Life, the Universe and I

Derby Diary

2011-02-12T11:15:00.000+05:30

One of the earliest memories I have of Mumbai is when my mother and I were at the bus stop right opposite the Mahalakshmi Race Course. I was at an age when children are most annoying; they want nothing less than the moon and the stars. But, all I was asking my mother was to cross the road and show me the horses which were galloping on the race course. For reasons that were beyond my comprehension at that age, she refused to oblige to my very reasonable request. I begged, pleaded, threw tantrums, and only then she gave in. I was the happiest child when I saw the horses streaking along the course, kicking up dust. That scene is still implanted in my memory.

Fast forward to the present, when one of the days I was particularly late for work and my phone was buzzing with calls from office. One such call told me I was to go to the Derby happening at Mumbai, the next day. I dismissed it thinking, these guys couldn’t possibly be serious. Serious they were. And, before I knew it I was packing my stuff and hopping on to a plane bound for Maximum City. It was all very surreal for me to start with. When it actually started sinking in, the first thing that came to my mind was that scene from my childhood and the copious tears I had shed just to get a glimpse of the horses.

As I reached the venue of the McDowell Signature Indian Derby 2011, I braced myself for the snobbery of the elite set of the country. But, what greeted me was an atmosphere which reminded me of a flea market, except for the very fashionably dressed people. The air of cheer and festivity were quite infectious and very soon I found myself mingling with the crowd and not feeling out of place at all.

The racing horses were a sight to behold and the men who were leading the horses to victory deserve a special mention for gracefully guiding the beautiful beasts. The bets were high and one could see people crossing fingers, sending up frantic prayers and doing everything possible to will their horses to win.

I also happened to spot a handful of celebrities who simply dropped by to add glitter to the whole event. Dr. Vijay Mallya himself arrived on Day 2 of the event when the big race was due. Entertainment was in the form of music and martial arts. Music coming from One Night Stand...The Band, Billy West and Pussycat Dollies, while the martial arts by Shaolin Monks had the crowd gaping in awe.

Liquor flowed freely, and “Saddle Up”, the Derby special cocktail, lifted the spirits at the event.

Two things that came as complete shockers to me. One being, the Chaat and Chicken Tikka stalls at the venue, which had the crème de la crème making a beeline for them. The second was the unbelievable amount of litter that covered the ground. You’d think people from the upper strata of the society would have more civic sense than that. It was quite an eyesore.

At the end of the two day event, some went home elated and some moping over their losses. And me, I went with some amusing and interesting memories.

And the Oscar goes to...

2010-01-24T22:03:00.000+05:30

This is it! I just saw the most Oscar-deserving movie today, a movie, that will be an obvious choice of the year. All because of one man who shoulders the film on his slender shoulders.. yes.. the man who has set pulses (not Daal) racing, the man who is a screen god, a man who is not a man.. BUT a superman! (yes yes literal translation of Aap purush nahi from "Andaaz Apna Apna". Yeah so we are talking about THE MAN.. The one and only Ilaiya Thalapati, Dr. Vijay! His latest endeavor that goes by the name of "Vettaikaran" meaning Hunter for those who don't know. Don't even think about giving the movie a miss. I'm gonna tell you exactly why.. To begin with, Dr.Vijay has been cast as a totally believable 3timesfailed12thclassjustenteredcollege dude. And is he a dude or what! Its easy to see why our heroine falls for him. His perfect bod, mesmerizing eyes, and easy charm are hard to resist. The storyline of the movie is really original and different and unheard of with twists and turns that will leave you nail-less by the end of the movie. Seriously, have you ever heard of a story where the police/politicians are corrupt, the hero is wronged many a number of times, where the hero's best friend gets killed by the villain. No right? See I told you it was perfectly original. In this movie, one can also see the art of Telekinesis perfected by Dr.Vijay. they don't call him doctor for no reason buddy. He can move objects without even touching them. See it to believe it.
And for a slight looking man he sure has a lot of physical strength to be flinging the goons around like Frisbee.
Oh I just can't stop raving about him. I had my Wow moment in the movie when when somebody sprays a can of insect killer that goes by the name "TIT" into one of the nice guy's eyes. Tit.. err. It makes him blind.. I think that had a hidden feminist message behind it.. deep deep message that could mean if Tit went into your eyes it could make a man blind. So keep tit away from your eyes. You leching men of the world, did you catch the subtle subtext or not! Hah, that said, I think I have made my case crystal clear as to why this movie SHOULD go the Oscars. I mean, it is waaaay believable and better that Slumdog Millionaire no? Hollywood! Make way .. The Vettaikaran is coming to hunt you!

Thala rocks \m/

2010

2010-01-03T18:59:00.002+05:30

After all that hot air I pumped in my last post, this one's for the anonymous commenter who insists I write something about the year ahead. So I'm gonna be listing out 10 things I intend to do this year, whether they intend to happen to me or not is a different story altogether ;) and some might even not be realistic, now let's not get into that either. Here goes..

UPDATE ON MY 2010 Wishlist on 15th Dec 2011

Buy a car. I can drive OK. I have a license to prove it. Though the picture in the license bears no resemblance to the license holder - DONE
Organize the Haj trip for my parents. This I've been wanting to do ever since I started working but the M word is the ONLY hiccup.
Get married. Yep.. you read that right. I'm getting dreams where I'm 70 and alone with a house full of cats :D - GETTING MARRIED IN APRIL
Go on a vacation to any or all of the following places - UAE, Singapore, Greece, France, Ireland. This would be one of the unrealistic list item I was talkin about earlier. - UAE - Check, Singapore: Check Greece: You're next :D
Become famous/infamous. Either suits me just fine. Unrealistic Item #2
Be a hotshot copywriter and write lines that win me all the awards that there are to win.
Start working on the book I've been wanting to write, which will be force fed to friends, family and foes. (Alliteration Alert!)
At least be nice to people who are nice to me. People who are not nice to me will be sent to the purgatory ;)
Grow my hair to the original length it was when I was in class 8. It reached till my lower back. Not as easy as it sounds. Really. - HALFWAY THROUGH
Get meself a kitten. If the dream mentioned it Item # 3 has to come true, might as well start now. - ALMOST TOOK ONE HOME :-|

There! I've spit it all out. So much to be done and not necessarily in the given order. Wish me luck!!!

Random Ramble

2009-12-27T11:07:00.000+05:30

Realization sunk in.. The MTBP (Mean Time between Posts) has dipped to an all time low. Tch tch.. There is a reason, not good enough, but a reason nevertheless. I've been reading blogs of people who are Gods of the Blogiverse. I've got a major case of inferiority complex and I've got it bad. These guys are so good that it makes me wonder would anyone even give a rat's ass about my blog! Yes, I don write to impress anyone. Maybe I've just been plain lazy OR the novelty of blogging has worn off. This is the problem with me. I get bored so easily. I obsess over something for sometime and then Pfft! the fizz dies out after a while. How on earth will I be married to one man is something that is totally beyond my comprehension. Let me not get into that stream of thought right now.
I think its time I start an anonymous blog to crib, whine, and bitch about people I hate, where I can swear away to kingdom come and where i can say things about myself that no one could ever imagine.
So if you find this blog dormant for a really really long time then I'm probably writing elsewhere. Go figure!
See I told you its a random ramble. Generalla Cinderalla- a term coined by my dear friend when we have no answer to some of life's profound questions. Cinderalla would be turning in her grave located Far Far Away.
Don't know if I'll be posting here again. All you an do is wait and watch. Right! like you have nothing better to do in your life than wait for me to write. Oh did I tell you that in 5 years time I intend to write a book. Yes, I so will. So, maybe the next time you see something written by me will be in that book. :)
So long..

The Affair

2009-11-17T10:20:00.000+05:30

I was a precocious child, at the same time vulnerable..
It was but inevitable, that it had to happen early. And once it happened there was no stopping.
Life without it seemed almost impossible.
When people saw me they knew.. it was pretty obvious on my face what I'd been upto.
I could hardly hide my flushed face and my sparkling eyes.
After all these years there are times when it still hurts, you'd think I'd gotten used to it by now.
But each time the feeling is new, mind-numbing and breath-taking.
I have it every other day, no matter what happens..I don't tire.
Insatiable, addictive, it still takes my breath away, sometimes I stay up at night gasping for breath, shivering and sweating.
It has that effect on me. I've been loyal, very loyal.
I can't let go even if I want to.

BECAUSE MY COLD WILL JUST NOT LET GO OF ME!!! ;)

London Se Aaya Mera Dost...

2009-10-31T17:21:00.001+05:30

The good thing about being a pessimist is that they are either proved right or pleasantly surprised. I went in expecting the worst when I decided to go for London Dreams. No, I wasn't pleasantly surprised, but neither was I disappointed. The movie didn't invoke any strong reaction from me as such. The first half of the movie was a tad banal but by the second half there was substance, and by 'substance' i don't just mean the one that Sallu Bhai abuses.
The script of the movie is novel but it has been poorly executed to say the least. It all starts with Ajay Devgn with a missing vowel. He has more than just a vowel that's amiss. For one thing he is all wrongly cast for the role of a rockstar. Sure, the man can act, but he is such a misfit for the role. His body language, his moves, his looks, none of it even remotely resemble that of a real rockstar. And he wears a constipated look throughout the movie. The not-so-gracefully aging Sallu holds the movie together with his antics and dialogue delivery. He looks convincing as a man torn between the tumultuous events of his life.The friendship between Sally and Ajay seems contrived, you just can't relate to their so called Dosti.
Asin shares no chemistry with either of the two actors. But, she has done justice to her role and plays the role of a modern Tamil girl who wants to be famous but has to face the wrath of her orthodox family.
The two other other band members played by Rannvijay and another cute guy with a bird's nest for hair, deserve special mention for their natural performances.
Shankar Ehsaan and Loy have come a long way from Dil Chahta Hai, unfortunately they have come the wrong way. The music I beleive is the soul of any movie, this movie lacks soul. The music does not do anything to you. It just makes you wonder whatever happened to the trio who gave us brilliant music with the likes of Rockford, Mission Kashmir and Rock On.
Having said that, I think the movie would've worked if some more attention was paid to details and IF Ajay Devgn was NOT cast as the lead.
Watch the movie if you don't get tickets for any other movie, like I did :D

I've Got the Blues

2009-10-20T21:54:00.000+05:30

My blog has been collecting dust for a while now, I've been just plain lazy and uninspired. Been tweeting a lot though. Note to self - Any kind of addiction is bad :-| Now, while i was being horrendously lazy, i decided that watching a movie will .. well.. not necessarily make me active, but atleast inspire me a little. So which movie do I pick? BLUE. Not a blue film dummy, m not into porn (PJ)
Watching Blue was not an altogether bad idea. Should give it to them for going the unconventional way and shooting almost 40% of the movie underwater. Laudable effort. BUT... being part Bollywood, the director can't help but goof up in some areas can he? For starters, the storyline is leaky and almost comical. The choice of cast is poor to say the least. I mean, Sanjay Dutt, seriously the poor man doesn't know where to hide is paunch. he looks positively pregnant. And, pairing him up with Lara Dutta! Disaster dude! Sanju baba wears a dead pan expression throughout the movie. He is no better than he was in Luck.
And then there is Zayed Khan. Sigh.. When God when will he go for his much needed acting classes. Even Katrina in her minuscule role has more expressions on her face than Zayed has in the entire movie. Akshay looks lean and mean, but his dialogues..well.. its not his fault is it that he has been given some award winning cheesy lines. Sample this :
Sanju is lecturing Zayed on somethingortheother and our man Akshay goes "Arey, yeh moral science class ka waqt nahi hai" Hold on while I gag..
OK, enough ripping the movie apart, the finer points of the movie are of course the brilliant music, the breathtaking cinematography and the long but well-executed stunts. Go watch Blue if you think you can overlook its flaws and just enjoy the dive! :)

Brush with Fame

2009-10-12T17:09:00.001+05:30

OK. So, here's a scan of a store review I did for Femina. Its blurred and all I know. SO why don't you just go grab a copy of the October Femina and check it out! Try viewing the attachment if its any clearer

Rashee, Rashee, Which Rashee Do You Choose?

2009-09-29T12:10:00.000+05:30

So, it had been ages since I had paid a visit to a movie theater for reasons such as lack of time, money and good movies of course. The long weekend that went by was.. well.. long, so, a very bored me and a very bored friend decided to catch a movie at Inox. We didn't particularly care which movie we wanted to go to, just as long as it could kill time. And kill time it did! All THREE AND A HALF HOURS of it. As fate would have it we got our hands on the tickets for What's Your Rashee at the very last moment and we gleefully walked into the trap of Ashutosh Gowatrikar.
To begin with, he has plainly insulted the intelligence of the viewers. Yes, the concept of the movie is sure very novel and all, but when executed it has turned out to be one long rigmarole of songs, dances and Priyanka. The poor guy Harman, I almost feel bad for him in a movie so totally dominated by her. I also want him to join acting classes, his expressions and actions in the movie are robotic to say the least. His voice.. God, my ears. Need I say more? Priyanka looks stunning as Sanjana, Hansa and the Saggi girl (Can't remember the name), she has essayed the 12 roles in earnest. The movie would have been less torturous if the focus was more on the characteristics of each zodiac than wasting time on banal songs with forgettable tunes and lyrics. The funniest part of the movie is that Harman likes every girl he meets, obviously, they all look the same, DUH! The story doesn't give any logical reason behind the resemblance of all 12 girls, so you can leave all logic and reasoning in the freezer back home. Watch the movie only if you are thoroughly jobless and game for an overdose of Priyanka Chopra.

Singled Out

2009-09-24T10:45:00.000+05:30

Name - Mariya Mubarak
Age - 23
Marital Status - Single
My single status has come under much criticism of late. Why? Because everybody believes it is high time I got hitched. My parents are on a mission, very determined they are. I have nothing against the idea of getting married but it is mystifying how much it seems to affect others perception about me. At any social gathering or family get together, the topic of me getting married invariably comes up. I am asked by at least one person "So, are you engaged?" to which I say with gritted teeth and a brad smile "NO" And then that person gives me stiff smile and I can almost read their thoughts which would probably be ranging from - "Ah! Something is wrong with the girl" "OH! She must be having an "affair" with a guy outside the community" "My God, the girls these days.." so on and so forth.
My mother, when I'm having the most general of conversations with her, she skillfully steers the talk to youknowhat. And, I with equal skill make an escape.
Yes, I will get married..sooner or later. I have even met prospective grooms and even genuinely liked one, BUT, just liking isn't enough isn't it? Or.. Is it? How does it work in an arranged marriage scenario? How come it seems so effortless in other people's case and not so in mine? There's got to be some spark, trigger, chemistry, or even the teeniest of signs right?
I hate to see my parents under so much pressure from family and society. Outside the social setup we are in, they wouldn't be in the same panic mode no? I have a truckload of questions, the answers to which elude me.

Humiliating

2009-09-18T12:35:00.002+05:30

Each time I'm heading somewhere in the city via Mount Road, I can't help but cringe at the sight right under the Gemini Flyover. It is greatly embarrassing to see smartly-dressed, highly educated people, young and old alike, standing in a snaking queue. And why you may ask. Well, to get their visa to the Big Apple. Seriously, is it worth the humiliation of standing in the sweltering heat right out there on the main road? I find it utterly disgraceful that we are made to do this just for a trip to the U.S. I don't know how it works in the other consulates, but in the U.S consulate, they have hit the lowest form of mistreatment.
I wonder, how people actually comply to do this? I hope to God I never have to visit Uncle Sam ever in my life. That's why I've limited my dreams of going abroad to Greece, Spain, UAE and Singapore. :)

Whats up with me

2009-09-17T09:15:00.000+05:30

So.. finally sneaked some time off my crazy schedule, trust me when I say crazy. Its like I'm this machine who is on auto-pilot. I just barely have enough time to sleep, which is broken and disturbed as well. But, I've never felt so hugely satisfied and worthwhile in my life. Yes, I have a job! A job that I love with my heart, soul and pancreas. I'm still coming to grips with the new schedule in my life. Actually I think its gonna be taxing on me just for a couple of days more, because Ramzan is at its fag end, and order and semblance shall be regained in my life.
My current schedule is gruelling to say the least. I'm up at 4, to begin my fast ( details here ). Start for work at 7:30. Leave from work at 5:45. Streak home in my brand new Scooty Streak. Have near hits and misses with other maniacal drivers on the road. I almost always reach much after the fast-breaking time. I gobble whatever left-over food I find around. Again get dressed in break neck speed to go to mosque. Back from mosque at 9. p.m. By then, I'm too exhausted to even keep my eyes open. Nah I'm not complaining one bit hehe. So this is not a rant if you think so. Oh the only thing I need to complain about is my memory. My twitter update will tell you that I forgot my way to office this morning. *sheepish grin* Ugh.. age is catching up with me. :p

Road Rage

2009-09-05T21:52:00.000+05:30

Whoever said that, you don't really learn to swear until you learn to drive, couldn't have made a truer statement. As a teenager I had a fascination with riding a bike, as an adult it's my worst dream come true. I do love my city, warts and all, but maneuvering a vehicle through the roads is a horror story. What's worse? Being a woman who is handling the bike. The men on the other modes of transport derive perverse pleasure in making our lives miserable by coming precariously close to us. We are so not amused. You can shove your MCP-ness where the sun don't shine.
Right from the cyclists, motorists, share autos, cabbies and even bus drivers, they think the whole god damned roads is their ancestrial property and driving like possessed souls is their birth right. Get a life people!
Its not funny when you do your stunts on the bikes for godaloneknows what reason. The urge to beat the crap out of these people is irrepressible, trust us we are completely capable of bashing the living daylights out of you.
And what in the name of God are the cops doing on the road? Playing audience to some maniacal road show? They simply watch on with a nonchalant look on their face and all they can ever do right is take "gifts" from traffic offenders to release them and feed their already bursting pot bellies. I could really go on and on with the ranting, but I'm feeling a little calmer now. Watch out men... Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!

My Experiments with Jhooth

2009-09-02T16:28:00.000+05:30

Pardon the bad pun in the title, you see, I'm good with bad puns and other mokkai. Anyhoo, coming straight to the point, how many of us can say with conviction that we've never lied, never had to make up stories just so that you could save your sorry ass. Not many out there are they?
Parents lie to their children to protect them from reality, friends lie to each other so that they can remain friends, lovers lie (again, no pun intended :p) just so that they don't end up flinging hard objects at one another, corporations lie to employees so that their "employee retention" level stays high., politicians make a career out of lying and I lie so that I don't end up in a soup. I don't see why honesty is the best policy. It certainly doesn't do any wonders for me. If it was, then, the Jaswant Singh would not have paid so dearly for being forthcoming in his opinion. I digress. So, as I was saying, fibbing through my teeth has saved me more times than I can even count. I'm so good at it that, sometimes, I even end up lying to myself. I fool myself into believing whatever tricks my mind plays on me. I can imagine what thoughts would run in your mind the next time you are speaking to me.. Gotcha! ha ha...

Mood Swings

2009-08-31T21:14:00.002+05:30

I sure woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Wait, there is only one side of my bed that I can get off from, so I couldn't imagine what was eating me today. No, it wasn't PMS either. Today I was exceptionally irritable. I could have bitten off the head of anyone who would've even dared to rub me the wrong way. So, I tried to keep my interaction with human life to a bare minimum. I'm not a pleasant sight and sound when ticked off. I feel bad for a poor colleague of mine whom I almost snapped at, but restrained myself by biting my tongue. Yeah, I did sound a little abrupt though, and I'm feeling all miserable about it. Meh.
And, what did I do to cool myself off, I resorted to divinity. I went to mosque and prayed for peace, not world peace silly, peace of my mind, which I think counts as world peace too. I'm the kind of person who thinks of God as and when required. I would put Kabirdas to shame, who asked us to do sumiran in sukh also no? Cluck all you want, I'm guilty as charged.
It's my last week at my current workplace, I think that's sort of depressing the hell out of me. I've spent three years and three months there, I'm gonna miss it alright.
Sigh, so that's that, my contribution to the collective depression in the world, I'm sure someone else somewhere will be in an opposite mood and counter the existing depression. Yin and yang.
Dan Brown will be proud :)

Daddy.. Daddy Cool

2009-08-19T16:09:00.003+05:30

No No this post is not about my daddy as the title suggests, its just that this song is stuck in my head. (And my dad's not cool that way :/) It was playing in repeat mode in the restaurant I just came back from. I didn't know what else to title this post. Somebody's running out of attention grabbing headlines eh.?
Anyhoo I'm back from a long hiatus. Under normal circumstances in a hiatus, people take a vacation from work and then get back. As Fido Dido would say - Normal is boring, so what I've done is while I was on my blog break I quit work and now I'm gearing myself up for a vacation where I'm going to be out of my head back in a bit :) Yay.
Yeah Yeah, its gonna get to me after a while lazing around, being a pain in my folks' collective behind. I will do something about my life soon as soon as I figure out what I want to do. Pretty aimless for a person heading towards mid-twenties you would say. I couldn't agree more. Money is gonna be a problem for a while, so I'm open to charity and free lunches. My shopaholicism needs to be curbed, or perhaps cured if I want to survive till I make something of myself. Therefore, I'm even open to gifts of the material kind from people who want to repay all the good things I've done for them. *grin*

When Pigs Fly...

2009-08-10T14:04:00.002+05:30

When I used to make a statement like that, who knew that my prophecy would come true one day. Pigs are flying indeed! All over the bloody place. Till this morning I thought we were relatively safe from the dreaded swine flu, but statistics proved otherwise. So far, 7 cases and counting in Chennai. I was under the illusion that the flu is under check, which is far from true.

I am so paranoid about this whole thing, me being prone to constant colds and what not. Its unbelievable that in this age and time when technology knows no bounds, we're still struggling to find a vaccine for the fast-spreading epidemic. It's pitiful, its sad, its scary!

I know this post is morbid, but so are my thoughts right now. That's by far the only thing that I can think about today :(

Unravelling Life's Mysteries

2009-08-04T10:05:00.002+05:30

Every morning as I drag myself to office, in the chugging train, I dwell over LIFE. Yeah yeah, I'm sure thats really hard to believe. I'm a thinker, I spend at least 50% of my waking hours only thinking, is it any surprise that I hardly get work done :p There are questions that pop up every now and then to which I seek answers, sometimes I'm actually better off not knowing the answers for the fear of facing reality. Yes I'm also a person in denial most of the times. I see things the way I want to see them, with a set of rose-tinted glasses coloring my vision.
So, I think about stuff like, am I ever gonna be passionate about my career. For the life of me, I still haven't been able to figure what it is that I'm good at :( I really look up to people who take their jobs seriously and climb the success ladder effortlessly. I'm still waiting for my calling. But who knows, I won't recognize it even if it stares me in the face.
Love, is something else that I think a lot about. Is it for real? Is there such a thing as a soulmate? Then why do people fall in and out of love like they're boarding the local train. Why do they become unfaithful to the one person who they supposedly love?
Ahem.. OK OK who the heck wants to listen to my gobbledygook anyway? :/ So I shall stop here and get back to my thinking ;)

Rakhi ka Swayamvar

2009-08-03T12:01:00.002+05:30

Once in a long long time, there comes a TV show that leaves a lasting impression on your mind. It not only leaves an impression, but a permanent deep dent that no amount of tinkering and plastering can restore. One such show is the recent "Rakhi ka Swayamvar". The whole drama-shama has left the country in a tizzy, or so Rakhi likes to believe. What I like to believe is there couldn't be a bigger farce in the name of Reality TV. Who are the producers kidding? Do they expect us to believe the bull crap that they serve in a silver plate with a golden spoon.

Rakhi - The botox-ed, collagen-ed, silicon-ed and whatever-ed item girl, who has been apparently disowned by her entire family (Now, why the heck doesn't that surprise me?), has chosen a groom for herself in front of the camera and in the process made a spectacle of herself and lets face it, even of our country. Sigh.. I am still receding from the horror of it all. Next post when I recover hopefully....

Chennai, Mon Amour

2009-07-21T18:35:00.006+05:30

It's been long since I penned my thoughts down, no, it wasn't a writer's block. I need to be a writer to have a writer's block no? I guess I just didn't have the time or the inclination to blog. Looks like now I do. Ta-da! So here I am with another one of my rambling bout.
Chennai.. the city I have grown to love. I say, "grown" to love, because it took me a few years and a few visits in different cities to make me realize what I have. There was a time when I used to tell people that I'd stay anywhere but Chennai. And now I refuse to move to any other city and I wish to be buried in the soil of this city. OK I got carried away with that. Well, what brought about this change in me? Honestly, I don't know. The place has just gotten under my skin and I have come to love every little thing about it. The endless stretch of the Marina beach, the greenery all over the place, the language(which I'm trying to learn, I know I know, its way too late but as cliches go better late than never), the local buses and trains, the tea from the tea kadai, the aroma of freshly made dosa, the colorfully dressed women shouting in even more colorful expletives, the bajji and vada shops at every nook and corner, the slow pace at which life moves here, the dappangkuthu songs, the demi-gods of South - Rajnikanth, Vijay, Vijaykanth, the likes (just kidding) and so many other little things that are endearing to me.
It really puts me off when someone tells me, "Oh you should be in Blah city, it is so good, everything is so good there. Chennai sucks." Hello! if you like the Blah city so much why don't you just pack your stuff and leave. Chennai and I won't miss you at all. Hah!
So, I'm starting the I LOVE CHENNAI club, all you need is unconditional love for this city to join my exclusive elite club ;)

Almost Famous!

2009-07-16T10:48:00.002+05:30

It was the summer of 2003, I had just given my Class XII board exams and a never ending vacation was on. The transition phase between school and college was turning out to be one long wait and I was unbelievably jobless and bored to tears. One fine early morning came a phone call from another equally jobless friend. She said, "Mariya get ready in half an hour, we're heading to Madras University now!" I thought OK this girl is in one hell of a hurry to start college isn't she.? But wait a minute.. we didn't even apply for that university, so why on earth were we going there. So, i demanded an explanation and all I got from her was that there a part-time job thing happening and the pay was fantastic. Money! Yay! I didn't need further convincing.

Off I went to the destination picking up two friends on the way in an auto. We reached there and we see a very long queue of boys and girls waiting for God alone knows what. Then this guy who was my friend's friend walked up to us and gave a brief which left my eyes popping out. We were apparently to be audience extras in Shankar's ongoing project called Boys. The shoot at the University auditorium was for a song and would last anywhere between 4 to 7 days and we would get 400 for a day(which was a lot at that time) and FREE food! I was extremely thrilled. We entered the auditorium and were awed by the sets and there were some very skimpily-clad hot dancers on the stage along with the cast of the movie. The cast was all fresh faces unheard-of actors, Siddharth, Bharat, Genelia and names I don't recall.

We were asked to sit in the audience, and when the camera panned us we were supposed to scream, cry, tear our hair out, and basically look mad because we were supposed fans of the people performing on stage. I was even offered glycerin to make my eyes water which I refused. Tears come easily to me so I didn't need it you see. Everyday of the shoot was an adventure, I had the time of my life, made great friends who are still in touch and also got my fifteen second of fame. Really. You'll see a quick glimpse of me doing one silly hand and head movement right at the beginning of the song and also another glimpse of me crying towards the end of the song. Check out the song "Sa Ri Ga Me (Secret of Success)", the video on YouTube is not very clear so I suggest you buy a good print of the movie DVD :p You can do that for me no?

Tell Me Your Dreams

2009-07-13T11:29:00.004+05:30

The gossamer web of dreams is inescapable. Whether we like it or not, the dreams we dream affect us. Yes, they say that dreams bring your subconscious mind to life, but they could also bring things into perspective. OK too much philosophy happening. I couldn't resist that. :P Well, I bring this topic up because this morning I was telling a friend about the dream I had last night, it was wacky! I was this ultra cool agent (don't ask me what agent) with guns et al and kicking some bad ass goons, not only that, I was also chain smoking in my dream! And believe me it was all so real I didn't want the dream to end.
Yeah, I have many such silly dreams where I'm being chased by god knows who and I"m running for dear life and sometimes I'm simply falling into an endless dark pit.
The effect of too many movies I tell you. I have recurring dreams. For example, I'm in a clothes shop and I have lots of money and I'm buying so many clothes, only to wake up disappointed :(
My dreams invariably affect my day. A nightmare will keep me in a foul mood for the rest of the following day, so I try to be happy happy before I hit the sack.
Now, tell me your dreams... :)

Can You Keep a Secret?

2009-07-03T12:57:00.005+05:30

Well well.. who doesn't like a nice juicy bit of a controversial secret. We may not always be forthcoming with secrets of our own, but when someone tells us a secret, we get a slight kick out of it. And, we are always so hush hush about letting out things about our self, at the risk of scandalizing others. So I've decided to let a few cats out of my bag. Not all, mind you. :) Just enough to whet your appetite *grin*

- More often than not, I cannot decipher the British accent. I really appreciate it when an English movie with actors speaking in that accent comes with subtitles. ( I know! :( I can hear you go "Eugh!")
- My first crush was this guy who didn't even know about my existence when I was 13. When I was 19, the same guy actually came and told me he had a HUGE crush on me. So thats what the Circle of Life is about eh? No, I'm not giving out names :)
- I pretend to be nonchalant when people ask me how I eat so much without it showing, but I secretly love it that I'm one of the few who don't have to try too hard
- I find it very difficult to get along with people who are too eager to please. I mean, seriously, everyone can do with some attitude of their own
- I can't stand it when people can't get their basic spelling right
- I wish I had dimples
- I judge people based on how they dress and carry themselves, ya, I'm prejudiced that way
- I dance every morning in my bath. Someday I want to be a Dancing Diva.

When you really want something...

2009-07-02T11:16:00.003+05:30

Have you ever really wanted something with all your heart? And got it also?

I came across a line in Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist" which goes, ".. when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it". Does this line ring a bell? Yea yea, you would've seen a indianized version of this in the movie Om Shanthi Om - "Kitni Shiddat se tujhe paane ki koshish ki hai, ke har zarre ne mujhe tumse milane ki saazish ki hai" Tee hee I didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out because the rest of the world has already seems to have made the connection as revealed by a Google search :p

Anyway, coming to the point, I don't seem to be sharing the same luck as the protagonist of the novel or SRK in OSO. Or, maybe I didn't want what I thought I wanted badly enough. Or, the universe just decided to conspire against me instead of the other evil forces.

Now wait, there's one thing in the book that really got me in a tizzy. Ya, the book is all fantastic and awe-inspiring and many other things that a lot of people will testify for. But, it is so GENDER BIASED! I mean, seriously, the protagonist has dreamt of this major treasure which he pursues relentlessly with the help of omens, and then he meets this girl who just happens to be only an "omen" in his pursuit of the treasure. Not only that, the boy is also told that the girl has achieved her dream in life by meeting the boy. I was like, WHAT! The girl is only a means to achieve his dreams and the boy is the girl's dream itself! OK, I'm not big on Women's Liberation and Gender Equality and all that jazz, but still, Hello! What was Paulo Coelho thinking? Thats the only thing that's stopping the book from becoming my favorite. Mr.Paulo, are you listening?

Forwards and Backwards

2009-06-25T10:04:00.002+05:30

I've never been the forward kind of person. I'm talking about emails. :p Well, i do enjoy reading them to an extent. Like when they make me laugh till my sides hurt or when they give me food for thought. But I despise the kind that go "If you don't forward this mail in the next 12.5 minutes to fifteen and a half people you are DOOMED for life!". I mean, really, give me a break. So, today I opened my mailbox and found this really cool forward sitting in my inbox and I decided that instead of forwarding it I'l simply post it here for the world to see, and yeah, if you don't forward it, your hands will grow short and your back will itch and you won't be able to scratch :p Ensoi!

Some Rules that NEWTON forgot to mention

Law of Queue : If you change queues, the one you have left will start to
move faster than the one you are in now..

Law of the Telephone : When you dial a wrong number, you never get an
engaged tone.

Law of Mechanical Repair : After your hands become coated with grease, your

nose will begin to itch.

Law of the Workshop : Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least
accessible corner.

Law of the Alibi : If you tell the boss you were late for work because you
had a flat tire, the next morning you will have a flat tire.

Bath Theorem : When the body is immersed in water, the telephone rings.

Law of Encounters : The probability of meeting someone you know increases
when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

Law of the Result : When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't
work, it will!

Law of Biomechanics : The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to
the reach.

Theatre Rule : People with the seats at the furthest from the aisle arrive
last.

Law of Coffee : As soon as you sit down for a cup of hot coffee, your boss
will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

Ha Ha.. Hope you had a good laugh like I did :)

Darna Mana Hai!

2009-06-22T15:01:00.005+05:30

They say that the best way to overcome your fear is to face it. Now how do I face something that I've never seen or heard. Yes, I have morbid fear of the unseen, of the dark, of things unknown. It might sound stupid for most people, but its true. I'm a chicken when it comes to ghosts and ghost stories. I'm also highly superstitious. Sometimes I don't reveal good things to people i know for the fear of having it jinxed. Ahem. I'm like that only.
There was a time when i wouldn't go alone to any part of the house alone without my mom calling out to me just to assure me of her presence.
And when I'm watching a horror movie and I know that a scary scene is coming up I shut my eyes tight and peek slowly through one eye to see whats happening. The nightmares then follow, for which I go snuggle up against mum in the dead of the night and jump at the sound of every little thing.
Strange but true :)

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-06-17T10:02:00.001+05:30

To hell with my wishlist, I had the most mind-blowing birthday! So the just started on a usual note, and I was generally at peace with myself, musing about how old I am and what I have achieved so far in life. I spent the better part of the day chilling with a couple of friends and family. Then by evening I was all disappointed that I hadn't cut a cake for my B'day. I didn't want to be whiny and be a pain cuz I thought "Ok everyone's busy being a working day and all. "
Then I got home and mum also was around, and I started smelling a fish cuz she was not her usual self and was trying really hard to make me stay put in my room. She was very sweetly making conversation with me about everything under the sun. And I even heard a few stray noises which I conveniently ignored. The doorbell rang at one point and mom said it was just the neighbourhood kids being bratty. Then I thought "Alright its just my imagination and nothing really was happening around." Finally, after two hours of my initial suspicions, my mum says "Lets go watch some TV" and I followed her with a broad grin on my face. Then SURPRISE! Alafia, Saleema, a, Sakina and Yusuf were crooning Happy Birthday with very broader grins of their own. There were balloons everywhere and some fancy decoration and I was SOOO thrilled. And the cake! Goodness, it was just waiting to be dug into, but some of it ended up on my face (see here) :/ There was a huge pile of pizzas and I kept counting and recounting them wondering who on earth will eat so many. We all settled down to have pizza and juice and fish tikka and then walked in another SURPRISE, Hema Ranjani and Prabu!
And the evening went on with lot of cheer and excitement, I was all hyper hyper flitting from one person to another. I felt so good to have such wonderful beautiful friends and parents who made my day such a special one. Kudos to all of u! I'm open to more surprises and gifts in life :p

Wishlist!

2009-06-15T13:10:00.000+05:30

I don't need to give a preamble to this post. So here's my B'day wishlist for anyone who cares :p

Nina Ricci Perfume
A pair of Jimmy Choos
The entire season of F.R.I.E.N.D.S on DVD
A holiday in Malibu
A Tag Heuer watch
Gucci Shades

Hah, that will do. If you cant buy me any of this, you could at least give it a thought, because after all, it's the thought that counts ain't it? ;)

My Brush with Poetry

2009-06-10T11:29:00.000+05:30

I've never really been big on poetry, have attempted several times, but in vain. So there was this one time when it was my cousin, Sakina's birthday and me having selective amnesia totally forgot to wish her. In fact to add insult to injury, she actually reminded me to wish her. I was red with embarrassment and decided that before I could gift her something I needed to make it up to her in my way, so I tried writing a poem for her. The poem goes like this (Do NOT snigger, smirk OR gag!)

How better can i express my regret than puttin it in words,
And hoping that just this once you will forgive me.
Promise never to do it again
Provided you forgive me.
You are special and always will be.

Bullying, teasing, caring and sharing
Is all it takes, for you to show your love to me.
Ranting, raving, whining and troubling
That's the love which comes to you from me
Having you around in life
Does wonders to everyone around
And your absence can make the place gloomy
You single-handedly bring life to the sights and sound.

So let bygones be bygones
And celebrate this day wit enthu
Knowing you this won't be tough
I hope you prove me true
Now thats one long poem for my super sis
Are your eyes still stuck on this?

OK, enough of rolling your eyes at my poem. If you look at the aesthetic appeal of the poem, it has no rhyme, no reason, no meter, and the works. Its called abstract poetry :) Ya I coined it myself. I'm sure Keats, Byron and Frost are rolling in their respective graves. Go on, make all the fun you want to. But I really appreciate my cousin for appreciating my poem without flinching!

My Past Life

2009-06-08T18:01:00.000+05:30

Now this is a first for me. The second post in a single day. Not bad eh? Ok so this post is nothing major, I just came across this site which told me who I was in my past life based on my name or DOB or I don't exactly remember what. And ya I went ahead and did what it asked me to do and Tada! they gave me a diagnosis!! yes they called it a diagnosis for God's sake. Anyway this is how it goes -

"Your past life diagnosis: I don't know how you feel about it, but you were female in your last earthly incarnation.You were born somewhere in the territory of modern Central India around the year 1200. Your profession was that of a philosopher and thinker. Your brief psychological profile in your past life:
Timid, constrained, quiet person. You had creative talents, which waited until this life to be liberated. Sometimes your environment considered you strange. The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:
Your main task is to make the world more beautiful. Physical and spiritual deserts are just waiting for your touch. Keep smiling! Do you remember now?"

Good that I was a female, I cant imagine myself as a member of the male species in any birth. Central India! Well in this birth my dad was born there so I don know maybe somewhere there is a connection. I'm still waiting for those creative talents to be liberated which were waiting to burst through in my past life. My "environment" still considers me strange, even though nobody says it on my face :p What I like about the whole diagnosis is that I'm supposed to be making the world more beautiful! With pleasure I say :) Nice. I like.

Weekender

2009-06-08T10:37:00.000+05:30

Will people agree with me if I say that the weekend ends before you can say Jack Robinson? It sure happens to me. I have one hell of roller coaster ride all weekend, then Poof! its gone and before I know it, I'm dragging myself out of bed on a Monday morning. This weekend was no different. I shopped till I dropped, I ate all the junk the world had to offer, I read till my eyes hurt, but the only thing that eluded me was precious sleep.
I guess I'm just too jumpy through the weekend to catch up with any, I want to be everywhere, do everything, live the two days before they slip out of my crooked fingers.
I'm reading this fantastic novel called "Public Secrets" by Nora Roberts and I simply cannot put the book down. Its strange you know, I don't know if it happens to everyone, but everytime I read a book, the story or at least part of the story is bizarrely related to my own life. Hmm, need to do a survey on this one.
Signing off for now, looking forward to an eventful week ahead!

To Old Friends and New

2009-06-04T17:54:00.000+05:30

Friends. Who can deny the beauty of friendship. They are always there when you want to laugh, cry, shout, scream, whine, fight, shop, gossip, beg, borrow, steal :P and the list goes on. HOnestly speaking I havn't made truckloads of friends in my life, but whatever friends i have made wil be with me for life, for sure.
The best part about them is, no matter after how long u meet them u still share the same vibes and enthu and the silliest of jokes completely crack you up.ok I do sound very cliche n all in this post, but all my wonderful friends out there deserve a post and this is it!

You guys are the best . love y'all

Restart

2009-06-02T18:13:00.000+05:30

Hmm. So I have decided that starting now I'm gonna write at least one post in a day. Even if the post looks twitterish I will still post.
Hah so here goes. I spent the entire day today worrying about the training I have to do tomorrow. I don't want to look like a bumbling idiot to freshers. So tonight is when I will sit and prepare,. Hopefully things will go maska smooth. Lot of ppl have already threatened to drop in while I'm training. Talk about zakhm pe namak huh :/
Ok I'm gonna make a dash for the door now before someone comes n dump work on me.

Autowalas of Chennai

2008-12-18T17:30:00.000+05:30

There are a few things in this world that I absolutely detest, one of them being the horrible horrible auto guys. They make me want to scratch their faces with whatever is left of my chewed up nails. Let me take you through some sample experiences I have faced with the moronic autowalas:
Scenario One:
Me:[in high pitched squeals] Auto Auto!
Auto:[slowing down but deliberately stopping way ahead of me]:Enge ponu ma?
(Current location- Beach Station- 2 k.m from Royapuram)
Me:Royapuram
Auto:[contemplating]Fifty rupees madam..
Me: WTF!

Scenario two:
A herd(I say herd because thats what they are, a herd of wild animals) of auto guys surrounding me asking me where I want to go
Multiple Autoguys speaking at once :Sollunge madam
Me: Nungambakkam
Auto 1 to Auto 2 :Ay Nungambakkam poviya
Auto 2 to Auto 3 : Dai Nungambakkam ponu
Auto 3 to Auto 4 : Poriya???
At this point I make my exit giving up all hope. I mean why do they ask if they don't want to go!!

Scenario Three:
Me after agreeing to pay an exorbitant amount to go from Point A to Point B, plonk myself in the auto, unaware of whats in store for me. The auto guy thinks he is out of a Rajnikanth movie, twists, turns, bumps, rips, nearly collides, does all this while speaking on a swanky phone to somebody. I just sit tight in my seat, fervently praying that its not the last ride of my life. :-/

I can go on you know with a whole lot of my traumatic experiences with auto guys, but you get the drift how painful and annoying and frustrating it is to deal with this scum of the world.
Most of these idiots are protected by cops and politicians because they r the ones who own the vehicles. So people who want to commute are simply at their mercy. When we try to pick up a fight, these guys are known to get violent and offensive and even gather a crowd of their own. God! Please tell me you exist and rid teh world of these scumbags.
Phew! Anger vented :)

Ramzan

2008-09-10T15:45:00.000+05:30

Its that time of the year again when I need to cleanse my soul of the unspeakable sins that I commit throughout the year and hang it out for drying :P well well.. Ramzan is here and I'm 10 fasts deep into it. So far so good. This is my daily schedule for 30 days where divinity becomes my second name :) morning starts early, I'm up at 4:00 a.m to have Sihori (breakfast during fasting) I walk around like a zombie, try to stuff myself with enough food and water to get me through the day. But when you're half asleep nothing else but sleep matters. Then I promptly fall asleep at 4:30 a.m. Much later with all the willpower in the world I drag myself out of bed at 7:15 to pray (its too late by this time to pray but I pray anyway.. Gee! ) and I g et ribbed by my parents for it. The rest of the day is a blur and just a long wait for the clock to strike 6. During the day I accompany friends for lunch and tea breaks which is a major test of endurance for me :( Finally the much awaited hour arrives and I go pray on my office terrace with the songs of a billion crows to keep me company, I don't know why on earth they choose that time to scream their lungs out. So, after prayer I have Iftari (snacks to break the fast = "Breakfast" :P ) Voila! Thats the end of one successful roza (fast) And thats how the story goes for the rest of the month. Oh, And I've already picked up an outrageously expensive outfit for eid... talk bout rewards in advance..

FUNGAMA 2008

2008-02-23T21:51:00.000+05:30

Oh what a day I say.. Had the time of my life. The annual day out for EK employees and their families happened today at the VGP Beach resort. The last time I went there I was only a couple of feet high. Its actually a nice place contrary to what people think of it. Anyway this all day long event was total fun. I had my very enthu parents with me who were having ball of a time. And never in my wildest dream i imagined receiving an award for a sporting award. Yes truth is urindeed stranger than fiction. I actually won the runners up title for Women's Doubles in TT. God i was nearly in a fit of giggles when i went up on stage. and my partner was missing in action so i got not one but two awards haha.. joke of the century!!! ok and then there were games which I participated whenevr i got a fresh spurt of enthusiasm rest of the time i was jus sitting back and cooling my heels.. the show had its moments with some ridiculous things happening and some out-of-the-world Two colleagues crooned to munbe vaa n god i jus died there. That song just does something to me. Oh and did i forget to mention the most important thing?? FOOD of course.. quiet a scrumptious spread there. All in all a fantastic day. Now all I'm left with is memories and a mother of all headaches. Hope to write my next blog soon :D

First blog ever...

2007-12-11T22:06:00.000+05:30

Blog blog blog... Its the "in" thing to do I suppose.. evryone seems to be doing it so i thought so should I. Cuz u see I've always been a follower and never a leader. This is my first one. And i have a strong feeling that i'm gonna suck at it big-time and are there any rules to blog anyway?
I've read the most brilliant of blogs in the history of my computer life. Some people say that their blogs are nothing but ramblings but hello... how in the world can ppl ramble so beautifully. They make the blog look like a piece of Literature. I'm wondering whether this will the only blog I'll ever post. Or will i be the blogger of the century or will I just be another one of the millions of bloggers around the world. I don know why evryone does this. Why would I want to let the whole world know about whats goin on in the evil little mind of mine? Anyway I think i'm bored already.. well well let's see if some inspirations strikes me and makes me go on and on about it. Until then I shall get back to the monotony of my life.. sigh...