Oct 31, 2007

until... umm... i do?

WARNING: this is a long piece. probably the longest i've written so far. so if u aren't much of a reader, don't venture further.

fuzzy tagged me to blog about d story of how we got engaged. V & i, not fuzzy and i. heavens sake! what will u think of next!

i have been reading these engagement stories while blog-surfing... and was hoping i don't get tagged. couple of reasons for that.
a. i've had, what i refer to, a boring arranged marriage.
b. i don't know how to blog abt something so personal.
but i like fuzzy and i don't refuse tags from ppl i like :D

so.

circa OCT 2005.
my folks had been hankering after me quite a bit to get hitched. actly, just my mom. dad cudn't care less. or at least, he didn't bring it up conversationally, like my mom! and this hankering gained momentum after my dear elder bro tied the knot in Aug. i was granted protection till then. coz whenever anybody asked me "so, when're u tying the knot? i'd smile and say "he's elder to me. so, after him" *yeah, kewl excuse, huh?!* but then, he finally got hitched. and then, i had no excuse. cudn't use the "i need to find my calling" excuse anymore - i sold ringtones, didn't i?! and yeah, i did love my job.

in d meanwhile, i gallivanted off to goa with 2 other mad women. *THIS is sed in a good mad way*. ideally, i would've liked to stay away from home at this point of time coz my ma wud've nagged me silly over the sun-burn. *YES. it was bad. i was a deep-dark chocolate fudge brownie color.* there was something unsettling abt the nagging this time, tho. instead of the usual "why do u keep doing this? can't u take care of urself? look at u!" it was "did u have to do this NOW!?" hmm... but then, that was the morning, V's folks were coming over to our place. and i, was to be civil. did i understand? uh... ok! their daughter comes home after 2 weeks, and goa...and they want to have company. wotever! but yeah, i usually am obedient, till d time it inconveniences me. this didn't. so i met up & chatted with his folks. like a good gurl, if i may add. in jeans and a tee. and my new deep-dark skin tone.
we went thru pics of his family et al... and oh, did i forget? his ma had bought me my fave kayaani sponge cake! yumm! *yeah yeah, i'm nicer if u bring me food i like!* his ma asked me why i don't keep in touch with him over mails and i surprised myself by saying SURE! *see? u can get me to agree to almost anything!*

but we had incorrect ids. BOTH of us. that is how stoopid we both are! we can't even get ids right! after a couple of futile attempts at trying to mail each other, i receive a mail which says... "mail if u get this!" that was SO my type of mail, that i HAD to reply to it. and i replied in quintessential style of "finally. yes, it's me. i know u. and yeah, got it." and we started mailing each other... general mails. the types u write to long-lost frenz. was probably the first time i was interacting so much with someone but genuinely STILL had no idea what he does for a living. *he's a vet virologist or smthng* most ppl i know don't understand what I did for a living, so i didn't try explaining much to him. i stuck to "i sell RTs."
then, after a couple of weeks, he asked if it's alright if he calls me sometime.. and i casually said "sure". he called me on a saturday morning, and i was in a volvo to pune. watching a trashy movie called "suryanvanshi". our conversation went like this:
V: u busy?
me: in bus. movie hpng. can't hear u.
V: which one?
me: *gosh! now u want to talk?!* suryavanshi
V: oh, the salman khan one? i've seen it.
i was SO impressed!

we spoke almost weekly post that. on equally inane, but important to us topics. like gandhi, reading, philosophy, life, aspirations, greed blah blah blah. wouldn't have made sense to anyone. but that's wot made it fun!

circa DEC 2005.
he mailed me saying he would be in india in december and we could meet. so i said SURE! let's! afterall, i was going to pune for NYs. so would be easy to catch up. *was a long weekend then*

my folks obviously called up his folks and decided that they were to come over ON NYs. THIS, i was unaware of. and later, seeing HIS expression, i realized so was he! we met a couple of times after that... usually around evenings... was easy to talk to him. and i realized that he WAS actually a very nice guy. very decent, AND very marriageably so. afterall, he he DID clear my triangle test! besides, i already loved his mom! *i know that shudn't be a reason. but heyy, she got me cake?! and home-made yummie brownies.*

how it all actually happened? i don't know. till date, i'm not sure about how i ended up saying yes. he didn't go down on his knees, he didn't confess to undying love, he didn't get me flowers, he didn't say i had really pretty eyes *he DID ask me if i wore false eyelashes, though*, there was no music in d background, there was no sign that he was THE one... no mush, nothing. oh wait! i guess, it was because of all of this that i probably agreed to marrying him. he did nothing that would be expected of someone who was trying to get me to marry him. he was just honest. and himself. and i have always been a sucker for that! alongwith brownies & cake! we were sitting at garden court *that's in pune* having a normal conversation... and he said "so. what do u think of US?" and i smiled and said "sure!" just like that.

at that moment, it seemed inconsequential that i never wanted to leave the country, that i loved my job and didn't want to quit, that i had just verbally committed to someone i barely knew, that i was tricked by my folks into an arranged marriage. at that time the most important thing on my mind was "DAMN! suruchi & vibs don't even know him!" *yeah, i know. my priorities are a tad warped, eh?*

but yes, it just seemed the right thing to do. and i did it. and thankfully, haven't regretted it. we got engaged four days later. in those 4 days, i went back to bbay, informed all concerned that i was getting engaged, fielded reactions/comments, sat down and updated my frenz, came back to pune, bought d rings *we did that together!*, booked d venue AND got engaged. life had never moved so fast for either of us! but as with everything else, life sorted itself out!

and yes, i still rib him that if he doesn't propose to me formally with the reqd flowers & chocs, i may leave him. and he has promised to embarrass me at some point of time in life. i'm actually not one for mush, so i'm hoping he doesn't really do it! shall keep u posted if he does. or umm... maybe not!

p.s.: oh yes, forgot to add - he gets these really cute dimples when he smiles....those helped, too! :)

Oct 30, 2007

Happy Halloween Y'all!



have a happy & spooky halloween!

Oct 26, 2007

402, Al Asmavi.

a li'l background on d protagonists of this piece:
402, Al-Asmavi. the apartment where it all happened.

me. i'm usually one who loves to watch horror movies. i do get scared. but i love them. and i'm fascinated by vampires, werewolves, supernatural phenomena. always. *any wonder i love halloween!?*
poo. my ex-account exec at hungama. a good personal fren. recently, my colleague on the dubai project. has an unnatural fondness for all dark things. horror movies, vampires, werewolves, mutants... u get the point?

circumstances: poo and i are sharing a room in our guest house. this, is a first for me. despite having lived away from home since 2000, i'd never shared a room with anybody. *other than V, of course! but he's not anybody, right?!* but i was okay with it. afterall, i'm really fond of poo. she's probably the sister i never had. in fact, i was almost relieved to know it was her.

situation I
:: it's 3 a.m. i am religiously working. poo's sleeping on the opposite side of the room. i've switched off the lights, so as to not disturb her sleep. *i am SO nice, na?!* d only light is that which my laptop emanates. suddenly, the woman sits up in her bed and says "hmm..." her waist-length straight hair on both her shoulders. *TRUST me this is scary!* she turns around, faces the wall. KNOCKS on it. looks back at me with a vacant look in her eyes.*like her soul had gone gallivanting* and lies down again.
it took ALL of my fondness for vampires to not scream out loud! or maybe, my heart skipped so many beats that i COULDN'T scream! i stared at her sleeping for a whole 15 mins after that! *no, didn't DARE wake her up!*
she, of course, did not recollect it the next morng.

situation II
:: it's weekend time! general chilled atmosphere at d apartment. poo's out of the shower after an hour. so i get in... love the hot hour-long shower. wonder why i'm not home where i can do this everyday. i step out of the shower. and chance to look into the wall-length mirror, which is covered with steam by now. it reads "YOU WILL DIE" in THREE effing places!

i had heard that nobody likes their boss... but YOU WILL DIE?! WHOA! and she still says she likes me. can u beat that!?

situation III
:: GPS *decent, god-fearing occupant of the other room* & poo are watching a movie outside. i'm chatting with V *told u, am a good gurl*. GPS comes banging on the door, rushes into the room and says "IF U HEAR ME SCREAMING PLZ COME TO HELP! PLZ?"
detailed investigations reveal that once the lights were off, poo started laughing. in fits. not d maniacal gabbar-type laugh. the soft, chuckling laugh, which kind of freezes ur blood flow? *GPS tends to be scared of horror films! LOL!*

p.s.: poo's a really sweet, good-natured, pretty gurl. this behaviour, though not fiction, is an aberration. she does, however walk & talk in her sleep. i hope. and yes, babes, i still love you.

Oct 24, 2007

u knew, didn't u?

random unemployment does this. i go about googling and wiki'ing arbit trivia. i read all forwarded mails. and ALSO, manage to get fascinated by it. so thought would put some of my day's endeavours here... also, since i'm going thru a certain block *i think they call it writers*, this is ready-made interesting stuff. at least i think so. for u guys to read, laugh, use-in-conversation, comment on... wotever!

:: the song "Happy B'day To U" is under copyright & the copyright runs out in 2010. *is d boss reading this? absolutely FAB biz opp. not getting the copyrites. preventing any1 else from getting them! HAH!*
:: every time you sneeze, some of your brain cells die. *THAT explains why i'm like this! DAMN! couldn't i have found this out earlier?*
:: the two highest IQ's ever recorded on a standard test belonged to two women. *did they not sneeze?*
:: the vocabulary of the average person consists of 5,000 to 6,000 words. *what say u!! then why do most people still sound like imbeciles?*
:: Mexican jumping beans jump because of a moth larva inside the bean. *there u go, u veggies... DON'T eat them beans!*
:: India has a Bill of Rights for cows. *be nice to them. they're not just gods.*
:: "Nagoya Tebasaki" is a Japanese ice cream flavour - chicken wing ice cream. *i'm still stuck on d mexican beans! check THIS if u wanna know more*
:: the world's most expensive coffee is made from the droppings of a type of marsupial that eats only the very best coffee beans. Plantation workers track and scoop the precious poop. *i sure don't want THAT job! or coffee*
:: the ghosts in Pac-Man are named Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde. *umm... okay, i knew this one.*
:: hair, prompted by testosterone, grows faster in men in anticipation of sex. *hmm... and most men go bald after marriage. interesting... *
:: Squids can commit suicide by eating their own tentacles. *it's almost like they were created to commit suicide!*
:: the electric chair was invented by a dentist. *d diff being that an electric chair guarantees that u're put out of ur misery. d dentist's chair comes with no guarantees*
:: sea horses are the only males that become pregnant and also are exclusively monogamous *it is not known if they leave d toilet seat down, do the dishes, cook or pay for extravagant shopping. so DON'T think of replacement. YET!*
:: the preying mantis *male* cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the males head off. *umm... i can only hope this doesn't inspire any of u.*

p.s.:
author of this blog is not responsible for any damage caused by ignorant usage of ANY of this trivia.

Oct 21, 2007

schmooze it!

since i can't figure out how to place this in the left hand section of my new & sexy template... here i go announcing it!

pixie thinks this blog has the power of schmooze! kewl, eh?

well, there're apparently two meanings to "schmooze".

a. 'idle chatter' - which this blog is full of.
b. to converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.

umm... i do blog-hop and if i like what i read, i leave a comment. i have, made some good frenz on/via this blog. *and most of u are on that blog-roll to the side of this page.* but that's about it. this blog wasn't started for any profound reasons. and it doesn't cover any deeply harrowing issues. just that i always wanted to write. and i like it. and am glad that there're a few people out there who like reading what i write! feels good. really.


but b doesn't fit with my blog. so i shall pick meaning a. and feel good about it!
i'm s'posed to pass it on. and... i'd give this to :

a. orchid: u've already got it from 2 others... but i think u're SO worth it! it's good to have u back in blogging action.

b. svety: love d conviction with which she writes. BOTH her blogs. *d finalsense template is also inspired from urz!* and heyy, she gets brownie points for being a senior @ MICA.
c. mahogany: awesome writing style and an inimitable way of making even d most mundane situation seem WOW! this one makes me do something i generally avoid... THINK.

pick it up, folks... in whatever sense u deem right. you guys deserve it!

Oct 20, 2007

chew over it...

...i take a break from my usual weekend break to leave u with something ambiguous to chew over. came across it this morng. cud relate to it. and HAD to post it before i forgot it.

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity."
- Gilda Radner

go! make the best of your days... and have fun!

Oct 19, 2007

d contingency plan

the after-effects of watching a movie like "darling".
V: u won't do something like this, will u?
R: like become a bhoot and haunt u? naah! i don't need to die to haunt u.
V: no, not that. that i know. u won't have an affair, will u?
R: hmm... don't think so. will u?
V: *treating this like a trick question*: wot'll u do if i have an affair?
R: i'll divorce u. take alimony. and use that for my next wedding.
V: *pretending outrage* i haven't even thought of having an affair yet and there u go planning ur next wedding!
R: hmm... two things:
a. u better not think. and,
b. it's called contingency planning.

Oct 18, 2007

to days gone by...

rishte toh nahi, rishton ki parchhaiyaan mile...
yeh kaisee bheed hai, bas yahan, tanhaiyaan mile...

sitting at d airport... listening to this tune made me realize the depth hidden behind the words. and made me remember & appreciate my recent work-mates. we were strangers when we met *except u, poo*, but it never felt that way.

we've all gone our different ways now, but the memories of apt 402, of d 25AED-ghanta-mona. of post mid-nite dancing. of pepsi-&-pringles. of impromptu dance sessions. of logging in to see if d other "room" has woken up. of sleeping past 5 on weekends. of maggi & frozen lunch. of MoE. of all d shopping sprees *window & otherwise*. of d shamiana/magic wok dilemma. of "hot tea" at baskins?!. of the photography sessions. of all d work-related stress. of d music & madness. to d bhai-ka-chhota-bhai AMN, to the perpetually lost, yet jolly GPS, and of course, u POO - life @ DXB wudn't rock without u guys. each of u. i mean it.

ek chhat ke tale ajnabee ho jaate hai rishte
bistar pe, chadaron se chhup, so jaate hai rishte.
dhoondhe se bhi inmein
nahi garmaiyaan mile...

here's to u all. for having become my frenz in a world where fr'ship is just another F word! for making life warm & fun in cold & trying times! hope we stay in touch.

cheerz!

Oct 15, 2007

d joy of glowing

i MUST specify, JPS, referred here as "J", is a straight, single, non-metro-sexual male fren of mine. this behaviour can only be attributed to his overt confidence and lack of interest in his own "beauty". LOL!

R: how was d weekend?
J: oh awesome. had gone for a haircut.
knowing his ability to turn the most normal activity into an event, i'm not VERY surprised at this admission.waiting for details... waiting... can't wait any longer. so i ask:
R: and how did THAT make your weekend great?
J: arre, i had only gone for a haircut. he didn't only give me a haircut. he added value to it also.
completely mindfucked by now. value addition via hair cut?
R: HOW?

J: he told me i should do some more things and it will really suit me.
R: *trying to not laugh* WHAT things, J?
J: i'm not sure. but it was very relaxing.
R: WHAT? LOL! what "relaxing things" did he do to u? *laughing by myself at this point of time*
J: wait. i'll tell u. i have the receipt.
R: *WOW!* go on...
J: ok. he did
a. 1 bleach
b. 1 face massage
c. 1 facial

d. 1 chemical massage
e. 1 haircut
i don't know when he did 'd', though. *confused emoticon*
R: WOW! someone's becoming a metro-sexual.
J: arre no. i don't know. he said it was proper for me. i said whatever. but u know, he used some orange liquid on my face. it looked damn nice, but was very cool. and now i've got a cold.
R: LOL! *he meant the liquid was cold, btw*
J: also, my face is glowing somewhat. it looks funny.
R: price of metro-sexuality, my fren. go for a pedicure next.
J: no, thank u. i like d way i look. tell me one thing. this will go away, no?
R: wait n watch, my fren. wait n watch!

disclaimer: J, if you happen to read this, PLZ don't disown me! u know i like u, but i HAD to post this!

Oct 13, 2007

namely, me.

trishna tagged me with d middle name tag. the tag also specifies that i HAVE to mention d rules at the beginning. really, now? well...yeah, rite! so, these are d rules:
a. The rules must be mentioned in the beginning of the tag. b. You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. c. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.


no middle names for me... so i stick with RAYSHMA - err.. too long, eh? well, u asked for it!?
R - raindrops. i absolutely LOVE d feeling of raindrops on my face... and the breathtakingly beautiful visions they create in my head *and outside it* when interspersed with slight sunlight. divine.

A - attitude. i've been told i have it. and i adore it in people. in the rite amount, if i may add. not the over-bearing, "i'm-a-blessing-to-humanity" types... more the "i'm-good-and-i-won't-take-crap" types.

Y - yin-yang. two basic opposing, yet complementary cosmic forces. they amaze me. also, yin is represented by water *or air* while yang by earth *or fire*. i'm a water sign & V's an earth. somehow, i believe that we're perfect in our imperfections.

S - suruchi. my fren, fellow brainstormer, excel teacher, local guardian, mother hen, member of the esteemed "bitch klub", fellow alcoholic *sports bar, her place, enigma lounge*, one of my two support systems in d big bad city, the quirkiest individual with the most sensible head-on-shoulders attitude. bbay wudn't have been bbay if not for her. also holds the distinction of being the first person whose baby i touched. and fell in love with.

H - hungama. have met some of the craziest, zaniest, quirkiest folks here. there's something about the place that leaves its traces in u way after u're out of it. and i have no words to describe that. i now believe: u can take a person out of hungama, but u can't take hungama out of a person. *and here, i'm quoting the boss*

M - movies. hindi movies, to be precise. and d fact that i can watch any & every one of them. and appreciate them for nuances that u may miss out. i even liked salaam-e-ishq, for heavens sake. *i saw it 3 times* purely for the effort everyone has put into it to ensure that the movie flops!

A - agnostic. i don't know whether there is a god. or multiple. and since i can't be sure he exists, i can't also be sure he doesn't. there i go... sitting on the fence on this one!

i'm not tagging anyone in p'lar... so whoever drops by - be my guest and lemme know when u do this tag.

Oct 12, 2007

i rock...

...and it's now official.
here i am fretting and whining about how my crazy fren's disowning me. while there comes along fuzzy and decides.. I ROCK!

yeps... this is what she "bestowed" on me *i like the word, so shall use it!*


thanks fuzz! and yes, u were rite... i DO love it. vain that i am! i SO love getting compliments. even tho i may not know how to react to them. but i love this one. i actly even liked the colors. looks good on my blog, eh? and heyy, this is extra special, coz it does make me want to blog more...

and of course, as we all learn as part of corporate gyaan - i'm supposed to "pass d baton". hmm... so i bestow this on... *music of dastaan-e-om-shanti-om playing*:
a. minal : don't know if i've ever TOLD u this. but u've always known it. now it's public news. and woman, ur blog rocks too. and yes, m hoping this makes u blog a tad more frequently. tell doggie, the truman show has been awarded. *wink wink* and no cows can munch it away!

b. mridula: she already has the "khooni chudail" award, but heyy u deserve this one! for being ur own crazy self. for giving it as good as u get. and of course, for being a fellow cat-lover. and cult member. and blog twin. *laughs evilly* rock on, babes... and yeah, DO flaunt this! coz u can't really flaunt the other... *laughs evilly again..*

c. upsi: i know, fuzz has already given this to u. but heyy, ur blog double rocks! and so do u.

go ahead, you all... ur time to rock n roll!

Oct 11, 2007

room for disowning..

a lot of my frenz have a lot of reasons to disown me. esp those who've known me a while now.

many a times i've been told that i was nuts, crazy, absolutely bonkers etc.. and i CAN understand that to a certain extent. meowing in public. clawing a frenz fren coz he tried to hold ur hand *this was to ensure that i don't get run over by a passing bus. not the clawing, silly. the hand-holding.* chatting up cabbies to figure out their choice of bhojpuri music. addressing waiters in swanky pubs with a "bhaiyya, kitna time lagega...?" staring at their frenz coz u thought THEY looked weird and being honest abt it when asked. refusing to speak in english with bombay'ites who don't understand hindi. *get a life, it's ur national language!* wanting to dance on the pavement after the disc has closed and thrown everyone out. calling ppl's kids "it" despite the obvious fact that "it" was a boy. AND refusing to touch it. making fun of a frenz life-long dream to quit a high-paying media job and relocate to their tiinnniieee rural town in central india and open a "desi-daaru ki dukaan". with another fren of mine being the investor. *dreams are dreams.. but THIS?! besides, they don't know each other*. calling up an ice cream parlour at 11.59 p.m. and asking for home delivery. ONLY to see if they actually deliver. definite reasons for disownment.

but still, when one of them finally decides to disown me, it isn't because of any of this. it is because "you sent a zombie to bite me on facebook" ??? i mean, c'mon! get a life. there're so many other reasons to pick from. and THIS is what u come up with. u disappoint me! reason not acceptable. go find a better one. and yeah, better luck next time...!

Oct 9, 2007

no point!


"the world is round, it has no point."
- Adrienne E. Gusoff.

interesting, eh?
p.s.: not meant to justify me, my blog, my lack-of-reading-d-drivers-handbook... or anything else. just interesting...


no drive to drive...

some excuses for not reading my drivers manual *since my return. ones given before are now obsolete*:
- losers read instructions. *trying to appeal to Vs ego where he doesn't read instructions on ANYthing.*
- i can't find it. *V did d packing. and i did NO unpacking. yet!*
- we need a book shelf. *genuinely, we do.*
- i can't unpack books till we get a proper book shelf. *genuine, again*
- i have to unpack the bags as well. *this, after a fren loaned me her book and i realized that i don't have to unpack for the handbook!*
- why do i need to drive? u're there for me. *this sed with the cutest puppy face. averting the topic for a WHOLE 5 mins*
- d'u know women make unsafe drivers? *unfortunately, V doesn't seem to believe that.*
- if i get a license, i'll be able to disappear if we ever fight. with the car! *this was meant to scare V. NOT motivate him further to make me study*

needless to say, none have worked. so far. and i'm being forced to open the pages. looking at the positive side *told u, am an optimist*, it sure looks better than the phone directory i'd read cover-to-cover once. long back. really.

Oct 2, 2007

thoughtful... or not...?

someone recently asked me... "when do u think?"

umm... well, tuff question that. i promptly did what i best-describe as: giving a blank, VERY daft look and saying "huh?", encouraging the saamne waala to either rephrase question or change topic. immediately. this always works. trust me. learnt it from a colleague, at work. but u have to master the expression first. *i cud take classes as a side-biz. no, main biz. am unemployed again, r'ber!* but heyy, there i go digressing again...

coming back to THIS post... later, i thot about the question. *this entails thinking too?* when DO i think? do i think? i really have no clue how to answer that question. m in two minds on this one. coz either i think a lot. or i don't think at all.

pertaining to this blog, i blog abt things which come to my mind when am doing the dishes. yeah. almost regularly. i usually start doing the dishes, wipe my hands off whatever i'm wearing... come to the laptop and type what i thought of. it's not that i "think" or "that's my thinking time"... things keep flowing in and out of my head and if something stays on, i put it on the blog. simple.
besides that, i don't really think of what i blog. *like that wasn't obvious by now!!* i only proof-read it sometimes and click on publish before i re-read! if i re-read, i feel like deleting almost all of what i've posted.

this space - in it's own arbit way - puts across what life is to me... or how i go about it. life's best lived spontaneously for me. thinking or planning makes me kinda uncomfortable. and no, i can't intentionally "think and blog". if it happens, good. if not, well, what-to-do? u'll keep reading, won't u?