Take the gym with you

I am sure you must have heard this:

Guy 1: My girlfriend is looking hot like JLo these days
Guy 2: My girl looks hotter than Bips
Guy 3: Mine looks hotter than Bebo

Three guys. All boasting about their hotty girlfriends who look better than any diva. Thanks to Reebok's easy tone shoes which tones up your muscles. Err.. your booty. What kind of a proposition is that. Atleast this is what Reebok claims. A bootylicious behind is what you will get by simply wearing the shoes. Yeah right. I think my concepts are quite weak. I always thought that one really needs to work hard to get that perfect butt. It takes ages to make it look wantable. Living on lettuce leaves, gyming atleast 2 hours a day, 45 mins walking, 30 mins cycling. That is what is needed for getting a nice looking booty. But Reebok has definitely made it easier. Atleast thats what they say.  I am not very sure if it a new invention or the product has been in the market before, but it did catch my attention when I first heard it on the FM.

To top it all, the 30 day satisfacttion guarantee is too much to take. No results in 30 days, that shoe can be used to hit Reebok people (and not George Bush). 30 days. Perfect back. Hello. Nobody here lives in a dreamland. It is surprising to see (and hear) the claims made by these big brands. Frankly speaking, it is not their fault. It is just that the mango people (aam aadmi) are big fools that they believe these things to be true. Like for instance, if you have heard about the guy who sued HUL, for its product Axe deodorants,  because he was unable to attract even a single girl. His petition is based on the grounds that he has been cheated and the products have caused him mental suffering. This guy claims that he has been using Axe products for seven years, that too in abundance, and no girl has agreed to go out with him even for a cup of coffee. Hoping that something might work, he appeared naked in front of his bai who had been living alone for over a year. Oops, trying to impress the bai. That guy must be really frustrated. Or maybe he is simply too ugly to attract any girl. No wonder he has not been to impress any for seven years. Dude, he is a psycho. Well, you can't help it. HUL will have to face the wrath.

Let us just sit back and watch. And lets hope that nothing of this sort happens to Reebok. I wont be surprised if a bulky woman sues Reebok's easy tone shoes for not toning her voluminous booty and thick legs.

Lets hope for the best..

:)

I saw you today

I saw you today

Standing behind the counter at the cafe

That square face

Those drunken eyes

That neat hairstyle

Those wide lips

I saw you today

You turned

And smiled at me

"What can I get you ma'am?", you asked.

I could say nothing

'Coz I saw that same square face

that same neat hairstyle

those same drunken eyes 

those same wide lips

Only it wasn't you.

In love...

I am in love. Yes, I have fallen in love yet again. And just like how it always is, my love is not for a guy. Not for a girl too. Yet again its a movie. A song. I told you guys before. U better go on watch the movie "Wake up Sid".

o mere manawa tu toh baawara hai
tu hi jaane tu kya sochata hai - (2) baawarein
kyun dikhaaye sapane tu sote jaagate
jo barase sapane bund bund naino ko mund mund - (2)

kaise main chalu dekh na saku anjaan raaste
gunja sa hai koyi iktaara iktaara - (4)
dil mein bole koyi iktaara iktaara, dil mein bole koyi iktaara
gunja sa hai koyi iktaara iktaara - (2)

Its not really a routine that I like songs so easily. Frankly, I am not much of a music person. And so very few songs truly touch my heart. And this is one of them. A song which I can listen to 'n' number of times and still would play it again the moment its over. Anthem, thats what me and my best friend call it. Almost every single day we put this song while travelling in the car. God knows, how many times we repeat it. And with the volume so loud that I can barely hear the cars honking.


You would love this song too if you listen to it carefully. Concentrate fully on the lyrics and Whoa, it may become your favourite too. Remarkable it is, that many songs are dedicated to our chanchal mann.  And so is this song.


Enjoy the song...

PS:  Trust me I am still not being paid for promoting the movie but if my two posts are entirely dedicated to this movie then it surely means something. To me atleast.

Diwali hangover..

Even though the festive season is over, the spirit is still alive. The spirit of sitting at home, eating mithai, meeting and greeting people around you, recieving innumerable compliments (about the new kurta pyjama or the lehenga that you wore, or rangoli, or diyas, and even your fully decorated house). All this minus the office. Yeah, the spirit is still alive. Who wants to sit and stare at the computer screen with fingers on the keyboard and sleep in the eyes. Undergoing the same set of emotions and laid back attitude, it was then I decided to write here. :)

Needless to say, every year Diwali is greeted with people out on the road, shopping or delivering gifts to their nears and dears. However this year I felt that the economic slowdown has indeed affected the lives of people intensely. It wasn't the same this year. I could feel the difference. No traffic jams, no rushing and pushing at the sweet shops, no competition of 'who has the best lighting arrangements', not many crackers bursting on Choti Diwali, no rangoli to adorn the marble floors. But I have to admit that this is how I enjoyed the monopoly. Especially the rangoli part. Unaware I was that a lot of my neighbours dropped in just to see my rangoli. The word had spread like wild fire but I was ignorant. I didn't know that people living in my society loved the rangoli that I made. It was only when the whole society gathered to burst crackers that I came to know about my popularity. "Aapke ghar ki rangoli dekhne se hi pata chal jata hai ki Chandni aayi hui hai", said one of the neighbours (When we see the rangoli at your house, we know that Chandni is back at home). And this bought a big grin on my face.

Not that I am bursting with pride, but it did make me proud as a peacock. I will try and be as modest as possible here. It is just that I love making rangoli. I love doing stuff like this. Painting, Writing, blah blah blah. The keyword is creativity. And this is what leaves me satisfied. Because I love to do this, it comes out better than I expect it to be. Thats the truth. Ok. I think its time that I cut it out before you guys think that I am getting airs about myself.

But I am uploading the pics of my rangoli for you guys to see

(Please read the word 'see' as 'compliment')

And do not check my photography skills. I am just too bad at it.

This was the rangoli right outside the main door

I made Ganeshji for the first time ever and was quite afraid that it may not come out good. But I wasn't afraid after it was done. And I am glad that I made it. This is made in the centre of the 4th floor that we live on.  

And I made this inside the house, near the place where we were to do the pooja. Not very impressive but tried to make it colourful.

I am sure now you understand why Diwali was so taxing for me. I painted the Diyas too. I wish I had taken a nice picture of the painted diyas. My brother took a few pics when I was painting them but they were a disaster so I am not uploading them here.

Hope that you guys like these just like my neighbours. Neighbours can be biased but I know you guys won't be.

I did not have the time to access internet since the last few days so I couldn't wish my readers a happy diwali. So here I am a wishing a late Happy Diwali to you  

And for those who played cards on Diwali, I am giving them a thumbs up. And those who won just like I did, are getting a  bigger thumbs up 'coz its lucky to win on Diwali   :)

Wake up...

I saw the movie, "Wake up Sid" last weekend. No, I am not writing the review. But I have to admit that I can relate the basic theme with a lot of my friends and ofourse with my own self too. (Those who have not seen the movie, please go and watch). Tears flowed down my eyes when Sid misbehaved with his mom and shouted at her. I felt sorry for Supriya Pathak who played the role of the mother. Actually, I wasn't feeling sorry for her. Maybe, it stirred the emotions in me. Maybe I saw my mom in her place. It reminded me of the time when my mom made endless sacrifices to see that smile on my face. It reminded me of the time when my mom lied to my dad when I came home late. It reminded me of the time when I didnt like the food cooked at home and my mom would separately cook a nice meal for me. It reminded me of the time when I didnt exercise, she would say "its ok, I wont tell your dad". It reminds me of the unconditional love that my mom always had for me. And I felt sorry. I feel ashamed for the times I shouted at her. I am sorry mom. That is all that I want to say.

From time immemorial, mothers have been giving full support to their children. A 5 months old incapable baby, a sulking teenager and ofcourse an inquisitive mind approaching adulthood. A mothers interest lies in nothing but keeping her child's happiness as a top priority. I am not really sure whether mother-daughter relation is better or mother-son relation. Actually we cannot compare a mother's love, but since I have mostly felt the love and compassion of the mother-daughter elationship, I more more inclined towards it. I have seen my mom suffering. She sacrificed all those things which he loved. From getting a nice haircut from the best salon in town to fulfilling her dream of having a huge house in the heart of Delhi, she surrendered all.

The tears in her eyes when her kid takes the first step. The sad look on her face when she drops her darling to school and the glea on her face when she picks her up. A mom cheering her daughter when she wins her first painting competition. And that tight hug when she gets an 'A' in Maths. Those sleepless nights she spent besides her daughter while she lay on the hospital bed, terribly ill. During exams, she would wake up in the middle of the night, only to make tea or coffee for her girl studying hard. That proud feeling when she sees her daughter dressed in a sari on Diwali. Or when the apple of her eye, smears that lipstick and wears high heels just to imitate her mom. But when the girl becomes a teenager, her mom who was once her idol, then becoms a thing of the past. She becomes the most ignorant person on the earth and daughter feels embarrassed when she come to school to pick her up. "I am not a kid anymore", "Stop it", "You don't know anything, mom", "Forget it, you will not understand". The daughters do not remember how their mothers have so wonderfully and so miraculously taken care of them. And the mothers just stare at the ground and say nothing.

Yes, I remember all this. I remember when I was harsh to my mom. I remember when I was rude. I remember when I considered her to be one of the most uninformed people around me. I remember when I felt embarrassed to have her around. When she would hug me in front of my friends and I would push her away. When she would tell me what not to wear, what parties not to go to, and what friends to meet. I would just not listen to her. When I would tell her that she is too old fashioned to understand our trends and she would look away.

But now when I have grown up and have left behind my teenage years and my early adolscence years, I can understand. And now I feel sorry. I get upset when I remember all these things. And it upsets me even more when I see other girls doing the same things with their moms. Maybe, this is the trend. This is the culture. For a mother and daughter to become friends is not difficult. And it happens. Just like me and my mom. We are friends now. And I am super duper proud of that.

And it reminds me of an age old saying:

"God cannot be everywhere, so he invented mothers"

SEQUEL OR NO SEQUEL... U DECIDE....

After getting a lot of requests to write a sequel of the story about Meerha, I am thinking of writing one. But I am still a bit confused. I had thought of ending the story as I did. But my friends out here, want me to continue. I would like to know who all want me to continue the story. Ofcourse the sequel will have some twists and turns. :)


For those who have not followed my story, please click on the following links :


The Envelope.. (Part 1)

Road To Canberra OR Road To Love (Part 2)

The years of togetherness (Part 3)

Please let me know what you think. 

My thoughts would be based on your responses. Do leave in your comments. 

Waiting for your response..

PS 1 : Those who have read all the three parts, please try to remember why Meerha came to Australia.
PS 2 :  Not everybody is lucky. Not everybody's life resembles the fairy tales. Not everybody has a godmother. And not everybody dies with a smile on their faces... 

The years of togetherness

(Read the preceding Part 1 | Part 2 before reading this story)

She walked and walked. She didn't want to look back. Hot tears poured down her cheeks and flowed all the way to her neck until they disappeared under her neckline. She shivered with cold but didn't want to stop. Not even to wrap the stole around her almost bare shoulders. She kept walking. Her toes were stiff from the 3 and a half inch heels that she wore. But she didn't want to be bothered about it. There were bigger things in her life that needed attention. For instance, one was what she just saw. And then came a fresh stream of tears. She couldn't believe her eyes. And at this point of time she wanted to be alone. She wanted to walk in this heavy rain. Her heels and the cold didn't really pose as a barrier. Infact, she felt more bruised. And that was the state that she wanted to be in. Bruised and battered. Big raindrops fell on her head. It was hurting her but now there was no looking back. She had to go on. And so, she walked and walked.

*******

Sahil stood in front of the bathroom mirror and stared at his reflection. He looked around. He and Meerha had re-designed this bathroom with great detail. Unlike the rooms and the kitchen. Both of them had an eye for bathrooms. Quite an unusual thing, it was. He remembered the first conversation they ever had. Or maybe it was second. Yeah, the second time when they had met at a common friend's place. And they both wanted to use the loo. And astonishingly, they had ended up discussing the loo since it was a masterpiece. Those expensive looking tiles, that open shower, those sleek wooden cabinets, the black and white marble combination, those luxurious looking taps, fitting and fixtures. Everything was just perfect. And they had discussed it all. He didn't realize that a smile had crept onto his face. And then he was aware of his surroundings. He was in the same bathroom that he and Meerha had designed on their own. Yes, it was definitely unusual to be similar in this respect. But now things were different. He opened the tap, bent down and splashed cold water on his face. Though he was a bit taken aback of the coldness but that was all that was left behind in his life now. She was gone. If only he hadn't been such an ass. 

*******

"Hurry up, you lazy bone", Meerha snorted when Sahil jumped into bed yet again. 

"Come on, honey. We still have time", he said and loked at her from the corner of his eyes. And by look which she returned, he knew that he must get ready or else he wouldn't get anything to at tonight.

"Okay, Okay. Don't give me that look. Where are my clothes?", he said. He got up and opened his almirah. "Temme what do I wear tonight.. I'll dress up the way you want me to. Everything according to you tonight, honey"

She laughed. "Don't get into that maska chaska. If it hadn't been our fourth anniversary, I would have blasted you today. God, why can't you wear decent clothes. All those people who say that girls take a long time to get ready, should be given your example..!!" She couldn't help but smile. She came over to him and rested her head on the back oh his shoulder. "Happy anniversay, baby".

She couldn't believe that they had completed 4 years of their relationship together. 4 years had passed since they first met each other. Ofcourse they were separated for a long period of 10 months when he got a job in Sydney.  And she followed suit. The only difference being that she come for an MBA. She had 2 years at the max till she could shove her mom from getting her married. And now, having spent about 11 months here in Sydney, she was confident that when they go back they would tell their parents about their relationship. And that they would get married. She heaved a sigh of relief. She had to focus on today. There was still a year left for her to think about their future and how they would convince her mom.  But now, it was their fourth anniversary. The day she had been waiting for. The day she had carefully chosen her clothes. A short black tube top dress which ended just above her knees, with a stole draped around her shoulders to give that raunchy yet elegant look. Yes, this was the day she had been waiting for. 

*******

"A table for two please", she said to the waiter whom she spotted first.

"I am sorry ma'am. There is a waiting of 45 minutes."

Sahil looked at Meerha in disbelief and asked, "Didn't you book the table for us?"

"Well...mmmm.... I forgot", she said sheepishly. 

And then they were out. Sahil, a bit angry but not wanting to spoil the night, said with a great enthusiasm, "Lets go to Moulin Rouge Downunder". And then he smiled at her.

"No Honey. It will be too expensive"

But Sahil was not going to listen to her. He was one of those strong headed guys who would not do anything to have their way. And so he did. They drove to the best club in Sydney. Moulin Rouge.

*******

Meerha looked for Sahil but he was nowhere to be seen. What was talking him so long? She wondered if he needed any help. And then she laughed at her own stupidity. Who would need help to pee? But then she was worried because he was too drunk to even walk. But now it had been 25 minutes since he had left her Something was definitely wrong. She felt a sudden urge to get up and go downstairs. She took the stairs down and stood in front of the washroom. When a guy came out, she asked him politely if he could check if Sahil was inside and quickly described him how he looked. That small bulky guy went inside and came after a minute or so. He said that there was no one inside of that description. That made Meerha scared. What could have possibly happened. She turned her back and started to leave and at the same time she got angry 'coz he had left his phone with her. 

Just when she took the first step upstairs she thought that she heard Sahil's voice. She stepped down and concentrated. She followed the voice. It was coming from behind a wooden door. She put her ears close to the door and tried to hear. She could hear a girl moaning and could hear Sahil's voice say, "Calm down honey. It will be alright."

Her hands shook when they reached out to the door knob. She hoped that the voice wasn't Sahil's. He couldn't be inside. He couldn't be with another woman. Not on this day. Not on their anniversary. Not on any other day. But she did not have the courage to open the door. It couldn't be him. But before she could console her mind and heart, she heard the girl shout which was followed by Sahil's voice which said, "I am sorry. Didn't wanna hurt you. Did it pain" And the screams got louder. Meerha could take no more. She hastily opened the door and there she saw him. Naked. With another woman. Right in front of her eyes. Tears flowed down her cheeks and she couldn't move a limb. She stood there watching the two figures enjoying the moment of intimacy. And then he saw here standing at the door. She tried to look into his eyes but he turned away. Probably ashamed. Or maybe with attitude. She had no clue if he had done that deliberately or was it that he had let himself go. What mattered more was what he did was wrong. She turned and left the door ajar. She ran out of the club with tears flowing. She didn't want to look back. Not at his betrayal.

TGIF...

I am not talking about the chain of restaurants called the T.G.I. Fridays. I am neither talking about the Hollywood movie made in 1978 nor am I talking about the Bollywood movie released in 2007. Okay. I admit. It is somewhere related. It is a phrase that came out of these two movies. TGIF. Thank God It's Friday. And then it popularized. And I really wanna repeat this phrase a hundred times 'coz it really is Friday today. Well Friday would have gone unnoticed for me since I work on Saturdays as well. But this time, it is different. Firstly, Gandhi Jayanti falls on a Friday this year, which means we have a national holiday in India. Secondly, The United Nations declared this day to be a celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence(Since it is Mahatma Gandhi's birthday). Thirdly and coincidently, World Smile Day will also be celebrated tomorrow. All the more reason to rejoice and spread happiness. 

Well, frankly speaking, I was never a fan of Gandhiji, or non-violence, or even a smile specially when somebody is forcing you to smile. But tomorrow is different. Because, the three reasons are inter-related to each other. I don't know why am I getting attracted to the day 2nd October 2009 which falls on a friday. And I again repeat that phrase to myself. Thank God It's Friday. Believe me or not, there is a sense of positivity that is building inside me. I don't know what it is. I am not the type of girl who would keep a track of all these days but this particularly had once caught my attention. World Smile Day.

Non-violence garnished with a smile is what we all need. If anybody would have said that few years back I would have just said, "Yuck". Fights are fun. I was always interested in fights since the time I was in school. Awright, I was never a part of any of these fights but I loved to watch people fight. I would watch closely and intently from a safe place but would never get involved and would never take sides. Ofcourse, at that time I was a kid. But not today. I am a true believer of non-violence (except the times when I had wanted to kill my enemies, which happened way too often). Okay. Again I admit that it is not entirely true. Everybody likes a little spice in life and not everybody around here is "dudh ka dhula" ( as pure as milk). And those who are genuinely this pure then excuse me, they are definitely not human beings. So, here I am, a biased believer of 'God knows what', telling everybody to stop all kinds of violence when I myself am not a true believer of this. 

Not that I demand too much, but somewhere deep inside I wish I could stop all kinds of violence for just one day and make everybody around me smile. I can't help but imagine this. And the immense pleasure I derive our of it just by mere imagination is too vast to express in words. I know, not many people would agree to this. Maybe 'coz our present times force us not to follow non-violence. 'Coz if we did, we would be called fools. But one single day out of 365 full days, it wouldn't hurt if the whole world makes peace. It could be any day. Any one day that is acceptable to the whole world, even the terrorists for that matter. It may not necessarily be a Friday. But still, since it is a Friday today and there are 3 reasons to celebrate I still want to repeat the phrase that says, Thank god it's Friday...

The enemy inside us...

The place smelled of rotten eggs. And I felt cold in the white negligee that I was wearing. I did not like the place. It was so dark and scary. There was something about this place which gave me goosebumps. I was wondering how did I come here wearing that negligee. My eyes looked around. They found nothing. Not a sigle soul was there. I could see a door. I think it was a door. It seemed far off. I tried to get up but couldn't. I did not have any energy to get up. But I had to reach the door. With all the strength that I had I got up from the cold floor and started walking. I think it was a huge hall. It wasn't  a room for sure. Step by step I walked towards the door. I felt dizzy. My knees hurt. As if I had fallen down with a thud. I didn't stop. At any cost, I had to reach for the door and get out. I tried hard. I moaned with pain. And then I noticed  a figure peeping at me from the door. I tried hard to concentrate. My eyes were heavy. I tried even harder to concentrate. Yes, It was him. I felt some strength coming back. I knew that he would hold my hand and take me out of this damp, cold and sticky place. I smiled. But it was dark. And I could not see his face. Maybe even he couldn't see my face. I walked towards him, slow but steady now. Maybe he was saying something. Yes, he was saying something. I could see his hands moving and could hear his voice. But I couldn't make out what he said. I concentrated. I couldn't hear a thing. I moved a little more further. More towards him. Maybe he was asking me to hurry up and walk towards him. Maybe he was extending his arms for me to hold on. Maybe he was standing there waiting for me to come to him. Why wasn't he coming towards me? He could see that I couldn't walk. And then it all came to me. We had a fight. And he had left me forever never to come back. I know that he still loved me but he thought that I was a maniac. No, I wasn't. I knew that. I am not a maniac. I am just a normal girl who loves a normal guy. Then what went wrong. I moaned. I felt my head throbbing. I could feel the pain in my head. It too felt heavy. I think it had hit something hard. I touched my forehead where it hurt the most. I could sense that there was a lump that was formed there. Yes, now I remember. He had pushed me. I fell down the stairs. 5 stairs there were. Not more. And I had hit something hard. Maybe it was a pillar. Yes. A pillar it was. But that was in our home. Then how did I come here? I wanted to cling to him. I wanted to hold him. I wanted to be in his arms. Why wasn't he coming towards him. I stretched my arms towards him hoping that he would hold it. I took 4-5 hasty steps towards him. But he seemed too far. I had reached the door. He was standing in the door, wasn't he? Yes, he was. I concentrated. And then I knew that he was moving back. I could see that his arms were waving. As if he was saying the last goodbye. Why was he doing this? My eyes got blind with the tears that started flowing. I want him back. I want him back in my life. I don't want him to go. I called out his name. I asked him to stop. I couldn't see a thing but I kept walking. I won't let him go. Gathering all the strength that I had, I started running. My whole body hurt. But the pain of loosing him was more than the physical pain that I had. I wanted to reach out and grab him by the arm and say, "I love you". But he was far. I ran faster. I felt cold but I didn't bother. Just wanted to get close to him. And suddenly I fell. My legs hurt so much that it felt that they wee screaming at me to stop. I tried to get up, but there was something in the way. I couldn't. I could just see the figure getting fainter and fainter until I could see him no more...

Yes, this is what I call fear. Fear. Fear of failing an exam. Fear of loosing a job. Fear of being caught while telling a lie. Fear of being left out. Fear of loosing money. Fear of insanity. Fear of sexual abuse. Fear of being ridiculed. Fear of not doing well in business. Fear of having an accident. Fear of being isolated. And ofcourse, fear of loosing someone special. Fear. Our worst enemy.

All through our lives we have lived with either one or the other kind of fear in our minds. No matter how busy we are in our lives, we always get time to think about our fears. And because we give so much importance to our fears, it bounces back on us either in the form of dreams which we see at night with our eyes closed or during the day with our eyes wide open. It leaves a mark no matter what time we see it. I have my own fears. And so do you. I dread some things in life and so do you. I fear of being left out, I fear of being isolated. I fear of loosing those special people in my lives. And it all comes back to me. I fear and I day dream. And so do you. We all want some kind of security in ou lives. I want my friends (my close friends) to voice their feelings from time to time so that it does not get bottled up inside and blasts when the limit is crossed. I want them to be with me. I want them around me. I want them to talk to me. Every single day. I have my own fears.  You have your own fears.. We all have our own fears. From which we have no escape..

And so we keep our mouths shut and continue to live with our fears engraved in our minds, only to come out when the situation turns its back towards happy moments and the cloud of darkness takes over. They say, all dreams have a hidden meaning. I wouldn't deny that. 'Coz somewhere deep inside I too want to believe that. I want to find out the reason why I have those dreams. Why do we all have dreams. Dreams about our fears. Those nasty dreams which makes us sweat. For me, Fear + Dream = A Nightmare. I wish I knew how to overcome our fears...