The Verdict

As I drove down the roads of Mumbai I could feel the chill in my bones. They were mostly deserted (by Mumbai standards).. people were rushing home before the verdict was announced. My bro was on the train and I kept my fingers crossed till he messaged he had reached his hostel. The nation was holding its breath.

I don't know what the verdict means... I just hope there will not be any riots... I hope common man will realize that there is no point in riots. I think everyone is tired... everyone has had a brush with this kind of violence and it is not worth it.

And yet there is a fear... a fear to step out tomorrow... because these things do not begin with a warning.

The Muslim board has not accepted the decision and that keeps the uncertainty alive. It is not over. We are not safe till the issue is closed.

Mini Shopholic

This is the 6th book in the series and I have read each one of them. In this book, Becky Bloomwood has a 2 year old daughter who is already recognizing shops and on her way to becoming like her mother- a shopaholic... there is recession everywhere and Becky is planning the biggest surprise b'day party for her husband.

A damn good read if you are a fan.

I am sorry I have neglected the blog

This blog has been neglected all month.... first 'coz of illness, then I got a little busy with KC and also the net was not working for a few days in between.

I have started my work out session from today. The illness had interrupted the schedule. I have not followed the diet plan (or healthy eating) all month and I pledge to start again from tomorrow.

I have given in to all indulgences this month... whether it is chicken, potatoes, Mc D's burgers, cold drinks, fried junk etc.

Today is the last day of Ganesh Visarjan and we had half day off. Entire Mumbai is closed, there is traffic and crowds on the roads.

While gymming I was looking at the time on the panel and getting bored, then the songs of Udaan (Geet) came on and it took me back to my school days. I have downloaded the movie and plan to watch it again tonight. Some movies need to be watched a second time... I can concentrate on little things since I already know the story. Aisha is another flick I want to watch again.

The first scenes in Udaan is about 4 friends who go to watch a porn flick and get caught. They are running towards the school when 1 of them falls and hurts his ankle. He asks the rest to run back and save themselves but they refuse and carry him with them. They are caught, of course. Would any of us do that now for friends??? How many friends we would do it for?

I remember telling my mom when I was just out of school; "I will always be there for X.. no matter what. All she has to do is call". Those words sound so immature. After all, would she even call me when in trouble? But the best thing about my boarding school was that a lot of times the whole class took punishments instead of one person. We didn't give out the person's name who played the prank and happily stood by each other. I don't know if the authorities were happy to see this value or was it frustrating for them.

This weekend KC and I went for dinner to Kareem's. We have been meaning to try out the restaurant for more than month now. On Sundays they do not serve regular kebabs... they offer 4 varieties of kebabs not on the menu. The peshawari chicken was the best kebab I have EVER tasted... soft, spicy.... yum. The chicken just melted in my mouth and I swooned with every bite. The kadai veg and chicken biryani were also good. The service is horrible, though... atleast in the Vashi outlet. I am not sure about the other branches. The surprise was when they brought the bill... the kebab cost 550 bucks... In the menu the kebabs were for 130 bucks and platter for around 400-500. I realized we had been fleeced. Yes... the kebabs were good but I doubt we (atleast me) would have ordered them if we knew 4 pcs cost 550 bucks. I was pissed off and have decided to ALWAYS ask the price before ordering.

On sat we (I) drove to Kharghar (as KC's chauffeur) and took a walk. I like Kharghar... the roads are nice, the center with the fountain looks beautiful at night, it is peaceful, there is no traffic. Dinner was at a Nerul restaurant where they play live music. I was hoping for western music but they were Jagjit songs which was a downer. The food was good and I had liquor after soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo long. I really crave to get drunk and high... it has been so long but I have to drive and cannot take the risk.

Will be back with more updates...

PS: I have enrolled in this library in Dombiwali which delivers books at home. The collection is huge with latest books added every month (Shobha De's new book is already part of the collection) and they also stock magazines. Monthly cost is around 250 bucks (depending on plan chosen) plus 500 bucks deposit. They deliver in all parts of Mumbai. The website is http://www.friendslibrary.in/

The most hated festival

So... the drums start again on the road near my building. I have paused the CD player 'coz I cannot hear a thing. I can't even hear myself think. I have never hated another festival soooo much... not even Holi when you cannot venture outdoors... not Diwali when you have to look for crackers on the streets.

Ganesh Chaturthi is the most hated festival of all. What makes it ok for people to inconvenience others sooo much? There is fear in the evening while leaving work 'coz I can never be sure which roads will be blocked by people carrying the statue for visarjan.

Compare this to Durga Puja that I witnessed during my 1 month stay in Kolkata. For 4-5 days the entire city is closed... malls, shops, offices... everything. People go pandaal hopping in peace. I have visited 3-4 pandaals in one day without any nuisance... there was not too much traffic or crowd. People had fun in their own way without bothering anyone else. There was no blocking the streets, no blaring noise, no untoward incidents.

I think we should all learn how to celebrate festivals from the Kolkatans.

I hate Mumbai all the more now. The government is quite useless. Basic amenities are lacking- the city is dirty, roads have potholes, traffic is out of control, rents are sky high and so not worth it, there are diseases everywhere, slums as far as the eye can see and terrorist attacks every year.

Can it get worse?

Dabaang

I did not think I would be watching this movie but KC insisted... and I gave in.

What can I say that has not already been said?

Is it a good movie?? No... Is it entertaining? Maybe.

The movie is about Salman and if you like him or can tolerate him... you will enjoy it. Else avoid. There is not much story to speak of... whatever little is there is full of loopholes. I am surprised Abhinav Kashyap didn't give attention to detail.

Sonakshi Sinha is good in her limited role... don't really understand her character.

Can be watched once to understand why Salman is revered by the masses. This is a movie for them.

Loooooong break

Hiya. I am back after a long break. Don't ask what happened. I booked my tickets for B'glore on Sunday. The plan was to catch up with friends on Friday, visit Mysore on Sat and return on Sunday evening. Guess what happens??? I fall ill. I was feeling down under on Sat itself. I managed to finish work and return home on time since KC and I had plans with his friends. But by 7 pm I could not move... my body ached all over. I curled up at home and ditched him. On Monday evening the puking began... the cough and cold were slowly building up. It was a terrible, terrible week spent in the doc's consulting room, spending money on blood/urine/swine flu tests and on a lot of medicines.

I came to the conclusion that there are good docs and there are bad docs. The good docs are the one who prescribe medicines which will cure me... they understand when I say; "I puke on taking tablets. Please give me fewer tablets"... and I consult them again.

The bad docs are disinterested... they will answer 5 calls within 15 mins while consulting me... their list of tablets is longer than the list of foods I can eat in a day...

Anyway, I have recovered now and do not wish to fall ill again.

Hey Baby

I have to answer weird questions from friends/acquaintances when they get to know I am married. They are about kids... "When are you planning to have kids?". It stops at that when I reply in the negative. Of course, explanations and justifications have to be given and then the other person gets into a discussion about his/her family plans.

I am not writing this 'coz I do not like kids and never want to have them (topic for another post) but the fact that people equate marriage to kids. I would like to know why. Is it 'coz that is how we are brought up? Or is it 'coz our relatives question about kids once married? Or is it 'coz finally the world acknowledges that a couple is having sex. Sex in the Indian context is related to making kids.

Nobody asked me about kids when I was dating KC (you know what I mean by "dating"). So, why now? I knew KC quite well when when we were married but not all couples are like that. Don't you need time to adjust to living with someone before having kids? Don't you need to be stable in your career and finances before making babies?

The strangest part is KC has not been subjected to such inquiries... after all, only the mother can want kids. The father is just an on-looker in the whole process.

Kya baat hai...jo baat hai... taaza lage...

I love love love love love love love the songs of Udaan. The strange part is I have not heard them playing on the radio or TV while cheap songs like 'Munni darling' are on every music channel.

I can concentrate on music only on my Ipod. I need to block out all other sounds to listen to music... when it is playing in the background I am too distracted to actually "listen".

Gym time is the only time when I can listen to uninterrupted music... there is no time otherwise. I do not even have a desk job working on excel where music can be played.

I visited the gym after almost a month.... due to expiry of the membership and then the illness and then laziness. Getting back to the routine is most difficult after such a long break. Initially, the new Puma golden colored shoes (cheapest in the sale among Nike, Reebok, Adidas and Puma) were a motivation but for the past week I have been procrastinating. Every morning at 6 am on the sound of alarm I would tell myself I will go in the evening and in the evening I would put it on the next morning.

Finally, today I dragged my ass back and I know I will follow the routine.

Sometimes half the battle is the beginning.

I am also loving the songs of 'Once upon a time in Mumbai' specially- 'I am in Love'. Another song that takes my breath away is 'Aye Khuda'. Salim Merchant's voice is heavenly... and 'Bekraar' by Lucky Ali. I generally don't listen to songs of flop movies but these songs are too too good.