We won the Mumbai war??

So claim the television channels...they have been preceeding every news byte about the blasts with "How the war was won" ..
We lost 187 innocent lives...thankfully it wasnt more..but its a lot! War won?
We lost capable young brave soldiers..head of anti-terrorist operations..so much experience and youth......War won?
We still have no clear idea how many terrorists were there..there is news doing the rounds of some having escaped.....War won?
Lets get it right..10 or 17 or 24 terrorists against the Indian might..they couldnt have expected to get out alive..they must have known( atleast their masters must have) that they are on a suicidal mission. But the fact that they made the whole country helpless for 58 hours, the fact that they have managed it again and again..is no war won for India.

We are perfect targets..sitting ducks! I am ashamed at our plight..

We dont know whom to look to for help. The people who could have helped are busy saving their arses. The rest are just creating trouble..and the affected ones like me are either venting their ire on blogs or sending mails about peace and harmony...

Open question

Are all the NSG commandos Marathis or Maharashtrians Mr. Raj Thackery?



Hoping you realize there are some truly important issues to be dealt with...

Diwali, the simple way

Day 1: Arrived home early morning. After considerable pampering by mom, was prevailed upon to help clean the kitchen. Spent the entire day doing a very thorough job of it. Shelves were emptied, cabinets were turned out, stocked vessels scrubbed clean and an inventory made. Lunch was a delayed affair with me only wanting to go and snooze. And snooze I did, till I was woken up late evening with Papa insisting that we go Dhanteras shopping. Staggered home at 11 in the night by which time I had a sore back and sorry limbs.

Day 2: Woke up fully intending to spend the major part of the day in a parlour..god knows i needed it. But me being the Monica incarnate that I am, decided to take on the other rooms instead. So the crockery cabinet was tackled, the linen was aired etc..I finished well in time to be able to manage an oil massage and a curd conditioning. Visited V in the evening at his home. Mamma refused to let me go in my jeans and tee gear and insisted on dolling me up in a chudidar instead. So, although I looked a tad bit over-dressed, I did look nice (even if I say so myself) Later we took a drive later through the nicer parts of town. Home in time for early supper and some bedtime reading.

Day 3: Last leg of cleaning operations. A quick visit to the office for the morning pooja. A typical Bong lunch with luchi (better known as puri), begun bhaaja(fried aubergines), alu dum and payesh (kheer). Another long snooze and a few preparations for the lakshmi pujan. The rangoli posed a problem as I usually take a day to fix on the design and most part of the evening to get it right :P. That luxury not being available this time, I made do with a simple swastika pattern..made it look like a stylized fonts...:)) Was dolled up again, though I didnt look half as good as my mom this time. Post the pooja, a few crackers were burst in true noisy Hindu tradition..but the rest of the evening was peaceful enough lighting diyas and fireworks. This is my favourite part of the day. Phone conversations with the closer family and gossip with the folks. And a round of family photographing..auto-click is truly a boon!

Will be back to work and Bangland tomorrow...with memories of a Diwali well-spent..and armed with a big box of namkeen and mithai :) For once, I am not complaining about luggage..

Nettiquette!

Guys....(and gals),
Its been quite a while since we had a chat. I've been here since about two years now..longer on orkut perhaps..and since the last few months, on Facebook as well. I choose to be here coz I like penning down thoughts once a while. Its therapeutic, you know. And I get to keep track of the friends (and blogs) I like. Am not here to add strange people to my friends list and spend my time to fill in their need for a break..
So do read my posts, leave comments by all means..but dont barage my id with your stupid friendship requests. God knows I have more friends than I can manage.. Dont assume that my blog tells you all there is to know about me and come pretending to know how I am feel. And most importantly, understand that a "no" means "no". If I want to get to know you, I'll ask.
So long..
Aankhi.

Wedding bells!

People are getting married by the dozen. And the tidal wave has finally caught up with two of my closest people.. Re- who till some time back was secure in the feeling that marriage is probably not her cup of tea..Her reservations and list of "must-haves" make mine look like a ripple in the ocean...
And yet here she was, all pink cheeks and happy eyes.. asking me if I could keep a secret..And I knew it almost before anything was said. Miracles never cease.
And then..Reiki man..after much debate and doubt..after much useless emotion(which he probably attributes to bad Karma :))..finally decided to tie the knot. Am glad for him..people rarely get warmer, cuddlier and more lovable than him.
BombayGuy too..hats off to him for going and getting his mate..not waiting around like the rest of us for love to happen :) Thats one happy reason to visit Kol again, come November.
Love is everywhere..and its infectious. :)

Some observations from the week that was..

Some observations from the week that was..
-Maybe there is no nice way to say no. Maybe its simpler to ignore. But how much more cruel..
-The only thing worse than a Monday morning is a Monday morning headache.
-Going on a holiday needs a lot of hard work.
-Its not if you can or cannot. Its if you want to do it or not. The rest are just excuses.
-I talk too much at times..and I tire of myself too.

Gains and losses

A swank new place :) Shifting house for the first time since I came to Bangalore. Ofcourse, its rented..cant think of buying a house yet. Ofcourse, its expensive (and I am still counting it as gains!)..and yeah, its swank only in my mind..will be a while before I get some decor in place and the rest of you can appreciate it. Dunno how I am gonna manage shifting in one day..leaving it all to good ol' V and his wonder car. (Times like these make you want to choke your stupid feminist self..ofcourse, we need men! Esp if they are as nice as V. Any gals interested, pls contact me..he isnt gonna be single for long)

Will miss my roomie of 3.5 years though...N with the magically magnified voice and monstrous giggling fits. Didnt realize I needed some noise around..even if its her babbling on the phone or her banging the pots and pans while I try to sleep. Or just us discussing inane topics from Shahid's hot look to Bipasha's haircut. Or the heart-to-heart over lovelives or lack of..:) The morning cuppa..the weekend poker matches...the opinion seeking on wardrobes..the shopping marathons..Oh well..my loss, her husband's gain.

Will miss the house as well..privy as it has been to my musings for a long while now. Funny how time makes you grow fond of anything. This dingy dark place had been looking up under our combined efforts and I had started referring to it as 'home' instead of 'place'...

Ah well..you gain some you lose some..

Free

Free..
From long, lost days
And seemingly endless nights
Hurt, bewildered darkness
And vague glimmering lights.

From dwelling on sms memoirs
To living on orkut ties,
Convincing..constructing my faith
When things seemed otherwise.

Dreaming of your loving ways
Waking up to whimsical lies
Sudden warmth seeping through
Bitter cold cutting like ice.

Now, an end to half-spoken truths
Now, no meanings to construe.
Free...finally...
From thoughts of you.

In response

It doesnt interest me what you do for a living
Or what you take home
I want to know if you can dream
And not be afraid of waking up.

It doesnt interest me who you knew
Where you went, and if you are cool
I want to know who you are
When you are lonely

It doesnt interest me
If you had a failed affair
My concern is
Did you try?

It doesnt matter if you are shy or overt,
But can you open up when things need to be said?
Would you talk to me of your failures without reserve
And listen without censure when I tell you of mine?

It is nice indeed that you are
Mature, confident and practical
I want to know if you would
Risk looking a fool for love?

My Top 5!

Music is a great pick-me-up! Was kept at home all day by an upset tummy
and incessant rains. So spent a few happy hours playing DJ to Mamma and gran..here are my favourites..and why..

Tum se hi (Jab we met):
Coz its not the usual insipid song about someone pining away for his "jaan" and coining them "bewafa"! Its not even complaining of "judai"..there is angst here...there is wishful thinking..but also acceptance that maybe some things arent meant to be..and realising
what you take away with you having been in love is probably worth it..
Coz distance is bittersweet....
Ajab si (OSO):
Coz I may be hard at work or stuck and swearing in traffic..but this song comes on and it's as if I walked into cool breeze. Very refreshing.
Whiteflag (Dido):
Great voice. And somebody incurably in love. Reason enough to like a song, right? :)
Like the deserts miss the rain(from Everything but the girl-Todd Terry):Again, great voice. Great tempo..Love the slow pickup.. almost inaudible plucking rising to frenzied strumming..It's a song which is very easy to visualize..that's the appeal I guess. Did I say great voice?
Hello (Lionel Richie):My all-time favourite! No reasons needed to say why..it's superlative. And if you have watched the video, it's something which stays with you a long time.

Alright..all of the above are love songs...What I have to say in my defense is this: It has been raining!! What else could I play? :)

Of excesses

A 15 year old girl committed suicide on not being allowed to enter the SSLC exam hall as she forgot to bring her hall ticket.She hailed from a simple family and was the only child of a watchman and his wife, a worker in a garment factory...

How many of you have at one time or another forgoten your hall tickets? I know I have..with unfailing regularity every year. I remember sidling up to the HOD on numerous occasions with a sheepish expression and pleading to be let in..I remember a similar incident during my SSLC too. I had to ring home and ask my dad to rush back with the hall ticket..I was lucky enough to encounter people with average degree of kindness who treated it with as much seriousness as required and let me off after reprimands. Ok, a hall ticket is important..but worth making a child miss her 10th boards?? When other classmates could have vouchsafed for her being who she claimed to be? What twisted, wretched, sickening, sadistic and perverse sense of self importance made the examiners get so strict about enforcing rules is something beyond ordinary comprehension..May they rot in hell

Being dragged out from behind the furniture...embarrassing
Having gulal down your throat...discomforting
Ruining your long loved and most comfy pair of pajamas...heart-rending
But the chance meeting with old friends...Priceless!

I am a foodie!

Although I dont look like one..And am said to have a bird-like appetite..but I do rise to the occasion at times.
I was woken up early on the 14th by one of those blasted valentine messages and thoroughly cursed the whole damn tradition for a while before I managed to crawl out of bed...but the day ended up being quite fun. Re and I treated ourselves to a fancy lunch at this great Chinese place on Infantry Road. I have never eaten Chinese food this good! It was a buffet spread and unlike Re, who was limited by her veggie vow, I probably sampled all 30 or so items on the menu. Notable mention must be made of the prawn Tom Yum soup. It was pure heaven! The "make ur-own-stir-fry" counter was causing a lot of enthusiasm among diners. Tip: In-case you go there while this stir-fry thing is still on, don't be a glutton and choose every ingredient you see...which is what Re did, and regretted. I would suggest tofu, spring onions, sweet corn and some pak choi...throw in some shredded chicken and leave the chef to work his magic..The Valentine cake was as perfect as could be. But the honey sesame noodles they served on a previous occasion was much missed.
Ok, so I ate too much and was feeling quite a cow by the end of it, with all that chomping on the greens. But nobody has regretted feeling a little too healthy aye? :)

Mamma's girl

I dont think I am being a very good daughter..
I am often impatient and irritable, sometimes rude..I dont talk to my mom as much as I would earlier..I am curt when she brings up certain topics and hang up when I dont feel like talking. There are days when I am very communicative, jabbering away nineteen to dozen, but mostly I reply in monosyllables..
It isnt like I dont value her or need her anymore..I havent gotten to be that self sufficient..
Just that certain things are meant to be dealt with alone. So no matter how much I may want to run to her for some succour and hugs, I cant.
I dont think she reads my blog. This is just in case..

Me....a generous visionary!!!
:))) whaddya know!!

Hello! :)

So we are back! And how has the new year been treating you? I havent been doing too badly..yeah, I havent exactly been keeping to my resolutions (who does!) but I havent strayed too far either. Now for a few quick updates..
A couple of you are pretty persistent when it comes to my marriage plans..so here it is..nothing happening as of now..and nothing till I feel like it...so dont expect sudden happy news from me just yet :)
I have, though, been getting things together for the portfolio and will start applying soon..a certain someone is worried that I am committing professional harakiri! Please dont be..I am totally focussed on this and nothing else for now.
This and the gym!
I am kinda overwhelmed by the concern I have been getting via this blog. And thanks to all those who called or mailed to check on me. I am doing quite ok..dont worry. Meanwhile, you guys take care of yourselves. Ciao!



P.S: Reiki man, at the rate your love life is going, you are gonna require reiki yourself soon!
Lala, stop feeling sorry for yourself and start empathising with your bride! ;)
OrangeShoe, are you out of your meditation mode yet? Can we have some fun now?