The hair woes continue

My hair woes continue. I anyways have very little left and at the rate with which I am experimenting I will soon have none left. But the itch to do something or the other with my hair keeps coming back every now and then.

So this weekend, almost impulsively, I found myself at the Salon, with the intention to get my hair colored. The stylist totally sweet talked me in first getting a haircut. So I agreed. Not that it’s too much of a new hairstyle, just correcting the length and adding some more layers.

Besides, the hairstylist refused to believe that I was in Indian. She thought I looked like a Mexican, and I seriously don’t know if I should be happy or sad about it. In her opinion “all Indians” are primarily “dark and quite plain looking” and all my efforts to explain that we Indians came in all kind of skin color had no effect on her. So at the end of the 3 hour ordeal, she still thought I was a Mexican and lying about my identity.

Anyways, coming back to the hair thing, so I get a haircut and then we move on to the coloring bit. And yet another brainwave and I decide to get some highlights as well. So base color is a shade of brown with lots and lots of golden highlights thrown in.

I thought it looked chic, till I came to office, where no one actually noticed it!! How do you feel when you spend a fortune on a haircut, a new hair color & highlights and your friends in office don’t even notice it?? Yeah, spare me, but I don’t really feel too good about it!

And we reach the finale – Post 28

I did it. Yes, as successfully as I could. Skipped 2 days, first because it was this mad mad day and 2^nd because I was a bit mad that day.

Wrote every single day. Wrote about things I wouldn’t have written otherwise. My readers know more about me post the NaBloPoMo now.

Completed the month without picking up a tag!! And that is something I am very happy about.

My friend thinks that next month will be a “Na – Blog – Post – Month”. Let’s see if she knows me well.

My reason for taking this up was to be regular with my blogging. I had been missing for a while and I am sure nothing better could get me back. Work was at its worst and that made the entire effort even more worth it.

It was taxing no doubt but it was as much fun too.

Its now time for my thank-you speech:

All my partners in this crime – Monika, Meira, Pixie, Swaram, Prats and some more, I owe this to the commenting you guys did. Had it not been for the “present here” comment I would have lost hope long back. {Ducks to avoid the eggs and tomatoes!!!

now please don’t stop commenting, phuleaseeee}

A big hug to Aman, for enduring my “its 11:30 pm, the clock is ticking and I haven’t posted yet” panic modes.

Anu – hugs to u, u tried to get me off this and I know your intentions were right

Thanks to my neighbors – generally!!

And aunty’s dog – even more generally!!!

And to the maid and the cook – now what if I didn’t have the support system at home. Time would have gone in cribbing and ordering food, right?? {What, you thought I would say – cooking and cleaning, huh???}

So tra lala la. And its time to treat myself!! Chicken Biryani any one??

And the Day was made – Post 27

Mornings are typical. Aman wakes me up in the warmest way possible. I scramble out of the bed, switch on the geyser, then the laptop and then collapse again to catch another precious 5 mins of sleep.

While the bath gets ready, I clear a few mails, plan my work day and then log into Facebook. Not that anything earth shattering would have happened through the night. It’s just like a habit.

So this morning when I logged on to FB I saw a notification saying my blog had been mentioned in a friend’s status message.

And when I read what it was, I was happy and touched beyond words.

My friend’s status message said “she wakes up to My blog and Monika’s blog each morning”

Now isn’t that extremely flattering??

Check it out for yourself.

I didn’t even know she was reading me, let alone reading me each day. So “E” big big thank-you to you. You really made my day!!

Happy hours Forever – Post 22

Finally the day has come, for the little girl to grow a wee bit older!!!

Here’s wishing Meira a very very happy birthday. May you get more of everything this year and in all the years to come by!!

More love, more kisses, more $#%.

Lot more parties and even more holidays.

More beer and more egg rolls.

More fun and more money

More happiness and more contentment!!!

And let the joy in the “happy hours” grow many many fold!!!

And on your (what 21^st it is??) birthday, here is a small gift from my side!!

A Channel bag and a Dolce and Gabbana Dress!!!

Image Curtesy - Channel and D&G

Hop over at Monika’s to have some cake and then at Pixie’s to raise a toast and then at Swaram’s for some goodies!!

Coming back to where we started. - Post 19

So the last post was a total bouncer. Here is the background:

Was speaking to my bestest friend on Saturday night. It was close to 9:30 and I hadn’t written a post. It was frustrating. I wasn’t getting any ideas. I didn’t want to write a weekend update (I never do that), neither a book nor a movie review (again, I have never done that as well.) Time was ticking and in that I made my frustration way too vocal.

And the sweetheart that she is, keeping my best interest in mind, did this. Love you so much for it.

And then I slept over it all weekend. And the stubborn person that I am, decided to get back to it. Lets not stop this thing we started!!!

She might kill me after all. But maybe she loves me enough to understand. Or maybe she would contribute by writing a few more posts for me!!

Rules are a little different though. I would be skipping the weekend. And that’s because I will be out of Bangalore. So people, we are back to where we started!!

Be careful when you wish for who knows it might just come true - Post 17

There are times in life when we wish for things without even realizing what will happen if those wishes come true.

In one of those angry moments when I was very hurt I wished that this friend who was responsible for everything, suffered as well.

It happened way back. Back when nothing used to be trivial. Back when the biggest joys and biggest sorrows were something I would consider inconsequential now.

And after a few years, I had made peace with it. I had brought things to closure. We were friends again. Forgive, forget and shut it.

And then this friend suffered and suffered some more. On her own hands and on the hands of someone she loved.

It then struck me very hard. I was reminded of the vague wish I had made years ago. Was her suffering my doing? Had god finally listened to me? After years?

Girlie Wisdom from the males!! Post 14

Disclaimer: This post was written in the state of immense sleepiness and tiredness last night. I had no intention of missing one more day and hence decided to scribble something. Please feign ignorance to blatant spelling and grammatical and mental errors.

Over dinner with friends the other day, the conversation conveniently steered towards woman and their clothing.

A particular guy complained that he was ragged big time by his 12 year old niece when she asked him to get her some spaghetti tops from France, and he asked what they were. I actually don’t blame him. Aman and I have been together for almost 7 years now and his knowledge of what I wear ends at “Sexy” or “Not so Sexy”.

So then the game started, in a group comprising of 7 girls and just 2 guys, it was an absolute laugh riot. The idea was to use logic!!

Now here are a few definitions these guys came up with.

Tube Top – it’s a top, so obviously worn on the upper part of the body. It’s like a tight mini skirt, too tight to be worn as a skirt, therefore it’s worn as a top.

Tank top – A top just like a tank, specialized in storing more content than it appears to be storing!!

Spaghetti top – A top, that hangs on spaghetti like straps

Halter top – a top “altered” in a manner that makes the guy’s heart beat halt!!

Corset – it’s like a closet, keeping things safe!!

There were more, but those hang on the edge decency, so will skip them.

Even Good guys make mistake - Post 8

This was my FB status message a few days back and a lot of my friends assumed it was about Aman. Fortunately it wasn’t. My guy usually doesn’t make mistakes and even if he did I wouldn’t talk about it on FB, would I?

This is about someone else. Let me explain.

Recently I met this newly wed couple. While I have known and respected the guy for a couple of years, it was the first time I was meeting the girl. The guy is a mature, intelligent and an extremely smart fellow. He is a good human being and overall a nice person to know. He is good at his work and quite ambitious. And when he announced marriage we were very happy. It was a marriage of choice and he had known the girl for a few months.

I am sure they are in love. And I am sure they are happy. But what shocked me was the “couple itself”. They were just so opposite. And not opposite in that nice way which makes one go all mush.

They were opposite in this very weird manner. While the guy is all sober and intelligent, the girl was all silly and full of giggles. I surely don’t mind people who laugh a lot, but laughing without a reason is such a put off. The girl was also definitely low on IQ, a bit of a show off and seemed like a brat. She certainly wasn’t someone I could manage a decent conversation with.

Which obviously made me think what my friend saw in her. She was good looking. But it ended at that. So did my friend get so floored by the way she looked that he didn’t bother to go beyond that? So is it that men still just want eye candy as wives? What happens when this initial fascination with looks dies down? Will then the stupidity start bothering him? And wont it be too late? What will he do when he wants to talk? Will he still enjoy the giggles as much? Well, that only time will tell, but as of now, I think he did make a mistake.

Virtual meets the Real

And so it happened. Without too much planning. Without going to and fro. One ping, followed by one suggestion on place and time. And lo behold, we met.

Who you may ask – our very own Monika, I say. And what a meeting it was. It was a weekday so I rushed straight from office. And was there dot on time, only to see the Red Cedia parked already. I obviously had no issues in spotting her in the crowded coffee shop. We hugged as if we were some long lost friends catching up over cup of coffee. And conversation just flew. Not even for a second there was an uncomfortable silence. Not even for a second were we stuck on what to say next. Least to say, it was delightful. The first peek at the watch shocked me no end. 2 hours had gone by and we hadn’t realized.

After meeting her yesterday, I am still wondering why it took so long. I should have met her ages back.

This was the first time I had met someone from the Blog World. I had major plans of meeting Mampi and Pinku when I had ventured to Delhi and Punjab earlier this year and unfortunately no plans materialized, thanks to the exhaustive wedding preparations from which I couldn’t pull myself away even for a few hours. I even planned meeting Mumbai Diva when I was in Bombay in May but even that didn’t work due to last minute flight changes.

Thinking about 10 years back, I would have been so closed on interacting with strangers. I would have died before following someone I didn’t know (reference to twitter). Chat and emails to people I haven’t met or didn’t know would be out of question. But now I see myself so open to these things. When I started blogging I hardly did interact with anyone. I used to sms Aman and my friend Anu and would tell them that the blog has been updated and that they should go read it. Then, almost a year back things changed, not sure how, but yeah I started opening up as a blogger. And now there are these real people most of whom I didn’t know before they left that comment or before I stumbled into their spaces. This is a world in itself and it’s a delightful place.

I was a Fish in my last birth

Let me introduce you to my latest love of the purely self indulgent nature. This new found love has overtaken my life completely. You might have noticed the absence from the blog. Reading as well as writing. This time though I am not complaining.

So yes coming back to my latest fascination – its swimming. Yeah, bring it on. But first a bit of history.

Now, yours truly has never been scared of water, being a Cancerian, I guess, has nothing to do with it.

Remember I mentioned that we had moved to this fantastic new place earlier this year? So the same place along with being the incredible place it is also boasts of this awesome swimming pool. First look and I was rearing to go, there was only a slight hitch – I didn’t know how to swim. I did some frantic running around the apartment to find out if they have any plans of getting a coach but I was told no such thing was happening for quite some time. Subsequently one fine evening, when the pool looked way too inviting I decided to jump. I was of course accompanied by a friend who knew how to swim, quite well. Some emotional atyachar later she agreed to teach me. 2 days of coaching is what I got from her. And then as always work overtook my life and swimming was forgotten.

Then about 3 weeks back, the urge to jump into the pool came back. This time I had dear friend, who now also happens to be my neighbor, for company. Since then I have gone for a swim each day (ok, I did miss twice) irrespective of what time I get back home and in-spite of how cold and windy the weather is. I don’t remember when was the last time I got so crazy about doing something. I am rather proud of myself as 2 days of coaching and another 2 days of splash splash, and lo behold, I know how to swim.

Yes I picked up the trick, and I am able to swim rather well now. Freestyle and backward both. And yes I am able to finish vertical laps as well, about 10 – 15 of them.

The way I feel when in water is nothing less than euphoric. Floating backwards, staring at the stars with cool breeze on my face. Ecstasy!! There is this constant chlorine smell in my nose. As evening approaches I start getting restless, itching to get away from everything and go to the pool. Usually the earliest I land up there is like 9ish. And once in I am the happiest. It’s magical. I wonder how I stayed away from water for so long!! It’s a blessing that I have K for company who if not more is at least as passionate about swimming. Aman too joins in but mostly only on weekends.

So right now it’s going great. For a change I am shutting my laptop and heading to the pool each day. That will explain the lack of new posts. This new obsession has earned me quite a few new nicknames as well which I will not divulge for obvious reasons.

So that was about my latest crush, do you too have one?

1 to 10 – my life in numbers

Interesting!! If life could be defined in numbers this is what my life would appear to be.
BTW this is a tag from Mumbai Diva

1 is for my one and only little sister who I adore beyond words. She is the sweetest!!

2 is for my 2 bestest friends both of whom I haven’t seen for eight months now

3 is for the number of exciting years I have spent being married to Aman. It’s also for the number of countries I have been to.

4 is for the number of cities I have lived in. It’s also for close to the number of years I have been working for

5 is for the number of delightful years I have been crazily in love with my man

6 is for the number of wine glasses I lost while shifting to the new house. 6 is also for the number of houses I have changed in Bangalore

7 is for the cell phones I have lost or broken in the last five years

8 is for my beautiful house on the 8th floor with the awesome view of the sunset

9 is for the number of years since I left school. 9 is also for the number of jewelry sets I got when I got married.

10 is for the number of Kilos I need to loose to get back in shape.

Done. Now this looks easier than it actually is. Requires a bit of thinking which I did on a hot, sleepy Thursday afternoon.

Cyn – since you complained that no one tags you, I appeal to you to take this up.
Anu – you too do it lady. One of my response refers to you too!!!
Monika – I know you love doing tags, so take it up.

Others – Like it? Pick it, and let me know. Would love to read it!!

I don’t feel happy this women’s day..

I was talking to a friend a while back and she told me that during a regular shopping trip to the nearby mall with her 3 year old daughter she caught herself unconsciously being conscious about her surroundings, taking note of who was around, who was watching her, and if anyone was following her?? And guess the reason – “She was dressed in jeans and T- shirt”

Is this how we have to live? In a perennial state of paranoia? Roop says we are physically weaker so no wonder women are being treated as second class citizens. She talks about being emotionally strong. But can emotional strength deter physically stronger men out there just to take advantage?
Monika has been talking about this too but will signing petitions help?

I don’t have a solution but for starters I feel a woman is as safe as she thinks she is. Carry a pepper spray and learn some self protection arts.
We all want to live in a world which will not raise eyebrow on seeing a single female walking on the road late in the night all by herself. We all want to wear what we want without the fear of some mishap happening.
I don’t want to drag Aman with me every time I go to pick up something from the nearby grocery store just because it’s dark.

But sadly we don’t live in such a world and maybe I am being pessimist but I don’t think I ever will.

So this woman’s day I just don’t feel like wishing you “happy women’s day”

Some Clarification

This post is needed after my previous post. I had some people call me to check if everything was fine, some other mailed and smsed. And a few left a comment. It was indeed very sweet of all of you.

I went back and re read my post and felt it was rather incomplete. Yes I am disturbed, have been so for the past few weeks and the reason is not directly related to me but to 2 people I am very fond of. Both of them have lost someone very close to them.
Unexpected to the extent of being malicious. That post was a mirror of what was going through my mind.

My prayers are with both of them. Nothing anyone says or do will ease their pain or lessen their loss.

Life is not fair…

And every dark cloud does not have a silver lining.
Who ever said that whatever happens happens for the good does not know a lot of things for sure.
In the end everything is not always right and bad does happen to perfectly kind and honest people who have never done anything dreadful.
And at times there is no justice.
And things don’t make any sense.
Some things should have never happened and sometimes there is no way to make things right.
All we can do is cry. But will that help?

And this time I remember

Today is the day when 2 years back I wrote my first blog post. It was on the insistence of this very dear friend that I started blogging.

Last year I forgot but this year I made it a point to remember, thanks to the outlook calendar.
So guys, today I complete 2 years of blogging, the first year was in oblivion only writing for myself. It’s only in the last 6 months that I started interacting with other bloggers and now have some very good friends. A full blown post will follow when I complete say 5 years of blogging.
As for now, happy birthday dear Blog. I love you more than you know.

Some more awards....

have come my way over past week and I feel miserable for not accepting them earlier.

These awards are special for 2 reasons. Firstly that all 3 have come from 3 different bloggers and secondly the fact that I don’t know any of them personally.

The first one is this ultra cool Brillante Weblog award which I received from Mampi. She thinks “Iya deserves this award because of the sweet and the unassuming stuff she writes on her blog.”
Thanks Mampi, you know how much this means to me.

I would like to pass this to my best friend Anu for inspiring me to start my own blog. She is too good with words; I only wish she would write more frequently

The second is Proximidade award that has been bestowed on me by none other than the great Indian Home Maker. And according to her this is why I deserve this - “Iya for initiative in Jago Re campaigns and for her strong conscience” This award is special because it came from IHM and also because I love the reason she quoted.

“This award is given to a blog that invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

Now the first person I would have given this award would be Pinku but she has already got this from Mampi.
The second person that so much deserves this one is MumbaiDiva for the kind of warmth she eludes.
There are a few more whom I would have given this award like Mampi, Monika but these babes already have it. So for now I’ll hold on and give it to bloggers later on.

Of Forgiveness

Z and I have been friends for almost a decade. And not just any friends but really good ones.
I know Z well enough. She isn’t bad at all and neither does she mean any disrespect. She is plain lazy. She promises and forgets about it. She doesn’t mean to but she simply does. But as I said I have known her for a long time and I understand her. I actually have been stood up by her a million times. But she apologizes and I forgive. That’s how our friendship has been. I am otherwise quite unforgiving but with Z I am a little enduring. I hate waiting but with Z I do wait. Like I said that’s how our friendship has been.

Now about 3 months back she made plans of going out for dinner with me and this time we included Aman too. It was all set, she was to come to my place and then we were to leave for the restaurant.
But last moment she got busy with some stuff and didn’t turn up. I called her once but her phone was busy. Although I wasn’t shocked at her behavior but this time I was truly angry. Breaking promises with me who is her long time friend is one thing but how could she do so with Aman?

It’s been 3 months and I haven’t spoken to her. I can’t bring myself to forgiving her.

Why is it so difficult for me to forgive her this time around when similar stuff has happened in the past as well?
Why is my anger not receding?
Why am I stuck on this?
Is it because this time Aman is there in the picture. Is it because I can take things on myself but I couldn’t handle her breaking the commitment when Aman was involved too?
Am I right? Or am I over reacting?

Coffee Anu and Me

Work work work....
And then the call at 7:00 pm – “Iya wanna have coffee ???”
Quick walk to the Café coffee day, the regular take away and the walk back to my desk.
Only 15 minutes... but very precious 15 minutes.....
15 minutes that take me back to my college days...
In this clutter of work where all the time I am thinking of deadlines, submissions, calls, proposals and presentations, there is one person who absolutely brigs a smile to my face.
And that someone I none other than my best friend - Anu .
We have been friends for a nearly a decade. And it was only by chance that I landed in this company where Anu had been working for quite some time.

Since my first day here, having that evening coffee together is nothing less than a ritual. No matter how caught up both of us are with work, we ensure that we meet each day to have our daily dose of caffeine.

This is a godsend and not sure how many of you guys out there are as lucky.

So this is to say thanks to the friend who has stood by me through all the good and the bad that I have done. She has seen me travel my million moods in a span of a day without flinching. It is with her that I have had some of my most hysterical laughter bouts. She has been a constant in this ever changing world. This is to the friend I really treasure.

Thanks

Roshni – for introducing me to Harry Potter books. The first one I read was on your insistence and ever since I have cherished each one, so much so that I have read and reread all.
And Aman, thanks for ensuring that I was among the first ones to get my hand on the 7th Book.
(Now why I wrote this today – generally)

This one is for you M

She – a bong bombshell, a dynamite of a girl. Some one who justifies the saying that all good things come in small packages.
He – tall, lanky, unkempt and extremely intelligent. Some one with a perfect “I care a damn attitude”.

We saw them getting acquainted, then becoming friends and then lovers.

They got married last week and thanks to work I couldn’t attend it. They are now man and wife and here’s wishing them a very very happy married life.

Can’t wait to see the both of you together.