Mar 28, 2008

april fool, ravan!

a VERY silly, and rather early April Fool to y'all!
thanks to c2w.com and their awesomely creative team! i'm loving it!

p.s.: the video's in hindi. apologies if u don't understand the language. translation will completely kill the fun for those who do understand. mail me ur id, if u need a translation.


Mar 27, 2008

FAQs

answers to some FAQs addressed to me in the past few months... by random people. when friends ask these questions, it's okay, they can ask me anything. when random people who are barely acquainted with me ask these, it's just being nosy. *the replies have been edited to seem polite.*

Q: y don't u have kids? u're anyway not working.
A: unemployment is a VERY good reason to not want kids.

Q: are u going to have a baby? *quoted from an orkut scrap i recd.*
A: no. do i look pregnant to u?? *actual reply to scrap*

Q: why don't you want to live in the US?
A: i really do want to. but i don't think they *the forces that be* want me to live here.

Q: why don't u like kids?
A: of course i like kids. i don't understand how to behave with them, tho. i do prefer getting to know them before i agree to touch them, pick them up or play with them. also, i may drop the child *accidentally, not intentionally* and only YOU will be responsible for any resulting damage. u cud check with suruchi - i love advika! she even let me pick her up a couple of times.

Q: were u being sarcy?
A: if u need to ask that question... u probably don't deserve to know. :P

Q: PhD? he must be a nerd/geek? how come u married him?
A: well, better him than u! and FYI - everybody attempting to do their PhD is not a nerd/geek.

Q: do u miss being single?
A: no. life hasn't changed THAT much, u know. i'm still as crazy as then.

Q: do you have to wear salwar kameezes now that u're married?
A: u watch too many bollywood flicks. where the skimpily clad heroine starts wearing sarees/salwar kurtas the moment she gets hooked. real life, sorry to disappoint u, differs. i still wear what i used to wear then. of course, not literally.

Q: do u like not working?
A: i would like to work, yes. am i unhappy not working... definitely not!

Q: why are u upset if a job doesn't work out, then?
A: complicated. let me just say, when i work towards something and don't get d results, bcoz of some trivial paperwork issues, i get upset. momentarily.

Q: why have u gained so much weight?! *asked to me on orkut by someone who used to work with me long ago*
A: lack of stress. working with people like u caused me a lot of intellectual & emotional trauma. and btw, have u seen a mirror recently? *i've gained abt 10 pounds since coming here. but i'm perfectly happy with my weight.*

Q: when will V graduate?
A: inshallah, this year. if u want the exact dates & stuff, u'll have to speak to his advisors. no, pls don't speak to him.

Q: why do u want a tattoo? it won't suit u.
A: HELLO? WHO the F*%# do u think u are to decide that for me??? i think i can decide what "suits" me. if u have a logical argument, pls put it across.

if u have any additions to make to this list, in terms of questions that annoy u, pls leave them in the comments....

Mar 26, 2008

i won me a tag!

instead of flicking a tag, or getting tagged, i WON this tag. it reminded me of the ebay ads... SHOP victoriously, they say. and probably, for the first time, i realized how much fun it is to win something that u could have got irrespective! thanks, solitaire, u made my day today.

d tag sez to Write about yourself, and write the FIRST thing that comes to your mind! so go on, read some more abt me if u aren't bored already!

I AM: mystery's final page. *dunno why, that just popped into my head*
I WANT: to travel a lot. across the globe.
I HAVE: faith. that life sorts itself out.
I WISH: i would be a little less filmy.
I HATE: exercising. *even walking from my couch to the kitchen is exercise. and we live in a pretty small apartment.*
I FEAR: being relegated to the realms of the redundant.
I SEARCH: for a job?!
I WONDER: what life has in store for me.
I REGRET: having worked for hungama. *not regret, but it makes me feel stupid. so really dislike the feeling*
I LOVE: the concept of being in love.
I ALWAYS: say "i don't know" when i need time to think.
I AM NOT: manipulative.
I DANCE: to completely filmy bollywood numbers.
I SING: completely off-key. and ONLY when drunk or stressed.
I CRY: rarely.
I WRITE: for myself.
I WON: this tag! :)
I AM CONFUSED: by numbers.
I NEED: my friends to be there for me. they're my support system.
I SHOULD: start searching for a job in canada. seriously.
THE LAST THOUGHT I GO TO SLEEP WITH IS: "wonder if i'll remember what i dream tonight..."

well, this wasn't as easy as i thought it would be... feel free to tag urselves!

Mar 20, 2008

u ask for money? u die?!

got this from here

and if u're like me and feel lazy to click on links... here's the gist of what it says: man *in moscow* killed hairdresser bcoz he did not want to pay for the haircut. also, he did not have the money. so he hit her on the head with a hammer and stabbed her 12 times with his knife. the amount was $4.10 (100 rubles).

yeah, u read that right. and here i am hounding the godfather-like ex-boss for $1400+... what have i been thinking!?

this was just an ordinary man. who knows what arsenal the boss may deploy.
but i need the money... more coz i've worked for it already.
awwww......
please boss... don't kill me, okay? u'll have my blog frenz *and of course, V* to answer if u do!

Mar 18, 2008

r'ship bluz...

*edited to add: title has been changed bcoz i had a prev post with the same title.

here's a true story i promised to publish for a friend.


*disclaimer: X & Y are real individuals. their names will not be mentioned coz they're both happily married. not to each other. if u know who i'm talking about, pls stay mum about it. we do not wish to discuss them publicly. this ideally, shouldn't be blogged about. but i thought it would help a friend. and i hope it does.*

so, once upon a time... there was a gurl X. and there was a boy Y. they had a lot in common. including their disdain for relationships, flings and people. they had both been in relationships as well as had flings prior to meeting each other. they both wore their "happy to be single" badges rather proudly.

what started as routine acquaintance, soon turned into friendly, harmless flirting. neither took it seriously. Y was known to flirt with all women. X, also enjoyed flirting. she thought it added some spice to friendship.

Y, at this stage was regularly meeting other gurls. for matrimonial purposes. he used to discuss these meetings with X and they used to laugh over them. he started liking X. he thought she was everything a woman should be. she was smart, intelligent, independent, funny, knew how to handle relationships, attitude and life. they did have a lot in common.
then, one fine day, X met Y for coffee and told him how a "friend" of hers had told her he liked her. and she was upset about it because she thought he was a good friend. she also told him how she felt about people not being able to control their feelings and ruining perfectly good friendships. Y agreed with everything she said. and argued for the point, even louder.
the truth was, X liked Y too. she thought he was a simple, down-to-earth guy who made her laugh. and she'd have liked to give this r'ship a shot. but she did not know that he liked her. and she wasn't the kind of girl who'd ever tell a guy that she liked him. also, she didn't want to risk losing him as a friend merely to give the r'ship a shot!

they both believed that they were too old to "fall madly in love" anymore. they'd seen enough of life. and believed that life was all about taking a decision and not looking back.

they decided to let things take their own course.

gradually, unknown to each other, they both started liking each other quite a bit. all their friends knew. the friends thought that these two had confessed their liking to each other. but these two, kept quiet. hoping the other person liked them, but not wanting to say it. they even laughed at how their friends kept talking of them as a "couple".

this went on for almost a year. by this time, both knew they liked the other. and both refused to let the other know. they both kept going out of their way for the other. thinking that these were signs to the other. but they were so alike... neither of them saw the signs. and if they did, they refused to believe in them.

then one fine day, X told Y that she was meeting someone her parents wanted her to. for matrimonial purposes. Y, in his usual nonchalant manner said "go ahead. have fun." that did it for X. she went ahead and agreed to the nuptials believing that Y didn't care for her beyond friendship. tired of waiting for him to realize he liked her, she went ahead and got engaged. Y was quite heartbroken. and confessed to X - two days after her engagement - that he liked her. that he had always liked her. but hadn't known how to tell her. and now, he couldn't pretend to be happy for her.

but life isn't a hindi movie. X told him that she had waited for almost a year to hear that. and now that she did, it was too late. she had taken her decision. and they should move on.

today, they're no longer friends. i don't know if they miss each other. i don't know if they are happy with their respective partners. but i do believe that all of this could have been avoided if they had been honest about how they felt towards each other. they MAY have been happily married - TO each other. or they may have decided to go separate ways. but i guess they'll never know.

moral of the story *this is ONLY for the friend i wrote this for*: if u like someone, make sure u tell that person. LOUD. and CLEAR. leaving no room for doubt. because once u like a person, u can't be "just friends" with them! someone's heart is bound to be broken.

Mar 17, 2008

a friendship gone by...

someone i considered a close friend has disowned me. for real. i know i joked about it earlier saying that my friends were now disowning me and there were a lot of reasons why a lot of my close friends should disown me too.
but it surprises me that he didn't give me any reason for it. one evening, we were discussing life, as usual and said good night on the usual friendly terms... agreeing to meet the next day for lunch. *this was when i'd gone down to india* not only was i stood up for lunch by my very good friend *this has never happened to me before* but we haven't spoken a word to the other since then. and it's been almost six months now. initially, i was worried. thought of all the horrible things that could have happened to him. tried to reach him. but then, eventually, i realized that he just didn't want to keep in touch. why, i have no idea. i'm sure he has his own reasons for any/all of it. just that i don't know them. and now, i don't want to know them.


i'm not hurt by it anymore. it was quite some time back. and i don't really think of it all the time. but i just went thru his testimonial for me on orkut... and felt a little cheated. felt the words were empty, that that friendship probably had no meaning. that he didn't consider me as close a friend as he said. or as i considered him. also, my mom asked me about him when i spoke to her and i said "i don't know. lost touch." and i didn't feel upset about it.

why am i blogging about this so many months after it happened? because it took me so many months to get it out of my system. i tried to blog about it sooner, but couldn't. i didn't have the words. i still don't. but i just wanted to tell everybody else that's close to me... if u want to ever do the disappearing act, please mail me a line saying - "wanna disappear" - i assure u, i ask no questions and need no explanations!

the thing with me is i don't make friends very easily. but once i do, they're mine. and i'm fiercely possessive. of all of them! they can take me for granted, not call me, not mail me... they're forgiven everything. to me, they're the most superior creatures on the planet. they're above the norms of right and wrong. because at the end of the day, i know they understand me. and accept me for who i am. i may not speak to them for months, but a one-liner saying 'need to talk' and they'd be there for me. and vice-versa.

this incident just opened my eyes to the fact that nothing and nobody is permanent. that people change. friendships change, too. and the change may be that u're no longer a part of their life. and they, urs. and it's still alright. and if i mean so little to someone, then i'd rather that they not be a part of my life. took time to understand, but understand it i do.

it was, indeed, a pleasure knowing him in one of my lives. i hope he finds what /who he's been looking for.

Mar 14, 2008

proud to be a bitch

When I stand up for myself and my beliefs, they call me a bitch.
When I stand up for those I love, they call me a bitch.
When I speak my mind, think my own thoughts or do things my own way, they call me a bitch.

Being a bitch means I won't compromise what's in my heart.
It means I live my life MY way.
It means I won't allow anyone to step on me.

When I refuse to tolerate injustice and speak against it, I am
defined as a bitch.
The same thing happens when I take time for myself instead of being everyone's maid, or when I act a little selfish.

It means I have the courage and strength to allow myself to be who I
truly am and won't become anyone else's idea of what they think I "should" be.

I am outspoken, opinionated and determined. I want what I want and there is nothing wrong with that!

So try to stomp on me, try to douse my inner flame, try to squash every ounce of beauty I hold within me.
You won't succeed.

And if that makes me a bitch , so be it.
I embrace the title and am proud to bear it.
-------------------------
no, i didn't write that. was forwarded to me by a fellow bitch. but yeah, i do like it. THAT is why it's here. also, "bitch" is something i say quite often... if i ever say it to you - this is what i'd mean by it.

Mar 13, 2008

i'm hungry...!

Have a gr8 spring break y'all!
vibs sent this to me this morng with a note: "so like u"... it's not. really! but it's really cute! :)

Mar 9, 2008

top 10

not been too well... and was tagged by a couple of u good folk there... since i'm running late on all of them... i'm doing this one tag. i think it covers almost all the tags i've been tagged with.

10 things you wish you could say to people right now (don't list names)

1. u need to pay me. NOW.
2. you're a liar. and a cheat. and u're bound to get what you've given around.
3. i wish you were here now.
4. no, i don't miss u. u're not that important!
5. oh c'mon! stop cribbing.
6. if u're so dissatisfied here, why don't u go back to where u came from!
7. learn to be happy with what u have.
8. for heavens sake! stop being caustic!
9. will u really never speak to me again?
10. i'm really really happy for you.

9 Things About Yourself
1. i am more human than i'm given credit for.
2. i am more intelligent than u think i am.
3. i adapt very easily.
4. i'm always content with what i have, but it doesn't stop me from knowing what more i cud do or learn.
5. i can't tolerate people who crib about everything.
6. i believe i was a cat in one of my nine lives.
7. i like bollywood music. and i'm not embarrassed to admit it.
8. i am good with words. and people. i just have to decide i want to be good.
9. i have one life. and i will live it my way.

8 Ways To Win Your Heart / Things that attract me to my best friends
1. a good sense of humour.
2. keep ur word. no matter what.
3. have the substance to justify your attitude.
4. have the ability to remain grounded no matter how much of god's gift to mankind they may be.
5. love food. or willingness to give me company while i eat
6. a strong sense of individuality
7. opinions. or/and the ability to have one's own mind. and use it.
8. love animals. or even better, have adorable pets.

7 Things That Cross Your Mind A Lot
1. is she/he getting what i'm saying?
2. am i in a soup. again..?
3. what do i feel like eating?
4. when will V graduate?
5. when we get doofus...
6. when will i get a job...?
7. will this work out...?

6 Things You Wish You Never Did
1. worked for hungama.
2. bite my nails.
3. peel skin off my lips.
4. argue with my mom.
5. give grief to people i don't like. it's not all their fault they're like that.
6. trusted the boss.

5 Turn-Off's
1. intellectual innocence.
2. hypocrites.
3. dishonesty.
4. attitude with nothing to justify it.
5. giving ur word and not keeping it.

4 Turn-On's
1. intelligence.
2. way with words.
3. good hands.
4. johnny depp.

3 Things You Want To Do Before You Die
1. earn lots of money.
2. travel the world.
3. know that i was well loved by all who mattered to me.

2 Smileys that Describe You
1. :P
2. :0)

1 Confession
it is difficult to dislike me.

Mar 4, 2008

SWOT me, silly!

rather unusual tag. i remember orchid having done a SWOT for her blog long ago... and me having said i'd take it up someday... well, it took pavi to tag me to get down to it!

so here we go... a SWOT for my blog:

Strengths
- the fact that u guys like to read what i write.
- it's written in simple, basic english. mainly, because i don't like using big words where not required. not because i have a limited vocab. :P
- from the feedback that i've got... the space makes you smile, sometimes think, sometimes worry. perfect formula for a bollywood pot-boiler, wot say?
- people who know me can say that it's written just the way i speak.

Weaknesses
- the posts are becoming lengthier.
- i blog too often.
- some of the pieces come across as snooty. used to, rather. been a while since i wrote something really opinionated.
- tends to get too personal, at times.
- if i keep blogging abt my frenz, i'm worried they'll all disown me soon! :)

Opportunities
well, infinite. anybody & everybody who is a part of my life can and will be blogged about.

Threats
well, i'm temperamental. someday, i may just wake up and not want to blog anymore.

coming soon... pixie's tag of 8.

Mar 3, 2008

qui vivra verra

okay... so as most of u know, the blog has recently been renamed.... it used to be 'strange people, strange things'. was named thus, bcoz basically i was feeling strange when i started it. i had just got to the US and had a whole lot of time on hand. also, i hadn't thought anybody would ever read it.

now that i have more than 5 regular readers and over 200 posts - i thought, time to revamp! i thought of changing the look, but well, i LOVE this template. it's VERY me. so i thought of changing the name.
and i must say, i love you guys for actually thinking so much. honestly, i hadn't expected SO many options to choose from! :) it confused me... but then, as i'd said, there was only one which i read and thought "why didn't i think of that?!"

a few of the others that had me thinking were:

- soul curry *i like the 'good for u' part of it. also that we have identical roots - d curry & me, that is.*
- organized chaos *speaks a lot about me, yes.*
- sunny side up *bright n happy?*
- not so strange anymore *nice, no?*
- girl unlimited *i, really really liked this!*
- spice bowl *i mixed up suma's "spicy, just d way i like it" & preethi's "spice of life"*
- thought cauldron *bcoz it is.*

cynosure of blogwood was extremely sweet. and flattering. but no, not true! :)

none, except mrids, said i should retain the name. but then, she was on her way home from work. *which would mean, not in the right frame of mind* also, i have stopped trusting people who work where she does.

and then galadriel mailed me with "qui vivra verra"
and tho i loved it immediately, i had to google it to confirm the meaning. *my french is VERY basic* and to confirm that she wasn't merely pulling my leg. confirmation was reqd. esp. after that "wise" suggestion she left in the comments space!

so here u go. welcome to qui vivra verra. or 'time will tell' in plain english. it's also the english proverb-equivalent to 'what will be will be'. it's literal translation is "(S)He who lives will see". why i like it best. bcoz it's not the easiest to understand, yet very simple. it seems all high & mighty, but is not. it's mysterious till u read more and know that it's not. it's survival of the fittest.
a lot like me, in a lot of ways.


kewl eh?

Mar 2, 2008

X's matrimonial quest...

a very good fren of mine is meeting this gurl on sunday. for matrimonial purposes. he was feeling nervous and thought i'd help him. i tried. really, i did.
excerpts of our gtalk conversation... X, of course, refers to my friend. he said i could reproduce the conversation provided i don't name him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
X: where do we go?
me: must be something around there, no? how can i tell u from here!?
X: there's a children's garden.
me: huh?
yeah, sure... go there... and run around the trees and sing songs also.
X: while we are there, we can discuss how many children we want also.
me: yeah, rite! also tell her this is what u do every weekend. then she'll want to marry u then & there.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
X: what all will they ask me? u ask me now only.
me: can u cook?
X: yeah.
me: *evidently not knowing what to ask* can u sing?
X: yeah.
me: *hain? he can!?* achcha...?? toh gaana practice karke jaana! *eng translation: practice ur singing before u go.*
X: arre? NO! i am a car singer. i can only sing in the car. i will say i can't sing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
me: don't worry. u're quite marriage-material. u're also quite domesticated.
X: no, i am not.
me: ok... let's do a pop-quiz! *i'm so bright, eh!*
answer the following in yes or no.
a. u like partying every other night?
b. u get so sozzled on ur partying binges that u sometimes can't r'ber what or who u did d previous nite?
c. u would happily exchange ur car for a hot, sexy bike? *umm...I would do this*
X: no, to all. and i love my car. it makes much more sense than any bike. what all you ask!
me: there! see?
X: but i'm not domestic. i don't like to be at home.
me: ?? then where do u like being? *he's usually either at work, or home or in between*
X: outside.

long pause. while i wait for an explanation.

me: huh?
X: i like being OUTSIDE.

oh, well!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
me: achcha listen... all sed & done, don't forget to get her number before leaving, okay?
X: number nahi dii toh?
*eng translation: what if she doesn't give it to me?*
-------------------------------------------------------------------

if they do end up marrying each other, i'm gonna rag him for life with this!

p.s.: name shall be changed next week. no time for more today. keep them suggestions coming...:)