Promiscuous Girl

Z: So, she has slept with 5 guys

Me: So? Whats your no?

Z: 3

Me: Thats IT???? Really, after all the trying... it is just 3?

Z: Well, Yeah

Btw, the no 3 is despite all the trying and thinking about getting laid for every awake moment.

I got thinking about promiscuity. How do I define it? Can someone be judged as promiscuous? What is the no? 3, 5, 10 or more?

I remember this dialogue from the movie 'Girl Interrupted' ...

"How many guys do I have to sleep with to be considered promiscuous?"... "Ten eight five"... "How many girls would a guy have to sleep with to be considered promiscuous"... "Ten ? ? ?"

If a person becomes sexually active at say 20 (it is a reasonable age) and gets married at 26 (very reasonable age for both men and women)... and if he/she sleeps with 1 person per year... he/she would have slept with 6 men/women by the time he/she gets married. Maybe more if the marriage is delayed.

Imagine telling a guy you have met for arranged marriage that you have slept with 6 guys... the most broad/open minded person will have a BIG problem with it. When it comes to love, there is a choice of not talking about it.

I have no moral stand. I don't think there is anything wrong with one night stands. As long as both the people involved are single and ready to mingle. After all, sexual experimentation is part of the growing up process.

And yet, as Indians we are fixed on nos. 3, 5, 10. We believe that sex has to be linked to love... even when thats the case, how many first relationships work out? And isn't sexual compatibility part of the deal? What if you love someone but are not sexually compatible? For me, its a deal breaker.

I have this friend, I call a commitment guy... someone who is decent, courteous, harmless... he has already been in 5 relationships. If someone like him who believes in morals very strongly, has such a high no... what chance is there for someone who believes in casual sex?

I guess there is no such as promiscuity... not in my dictionary anyway.

Books... Books... Books

Hiya. I have not reviewed books in quite sometime. No- I have not stopped reading. My reading has been a little slow lately. Reason is that I have not been travelling on the metro. Yes, there is a connection. On any day I travel in a metro for 3 hours. Answering phones or replying to mails is not possible. Reading is the only option. I relish that time. Here are reviews of books I have read lately:

• Gossip Girl- Part 1: I came across this book in the online library and was pleasantly surprised. I grabbed the copy. The book is slightly different from the series. It is about Serena's return to school after the boarding fiasco. But let me begin at the beginning. Gossip Girl series is about the lives of the rich, filthy rich living in Manhattan. They have it all. Or do they? A lady- Gossip Girl prints sends gossip on mail to everyone. It is generally about these rich kids or their friends. Nobody knows who Gossip Girl is. Of course, everyone feeds her gossip. The book's focus is less on Gossip Girl and more on the characters. Blair is unhappy with Serena's return since she is finally in the limelight. Nate is a goody goody- like in the series. Dan is very withdrawn, aloof... unlike in the series. His sister, Jane is supposed to be bosomy (not so in the series) and trying to get into the world of the rich. Chuck is an absolute bastard... he talks crap about Serena... tries to maul Jenny. Very unlike the Chuck of the series... who is bad but decent. Vanessa- Dan's love interest is supposed to be creative, into goth and very artistic. In the series, she is bitchy and a bad dresser. Also, Serena and Nate sleep with each other and Nate is in love with her... even though he is dating Blair. I could understand the characters better... what they think, why they do what they do. But they are different from those portrayed in the series. Good read
• Gossip Girl- Part 2: I had picked up this book few months back and then left it. It is not a continuation of the first one. Instead, it is about 3 twins who have joined school in Manhattan. Now, I get it. A good, timepass read. I am going to pick up the 3rd part soon. The best part is I can finish the book in 1 metro ride.
• To Sir, with love: Years ago, when I was living with a friend's friends in a Thane flat; my room mate gifted this book to the other room mate on her b'day. I picked it up from the library this week. The book is about a black teacher who joins a school in a run down neighborhood. He has to face racism and resentment from his students. The book is about how he transforms the students and earns their love and respect. Good read.
• The Greatest Show on Earth: I love reading about Bollywood. I have read many biographies. The celebrities lives are fascinating and difficult. This book is a collection of chapters taken from various books written on Bollywood celebrities. There are writings on Shobha De's views of some celebrities as editor of Stardust, chapters from biography on Kapoors... on Shahrukh.... chapter on Manmohan Desai's movies... the influence of Islam on Bollywood... on Amitabh Bachan... on Sholay ... etc etc. A very good read. I was just thinking- the current lot of actresses are much smarter than earlier ones... we never hear of second marriages, kids out of wedlock etc etc. We cannot imagine a Hema-Jeetendra-Dharmendra-Sanjeev Kumar kind of love story these days. The love lives are more sensible. Women are not compromising and taking charge of their lives. No man can behave the way Sanjay Khan did with Zeenat Aman.

Make up removers

Hey. Anita asked me about make up removers in the mascara post comments section. I decided to do a post- since I have so many make up removers. Disinterested people- bear with me.

The most important part of make up is its removal. If make up is not removed completely, it can bring wrinkles, acne and damage the skin in many ways. After all, make up is made up of chemicals. As a teenager, I used to wash off my make up (usually, just an eyeliner) and get raccoon eyes. For me, it was part of the deal. Apply eyeliner and wake up in the morning with raccoon eyes. Thankfully, not anymore. Make up removers available in the market are limited. There are 2 removers- eye/lip remover and make up remover.

An eye and lip remover removes make up from the eyes and lips. It is a mix of water and oil. The oil floats on top of the water. You have to shake it, take some drops on a cotton pad and swipe. Repeat till the cotton pad does not have any traces of make up. It usually takes me 3-4 pads to clean off liner, mascara and eye shadow. This remover does not completely remove face make up.

A regular make up remover is used to remove foundation, blush etc from the face. It generally does not remove eye make up (I have not come across any that does).

I will review a products that I have used/use in both categories. Yes- you need to use both.

1) Maybelline eye and lip make up remover: Priced at Rs 190 for 70 ml. This remover effectively removes eye make up. The only grouse is that quantity is too less. I would like a bottle with atleast 200 ml but right now Maybelline has only the smaller bottle.

2) L'Oreal make up remover: You can clearly see the oil floating on top of water. You have to shake it well and then use the remover. Priced at Rs 425 for 125 ml. It is pricier and there is no difference between Maybelline and this remover. Its just a brand preference. It does not burn eyes and removes even mascara effectively. Also, it leaves oil on the face (obviously). So, a face wash is needed after this. Ditto for Maybelline.

3) Chambor make up remover: This remover belongs to the second category. It removes face make up. It is a face cleanser and exfoliates also. Apply water on face, take some remover and massage it into the face. Rinse off. I generally do not use a face wash after this. It does not dry my skin and leaves it feeling soft. On some days, the make up maybe hard to remove and I either use a face wash or repeat with more product.

Note- It does not remove eye make up. I mean, eye make up is more stubborn. It definitely cannot remove mascara. Also, if it enters eyes it can burn like hell. Priced at Rs 495 for 75 ml. It lasts me all month.

4) Vichy Purette Themale: To be honest, I have not used it very frequently. The problem with Vichy products is that instructions on the back are not written in English. For every product, I have to go online and read it. This has to be applied to a damp face, massage gently and then wipe away with a damp cotton. According to the instruction, there is no need to rinse off. It also claims to tone the skin. Its not bad but I wouldn't spend buy a makeup remover from Vichy due to its price. Priced at Rs 890 for 200 ml. Btw, I got it free.

5) Inglot make up remover for waterproof make up: I have recently become a big fan of Inglot products. They are cheaper than Mac and have a good range. I decided to try their make up remover. I wanted something which could remove eye make up since I had run out of L'Oreal. The beauty adviser at the counter recommended this one. It has to be applied to the face, massaged and then wiped off. According to the product description, it has water and not oil. So, there is no residue and face does not need to be cleaned. My biggest grouse is that it burns my eyes. None of the reviews online mention it so I am not sure what is wrong. I may go to the store and check again. Until then, I am using it for the face. Price is Rs 690 for 100 ml.

Notes: Make up can also be removed with olive oil, baby oil and vaseline. I have not tried it but read online.

The thought of removing eye make up... then face make up... then cleansing the face... then applying moisturizer is tiring.... but I do it every night and it takes 5 mins.

Hope this helps...

PS: The reviews are mine alone... and I am not getting paid to endorse them... though, I wish I was.

Movie Reviews... long due

Hiya. I have been meaning to review the movies I have watched but did not find the time or the inclination. So, here goes...

I watched this with D and KC in Vasant Kunj 2 weeks back. D likes George Clooney and was excited about it... I had read good reviews but knew it is damn slow.

The story is about a husband whose wife meets with an accident, enters a coma and dies. The twist is that he gets to know that she was cheating on him and everyone, but him knew about it. I felt like Hollywood has run out of stories and decided to put a character in an impossible situation... then worked out the story around it.

I did not like it at all... who does that? Who will look for his cheating wife's partner and ask him to see her before she dies. That is so dumb... and loserly.

The only reason why this movie works is 'coz of Clooney. He is usually so chic, handsome and suave in movies that watching him play this role is awesome. From acting to his dressing... he lives the role. You have to notice his pants... they fit him like it would any of our dads.

I would say... avoid.

I missed this movie in the theatre. I don't think I would have dragged KC for it, anyway. I downloaded and watched it when KC was away this week. The story is about the time that racism existed in USA. Blacks mostly worked as labour... they were discriminated against. One white woman decides to write a book on their experiences. It is her struggle to get them to trust her and get the book published. The story sounds very appealing... but the movie is very Bollywoodish. A movie with such a story has a potential to be path breaking, specially if it has been nominated for Oscars. But its very commercial. I did not enjoy it much.

Just watched flick since reviews on fb were good. In a nutshell- it is Jab We Met without Shahid with wooden Imran with a twist in the end. Imran is doing the same roles over and over again. I am tired of seeing him as the good guy next door. He is so wooden. You have to compare Shahid and him and see the difference. Imran has a loooooong way to go. Kareena is the same... like her natural make up in this flick. The story is slow... thank god, it is just 2 hours. Kareena and Imran stay friends in the end... with him still pining for her. Such a loser.

Avoid... just watch Jab we Met again.

Happy V day

Hi. I have not been too great these last few days. Don't ask why. On Sunday, I dropped KC off to the airport after my Jazz class. He was going to Pune for a few days and then to Mumbai... then back to Pune and returning after 6 days. I was pissed... he was going to miss V day. Initially, he had planned to return for one evening so we could have dinner together. I felt like something had changed. I am very scared of things changing... of becoming a boring couple who are too lazy to do anything fun... I miss the energy we used to have. We have traveled all over the country to be with each other even for one night. Most of our relationship and 1 year of marriage was long distance. I remember this one time- I had to go for a conference to Lonvala. I worked most of the night with my colleagues on a ppt, we left early morning for Lonvala... worked all day... partied till late night... started ppts next day early morning... went for water sports in the evening... returned at night for dinner at the Boss's house... left at 1 am for guesthouse... took the early morning flight to Indore... spent the day and night with KC... flew back in the morning to Mumbai... worked all day... took the train at night to Gujarat. And he has done the same for me.

And then negative thoughts come in... what if... what if... what if. Sometimes I wonder if we are happy or I am just like Carrie, not used to not having drama. Which one is it?

Anyway, KC agreed to come back (seeing that he had no other option) but I messaged him and asked him not to strain himself. There were 2 reasons for this:

1. Travelling from Pune to Gurgaon to Pune to Mumbai to Gurgaon does sound hectic. It seemed like a genuine reason


2. I did not want to be with him on V day if he did not want to be with me. Plain and simple. I do have my pride and ego

My bad ass friends were surprised to know I would be alone on V Day. "Umm... hmm... where is KC, if not with you?" I did wonder and kept tracking him to Google Maps. (After reading this, he will take me off his list for sure).

On V day, he did not call me ... now I was pissed AND sad. To be the higher person, I sent flowers online. I would have done it earlier but I was not sure if he would be in Mumbai or Pune or back home. 30 mins later, my doorbell rang. KC had sent me roses... orange roses with a "Sorry" note. All I could think was; "The romance is still alive" And Amen to that.

It was like "Gift of Magi" (by O'Henry)... with both us sending each other roses and all. I know the story was about sacrifice but for 2 self sufficient individuals the opportunity to sacrifice rarely comes.

Happy V day. I hope its a better one next year.

Back to baking... with a vengeance

People who do not like my cooking posts... ignore. Come back later.

I went looking for Superman or Batman tee shirts for KC. Don't ask... he wants cartoon tees and has been whining about it for sometime now. During the workshop, one batch had to wear Superman tees. They all had purchased it from some shop in DLF Phase 1 market. I went looking for it last night and came across Modern Bazaar store. I have seen this store in Select Citywalk Mall. It stocks all the imported stuff. I picked up a few things and came across tutti fruti. Few months back I was looking for tutti fruti to add in cupcakes and could not find them anywhere. What a bummer. This time I was inspired- reached home at 8 pm and started making cupcakes batter. The recipe was taken from Maria Goretti's blog (she was a VJ on MTV and is the wife of Arshad Warsi). The batter looked fab and I was looking forward to devouring the cupcakes. Unfortunately, I left the microwave on preheat for a very long time. It conked off and wouldn't turn on. I had to throw away the batter. I was planning to get it repaired on Sunday and resume baking.

But I tried turning the microwave on in the morning and it worked. Yoohoo. I returned from work, did the whole thing again and baked a bunch of lovely cupcakes.
Below is the recipe taken from MG's blog: http://mariagorettiz.blogspot.in/2010/06/night-26-midnight-insanity-muffins.html


Cupcakes
1 1/4 cup , self rising flour
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
3 large egg whites
Tutti Fruti (not in original recipe- added by me)


Pre heat oven to 250 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.. Mine took 10 mins only and then I turned it off.

1.Sift the flour and salt in a bowl and set aside.
2.In another small bowl, stir the milk, vanilla and almond extracts together. I used essence instead of extract.
3.In a large bowl, with the hand mixer on medium, beat the butter and sugar, until it lightens in colour about 3 minutes.
4.On low speed, add the flour to the butter mix in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, till its just about blended and set aside.
5.In another large bowl , beat the egg whites with an electric beater till it is nice and shiny white , smooth and nice and stiff. Stop beating when it starts looking like snow... you will see the peaks. This is the hardest and most boring part.
6. Stir about 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter, with the electric beater , then stop and with a spatula , just fold the rest of the beaten egg whites in.
7. Take the tutti fruit on a plate... sprinkle some flour and mix them together. This will prevent them from settling at the bottom. Add into the batter with a spatula.
7. Put the batter into your muffin moulds , they make about 6 and cook them at 160 degrees for 17 minutes, and the little white poppykins are ready , take them out and leave them to cool....


Ta... da... they are ready.

Mascara... for beginners/dummies

Hiya. I am back, as promised... with a post on my favorite product- mascara.

Men, please ignore. Come back later.

I have always had regular eyelashes- thin, slightly curved and not too long. Eyelashes should be long, curved and thick. Thats where a mascara comes in. It opens up the eyes and makes them look more attractive. Not kidding. This is the 2nd last product I have come to like; last is blush. Anyway, right now it is my favorite product because even if I do not use an eyeliner, it makes my eyes look better.

The first mascara I purchased was Maybelline volume express in college. I never used it and could not figure out the big deal. Almost 2 years back, I decided to give it a try again. This time I picked up Mac mascara. I was not sure what I wanted from it- do I want to lengthen my lashes or curve them or thicken them? Every beauty counter I went to, the skin advisers would apply many coats of the mascara and make my eyelashes look weird. I did not want to look over the top.

I follow one rule- when in doubt, pick up Mac... if you afford it. I bought a mascara which only defines lashes. After some time of using it, I realized- its not meant for my lashes. My lashes need help- to curve, lengthen and thicken.

So, I bought another Mac mascara- this one for curved and thick lashes.

After a few months, I picked up L'Oreal mascara. I love L'Oreal products (most of them) and

decided to give it a try. I picked up the volume million lashes. I also decided to try out a brown mascara- L'Oreal telescopic mascara.

Front to back: Mac Pro Longlash: Price- around 1k; Mac Plush Lash: Price- around 1k; L'Oreal telescopic mascara: Price- around 600 bucks; L'Oreal volume million lashes: Price- around 700 bucks.

Mascara should be applied last- after completing the rest of the eye make up. Open the bottle, take out the wand, swipe on the lash- bottom to top. Swipe again. And again, if you want more volume. Use it on the other eye. Do not dip it again in the bottle. This is to prevent the air from entering in and drying it sooner.

Here is a pic of my eye with the mascara on- I have used volume million lashes mascara and swiped twice. The pic has been taken with my phone so it is not very clear.

You can compare the lower lashes and upper ones and notice the difference.

For a casual look, you can skip liner and apply mascara and kohl. It still gives a defined look to the eye and seems like a thin liner has been applied.

Reviews of the mascara:

Front to back:

Mac Pro Longlash: I do not use it anymore and will be glad to give it away for free. Lemme know if you want it

Mac Plush Lash: It has a thick brush which curves the lashes very well. The only problem is it does not cover the small lashes. I generally skip covering those

L'Oreal telescopic mascara: This one is my favorite. The brush is very thin and covers smallest lashes. It is brown colored and gives a very natural look. It lengthens the lashes but does not add too much volume. I need to swipe 3-4 times for volume. Best for daily, casual wear

L'Oreal volume lashes: Really, really adds volume. Covers even small lashes and lengthens them. Gives a black look to the eyes. Love it.

Tip: Always, always curl your lashes with an eye curler (costs less than Rs 50 and available at all cosmetic stores) before applying mascara. If lashes are not curled, they will not look very good. Also, don't go for blue or green or different colored mascaras. If lashes are black, no matter which color you apply it will not be visible.

For cheaper options, Maybelline mascara is good. Lakme is dependable. You can check out Revlon/Chambor/Max Factor etc. There are many, many options these days.

Life revolves around food

Hiya. I am sitting in the bedroom after watching a few episodes of The Big Bang Theory Season 5. KC is sleeping and there is silence. It is cold but bearable. Last night's howling breeze is silent right now. Winter is saying goodbye and I couldn't be happier.

This week has been hectic and I have not been getting enough sleep. No, its not work... its never work. On Thursday, my colleague gave me a free pass for the movie 'Chronicle' playing at Vasant Kunj Mall. I invited D, AB and KC. AB couldn't make 'coz he had to "sleep early". KC was quite busy at work and we had to leave quite late. The traffic on Mehrauli road did not help and we reached half an hour after the movie started. Disappointed, we headed for a quick drink and dinner at Taman Gang. I had not heard about it but D had come for dinner with his family. He did mention that it is expensive but I did not realize then that our definitions differ. Anyway, since we were in a hurry D ordered for us. We did not even look at the menu. There was some chicken starter which was quite good. The chicken red Thai curry was yummy. The chicken was so so so soft. And rice was good. We had 4 drinks in all. The bill came to 5k. I was a little zapped. We have not done the whole get together with friends in a while and was not sure how much it is supposed to cost. Even then, it seemed on the expensive side. On checking the bill, I realized main course and starter cost 650 bucks each. KC and I do not have a budget but generally, anything above 350 bucks is expensive for us. I read the reviews on zomato.com and check the prices before going to a place. The prices are so high only in a 5 star. The food was good but quite expensive.

We then headed for The Descendants. I will write a review in my next post.

KC was working late on Friday night and we came home at 10.30 pm. I was in no mood to go out and we ordered in (with great difficulty since everything closes at 11 pm in Gurgaon).

Last night was great. We headed to Select Citywalk since KC wanted to shop. Dinner was at The Big Chill Cafe, as always. We visit it every month and love the food there. My only grouse is the waiting time. The first time we went there on a Sunday afternoon, we got a table at 3 pm (after more than an hour of waiting). At Khan Market, D had booked a table on phone an hour earlier. We were made to wait for another 45 mins. Last night was the same. 60 mins of wait and we finally got a table at 10 pm. Thankfully, the service was quick. Their Vanilla Oreo shake is to die for.

Last weekend was the workshop. I was happy to have no class on a Sunday and just wanted to stay in and do nothing. At 12 noon- after finishing all the chores, we were about to start watching TBBT when a friend R called. R and me live within 5 mins of each other and were together in engg college. Our friendship has lagged over the years and neither has made an effort to revive it. All my invitations to movies or dinner have mostly been turned down by him- for one reason or the other in the last few months. And I have basically given up. Anyway, he asked me to bring him some food since he is very ill and has nothing at home. I guessed he was in dire need of help to have called me. I packed some food and took it to him. He had been running a fever for 3-4 days and was surviving of D Cold and Crocin. His sister was away at a weeding out of town and parents had gone back to their home 2 days back. Basically, he was alone and there was nobody to look after him. After feeding him soup, I took him to the hospital. He had to be given a drip to bring down the fever. I brought him home, fed him lunch and returned home to a Sunday that was almost over. Sigh!!! I do not understand the reluctance of people to see a doctor. My father is a doc so advice is always available and I am quite used to it. For me it is very natural to see a doc when I am unwell. Most people wait and wait and wait till they are pushed by someone to see a doc. KC is like that. So, is R. Any symptom which lasts more than a week should be diagnosed by a doc; 2 days if it is fever.

And today I plan to do nothing. Just sit home and lounge around. I need to.