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?

All your base are belong to us

I want to write heaps, but this one finally did it, "what are you doing for New years", yes its the season where you have to have someone to be seen with or you might as well curl up and die!. I don't think I've been with anyone for any new years. Last year's took the cake. briefly, big south indian family gathering, cousin from berkely showing off his affiliation to the Berkely Bhangra club, and then the big south indian family gathering also vying for a spot in that bhangra club. that made my new year's resolution for this year - I need a Stiff drink!.

This year has seen numerous phases. I was in college till may, truly some halcion days. Parting with all my friends and with that insouciant life was truly painful. Even now I miss how we used to indulge in meaningless arguments while the sun shone fatheadedly. then came some does of real physical pain when I got operated upon for a ligament tear, I thought I'd never walk again. barely after I started walking, I found myself in hyderbad working For Google. working for the big G can only be described a FUN!. In Hyd I had my own bed, my own curtains, my own toilet with flower motif on all the tiles and my own geyser in my own toilet!. I'll never forget my apartment and my weird roomies. and then 6 weeks after I found myself back in bangalore, back in my parents place.

I still need a stiff drink.

Happy New Year All!

If only I don't Bend and break, I'll meet you on the other side....

Ummm, its been a looooooong time. thankfully my blog is forgiving, unlike most people I know, I even forgot my best bud's birthday. happy belated b'day best bud. oh I even forgot to commemorate my blog annniversary. happy belated b'day bloggie.

I have nothing significant to blog about. Well I do, but I can't really blog about it, and besides my life revolves around work these days. You I didn't even know Paris was burning, I don't have time to read Newspaper you see and besides I was quite shocked when I heard it. Paris always brings images of this 6 footer, anorexic blonde model with no boobs swishing about, amidst flash bulbs in a chanel skirt. Arsonists torching cars? umm no. Mebbe thats why it burned

anyhooo, the only exciting thing (that I can blog about, mark) of note is this grocery store outside office called Monday to Sunday. Now, normally I wouldn't be caught dead using words like Grocery. Enid Blyton made it her own and ran with it. Why are all Enid Blyton's Grocers such ruddy nice people, with nice warm smiles and who always gave bets/daisy/diana/anne a complimentary boiled sweet?. Even her thuggish grocers are squeaky clean. I mean her mean guys are the kinds who buster/timmy/scamper can shoo off with just a growl. Grocers really aren't that pleasant. I mean, you have some who whine when you don't have the exact change, they frown with displeasure when you've chosen something that does not have a bar code, like all of it is your fault.

Ok I majorly Digress. MtS rocks because they have this fabulous Alcohol section which has all the assorted breezers, a good wine collection and get this, even a baby smirnoff Vanilla twist. Jeez when I saw it, I almost ran to the counter to get it billed instantly. oooh another must buy is the Choco crunchers cereal!. Now when it comes to Cereal the world is divided into people who eat it with Hot milk and cold, and I alawys belonged to the former but after Choco Crunchers, I've converted. You have to have it with cold milk to know how good it tastes. Part of the reason for my ebullient reaction to this cereal is the minimum effort involved!

Ok I'll stop now. The product-whore signs off

The Picture of Doriana Gray

Most people drink or smoke to bust stress, I shop. one look at my bank statements (cool huh? bank statements and all, I sound so Important) confirms this. and some smarty pants suggested the other day that I apply for a credit card? eh?? I think I'll I end up on Oprah, teary eyed, confessing that I have a shopping mania, and you know what she'll say? "This is just a symptom, of a deep emotional issue", and I'll say "yeah my mom loved my brother more". ok we digress, but the problem I think is quite chronic, and particularly so when it involves Mango. I love their clothes, I can't help it. their clothes are exactly me!. quirky, girly, chic yada yada and gosh its gotten so bad, that they actually call me when they get new stuff, in a sugary "gotcha sucker" voice.

Well anyhow, my depleting bank bank account made me think about my shopping pattern, this is ofcourse after the initial horrified shriek. All my clothes are indicative of my state of being. and I wonder if its true of all people, their clothes representing who they are. that sounds rather shallow and what the high school clique would endorse, but I think there's some truth to it. I think when people buy clothes for themselves, it subconsciously translates itself into how they're feeling.

hmm so one of the truly awesome investments i made over the past week has been getting myself a world space connection. and for just 2000 bucks. Its a steal! and I love the jazz channel, its called Riff and its heavenly, and ooooh I got my very own remote! all my life, the men around me, my Dad and my bro, have been snatching the remote from my hand and lording over it. So apart from being a perfect lip-synching instrument, it will also be my redemption from those troubled memories of remote grabbing.

also made some investment for the home, read crockery. went to Jamal's to buy mum a neat non-stick frying pan. sort of a first salary gift thingie. I love Jamal's. Every time I pass that store, I'm planning my crockery, linen, curtains etc in my own house. And that thought always thrills me up. I got some chop sticks too and I think another shopping trip is in order to get me a good egg-beater, some mittens... sometimes I think I have all the trappings of that enid blyton cook who just made those kids fabulous scones and cakes all the time. I also need to buy dad something, but I can't think of what to buy him, i thought of Chivas regal, but umm does it look proper buying your dad alcohol? any suggestions anybody?. need help for this one!

Come on baby light my fire.....

arrite too late for a diwali related post, and I had such nice sentences running in my head.
I think I've out grown Diwali. seriously. these days its not so much about lights, festivity as is about Corporate Kaju Katli Give aways and bumper draws promising Cars at the clothing store. Please tell me if anyone actually wins those "Bumper Draws"??? Anyone you know? Please because I've filled 5 billion of those and I've never won anything.

But the vanishing of the Diwali charm (And I think that sentence was wrongly framed, but its 1 AM and I'm still at work, so spare me!) is what's making me a tad sad. I remember what diwali meant to us as kids. Preperations would begin about a week before the grand 3 days, and that would be heralded by mum preparing the batter for real crispy chakulees. Another thing that symbolized the official onset of Diwali was the building of the family Khandeel. Nobody here makes it, but in bombay its really popular. Khandeel is a sort of lantern and some of my fondest memories are of Dad building the Khandeel, with Coloured paper and gum spread astray on the dinning table. Can you imagine glitter strwn all over the solemn Dinning table?. And then we'd get our boxes of crackers. Our Dad always got my brother and I identical boxes of crackers, and then I would ceremoniously hand-over bombs and other despicably loud crackers to my bro, while I held on to other sissy stuff, like Flower pots. I liked flower pots. They came alive with a whoosh and then they burned out and didn't split anybody's Ear drums.

We had to have a piece de resistance too, something that'd make the neighbours look up in stifled awe and envy. We had to. and when you're 12 and competing with the neighbour hood apartment kids, with apartment Diwali budgets, Its absolutely Important. Ours was called the "Shree harikota". It spun like mad in the sky and then burst into a shower. Too wowowow for words. One year we experimented with this thing called "Rainbow" basically 7 multi hued projectiles hurled into the air, but unfortunately, Rainbow became parallel to the ground, while hurling these aforementioned projectiles, and Babli the neighbour's labrador never quite forgave us for the trauma so inflicted.

Diwali also brings back memories of my petrified dogs. Have you ever held a Dog during Diwali. Nothing quite breaks one's heart as that. The heart beats like its going to explode any minute, The body shivers and yet in the eyes complete numbness. I hated having to feret out my dogs, hiding in a dark corner, from under the bed . I guess that marked arrival of anti- Diwali- anti- child labour- anti- air pollution phase. and also lets face it, some of us get tired with the scurrying-after-the-cracker-has-been-lit routine. I prefer watching all the fireworks in a worn out pajama on the terrace. its so much more fun.

This time round, the rockets have improved immensely, we didn't have such good stuff 6 years back sigh!. Well I guess its all for the best, Me being a mute spectator, besides I need to atone for what happened to babli, the neighbour's labrador.

can't find a better man.....

Its turning out to be a ritual Friday night story. I stay back till 9 at work and then everybody else also in the same 9 PM boat, decide to go some place and get some drinks, and that place is turning out to be LOR. now LOR is the place where all your rock/psuedo rock/head-banging types come to, basically weirdos. The kind who'll argue passionately about pantera vs sepultura, (whats the difference???), who find mascara boy marilyn manson cool or are into some band called "Gravediggers" or "Death" or prolly "Blood Blood, Die Die", but last night that place redeemed itself with one simple act. they played Eddie Vedder's Even Flow. I can't describe in words how sexy I find him, or how much I love Pearl Jam. I lurrvee Eddie Vedder, I want to have his babies, but I guess He found someone to do that for him huh?.

Friday night ritual also includes goin to Cousin's place for the night, she lives the closest to my office and I obviously can't go home after downing cosmopolitans right?. I love cousin, she's the kind of person whom you can periodically tune out to while in a conversation and tune back in and still get the drift what she's saying. Thats a good thing. and she's always always on the phone. thats a good thing too when you're head is spinning. Those phone conversations are interesting too. Last night it was how a fellow colleague was dating a married woman, previous week was about how a fellow colleague's marriage was breaking up. last week she also gave me very passionate and embittered gyan on how, "all men are the same".

Friday night ritual is then followed by the saturday morning ritual where I trudge back to work from cousin's place. Saturday morning gyan from cousin are much more educative than the previous night. She's warned me about the perils of the hair growing curly after you've straightened it. what mouse to use, if it does get curly, what straightening Iron to buy, where the jeans can be bought for a steal etc etc. and then its all followed by mom's call in the evening, yelling at me for working so much and how I'll burn out and shrivel away. She YELLED at me one night , when I was in still at office at 12:30. so much so that I had to keep the phone a mile away from my ear. I wonder where it all stems from? maternal care or distrust?

No matter what anyone says, I'm enjoying all of it. Ritual or not.

Swish Miss or alternatively bring on the shampoo ads

a big reason for my relative good humour these days is my straight hair. Yes My hair has direction, it has focus, it has ambition infact its a better career woman than me. I just lurrrve the fact that my hair and I argue no more, and now if that wasn't something to cheer about, I can SWISH my hair!!!. yes swish, like those shampoo ads, where its all sunshine, and her is all straight and silky and she's bouncing around. ofcourse she's a prissy flooze, but she's a flooze whose hair obeys and that mind you is a lot to give up for.

I once was a strong believer in curls, infact in class 12 it was my raison d'etre and vowed never to sell out to straightening Irons and chink beauticians who do the straightening, sorta of a janis joplin ragged doll phase, not that I'm saying curly haired woman are ragged dolls mind you. Curls are beautiful. in fact the very word Curl is beautiful in itself, it reminds me of a purring stubborn cat, but thats the problem, curls are stubborn, they're unpredictable, and they're always at odds with you, while you're in tuscany they're in marakesh, and I used to like the discord, those hair days infuriated me, but there was something acutely alive about the whole thing, something turbulent and I remember how I tied my hair with a paint brush and attended class sincerely believing that I was making a fashion statement. Dear God what was i thinking?

If college was the janice joplin days, work life is more like Sade. smooth and straight and cool and a slightly slightly arrogant. yes I've even discovered the straight hair arrogant hair toss, and its fun, especially when dealing with guys, i can see why guys like straight hair women more. I mean no way you can toss your hair arrogantly when a guy asks you your number and not look endearing. and since only I can turn a straightening iron into an instrument of philosophy and also the fact that I'm very tired, understandably, i've been working for 14 hours and really want to hit Publish badly and go to sleep, all i can say is, living this shampoo ad is fun and all hail chink beauticians!

Acchoo, twenty two and wooo hooo

go shorty it was your birthday!!!! yeah yeah, yesterday was my b'day and it began with some rapid fire sneezing, signalling the onset of two runny nosed days. not too good. kay called at midnight and well girlfriends are the best ever, they love you so much, they'll stay awake till twelve and make you feel soo special. kay you're the best!!!. then later in the day darshini called. *hugs* thank you, nandu and charms for remembering. you googals rock!!!. ofcourse darling anna called twice,and then today a day later i gotta cut a cake in from ofthe entire office. yay me!!. I didn't get any presents though, but I guess I've passed the stage where material gifts really matter,these days I'm giving myself all the gifts, life long romance and the like. I went to these designer stores at atmosphere, gosh they make some crappy clothes, and you'd think with all the footage they'd pass muster atleast!, i ended up buying at top at Mango, which i decided not to wear in the final analysis cause of the plunging neckline, but i love it. ok I sound like a flooze, peh! anyway, got my hair straightened in the process and am enjoying no-hair hazzle days, but looks like it ain't gonna last long, its already freaking curling up!

anyhow thanks to everybody who wished me, really appreciate that. and if you'll excuse me, i need to find some tissues quick before i start sneezing again...

That I miss....

I love Susheela Raman. Yes me too, after reading about her in Vaish's blog, I followed the links and oh my god! i got goosebumps. Nagumomo was so stellar, that I sat under my desk near the comp tower to hear it better at work. Her voice is so seductive and sexy and yet well traditional and thats what blew me away, her music is like us South indian women always straddling the modern and the traditional. ofcourse when mom heard she was so over wrought with emotion, that Vaish and I have proposed to start a "our moms cried for susheela raman" fan club. Its verry much in the offing.

I don't know if the music connects better with south indians, but for a moment there, it threw me back to a time, when I was little where i spoke only kannada with my parents and fancied wearing jasmine flowers on my hair. a place which was rife with sandal wood and bharathnatyam dancing and the ocassional brush with the tanpura. when summers meant guarding over ajju's rice crispies drying in the sun from crows. I've definitely moved on from that realm, i'm no longer thrilled at wearing a mysore silk saree and the like. and then there are these sudden attacks that tradition throws at us renegades, like poojas for instance where I feel totally alien, instances where mum and her ilk are completely at ease knowing what to do, while i stand awkwardly in a corner looking on helplessly.

there's a rift in me, a rift that susheela so elegantly sweeps away for a few minutes. for the duration of that song my mom and I share the same heritage. oh i love her for that!

You can always count on a murderer for a fancy prose style

7th Oct (when the internet connection was well )

I like the quiet whirr of machines. its peaceful. its like my fridge is going about its business doing fridge type of things, and more importantly perfectly happy doing fridge type of things and now some evil genius, i swear i saw it on TV, want my fridge to talk to my microwave so my microwave, which was also busy doing its own thing mark, can decide how long to defrost my leftovers based on what my fridge says. pretty soon they'll be gossiping over me. my fridge will soon tell me to clean my room, and come home soon and then my microwave will whine and tell me how lazy I am, freak, who thinks of all this stuff?

umm, met priya this week. did i mention that she's the sweetest person ever ever. probably the last guiless girl left down south. we went to landmark and i bought her a copy of the english patient. god, the number of people I've suggested this book to! Ondaatje should prolly make me his agent. I still find the passage on the winds of Africa mesmerizing. not been reading a lot these days because of my job, I can't wait to sink with my books this weekend and finish a good dose. I wish i had the habit of rememering memorable lines from books, the only line i remember vividly, was a line in the death of vishnu, " and somewhere a movie started in his head". i love that line and ofcourse, Nabokov's "She was dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita". i wish i had his talent of making prose sound exhilerating, his words seem to bungee jump with glee. i hope i get the time to re-read lolita again sometime.

cut to 9th Oct (when the internet is all well again, thanks to some maniacal threats and some choice abuse directed at cable guy's err clan)

Priya called to say that my erst while cot in hyd got sold for 750 bucks, I bought it for 1400. sweet. and they (my two erstwhile roomates, and the fraidy cat accountant, who took my place and got my lovely sliding door cupboards) were going out to garbha that night, ras leela and what not, why didn't they do such fun stuff when i was there? the most fun we had was prolly going to farmaish and eating mhooli paranthas. tell me why i gave up all that again?. I wish maslow had just shushed for once in his life. self actualization! hrmph

ah yes, i sank with a book finally, it was jitterbug perfume and i love tom robbins for his sheer manipulation of sentences, he makes up sentences that nobody ever ever would conjure up. this one's my favourite : "Kudra gave him a look that you could spread on a bun . Her words, however, pricked him like the knife that does the spreading", oh i nearly forgot, i had a fancy bookmark while reading this book, a recall arrest warrant slip, of a one Mr. Fordyce, merry company you keep eh? SP, care to explain?? and while i was reading about perfume, i went and got myself one today, CD's j'adore, yea, i bench pressed my economic muscle and cleaned out half my account *sheepish grin* bought myself loads of b'day presents in advance, hell why not?. I really must get myself a boyfriend* soon, i need an alternative to shopping.

*preferrably within a 15km radius, across the atlantic really doesn't count