Mercedes Benz

Christmas is round the corner...festivity is in the air...love the month of December...celebration of 'birth' of a son, a new year and new dreams. My wish list ain't much but I'd like to share this song which I had heard long time back. Only if...it came true ;-)

Lot of versions are available for this song and even where Janis Joplin has sung it. But yes - I totally loved the way of expression.  Coming on to my new job :-), I am liking it here. Well - in a different way. It does not have the same familiarity like a small company where there is always a personal touch and where everybody knows everybody. Its a different setup. Totally different language. A different ball game. I am liking the change. The team size is pretty big whereas till now I was a loner in my team. I and only I was responsible for the work that I was doing. Over here, things are slightly different.

I had made new year resolutions at the beginning of 2010 and had also done a series of posts pertaining to that. But the point is, my new year resolutions dont carry beyond the new year. They are forgotten pretty much in the first month itself :-P. 

There's not much of a plan in place to celebrate the new year. Most probably there will be a house party. I am not much into getting sloshed in huge party places amidst rowdy strangers with obnoxiously loud music and pathetic food. Ya - call me boring. 

But Yes - I will definitely pray to the good Lord to grant me and my near and dear ones his blessings, inner peace and a MERCEDES BENZ :-)!!!!!

Independence Rock 2011

I am not really a Rock Music Fan, so when my Guitar Teacher, Zack D'Souza asked hubby and me to come along with him and his lovely wife Merelyn, we really were in two minds. Actually more than two minds. Rock music is really not our scene but hey what the hell... the entry was free ;-) ...hehehe.... so we could always leave if we didn't like the scene. Plus, this would be the first time I would be driving 3 people along with me or else its just me and my hubby Munish.

On the way, Zack educated us about "INDEPENDENCE ROCK" and its history. Initially it was held on independence day every year in Mumbai for all the rock fans. Soon the government started having security issues with alcohol and drug abuse. Now it is held much later and all the security. We were told that  "Rock" scene in India is not really encouraging. There are different types of Rock Music - metal, heavy metal, black metal, etc etc...and ideally each of them should have their own concert.But here, in India, they put all of it together, so if you are new to this scenario it really is a tricky situation. He warned us to stay away from the Mosh's Pit - a terminology popular in rock, where severe head jamming takes place and people are on a HIGH....Munish and me stayed on the sidelines....infact on the sidelines of the sidelines....The event was covered live by VH1, MTV and some other channels. 

Some of the bands that played and which we were and audience to were "The Other People", "Brahma" and "Bhayanak Maut". On a relativity basis, I liked the music played by "The Other People" but "Bhayanak Maut" gave me a splitting headache. I tried recording some bit of it in my cell phone but the clarity leaves a lot to be desired. But I found some clippings on You Tube. 

This link pertains to the Mosh's Pit. We stayed away from it. We could see some bits and pieces on the screen and were glad that we were not standing in the middle of it. Here, have a look :

Link of some of the performance by "Bhayanak Maut"

Post this performance, both of us decided, that Rock Music was really not our scene. Should leave. Must Leave. But yes - to give it credit, really appreciate the dedication of all the rock music fans that for 26 years, they have been loyal to the music inspite of it not being very popular here in India (which is ruled by Bollywood Music). Cheers to them. 

Random Musings

Its been quite a while since I visited this space... especially after the month long holiday that I went too.... From almost posting daily to nothing at all.... Was inactive on my twitter account too except for maybe one or two sporadic tweets...

Life is pretty busy now between work and home and weekends....don't have as much time to practice my guitar or try and make a disastrous attempt in the kitchen over some wonderful receipes I used to discover earlier. 

Not that I am cribbing about my current state of affairs, buts its refreshingly different from my previous state of affairs...:-) A lot happened in this one month break. For starters, I discovered the art of "DOING NOTHING" more of which you can obviously read HERE. 

There are a couple of things and some unfinished posts that I would like to write about...some of them are saved in the drafts!!! And some, some are in my mind :-P, for how long - that is another thing.

Today, there is no such agenda for writing, but I just wanted to write. Been on my mind for a long time, and had started to feel guilty about it, so decided to drop in say "HELLO" :-)....

2011 is going to end soon... with Christmas and the New Years around the corner. Waiting for Christmas eagerly. It reminds me of school and my school friends. I try and recreate some of it at home :-) and thoroughly enjoy the day!!!!

But right now, today being a Saturday, catching up on some puzzles with tea and chips!!!!  

So - see you soon again, hopefully with a new update and something interesting. 

My Report Card

Ahem!!!! My report card for the holiday I just had, which vanished into thin air...I just didn't realize that it was time to go back to work again. Now- Now - Now- To begin with, I followed a good friend's advice and also decided to enjoy the vacation as long as it lasts and not just keep ticking off my list. :-). Remember the list which I had made HERE, well here's what it is -->

Anyways, here's what it is:

1. I had decided to blog daily for the month of October, 11 as a part of a Blogger Challenge. Well- I blogged for a little more than half a month but come Diwali and I just forgot all about it.

2. Cooking / Baking: Well, I didn't go all exotic and stuff as much I'd like to do, but yes  COOK - I did. 3 meals a day. All the time.:-P

3. Guitar: Well, my sessions did pick and I have improved with my chords progressions and can even strum and hum a song or two *collars rolling up*

4. Photography: Well, the only photography I did was during Bhaiya Dooj and our family visit to Taj Mahal, Agra. I clicked like crazy. :-) And no - I did  not try to learn Photoshop :-P

5. Shopping / Cleaning / Dusting - NOW THAT - I did with full gusto. My home was sparkling and most importantly clutter free. *pats my own back*

6. Healthy regime - Ummmmm.....uhhhhhhhh *Still thinking*..... ummmmmm....uhhhhhh...*suffers from selective amnesia now* !!!!

7. I collated all my old photographs and re-organized them - ready to be printed and pasted. Scouting for a good deal. Got more than1000 photographs to print. Help required here. If any of selective, few readers who know a studio who could give me a good deal please get in touch :-)

8. Plants: *crying* :-( Well- they have all died thanks to the 15 days spent with my family and In-laws in Delhi :-(. The only survivor of this drought is my precious Christmas Tree !!!!

9. Read I did :-). Will be posting reviews on them soon. Currently reading Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen. So far - I am liking it.

10. All in all, it was a good break. After a long long time, did I find so much time to gether to so do so much of Nothing. And I - terribly enjoyed it :-)

Yes - I could have been more active, could have extracted more....but I went slow...at my pace...with leisure and loads of pleasure ;-)

Cheers!!!!

Rockstar

There are a lot of things which worked for Rockstar and lot of which didn't. I, for one, didn't like the movie as much as I thought I would like. I was fairly disappointed. 

Well, to begin on a positive note, A R Rehman has composed some excellent music. There's variety of music and very soulful and addictive music. There's Kun Faya with a sufiana touch and the wonderful jugalbandi between the shennai and the guitar played onscreen by Late Shri Shammi Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor. The song 'Sada Haq' takes some time getting used to but catches up wonderfully once you get the hang of it. 

As much as the music is wonderful, the singer Mohit Chauhan does apt justice to the compositions. Both - the composer and the singer have done a wonderful job with the music. Some of the music easily reflects a 'Jab We Met'.

Ranbir Kapoor is a natural. With each performance, he is improving by leaps and bounds. He easily fits into the role and does wonderful justice to it. Sometimes, more even when the script gets weak in between the movie becomes slow. There are places of boredom in between. Probably, the script / screen play  should have been tackled in a more effective manner.  

Nargis Fakhri could have very easily been avoided. She did not bring anything new to the table. It could very easily be one our own desi heroines. Dialogue delivery is such an effort and so in the process, the expressions are not happening. Sometimes, I wish, we'd get over our 'thing' with the firang face and the accent!!!!

More than Nargis Fakhri, I enjoyed the performance of Ranbir Kapoor's manager who advised him to get his heart broken to managing his contracts. 

Watch if you must but only for the music and Ranbir Kapoor's performance.

Rating: 3 / 5

The End of the Blogger Challenge

I had participated in a Blogger challenge for the entire month of October, 11. A bunch of bloggers got together via twitter and started to blog   for various reasons!!! I got in this simply because, one, I had never participated in a blogger challenge before, two, I wanted to improve on my writing skills and three push myself to write something worthwhile once a day. 

But...but...but...mother of all But's... *no pun intended*.... Diwali happened. It happened with my immediate family, in laws and all the gang of outlaws - my relatives!!! My uncles and aunts and cousins!!! Phew!!! A friend of mine commented that I am going on a two week holiday to Delhi to get pampered - EXCUSE ME!!!!! I had no breathing space, everyday was different!!!! More on that later...

Anyways, coming to the point, giving no excuses, the challenge went for a toss :-(. I could not continue. Could not even check my mails and apologize for not contributing....found the time to do so only when I came back. I could post only for half of the month. Got to complete a story I wrote somewhere in between... got to thank all my blogger buddies I made... and wish to thank all of them, because the interaction with them has only made me richer!!!! 

The Sheep and the Shepherd

Its been more than a year and half since I last visited Ladakh. Had been wanting to do that ever since I saw my dad's photographs and visits. Must say, its all about the roads. There are close to 2000 photographs which we clicked. By the end of it all, we were so tired clicking. Everything was just so beautiful. But I maintain one regret. Actually two. Missed visiting the Nubra Valley and thanks to procrastination, never got around to working on those photographs. 

Before showing one of the photographs, I would like to give a little bit of a background around it. This photograph was taken en route from Srinagar to Leh. We had decided not directly landing in Leh, cause we had wanted to explore the awesome scenic beauty of the route, which was highly recommended to us. This pic was taken multiple times from different mountains and different vantage point. Although I might add, the final picture which was taken was not by default. It was an effort to capture in a speeding vehicle!!!

If you see closely, you can see little specks of white on the green patch, well those are sheep!!!

This is from another mountain, a top view...now logically if there are sheep, there should be a spheherd :-). I was looking out for him...

I zoom in more, and there - I am able to locate him...running after one of them...trying to get it back in the flock!

And while I use my minimalistic photoshop skills, I give you this :-)

All pics displayed here are under (c) Meghna Garg

With this trip, I realized the importance of travelling. So essential. So necessary. So fruitful.

Working on some other pictures as well, will post them as and when the opportunity arises!!!!

The smile

My father ,with respect to his work, has travelled in many a nook and corner of the country. . During his 3rd and recent visit this summer, I heard him complaining about how Ladakh has become so 'touristy'. He complained about so many people, so many vehicles and of course being an active environmentalist, the garbage that came along with the package.

(C)J K Garg, Aryan Valley, Ladakh

 This picture was taken at the Aryan Valley, Ladakh about 7 years back during his 2nd visit to that region. It was not 'touristy' then as it is now thanks to the movie 3 Idiots :-). At that time, I was doing my masters in college. Was truly enthralled by this picture. The smile on her lips. The rosy cheeks. Reminded me of a nursery poem way back in kindergarten. I guess, this is one of the best pictures he has ever taken and every now and then, whenever I look at the picture, I see the happiness in the little girl's smile, sitting in her grandfather's lap with a plastic doll in her hand posing for a stranger and smiling away to glory!!!!

Duality

Its been a crazy crazy weekend. Thanks to KarwaChauth I was busy - infact crazy busy !!! The pre-festival preparation, getting the mehendi done, getting the saree, bangles and all the tam jham ready took a toll on my time management skills.The D-day was as busy as ever. All that fasting and waiting for the moon in a cloudy sky took a lot of my time and energy that finally when the festival did get over, I did not have the time or the energy or the initiative to blog. On top of that, my brain was not giving any output. All it could dream of was my bed. 

Sometimes I think as to how festivals give a different persona to a person. In this case, a girl / woman. The modern, working and the ah-too busy woman, leaves all that she has to do, pause a day or two, turn into a traditional Indian wife / D-I-L, wear a saree, sindhur, bangles, - the works, wait for the moon - the almighty before even touching a drop of water or a morsel of food. Sometimes, I wonder, how we live dual lives. Not sure, if I am putting it correctly, but on one side there is this ultra modern, independent woman who is an office going ultra busy professional or a traveller or a socialite or a  novelist or a chef or an army person and on the other side, she is this 'bahu' / 'biwi'!!! 

 Not wanting to sound a feminist (hate being on either extremes), the duality in our traditions and our society amazes me and shocks me even.

Hmmmm....I guess, each one of us have their own point of views and thoughts about this. True - we enjoy the change, the festivities in the air, the dressing up, the delicacies, et al.... but all this leaves me brooding....

The Bar

Previous Link: Friday Evening

"
They say dreams are born from the strongest desires hidden away in the deepest recesses of the brain. At times you feel, that dreams emulate real life and sometimes it seems that real life emulates dreams. Both of them are so hopelessly intertwined that it becomes difficult to decipher which is the origin. Dreams can make you laugh, cry and even plead. Dreams work in mystical ways and hold out a beacon that lights up the road to the future. They explain themselves to only those who are keen and accept them without trying hard to understand their message.
"

- Anita Menon, Dazzler's Diary

Prateechee sat opposite Amit on a high bar stool wearing a skirt that ended somewhere above her knees. She knew guys like him. Men like Amit. Tired of the wife sitting at home. Might as well enjoy a fling at the work place. And of course with trainees like her!!! She knew the symptoms. But she needed this training period to convert into a job. Badly. Yeah - she knew she had stars in her eyes. But she was not stupid. Well - atleast she thought so. 

She came from a humble background. Doing her masters via an education loan. Her parents insisted on paying for her education, but she knew it would burden them financially. She wanted to make it big. Be on her own. Somewhere deep inside she knew she had it in her. To make it big. And for that, well - she needed 'jerks' like Amit. Well, if you google up the meaning of jerk, it really gives an interesting definition!!! And Amit, he just fits into that definition so perfectly. 

Its so easy to be at two places at once. She thought while looking at the last remains of her Bloody Mary. Its so easy to be in her own thoughts while nodding mechanically at the slob, sitting opposite her, blabbering away about God knows what!!!

Friday Evening

The corner most glass cubicle. The best corner. Entire view of the floor. Amit sat staring intently in his laptop in his office. Looking at the pictures of the previous evening's party. Pretty girl she is...the new summer trainee...stars in her eyes and a dream to make it big. Showed in her behaviour...yes - in her clothes too, especially the short skirt. It would be nice taking her out for a drink, especially with today being a friday. Whats her name - ya -Prateechee!!!! Niiiiice...he thought to himself....He called Meena. His wife. He's going to be late. A total "guy" thing. 

She understood. He needed his space. Meena decided to make herself a quick Greek Salad and catch up on the latest Twilight movie on HBO. She liked to call herself the Homemaker. Used to work before marriage. Couldn't find a decent job upon shifting cities. Been 6 years now. Somewhere in between, she lost the will to work. Realized that she enjoyed staying at home. Doing this and that. Working on a novel actually. It would be a big surprise for Amit. She intended to gift him, her first published copy. Now THAT would be something. 

Till then, she's might as well enjoy the vampire movie that everyone's so gungo about these days!!!!Till then, she's waiting....patiently...for her day to arrive... Till then, she decided, she'll wait it out...

P.S. [To be continued- MAY BE]. First attempt for a short story as a part of Blogging Challenge. And as one can obviously see, I have been a big fan of M&B in my teenage :-P. 

Cleaning and Dusting

With festivals round the corner, I have been breaking my back over cleaning and dusting my place. Here, I take this opportunity to thank God who has gifted me with a such a wonderful househelp - Padma Kaki. She has been actively helping me out - no, she I have been lazily helping her out to clean up our home. I just had to tell her my intentions, and KABOOM --> the plan was set...and the execution even severe. Tomorrow shall be last day of cleaning. YAY!!!!! 

Cleaning and dusting is a very therapeutic activity for me. Very relaxing. I feel a lot of positivity in a a clean place. It frees you of the clutter in your home, in your space and hence it positively affects the corners of your mind too. Although, hubby dearest does not approve :-P... he likes things a bit messy...a bit scattered...his favourite quote is 'We live in a home, not a hotel'... 'I like things being imperfect...out of place'... Me- I am old school. Firmly believe, everything has an appointed place...and that - only that - is its right place. If its not that 'that' right place, then its out of place. If its out of place, then its -MESSY, - SCATTERED....

Hmmmm... With time, I would like to believe ;-), that we've found a middle ground, especially with Padma Kaki to the rescue for the annual, pre-Diwali, cleaning, I chew his brains a little bit lesser!!!!

Cleaning has its advantages... Have packed 2 cartons of old clothes to be given away. No books. I don't give away books as a rule. They are sacred to me. I discovered some old letters. Went through them again. Will post about them sometime :-). Some pieces of junk jewellery :-). Yeah - that too. Finally getting rid of them. And yes - that pair of old college jeans - when I thought, I could get back into them once again :-P...I kept them for 5 long years...yeah, am smiling about that....I yet dream about going to back to that size. Some nicks and pieces. All neatly stacked and packed ready to be given away. There's so much space created. Off with the old and the new is awaited (Applicable for old, non usable, crapy things only :-)). 

Tomorrow or perhaps day after shall be last day of cleaning and I truly have only Kaki to thank for that :-). 

Musical ache

Exasperated... I put my guitar down...my fingers hurt from the all the strumming...am trying to get it right... but no - I miss the point. Like my teacher said, the technique is important, you'll get it everything right eventually. 10 months and 2 teachers later, its been quite sometime with my personal struggle with the instrument. So much so that it gives me a muscial heartache. I don't want to leave mid-way. I want to be able to play. Play simple songs, soulful songs...good songs... where everyone can humm along!!!

I guess, to quote Robert Frost... 'I have miles to go before I sleep'.

Currently practicing 'Knocking on Heavens door' by Avril Lavigne. Got it partially...yet not there....

Karwachauth

I am not overtly fond of festivals in a religious way... actually I am not really a religious person...think I am an agnostic person. But Yes - I do celebrate festivals. Not for their connection to the God Almighty, but simply for the reason that its a one big family activity, happiness is in the air, the shops are in their full splendour, there is  a change in routine, one gets dressed up in a traditional attire (not a fan of wearing saree) and of course the hogging of anything delicious and sweet. 

I think I really am a homesick person. Always missing home. Always on an nostalgic trip. Of course, you can read my post on Navratri HERE and also the happiness when I tick something off my list. 

google.com

The next festival on my list *eyes rolling* is Karwachauth. Yeah....I know...dharam patni and all... sometimes, traditions just do not leave you. I am not trying to demean a tradition / festival , but sometimes, people just don't understand the logic why it is celebrated. These days, the movies and the soaps have made it so fashionable to have a KarwaChauth PARTY *eyes rolling again* that even the people who have not celebrated it before, start following 'tradition'.

 Hmmmm......I actually asked one of the learned astrologers who teaches in Gujarat University about the logic of the festival. 'Pati ki lambi umar' and all is really good, I want hubby dearest to have a long  and a happy life.......but...FAST....sigh!!!! 

Okay, the logic goes, in the old days, traders (read businessmen) used to travel far and wide to sell their wares or conduct their business. The wives were left alone at home. So they wished well for their husbands and prayed that no harm comes to them. It was tradition to celebrate Diwali at home and perform the Lakshmi Pooja, so it was evident that they come before Diwali...and this day being the last full moon before Diwali. Since, they were coming from so far, all the 'chappan bhog' was cooked and prepared and food was consumed only when one saw the face of the 'pati'.....Hmmmm...

There, thats it... and this thing has been followed for ages and ages....Hubby dearest is just a phone call away... does not travel far and wide...even if he does, he is just a phone call away... and the biwi - she is also working....just a phone call away.... even if she travels far and wide...even she is just a phone call away....but celebrate Karwachauth - we must...for the lambi umar of our pati!!!!!

P.S. Personally I think, half the festivals or traditions were made or followed to keep the biwi at home busy x-)

Your warmth

Your Warmth, 

Protects me from the cold

Around Us!!!

List - less!!!

Ya... its that time of the year, when I make a list of lists...A list for each festival. A list of things to shop for each festival, things to do, things to wear, things to get sorted. Hmmmm....crazy!!! Ain't I???

Well to give you a hint, the first list was for Navratri. As per our tradition, 

1. Buy 'Jowar' and two earthen pots

2. Sow Jowar in the pots

3.Water it for all days except on the 7th day.

4. On the 8th day, celebrate Ashtami by serving 'chana', 'puri' +  'halwa' to young girls. 

5. On day 10, celebrate Dussera. Look at Curd and the silver coin in the morning. 

6. Prepare the prasad

7. Do the Pooja and well - eat :-) the good food that I have PREPARED EARLY in the  MORNING!!!

and not to mention, shopping for all the things required for the Pooja. 

Hmmmm... tough....Next is Karwa Chauth, then Hoi Ashtami, then Diwali!!!! *eyes rolling*.

Now, I am not an overtly religious person per se, and nor I do bother much about the intricacy of the festivals celebrated, but yes - I guess this part comes with the package - of being 'married'. It is this time of the year, where I go bonkers shopping for trivia ...not to forget the not so trivial shopping of gifts for the family....but yes - after going bonkers, I go nuts!!!!! 

But, but, but..... but of all buts...(no pun intended), I also enjoy the end result....after all the hard work and cleaning and dusting, preparing lists, their execution, shopping and blah blah blah.... at the end of it all, I really enjoy the outcome. There's a happiness and satisfaction :-) 

I guess Festivals do that to you!!! Snap you of your mundane existence where your better time is spent running from pillar to post, where you struggle daily for your bread and better...festivals pull you out of that rut and let you enjoy some family time together...something which is not routine, not mundane and gives you a good excuse to just sit back and relax...and yes - give that odd phone call to your far flung relatives!!!! Now thats a good thing to add on your 'Phone call to relatives' list ;-).

http://arloandjanis.com

The Caliph's House

Came across this blog while I was 'blog' surfing...one click led to another and I landed here.... dedicated to Morocco...Its a photo blog and while randomly browsing through the archives, the writer referred to a book - Yes, you guessed it right - The Caliph's House by Tahir Shah. Ordered this book from Flipcart (*eyes rolling*)...yes the website is burning a hole in my pocket, and immediately got down to reading it. 

Its a wonderful wonderful book. It paints a vivid picture of the life in Morocco. About the writer's struggles to settle down, about the Jinn....yes :-).... about the locals, their idiosyncrasies and wise and not so wise happenings.... It also talks about the writer sticking it out there, when everything was against him. The exasperation of the author with his day to day dealings is well depicted. Some of the instances depicted in the book are actually hilarious. It also gives a message about complex problems having simply solutions!!!! At the end of it all, it will bring a smile to your face and make you dream of visiting Morocco...:-) atleast once!!!!

Review: 4/5, Recommended

My city...BESTEST !!!!

Yeah, I know the title is not the best example of proper English. But heck - I just borrowed it from a popular  advertisement tag line of 'My Daddy Strongest'. 

Mumbai - one city that makes me feel at home. Its been a little above 5 years, since I moved here. It was on my priority list since I was in school when I had come here for the first time for my architecture exams. That was the time, when I decided that I want to come back here. Be here. 

This city is vibrant. Full of energy. Of a mad rush yet one can feel the calm in it. There is so much noise in the air...of the people, corporates, stock markets, festivals, Gods and Politicians and not to forget the bourgois....I guess with so much around, you just need to find your favourite corner. Mine is at Marine Lines. Sitting there....watching the waves crash with the stones. The city lights turning bright. Your back towards the noise, of the people, of the traffic, behind. Just watching the skyline...of the Queen's necklace...sipping the chai that a chai wala sold to you for like Rs. 5 which is definitely not the best tea in the world. Its extraaaaa sweet and the plastic cup is too small. Its down in just two gulps. Yet, the sugary cup of tea added to my calmness...that I feel when I just sit watching the sea....

As much as you can fall in love with the city, its also very easy to hate it. For the population, pollution,  crowds, commuters, the distances,  the noise, people stepping on each other's toes and lives...everything...However much, I crib about it, I think of  leaving this city and going anywhere else.  

I can go on endlessly about Mumbai. It has its own personality. You can either love Mumbai or hate Mumbai...you just cannot be indifferent to it. :-) I guess, its my favourite city in the world. 

Nothingness

My mind is blank. Wondering what to write. Refuses to cooperate. Number of things going on. Practically last day at work. The Navratri celebrations at work. Phaphada Jalebi. Raas Dandiya. Last night of Navratri. Drum beats in the atmosphere. Friend at my place. Lot of conversation happening. Heart to heart. Mind filled with thoughts. But not enough to motivate. Not enough to write. Scanned the newspapers. The articles, Google, Twitter....searching for ideas, searching for issues. Still, not enough to form an idea. Not enough for a motivation. A blank mind. Clueless. Waiting till the last minute. Waiting for a spark. Still, something is lacking. My mind is not ticking. Its waiting for an inspiration. But right now, the only thing it stares at is Nothingness...

www.google.com

Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster

Had been planning to catch up on a movie since quite sometime...After successfully avoiding Ready, Bodygaurd, Singham and Mausam, decided to watch Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster. A tribute to Guru Dutt's Saheb, Biwi Aur Ghulam, this version with the Gangster is quite the opposite to Dutt's romance in the Classical.

For starters, its set in the royal and a rustic town of Rajasthan with a fading haveli and a Raja only by entitlement, his Rani and the Driver cum small time gangster. The theatrics are perfect. One can actually see the poverty of the Raja in fading haveli and lack of finances,  the desparation of the Raja to maintain his status along with the stints with his mistress while the Biwi goes frolicking with the Driver cum Gangster. A gripping movie, if you want to watch something different and are tired from the regular dose of testosterone and munnis & sheilas. The end almost justifies the means!!! Well - almost. While not letting out the story line, to me, there is many a twist and a turn which somehow makes me disinterested towards the end. The end could have been more refined...or maybe  I was looking towards a more dramatic ending...

The performances by Jimmy Shergill, Mahie Gill and Randeep Hoonda were simply fabulous. Every character played their role to a hilt. The costumes, the gait, the language - all added to the rustic charm of the movie. Must watch if you are looking for 'something different'.

My rating: 3.5/5

View: Must Watch

Happy Birthday Ma!!!

Its my mom's birthday today. Wish I could have done something special for her. But it seems not. Since the time, my folks have shifted from Ahmedabad to Delhi, she misses her garden the most. Totally in love with her plants as if they were her own blood, own children. There are plants, which we have been carrying from one house to other and are now 20 years old. Yes, there is especially one Jade Plant which is that old. Almost everyone in our neighbourhood in Ahmedabad has it. So now that particular Jade plant has siblings all over.

I remember whenever there used to be a house party or if small children were expected, she'd be on her toes. Not wanting even one leaf out of place. And if she has planted a new sapling, she'd go everyday to stare at it... see how much it has grown...be joyous over the new green leaves...

She had planted a papaya tree as well. And almost everyone, from our friends to neighbours have had a taste of it. She prides herself in her papaya tree. She even got 2 papayas for us in Mumbai when she came visiting us here.

Although I must admit, the gardener sure must be having a tough time with her. He gets good gardening lessons from her and sometimes from my dad. Botany was his major. Even now, when the house is rented out and my folks stay in Delhi, she sure has the gardener in control. Calls him up every fortnight to inquire about the health of her green 'children'....

The link to the garden pics at our home in Ahmedabad:

https://picasaweb.google.com/117414987688730479722/AhmGardenSnaps#

:-) She sure misses her garden... I hope, in the new place, she atleast gets a small patch to do something with it. Chances being rare in the capital but I hope nevertheless. BTW, I always wanted to play her the 'Mumma' Song from the movie Dasvidaniya. Someday, when I shall be confident of myself strumming and singing....I shall sing....for her...

Happy Birthday Mom...

Gandhi Jayanti

It is Gandhi Jayanti today. Birthday of the 'Father of the Nation'. Man who played an instrumental role in getting freedom for India. Although there is a difference of opinion about that. A lot has been written about him. This post is not about that difference of opinion but about what he stood for - his principles - Truth and Non Violence. In this capitalistic and material world, in the daily grind of earning one's bread along with good amount of butter / cheese / mayo / veggies  and salt :-). Gandhi is an idea. An idea which gives strength to many a movement in the country, the latest one being Anna Hazare's movement. Its also an idea which is used as a shield ...to hide behind it...while doning the 'Gandhian' garb and simultaneously being active under the table!!! Truth and diplomacy go hand in hand. How much of the truth is important and how it should be dispensed, to whom it should told and in what measure. This ensures are acceptability to a large extent at our work place. We call it Diplomacy!!! This 'Diplomacy' helps us maintain our professional / personal relationships and maintain sanity at a lot of places. Non violence is another idea. Promoted - but hardly practised. Promoted by a lot of politicians but its practice leaves me in doubt. In the 'Land of the Mahatma', there have been many a riot and many an instance of violence...against innocent, against the women, children...I guess thats the way the rioteers earn their bread...

On another note, its a National Holiday. No official, Government or otherwise, are supposed to be open or working. The offices, banks, government - everyone shuts shop and enjoys the day off. And if clubbed with the weekend, becomes more enjoyable. One of the reasons, why I look forward to Gandhi Jayanti (yeah - kick me!!!)  This time the holiday is on a Sunday...Shucks!!!! Thats the reaction everyone gave at work - ek chutti ka nuksaan ho gaya!!!! Sadly enough, thats Gandhi Jayanti has become for the office goers!!!

Though its a Sunday and a Gandhi Jayanti, the maid is always on time. Does not realise its Gandhi Jayanti today. Does not bother. Gives a blank look and carries on with her work. Dusting, cleaning, washing... has her daily cup of tea and leaves... She is more excited about her Diwali bonus though :-). Because that is something which will make her Diwali brighter.

Us - we are enjoying our Sunday. Watching Singham on TV. Not aware of any 'Gandhi' movie on TV. Plus might go for a Garba night since its Navratri or an evening at a nearby mall and good amount of shopping will be good enough....

Sigh!!!! Happy Gandhi Jayanti!!!!

In between Jobs

Ya.... I shall be in between jobs pretty soon!!! Well - not really. I have resigned from my current organization couple of days back and shall be joining another organization from mid - Nov. Since I had accumulated leaves of the last year and current year, my boss and company have been kind enough to just let me utilize them in my notice period which will result in a holiday of 1 month and 10 days!!!! Yay!!! Yipee!!!! Think its after eons I shall be having such disposable time with me, during the best time of the year and so many ideas in my head so that even if I come around to finishing half of them, I shall be a satisfied person :-). Here goes the list:

1. I shall be blogging on a daily basis. Which means, hopefully not, sometimes, my posts will suck due to lack of ideas or inspiration. I just hope, I don't find myself in the following situation:

Source: http//:motheru.com

2. I shall be cooking / baking. Which means, there shall be culinary disastors or NOT...*grins* but you shall have to definitely hear my sob stories.

Source: www.kerala2florida.blogspot.com

3. My guitar sessions will pick up. I shall be more proactive and hence shall be chewing the brains of my teacher. BTW, he is a wonderful wonderful teacher I have found and I just hope I am able to keep the pace.

4. I shall be spending more time with my camera and learn photoshop to some extent. I have been meaning to join a weekend workshop, but I think I am ducking out for the simple reason that its 6 hours on a Sunday :-P. What do you think? You know of any crash course I could attend during the week and not spend much time running to and fro...

5. Ah... now this is also interesting... I shall be shopping and  dusting and cleaning for Diwali. Shall also be spending 2 weeks in Delhi with my parents and in-laws!!!

6. I shall try to follow a healthy regime and start off with my morning walk / jog, whichever is feasible...*am a bit lazy in this department* 

Source: www.google.com

7. I have scanned some old photographs and got loads of digital ones too. I wish to put all of them into albums. Ya, I know its a wee bit old fashioned, but yet, I enjoy flipping through an album and enjoy the photographs rather then seeing them online. 

8. I intend to work on the plants. The ones that I have, have lasted simply because they need less amount of care and nourishment. 

Source: www.google.com

9. I intend to read more. Sensible stuff. Not romantic fiction. But just hoping for something sensible. Suggestions in this area are more than welcome. 

10. Last, but not the least, I really really want to do all of it :-). I am going to give myself one big pat and a party if I am even able to accomplish 8 /10. Well point 10, is not really an activity, but just wanted to complete the number :-)

I know, I shall not be getting this time again... correction - this kind of a paid holiday again. I just  want to make the best of it. 

Source: www.google.com

Blogger Challenge

Been wanting to upgrade my blogging skills since a long time. Many a times, I have been short of ideas, don't know what to write about. I read such wonderful blogs and wish many a times about having a blog like that one or this one!!!! Sigh!!!! 

Well, my dilemma came to a pause when on twitter, Supriya was contemplating on joining a monthly blogging challenge. My thoughts precisely and I tagged along with her. Slowly, the group had 8 members :-). Shall be introducing them gradually through my posts but if you want to know more about that in detail, please go to this link http://blog0holic.wordpress.com/. 

Shall by posting on another topic as a part of the blogger challenge subsequently. Hope you enjoy reading the blog as much as I shall enjoy writing!!!!

Navratri

Navratri starts from today :-). Makes me nostalgic. I am a Gujarati at heart. Born and brought up in Ahmedabad. So Garba - Raas is something which I have been acquainted since childhood. Love the Dandiya nights. The entire night of continuous dancing and revelry. First Garba, then Hinch and then Raas. Raas being the easiest. 

After my 12th Standard, I never really lived in Ahmedabad again. Been in Engineering Hostel and MBA hostel and then in Mumbai. Mumbai has a strong Gujarati community but its just not the same. Don't consider them true blue gujaratis. Some of my friends will kick me for writing this but there is a stark and a huge difference. I cannot really point it down. I was pretty disappointed the way this festival is celebrated here. There's just no zing and almost everyone turns up in a fusion of traditional and western, more so towards western dressing. Very few people are traditionally dressed and some that are, are way over the top and pretty loud. And I miss LAW GARDEN. The place for shopping for and during navratri. Sigh!!!! Its just not the same. This festival makes me nostalgic. Miss my gang :-(

My school gang at a garba night at St. Xaviers, Ahmedabad, 1998

Peeking Colleague

You know, it really really really bugs me.... when somebody sneakily stands over my shoulder and stares into my computer. Especially when that someone is one of your colleagues with whom you get along just fine!!! Who is not the most loved colleague, avoided and given a chance mocking and insufferably rude!!!! 

I so totally detest this. Well, this happened today while I was going through some entertainment articles on the internet. This particular colleague sneaked in and just stood behind my chair for good 2 minutes. And mind you, this 'colleague' is at a damn good designation, has good amount of work experience plus a professional qualification. So much for the 'experience' and 'education'. 

Gave him my piece of mind on etiquette. Don't think its going to make much of a difference but got it off my chest. 

Office etiquette is not something which everyone is educated in. Be it in terms of writing email, conversations, dressing, code of conduct or just general behaviour. It pains me to see qualified CAs / MBAs just lacking in general etiquette and inadvertently creating a negative atmosphere. But I guess, its not something which can be taught but imbibed via good observation.  

Honesty!!!

Like they say, 'Honesty is the best policy' but I guess it comes with a pinch of salt and in this typical case a wee bit of rudeness (from my end)!!! Not very proud of what happened and I regret it a lot that it happened, but might I say, not one of the best examples. 

2 weeks back, a stranger called up on my mobile phone. He said, madam, I have your wallet with me, your PAN card, your driving license, bank cards and cash. I refused to believe since I already had my wallet and nothing was lost. He kept addressing me as Megha madam. Now, a lot of people do mess my name up and I find it very irritating. How hard can it be to pronounce MeghNA... Anyways, I said, No! thank you Sir, I've have all my belongings and have not lost anything. He called, close to 10 times. I went from being polite, patient and then rude. The guy persisted. He kept calling for 2 hours continuously and it really p******* me off. He started to sound sleazy on the phone and with a final police ka dhamki I slammed my mobile down!!! I mean - the nerve of the guy.

Hmmmmm... that was then!!!! 

Last thursday, I met one of my college friends for Pizza. It was her birthday and uncannily she was called Megha :-P. Yes - you are thinking right. It was her wallet!!! And somehow, in some mannar the guy, now the autowallah, discovered my visiting card there and started calling me up. No - he didn't see her visiting card, her PRESS Id or anything, but MY visiting card. 

Rest they say is history!!! I tried retrieving his number from my call log but it was long gone. My friend will now have to file an FIR and see if things can be recovered. Both of us were zapped. If only she had told me that she had lost her wallet I would have kept an ear open for her and in turn avoided a bad experience for the autowallah. No - she didn't chew my brains, because lot of people confused us with our names!!!! 

The entire episode does make me sad in the sense, the next time something like this happens, the autowallah is surely not going to call up anyone and try to do something honest. He might as well throw it in a nearby bin or use whatever he can !!!!

Source: www.deesecret.com

Happy Engineer's Day

Source: picturesof.net

Happy Engineer's Day to one and all - especially engineers. I especially congratulate myself for being one!!! I think all engineers are proud to be one even if they are jobless / mindless or plain dumb or for that matter successful / smart / building bridges or chips or bulbs or generating power. Well - engineers are a proud breed. Proud  not because of the education or the degree or the job, proud because they went through the process of completing their engineering studies and finally getting a degree.

Well, there are 2 types of engineers. Now you would think - only 2??? Now - its not what you are thinking. I am not talking about the computers / electronics / mechanical / civil / instrumentation or even the environmental engineer. To be clear, once again, there are 2 types of engineers - first - those who went to an engineering college and lived at their homes with their mummyji and papaji and siblings!!!! And second - there are those engineers who went to an engineering college and lived in a hostel!!!! Aahhhh!!!! Now thats the breed that I am talking about. And truely, those are the engineers we are really proud of being.

Source: www.geocnc.com

Well, the hostel life in an engineering college is starkly different. I for one, did not have 5 star hostels. I remember, in our first year, we had a tin roof. Scarcity of water. Horrible food. Slow moving fans. Queues outside the washroom. We addressed our seniors as mam / sir. Till this day, if I happen to meet one of my long lost seniors, the mam / sir part remains. Its become a part of their name. I remember the first semester especially when the freshers HAD to wear salwaar kameez ONLY with dupatta and oil their hair and make a braid or tie it up. I remember the engineering drawing sessions and how I had mastered the Glass Tracing technique and submitted sheets and sheets of submissions. I also remember burning my mattress in this process (GT was forbidden !!!). I remember compering the engineer's day in college and being the food coordinator and ahem!!! going for tasting too. At the end of it all, my feet had hurt like hell. We had watched 6 AM  movies in nondescript movie halls where tickets were cheap and to save money we would walk it up. The new year celebrations were fantastic. Oh, how we used to hog on food. We would have put anybody to shame. Maggie was a blessing in disguise. It was a saviour on many a night especially when you had discovered cockroaches in your mess ka khana. The freshers party and the farewell party - how all the year students would be busy in atleast one of them. And the exams!!!! We could finish books in one day. 37 was the magical figure for us ( 3 marks grace!!!). 

Had mastered the art of scanning. The Xerox wala being a revered and reliable friend for notes and books. No - many times we did not buy books, we just got them photocopied. It was easy to distribute chapters among 2-3 people and study them. Its difficult to tear up books - chapter wise!!!!! Engineers per say, study only during the prep leave and the best of them study only during the exams. And once the exams are over, a movie it is - to unwind and prepare for the next exam day after tomorrow :-). Engineers are an odd lot. There are thousands and thousands of things which are coming to my mind right now. In this case, seriously, the journey is the destination.

Source: http://www.wittysparks.com

And so, I believe Chetan Bhagat did not write something sacred when he wrote 5 POINT SOMEONE!!! Apart from the story line - student falling for the prof's daughter - everything is known and accepted - amongst the engineers. And that is also why, I don't think, that 3 IDIOTS is great movie. Its an okay movie with almost no novelty thrown in. And then again, I don't quite get the 'shor' surrounding the Chetan Bhagat - 3 IDIOTS movie saga. Sure the book and the movie must be a great read and watch for a lot of people, but again, there is no point fighting over the copywrite infridgements because that is common to almost all the engineering colleges which have a hostel facility.

Anyways, I had been in a fix since quite sometime about the topics to blog about. Checked in on twitter and found my topic there :-). Did not waste time and got down to blogging!!!!

Marie Biscuits

Name of snack: Marie Biswich

Preparation time: 2 mins

Ingrediants:

1 packet Marie Biscuits (depending upon the need of the snack)

Leftover green chutney from Sandwizza

Leftover oregano and chilly flakes from Dominoes

Free sachets of tomato sauce from Dominoes

Method:

1. Apply the green chutney over one Marie Biscuit

2. Put Tomato Sauce over it

3. Sprinkle oregano and chilly flakes

4. Cover it with another Marie Biscuit

5. It is now ready to eat :-)

I sure did enjoy eating this. It was a quick fix at my workplace :-P. Yeah - I do that too!!! Especially when you also have over enthusiastic colleagues as 'funky' as you!!!! Hehehehe, more than eating this, I sure did enjoy the process. Its a fun food. Not much of a thing in the culinary skills department, but hey, children could sure try this one out and its healthy too!!!! No extra calories and a flavour of oregano which gives a similar feeling to that of a pizza :-)

These days, am running short of topics to blog about. I want to write but am not finding a topic that I would enjoy writing about. Please feel to drop a suggestion as to what I could / can write about.

Guitar Trouble

Its been quite a while since I posted about my time struggling with the GUITAR.

Guitar, it is said, is not one of the simpler instruments to play. Yes - it looks jazzy and stylish and all that, but it is definitely not easy to master it. I have been told that it will take good 5 to 6 years of practice before you actually to begin play songs the moment you hear them. I have been trying to some basic level of plucking and strumming with the instrument but somehow, I lose interest in between when I realise that I am not really progressing. Yes - I have not been very consistent in practising but I would like partly blame my inexperience in the kind of teachers I chose to begin with. I just hope and pray that I do not become an Air Guitarist :-P like the shown here in the cartoon below!!!



Source:www.google.com

I started off last year around June. A personal tutor, part time music teacher and full time struggler in Bollywood, came to teach me. He was pretty quick with the basics and taught me 12 scales, covering 3 octaves, in 2 months flat. We had even started off with the chords. I was good with the scales or atleast he seemed to think so. So we went at abnormally high speed with the instrument however, I felt we were going too fast. So decided to take a break and practice more so as to get more comfortable. Unfortunately for me the break lasted for 2-3 months mainly due to my procrastination. The teacher by then had left for greener pastures!!! (He got a good break it seems).

I then joined a music class which was closer to my home. We were a bunch of students of all ages and size in the class with one teacher. This new teacher had himself learnt to play the guitar 5 years back, so in a way, he was yet learning. He discarded all my learnings from the previous teacher. Taught me the "new" and the "correct" notations - Sa, Re, Ga, Ma...(which to my understanding then, were the same thing but had a different alphabet, which was right). He insisted I had learnt wrong and began from scratch. So again, I started with the scales from Sa scale instead of C. He taught the scales only one Octave and taught us some Bollywood songs as well. That was good as long as it lasted but that again left me feeling dissatisfied. So...... hmmmm.... I left that too!!!! By now, I am sure you must be thinking, that may be she has a "focus" problem!!! Maybe, I am not too sure. So- its been 3 months now, since I have stopped going to the classes or even touching my guitar for that matter. The hunt is on for another tutor........!!!! Hopefully I shall discover him soon enough!!! The one who will take over this lull and combine all my learnings (good or bad) together and make some kind of musical sense out of it  (Filmy touch!!! )

Source:www.google.com

The reason I am writing my rant over here, that I really really want to play the guitar. I have always wanted to learn it and have discovered the time and the intention only recently. This post, hopefully, will keep reminding me about me procrastinating forever and ever....so much so that I might lose interest....:-)

Birthday Blues

Am not a much of a "Happy Birthday" person. Hmmmm..... yeah... I always find it embarrassing to celebrate birthdays. Its not a recent phenomena but right since school / college. I am embarrassed especially when I have to blow the candles, cut the cake, smile politely and take in all the hullabaloo over turning a year older. Ah, well, this aspect of my life has not changed over the years (about which you can read HERE)

I had my birthday just last friday. Munish prepared a special midnight spread along with the cake et al. Had loads of wishes over phone, facebook, twitter from family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, fellow bloggers - Phew!!! I felt special and good. Loved all the gifts which kept pouring in. Birthday gift from hubby is yet to be received (booked already), but I received little tids bits from special friends too. Like the latest header of my blog...thanks to my dearest friend Namit Bhatia...and Oh, he even wrote a poem for me (in return for THE ONE I wrote for him ;-) it was a deal) hehehe.... c'mon, don't you all giggle or laugh...this is his first attempt, and I must say, a pretty good one. Here it goes..........

The Maggitoes Rhapsody

I know a fine girl named Maggitoes,

Who has a penchant for writing prose.

She loves to travel far and wide,

A valiant voyager bona fide.

Photography is her leisure pursuit,

Be it nature or a random shoot.

A self proclaimed Bollywood movie buff,

One lousy flick and she goes, “I’ve had enough”.

Always at odds with the firewall at work,

Once granted access, tweet frenzy ensues as she goes berserk.

Recently bitten by the cooking bug,

Her hubby knows best and he dare not say “Ugh!” :P

Chirpy, bubbly and immensely adorable,

“Oh look! That’s the poem for you, now am I out of trouble?”

~ Namitoes (circa 2011 AD)

yay!!!! *clap clap*....his twitter handle is www.twitter.com/namit93 for all you interested in following his perky, quirky, funny tweets and yes - especially writing tailor made poems on oneself!!!!