A year that wazz..

Maybe i should post this tomorrow , but what the heck.. so doing it today itself ;)

2008 has been the quintessential roller coaster year for me .. The year started as lack-lusture as any year could be with such high boredom levels at work ,when i started looking at greener pastures. Dreams were big and ambitions were bigger.. Changed jobs after a 3 1/2 year stint with an organization..post the job shift things went on a downward spiral..screwed up everything in sight after that.. goofed my exams, lost peace of mind and ended up working almost 15 hours a day ( without enjoying a single second of it), became a zombie and started snapping at any living being in sight, disappointed that my life and ambitions were crumbling right in front of my eyes ..
Then abruptly, i gave up everything as i couldn't take it any longer..It has taken me a while to reconcile to the fact that i threw away an incredibly well paying job almost impulsively..but yeah, i paid a price for peace of mind and hope i don't ever regret that..

Surprisingly , things have started looking up for me after i quit ..my life which was on "pause" mode for a long,long time started "playing" again..and this time i am not bothered about making that well-orchestrated mother of job-shifts or anxious about not being able to get into investment banking or bothered about what the future has in store for me.I am happy being bored at times and am delighted at the possibilities ahead of me..books to read,movies to see , stuff to write, places to see,skills to learn (cooking !!) and burnt bridges to repair..

2008 has been a year of revelations to me .. Started a blog just for the heck of it(and let it remain dormant for a long time ),did a bit of travel, started writing for a newspaper,made some lovely friends and got myself a tattoo..

I am incredibly surprised that i am posting something as personal as this in public domain ...2008 must go down in history of my life as the year i opened up to so many strangers and made friends so fast .. i am so glad i discovered blogging..

I don't make resolutions normally , but am doing so for 2009 ..i have a feeling that 2009 is going to be good to me.. oh , well ..big deal if it isn't !!.. I am going to have fun .. period

Thanks to everyone who's made this year memorable for me .. Have a great 2009,all u lovely people..May all your dreams come true..cheers!!

Return of the old post- Part 2

Bride Hunting..

Statutory warning : Old post. Ignore if already read !!


Ever since my cousin (let's call him A) attained “eligible bachelor" status , all conversations at family get-togethers dangerously veer towards what he should look for in his prospective bride. Just about everyone wants to contribute his 2 cents....Now don’t get me wrong. Marriage is definitely a family affair. All I am just objecting to is all and sundry thrusting their views on the poor soul trying to get married.

There is of course, the new pastime that my family members have taken to... logging onto http://www.tamilmatrimony.com/ and dissecting each girl’s profile to pieces.

First profile for the day..
A's mother: "That girl looks too modern, she will not fit into our family”

A : "That’s ok, amma. Girls these days want to look good and there is nothing wrong in that. I like my wife to be well dressed and not have a heart attack when she sees other women in tank tops!!"

Booma aunty : "What a name .. Pinky?..We can’t let you get married to someone whose name is Pinky !!.

A : Whats in a name?.Would you guys have said ok if her name was Abhithakuchalambal?.She looks nice, though. "

Ramu mama : "what hobbies?? philosophy, photography, skate boarding and debating ...girl seems independant. You will be get into trouble.She seems High-maintainence.Let's look at some other profile"

A : "Very interesting.. i think i like her"

Seetha chithi : "What interesting ??. You need a girl who knows how to cook and not how to debate."

A's Father: "Where did we go wrong in bringing you up? Such girls will make you cook and clean after marriage.”

Vinu Chittappa : "Did your chithi know Bertrand Russel when we got married. Aren’t we happy?"

A : "Yeah , but i like my wife to be able to make intelligent conversation.Is there anything wrong with that? I want us to be equal partners in marriage. If i have to cook and clean, i will"

Booma aunty: "How come you have never helped your mother cook in the 27 years of your existence and you now willing to do all that for someone you don’t even know?.”

And so we move on to the next profile..

Ravi periappa : "This girl looks nice. They also belong to Tanjavur.The girl's father is also a general manager in sundaram Motors.

A : " Huh .. She looks like a school teacher. Look at that crooked nose. Plus i am not marrying the Girl's father. It doesn't matter to me if he is a big shot.”

A's father : " Aiyoo... At this rate, i don’t think you will ever get married.. You should learn to compromise and not concentrate on external things like looks. Only character matters, Not looks"

What character does one get to know about from a 30 -word write up that in most probability is fake??

Infact, my profile was on the site a 3-4 years back for a brief period of time. I was that tall,beautiful, fair,god fearing,soft spoken,family girl who likes to cook and sing keerthanas and was willing to let career take a back seat...Wonder what people thought of my character..
Gosh , What was i thinking when I let my parents write up my profile ..

No , this is not the last post of this year ..so will wish u guys in my next post ;-)

Of christmas, gifts,photos and tattoos

First things first .. Merry christmas, happeee hols and season's greetings to all ..I have always loved christmas time.. with shiny stars, twiinkling lights, carols and mainly plum cakes(!!)..When i was in college ,a bunch of us used to go to church to attend the mid night mass.. just for the fun of it and feel the festive spirit..

Hubby and i had this weird conversation abt tattoos today .. i wanted one and he obviously thought that i was mad to get one..

Me(while watching LA Ink on TV) : I am getting myself a tattoo..
G: What ??? *&^*!!
Me: Yup, u heard me right. I am getting a pheonix tattoo..
G : R u out of u r mind??.. You should quit watching Discovery travel and living .. tattoos are for hippies..
Me: whine.. Whine .. please !!
G : Its not safe ..I saw something about metal posioning in the tattoo dye on tv..
Me: More Whine.. Whine.. of course it's safe .. So many people get them done ..
G: It hurts ..It's not like some ink drawing which u can wash off with water if u dont like it the next morning .. the damn thing is permanent !
Me: It's ok .. i dont mind the pain .. and i'll get a small tattoo .. that ways if i dont like it .. it will still be ok !!

Then he read tons of googled material on tattoos .. and obviously he had to check out Irezumi's(the tattoo parlour)website to see if they were an ok place! huh,men !!! Finally of course, he agreed. The clincher being that my sister in law showed us her cute tattoos and did a bit of PR work for me .. I am getting a tattoo ASAP !!! hee hee

I spent an hour or so trying to decide what to buy for 6,3 and 8 year old kids .. The shop assistants give u such innane and stupid suggestions that you feel like shooting u r self (and them also !!) .. The assistant actually recommended a barbie doll for a 8 year old..later i got to know that 8 year olds these days didnt play with dolls .. not barbies !! thank goodness i didn't heed her advice and got a book instead ..That ways it's easier with male kids.. u just cant go wrong with shiny red cars .. come to think of it ..you cant go wrong with that for men of any age..;-)

Inagurated the new camera G Got for me today.. Went to the beach and was snapping away to glory .. there was this bunch of professional photographers who were grinning at me and my poor lil non-SLR camera !! .. All i can say is .. snobs, give way !!!

Gosh !! i am so excited about the tattoo !!

So , how did u guys meet?

Ok folks ,the next few posts are going to be very old posts that got wiped off face of blogosphere when disaster struck bedazzled..me thinks most people wouldn't have read them.. If u have .. pls ignore and adjust.. and no ,i am not being lazy .. i just want my old posts back on my blog !! hee hee ..Here's installment number one ..

"So tell me how did you guys meet…?"

That's a question that I totally, totally love…Time to dip into all
those Mills&Boons I had been devouring up for years..Everyone expects
you to tell them exotic stories of mystery men, sophisticated life ,
not something droll and uninspiring which is most often the case.

These are some homespun tales of romance , which I've been practicing
on poor souls who've bothered to ask me the million dollar question
over the years…

"I picked up my husband at a bar. I am really coherent and interesting
when I am drunk you see". I don't think I can hold more than a peg of
alcohol, let alone have coherent conversation..I don't even think I
can have a coherent conversation when I am not drunk..

"Oh, he beat up all the goondas that were following me and I fell for
his bravery". How filmy ..My husband in reality is more Gandhian than
I would want to imagine.

Sometimes trying to be cool.. " I met him at Goa at a beach party . We
were together for every single party that summer" Excuse me .. Beach
party.. My conscience must be dead.. Dead On Arrival, definitely!!

Sometimes cheesy ..."We sat next to each other at our flight to
Paris.. We ended up together on the Eiffel tower".. Ah, I am never
going to show you my passport.. And you will lap up all the dope on
Paris that I googled;-). God bless, google. What would I do without you??

"His car crashed into my mine and sent me a dozen roses everyday for
the next 1 year ". I don't know how to drive a car, don't have a car
and my husband's given me a sum total of 11 flowers in the last 3
years, most of which was after we got married. No, I wasn't counting..

"So, you want to know how we actually met?"

"I used to have a cat that fell into an open manhole. He rescued the
cat for me. How brave.That's how we met …"

So, you wanted a story … and I gave you one ;-)

How did we actually meet??

well, Let's just say an angel dropped him unexpectedly mid flight and let me keep him.. ;-).. So how did u meet your better-half??

A random Walk down my lane

This post is done without any rhyme or reason ... just felt like posting ..

I discovered last evening ,shockingly, that i have started greying..i suddenly remembered assorted commercials of hair-dyes on tv and shuddered at the unfairness of life .. God, spare me !!!

i know this comment will be jeered on by general junta and many wisecracks will follow..but then a girl has to do what she has to do .. ;-)

i was shocked (ok , a lil !!) when i discovered my 3rd white hair .. i always assumed that white hair would happen to other people, not me and hoped that i belonged to a slightly superior gene pool , that would somehow mutate the grey-hair-inducing gene..well, fact of the matter is that maybe the mutation decided to wait for a few more generations before happening and i am stuck with 3 evil white/grey strands that evily remind me of my age...Ah!! vanity ..

On a totally different note, i sent a very stupid mail to a good friend and only after sending the offensive thing did i realise that it was a tad idiotic to have done it ...sometimes, my own stupidity takes my breath away..wish life had one of those undo buttons..

On a totally different note again(i am tiring u all , aren't i ?) , i discovered that i am the worst dressed person in Chennai ..who goes to the Citi centre in old(almost tattered is more like it) jean,worn out kurta and flip-flops? well i did .. and yeah the award for the worst dressed shopper went to me ..whatever happened to shopping in comfort? .. how do u expect to shop in stilettos and designer jeans,people ?

I am looking forward to next week .. lets see what it has in store .. definitely not more greys, i hope ..

Life is beautiful...

I unexpectedly started watching this cute movie called Ru-ba-ru yesterday and quite liked it.. It's got Randeep Hooda(isn't he hawt !!!)and Sahana Goswami(mmm...what a babe!!) in it.I thought it would one of those saccharine sweet love stories that would make me weep.. weep , i did .. for totally different reasons.. no spoilers here .. it's a lovely movie about how one shud live in "now" and not the future ..How,if you need to say "i love you to someone" you shudnt postpone it.. and Do it now !!!

I thought i shud do Nautankey's tag , while on the subject.. The list is actually amazing.. hat's off to whoever has come up with it ..I don't know whether i am living my life to the fullest now .. all that i know is that i don't want to go way with any regrets...I am not modest and must say that i have had an eventful life..not perfect and filled with a lot of incidents i possibly could'nt share with my grand children .. but, i have no complaints.It's been Fun, till now.. honest!!. Without further ado,let me get on with the tag... the highlighted entries are stuff i have already done/experienced...

01. Bought everyone inthe bar a drink
02. Swam with dolphins- not exactly swim ..jumped with them into the water..
03. Climbed a mountain -A million times..
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula - I'll never do this !!
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree- while climbing .. was quite a tom boy as a kid !
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game- cric matches again !!
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower- Meteors also wash up?
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope-My neighbour used to have a telescope at home and used to let us watch the stars.
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment- happens a lot with me
27. Had a food fight -happens a lot again !!;-)
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster - hate roller coasters!!
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking - Time after time..
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day -Fake american accent with an American friend
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment -Having that feeling now ;-)
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk - Used to be the official puke-mopper at hostel ;-)
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country- a lebanese guy in Dubai on my worst new year's eve ever !!
44. Watched whales- National geographic !!
45. Stolen a sign- not a sign ,but have flicked bookmarks from a store in Chennai , when i was little.
46. Backpacked in Europe- sigh.. someday !!
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing- Last week
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love - was in love for couple of months and carried a flame for almost 2 years ;-)
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them -Many times
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theatre
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business -Will do , someday !!
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken-
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight- wat's D&D??
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on a television news program as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on Stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten Shark - Baby shark, what they call sura puttu
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over- Do it all the time .. i am a vagabond
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking with the windows open
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol - At Marina beach
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language - its spooky !!
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you -n school
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair - Red !!
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head - when i was lil !!
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

miles to go before i go ...

I have a new boyfriend !!!!

Ever since Apar introduced me to this guy, i have totally lost my bearings.. we've known each other for less than 24 hours , but he has total control over me..I slept fitfully last night(more like this morning !!) for less than 3 hours to be back with him at 5:00in the morning .. i haven't been able to eat and have been online for almost8 hours at a stretch(which has never happened before) , so that i get to know everything there is to know about him..He drives me crazy ,but do i have a choice ??I am in love !!!...sigh .. another sleepless night.. My heart is leaping and singing a thousand songs right now.. ok, need to get back to him now .... !!! ;-)

I don't normally like sharing my boyfriends with anyone , but this time am making an exception and letting you guys experience what i am experiencing too ... hee hee

http://www.iimi-iris.com/iris-2008/klueless/ - ensoy !!!

Movie-shovie., Quirk-wirks.. Whatever !!

I love movies. Can watch any filth , according to some sources..I think that's true, on an average .. I have watched some of the slowest movies in the history of world cinema ((I am talking about those award-winning movies that take 10 minutes to focuss on a crow on top of a tree )and quite enjoyed it .. Well , almost !!


Vimmuuu tagged me asking me to list out some of my movie-related quirks .. Here i go ..

## I can never get myself to watch a spooky ghost movie alone.I start seeing imaginary creatures and ghosts yanking my hair/ shirt from behind . which technically is not possible as there is a wall behind my couch which could make it difficult for ghosts to stand behind me .. but then it is me !!

## I routinely and compulsorily cry during and after every rom-com i see. I must admit i see quite a lot of them. I wear a scarf so that nobody can actually catch me during the act of sobbing my heart out in the movie theatre..Yeah ,it works !!

## I refuse to sit in corner seats at movie theatres.I always imagine rats and miscellaneous rodents clawing at my feet and other parts of me.

This behaviour can be attributed to 2 horrendous rodents hopping on me on 2 separate occassions. One rodent-hopping incident happened was when i was watching a oscar-type flick in South Indian film chambers theatre which is dingy,dirty and musty.It is the kind of place that provides safe haven for rodent-romeos to have free movie dates with rodent-females .I used to go there as they screen classics and foreign language movies for free.. I would even drink phenyl, if they gave it free.. ;-)

The other rodent spotting was at a theatre called "Grand" , which was anything but grand and used to be the only theatre in the neighbourhood that played engliss movies when i was a kid. This theatre , "apparently"went on to become a porn-lover's-paradise (heresay , folk !) and later got demolished.Let those rodents RIP. Amen!

##I insist on being home every friday at 11:00PM to watch world movies.i think i am going to miss it this week as i am travelling. I should have gotten myself Tata sky plus the minute i saw Aamir and Gul panag in that ad.. Arent they a cute couple ? i mean ad-couple ?

## I love fake dvds.. I abhor plagiarism and think that it's the biggest evil that's gripped our society. I also feel bad for the producers.. but, how else can i afford a dvd that costs Rs.699 only for the legal version.The same God that made me poor told me that it's ok to watch fake dvds to quench my thirst for knowledge..


## If there is a mildly explicit scene (like the one in a tam movie where the hero and heroine kiss behind a flower .. No , they dont show the lip-lock.. just a pink flower swaying) when i am watching a flick with my parents, i always walk out to get a bottle of water or something..I am really bashful about these thing.. I also hate people necking in theatres and have picked up fights with them ..

Actually , you cant call these quirks , can you .. these are normal responses to abnormal incidents in a normal person's life .. what say ?

Danke, peoples..

All you folks who left me nice messages after my last depressing post ..Thanks a ton .. But honestly ,cakes and choclates would have cheered me more...;-.. ok i will stop so mean now..

Ah, a few more danks are in order..

Danks to smitha for the lovely scroll ;-)... u r a sweetheart

Danks to Vimmuuu for the lovely butterfly and the spanking new trophy.. You are also a sweetheart.. btw, am doing both apar and u r tag next cos this is going to be a longish, sappy and senti post..

Danks to Vinod for the lovely butterfuly ..even if it was given to me for the wrong reason.. No, i am not a senior citizen .. but i love the butterfly on my blog.. and yeah, you are also a sweetheart ..

Now that i am done with my oscar bit .. lemme move on and do my bit to society ..

I am passing the lovely "Proximidade" scroll to some equally nice folk ..btw, it's always cool displaying foreign language scrolls on your blog .. makes u seem so hep and cultured;-)

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

Vinod
Praddy
Apar
Arvind
A
Aaarthi
AparnaG
Avdi

Thank you,everybody..

PS 1: whoever wants to be called a sweetheart , give me an award and i will do the honours in the next post .. hee hee.. just kidding !!

PS 2 : Thanks Apar.. for giving me a quick tutorial of html.. i am so tech-challenged!!

PS 3: Gosh ..So many people have their names starting with A ..Why is Z not so popular ??

So what's plan B?

Sometimes all you can do is keep wondering where life is taking you ..Nothing comes out of despair and panic ..Planning has never worked for me.Neither has worrying about things not happening.

PointA to Point B to Point C .. all looks nice on paper .. but seldom happens in reality. Infact, in my case , it never happens that way. and i have to program myself to like Point A to point Z, neverthless.

Success is such a nebulous term.I still havent figured out the real meaning of this million dollar word.In the last 7 odd years of my life , my career has always taken the front seat. Now, i realise i have lost a lot ,running behind something so elusive , that all i have now is this empty , hollow feeling in my gut. 7 years and what next ?.

I am as clueless as i was when i started this journey.This time around , though i
have started believing in destiny more than ever and not fighting it with every fibre of my being...It's frustrating. It's scary.This passivity is freaking me out.

.. All i can do is go with the flow and hold on to myself.

Life is definately a roller coaster.One minute you are revelling in the dizzying heights life takes you to and the next minute you plummet to the nadirs of darkness with fear gripping every fragment of your soul.I guess, i will have to enjoy the adrenaline rush,now that i can't help feeling the way i am.

and yeah , there is no plan B..