Kartooonnzzz!

“Fighting crime.
Trying to save the world
Here they come just in time
The powerpuff girls“

Imagine girls with absolutely zero sense of taal and sur singing this song at an uptown restaurant . Luckily, few people got to experience the awesomeness first hand when me and my friends decided to exercise our vocal chords at a friend’s birthday bash a few days ago. No, we weren’t drunk and no, it was not a part of ‘truth or dare’. As we were kept waiting endlessly for our appetizers, the topics gradually shifted from office to college to school. Although all of us had studied in different schools at different cities/towns, the common thread was cartoons. I remember how my evenings consisted of catching the ending of Swat Kats, laughing my ass of during Dexter and channeling my feminist side during Powerpuff Girls. Each one of us got talking about how Tom and Jerry were a(yes, they deserve to be treated as separate individuals/animals/watever) part of everyone’s growing up years and how much we hated it when Scrappy Doo would hog the limelight on his Uncle Scooby’s show. Okay, family rivalries are common and yeah I know it was just a cartoon but it was not just a cartoon .

My mum and dad got hooked on to Heidi on Saturdays because we would rush home from the bus-stop to catch the episode. I dreamed of being a planateer every time I saw Captain Planet. I remember having a crush on the cute blond guy from the show . Till my tenth I religiously followed cartoon network.. even when the massively idiotic cable guy aired only the hindi version. Proof:

“Bob the builder..karke dikhaenge
Bob the builder.. haan bhai haan !“

Yep, I admit I am a cartoon addict and I miss not having a tv set home. I miss the Lulu show, Roadrunner, Duck Tales, Adventures of Penelope Pitstop, Laff-A-Lympics, Jetsons, The Flintstones etc etc. They were all incredibly entertaining and funny as well. Cartoon Network is shit now. Excepting Ben 10, all the shows are going from bad to worse. All of us agreed how the old CN was the best thing ever on TV. We closed our hyper-excited conversation with this solemn conclusion as the food arrived. We had ordered hara-bhara kebab. Suddenly, it struck us and all of us looked at each other with a smile and started talking about how Popeye was so awesome…………..

Skeletons in the closet

All of us have a few. Some do a good job of letting them remain there, while some do not. Andre Agassi belongs to the second category. Is it a good thing or a bad thing is left to one’s discretion but I reckon Agassi must be feeling the heat given all the admissions he made over the past few weeks. Whatever may be the circumstances, nothing justifies the use of drugs. Sidestepping a bit, what the eff does one mean by recreational drugs. How can the use of any drug be a recreation. Stepping back, sports has had a long and troubled relation with drugs. Somehow most sportsmen attribute its use to depression or performance enhancement. No sportsman in my memory has publicly come out and confessed to having used drugs just for the heck of it. Any one who has accepted the use, has always followed it up with a story of crisis – personal or professional. I do not possess subject matter expertise on drugs but still, don’t people get addicted to it by making a habit of a hobby – a hobby that starts off as a ‘i have got to try it once’ and ends up as a ‘ i can’t live with or without it’ (okay, channeling the U2 song here ).

What has stirred so much controversy in Andre’s case is that, not only did he use the drugs, he succeeded in fooling the authorities and paved a path to one of the most remarkable comebacks in the history of sports. That he is a legend of tennis and a man who is doing great work for the society is unquestionable, but, all that pales in comparison to the fact that his entire post drugs era was based on a lie. Maybe he lied because the truth would have cost him his career. I blame the authorities more than Andre because it their duty to get the facts right and do the appropriate checks. They failed big time and Agassi became the Buddha of tennis who won slams and fans alike.

Although the timing of his coming out is notorious, I do not think it tarnishes his image for me much. He is still one of my most favorite players and people. Marat Safin says that Agassi should return all his slams. Why? Didn’t he work his ass off to beat top draw players. He failed one dope test and got out of it but that does not mean he did not have the talent or ability to win the slams. Yes, he should have been banned/punished but he was not. Not his fault. The dumb authorities screwed it up. He was just desperate to get back and luckily he got a break. Then why does he mention it now? Because he is plain dumb or maybe super-smart. No one likes skeletons in their closet after all. They are way too scary!!

7 habits of highly effective people

Disclaimer : This post is borderline philosophical – or senti as termed by people who think talking about life,future,goals,emotions,relations etc is stereotypical of uncool people!

This week, Monday to be exact, I attended a workshop titled ‘7 habits of highly effective people’. Not just effective but highly effective. Initially, my reasons to attend it were – a day off from work without loss of leave because it was a company sponsored program and great food and snacks at the HICC/Novotel. I went in with my priorities set – eat as much as possible,sleep as much as possible and listen as little. I have never had a fondness for self-help books or trainings. They put me to sleep. Also, I find them difficult to implement in real world scenarios as most of them offer solutions that are not really solutions. They are just sentences with a generous dose of words like ‘determination’,'love’,’self-control’ etc thrown in. This course was different though and I realized that ten minutes into the session.

The habits are divided into 3 parts:

1. Be proactive

Its important to take ownership of things – not only when they are going good but also when they are not. Its important to make the first move, the first impression,the one to give out their hand first for a shake.

2. Have the end goal in mind when you start

Just before lunch, we were shown a video that featured people reading their mission statements. Now, a mission statement is a statement of purpose. It is a collection of your goals, ambitions,dreams and is something that should guide your actions. I have always maintained a to-do list but have never really sat down and written about my expectations from myself. What’s great about writing something down is that it makes you think. I did a bit of thinking as well and came up with my mission statement. Its the first draft and I hope to review it every two weeks. Will share it soon on my blog – once its all sorted. I am hoping to track it down via my blog as well wherein I mention the things I have achieved and how I went about it. It is something that has got me really excited and I hope I do a good job of maintaining this tempo .

3. Prioritize ( Do first things first)

Somethings are important and some are urgent. Its necessary to plan things in such a way that the important and urgent things get done first and the important but non-urgent things are thought about and executed with perfection because they have time to be done.

A mastery over these three qualities leads to ‘private victory’ and makes one independent. But, in today’s world being independent is not enough. One has to learn to work in tandem with others as well. Here is where the next three qualities come in:

4. Think win/win

In today’s competitive world, one person’s gain is considered another person’s loss. We do not have to crush someone else’s ambition for our progress. Try to find a way so that the better person wins fair and square. With increase in competition, the size of the pie is also increasing. There is enough opportunity for everyone to succeed.

5. Mutual Understanding

Hearing is an inherent ability. Listening is an acquired skill. Before stating opinions, listen to the other person’s views and respect the difference in perspective. Do not formulate your reply while the other person is still talking. I have this habit of mentally preparing an answer even when I am half-listening to the other person. Its an attempt to probably impress the other person or maybe give a witty reply. But, giving a sensible reply is more important is what I learned through this habit.

6. Synergize

Try to collaborate all your qualities,ideas,the ones you have imbibed from others,your resources etc and utilize them to the fullest. Unless everything comes together, one cannot be highly effective.

If one adopts these three qualities, it will lead to a ‘public victory’ and
make one ‘interdependent’. I wondered, how being dependent in any way was better than being independent. The instructor gave a great example

The redwood trees in California are one of the longest surviving trees in America. They have stood there for centuries and have endured storms,rains and even earthquakes. Their success is not just limited to the fact that they have strong roots because repeated force can weaken those. Their survival technique is based on a symbiotic relation. The roots of various trees in the surrounding area intertwine and share nutrients and food. This mutual give and take has made their survival so remarkable that a mini-truck can actually drive through one such tree without causing any harm to it. Amazing!

This made me realize how important it is to have good relations,an open mind to learn and an inclination to discuss things.

Coming back, the last habit , in my opinion, is something most of us take for granted

7. Sharpening the axe.

Its important to take time out and rejuvenate oneself. Mundane worries are part of everyone’s life and I truly believe that one should not take work to home and bring home to work. I have not reached that stage yet where either is happening but I am resolved not to let that happen in the future.

It was an extremely enlightening experience for me and I am certain there are many people who despised JV like me and found it too abstract. Having said that, this course is not one of such type and is truly worth taking. You won’t hear the word I,body,my head, your head etc. I recommend all ya folks to at least give the book a shot in case a training program is not available. It will truly make you more effective than you are right now if not highly . Will blog back with my mission statement but before signing off here are a few interesting mission statements.

Anonymous: ‘I aim to become the person my dog thinks I am’

Yahoo! : To connect people to their passions, communities, and the world’s knowledge.

Google : To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

(can’t help but notice the difference and the similarity in the statements of the two companies !!)

Walt Disney: To make people happy. (and didn’t he succeed)

Happy birthday grandpa

A few days back, papa called me up

…….
Papa: Today is grandpa’s birthday. Do not forget to wish him.
Me : Oh! Sure thing. I will call him asap. Which birthday is this – as in the astrological one, the one according to the English calendar or the Telugu calendar ??
Papa : (laughs heartily in his characteristic way) I am not sure, and I don’t think even he’s sure but still call him before he gets busy. Take care. Bye!
Me: Bye!!

…(after 10 minutes)

Mumma: Nammu, did you wish grandpa?
Me : (in an ‘oh-shit’ + blatant lying tone) Oh ya, I was about to,I was dialing the number when your call came.
Mumma: Right. Do not lie. Papa reminded you na. Why are you so irresponsible. Its just a call and it will make him very happy. When will you understand the importance of doing things in time.
Me: Aah, Mumma ok ok. I know this conversation by heart. I will call him. I love him too. I was just caught up with some work.
Mumma: Can’t you take out two minutes for a call. You are 21 now. Your sister already wished him. You are the last one to call every time.
Me: I am not the last one mumma. And does that even matter. I am calling him straightaway. Promise. Talk to you later. Bye.

I finally called up my grandpa.

Grandpa(G): Helloooo?
Me: Hello tathu. Happy birthday.
G: Hi Nammu. Thank you thank you. (he recognizes my voice every time and he has this adorable way of saying few words like ‘thank you’ and ‘god bless’ twice)
Me: I hope I am not the last one to call.
G: No no. Your dad has not called yet. I guess your mother has not called him yet !!
Me: Hehe, I guess. So whats special today.
G: I am 80 now kanna. Today is like any other day. Was reading the newspaper. BJP is sinking kanna. ( he is a staunch BJP supporter much to the agony of my uncle who supports Congress and my dad who supports no one )
Me: Abba tathu. Forget about them. No new clothes huh?
G: Well, I cant make out if the clothes are new or old. They are all the same anyways. ( he’s been wearing white dhoti teamed with a white shirt for the past 50 odd years)
Me: (laughs) Okay, so what about special food?
G: Oh, that you need to ask your grandma. ( he never speaks for more than 5 minutes on the phone and always hands over the phone to someone on some excuse )
Me: Hi nanamma. What are you cooking today.
Nani(N): What can I cook? Half of his teeth are gone. He can’t chew properly.
Me: (trying to control my laughter) Come on. Its his birthday and he loves sweets na. Cook something that he can chew.
N: Ya ya, I will don’t worry. By the way are you eating properly. Someone told me you have become very weak.
Me: Who told you that.
N: Someone.
Me: Who someone?
N: Abba someone.
Me: No. I am eating well and am not weak.
N: No, I know you are not eating well. You people are so concerned about your figure that you don’t eat ghee only. How will your ‘medhashakti’ improve. Bones will become weak like me.
Me: (with a huge smile on my face) I am eating well nanamma. Do not worry. Take care of your health and cook payasam or something that tathu can have.
N: Ha ha, eat ghee kanna. In old age you will not suffer like me then.
Me: Sure sure.
G: (takes the phone from her hand) Tell your nanamma to make payasam with actual sugar in it. (my grandpa has diabetes and he is usually given pseudo-sweets)
Me: I told her already. Have fun today.
G: Ya. God bless you .God bless you.
Me: (victoriously laughing because I knew he would say it twice) Okay, will call you soon. Bye. Happy birthday once again.

After I put the phone down, I realized how much I love my sometimes crazy, sometimes over-the-top,sometimes eccentric but absolutely adorable grandparents. They are so cute. My grandfather has been a teacher all his life. He taught Math and English – strange combination, and excelled at both. He was awarded the best teacher award twice and stayed committed to his job and his school even after retirement by serving as a guest lecturer and correspondent. My grandmother on the other hand loves cooking,praying and gossiping. She used to tell my parents about every neighbour and their family problems when we went to visit them. With age, her enthusiasm has waned but she still does not mind the occasional indulgence! While grandpa always spoke about how proud he was of our educational achievements, grandma’s concern was our complexion,our health and our intake of ghee! I love them to bits and miss how much they pampered me and my sister when we visited them. I hope to spending quality time with them soon. After all, grandpa is just 80 years young . Happy Birthday grandpa!!!

Stumped !!

This year has been an year of firsts for me. My first date, my first time weighing around 50kg (ok, technically not the first time but first time in a long long time ), my first time to a pub and then my first time to a stadium to watch a live cricket match! Just the idea of it is super exciting isn’t it? As I opened the TOI sports page this last Friday, I realized that there was a champions league T20 match on Saturday involving Deccan Chargers and Somerset County Cricket Club (ok, I honestly did not know about the latter team and had to verify my tickets to get their awfully long and boring name right ). Coming back to the plot -on our way to office, I mentioned about going to the match to two of my colleagues – Nikhil and Tarun and they immediately agreed. After lot of discussion/debate and frantic phone calls we came up with the final list of people who wanted to see the match. During lunch we drove to the nearest CCD and got tickets. It was surprisingly easy to get tickets on such a short notice because I expected lot of people to flock the stadium, this being the first match for the Chargers post their success at IPL-II. Its really funny when things for which you plan in advance for ages go haywire and short term proposals like this end up being a cakewalk. Oops, forgot to mention another backstory…..I had been planning a certain surprise for a certain khaas friend and fortunately stumbled upon the newspaper ad. So, oblivious to all these activities, my khaas friend was as clueless as Brittany Murphy in the movie by the same name ,when I told him he had a surprise in store .I could not wait for the day to end and although it did not seem like a match that would arouse lot of enthusiasm, I was really eager to catch a glimpse of Rohit Sharma (huge crush – do not ask me why ) and Adam Gilchrist (I do not need to tell why ). I called up my khaas friend later that evening and gave him the surprise and am really glad that he loved it. Now all that was left to do was wait for Saturday!!

The tickets allowed one to see both the matches that were scheduled on Saturday – the first one between Cape Cobras and Otago Volts while the second one was between DC and SCCC. Joining in for the matches were Sandeep,Cini,PJ,Gunjan,CV and Ashwin. We hopped into two cars and headed for the Rajeev Gandhi International Cricket Stadium situated in Uppal around 2.30. After what seemed like ages ( I measure distance in units of time ), we reached the venue and have to mention the absolute lack of planning by the officials to accommodate vehicles. Also, special mention to their ridiculous rule of not letting bottled water inside. A few of the guys had to walk all the way back to the cars to dump the water bottles and after what seemed like eternity we reached the stands. Our seats were on the first floor and we had an awesome view of the ground. It felt very strange, cricket is so different from how it seems on television. It suddenly did not seem too larger than life or anything. I went on with my observations much to the amusement of Tarun and Bhargava. A few of them were

-> Masceranhas looks really small (in my defense, I changed my opinion after seeing him field close to us near the boundary line)
-> Wow, Gibbs has an awesome physique (he really does , he’s chiseled )
-> Duminy is arrogant ( well, we kept shouting out to him and he pretended as if he could not hear a hundred people shouting)

Ok, so getting on with actual cricket. The first match was kind of boring since we really did not care much about either team but the guys had a gala time secretly catching glimpses of the cheerleaders. The ones towards our right were pretty good and one blonde in particular caught dear Nikhil’s fancy . The ones to our left were pathetic. It was like they had dragged themselves on to the podium and were being forced to move. Their steps were bad, costumes were bad and energy levels were bad. That did not stop the junta from flocking to them though. I wonder why there are no male cheerleaders. Another case of gender bias I tell you . The emcee was doing an okay job of keeping the crowd entertained by initiating the mexican wave and playing a ‘wake-up’ trumpet sound which as time progressed annoyed all of us out. But, it was fun to shout for no reason at all and the match got over pretty quick. We all wanted to grab a bite before the DC match and as a few headed down to CCD – unfortunately, Nikhil’s wallet and Bhargava’s phone got flicked. Our spirits were dampened for a while but as soon as we saw the DC team on the ground practicing, a huge smile came on our faces. The entire team took a jog around the ground and it was incredible to see Symonds, Gilly etc from such close quarters. The fact that DC batted first made it all the more better. Every boundary and six was met with huge applause and chants of the batsman’s name. The atmosphere was great and the support the crowd was giving was amazing. We would break into an impromptu jig everytime the team’s song ‘Go-chargers-Go’ was being played. Have to admit though that the bowling by the opposition was good in the middle overs – in case the concept of middle overs does exist in T20 . Finally we ended up with a decent score of 153. To be honest I was expecting a better total given the star-studded line-up of the DC team but the match took an interesting turn when SCCC lost quick wickets in succession thanks to RP Singh and Ojha. The match seemed to be heading for a nail biting finish with 5 runs required of the last over. Everyone in the stadium was on their feet, hoping and praying that somehow DC would pull through and break the curse of not having won a single match on their home ground. Scott Styris came on to bowl the deciding over and the very first ball resulted in the loss of a wicket. There was an enormous eruption in the stadium and suddenly it seemed as if DC could pull a win. The next delivery was a dot ball and its successor resulted in another wicket. We could not believe what we were seeing. It was nervousness and excitement unparalleled. Prayers were being offered to a higher power but damn that Thomas guy who hit two boundaries in the last 3 balls to snatch a victory. Curses went all around the stadium for him but he truly was a hero for his team. Unfortunately, the curse continues for DC but we got our money’s worth with an incredible finish that none expected. Watching a match under floodlights is a totally different experience and I am glad I got an opportunity to watch such an exciting match. Can’t wait to go to another live match.

The journey back home was hilarious. Most of us were feeling tired and sleepy so we switched on the radio and to out utter dismay found some AIR program running. The rj was ridiculous and funny for all the wrong reasons. We laughed our ass off in the car and made our way to Subway for a midnight snack. Yours truly was half asleep and walking like a zombie. Finally, we reached home and an adventure-filled day came to end.

Guys go ahead...oggle!!!

Lol @ Punde's priceless expression !! I look high

The DC team taking a lap across the stadium

D gang

Kahi pe nigahen.. kahi pe nishana Even the camera couldn't stop Tolia from staring at the cheerleaders!

PS: Cameras were not allowed inside and we had to make-do with PJ’s cell. Thanks to PJ for the pics !!

Relevance of forgiveness

The idea for this post came from an article I stumbled upon a few days back. The Amish school shooting was a horrific incident that took place in USA on Oct 2,2006. Innocent young girls lost their lives and the man who committed the crime ended up killing himself in the end. Tragedies like these that claim human life, especially young lives are met with lot of introspection,debate and criticism in the society/media. Amidst all the gloom and negativity around this incident, what shines out is the reaction of the victims’ family to the guilty man and his family. They realized that he was a troubled soul and his actions could not entirely be blamed on him. They reached out to his widow,his children,his parents and asked everyone else to be kind to them since they had also lost a loved one – maybe even before he took his life. I went through a few more articles surrounding this tragedy and realized that there was a major section of the US society that was shell-shocked at the reaction of the Amish community. They felt that an act as horrific as this deserved stronger reaction. Stronger in their opinion meant – ‘authority blaming, security bashing’ etc etc. I feel the reaction that actually came out was stronger than anything anyone could have ever imagined. To be so calm,wise and more importantly human amidst such heartbreak and chaos is not an easy thing to do. I am not an expert on religion but if the ideals of this particular community preach such tolerance,respect and compassion, then all I can say is hats off to them.

I don’t know if any of the readers till this point observed the fact that this incident happened on Oct 2 – the day we celebrate Gandhi Jayanti. The day we are meant to celebrate his ideals of peace,self -control,equality,hard work and compassion. Oct 2 is a national holiday. For most of us its just a holiday. I cannot remember the last time I actually did something worthwhile on a day we have dedicated to the ‘Father of our Nation’. It’s a pity isn’t it. I was home this year for Gandhi Jayanti and saw a statement made by Shashi Tharoor ( ya ya the same guy who made the cattle remark a few weeks prior) ,wherein he questioned the relevance of this day being a holiday. He remarked that on a day where we are supposed to remember the Mahatma, all we do is sit in our homes and do nothing. He was of the opinion that, instead on this day we should work harder. We should get our lazy bums off the couch and do something. I feel he got it right this time – good for him . I am not here to question his opinion because I belong to the category of people he mentioned – the ones with a lazy bum. I did nothing special on Oct 2nd. For me it was a long weekend and I enjoyed it. I watched Lage Raho Munnabhai and it was then that I realized that the movie was being aired because of Gandhi Jayanti. I felt a little ashamed at myself after seeing a debate on a news channel regarding this whole issue and the relevance of Gandhian principles in modern day India.

Now,I am not a huge follower of his principles because by nature I am not the kind of person who would show her other cheek if someone slapped me on one. I would instead hit the person back. Having said that I also believe that it requires great strength to forgive someone.Yet, incidents like the Amish school shooting prove that there is nothing greater than forgiveness and if someone in such pain can find the courage and inner strength to forgive then we all can give it a shot. Life is too short to nurse grudges. I know the whole revenge thingy sounds very dramatic/exciting to many youngsters ,including me ,but going through all the articles around this subject made me understand why forgiving and not playing the blame game is such a big thing to do. I think today’s world needs more people like the ones I mentioned earlier. They have given a whole new relevance to forgiveness.

“Hey,daarlinnggg”

‘Hey daarliinnggggggg’, yelled out a ‘cool hunk’ from his not so cool bike. I couldn’t help being amused at his antics. Okay, I know I am not the kind of ‘chic’ (if at all I qualify to be called one) who would garner attention on a busy road but this guy was outright lunatic and that should explain the conundrum . He literally followed me for 20 minutes as I made my way from one boring shop to another carrying a shopping list my mum handed over to me. I have to admit though, in spite of the not so good credentials of the guy (well, I am judgmental) who was flattering me, I quite enjoyed it and which girl doesn’t – any girl who says she don’t like male attention is either lying or gay !

Coming back to the plot, I first noticed him at a departmental store and he obviously did not seem like a guy who would come to a goddamn ‘kirana store’ . He was randomly picking up packets from the stands and putting them back – in the wrong position of course in case you were wondering. Every now and then he would cross me and give this cheeky smile which reeked of arrogance. He was okay-looking but I am hooked and booked so obviously I did not bother a second look and he was so not my type ( well, ya I have a type – Justin Timberlake … wishful thinking I know ). I went to the billing counter and he followed suit with one sorry looking Lays packet in his hand. For some strange reason I found his picture extremely funny. Wearing a black leather – oh no sorry, a leather-like jacket and imported sunglasses , he seemed out of place and his purchase added to the whole costume. Nevertheless, as I made my way out and went to the parking lot to get out my bike, I saw him again as he took out a swanky mobile from his jacket and started having the whole ‘mamma – ekkada vunavu’ conversation. I drove out hoping I had lost him only to be surprised as he honked by me on my way to an optician’s store.

I am an average driver. I do not remember roads that well, I forget switching on the indicator and press the horn every other minute . So, you can imagine how badly I must have driven for that period of 5-10 minutes when he was cutting through the mob-like traffic and trying to show off his skills. In my mind I pictured showing him the finger – I have always wanted to do that to people who drive recklessly on the roads . Of course I did not do it and instead found myself nervoulsy steering me and my bike to safety. As I went in to the shop to get my sis’s spectacles repaired, I saw him again enter the store with a friend of his. Maybe he was that ’maaama’ he was talking to earlier. They were doing a pretty lousy job of pretending to be customers. They asked for some sunglasses and tried a few on and cracked some jokes and looked at me and laughed a lot. The whole thing left me confused. Was I looking so funny?? Christ knows what made them chuckle so much but I was just glad to leave the place with my temper intact.

As I was driving towards my home the absolutely hilarious call out I mentioned in the first line of this post came. I tried very hard to control my laughter but its hard to do so, more so for me. I do not understand the psyche of these guys. I mean are they so dumb that they think such a line will make a girl fall for them. This whole pointless incident was incredible time pass though ,as it made my boring shopping trip a lot more interesting. He almost entered my apartment parking – almost. What he achieved by wasting his petrol for a stranger is beyond my comprehension. I have never seen girls chase guys literally like this and maybe that’s why its beyond my comprehension!!! One thing is certain – no one is ever going to call me a darling the way he did

My first time to a pub :)

I have always wanted to taste alcohol. For some strange reason I always related drinking to being ‘grown up’. Although I am not someone who encourages the concept of drinking , I guess an occasional binge would not harm anyone. I have had guy friends earlier who used to( I guess.. naah I am sure they still) drink but never got an opportunity to accompany them.

So this past week, I finally at the age of 21 (ok well I am a late bloomer ) went to a pub with friends and have to admit it was freaking awesome. It took me some time to soak the atmosphere there – loud music, huge tv screens playing weekend sports, people drinking and loads of smoke. I could have done without the smoke but nevertheless I was super excited for anything else to ruin the moment! Me and my friends sat down and picked up the menu. I do not know why I even opened the drinks catalog because I ended up drinking a mocktail but it never hurts to remember the unusually perky names that drinks have. Its pretty interesting ,these names – Virgin Mary, Screwdriver, Sex on the beach (ahem ahem.. is it one the benefits or consequences of drinking this thing…I have no clue ). Ordered some food but was not really that hungry. Felt strange to eat when people around me were drinking like a shoal of fish. Suddenly it dawned on them to have vodka shots. Now, this thing has always fascinated me. Maybe its because of how much fun it looks when people do it on screen. Although I did not have the courage or the feeling to gulp one of them down, my friends sure did and there was a lot of gulping that followed. After a while, they all looked pretty drunk and god knows what we were talking. It was absolute fun though and with football matches playing, the environment was electric. People were dancing, shouting, drinking and some souls like me were actually just watching all of this happen . There was the usual ‘competition’ thingy as well where a few of my friends timed who would drink a glass of beer fastest. The table was filled with glasses none of which was empty though! Rum,beer,vodka…everything was ordered and done justice to!As it started getting late, the alcohol started having its effect on a few of my friends and they decided to give dancing a shot. It was hilairious the way they were dancing and having fun. I had to excuse myself and leave early but the image of these people in a circle dancing like ..well drunk people left a huge grin on my face.

There is this notion that going to a pub is a ‘bad thing’. Well, it is not and you don’t have to compulsarily drink. As long as you have good company there should not be a problem. Also, it is better to have a designated driver who can handle all the drunk bodies. I had incredible fun even though I did not drink. So, I still have not opened my innings but atleast I remember what happened that night unlike a few people who called me up the next day with a bad headache and vague memories of the last night. Just recounting the experience made me laugh out loud. Usually, when I plan something it goes awfully wrong. This time though things went well and my first time to a pub was a night to remember!!

I can officially cook!!

Necessity is the mother of invention. So true. I have never fancied cooking. Kitchen is the last place one would expect to find me in. There are just way too many non-human things in a kitchen.Yet, the strong desire to have ‘home made’ food overpowered my lack of experience and laziness. Just setting up the kitchen was a Herculean task. I never knew there were so many types of spoons . Me and my roommates were pretty psyched about cooking and secretly all of us wanted to show off our culinary skills. It took us about a week to get the gas cylinder,the stove (a 3 -burner ,although one of the burners doesn’t work ) and another week to get the right regulator! Once that was done we were all set to start. Sounds smooth so far – trust me it wasn’t. Every day(night actually) we would realize new additions like a peeler on monday, a knife on tuesday, a chopping board on wednesday and so on so forth. It got frustrating at times but our firm resolve saw us through that tough forthnight .

With everything at our disposal finally, all that was left to do was cook. All of us came with limited knowledge and the age old adage ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ was granted 100% accuracy status! For the first few days it was only potatoes and tomatoes because they are the easiest to cook. Salt is such an underestimated quantity. Its a talent to put appropriate amount of salt in a dish. After about two weeks I kind of understood how things work around in a kitchen, what I should cook and what I most definetely should not. The entire exercise was incredible fun though especially with all my roommates also being there every step of the way literally.

So things I can cook and yes, they are edible –rice,maggi,tea,anything with potatoes,onions,tomatoes,capsicum,gourd(all varieties ),brinjal,ladies finger etc etc. I know its an impressive list. The point is if you know how to cook one vegetable, the rest follow suit. One day me and my roommates ended up with two pieces each of potatoes,tomatoes and onions. With no idea what to do with such quantity we decided to try our hand at making pulao and by God’s grace we churned out a dish which was not exactly pulao but was nevertheless tasty. Its an in-house speciality now .

I feel empowered for some weird reason. Cooking is liberating and my respect for Mum,her mum and her mum …..has increased multiple fold. I proudly tell my mum about my achievements in the kitchen and cannot wait to go home and indulge in some showing off. After all its something I learnt by burning my fingers (literally again ).

PS: Today I am going to cook cabbage and although I am not a huge fan of this vegetable, I hope it turns out well.

12 things no one knows about me

Well, after this post people will know. This exercise is neither pointless nor easy. I don’t want to sound like a wannabe beauty paegant contestant but the biggest challenge in life is discovering yourself! It was pretty tough to narrow down things I had never admitted to,on a public platform. I know ,a majority of you must be going ‘cut the crap and let out your secrets’ . So here is the list

1. I have always secretly wanted to be a superhero who kicks evil butt. That should explain my obsession with powerpuff girls.

2. I have an obsession with ear buds. Sounds pretty weird..doesn’t it. I can see a devilish smile on few faces (note-Tarun ).

3. During some conversations I consciously underestimate myself so that some one will actually say “no, you are really good at …..”. Its good to get compliments. Why do I try so hard.. well, thats because some people are too stingy with compliments .

4. Having said what I said in the above point, I have to confess that I don’t know how to receive a compliment. I have no clue how to react when someone says nice things about you in a flattering manner. I could always say ‘Thank You’ but then that is so predictable and boring.

5. I am obsessed about my weight. People really close to me know this fact but for the benefit of others I would like to include it nevertheless. At one point I checked my weight thrice a day and went on a crazy crash diet too. Never ever will I do that again. Its important to be healthy and fit.

6. I am fiercely protective about people I love – to the point of ignoring their faults. Typical scorpion trait and I have been warned many times to be less vocal about my feelings but that is just who I am. Will go to any extent for my family and closest pals.

7. I walk on my heels in front of the mirror wishing I was taller. I always wanted to be atleast 5′6 but nature had other plans. Unfortunately, heels make me uncomfortable so I am resigned to my fate of being an underachiever (atleast in terms of height).

8. I like getting into fights. I know I belong to the land where Gandhi lived, but I like guys who can throw a punch and knock someone down. I am not propogating violence but one harmless punch wont cause a war right??

9. I am very low maintenance. Many people , especially my college mates have told me that I give an impression of someone who has lot of attitude etc. I do not know what exactly they mean by ‘attitude’ but I honestly have never considered myself above anyone or anything. I am a very insecure person (oops should have reserved that for the next point ) so to think I am proud or haughty is so not true. I love eating roadside pani-puri than going to a coffee house.

10. I had the longest of crushes on my ‘khaas friend’ before he became my ‘khaas friend’. He is not only my best friend but also the most well-behaved,creative and caring people I know. I did not know much about his existence till the 6th sem but am glad I broadened my horizons.

11. I use Johnson baby soap and hair oil even today!

12. Although I love chocolates, I have not had a chocolate bar in more than 4 months. Well you gotta do what you gotta do.

I tag Karan,Himank,Bhargava,Anupama,Deepti,Prateek,Rohit,Gopala and anyone else who would want to write on this topic.