Curls, Punishment and Cool car

1. My hair is a mass of mad curls today. It's good to toss them around.
2. You ought to be tarred and feathered, Aditi tells me. The sentence conjures up an interesting picture in my mind.
3. Because the car sits in a covered parking lot right under my apartment these days, it doesn't heat up like an oven. It's nice and cool.

Adrenalin, feat and reward

1. It's a new high - driving a hundred and fifty kilometers at a stretch on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. We don't stop for a break and at times cruise along at 120 kmph. The car's steady.
2. Despite having slept for only 3 hours and having driven for 4, I'm not sleepy and am alert enough to work. I had thought I'd be dropping asleep every now and then.
3. Hot toasted chocolate sandwich. Its a piece of heaven.

Cool car, washed and juicy

1. Its only february, but the temperatures are already soaring. We're safe inside the air conditioned car.
2. Washing off the day in a cool shower.
3. Juicy grapes after dinner.

Steamy news, music of my choice and onion paratha

1. Sitting down on the carpet in the morning with a cup of hot tea and the news papers.
2. The car's music system has been repaired and is now playing CDs! yay yay! And the warranty covered the repairs and I didn't have to shell out a paisa!
3. Awesome onion paratha at Juice Corner on East Street. And fruit cocktail to wash it down.

Entrancing music, glad and freedom

1. Having the good fortune to listen to Ronu Majumdar play the flute and Pt. Jasraj sing at the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival. Today was the final day of the 4 day fest, and what a musical feast it has been! I've attended on all four days, and each day has been one enriching and fulfilling experience. My experience has culminated today on the high note of Pt. Jasraj's heavenly voice - one needs to be at the festival to see how his bhajans sway an audience of over 5000, all rapt in the the same emotion...
2. Jui is happy she came all the way from Hyderabad to attend the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival.
3. After months of driving only the car, I take the bike today. There's a strange sense of freedom as I weave my way through the traffic, slipping through spaces which are inaccessible to the car, instead of waiting patiently till there's space enough for the car to move ahead.

Customer Service, Smooth and Yellow Chillies

1. A top that I bought a few does ago isn't fitting me all too well and want to exchange it. The catch - I've lost the bill, though the tags are still hanging on. I go to the mall, prepared for war, but I'm surprised. The girl at the customer service desk is helpful and says she'll change it for me if I find something in the same brand and at the same price. Luckily I do.
2. After the servicing, there's a noticeable change in the driving experience. I never thought my car was not smooth, until this evening when I realized how smooth it suddenly seemed!
3. A new restaurant's opened in KP - Sanjeev Kapoor's Yellow Chillies. The master chef's restaurant lives up to our expectations in terms of the culinary and dining experience - the 'Lalla Musa Daal' as they call it (more commonly known as kaali daal or daal makhni) is exceptional. The mocktails are refreshing too...

No noise, curd and free bird

1. My current favourite song, Khuda Jaane, is being played on the radio, so I roll up the car's windows to cut out the noise of the traffic.
2. There's thick white fresh curd for lunch. Even looking at it lying in angular lumps in the bowl is such a pleasure. And it tastes even better than it looks. There's no need to add any salt or sugar to it.
3. As I come home at night, the streets are free of traffic and I can cruise along happily, enjoying the feeling of freedom and loving every minute of it

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...

Hitting the high road, li'l bro and I can do it

1. A car, two chilled out people and a highway that stretches ahead. Off we zoom, Ro and I, sometimes singing, sometimes talking... we're in no hurry to get home, so we take our time, taking small detours to click pictures, to see an old fort on the way, to have chai at a roadside dhaba... it's a good way to be...
2. As a younger brother, Ro is good company - he's chilled out, practical, looooves to eat, is always ready for some fun and adventure and you can rely on him. What I like the most about him is the fact he doesn't come with a 'handle with care' tag attached, so he's a zero stress person to have around... not to mention his vast capacity for nonstop nonsense! I hardly feel the 6 year age gap to be a barrier in having fun...
3. The enormous feeling of confidence that comes along with completing a long road-trip (approx 550 kms)... I no longer doubt my ability to handle my car... and the car is wonderful - it gives an unexpectedly high mileage on the highway.

A ray of sunshine, chatterbox and 3-in-1

1. For a blissful 5 minutes in the morning, after getting ready to leave for work, I think I won't go. For those 5 minutes, I can't wipe the smile off my face. Then of course, I get up and go to office.
2. Ro is here and he is talking non stop. Even while I type this.
3. A sumptuous dinner, a cup of coffee and then a long drive on empty roads. The chicken fillet stuffed with mushroom and olives and cooked in a creamy cheesy white sauce is a delight... oh and the coffee - only coffee lovers will understand my bliss at having a cup of strong cappucino after liters of horrible vending machine coffee in office for days on end... and what pleasure to be able to actually put the car in the 5th gear for long intervals of time, when the daily commute to work rarely affords me to chance to even go into the 4th gear... oh... are these three BTs rolled into one? Oh well...

For the flowers, security and joie de vivre

1. Red roses sit pretty in my new vase... Now I can finally start buying flowers on an impulse - earlier, there was no vase to put them in, so all the charm of buying flowers would vanish once I'd get them home...
2. It rains through the day, slowly, soothingly and almost continuously... pausing only once in a while to allow people to scramble along from one place to another during the breathers. Me, I don't care. My car keeps me dry and safe.
3. Visiting Suresh Kaka. Kaka and kaku always make me feel so welcome. And Bharti kaku is a great one for conversation, such an enthusiastic person with so many stories to tell. I often think that I'll consider myself to have led a successful life, if when I'm her age, I retain as much joie de vivre.

Lazy beginings, dinner with friends and solitary journey

1. The weekend begins. It has been a busy week, so a lazy saturday morning of lounging in the bean bag with a hot mug of tea (the masala chai, of course) and a bunch of newspapers seems like a treat...
2. Shenoy has invited us for dinner at home for the first time since he got married. He and his wife Pallavi seem to have spent a considerable amount of time and effort getting dinner ready - there's soup, chhole, rotis and then fruit custard. We spend a pleasant evening chatting and gossiping. The surprise of the evening is Dadu who (uncharacteristically) talks a lot and seems to be in a very chirpy (if one may dare to use such a flippant word in Dadu's context) mood.
3. The long drive back home after the evening traffic is all but gone. The roads are empty and inviting and I discover the joys of effortless driving. The radio channels also play some lovely melodies and I actually have enough mental space to enjoy a sing-along.

Who's missing who, my car and little attentions

1. Ananya asks me as I pack my bag - "Are you going to Pune?" I reply that I am. "When are you coming back?" I ask her when I should. "Just now." Then after a pause, she adds, "my puppy will miss you." "And you?"... pat comes the reply "I won't!"
2. Getting behind the wheel, and driving my car after so many weeks! Sighhh...
3. Shenoy continuously fusses around his wife.

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...

Sweet temptation, highway glory and Filmfare

1. Giving in to the temptation of an afternoon nap... sweet...
2. Driving my baby on the highway... its a smooth drive, and such a pleasure. I gain more confidence in today's drive that I've done in any of the previous drives. Its good to have no one instructing me on what to do, and I can take my own decisions. Admittedly, I make a few mistakes, but I know what they are, and I'll know to avoid them in the future...
3. Watching the Filmfare Awards on TV. Saif and Shahrukh are a riot... and all my yearnings for bollywood masala are fulfilled - for the time being.

Two minds, proud, babe and giddy

1. Being in an overdrive all day, in anticipation for the evening. My mind works on two levels - on one, I'm working fast, getting things done and on the other, I'm going giddy waiting for the evening. And finally, as evening draws near, the second mind takes over, and I can barely be still...
2. Mom calls to say that though they couldn't be here with me today to share my very special moment, but I was to remember that they're with me, and are so so proud! I could've jumped with joy then... and I think I did...
3. The first glimpse of my car, sparkling in all its splendour... and running my hand along it for the first time. And then getting behind the wheel and bringing the baby home...
4. Feeling giddy once I sit down to think and the feeling of finally having my car - my first car, starts to sink in...