Status update (!)

* I have unfinished posts in my drafts folder. It seems all I've been doing in the last few weeks is write for contests. I've come to realize that I work well with creative prompts. I need ideas, encouragement, motivation and so much more to come up with something decent. I don't know if it is a good thing or not!

* I have discovered a new way to heal. No, I don't want to jinx it by writing here. I am superstitious that way!

* That 'stuff' and a lot of planning for the upcoming trip has left me with no time to breathe. I want to take it easy. I want it to be no big deal. But I can't. My mind has a way of thinking too much. Arghh!

* We won at a lucky draw recently. We have never won something that way. We are not randomly lucky. So, this was a welcome change. It was a holiday package to Dubai which we sold off. Ha! Oh well, we have been there twice. So...

* Talking about winning, I won 'The best dressed woman' in a crowd of about 500! The Boy had his office party where all the employees came with their families. I thought I was an overdressed expat until they called out my name. I panicked for silly reasons I usually panic for! The Boy held my hand and took me to the stage. I don't know how many men will be able to do that...
Since then, I haven't been able to contain my enthusiasm! Sometimes, we need to let go of our apprehensions and just be.

Owing to awesome travel plans, I'm bidding adieu to blogging for 3 weeks now. When I'm back, I will hopefully be able to write without creative prompts. Probably panic less. Maybe think less. And definitely be more enlightened. Isn't traveling the best thing to do? Thank God for such blessings!

Happy reading, everyone! 

Actions speak louder than Words

I am sharing what 'I Saw and I Learnt' at BlogAdda.com in association with DoRight.in.

She always woke up before us and said her prayers,

Took a bath and finished the morning affairs.

With her hair rolled up in a neat bun,

She seemed to me like the most hardworking one.

When there was no housework she would be seen knitting sweaters,

I would sit beside her and learn a set of jumbled letters.

With a smile on her face she would explain when I spelt wrong,

No harsh words? No slap on the face? – I was bemused all along.

She would switch off the lights when we left the room,

She would save a coin for a certain day of doom.

She would carry used chaat pattas home and throw in the bin,

Leaving water running was perhaps a sin.

She would give us the best slice of cake,

She would always cook for us, even if she was out or had a headache.

It would take a few minutes. No big deal – I would hear her say,

That composure was an inspiration at the end of each day.

She would give all her savings to someone in need,

She would let no one know about her good deed.

And then she would run up the stairs for it was the best exercise,

I call her an All-in-One, a Superwoman to be precise.

She never told me to do this or that,

Being strong headed, I would have opposed like a brat.

Instead she let her actions speak,

I thought that was clever, a brilliant technique!

And now; I imitate her in a million ways.

I save for a rainy day, I smile through a difficult phase.

Polythene bags find little space in my house,

Like her, I invest in the future without a grouse.

Even simple things like rolling the socks,

Packing a suitcase or checking the locks.

The same things I found annoying as a teenager

In more ways than one, I’ve become exactly like her.

Order, Discipline, Calmness

Compassion, Diligence, Patience, 

Ah, now and then, I find myself doing random acts of kindness,

But you wouldn’t know ‘cause I’ve learnt NOT to aggressively profess.

This and so much more from a woman like no other,

Better than life, situations, or any school teacher.

Her subtle ways have always been my supreme mentor,

I’ve seen and learnt so much from my darling MOTHER!

Movie Review - Lootera

Still from the movie Lootera

Certain movies touch your heart in a zillion ways. I thought Lootera was one of them. I admired the creativity in each canvas. And cried oodles for the characters.

My expectations were set low because I was told that the movie is very slow and boring. And then, I read a few good comments. Just to let you know, I never read reviews before watching a movie. What you like and what I like can be totally different. Reading a review is like reading the last page of a book first - total spoiler.

Having said that, I write reviews for people who would want to read and go! It is a personal choice, right?

Anyway, the tragic story of Lootera is a about a girl Pakhi (Sonakshi Sinha) who falls madly in love with a man Varun (Ranvir Singh). The man reciprocates but due to circumstances they depart on sour terms. The girl then turns into a recluse unable to get over the heart break. What happens next is for you to watch... I don't tell detailed accounts of the story.

I am not a big fan of the two actors and so I found it hard to watch them romancing. What kept me glued is the way the movie is directed. And then when the plot turned and twisted, my eyes stuck to the screen till the last shot. The movie is beautifully filmed for the 1950's. The old world charm is stunningly captured with vintage cars, telephone rings, romancing under the trees and ink pens. I thought the scenes with snow fall were awesome.

What is still creating a ruckus in my head is the character of Pakhi. She loved a man to bits and turned her life upside down when he left. Agreed that there were a couple of more tragedies that magnified her grief, but aren't we suppose to 'rise in love'? The boy was in her life for hardly a month, how could someone get so close in such a short span to let him ruin her life?
Then again, love is mysterious. Some find the ability to get up and get going while others hold on to it like it was a crime to let go. No matter what, when it touches you deeply, a part of you stays put forever. But holding on to something that can never be yours and mulling over it for the rest of your life - that for me is criminal. Love is too beautiful to make you lose your life over it. If you want to celebrate that love, celebrate life and the fact that you had a chance to feel it...

I thought Pakhi's character was one of the most beautiful ones ever written. Watch Lootera for that. It will make you question a lot about love.

Movie Review - Raanjhanaa

So the Boy was out on Friday night. He had read the story of Raanjhanaa like all Bollywood sceptics and discarded it as a story of a loser who tries to reunite the love of his life with her boyfriend. Since it is his least favourite genre, I thought I would have to watch it alone. Also, how could I miss something he would hate?

Anyway, it’s one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve ever seen. If you haven’t had the chance to watch it, I would advice you to give it a shot for you’ll love the characters, the plot, the direction, the dialogue, the setting, the music...the works.

For starters, the movie begins with a small Hindu boy Kundan (Dhanush) falling in love with a girl Zoya (Sonam Kapoor). When they hit adolescence, he confesses his love. The girl hesitates and then agrees. Her Muslim family obviously disapproves and sends her to Aligarh to study further. After 9 years, when the girl returns to the hometown of Benaras, the boy is still in love with her. But the girl had moved on. The boy then helps her reunite...

That’s just half the movie. I guess that’s where most people stop reading and trash the movie as a boring love story. What you don’t read in the reviews is the acting, the one-liners, the conviction... Sometimes, genuine movie buffs (like moi!!!) don’t give out the entire movie. You really have to watch this one to know what lays ahead for Zoya, Kundan and Jagjit (Zoya's new boyfriend).

Since it’s a movie, something is bound to be illogical. But the unconventional take on love keeps you glued. Zoya is an extremely strong character and a true depiction of the bold woman of today. Dhanush is a lovable, sensitive man whom you fall in love with. He is actually brilliant in the film and proves that you don't have to be goodlooking to be a star.The supporting cast makes its mark as well. The story – it racy enough to keep you interested.

I am going to convince the Boy and watch it again with him. Do watch it once, it is soooo much better than Ye Jawaani hai Deewanis of today.

Boys Night v/s Girls Night

The Boy has gone for a Boy’s night out and I’m completely bored. As I decide between watching Raanjhanaa (which he refuses to watch) or season 4 of Modern Family (which I absolutely love), I’m trying to guess the conversation they must be having.

He is an adorable husband who tells me quite a bit. They start with Booze, career opportunities, travel plans and move on to digs at each other. The banter increases with mixed shots and ends with people puking. He never pukes. Yes, he tells me everything *winks*

How do girls start? We begin with seasonal offers at Zara and Mango. And move on to sex. We try to discuss the falling rupee and the worsening job market. But let’s face it, that’s no fun.  After a couple of glasses of sophisticated wine, we move on to bedroom stories. We try to make it sound like someone else’s tale, but really, it is all about us. Oh, mind you, we don’t discuss everything with everyone all the time. It is just between close friends after a fine selection of Shiraz and shots of Jose Cuervo. For us, the group of 7 is called Sex and the City and we probably meet twice a year. Only. 

Don’t judge me. Healthy conversations about sex should be promoted in our culture. When we meet we giggle and learn at the same time. We neither demean nor put someone on a pedestal. We talk, we share, and then vouch never to divulge any personal information. Except that the boys come to know tid bits about our conversation through our smoother actions *winks again*.

Coming back to the innocent boys – I’ve always admired men and their ability to keep their personal life to themselves. Thank God for that. When I was dating the Boy, he hardly ever introduced me to his friends. Although it was a scary trait, he found it best for me to stay away from their conversations. He also said something along the ‘IIT guys bookhe ....’ lines. No offense, he is one of them *winks the third time*.

Men have a wilder imagination than women. Women, they are grossed out if they start to imagine someone else's sex life. Atleast in my part of the world. And that is why I think it is best for boys to overindulge, puke and gossip about office. I am sure they have fun in their own simple way!

As for us, we will strive to learn from all our chit-chats *wink wink*.

It's time for Raanjhanaa...

Ring the Bell - When Men and Women voice their opinion and fight together for a cause

Violence against women hasn’t decreased with time, education or the so-called modernization. It’s happening all around us and we choose to turn a blind eye. You may or may not be affected by it. But being a silent bystander and not doing anything about it doesn’t guarantee a better life either.

When I hear stories or read about incidents related to abuse of any kind, I get all jittery. How can we behave like wild animals when our race was chosen to be sensible and loving? Partners, children, parents, fellow human beings... they are all meant to be loved and not abused.

This fight ...this is definitely not gender based. The same men who beat their wives are capable of molesting young boys as well. Who will protect them? The women who tolerate this abuse set wrong example for their daughters. By keeping quiet, we are encouraging the perpetrators.

Caring deeply about the subject doesn’t solve anything as well. We have to stand up and clear the air around us. We have to encourage men in our lives to take part in the movement. We have to encourage fathers to teach their sons. We need to tell friends not to laugh at abusive jokes and tell people around us that it’s NOT acceptable to joke about rape and abuse. When a man talks about his strengths with respect to women around him, we really don’t have to make a big deal about it. Sex needs to be treated as an act of love and not an achievement. I can go on and on...

Education helps. Blame game doesn’t. When a woman is abused we shift our focus from the root cause to what she was wearing, where she was, etc. People who try to protect her are called names like male bashers, man haters, extremists. These are all excuses and attempts to ignore the problem.

We all need to be involved equally – men, women and children. While children can be taught how to respect both genders, they cannot be given the sole responsibility of building a brighter future. What about now? How can we improve the situation now? Leaders, decision makers, powerful people... they can influence you and me. That leader can be the bread-winners of the family or the President of the country – powerful people can bring the weak down. The abusers need to be told by leaders that they are not welcome. When they lose their standing in the society, only then their race will see a downfall.

We need to have men and women who have the guts to speak against this; who have guts to speak against their family, friends, relatives or neighbours who are abusive in any way. We really need to talk about this more and voice our opinions in a constructive manner. Speaking up can help in a big way. 

We don’t only owe it to women, but to our sons and daughters as well. Let us not make this a gender issue or a fight by-women-for-women movement. We need to fight against it together to protect the world from abuse; to give women, girls and young boys that one basic right to love and be loved; to survive like a human being and not like an untamed animal.

This post is part of Ring the Bell initiative by Breakthrough. Entries are displayed on IndiBlogger.

The American Diaries – Part 1 – Short-listing cities

Health has been driving me insane lately. The only thing that has kept me going is planning for our upcoming trip to the States. With so many blessings, small challenges shouldn’t be a big deal, right? I'm assuming it's my nazar suraksha kawach (the hideous-irrational evil eye for the uninitiated!).

Anyway, planning for this trip has been quite interesting. Before this, I’ve successfully planned a trip to France/Switzerland and Turkey with ease. But America is like a whole new world. You’ve heard so many things, you’ve seen so many shows and movies, and so, you basically want to go everywhere on your first visit. Short- listing 4-5 cities for 17-odd days is quite challenging.

That is where a handful of friends and relatives come into the picture. Since U.S. is a country where not many go as tourists (Europe and South-East Asia being quite a rage these days), everyone who has been there has a suggestion to give. My sis-in-law believes, Vegas is how heaven would look like. And so, if I don’t go there, I would be killed. She said a certain thing about Niagara Falls which I wouldn’t want to reveal on a public forum. Basically, I HAVE to go there.

The gorgeous Niagara Falls

The Famous Las Vegas strip

That meant we had to cover both East and West coast. I would definitely let you know about the efforts I had to put in for feeling both heaven, and well, to put it mildly, erotically charged. Oops!

We went to Google Images to see if we wanted to go to Los Angles. The first few pictures were of traffic jams. Without hesitation we started to look for places we could combine with San Francisco and Las Vegas. Simplicity of San Diego impressed us and so, we chose to go with that.

Beaches of San Diego

The beautiful roads of San Francisco

A couple of friends told us that it was indeed a good decision since LA, according to them, was a ‘shit-hole’. The sis-in-law told us we were crazy not to visit the famous Universal Studios and well, one of the most acclaimed cities of the world. Convincing people on our selection of cities has been a task as well!

As for the final destination, we chose New York. I’m a huge sitcom fan. For me, America means Central Park (FRIENDS), Empire Hotel(Gossip Girl), McLarens (How I met your Mother) and so many other places! That made it easy for us(me) to choose New York. The Boy has been amused ever since! 

Times Square, New York City

Our visa is done, our flight and hotel tickets are booked and now I’ll just be scanning Tripadvisor for the next 6 weeks till we leave. 

Having said that, only recently I realised that the actual shooting of FRIENDS and all other television series that I love would have been in Los Angeles. 

Did we change our itinerary based on that fact and random-unsolicited advice? - Hell, no. The visa will expire after 10-years. There is always a next time.

And that, my friend, is the only advice I want to give you while short-listing cities to visit in the US of A. That is, go for a relaxed vacation and not to tick-mark places so that you can show-off at the first given opportunity! 

Picture courtesy: Google baba