Holi hai!

I have a love-hate relationship with the festival of Holi. Hate because, after you've had your fun, you have to scrub yourself like never before. Even after that struggle with yourself you end up looking like a monkey (just like I'm looking now. This is one of those rare occasions when I just can't look at myself in the mirror!)

Another reason I hate it a bit is that I see a lot of people around me having a lot of fun, and somehow I cant match it! They dance, have beer, eat, go on a drive, ride bikes, and just seem to be having the best time in their lives. Being a girl, I'm not allowed to ride a bike on a Holi! Not that I know how to ride one, I would like to have the permission at least! Any way, I try to mingle with those who are having the best time. Like those aunties in the park outside my house. They had a dhol and they were all singing holi songs. They were cracking non veg jokes and laughing out loud! It's fun to see timid aunties coming out in the open once in a while!!

And then my brother, he danced on rang barse, it was some entertainment! My bhabhi, she danced like Mithun - unbeatble! Also, our fellow blogger D, did some cute girly moves :)

The reasons I hate Holi somehow become the reasons I love it too. It's a day different from all others. I love how we can color anyone and everyone. I love the unpretentious holi hugs. I love the smile on the faces. i love the fights people have - you want your friend to paint you red, blue and green, you know he will do so ultimately, still the struggle is fun to watch.

As a kid I loved the water balloons. I used to sit on my neighbour's bike, with his 4 other family members, and visit their relatives! I use to buy new clothes for the occasion. It was bliss. And so I love this festival.

I hadn't realised this till today morning. I had a little tiff with my bro followed by an emotional pour out. Suddenly I realized this will be my last Holi in my house. Next year I'll be somewhere else, with someone else, doing something else... tears just didn't stop!

My uncle suggested me to live in the moment. Made sense. Makes me realise, if I lived each day like that, my life would be so much happier.

No, I wont get started on that bit! Wish you all a very happy and colorful Holi. If you missed out on it this time, make sure you have a blast next year. Trust me, you wouldn't regret a thing.

Of cheesy lines and falling in love

It was a dull, boring night and I was on my computer with the legendary ICQ showing me online in the system tray.

I got messages from all and sundry and like always I didn't reply.

And suddenly, a guy by the name 'archie' sent me a line that struck me.

archie: hey, will you be my veronica?

rhythm divine: nah, I'm the Betty types.

That was 13th April 2003. I think he found his veronica in me and life has been full of love ever since :)

The Great Indian Wedding

Since the last 2.5 years and 1 week I've been busy at a best friends wedding (1 week for the ceremonies, approx 2.5 years planning and dreaming with her over hundreds of telephonic chats where we decided about how our wedding will be, relatives, clothes, love life, honeymoon and small things like the first night!!!!)

The adventure has been awesome. I'm surely gonna miss her big time. She's doing what we were planning, so I'll have to find another unmarried best friend who has a committed relationship and similar plans! Unfortunately, all my friends have been through a heartbreak recently...

Hmm, coming back to the TGIW, her sangeet was a small affair with aunties singing old banna banni songs!!!! I had one cheap one to sing too and all had a great laugh! These ladies had some stamina...they sang for 3.5 hours and didn't let us dance. And when we did, it was like a large gathering watching a movie with awe! Although it was different than the usual DJ parties, it did made the mother cry quite a few times.(And me too, for crying to me is a like a reflex action - you cry and I'll cry along with you!)

The best part was the wedding ceremony. (my first night out with my car...just the thought that I could have gone anywhere at night makes me happy! Yeah, thats how protected my life is!) Now a ceremony that was suppose to start at 1, didnt start till 4:30 a.m. The poor bride, all dressed up, wanted to tell them "Its okie, we'll do it some other time!" We did make her laugh a whole lot....but c'mon...whole night is actually a torture. I have a muslim friend who wanted to see a hindu wedding. For the first time in her life she thinks just saying "qubool hai" is wayyyyy better than any other extravaganza!! When the ceremony stared we all wanted to bribe the pandit to let it end in an hour!

Really, why do weddings have to be such a hectic affair? It's a celebration of love and sharing your happiness with people you like...but we still invite relatives of relatives of relatives and make it like a mela. Over and above the stress of thinking how will the stupid son/daughter manage a married life, the parents have to go through an absolute living hell. And no matter how much you do, the cheeni is always kam!! And secondly, why do Indian weddings have to happen at night? I've told the boy, if we cant have a day affair, its gonna be a court marriage for us! I kind of forwarded the idea to my mom, and from her reaction I'm sure it will always remain a dream. I suggested the boy how we can say that we'll just throw a grand party and we'll say that we are donating the rest of the money (which, I thought we actually will!). But then, 'some people' only want to use it as an excuse and not actually do the charity for we are still really poor to donate!!!

Anyways, the wedding ended by 7:30 a.m. after a big drama over the shoes that we stole! And when she went to her in-laws place, there was another ceremony of 5 odd hours awaiting them!!! She cribbed in front of us before it, but then they were told if its not done on the d-day, they'll be separated for another night. So, you know, she sat through it willingly!!!

All is well that ends well, but why does it have to be so torturous? Do you guys have any ideas as to how to convince parents to skip the poojas, mantras, the distant relatives and do what we really like? I like the boy's idea of running away, but I don't have a window without a grill and i doubt I can jump my boundary wall.Can you suggest something my mummy and daddy will like? :) Please....I need help!

Falling out of Love

I don't know what love means. Whether it's caring for someone, understanding someone, being there for someone, looking into someone's eyes and seeing your entire life with him/her or not being able to live without someone - I'm not really sure if love is one of these or a mixture of everything above.

At times it seems like a an emotion that has been used far too easily without the respect it deserves. I've seen friends being crazy about someone, trusting him and then being used. No, my friends weren't stupid - the people they were with were too smart and extremely disgusting. I've seen relationships falling apart for the silliest of reasons. I've seen broken people - just because someone else was selfish enough to break away.

So today, when love seems to be in the air, I wonder how people fall 'out of love'. One day you promise the stars, the next day you say you don't love the other anymore. One day, you want to spend all your 'valentines' with the 'most beautiful person on earth' and your love is 'carved in stone', the next day you can't stand his/her face. One day, you can't live without this person, the next, you can't live without someone else?

Sometimes circumstances and time makes you fall apart. There you have to console yourself and to live your life happily you need to make space. In such cases, there's always a small place in the heart thats left exclusively for that person, but then life moves on, so do you. But how does a person madly in love with someone suddenly falls madly in love with someone else? And I really mean suddenly.

I know there may be hundreds of possible answers to these questions. We've all faced/seen/heard about them sometime or the other. Some would say people change. Some would say, people like change!

But isn't love too special and too beautiful to change so easily?

Ah, love! At one point or the other we all fall in love. And most of us, fall out or are made to fall out too. And we all say, 'Its for the best'. Is it just consoling or is it true?

Hmm, Happy Valentines Day! May you never have to fall out of love and may this always be for the best :)

Instant Rejuvenation

What do you do when you want to de stress?

Eat a pizza, go shopping, hang out with friends, get a massage, etc ? - basically everything that involves spending a lottt of money (one of the causes of stress ironically was earning that moolah!)

Surfing the net doesn't work for you end up exploring the secret lives of others and becoming more miserable! Reading a book might make you feel more lonely. Watching a movie isn't recommended unless its NOT a love story (if you're due to a heart break), it's not a scary movie (can add to the already existing sleeplessness), it's not an action flick (a bigger headache I guess) and i'ts not one of the Sooraj Barjatia's shaadi drama full of rona dhona!

So what should you do to feel good - something thats cheap and good?

I suggest, go to a goood hairstylist, get a gooood haircut and look absolutelyyy different!Trust me it works - I got it today and I can't help but look into the mirror every half an hour! Girly traits, I know, but I really don't care! Actually that's the reason this therapy works - It diverts your attention from 'trivial' issues, you get compliments and you get a reason to start afresh.

However, it wont work on guys. For, no matter how much they try, their hair always looks the same. Unless they are planning to shave it all off!
Also, make sure its a good hair stylist, it can end up becoming a vicious cycle otherwise!

Random Realisation

Recently I've been discovering a new side to me. Ironically, through facebook!

If you haven't checked out the scrabulous application, then u must do it as soon as possible for they are going to remove it soon. I know there are several online options available, but it's a different high to play on that.

Anyways, I've won 2 games and lost 1. I'm sure had I played 'on board' I would have lost the first two as well. But the interesting thing is when I was losing it, I became all cranky and irritable! I started screaming on the boy (yeah, he was winning, doesn't know his vowels from his consonants im sure..lol!). I started calling him names and how he is cheating and using all the opportunities I'm giving him. Although I did the same thing with the other person, yet I hated it when it happened to me.

Then he tells me, "Tell me what you've got, and I'll tell you a better word". And sweeter still was when he said, 'Ok, I'll play your game and you play mine from now." As sweet as it may sound,(and that proves how much I was screaming!!) it makes me feel guilty. I'm sure everyone likes to win, but with a loved one, shouldn't the case be different?

A similar thing happens when I'm at work. I want to share responsibilities with my friends, but I need to win there too. I need to do get the best assignment, the best client, the best candidates and the best opportunities! If anything goes wrong I sulk. Thankfully, my friends don't know of this as yet.

Not that I'm a perfectionist, but I guess I'm getting there. I hate perfectionists for they are so rigid!

Finally, through this post I've realized that I have double standards of the highesttttttttttt degree!!!!! (and I will never admit that!)

Enough about me, so did you lose to scrabulous today? Maybe I can play with you then! :D

Great Reco

Wrote this piece on Bindaasdaily today, I think the recommendation is really cool. I fiddled with my pics on orkut and trust me, catches a lot of attention! Check it out:

http://bindaasdaily.com/storydisp.asp?sid=MUM280108


I've not been writing much...hope to get on track soon.. Pleaseeeeeeeeeee keep coming back! :D