In Which We Tell a Tale...or Two

Okay, so I am a lazy, lazy girl and I am going to put up an email forward which a friend sent me, and which I liked muchly, though it came in a little late:

Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl "Will you marry me?"

The girl said, "NO!"

And the girl lived happily ever after and went shopping, dancing, drank martinis, always had a clean house, never had to cook, did whatever she wanted, never argued, didn't get fat, travelled more, saved more money, and had all the hot water to herself. She watched chick flicks, not football, had high self esteem, never cried or yelled, felt and looked fabulous in tracksuit pants, and burped, and was happiest all the time…

The End...

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Despite hearting this tale, I really appreciate being married right now. And this is the tale of why:

Saturday night Nike and I went to a friends’ place for a game night. The chicken didn't agree with me, and I was throwing up all over the place...including on their very lovely carpets from Turkey. Nike put me to sleep and cleaned up after me. Once we came back home on Sunday morning, he made me fresh cold lemonade (its a different matter that I threw that up too within seconds).

And so that is how I spent the Sunday, with a stomach bug that saw me throw up anything I tried eating or drinking. When I’m ill, I move into a“I wanttttt my mommmmmeeeee” and “I want to go homeeeee” state, and am very very difficult (more difficult than normal, that is. What? Yes, that IS possible). But with Nike in charge yesterday, I wasn’t homesick, despite being sick (heh). He went and bought the medicines, made sure I took them on time, handed me everything from books to glasses to tissues as I lay in bed clutching my stomach, he roasted papads in the afternoon, went out and got coffee and muffin for me to eat while watching the match, and made me soup for dinner.

So THAT, people, is my happily ever after!

Oh well, for now anyway!

In Which We Go On Holiday

So I just got back from my weeklong holiday in Himachal Pradesh. Nike and I flew to Delhi, met up with some friends there, and the next morning took the Shatabdi Express to Kalka. From Kalka, we hired a taxi for 8 days, and drove up to Naggar, which is 30kms before Manali. We stayed at the lovely Naggar Castle, went white water rafting, and hiked in the surrounding hills and had a lovely time.

We then went to Manali for two days. I have nothing good to say about Manali, I’m afraid. It was crowded, noisy and dirty. We went to Rohtang Pass – in fact, even trekked up some way. We went to Solang Valley but couldn’t go paragliding because of the rains, but we did go zorbing. And we went around the town itself.

We then spent two days at the Great Himalayan National Park, and that was the highlight of our trip. We trekked 12kms into the park with a porter and guide, and set up tent there for the night, and then trekked back to the village the next day. After that we spent two days at a home stay run by an elderly couple in a village called Ghiyagi in Banjaar Valley – literally the middle of nowhere. There we took a lot of pleasant walks.


We drove back via Jalori Pass with its fantastic views, and stopped at Shimla for a couple of hours. Shimla was a surprise to me – it was very pretty and I think I would love to go back to it sometime, but in the winter, when its quiet and cold. We then drove down to Kalka, took the overnight train and reached Delhi after a hot and uncomfortable journey. Delhi was hot and uncomfortable too, but I ate  a lot of good food, and met some very good friends, so it wasn’t all bad.

I came back home to Bangalore at 1 in the night on Sunday! I had a fantastic holiday, but it is good to be home too. The weather is nice and balmy and very pleasant, with the sun barely making an appearance. A project I’m working on has started from Monday, and I’m rather excited about it. Lots of things on my to-do list for the next one week, so I’m going to be very busy.

The other big news is that I’ve FINALLY started reading LOTR. Yes, I know! About 10 years ago, I started reading it, but I found the prologue unbelievably boring, so I gave up on it. And no, I can’t just leave the prologue and get on with the story – I’m surprisingly anal that way. Anyway, after much persuasion from friends, I decided to give the book another shot, and took it along with me on the holiday. I’ve finished the first two books ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’, and really enjoyed it so far. I’ve just stared on ‘The Two Towers’.

So now I’m quite sleepy, and am craving to get back to my book and bed, so till later then!

In Which We Bounce Back

Okay, now that we are back from the trip, and are relatively more cheerful, I’ve decided to pick up this tag from Preeti. I had fun doing it!

Asked someone to marry you? Innocent. Got asked though (and don’t believe anything else Nike may tell you).

Ever kissed someone of the same sex? Guilty. And I’m not going to spill the beans. Ha!

Danced on a table in a bar? Guilty. And it was such fun!

Ever told a lie? Guilty. I’d really like to see someone who said innocent to this one! That said and done, I’m usually honest because I am rather superstitious about lying.

Had feelings for someone whom you can’t have back? Innocent. Unless you count semi-crushes on random stars as ‘feelings’.

Kissed a picture? Guilty. Oh, those years!

Slept in until 5 PM? Guilty. Mostly on the Sundays after an L-square, when we got up just in time for the evening snacks.

Fallen asleep at work/school? Guilty. ALL the bloody time at b-school of course. And at work, I had a boss who would encourage us to take short power naps after lunch – he was from a b-school too.

Held a snake? Innocent. The heights of my adventurousness in this aspect is limited to stroking somebody’s pet dog, and a kangaroo.

Been suspended from school? Innocent. Given I was such a Ms. Goody – Two – Shoes in school.

Worked at a fast food restaurant? Innocent. 

Stolen from a store? Innocent. Though lots of my friends did in school – candies, gum, key chains, once even a whole crate of soft drinks to get to the school picnic – I sternly disapproved of such things and I still do. It still makes me mad when I hear of people who do things like that – those few bucks will not make a darned difference to us, but will probably make a lot of difference to the shopkeeper.

Done something you regret? Guilty. Just one thing really. If I could turn back time, that would be the only thing I would change.

Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Guilty. Though I’m not exactly the embodiment of etiquette otherwise also.

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Innocent. Heyyy, let me tell you the story of my first experience with snow*.  

Kissed in the rain? Guilty. I love the rain!

Sat on a roof top? Guilty. Even slept on the IIMB rooftop on night, blanket and all!

Kissed someone you shouldn’t? Guilty. And that’s all I’m going to say! :p

Sang in the shower? Guilty. That’s the only place my family and friends allow me to sing

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Innocent. And I would drown if someone pushed me.

Shaved your head? Guilty. Long, long ago. When I was two years old. I don’t think I would ever do it to make a style statement though. I'm very non-radical that way.

Had a boxing membership? Innocent. I’ve been wanting to join kickboxing, but I’m really not just the boxing types.

Made a girlfriend cry? Guilty. More than once. Thanks to my once outrageous temper.

Been in a band? Guilty. I was the guitarist, though I couldn’t play the damned instrument to save my life!

Shot a gun? Guilty. At an exhibition, of course.

Donated Blood? Innocent. Sigh. Gathered the courage one day to go and donate, and was turned back because I was anaemic. I think it will take a couple of years before I gather the courage to go again and donate.

Eaten alligator meat? Innocent. Did want to try when I was in Australia on a trip, but never did get the courage.

Eaten cheesecake? Guilty. Blueberry, mango, strawberry.....

Still love someone you shouldn’t?Innocent. If I love someone, I think they are worth being loved by me ;-)

Have/had a tattoo? Innocent. Never will also, since my threshold for pain is non-existent.

Liked someone, but will never tell who? Innocent.

Been too honest? Guilty. Diplomacy isn’t my greatest skill, but I’m learning.

Ruined a surprise? Innocent. In fact, even pretended to be surprised a couple of times, though I’d known about the surprise for a while. And I’m the one who usually plans the surprises.

Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you couldn’t walk afterward? 

Guilty. All the bloody time. Especially at buffets. Whattodo? I’m just very greedy that way.

Erased someone in your friends list? Guilty. Though it caused, and continues to cause, a lot of heartache.

Dressed in a woman’s clothes (if you’re a guy) or man’s clothes (if you’re a girl)? Guilty. Till not so long ago, I was quite the tomboy.

Joined a pageant? Innocent. I am vain, but not THAT vain also!

Been told that you’re handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said?

Guilty. Atleast, I hope they totally meant it.

Had communication with your ex? Guilty. And it is no big deal.

Got totally drunk on the night before exam? Innocent. The idea holds a horrifying fascination for me though. 

Got totally angry that you cried so hard? Guilty. All the bloody time! Though it’s better this way than my earlier expression of anger, which was to break the first thing that came to my hand.

Woah, I am guilty on so many counts! Who would have thought?

Feel free to pick up the tag – I had great fun doing it, and you will too, I’m sure.

* Now for my snow story:

In 2005, I was supposed to be in Belgium for four months, from September till January, but I fell ill with chicken-pox and decided to return home a month early, in December. I hadn’t seen snow ever in my life till then, and with my Switzerland trip cancelled because of my unexpected early return, my only chance was if it snowed in Brussels.

Fat chance, people said. It rarely snowed in Brussels, and even if it does, that happens only in February, which is peak winter. But I’m an optimist if ever there was one, so for my last two weeks, the first thing I did on getting up every day was to look out of the kitchen window for snow. But there was none. Two days before I was due to leave, I got up to see the entire backyard was covered in snow. For a little while, I thought I was dreaming.

So I did get to experience snow on my last two days there. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was my first taste of snow! I did get to experience snow last December in Italy during the honeymoon also, and it was BEAUTIFUL. I didn’t trying catching a snowflake with my tongue though – next time ;-)

Sad, Depressing, Sorry Post - Be Warned!

Well, I’m not going to keep the world in suspense any longer. The examination went very badly. Not in the ‘Oh, I could have done better’ sort of a way, but awfully on an absolute scale. I’ve dissected and analysed and replayed the whole exam in my head a million times. What’s the point? I can’t turn back time. I’ve dreamt about it too. And I am ashamed to admit, I even hoped the paper would have leaked so that there was a re-test. I wish I didn’t think such thoughts though – it’s not fair to those who have done well.

It’s pointless discussing here what went wrong. I’ve done it so often in my head, its’ like a record. Difficult paper, very close choices between the answers, took a lot of time answering each question, ran out of time to go back and answer the questions I had marked with a star to indicate that since I was doubtful about it, I should come back to it and think through the options again before answering. So left out a lot of questions because of messed up time management. That was the story with the first paper.

And I was stupid enough to let the first paper affect my second paper. I went in with a ‘what’s the point’ attitude. And I made it a point to answer each question very quickly or not at all – either the answer jumps out at me or I don’t mark it at all. Because of which I answered too few questions and I made too many mistakes. I did so badly that I didn’t even bother going through the key and checking my tentative score. Hell, I didn’t even count how many questions I had answered. Again, what is the point?

More relevant is what I should be doing next. I started thinking of getting back to work. But now I’ve decided to continue preparing for the mains, atleast till August. If I get through by some miracle (and its going to take a miracle equivalent to that of Jesus walking on the water for me to get through) then I would have been preparing these two months. If I don’t get through, all I’m losing is two months of time and money, which isn’t all that much. It isn’t so bad, to wait it out till August. But I don’t know where I’m going to find the motivation to continue to study.

The worst part is that my sense of self is so tied in with academic success that now I feel like something of a failure, and am making it out to be a bigger deal than it actually is. See, I suck at sports, I’m no good at art, I have no musical talent, I’m not a creative person, and anything I cook is inedible. But the one thing I AM was good at was academics. Now it looks like that’s also been taken away from me, and it’s made me hyper-sensitive and irritable. Of course, I know its stupid, but I cant seem to help it.

It’s funny how I feel sorry for myself on the one hand, while on the other hand I am thinking of how I am blowing up this whole business.

Okay, have I now managed to successfully pass on my sense of depression and despair to you?

Well, cheer up, its not all bad news. My parents and Samee have come to Bangalore, and are staying with me for a week. We’ve been about quite a bit, done some shopping, seen a play, ate out every day. Tomorrow I am off to Coorg with the family for the weekend. I’ll write a nice, cheerful, happy post  once I’m back.

Take care and have a good weekend!

P.S: Or maybe not. My next post might well be a painful, pathetic crib post about how I am friendless in Bangalore. That’s one of my latest bugbears. It’s like I’m always looking out for imaginary problems since I don’t have any real problems. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

ToW the Curls

For the longest time ever, I’ve wanted to have curly hair. As a kid, when I made up these fantastic stories in my head, ALL my heroines had curly hair (and dimples). Those were the two things I wanted desperately. And a twin brother. I even fantasised about ‘lost in Kumbh Mela’ and ‘stolen in hospital’ type scenarios, and fully expected to be reunited with my long lost twin brother any given day! Yes, I was a dangerously imaginative child, which wasn’t very pleasant for my parents.

Anyway, I digress. Now my fascination with curly hair continued even as I grew up (as did my fascination for a twin, but I had to accept that nothing was going to come out of that). In my teens, I thought all the girls with curly hair were cute. And as I grew out of my teens, I thought all the girls with curly hair were hot – looking hot having only recently become acceptable for my then extremely prudish and conservative taste.

A couple of years ago, as I was leaving for Europe for four months, it struck me that this was the best time for me to get my hair permed, because even if I looked like a wild pseudo-African, my friends and family wouldn’t see me in this strange new avatar. And so extensive plans were made. I found about salons in Bombay, made an appointment, and booked an early morning flight from Hyderabad to Mumbai (my flight from Mumbai to Milan was later that night). I put my luggage in the left-luggage counter at the airport and headed straight for the salon.­

As I waited for the stylist to arrive at the salon, it started raining, heavily. Now the salon was at the basement level, and the water slowly started filling in. Now this was in September 2005, just one month after the terrible Mumbai floods, and so no one was taking any chances. The salon shut down and I was out on the street. By then, it was pouring cats and dogs, it was getting impossible to get taxis or autos, and I had no friends in Mumbai! Thankfully, I managed to get in touch with a senior, find a taxi, go to the senior’s office and pick up her house keys, and then go to her place, where I spent the rest of the day watching TV and drying myself, till it was time for my flight in the night.

After that, I never got around to doing it. It was too expensive in Europe of course. And when I came back, it was too close to placement season to experiment with my hair. And then I had a job and I didn’t want to experiment and look unprofessional. And so ended my curly hair dream.

But now, I quit work a couple of months ago. And I had pretty long hair since I had been growing it out for over a year now. A friend suggested that this was the best time to revive my long held dreaming of getting my hair permed. And so I went about planning it with a vengeance – I called about a dozen salons, and followed up with personal visits to half a dozen of these. I made Samee run around a couple of salons in Hyderabad. I tried putting my photo on various hair styles on the internet. Finally, I shortlisted a salon and made an appointment.

As d-day arrived, I suddenly took it into my head that I would start looking Mallu, and I almost cancelled my appointment – not that I really have anything against Mallus, just that I don’t want to look like one; I don’t want to look Gult either, for that matter. (Who do I want to look like, you ask? Priyanka Chopra, if I had the choice, but since I clearly don’t, it’s just not worth discussing the question).

Okay, where was I? Yeah, the salon. So after three hours of the stylist wearing thick gloves and doing scary looking things to my hair, I emerged with long curly hair! Since this happened just two days ago, I think it is imperative that I share this fabulous news with the whole world. And so, dear reader, say hello the curls.