Weekend grocery shopping

I hate hate hate grocery shopping on the weekend.. specially on Saturday evenings. But... weekdays are too busy to spare time for it.

This is the scene on Sat evenings in the hypermarket near my house:

• There are kids everywhere... with parents, without parents, in the trolleys, pushing the trolleys... every aisle, corner, category
• The husbands are holding kids while the wife shops. Generally they wait right in the middle of the path
• The husbands are pushing trolleys while the wife browses
• The husbands are ogling other women's butt while wife not watching
• Kids are reading comics and walking... slowing down everyone behind them
• Husbands are shopping alone... with lists handed over by the wife
• Bachelors are shopping

I am watching 'Rudaali' on DD (yup, it still exists). Atleast there is one channel which shows good movies. I miss the good old days when DD showed regional films with subtitles on Sunday afternoon.My granny would watch them without fail. It is strange that none of the movie channels screen art movies.

Lets Tweet

When I bought my phone Nokia E63 I discovered Fring... and Twitter all over again. I don't understand the need for Twitter when there is a facebook. Why would strangers care about my random thoughts ... there is a facebook where friends follow my statuses.

I have been reading about celebrity tweets and decided to check them out myself. So now I am following SRK, Priyanka, Sussane, Hrithik, Junior AB, Barkha Dutt and many more.

My phone keeps tweeting all day 'coz thats all these celebs do... and they are so bloody fake. What is with the trend of saying; "Love you all"... and tweeting crap inspirational stuff. So boring.

Yesterday morning at 8.30 am on phone:

KC: Hi... M F Hussain has been offered citizenship by Qatar

Me: Duh!!! Stale news... Rajdeep Sardesai and Barkha Dutt tweeted about it half hour back. Unlike a mere mortal I get my news live.

Thats the power of Twitter... avoid celebs...

I won I won I won

There was a quiz during Desperate Housewives which I answered without fail. The good old days when the TV channels expected you to interact with them are sooo over. Anyway, few months back I received a SMS asking for my address since I qualified for a prize. I replied back but didn't think much about it... after all, what are the chances that I could win?

Guess what... I received a call yesterday confirming the address and the gift was delivered today. Wow!!! But... the show is sponsored by my company (thats NOT why I won) and the gift hamper is sponsored by them.... and thats not the worst part... the products in the hamper do not sell very well in the market. So, now I am the owner of products which don't sell or have been discontinued. Some fancy hamper!!!

KC was quite excited about the win. He said I am the only one he knows who has won something.

I am not stranger to fame and success. My letter had been published in Wee Wonder when I was a teenager. You don't know Wee Wonder??? C'mon. I waited for Sat so I could read the children's supplement with TOI. Another letter was read out on this show of Zee Tv where the hosts read letters (there were no e-mails) from fans.

I didn't know the letter to Wee Wonder would get published. They also printed my name, address and age. The next weekend I received an anonymous letter in a bulky envelope. It contained a letter from some female and nude photos. I was just 13 and horrified. I tore up the letter, threw it into a dustbin and burst into tears. Why would anyone send me such crap? My friends in the hostel (co-ed hostel in Mt Abu) were quite curious. They glued the letter back together and read it. These girls were 1-2 years younger to me. I thought that would be the end of it... but... there was another letter waiting for me next weekend. Strange part is... the letters came only on Sat and I started dreading it. Usually in hostels letters are opened, read and then handed over to the recipient. This is to prevent affairs through letters and keep a tab on communication with parents. Anyways... I was so scared the matron would open the letter and blame me... but she didn't. My friends were more excited this time... apparently the last letter had dos and donts during sex. There was also an address of Baroda where we could communicate. My friends wanted to reply back and find out the identity while I just wanted the letters to stop. Thankfully, they did.

Lazy Hazy Sunday

Hiya... I have been meaning to blog all day but....

This is how the day began:

• 7.22 am: My eyes open and refuse to close. I push the eyelids down with a lot of effort (they are so strong)... I slept at 2 am waiting for His Highness (KC) to grace me with his presence online and remark on some personal photos.
• 8.30 am: The car cleaner rings the bell to pick up the keys. I wonder if I should put on more clothes before opening the door but it seems like too much effort. He hands me the newspaper
• 9 am: The door bell rings again and he returns the keys
• 10 am: The maid turns up and I have... have...have to wake up finally
• till 11 am: The one hour is spent cleaning and supervising her cleaning... it is quite irritating since she never cleans below the furniture and I have to remind her every Sunday
• 11.30 am: B'fast of poha while clothes are being washed
• 11.30 to 1.30 pm: Watch the movie 'Raat gayi toh baat gayi' while I soak my hands and feet in hot water and pamper them with some moisturising... total relaxation... water plants.. oil hair
• till 2.30 am: Look up recipes of Butter chicken... cook it... eat it even though chicken turned out to be hard. I really need to learn how to cook chicken... the gravy is not a problem... but somehow the chicken breast always turn out to be hard... any tips?
• 2.30 till 7: watch friends... read blogs... download music...
• 7 pm: Decide to go out and hence take a bath. I cannot take a bath if I don't have to venture outdoors... sometimes I have to tempt myself with a trip outside the house just so I may take a shower
• Now: Decide to stay in after all... listen to music... and read. The magazines I have bought are stacking up... need to read them asap

What was your Sunday like?

Btw... I bought myself some gold jewellery for the first time. The only gold purchase before this was the ring for KC in Dec'08... wow... has it been more than a year already? Seems like yesterday when on an impulse we decided to exchange rings and declare our "engagement". We were in Indore and he asked me to wait until we were in Mumbai/Gurgaon/Delhi/A'bad but I was adamant. I wanted to get engaged that day. Ummm.... btw neither of us remember the date.

Anyways, I had invested in the Gold Harvest Scheme in Tanishq in Aug'08. I didn't think too much but paid the monthly installments even when I shifted to Rajkot and then to Mumbai. The account had to shifted from Gurgaon to A'bad to Rajkot and then to Mumbai- first Mulund and then Chembur when Mulund outlet closed down. Last weekend KC and I could not find anything good. I don't like gold... so the chances of me wearing the jewellery are very low... and yet what if I decided to wear it one fine day. I was looking for jewellery which could fulfil both needs- of investing in gold and being nice enough to be able to wear it. Last night I decided to buy it... no matter what. It took me 2 hours to pick something... and another hour for Tanishq people to get their billing right. Bastards and bitches overcharged me at first... I checked the bill... and well, rest is history which got corrected.

I am eating Nestle's Dairy Whitener

It is not as good as Amulspray... but Amulspray comes in an expensive tin can. I am watching Dharma and Greg... anyone remember this series? I picked up the DVD in Planet Music... a time pass series about a couple who are opposites... Dharma is impulsive, free spirited, spiritual... Greg is rich, sophisticated, uptight.... they meet... sparks fly.. and they get married on the first date. YES!!! First date.

Oops, spilled some of the whitener on the laptop keyboard... blowing on it ain't helping. Great!!! It just adds to my weekend cleaning.

I wanted to watch Striker but it was in the theatres for a week only... :(

Got to go... good night. My mood just got ruined.

My Name Is Khan

Well... well... well. I don't remember the last movie which made such headlines. It has really pulled people to the theatres. Reading the good reviews... KC and I headed for this one. Umm... what I say about it? The story is about Rhizwan Khan whose suffers from Aspergers (hope I spelt it right) syndrome. He shifts to USA with his bro and sis-in-law... meets Kajol who is a divorced mom and falls in love with her. They get married. After 9/11 his son is killed 'coz he is a Muslim... Kajol throws Khan out of the house... thats how his journey around USA following the President to meet him and say; "My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist". Khan wins back Kajol... and everything is hunky dory... except... it is a Karan Johar movie and needs his touch. The end drags on into an emotional traumatic sentimental whirlpool from which it is difficult to get out of. I begged KC to leave but he wouldn't... and I had to watch the end.

Shahrukh is great... he is not himself...like in Swades and Chak De... Kajol is her screechy self.. her voice grates on the nerves when she screams. She has been smartly dressed in black throughout the movie... it camouflages her fat and has a slimming effect.

My suggestion is to watch and walk out when the hurricane crap comes on. You will leave with happy memories.

Lessons from staying alone

Staying alone makes me encounter situations which are unimaginable normally:

• Changing a tubelight is a talent not everyone can cultivate.... I am too short to do it... the building electrician has to be called... this is when I miss KC the MOST
• I am never sure if the locksmith... electrician... plumber... mechanic are lying to me or if their services really cost THAT much?
• Who needs clothes??? Seriously!!!
• I can eat anything anytime... Maggi at midnight??? Why not!!!
• I can do anything anytime... wash clothes at night on weekday? Why not!!!
• I can be messy....
• Don't like kadu? Don't eat it
• The courier companies are never supportive... I have to regularly encounter questions in a disbelieving tone; "Won't there be anyone home on weekday?"
• Want to spend entire night watching movies??? be my guest
• I have started appreciating garbage bags and think they are total Value for money... they keep my dustbin clean... a dream come true
• My nightmare is my car breaking down on Eastern Express Highway... I better save the mechanic's no
• Loud music at 6 am??? Why not??? It will beat the Mosque's sermons
• Splitsvilla... Roadies... Emotional Atyachaar... no censorship

And many many more...

Hectic Sunday

It has been a hectic day, most of it spent washing clothes.

• Woke up at 7.30/8 am (a trial on weekdays... why of why, do I wake up early on Sunday???)
• Spent one hour reading the paper
• Spent another hour fertilising the plants, plucking out the dead leaves and watering them... a fortnightly ritual
• Tried out the new vacuum cleaner... managed to remove cob webs and clean fans
• Washed clothes
• The maid cleaned the house for another hour
• Changed bed sheets, cleaned furniture... forgot to clean the LCDs and mirrors
• After a long bath I rushed to the parlour for a haircut and some pampering. Unfortunately, the hair dresser was not keen on giving me the hair cut I wanted... I cancelled the appointment and visited another parlour. Was completely put off and headed home after lunch
• Watched Firaaq and washed some more clothes
• Headed to Lifestyle, Pantaloons and Westside... left without buying anything... the good stuff has been sold
• Managed to find round pillows... but could not find the cover for them... after some searching bought matching round pillow covers, center table cover and dining table cover... could not find plain brown curtains (have been looking for them for a month now)
• Got the tap fixed... and also the door lock.... the most important chores
• Washed some more clothes

I also stepped into Archies. I can't think of a Valentine's gift for KC... hoped to find something good... but there were only soft toys. I just might gift him a soft toy. Sigh!!! Gifting guys is sooooooo difficult. I generally emotionally blackmail him into revealing his gifts for me... this time he is too determined. Some sort of manipulation will have to be used.

I have added loads of color to the house... blues, browns, pinks, greens...

Some things are still missing... brown curtains (don't like the current ones.. can't find good ones), a clock (waiting for KC to come so we can buy it together), a swing (I do have some space for a swing... yippie).

I might put up some pics of the house... lets see.

I love my house.

Firaaq

I had been dying to watch this flick... finally, the DVD library stocked it. Firaaq is a movie on Gujarat riots written and directed by Nandita Das (of 'Fire' fame). The movie is excellent and focuses on all aspects- the plight of Muslims, their feeling of revenge, the Muslims whose shops were burnt (surprisingly, even if shops had Hindu names but the investor was a Muslim the shop was burnt. Example, V.Ravji's- a very very successful chain of supermarket started by Ravji's who is a Muslim. He sold the chain to Adani's but they didnt change the name. A few shops- one of them in Satellite were looted and burned), views of Gujjus who were involved in the looting and raping, those who closed their doors to the victims, the Hindus who were not involved in any of it.

I remember that day clearly- the day the train at Godhra was burned I was unaware about it since I was in a Govt hostel without a TV. The matron briefed us and asked us not to move out the next day. I didn't think it was serious and ventured out to meet my bf. The roads were deserted... it was kinda scary. When my bf didn't turn up I returned to the hostel. On the way I saw people burning shops. Thankfully, nobody bothered me and I reached back safe and sound. There was no security at the hostel... the matrons asked us to stay with our local guardians. Many girls were not from Gujarat... they barely knew their local guardians and chose to stay in the hostel. It was not even safe for guardians to come pick up the girls. I stayed with my parents friends for a few days till it was safe for Mom and Dad to take me home. The college was closed for around 2 months. We were glued to the TV all day and images of violence, blood etc were tormenting. Sometimes the electricity would be cut off at night and Mom would wonder how people will save themselves incase they are attacked.

A must watch. It was a pleasure to watch Tisca Chopra (of Taare Zameen Par fame) and Sanjay Suri... both fabulous actors.

New York, I Love You

Again... watched it last weekend. I thought it is light romance... a culmination of 10 romantic stories... how can it go wrong?

It has gone horribly wrong.... not one story is good... actually, I didn't understand when one story ends, the next begins and what happens in between.

Totally avoid.

Anywhere but Home

Bored, I rented this movie last weekend (yeah, the review is kinda late). The story is about a couple who think they are perfect for each other... they live in the present and don't know/don't want to know about each other's past... until they are leaving town for X'Mas and flight gets cancelled. They have to spend X'Mas with each other's families discovering their past.

A pathetic movie.... please avoid.

Ishqiya

What a movie!!! An 'A' rated one... so, please do not take kids along. Vidya Balan is fab... as always. Nasserudin is quite good... Arshad takes the cake. The story is good...it gets Bollywood isshtyle in the end... but thats ok.

It is not in Omkara league (Omkara is a class apart.. the best Shakespeare adaptation I have seen... as good as Maqbool) but worth a watch once.