

V: What kinda saree is that, its got something to do with Orissa???
Me: No, just a saree. For my regional saree, the accesories don't fit me anymore.
V: Oh Okay.

After an hour.

V: You sure, the saree's nothing to do with Orissa?
Me: No, its just a fancy saree thats it.
V: Hmm...we don't have many people from our team who could participate in representing various parts of India.
Me: Hmm

Later that day, during the competetion.
I wasn't obviously participating, so I stood in a corner clicking pictures. Suddenly V notices me and

V: Hey come come.
Me: What???
V: (Pulling me to the judges) And she depicts the modern women of today dressed in a fancy saree.
Me: Hain!!!! (I have better things to wear than a saree to showcase my modenity)
Judges: (Visibly or predending to be happy) Yeah nice nice!!!
Me: Whatever!!!

Guess who is sitting wella today

Rediff news....link

Day care for adults

Db tells me, this actually exists somewhere in Chennai.

Not sure if this is a work of fiction by a notorious male brain.

Updates

I finish 6 months with my current employer today. My confirmation feedback was pretty good but it doesn't matter to me anyways. I have grown over those days when ratings, feedbacks and appraisals meant the world to me. And with this team I am quite hopeless, given the fact that I tried everything possible to bring about the improvements in the team but with no co-operation from the senior level, I got to meet only dead ends. Lets talk about innovations...shall we??? Phew!!!

Bhai has successfully completed 2 months with HCL, and I hope the success continues. With the relief coming from his job, my parents decided to meet the couple at Delhi finally, which would be their first visit to them since their wedding in feb last year. Considering the consequences I had to face when we (me and Db) paid them a visit last year, I found it strange to explain to Mom to behave herself lest she gets into an ugly situation with my SIL. Mom is a simple woman, I know she wouldn't be able to handle it if my SIL loses it and gets remotely close to what I had to face with her. So better she avoids the situation by being careful herself. Yeah!!! times are changing, the MIL has to be careful with the DIL.

In turn, my SIL is gonna come back to us after completing her MBA from Delhi. She'll be here for job hunt. See how time flies!!! Though troublesome is the last thing she is, yet its gonna bring some change in our usual lifestyle. Yet one thing that makes me happy is, because of her arrival, we got a new cubboard and also Db has been organizing the house religiously so that his sister gets a clean and organized room devoid of cables, magazines, bank/ credit card/ phone/ electricity bills being thrown around.

I have bought a new Electronic Keyboard last week, the model is called Casio CTK 700 if you care. So since last 2 weeks I have been playing various tunes, and I am getting good at it with each passing day. Soon I'd be able to upload a few tunes to my blog as well. Db is a real smartie...he likes to play the drums tune on the casio, creates good noise pollution and when its my turn to play my tunes, he hands me the headphones.

Shopped for some 3 jeans at the Lifestyle mega sale, glad to see that my waist has reduced by 2 inches but surprised to find that my weight has gone up by 2 kgs. Is inch loss directly or inversely proportional to weight gain??? Don't ask me...I have no clues...and somehow I have stopped caring too. I am just happy at the moment wearing jeans one size less than my normal.

The Groom Hunt V

Now THIS is the one which worked as the final nail in the coffin.

As I was given to believe, THIS alliance was kept on hold for almost 4 years...i.e. even when I hadn't finished my education. My parents kept avoiding them since they believed I was not ready for marraige, and when they did get interested, the guy was in the US.
I had already met his parents, younger brother, Mamaji, Mamiiji, Nanaji and Naniji. And now that he was back in India, our parents wanted us to meet. Despite of the fact that he was in Bangalore for a couple of days to meet his younger brother who worked here, he didn't come to see me. This was because his parents wanted us to meet in the presence of his family. Weird as it sounds, I had to agree since my parents were quite keen on this alliance.
I had a war of words with my manager to get my leaves approved, so as to make it to Rourkela to meet him.

And finally he came to meet me, again with his parents, younger brother, Mamaji, Mamiiji, Nanaji and Naniji. But the meeting was not half as weird as I had anticipated.

My Father was strictly against the idea of me wearing a saree and carrying a snacks tray to the guy's family. So I was in my room sitting on my computer playinh PCMan when S enterted to meet me accompanied by his Mamiiji (I wondered why they couldn't leave us alone, as if I would bite him). S was smiling and was quite pleasant, he asked me to finish my game, he was not in a hurry...I paused the game nevertheless.
But he was more pleasant than I had thought.
Suddenly all my anger for being called to Rourkela to just meet a guy whom I could have easily met in Bangalore, for which I even had to fight with my manager, was fast vanishing. Looked like it was worth it. I liked the interest he showed in my job and discussed about his own. He was joking on how people think he had a lot of savings since he frequently visits the US, but in reality he spent more abroad and had hardly anything to be remotely called as savings. We spoke about Mumbai, Bangalore, US, his job, mine, our weekend activities, java and business. Not a bit of arrogance, not a bit of ego...or so I thought.

I was impressed to say the least. But as they say, people have many faces.

We kept waiting for their reply for almost a week. And finally when my father called, S's Mum said that they were fine with the alliance but he wanted to meet a few more girls since it seems I was the first girl he had met. I thought that was fair enough though, but I believe his parents were kinda forcing him into it. But eventually they agreed and set up a date for the engagement. I kept waiting for S to call me or mail me but it didn't happen. I was told that his family had also started shopping for the engagement, buying me jwelleries and stuff. But I couldn't get married to him just like that. I had a break up a couple of months ago and I would want my would be husband to know about it, there were a a lot of things we need to discuss which would couldn't have in our first meeting and while his Mamiiji was around...but he never called.
I raised a concern to my parents, but my Father believed that its the sign of a no-nonsense kinda guy...what the hell !!! Nobodody spoke to me...not him, not his parents.

With more updates being fed to me about the arrangements being made for the engagement day, I was getting desperate with each passing day. Its like marrying a complete stranger...I couldn't do that. I asked my Mum to get his number from his parents...but she thought it would be outrageous. There was nothing that i could do.
Bhai came yo my rescue when he said that he hadn't met the guy to whom his sister is getting engaged to, so he wanted to speak to S over the phone. My Mum called up S's Mom to get his number, to which his Mum said that S is not willing to speak to us. It seems he had mentioned that he didn't wish to speak to anybody in my family before the wedding. Since my Mum insisted, she said she would check with her son and let us know.
I could now smell a terribly smelling fish...and so did my Mum.

When she gave the no. of S and a suitable time to call him (as if he were Shahrukh Khan), my Mum took it on her to call him before Bhai does. S spoke to my Mum in his usual pleasant way, but soon after they hung up, his Mum called up accusing us of tricking them to get S's no. and warned us never to call S again. My Mum was agast but decided to stay calm till my Dad returns home. When Dad got to know, he was furious. He immediately called off the engagement making it clear to their family that he doesn't wish to push his only daughter into a well.
They later came back to make amends but my Dad found it difficult to trust them again.

I had had enough by then and asked Mum to leave me alone for a while. Meeting another guy was the last I could ask for.

Hopelessness continues...

The Pizza delivery boy is at the door

Db : Please get the Pizza
Me : Ok
Db : And Pay him too.
Me : **Stares** Okay.

We finish the pizza.

Db: Feel like having an icecream
Me : So get it
Db : You get it na plzzz. Its just around the corner. Take the bike.
Me : Don't you think such requests are normally made by kids to their fathers or by a wife to her husband. Thoda ulta nahin hai!!!
Db : That's okay...but you are my smart, independent 20th century wife.
Me : But who wears the pants in the house???
Db : **Starting at my shorts** Your pants are shorter than mine.
Me : Whatever!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sipping a fresh lime soda outside Lifestyle in the Oasis mall, after buying 3 trousers in the SALE...

Me : **getting so romantic** Shopping to heart's content, having a refreshing lime soda in such an amazing weather and having you beside me. Aur kya chaiye life mein!!! (What else do you need in life)
Db : Salt...more salt
Me : What???
Db : I need more salt in my drink.
Me : @$@#%#%#%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Groom Hunt Part IV

And you thought the series was over !!!
Well...continuing....

If all this makes you feel that I had a very stringent criteria for the men, that ain't true. All I wanted is somebody who is sensible and would have no problems with me continuing with my job. But I had no idea that it was such a difficult combination to find.

With the kind of values I was brought up with, the fact that my father brought me up at par with my brother and I have always been treated equally with men was not helping much. Also my paycheck being heavier than that of most men that I met was also not helping, a convent educated Oriya girl who wants to work post marriage was a no-no for most Oriya men. Also my ever increasing weight...these things matter in the arranged market dukaan you see. Though I hold no malice for people who rejected me for being overweight, good for them because ever since the graph has only gone upwards...so anybody who would have married me hoping I could turn slimmer would have been terribly disappointed.
And the irony is, despite of the fact that most guys I met seemed samples to me, I rejected none of them. All of them either rejected me or had me as a backup plan.

I met K through a college friend, K was his lead in his project. K was interested in me when he saw my picture in my friend's album, but initially I wasn't too interested since he was absolutely bald. Later, after a few months, after getting to know a few more things about him, I approached my friend saying I was interested. We chatted a couple of times, and I found him pretty interersting. He was coming down to Bangalore to meet his friends, and we thought we could meet up as well...it was going somewhere. But the very day he was flying to Bangalore, I found out that he was the classmate of my ex, and actually they were pretty good friends.
Complications was the last thing I wanted in my relationship, so I had to call this off. Guilty as charged, I will forever be under the guilt of the wrongdoing. Worse, I couldn't even tell him the reason why I was calling this off...for a stupid ego trip that I didn't want him to know I was earlier dumped by his friend and nor did I wanted my ex to know I was contemplating marraige with his friend.
Anyhow, the loss was mine...he was a great guy.

I met another guy at the Bhubaneswar airport; his father was way smarter than the guy in question. His father was also pretty keen on the alliance.
After the meeting, his father called up mine to say he kinda liked me a lot but it seems his son finds me too smart for his taste...because I turned up in jeans to meet him and not saree or a salwaar kameez at least. Though I like his honesty, at least he didn't site petty excuses like she isn't fair or tall enough or overweight.

But certainly this arranged marriage business was getting more difficult and humiliating.

Mera TV kharab ho gaya

My TV isn't working. This is the same TV that I had got 4 years back with my hard earned money, giving my blood, sweat and tears. How proud I felt when I could buy one with my own money. But the same souvenir of my independence and self sufficiency has finally dumped me.

The initial signs were showing up when Db was in Australia last month. It would suddenly go all dumb, and showed only pictures and played no sound...but then, like a mischevious kid I would hit it once hard on its head and it would come to its senses. The symptoms went serious when even the slap on the head stopped working and you needed to reboot the TV to get its audio working.

But since last night that has stopped working too.

Db is a happy man now since he hates TV and the small and old portable TV in the bedroom or youtube easily provides him the news and stock updates.

I can manage for a while with the portable TV or by playing the sound on the portable TV and watching the pictures in the drawing room TV (The TV in the bedroom is smaller and of not that great picture quality...and yes I am that desperate), but I need a replacement for the drawing room TV ASAP.

The trip to Goa Part II - Terra Paraiso

Terra Paraiso is the name of the resort we were put up with in North Goa.

Though staying there was more of an impulsive and desperate measure. Our stay at the holiday in was planned for only three days, the original plan was to move to the North and find a good resort near the Calungute beach. But since I could hardly enjoy the Holiday inn due to the complexities that feminism brings in, we were actually contemplating to extend our stay here. Finally, almost as an impulsive decision we decided to move out, and with no access to internet, we made a few calls to makemytrip, who promptly arranged the above mentioned resort for us.

But the decision was not so bad after all.




The Terra Paraiso is situated at the heart of north Goa, hardly 2 kms from the Calungute beach, and 6-7 kms from the Aguda fort and similar distance from a few more happening beaches around. The pool was amazing and ours again was a pool facing room which worked in a lot of ways. The rooms were way more spacious than ones in the Holiday Inn and Ah!! they had a jacuzzi too, but didn't find the jacuzzi effect anything out of the world. But the service was quite okayish and food was bad. Contrary to Holiday Inn, here we seemed to be one of the oldest couples. There were a few honeymoon couples around, who used to sit in the corner with candlelights during dinner time.


Though I found those candlelight dinners very chirkoot...but considering that they were just babies compared to us, may be they couldn't afford a grand one. Okay now...who am I kidding!!! Forget grand or chirkoot, I never got to have a candle light dinner myself, and before you starting poking your finger on to Db saying 'how mean!!!', it isn't his fault...I find all this too cheesy and mushy and Db already knows that a die-hard romantic is the last thing I am.

And there were a two such couples who were here for some fun...you know, college kids who are going around and want to catch some fun together without telling their parents. How did I identify them !!!???Come'on...these are the couples who you can find everywhere in the resort, trying to get close and cosy, since this after all is their chance they spent the money for...while they address each other as 'tu', clap and hug at the drop of a hat.


Here there were many people who were as underdressed as me, but we still have a problem here. Most of the girls had a wonderful figure to show off and were at least 3-5 years younger, and 2-3 sizes down to me, so I looked like an Auntie jiski jaawni dhalti hi nahin. Okay now, Db is tired...I'll stop cribbing.

Once we hired a bike there, life became simpler and far more enjoyable thereon. We visited many of the famous beaches in the days ahead and had really great time. All the beaches were
amazingly picturesque...more on them coming up in the next post. But I am still looking for the person who said Goa is a cheap shopping place...Bangalore is far more cheaper. or may be they sell things costlier during the off season. I have just got myself a few stolls and one bag.

Trip to Goa Part I - The Holiday Inn

A trip to Goa during the off season is not a really bad idea after all.
My vacation could be called a mixed bag. Considering that me and d Db are so different on our views on how a holiday ought to be, this holiday had something for both of us. We got ample of time without office and cool our heels while the last few days of the vacation we also managed to go around the place and visit a few places.

As we reached the Madgaon station, I was starting to feel terribly disappointed. It was raining badly and also because, for a place known to be a
major tourist attraction not just in India but worldwide, the Madgaon station was smelly like an armpit. It was also Bharat Bandh on the same day, and the idea of spending 12 hours in that smelly railway station was giving me goosebumps. But thankfully Holiday Inn decided to send us the pick up cab to the resort which they had initially denied because of the bandh. As we started cutting through the narrow roads towards the resort, my disappointment level was increasing by many folds. For a place which attracts many foreign tourists through out the year, I was expecting a more commercialized place. There were no rickshaws, no petrol pumps in the radius of 20 kms around, the roads were so narrow that it would make it difficult for two buses to cross each other, the town buses looked ancient...my Grandfather's village looked so much plush compared to this. Even Db's hometown Jeypore is also much more scenic than this, if marketed properly, it would do much better than Goa.

Such an over hyped place I thought...

The first three days of our vacation was pre booked at the Holiday Inn Resort in South Goa. It was raining cats and dogs when we reached there. The resort was nice, they had an amazing pool and a private beach. Our room was very cozy and comfortable and also pool facing...it was amazing to just sit in the balcony sipping your tea and watch the pool or the sea. The food was amazing, we had the buffet b'fast, lunch and dinner included in our package and we had a great time with the food that was served to us. With the food at the resort, I found my long lost taste of homemade curd...so much so that I am actually in the process of making it at home now.

I was earlier told by my friends that I would probably look terribly overdressed in Goa, since there would be many who would hardly be wearing anything at all. But we seemed to be the youngest couple in the resort (most of them were with one or two kids, or middle aged couples or corporates who had come for conferences) and with my shorts, I looked like the most under-dressed person there. I had got hardly anything from Bangalore that could remotely match up to the sarees and salwaar kameez or the full length jeans with long kurtas that other aunties were wearing there so I remained the most under-dressed person around.
Also, I was not keeping well (the regular women stuff)...and I was not expected to keep well for the next 3 days as well...so all I could do is watch people having fun from my balcony. Though it was not as bad as it sounds, but I could still do better by jumping into the pool or the beach. Though Db got his chance to have a quiet and relaxing holiday away from office, the fact that I was not enjoying didn't give him any pleasure.

So, on the second day of our vacation, we decided to hire a bike and check out the Palolem beach. I am still looking for the person who told us that the beach is just 20 kms away, since it was almost or more than 35 kms from our resort. And as luck would have it, the seemingly bright sunny day turned into a ghastly rainy one and we drenched ourselves on the way to the beach. Worse, the beach was lonely as a desert with only filthy dogs to give us some unwanted company. Disappointed to the core, we left the place in a few minutes. But the worse was yet to be...as we were returning back in the rainy afternoon, we lost our way and got a lot more wet and frustrated than we otherwise would have been. We reached our room by evening, and eventually decided to forget the beaches and enjoy our stay in the resort by using the internal facilities given here.


At the end of three days we had the option to either stretch our stay in the same resort for the next three days or move to North Goa. We chose the second option and booked another hotel from makemytrip for another resort in North Goa, near the Calungute beach. Then was the fear for the unknown when we checked out of the Holiday Inn and booked a cab to the north.

Luggage...I hate it !!!

When I was single, travelling home was not a teary affair for me unlike my other friends.

They would start preparing a month earlier by buying stuff for their family, piling them on the bed and not bothering to pack them into suitcases until the day of the journey comes...and the final result would be two pregnant looking suitcases for which hiring one coolie would look inhuman. On the contrary, I has something which looked like a schoolbag which I carried home. For a one week vaccation, It would have 3-4 T-shirts, my lens kit and may be a facewash, and some snack if I am being too generous. My roomies would look shocked each time(probably carrying more luggage than you need is a girly thing) and made sure they ask their parents to add to my luggage. So most of the time, my return trips were over burdened, my own luggage being just one fourth of the total luggage I'd be carrying.My worst ever experience was when one of my friend's Dad wanted me to carry a Rajai for his daughter to Bangalore. I showed him the size of my bag and he gave me this strange expression and offered me to give a bag too. But somehow I managed to wriggle out of carrying the Rajai.

The bottom line is I have always hated to carry luggage, I feel a huge luggage spoils the journey, half with the effort it takes to carry them and other half by worrying about it on the way.

But post marriage, the tables turned. Now each time I go to my in-laws place, I need on suitcase only for myself while Db has to make his own arrangements in another bag. For a one week vaccation, I need to carry five salwaar kammezes, a couple of sarees, bangles, gifts for the family and a teeny weeny makeup kit. Though my luggage is still far from looking like the pregnant bags of my friends, but they are still enough to irritate me.

Now this is a very novel feeling to me.
We are going for a week long holiday to Goa this week (yipeeeeeee!!!!). Thats one place I have always wanted to go. Also this is our first vaccation in 2.5 years of our marraige, I wouldn't call the Delhi trip as a holiday. I started my packing yesterday, and I have already packed eight Tees, two shorts,two slacks and two skirts and the bag is already half full while I still have a plenty of things to pack the essentials, the toileteries, my swim wear, my jeans, camera and need to leave some space for the shopping in Goa too.
Never felt so full.

BTW, we are staying in Goa for a whole 5 days and would be staying at the Holiday Inn. Howzzat!!!

Truth is stranger than fiction

The wake of the news of many models comitting suicides, provoked the thought of this blog post.
I know a lot of people who would die for the money and fame that these ladies were enjoying. Then why, a person who supposedly has everything in life would be drawn to an edge where they want to end their life. Agreed, showbiz comes with its set of challenges and pressures, but every profession has its set of challenges, each life its own set of problems.
I read somewhere where a fellow model has comented that, the fashion industry takes a lot of compromises, casting couches to reach at the top, and when you are not able to sustain it at the top that results to depression and eventually such drastic steps. My question is if something is so important for you to achieve that you are willing to tread the path full of nasty compromises, then you have no right to complain whatsoever...and aren't you a fool to believe that the fame and sucess will last a lifetime for you. So, you got to have a Plan B...right!!!
And why trouble his boyfriend for this. She chose to end her life after a fight, or breakup or whatever, why should he be blamed for that...makes no sense.

As I was given to believe, it seems films influence peope and the societe, everything starting from fashion, smoking, extra marital affairs...everything influences people. But reading more about the film and fashion industry, I feel their lifes is way more filmy than the movies they are a part of.

Did you know:

Hema Malini chose to marry the very married Dharmendra, but Dharmendra's wife was not willing to divoce her husband. hence they managed to escape through a small gap in the Indian Legal system, by converting into Islam.

Sanjeev Kumar never married because he was in love with Hema Malini who in turn chose to marry the married and father of two kids, Dharmendra. The then Actress Sulakshana Pandit wanted to marry Sanjeev Kumar but he kept refusing her proposal since he could never get over Hema Malini. Sulaksha Pandit in turn never married too.

MadhuBala died of a hole in her heart, the most common disease shown in movies during those times. She hid her ailment for a long time from people until she succumbed to her illness. She had an affair with Dilip Kumar and both wanted to settle down, but they had a rift over a court case where Dilip kumar chose to testify against MadhuBala's father, hence standing by what he thought was right. But this caused a drift between the two and she chose to become the second wife of Kishore Kumar instead.

Meena Kumari was abandoned by her parents when she was born but later brought back by her father. She died due to liver failure because of excessive drinking, post her divorce with Kamal Amrohi. It is said that she was as pennyless on her death as during her birth, there was no money to pay for her hospital bills.

Parveen Babi is supposed to be schizophenic, before she met her tragic end, another common subject choosen by many masala movies till date. read more...

Nargis was born to a courtesean but was kept away from music and dance to prevent her from landing into the same profession. She fell for Sunil Dutt when he saved her life in an accident (a common practice in Bollywood movies to woo a girl) during the making of Mother India and soon they married.

Guru Dutt chose to end his life after a failed relationship with his wife Geeta Dutt and Waheeda Rehman. The had also made two failed attempts earlier.

His wife Geeta Dutt died soon after suffering a serious nervous breakdown, she ran into financial problems and started performing at lower platforms like Durga pujas and other stage performances. She died of liver failure due to excessive drinking.

Asha Parekh never married because of a failed relationship, and because she believed her unapproachable personna repelled people to ask her for marraige.

I was unknown to most of them before I dug into it...and certainly I realize that all that glitters is not gold. The glittering glamorous world of fashion is cinema is probably dark and hollow within...and certainly what we see recreated on celluloid, happy pretty faces...dancing and cheering might be going back to a dark lonely life as soon as the lights are turned off.

Truth is certainly stranger than fiction.