What do you do when you find yourself at work at 2am?

well you develop this urge to blog after a gap of zillion years, apparently. My defence for that appalling sentence is that its 2 am and I'm still at work.

Hear! Hear!

I have this book by Nick Hornby, Its called 31 Songs. Its about about 31 songs that he loves and why he loves them. When I bought this book I was excited has hell because this book has generally got good reviews and I've read some excerpts of Hornby's other book, Long way down and it was rather funny. But I couldn't get past the 1st page of 31 songs. Not because it wasn't well written, but because I couldn't relate to it. I couldn't relate to all the songs he talks about because I haven't heard any and its difficult to trawl through all that enthusiasm when you have no clue as to what he's talking about. Ok may be its just me because lots of people seemed to have loved that book.

anyhoo 31 songs gave me an Idea, I shall write about my some of fav songs and why I love them and bore everyone. Well on the bright side I'm sure most people wouldn't have heard some of the songs mentioned and mebbe my exhortions will make you want to listen to them (which I suspect what hornby was aiming at too, albeit through a book deal). Without further ado, here goes:

Cello Song - Nick Drake
I got introduced to Nick Drake by someone whom I had a beeeeg crush on and women who'll empathise will agree that your crush's recommendations pretty much become gospel truth. Cello Song was the first song of Nick Drake's that I heard and I was BLOWN by it. and I mean absolutely, spine tingly, goose bumpy BLOWN. Cello Song begins with the strumming of the Cello and then slowly the entire songs builds up and in the middle of it all Nick Drake's voice steps in and at that moment you want to die and beamed straight to heaven, because you feel absolutely redeemed and live no more. All of Nick Drake's songs are laced with pathos, innocence and orchestral grandeur. Its a weird combination, but when you read the man's story and listen to his music, you know it is the way it is because his music was him. Nick Drake's music makes me cry, gives me hope, makes me childishly happy and I really miss that he's no more.

Bitter Sweet Symphony - The Verve
Everybody loves this song and I do too especially the amazing Violin Rif. Ok I'll come clean, I'm a sucker for String music, You will notice that most of my songs will feature strings instruments. I love the Violin and the Cello and No Intrument can convey emotions better than these two. Anyhoo back to bitter sweet...I love simply because it stirs soo much hope and defiance, and ofcourse Richard Ashcroft's brilliant voice makes the whole song soar. Bitter sweet is so special.. I remember way back in standard 12, One day when it was rather late in the evening, 8'o clock I think, I was riding back home and It started pouring. I stuck in a big traffic jam, I was drenched, I was in 12th standard doing science and I hated my life right then, absolutely hated it and I questioned the ineffable plan. Is this what's in store for me? and then right then bitter sweet wafted out of some car like a divine message and everything felt right again.

Ave Maria - Andrea Bocelli
This song is really special. the sort that highlights the real-best-friends-have-cosmic-connection thing. I first heard about Bocelli on Oprah and how she loved him yada yada and that very afternoon I go to my best bud, Alyesha's house to hang out and she goes, "there's this really great soprano... Andrea Bocelli.." . She gave me "Sacred Arias" for my birthday and till date its my favourite birthday gift. You have to,have to listen to Ave Maria, its in Italian and I really don't understand a thing but the music just tingles the skin, its divine.

Light my fire - The Doors.
The Doors were my initiation into college culture - Weird hairstyles, dope, che guevara affiliation and the whole "liberation" ding. Pink Floyd and the Doors represent college the best to me.Everybody either listened to Pink Floyd or the Doors or both and if you didn't listen to either, you were a loser. Having an older brother helped in this regard, and by the time I entered college, Floyd had put another brick in the wall a million times over. The Doors were a different story. My brother gave the best of doors CD as a B'day present in my first year and I fell right in love with Jim Morrison. I mean he had all the right mix, Sexy, Impulsive, brooding - resistance was futile. C'mon baby light my fire is an out an out mating call, no song I 've heard is as sexy as this. This one calls out to the primal self. It also reminds me of pecos and halcyon days of afternoon spent tucking in Tacos and listening to awesome music. aah that was life!

Last Goodbye - Jeff Buckley
This one features in the OST of Vanilla Sky and this one I love because this one song on a relationship over, that you can actually turn up the volume to. The lyrics are sad but its got so much electric guitars and such a rock feel to it that far from weeping with a box of tissues you actually want to keep jumping on a springy couch. Sadly though Jeff Buckley died in 1997 in a drowning accident. Gosh why did all these guys who made such good music die so early?

I think the Vanilla Sky OST has one of the best compilation of indie songs. Cameron Crowe is a genius and I read somewhere that he personally picks all the songs for his movies, I'm not sure how true that is but get the Vanilla Sky OST right now!

hmmm I just realized I could go on with this, lotsa songs with lotsa memories attached to them. One of my fav ads right now is the world space ad where A R Rehman says "There's so much to hear".
Amen to that!

May the best (looking) team win

Anna called the other day. "Why are'nt you watching the world cup?" he asked.

Wait a minute, I'm no chronic world cup watcher, the scenario as it panned out in our growing years was that He controlled the sole TV in our house and well I was bullied into watching many world cup matches.

I remember my first world cup memory. It was the 1990 final, Italy Vs Germany and the germans won. I slept through most of it and got up only when the german captain was raising the world cup. That dude was cute and as with most cute guys you have to know his name. Knowing Lothar Matheus's name helped many years later in a quiz. It was a visual of him, our team had to identify him and all the other boys were openly salivating for the question to be passed on to them. Oh they were so shocked "the girls" knew his name. that was such a sweet moment.

That's the thing with women. Most women don't follow sport, but they do (with religious fervour) follow cute guys in sports.

So well, I remember the 1994 final as well. What happened was that just before the final our TV conked and we (actually my Dad and brother) shamelessly asked our neighbours if we could watch the final on their TV. I believe we asked to borrow but the neighbours only came as far as letting us into their home and watching it there. Poor things. They weren't football fans, I know because they were nodding off now and then. I bet they stayed awake only because they half thought we'd cart their TV off. The Final was boring. I slept off half way and asked my dad to wake me up when some one scored. Dad woke me up for the shoot-out. I was so mesmerized with Baggio's pony tail. The world was divided into men with ordinary hair and men with pony tail for the 10 year old me. He looked so sexy and with that pony tail looked capable of extraordinar powers. He botched it up and I've never quite recovered that faith I had off pony tailed men after that episode.

1998 was good. I saw a lot of league matches because I stayed up late solving Maths problems for the 10th boards, while also watching cute athletic guys push the ball around. I found it most therepeutic. I also did very well in the maths exam. You have no Idea how sexy Zizou was for me. I feel in love with this tiny patch of white hair on his mostly brown (?) hair and oooh he won and it was doubly sexy.

Italy always sports the sexiest side in every World Cup and as a girl you always want Italy to come to the final. What happened in 2002 was just plain cruel, a totally out and out ugly, wiry haired bozo called Ahn jung Hwan threw them out of the tourment and denied glorious eye candy to women the world over.

I never liked Brazil much. Too much hype and really ugly footballers. I mean when you look at Ronaldo and Ronaldinho with their bad teeth, you feel glad that they atleast have talent backing them up.

I haven't seen most of the teams but the Argentinians are really looking hot and they're playing some good football too, but honestly as long as there's good eye candy, I don't really care who wins the world cup.

May the best looking team win right? ;)
lol

Goo-Goos, Ga-Gas and Giggles

Every woman should have a lil something of Chanel or so Karl Lagerfeldt would have us believe. well dear Karl will be pleased with me, I have ze number one perfume of them all, (ironically) the No.5. Ok Brother gave it as birthday present, but still, I belong to that exclusive clique of women who have a lil something of Chanel, ok now Karl where is my discount??

Whenever I see a picture of Coco Chanel, I don't see a woman, I see an androgynous creature, with ambitions of power, a strong dash of selfishness, individuality and a mild veneer of sexuality. That's what I like about her, atleast what she represents, the toning down of gender and the steretypes associated with it. Like say Woman=Married= Mother = Babies. I see Coco and its like erm lets change that equation.

I have a special gift. I'm a magnet for bawling babies. When I sit for lunch, there's a bawling baby. When I'm seeing a movie there's a bawling baby. Infact my lowest moment came when I was on a train and guess what there was a Bawling baby and the mother was walking around the compartment with it. She sat down on my seat, trying to console it and the sleep deprived annoyed me, just absolutely glowered at her, to take "that thing" away fro me. I remember that Incident, I'm not proud of it, but given the chance my reaction will be the same all over again.

I don't like babies.
Some women Coo at babies, some women make funny annoying and utterly embarassing noises, Some women do a lil jig, I just stare right back. Wotcher looking at baby?. I often wonder why I feel so different. No gushes just ahems. and ofcourse faking the affection. I hate proud- baby- flashing mommies. They're the worst. they want the whole world to acknowledge how cute their baby is and if you stare back without gushing, she'll give you a look that says "Baby hater!, you'll end up an old crone".

I just want to know if women have babies because:
a) They really like babies
b) They don't want to grow old in loneliness. Babies are like old age policy, Someone who'll take care of the bills
c) They didn't use protection and things just happened.

Am I the only one who does not like babies. Who feels queasy that its probbably expected of me because I'm a woman blah blah. Who feels weird because she feels differently about it and also slightly guilty?

Hmmm. I don't know.

I guess its Chanel for sometime now. Seriously Karl, how about that discount?

....and tiny tim on the Double Bass

You need a muse. and you get one only if you're life has a slight tinge of misery in it. Its true. I couldn't think of anything to write in this blog of mine because I didn't feel like it. Now since my life has got that mild hue of angst, ok I admit angst is so 2nd-year- college, I shall proceed to soliloquise.

These days I lunch alone at Transit at Forum Mall. If any of you read this and are at transit at the same time I'm having lunch and know me....ok what're the chances of that happening? still do drop by and say Hi and I'll condescend to say Hi back if my mouth isn't full. But I kinda like having my lunch alone there, Watching the dizzying consumers, the yuppies with their Lap top bags, college kids bunking class, the occassional white guy.....ok I don't mean to sound all gooey... this motley crowd fascinates me and I don't think for the entire duration of lunch. which is good. One should never think while having lunch.

Another great thing about having lunch at a mall is the moosic. absolutely upbeat and by the time I'm done with lunch and heading back to office, I feel like a heroine in an Chic flick strutting with a I-will survive background theme running in the background. I always loved that chic flicks. The heroine moves on with her life and she even has sexy background music to boot. who chose her freaking music collection?

Ok I saw the entire sex and the city season 3 this weekend. and you know what, for a columnist Carrie wears pretty swell clothes and she even has a sexy apartment to boot. My favourite is the one where she gets to be a model and struts for this sexy 80's kinda music. I always wanted to do that. Strut for sexy music not modelling. Also the whole we 4 best friends ding is a turn off after a while. I don't have girlfriends, not here in Bangalore, and I miss that terribly.

Most women don't like me that much. yes they're intimated by me and worst of all I don't care. So well there goes my hopes of a female posse, of sunday brunches, of talks of boyfriends and Exes.

Exes - you'd think nothing's worse than your Ex coming back and telling you he's found someone. I'll tell you what's worse, your Ex coming back and telling you he's found someone and also "getting some" from that some one. Erm. You've moved on, very much and yet the vision of his "someone" and him, leaves a void in the stomach and the thought of his "getting some" makes me want to join the gym. I dunno, but its proving a great motivator for getting back on the tread mill again

The great Guy in my life taught me how to drive in his very own car. Its his first car. The first car. He bought it with his own money. Its expensive and its big. I don't know how to drive, and yet he let me take the wheel, didn't freak out (atleast he didn't show it) and taught me how to drive. That's romantic.

I love big brother (orwell be damned)

Its been ages, and well I thought it was time to resuscitate this blog, sad because at one point i thought this blog would be my ticket to a book deal. well one can always dream

Ok, Back from the most amazing vacation so far. Australia turned out to be an experience. Amazing people from different nationalities, some really sane driving ( these folks will not switch lanes even if their life depended on it!!) two near death experiences in two themeparks in two days, some really neat desserts, a crazy dane and some good ol fashioned desi debates.

All Thanks to bro who arranged (and paid for) travel with in australia, the itinery included Sydney, Brisbane, Goldcoast, Canberra and Melbourne. We back packed in sydney and melbourne and squated in a friend's place in brisbane.

Thanks to all the people who made this trip memorable, especially ammu (can't believe we fought when we were classmates!)

Oh yes i'm absolutely broke, but as someone said "if you ain't savin it for having fun, what're you savin it for?" hear hear.

Free fall is accelerating

Ok so just ask me where I am.. Go on... Well I'm in Australiaaaaaa. Yup this is blogging direct from Australia but no i'm not here for good, this is a 2 week vacation also known as blowing up your savings. Its been an amzing ride so far. Literally. I step of sydney airport and bro says well Navigate using the street directory because I don't know the way. Well Like I do!!!. Well Yup yours truly navigated around Sydney using something I never thought existed - 400 page book of maps of all the streets in sydney. And I'm also experiencing the looks-good-on-TV Ian wright style backpacking. Gosh I'm sure I can even talk like him now...

Ok well well excited me, got back from 2 amazing theme parks in brisbane...and now I'm even a theme park chic as well. Too many avatars in such a few days.

More on things later

'Tis

Hell hath no fury like a pervert scorned.

......and some proper background music please

So there I was watching Rome on HBO. I totally dig Perod Dramas. And minutes after Rome Ended I was walking around Like I was in one. Easily done considering it was something past midnight. For one I felt all angular faced. Have you noticed how all these period drama protagonists are so angular faced, or rather act like their face is so angular. I want to walk around like that, with the knowledge that in a close -up still, the angles of the face will catch the light dramatically and it will look all fiery and purposeful. I mean even the extras in period drama have that intense purposeful look.

and oh, I'd like to walk with a flourish too. with swirling taffeta gowns going swish swish. oh so dramatique. Imagine how work would be if we were all so dramatique. Instead of jeans and feeling like a minion in the workforce, I'd feel all important and angular faced . I can't stress enough the change that feeling angular faced brings on one. I feel like making weighty statements or making the mundane sound weighty. I mean the chic in the Rome serial got all alarmed and panicky when someone said "caesar is in Italy!!".Won't it be cool, I wonder to make statements that give sinking feelings. I want to ask for tea like its a do or die situation. I feel like looking fiercely at everything, with that erm angular faced look

Ok I don't think anybody out there gets it.

Oh for some drama in my life.

Its a universe of levitating snow flakes y'all

The number of times I've had the word position thrown at me this week - not funny

1. Why is that fat paki skipper batting at that Position?

2. Insert the Ad in this Position

3. Its a Position I don't Envy

4. I wouldn't Like to be in his position

5. Position is everything in Business

6. If you don't Position yourself in the market, the Competition will position you

7. This is a prime positiom madam

umm ok, I'll stop but you all get the point don't you?. Its like everybody's favourite word is Position

State of the affairs - Sleep deprived- awaiting a quarterly review at work which certainly does not help and ofcourse stressed.

I can't watch the 11:30 Pm friends reruns these days, guess why? Because every one wants to see us triumph over fat buncha blokes in green. and ofcourse there's the matter of the bunch blokes in dark blue who are waiting in the offing. I'd buy my own T.V but i really I don't much fancy the idea of TV shopping.

hmmm, ok then, I'm off I don't like my disposition one bit

muahahhahahhah

Pronounce Reykjavik

I'm feeling like Danish last names. How cool is Ljungdahl? it reminds me of a scandinavian spa. Bjork reminds me a viking helmet or Vanderspeigle which really sounds like a bland grainy porridge kinda dish or Schoonhoven which ummm brings an imagery of shiny copper pots & pans in a kitchen with wooden rafters on the ceiling.

All this talk is making me hungry.

Sad sad Situation

She said, "You know what'll make me sad? If I ever make you angry, because you're the kinda guy that doesn't get angry"

Well he got angry and she got angry too. And no one was Sad.

Pardhe ke Peeche..

I can't get enough of this song from Bluff Master, well thats a lot considering I came to know of this movie just about a week back and I even asked, "well who's in it?", and I honestly hadn't heard of "Right here, Right now" till about 2 days back. Forget lagging behind the scene, the scene doesn't exist anymore, well anyways forget that, I mean this song makes me want to drop everything and break into a jig, like those background peeps and go "Pardhe ke peeche" along with the chorus.

What I can't get over with working life is the total tuning off from "Normal" life, I mean the "Normal" me would have been very worried about the Middle east peace process post sharon's stroke, the "Now" me goes, enough already, he hasn't died yet??. I don't read the paper anymore, I don't care if sourav's back in the team, and btw all I want to say about him is that he is a complete out and out BITCH, right, its like I no longer care about the world at large. It feels weird. another sad thing is that I don't get the time to read anymore. The last book I read was Tamarind Mem by anita rau badami and that was a total dud, anything new and exciting on scene people? tell me... keep me informed, I'd really like that. ditto with movies, although on that scene I got a lot of good movies with even a pedro movie, i'm so waiting for a weekend where I don't have any work load.

This week was comme si comme sa for me, I met my best buds in the world, arthi whos in mysore and alyesha whos in pittsburgh, and we all met and compared notes about boyfriends and stuff, went to mango, where they were having a sale and only I spent a tonne of money and got myself a pretty black skirt. Its got such a massive swish quotient I luuuuve it and I got a major discount on it double yayy!!

Is it any surprise that I'm not mulling over the middle east anymore?