New shoes, Mumbai and other things that make life exciting

The sniffles are out! my home remedies worked and how! Ok I'll stop but just wanted to inform those people hooked on antibiotics to try a safer approach. With the sniffles out of the way, I looked at the world anew and found that we are in September which in Pune means that that the festive season has indeed begun. The Ganesh utsav is on, all speakers blaring, where lord Ganesh, in his fancy new age pandal, can be heard telling the masses that Singh indeed is King. Thats why I love Ganesh Utsav's in Pune. Its so unintentionally irreverant. I've heard more 70's bollywood classics and Shive Sena rhetoric in these pandals than any Bajan extolling Lord Ganesh.Pandals, it seems, are a way of paying homage to the people's "God", so merriment is indeed the norm. Overall good fun, except when you have no power at 9 PM and the speakers outside are still blaring. Yes, these pandals have backup generators when my apartment complex does not. That's the thing about Pune sometimes. Priorities seem misplaced here.

Anyway, had some work at Mumbai last friday so ended up spending the weekend at Good Ol Mumbai. I love driving over to Mumbai. Since I don't have a car, in my case, I'm generally driven there and have ample time to take in the awesome scenary of the western ghats. This drive always invigorates me. After going through the weaving road, crossing the ghats, one feels like entering the promised land on entering Mumbai. It all seems soo apt. What I love though about the drive is the Vada Pavs. I'll say it again for effect - VADA PAVS. I love them. Especially that ones you get at Karjat. Oh my god, this is probably the only thing that is keeping me here. Every time I eat Vada Pavs on the expressway, I think to myself, I'll never leave this country, I'll open a vada pav stall and make it my life's mission to spread this wondrous entity around the country. O ye venture capitalists, if you want the next best thing, look no further than the vada pav. Give me funding you bitches...... Ahem you get the drift. This time the drive was even more awesome because it rained so gloriously. The western ghats look superb when it rains and there are this rivulets that are formed on the road and when you drive at 120 Kmph, it sets off a humongous splash on the side that goes whooooooosh. Its awesome and the twelve year old within me is doing excited cartwheels

Mumbai is ofcourse fun because my favourite cousin lives there with her family. She is my favourite because not only does she make AMAZING mangalorean chicken curry and other sea food, she also does impromptu jigs with me when our fav songs come on. I love her spontaneity. Infact, Mumbai being THE place when it comes to Ganesh Visarjans, we started dancing in the kitchen as we watched a Ganesh procession which was blaring the song "Bachna ae haseeeno..". We were even giggling uncontrollably because the thought of Lord Ganesh asking all the beauties to beware was too funny. And there was this marathi song. My favourite at the moment. Although its a Hindi song, it was featured in a marathi movie. Hear it and tell me its not Groovy. Lol. I love the madness in these moments. When our eyes are shining and we are doing ridiculous dance moves. It does not matter one bit because we are happy and care free

Oh also watched Rock On for the second time with my cousin and her family. I loved the movie and enough has been said to give it an additional 2 weeks at the theatres, although, for me, the show stealer was Purab Kohli. He was without doubt the soul of the film. The movie also reminded me of the RV band that all of us hated but secretly admired. What was their name again? anybody? It had something to do with milk and I remember they had a female drummer. You know I always wanted to be a drummer. Its sooo me. I told this to mom once and she rather over enthusiastically pushed me towards the Violin, which I love and will be the prodigy that I know I am, but I swear when I get my own pad someday, I'm gonna blare drums man! Yes, I'll be that cool drummer chick, with a hot belly button ring and 6 inch heels!

Speaking of heels, I made my pilgrimage to Aldo's store in Worli. Granted, its no Blahnik, but Aldo shoes are still soo HOT. I got myself a beautiful new pair of Mary Janes. I love them. I want to talk to them all day. I want to ask them how their day was and their opinion on who will become the next president of the united states. They're soo pretty that I'm dreading wearing them and besmirching them. At the Aldo store I had a minor celebrity sighting. Lilette Dubey was there with her daughter, Neha (remember Monsoon Wedding?) Oddly enough, they both were wearing identical black and white striped tops. They looked like a tag team wrestling team. I didn't realize it was dear Lilette because her top blinded me but after I got used to the visual aberration, I got my fill of celeberity sneak peaks. I even looked at dear Neha haughtily when she chose a sports shoe. I was all, Neha, darling, what would make you opt for sports shoes when this store is a wondrous heaven of high heels?. She apparently wanted the sports shoes really bad, because mother and daughter asked for the way to the sketchers store and walked out. After I got my prutty prutty shoes, I gushed about them to the loved one over phone. He said he would never understand women. Considering men do the same thing over a fancy new phone, I guess both the the genders will never understand each other.

That was it really. A nice, short fun trip. Great experiences and sooper hot shoes, isn't this how life should always be?