Update before the holidays

Remember those days in childhood, when you had to learn poetry and recite it? You would have actually learnt a few lines. After those few lines, you’d look up to the ceiling, roll your eyeballs and act as if you are trying to recall. Sometimes, it worked and the teacher would make you sit and go to the next student.

I wish I could be that child who would atleast be allowed to take that chance. Been very busy and this is where the thought came from. As an employee, we cannot afford to roll eyeballs and look up in status-update meetings. We have been having hazaar calls, and web conferences. Sometimes, all we do is come together from different time zones and glorify a coma or a fullstop. It is part of the protocol and we do it. Sometimes, I join unwillingly, sometimes; I add my point strongly,” the full stop should be visible enough for people to know that it is a full stop” period.

I am in a mood to talk school and childhood friends today. When we were in school, if there was a holiday on a weekday, Rita (a notorious friend presently in Delhi) would start passing chits to the gang saying, “let us meet up.” We would take our bicycles and meet up; mostly at my place (cos my house was at the centre and sis would make good food for us, pakoras, chowmien, khitchri). If somebody was late, we would go cycling and pick her up again. It was so much fun as we were not allowed to take bicycles to school otherwise. This was my gang.

In the 9th standard, our class had acquired the reputation of being the naughtiest and hence, was placed next to the staff room. Even a part-time teacher could come and scold us for making noise. One day we did not make noise at all but suddenly, the teachers’ sensitive olfactory sensed a strong scent from our class. They came to check and found that someone had got Velocity, the hair perming liquid and all of us were busy passing it around and perming hair. Another day, all of us started cat-walking in the class one by one, while others clapped and cheered. The wannabe Cindy Crawfords had to halt their infant steps in the modeling world when the headmistress arrived in the form of the designer, the designer of punishments in all forms and types! Someone brought in some sticky wild fruits that get stuck in the hair and everybody in the class and school started throwing it at each other. We danced at the golden chance and targeted our seniors. This dance of fortune lasted for 3 days and it was banned in the school after that. I am still proud of my class. We were tough to handle because we were very united unlike other classes, where there was a lot of groupism. We got the highest no. of state ranks too when we passed out.
This was high school.

After the 12 board exams, somebody in the gang had a crush on a boy. We met up again in one of the houses, this time in Kinetic Hondas and Scootys and went to the guy’s house. We did not enter but took a turn in front of his gate and came back. We felt cool and were quite thrilled flocking in front of a guy’s house.

R’s wedding is coming up. R, Ju and I planned to get married at the same time but it didn’t work out (so much for planning through roof-hitting phone bills.) Infact, we planned it so well that Ju’s and mine were fixed a few days apart and couldn’t attend each other’s wedding. I gave her some flexi dates as I was engaged earlier. When the time to really discuss came, her phone went kaput and she vanished. On top of that, her reception was in Delhi as she was marrying a Delhite. Poor R had to fly up and down to please both her school mates. R couldn’t marry but she got engaged during that break.

I am going home to get my face whitewashed for the wedding and wear our bling- bling traditional dress. The wedding is in December and winter would be at its peak, but that is not going to stop us from wearing low-cut blouses and transparent chaddars (shawls). Mrs Ju is also back from Amreeka for a long vacation. Leen would also be back for sometime. 4 of us from the gang would be together.

To conclude this long and directionless post, I had mentioned earlier about Ju and Leen that they are doctors. We wished at least one of them would be a gynaec, but both ended up being pathologists. Both claims that it is not very hectic and there is lot of money.

Between all this fun and plans of catching up with my schoolmates, mom suddenly asked me, “Will you be allowed to come and stay with us?” and the thought suddenly struck me that since I am married, I have to seek permission to stay with my parents or catch up with friends.

You can expect some mother-in-law posts after my holidays.

money money money must be funny

“Money, money, money must be funny in the rich man's world” –Abba

Some of you may say, ‘perhaps not!’ as the rich would try to remain rich or be richer. My argument is that they are rich period.

I see flats everywhere, on the way to the office, on big hoardings, in the newspaper, magazines, internet, everywhere. I look at them and look at them again as though by looking at them one of them would become mine. Made some enquiries and I nearly fainted hearing the prices. I had to watch 4 movies back to back to overcome the feeling. Recession is happening and prices should fall is the talk but I don’t see it happening, atleast to any of the flats that we wanted to own and enquired. Yes, I am talking about Bangalore which is considered not so expensive. The middle class dream and the never ending EMIs I must say!

Remember Sridevi in Judaai, where she said,”Ye middle class ki baatein mat karo.” I wish I could be like her, blink non-existent lashes and say,”It’s only a flat haan? 2Bhk, 3BHk? Here have it. Ye lo, ye lo, aur ye bhi lo” Anyway, let me stop dreaming and concentrate on my house hunt. Friends tell me that sometimes it takes close to 2 years from the thinking, searching to the buying. The Prestige Shantiniketan also came crashing down. I work in that side of the city and went agape watching it. I am not going to buy in that area at all, forget the builders. I could never afford a Purvankara, Prestige or their ilk but if this is happening to the big players, what can be said about the small builders?

I am also starting to think what I should do if I lose my job. I know searching for a house and thinking of losing job doesn’t go together but in the back of my mind, it is there. What is plan B or plan C if this happens?

Diwali was celebrated without crackers. I told S that I am bursting environment friendly crackers and made sounds of crackers with my mouth, Tuuuuunnnnngggg!

I have been having Diwali curtain raisers and making sweets and distributing to neighbours before the actual day (which was yesterday for us.) that I did not offer any sweets to God but offered a variety of fruits. The worshippers would not want to see any more sweets after the puja was the reason. As for the lights and decorations, I had rose petals, floating candles, diyas and what not. (Photos were taken while praying and lighting diyas to impress the mother-in-law)

S started laughing seeing my Gods. There was Jesus Christ’s picture (it is the biggest) and a small christmas tree too along with the Ganapathi, Balaji, Krishna-Radha, Saraswati and Lakshmi and the various other Gods. ‘Your Jesus is also celebrating Diwali and my God, there is also a Christmas tree" he said. My room-mate left the picture behind when she left. We used to keep all the Gods together. I did not have the heart to do away with it so carried it when I shifted with S and now, I worship all the Gods.

Got the URL of Shobhaa De’s blog from Saltwater Blues and I left a comment in her blog,”oh, I never knew you blogged”. buhaha

Dhak Dhak Hota Hain Father India Ka Dil

Somebody thought that his name has a dose of Rama (Ramadoss) and wanted to save people. Why is he doing it? i think that is because DDHHFIKD. Read on to know more about DDHHFIKD.

Colleague and i walked around the campus spotting the survelience cameras fixed at various locations. The guy inside the security room must be wondering what these two ladies are doing, passing by the cameras one after the other and giggling at it. Women can find anything and everything funny. We were literally laughing looking at the cameras saying, “Here is one more. Gosh, what must the security guys be thinking?”

Ram Gopal has proved with Contract and Phoonk that he can also make comedies. A dangerous underworld in Contract was called, Goonga. Oh my God, isn’t it so scary? In Phoonk, he has used all the superstitious beliefs of India. The camera mainly focussed on the eyes of two ladies whose eyes were kohl laden. Zoom in zoom out and hold for a minute on the eyes.

i was running to catch my cab in the morning. Took a turn near a joint where people were having breakfast. Suddenly, some dogs started chasing me and then running along with me. Guess among them, there were some bitches that were so hell bent on proving that i am one of them. i did not let them win. i stopped and stood still until they went.

i don’t care if Pappu or his father can dance or not but i can. Salsa, Merengue, Jive, Cha Cha Cha, Manipuri Classical, Hip Hop, a little bit of Bharatnatyam and not to forget the Bollywood Jhatak Mataks. Mom used to call me co-curricular activity as i was always on stage doing something or the other. This encouraged me a lot and i had decided that i wanted to become a bollywood extra. i would have loved to be an extra in DDHHFIKD (Dhak Dhak Hota Hain Father India Ka Dil. This is the title Om Puri aspired to give a movie in King Of Bollywood) My hopes were dashed by the movie Hindustani, where they paraded sexy, tall, model-looking babes as extras in the Jhatka Lagadiya Tumne song. Every other movie started sporting extras with good bodies and looks. Nowadays, apart from the body, you even need to be a blonde to be an extra. So, i became a blogger.