Offer, free-bies and Beauty Shop

1. While I'm standing at the checkout counter at Big Bazar, waiting for the cashier to tell me how much my grocery and stuff has tallied up to, he suddenly disappears from the counter without a word. I'm begining to get annoyed at being made to wait without an explanation, when he reappears, holding a set of prettily painted juice jar and glasses. My bill has crossed the amount which allows me to get this set by paying just a 100 rupees extra. I can't resist the offer...
   
2. The bagful of free perfume samples that come along when I buy a perfume.
3. Watching feel-good movies on the telly. There's this category of movies where the underdog wins in the end, overcoming all odds and having fun in the bargain. I just love watching them. Today it was Beauty Shop.
   

Sick leave, Mission 'Clean it' and Mee Radhika

1. I am not really ill, but don't feel up to going to work either, so I stay at home. I haven't been able to sleep well at night, so I sleep in late. I have a lazy day.
2. Because I am at home, I can get some cleaning and scubbing done from the maid. She's probably not too happy to see me home on a weekday, meddling in her work.
3. A contestant on Zee Marathi's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa sings Aarti Ankalikar's Mee Radhika. Its a marvellous song, which I have had the fortune of hearing live from Aarti Ankalikar herself at the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival, and she does justice to it. Once again I am reminded that I need to find an mp3 version of the full song for the iPod.

Editor, Cuppa and Anything for Entertainment

1. I spend more than a couple of hours editing the first chapter of a book that a very dear friend is writing. It is time most satisfyingly spent. What could be better than being among the first few to read a fantastic story that is yet evolving, and to do something that comes naturally - find errors in someone else's language!
2. Coming home at a decent time from work and then going out for a cup of coffee with a friend. It has almost become a forgotten pleasure.
3. There's a reality show on TV called 'Entertainment ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega'. The only condition for participation is that you must entertain the audience. I hate to admit it, but the show is entertaining. People with an astounding variety of talent turn up and some are nothing less that awe inspiring.

6 p.m., history as a story and cool as a cucumber

1. I'm done with my work at 6 p.m. So I can go for Yoga and then come home at a decent time and pick up My Family and Other Animals.
2. There's a very good series on Shivaji on Star Pravah, the marathi channel. It is a faithful reproduction of the highly acclaimed 10 volume historical work 'Shri Shivachhatrapati' on Shivaji. They've captured the mood and the typical dialect of that era beautifully. For me its all the more charming, because I've read the books.
3. I'm off to take a cool shower and get into bed, all clean and cool. Just the thought makes me so happy.

Mini meal, cooling agent and Feast Bazar

1. The minestroni soup at lunch is thick and chewy, and almost a meal in itself. The rest of the food on the menu is quite boring and unpalatable, but the soup and some salad is more than enough for lunch.
2. A large glass of cool sweet fresh watermelon juice. It cools from within.
3. There's a show called 'Feast Bazar' on Travel & Living. The host takes us through Morocco and Syria, showing exotic middle eastern cuisine. Natasha and I sit drooling over the humous and the falafel, wishing we could go back to Israel and gorge on those once again.

Oh my God! Are ALL my good things about food today?!

Sun salutations, chai tales and the nanny

1. Finally getting the hang of the Surya Namaskar. Its a yogasana combining 12 steps and exercises most major muscles. I still can't do it perfectly, but I atleast know what I need to do better and how. The last time I did it, I had no clue what came when!
2. No tea spewed out by any vending machine can ever match up to real chai - not even the tetley tea bag dipped thick milk whitener added tea... Tea powder should be boiled, preferrably with the milk and sugar added, and with some ginger (some people like to add cardamom too, but I don't like it that much). That's the perfect chai... the caterers at work have started serving chai in the afternoon at tea time, and though its a little too sweet for me, I still prefer it to the vending machine tea.
3. Watching 'The Nanny'. I especially like the way the outrageous nanny laughs.

Absurd mind in a house of bheegi ladki, far away...

There are times, when you see everything around you moving along perfectly well, without your dependence. On such days, you are well placed to spend a lazy day at work. Such a day was today.

1. Experimenting mind games

My first round of experimentation has ended, without any casualty. I found it hard to implement initially, but now slowly after much deliberation, I find it rather amusing. There are more interesting things to follow. One learning - 'Always keep them guessing'. More to come in future.

2. Absurd Chit-Chat

There is an old friend, with whom my conversations haven't changed in any manner, for the last 9 years. Post graduations, jobs, her marriage have miserably failed to change the tone. It breaks new records of cheekiness and absurdity each time. Obviously having an hour long chat like that has never harmed anybody.

3. Looking forward to a House of Cards

The fact that I am going to watch another thrilling and suave episode of 'House of cards' after I finish writing this- makes it hard to go on writing. An elegant and extremely well written script of a classic political thriller. You know it, even if it was not from the accent, when you watch something made by the British. I have found no form of Literature or Art more intriguing (consistently over the years) than, what comes out of England. Highly recommended.

4. Whiling away...

Whiling away time... listening to old songs from 'Chalti ka naam gaadi'. One of those movies, where each song is a gem. I love this movie.

5. 'Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi Si'

Since we are talking about 'Chalti ka naam gaadi' let's also talk about the most famous song from it. I remember listening, singing, whistling to this song... so many times. This happened to be one of my favorite songs to sing, back in college. We even had a medley of 4-5 songs, which used to start with me whistling to the tunes of this song. This song has a cult following in India. Is it surprising that it features the super beauty queen (Madhubala) in a wet saari and one of the most diverse artists India has ever seen (Kishore Kumar). The pair derive their amazing chemistry in the movie, from a real life romance which soon tied them in matrimony, after the movie.

Here it goes - YouTube Video


Ik ladki bhigi bhagi siSoti raaton mein jaagi siMili ik ajnabi seKoyi aage na peechheTum hi kaho ye koyi baat hai, hmm



(Dil hi dil mein chali jaati hainBighdi bighdi chali aati hain) -2Doondh laut ti huwi balka ti huwiSaawan ke suni raaton meinMili ik ajnabi seKoyi aage na peechheTum hi kaho ye koyi baat haiHmmEk ladki bhigi bhagi si..



(Daagmag daagmag lehki lehkiBhooli badh ki behki behki) -2Machli machli gharse nikhliPaghli si kali raaton meinMili ik ajnabi seKoyi aage na peechheTum hi kaho ye koyi baat hai, hmmEk ladki bhigi bhagi si..



(Tan bheega hai sar geela haiUs kaa koyi pech bhi dheela hai) -2Tan ti jhukti chalti ruktiNikli andheri raaton meinMili ik ajnabi seKoyi aage na peechheTum hi kaho ye koyi baat hai, hmmEk ladki bhigi bhagi si

Lucky day, chef and title track

1. "Are you feeling lucky today?" Kris asks me... I'm confused... Why? I ask. "Because Vrunda and I got you something for your car". "Just like that? No occassion?!" It turns out to be a stuffed monkey that's smoking a cigarette with loads of attitude, in a reclining posture, with one arm behind his head... and if you press it's tummy, it lets out a shrill screech that's alarming, to say the least! Its superfluous to mention that I'm so thrilled by the unexpected gift that I'm giggling my head off for a long time...
2. I make rotis and baingan ka bharta for dinner. The rotis, though not quite perfect, are not altogether bad. I am so proud of myself. Why? Everyone can make rotis, with the sole exception of yours truly! So edible rotis are a notable achievement.
3. The title track of the Marathi serial Asambhav. The series is also quite riveting, but its very difficult to find time to watch it everyday and one loses track of the story otherwise...

Mad mails, bang on time and ring on the finger

1. A mad chain of emails that has been going on for the past couple of days. It reminds me of the good old days when such madness was the norm rather than a rarity. Everyone's gone quite wild.
2. Tuning into a channel just when a movie is beginning. Never happens with me!
3. I like wearing the gold ring mom lent me. I only wear it very rarely, but when I do, I keep glancing down at my hand.

Mother's love, naturally in love and family time

1. I told mom yesterday, that the lady who sold me her face cream told me that I absolutely must buy it.. "your mom will love you if you get this for her!"... Mom uses it in the night and then tells me in the morning "my skin feels nice... I love you..."
2. The new Airtel ad with Madhavan and Vidya Balan in which the two play a couple who have to be in different cities for a while. The ad is very high on the awwww factor, they look so natural in love. Oh, and Madhavan looks like a dream...
3. Watching 3 back to back episodes of 'Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass se Tez Hain??' (the hindi version of 'Are you smarter than a fifth grader?') with everyone... its a lazy afternoon, mom dozes off, and Papa, Jui and me keep watching Shahrukh pull everyone's leg. And since we're not a family that watches its television quietly, its a good way to spend a summer afternoon.

Is it bad luck, desparate and hats off

1. I cross a black cat's path and wonder if it will have bad luck now...
2. Desparate Housewives - who ever thought of such a twisted plot?? And then put it forth so funnily?
3. An email from Seema tai which says 'hats off to you, woman' in response to the scuba diving pics that I sent her

I was there too, panacea and the promise of youth

1. Finding some nice pics of me in Dipti's album.... I'd forgotten she'd taken pics at the Ganpatipule outing too... All my folks, especially grandma, who saw the pictures I had taken, complained that there were too few pics of me (since I was the one manning the camera, of course!). They'll be happy now.
2. I've felt low and restless and not altogether chipper all day. But when I get into the car and drive it to the showroom to get the registration papers and number and then back, I'm somehow cured. And this inspite of having to drive in the heavy peak-hour traffic. (And btw, the number's familiar too - 8428. But I dunno why!)
3. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on Zee Marathi started with their latest season last week, so my Monday and Tuesday nights are spoken for, for the nest few months. This season, all the contestants are aged 40 and above. And while I had my doubts about how good they'd be (forgive me!) when this was announced, my doubts have not only been laid to rest, but my expectations have also been surpassed. Much unlinke the youngsters who had participated in the earlier seasons, these artists have a certain maturity to their voices and their much superior and detailed riyaaz shows through... And they all are so genuinely happy to have been given such a platform at a stage in their life when they have almost given up hope of ever singing for such a large audience...

Dance with me, net-savvy and Has It!

1. The mindblowing dance sequences in Dance With Me. The plot is nothing to write home about, but the dances...! My eyes have trouble following the dancers as they fluidly and furiously move. It seems impossible that two people can move with such grace, synch, and speed, but they do! And the result is spectacular....
2. Mum is becoming net-savvy! Her emails pop up in the middle of the day, these days. Today she writes to tell me that my pictures from Ganpatipule have come out beautifuland that my grandmother loved them too..
3. I love my new jeans! The fabric has lycra so that it stretches and is soooo very comfortable!

No work, giggling and gags

1. There's something wrong with my PC. No work! And it's not even my fault!
2. At a boring meeting, sitting with Kris and Dharana and giggling at their silly jokes.
3. Watching Just For Laughs - Gags... the gags they play on people are just hilarious. After a day of feeling not too chipper, it's just the way to relax.

The bulb shines like Superman!

Just an ordinary day, but a then thats not bad is it? :-)

1. The Bulb still works!

I today add up to my list of ideas- all from thin air! A boring day, I am far from motivation of any kind but still from no where i get a few.

2. Shimla misrch ki Sabji

I am actually surprised. I think a bore day in office can actually result in a lot of things. After deciding that we will order pizza, suddenly we become motivated to cook. Its turns out to be quite nice in taste. I practice all the antics I can, while cooking. I may not be exotic yet, but wait a few more months :-)

3. The Sanjeev Kumar microwave cook book!

I got a cook book from the library! Lets see how far it goes.

4. TV Cassette Player works

I got some videos cassettes from the library to check whether the cassette player in the TV works and whoa it actually does! Now we can watch some movies on it. Better than watching it on the laptop :-)

5. Sunshine Superman!

Ok, lets take a day off from Dylan mania and listen to someone who was a popular folk rock artist during Dylan's peak time in 1965. In fact they were seen as rivals during those times. Some say Donovan songs had influence of Dylan. Maybe he had. I could see some influence in the style of singing. This is a very 'trippy' song (if you know what that means). Critics called it an 'innocent hippy' song.

He was good friends with The Beatles (specially Paul and John), Joan Baez and also somewhat Dylan. This song was initially named as 'For John And Paul'. Jimmy Page played lead guitar on this. Page was a session musician at the time. Yes, you can say it was psychedelic in a lot of ways. It was written keeping in mind his model wife Linda Lawrence.

Listen to it - pretty much trippy, as far as i am concerned.

YouTube Video

Sunshine came softly through my a-window today
Could've tripped out easy a-but I've a-changed my ways
It'll take time, I know it but in a while
You're gonna be mine, I know it, we'll do it in style
'Cause I made my mind up you're going to be mine

I'll tell you right now
Any trick in the book now, baby, all that I can find
Everybody's hustlin' just to have a little scene
When I say we'll be cool I think that you know what I mean
We stood on a beach at sunset, do you remember when?
I know a beach where, baby, a-it never ends
When you've made your mind up forever to be mine

Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
I'll pick up your hand and slowly blow your little mind
'Cause I made my mind up you're going to be mine
I'll tell you right now
Any trick in the book now, baby, all that I can find

Superman or Green Lantern ain't got a-nothin' on me
I can make like a turtle and dive for your pearls in the sea, yeah!
A you-you-you can just sit there a-thinking on your velvet throne
'bout all the rainbows a-you can a-have for your own
When you've made your mind up forever to be mine
I'll pick up your hand and slowly blow your little mind
When you've made your mind up forever to be mine

I'll pick up your hand
I'll pick up your hand

On duty, musical treat and funny man

1. On my way to work, on a landscaped piece of land, a stork stands in the light drizzle by the side of the fountain. I idly wonder if any babies have been delivered in Magarpatta city today..
2. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on Zee Marathi.... The final rounds of the competition have started and the three finalists are all so good, that it's difficult to say which one's better than the others... So each episode is an absolute treat for lovers of Marathi music. Saily Panse, one of the finalists, was especially very rivetting today, each of her notes very pure and very true.
3. During each episode of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, the audience waits for Avdhoot Gupte's comments. He always has something funny and interesting to say and is so endearing.

Pajamas, where are the heroines and soft skin

1. Because I haven't been feeling well, I take half a day off and come home... I'm just so drowsy by the time I reach home that I quickly change into my pajamas and head straight to my bed... the soft duvet is so comforting, and in no time, I'm into a deep, sweet sleep.
2. Watching a very well-made report on NDTV which tried to analyze why there are no heroine-oriented movies in current hindi cinema. The female lead is mostly a prop, a stunning one, no doubt, but the question always is 'Who's the hero?'...
3. Inspite of the cold and the dryness, my skin is well protected and feels nice and plump because of the cold cream that I'm using... I just love the feeling I get when immediately after a hot bath, I massage the cream in - clean, soft and fragrant

Again, Barti rules, lucky charm and lovely parents

1. Telling everyone I'm going to Goa, and having them exclaim "Again??! Wow!"
2. Soumitra is falling in love with Bartimaeus too!
3. According to George, I'm lucky for Team India. Everytime I watch the cricket match, India wins... :-) A painful responsibility, I can not resist saying...
4. And an extra one, because I won't be posting for the next few days. In the washroom, one of the office-help ladies asks me if the people on my desktop are my parents. I reply in the affirmative. She says - you've got lovely parents...

Cold breakfast, sixers and the dream of a breakfast...

1. When I walk into work late as usual, I find everyone waiting for me. I'm immediately bundled away to the pantry. There's ice-cream to be eaten and everyone's been waiting for me to turn up... Kaushik is fulfilling his promise of getting ice-cream to office if Dharana successfully completes the fasting that she has undertaken. There's a whole tub to be eaten, but it vanishes in no time. Ice-cream for breakfast! That's a first for me!
2. I'm no cricket fan, but Yuvraj Singh's spectacular sixers - that too six in a row, in the World Twenty20 against England are breathtaking. I find myself exclaiming in delight and clapping my hands with glee everytime he hits one more six!
3. Realizing that I'll have one extra breakfast at Heritage Village Club, just because I'm reaching in the morning, while my folks are reaching in the afternoon... mmmmmmmmmm... just the thought of the scrumptious, royal breakfasts there makes my mouth water!

Quality viewing, borrowed beauty and returns

1. Discovering that Zee Cafe is airing all the old serials we used to love as kids - Wonder Years, Doogie Howser M.D. And of course, there's always the ever-green Full House!
2. Wearing Pallu's brown Bandhani suit... it's pretty... I have a good mind to not return it at all! he he...
3. Getting the first returns on my investment and efforts. Feels good!