The Peepli Weekend

This was a long weekend. Mostly nice. On Thursday, I got the mind-numbingly expensive knee support that the latest doctor prescribed. It is my last hope to save the surgery. It helps me walk. Almost as much as I want to. So, on Friday afternoon I set out for a shopping bonanza to test it. Not only could I walk, I could walk fast (just the way I like to), and I was on my feet for close to two hours. This injury has been one of the many humbling experiences of the recent past.

I bought things that excite me most after silver jewellery. Bags!! Yes, plural. You can consider it a lottery. Moreover, the peace that doing such things alone gives evens out the madness. Therefore the word 'bonanza'. :D

The evening had a Teej-related dinner at someone's place. Highlight of the rather annoying gathering was the fact that an absolutely unrelated oldie located far, far away from here sent me personalised blessings. Felt good.

On Saturday morning I spotted a hot-looking guy at the hospital. Perks of an injury which takes you to places visited by fit people who play sports and get injured too. :P

I got home to learn that family had booked tickets for Peepli Live. What a movie! Beautifully made, edited with precision, awesome details, and a wonderful take on the horrible situation in the country. And of course, God bless Indian Ocean! Never thought Des Mera could also take such a filmi turn.

Saturday also saw my hair looking so killer(!) that I fell in love with it all over again.

On Sunday, Independence Day, I decided to hear what that prime minister had to say to us. It had been several years since I either watched the Red Fort programme or heard anyone give speeches the way it happened in school. It was so unfortunate to listen to the uninspiring Dr. Manmohan Singh use words that were literally used by Hindi teachers back in standard 5th. I say this because the nation is also in not too different a state since 1995 (on several levels). His speech was defensive for crying out loud! It was politics, not nation-building. Previous night's Peepli was flashing in my head as I heard him go on about one yojna after the other. Nonetheless, I still celebrated independence with extended family through rest of the day. Good food, long drive, bowling, camera flashes, and some smiles. :-)

I had followed the first three seasons of Indian Idol and always thought that a singer better than the winner got left out. But justice happened in Indian Idol 5. I am glad. :)

I expect the next one to be The Freedom Weekend. Hope to tell you why.

O Koi Gal Nai!

It is a little funny, but almost irritating to count the number of functions in a punju family wedding and figure each time that you're still short on clothes even after having shopped like crazy! When the wedding was scheduled for April and was going to clash with my end sem exams, I had done my share of shopping when I had come home in winters, having only accessories left to be done later. When I came home this time, we figured there were a few other occasions for which I need more clothes. So I shopped more. And today, when one of my excited-for-the-wedding aunts was over to talk about all the preparation, we figured that I am still short of one suit. Reaching the point of being slightly irritated with the whole jazz, I thought I'd just stroll into Dilli Haat and see if I can find something there so that I could get done with it asap! The first stall I stopped at had a gorgeous gold coloured suit. It was all gold, and yet very sophisticated. But I decided to walk around a little more to see the available options. And I landed at another store which had authentic punjabi phulkari dupattas. Now let me tell you that even though phulkari is supposed to be only thread work, these artisans can make such incredibly pretty clothes out of it that you won't believe your eyes. And you know I have always been the more silk/threadwork kinda person as against shiny sequins stuff. But sometimes (when it is your own brother getting married) you are compelled to buy the brighter stuff because you cannot afford to look under-dressed. Bleh. So I got so confused between the two that I came home empty-handed. [New feat achieved in my shopping history - coming home without anything in spite of it being a need-based shopping outing AND me finding more than one thing worth my money!!]

"Kisi friend ki shaadi pe kaam aa jayega."

Now quickly tell me which one of you is getting married soon enough for me to go back and buy that gold thing so that I can wear it to your wedding!!

Random tales this January

This deserved a mention a month back - when I came back to campus for this term, I had two people giving me Fuchsia presents. While Ruhi gave me a kurta that has fuchsia flowers on it, Priyam got me a perfume that's named Fuchsia. Now that's what we call branding! :D :D

__

I love Marks & Spencer for the formals they make! And I cannot emphasise on this point enough. It's as if the rest of the world believes that I come from a different planet with a strange body type. M&S took my measurements while I was sleeping and came out with size 14!
God bless them!

I also got stranded in the basement of a mall today. Why? Arshad Varsi and Vidya Balan were there to promote Ishqiya, and people were going berserk. I didn't even see Vidya Balan. Just heard people go Vidya 'jiiiii'! But this is one movie I am looking forward to. I just hope that it's as good as the movies that Vishal Bhardwaj directs himself.

I watched Toy Story 1 and 2 (3D) today. Yes, I am graduating slowly. From hating animation to loving Sid to finding parts of these movies quite funny, I like the initiation of the process. :D

This guy was entertaining!

___

Sometimes I think I am emotionally very stupid. I feel disconnected from a lot of people who are genuinely nice to me. That, I believe, is a cause and consequence of my obsession with the handful of people I like to like. And it's not like I don't like this other set of people, but I can't go around loving-shoving them. It becomes awkward at times.

I almost cannot live without Avantika, Prashant and Sahil today. All three for different reasons. But looking at my past I so know that these sets of people also keep changing as life changes. Today, even imagining not having them around gives me the chills. But there are so many other people also I have had to get over. People I loved just as much. Ok, I don't know why I am writing this!
___

I am finally slightly comfortable with Pune roads. Now I can figure routes a tad bit better. It's annoying to imagine that it took me so long considering that I like to believe that I am fairly decent with navigation. But you know that I live in a village outside of the city, right?

___

Lohri this year was just as much fun as last year. The campus comes to life with all the punjabi tracks and dance!


I was just thinking that I looked exactly the same as I did on Lohri last year. Not fun! Suggested makeover?

___

Taking somebody's advice and going to sleep a little early today. So, until next post... tada!! :-)

The Peanut Butter Weekend

This weekend came and went by in a snap. After ages I felt like my social self again. And it was great because unfortunately, like I've been telling everyone I know, in spite of an entire lifetime in this city, I hardly have any friends left here. So it was great meeting some of my people again.

On Saturday morning, my brother was kind enough to actually ask me to accompany him for some shopping. In the process I got myself the most beautiful pair of earrings I have ever bought. They beat the second most beautiful pair of earrings I own which I had bought just last week. :-)

I met Megha as well, and pleased her by showing interest in shiny clothes because according to her I wear extremely boring clothes.

The evening was spent in shopping with mom at another location. Even though mom paid for herself (obviously! I'm a student. What do you expect?), she was happy that one of her kids was nice to her for a change. Especially because we only shopped for her.

I came back with a brilliantly annoying headache, but Avan tried to meet my demand of wanting to talk to her for two hours on the phone. We didn't meet the two-hour goal, but we came close. We did a lot of pending 'catching up'. Only I know how much I miss our long phone conversations ever since she went to a B school!

Sunday afternoon was something I was looking forward to. I was meeting school friends after a really long gap. So much so that I saw my closest friend from school after about a year today. I was damn excited. Most of the people in that chain mail did turn up. Basketball kept the boys away for longer than expected, but it was still nice to meet the old gang! The old commerce gang (I used to hang out more with the science students in 11th and 12th)! We had a lot more to talk about, but other commitments kept it slightly shorter than we would have liked. Incidentally, we also ran into one of the most dedicated students of our batch from school. The conviction with which he used to say that he wants to be a doctor totally reflected in the fact that today he's at the Safdarjung Hospital. Highly impressive!

Among other fun things, I had a fruit salad sundae from Nirula's after really long. As in many other places, the quality is nothing like it used to be. Nonetheless, it remains one of my most favourite things ever!
This reminds me - last week when I had gone to Chandni Chowk, we'd gone to the parathe wali gali and to my disappointment, the size of the parathas has now been halved. Moreover, there was absolutely no difference between a khurchan and a rabdi paratha. Yes, I have progressed from the apprehensive days of aloo parathas, but let's not digress from the point. So much for a slowdown! :-/

Back to today: From CP I headed to Khan Market with Kulsum's truck driver skills. She turned out to be better than what I was told about her. She left, and I met Udit. We spent some time at Cafe Oz. A place where pasta was not well-cooked, none of the desserts were (thankfully) appealing, and the iced tea was just about ok. I also went through some of his photographs' prints. Quite liked a few!

He was nice enough to drop me home. Post dinner I sat with my family, and we talked for a good two hours. It hardly ever happens. I loved every single moment of it!

My tickets for going back to Pune are booked. A train that takes more than a day, and I don't have a window seat. I know how much sulking these facts involve!

And oh, I got to talk to the 'love of my life' Sahil properly after more than three weeks today. It was nice. :-)

Why peanut butter? Because back in the hostel I developed a liking for untimely slices of bread with peanut butter - something I never really had at home. So to add to my already excessive weight, I got a jar recently and have been having untimely slices of bread with peanut butter again! Who would have thought I would bring stupid habits from hostel to my home! But stupid things are the easiest and quickest to travel, aren't they?

__

I could not make a post about the recently-discovered engineer hidden in me. For your reference, I am working with one of the engineering giants right now. Last week I was disappointed because a stupid reason led to me missing a photoshoot of our technology at a substation. On Friday, I highly enjoyed reading about all the physics I missed out on after 10th standard. I also visited our instrumentations factory. It did take all these weeks for me to begin enjoying it, but really, if it wasn't for nauseating chemistry, I would have been in a completely different world today!!

So this is it about my weekend. Now I'll go decide what I have to wear to work tomorrow. Tada!!

Head Girl and Vice Head Girl - Batch 2004

Best buds

Trained at Delhi School of Social Work and National Institute of Fashion Technology respectively - talking about and agreeing upon how to handle rishtedars with shaadi ka rishtas

Kulsum has a 'thing' for getting people's invisible feet in all pictures she clicks

And Parul ka dil! :D

Happiness Initiatives

I watched Ice Age 3 yesterday. And I am glad that it is just as good as the previous two parts.
It was after really long that I was excited about a movie. Of course, the fact that there were no movies releasing while I was at home cannot be ignored. But still, it was nice to realise that my excitement was not unjustified. The movie was brilliant.
The past couple of weeks in this city have been a little annoying 'coz something or the other keeps screaming out loud that it's a small city. Now I don't know why even an Inox or an Adlabs didn't screen it in 3D. It was soo made for a 3D experience! :(
My official love through the movie (excluding Sid who is anyway the cutest) was Ray Romano. Loved his series on TV, and love his voice here too!



After the movie, friends and I went to McDonald's. Happy Meal toy of the day was Ice Age 3 stuff!!! So I got Manny, a tumbler with the dinosaur landscape on it, and one ice-cream maker. :D Happppy!!

I also finally bought a happy yellow bag. I'd been wanting one for a couple of months, and yesterday I finally spotted the perfect one. Rs 350 only! :D :D

I also finally planted my croton. It is super-pretty and I love it!! Swetha named it 'Dhaniya'. So Dhaniya it is from now on. :P


P.S. - Dhaniya's picture another time. :-)