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To bring you up to date with this post – I must give you some background first for you to understand where I’m coming from on this.

Rewind to 12th – 15th Feb

Went over to a mates place for his birthday; the party was in full swing – everyone was having a great laugh and I was the only one not drinking as I was on antibiotics. During the course of the evening; I got chatting with this guy – who my cousin has labeled as ‘Smiley’ and we got along but weren’t getting along. Why ? Every time he spoke to me, our conversation would get cut short by someone else coming over to talk to me. It was only after the host actually told me what this man does (owns a leisure club) that I told the guy (yes yes I know – I actually said this to him) that now I can give him my full attention since we could both be useful to each other when it comes to work.

Moving along in the evening; the two of us stepped out in to the stairwell for a drink and to get away from the blaring Indian music. He’s having a smoke (the other kind) and the following conversation takes place at some point ....

Smiley - So what would you do if I leaned over and kissed you right now ?

Dazediva – Erm I’d slap you. I don’t know you. And besides, if you were going to do that – don’t you think you should just do that instead of telling me you’re going to kiss me. Either way – I’d have slapped you. We don’t even know each other.

Smiley – But you’re still sitting here and talking to me instead of walking away.

Dazediva – yeah I’m chilling; enjoying my drink and getting away from the music for a bit. If you like – I can go inside or go to my car for English music that they won’t let me put on inside.

We have sat there for a bit longer and the topic of exchanging numbers comes about. His phone is in the apartment – and he is under the impression I won’t give him my number. I tell him I will do. We do end up exchanging numbers. I save him as Smiley (as I honestly couldn’t remember his name at the time)

That same night he’s sent me a few messages which included ‘Good Night – we’ll meet again again – do you want to talk’. I must have said it was too late or was crashing. The next day I asked for his email address so I could send him the pics from the party or add him on FB so he can see the pics – to which he did reply and sent me his details.

About 2 days later he sends me a message telling me that he’s seen the pics and invites me to his club for dinner whenever I am free. I’ve replied along the lines that I’m traveling and if it works for him – then after a week once I’m back. It works for him – he asks where I’m going and says to let him know when I’m back so we can catch up then; even tells me that I sound excited about my holiday and to call when I get back.

Fast Forward to A Few Days Ago

Mind you – this boy and me have not been in touch the entire time I was out of town. I kept my word. I sent him a message to let him know that I was back. He replies telling me that it sounds like I had a blast and ‘so whenever you are free – lets catch up ..’

I asked him how he was placed for the weekend / or coming week as I was still figuring out my schedule after my break. A few hours later he’s replied saying he’s only just read my message and how does Saturday sound. I told him that it works (unless a disaster strikes lol) to which he reply came across as quite strong .. ‘Cool. Will call you. Keep yourself free’. This was all over text messages on 4th March.

On Saturday – he gives me a call to check if we’re still on for dinner. Asks me where I live. The common problem in Bombay is that everyone lives on opposite ends of the city. This instance is no different. On the phone he asks if its a problem for me to get to his side of the city for dinner; and then we’ll go hang out his friends place. I’ve already mentioned that I have to go to a party after dinner / drinks and he’s welcome to join if he wants and so can his friend.

So I trek over to the other side of the world – and it really feels like a different place with the roads getting narrower; and more and more trucks and rickshaws on the road ! His receptionist shows me the entire club (that I thought was a bit weird since he could have also done this); and leaves me at his office.

He’s gone on to show me the restaurant area which was gorgeous but since there were no free tables – he suggested we have drinks in his office. Not too much of an issue for me. However I did make fun of the fact that he sat behind this huge desk the entire time we were having drinks whilst I was sat on the couch bang opposite. Eventually I moved on to the bean bag next to the couch but still – it was kinda odd as I felt like I was ‘drinking at an interview’ hahah

The two of us kept up a great conversation – listening to him was like hearing a male version of me as he’s also grown up in a relatively international environment. Eventually – he calls to order dinner – make it a take away and then head to his friends’ place in my car (at least he wasn’t irresponsible about drinking & driving – and I had a driver for the night) to chill out and have a few drinks there.

Whilst in the elevator on the way up to her flat – this man has started saying something; stopped; and just moved towards me in what appears to be an attempt to kiss me. I’m already backed up against the damn elevator so can’t do much else but laugh, move my face and ask what he’s doing. He ended up kissing my chin. There’s no further mention of this – there is no awkwardness – it was taken and dealt with in stride if I say so myself.

The friend was a super chilled out girl with a gorgeous apartment and a lovely hostess. We sat around the three of us – had a few drinks and made plans to head over to this other party; which turned out to be just as much fun and we all had a good evening. I didn’t spend much time individually with either of them – but we all were chatting and getting to know the other people at the party as well.

End of the night – we all say good night – I drop them to a cab. I was pretty done for the night (the two weeks of daily partying caught up to me) and I leaned out of my window to hug the guy good night. Get home; he’s sent me a message checking if I had a good time and vice versa and then asks if he can call me. I was shattered and passing out – so I said no and that we’ll chat the following day.

Sunday was super hectic for me with family commitments - and it was on Monday that I realized just what a RANDOM night I’d had. And after reading about the Non-Date Date (which totally reminded me of banker boy haha) – I’m wondering WTF just happened over the weekend ??? Was it a date ? A date with a friend / potential business contact ? Or a date according to him which I put a stop to with my movements in the elevator ? Or did I imagine it to be a date and it turned out not to be one ? That just goes to show how long its been since I’ve been on a date !

SingleCiyGuy has written about the Beauty of Non-Date Dates; and Nando has dissected this theory with his post The Non-Date Date Illusion .. Lost Plum has a fab outlook to it and compares this to Kool Aid ! and I’m pretty sure Simone Grant has something to say on this too but I can’t find the post on her blog (she’s still moving her things over from Sugar.com)

Would love to hear your thoughts on this one ! Regardless of whether or not it was a date or non-date date – it turned out to be a lot of fun; just more random than what I would have expected but hell that’s what life is about right ? Besides what the hell is dating ?

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Talk about a wicked excuse ! Ladies and Gentlemen – watch and learn =P

I came across this video on FaceBook that a mate of mine had put up and I just had to share it with you all !

What do you think ? Could you ever come up with such a wild story ?

al pitcher al pitcher picture show changing forms of communication digital era multiple realities need to be inspired people people's experiences people's perceptions sophia college auditorium stand up comedy

I mentioned that I went for a live stand-up comedy on Friday night and it was definitely one of the most unique acts that I have witnessed !  The show which is a part of the International Stand-Up Comedy Circuit,  has been promoted by Comedy Pimp – Quill Potter

The comedian was Al Pitcher and if you haven’t heard about him then I highly recommend that you catch him the next time he is visiting whichever part of the world you are in !

The show was held at the Sophia College Auditorium and I must mention that everyone in Bombay pronounces this as ‘Sapphire’s College’ … don’t ask why or how they could mispronounce this but they do … and no one has a logical reason for it … how hard is it to say So-FI-A !

The show in itself is a very unique show since it involves Al Pitcher going around each day in whichever city he is and taking pictures by the dozen of anything and everything that is eye catching and he uses that as part of his act.  Hence every show is different.

One of the main reasons I enjoyed his show so much is because the Al Pitcher’s Picture Show (yes it is really called that – and you can find out how this name stuck by checking out Miss Malini’s Blog post ) sort of suggests that we need to stop rushing through our lives … we need to live a little and take the time to stop and smell the coffee .. alert our senses… to take note of all the funny, weird, ad hoc moments that take place all around us !  If only we could really capture everything that makes this thing called life …

Al Pitcher had some hilarious photos that he displayed on the night that I went for the show, and you can check out some of his top pics on Facebook.  If you want to get another perspective on his show, check out the pics by Miss Malini  – she’s taken quite a few pictures of his actual show and has put them up as well as a YouTube video … It was was taken at the end of the show when there were anonymous Q&A’s from the audience to Al Pitcher

He’s a man after my own heart as he’s about as camera obsessed as me … Now why didn’t I think of using all the ad hoc and inane pictures of what truly makes Mumbai unique in a quest for fame ?? Damn it …

So without further adieu, I present a few of my own personal unique Mumbai Moments … Would love to hear your thoughts on it =)

Note to Self : Start selling my photo collection to the media !  Smile for the Camera darling !

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Normally I reserve that line for myself … I’m so simple – it’s apparently complicated (for others) !

But no – my experiences in Bombay have just made me realise how bloody complicated other people ! And really – compared to them – I am pretty simple and straight forward !

So here’s the general gist .. and please feel free to give me some feedback on this – because I don’t get it !  About 2 months ago – I met a guy – Banker Boy – at a mutual friends’ party – and turns out we worked in the same office building on different floors and we exchanged contact details (either on FB or at the party) .. although I think it was on FB after someone tagged his picture …

That same week, we exchanged a few text messages, agreed to meet for lunch and the same night – he invited me to join his friends for a party.  I did meet him but only as I was attending a party at a venue next door to where his group was.  After that – we’ve met up once a week either for lunch or in the evening for coffee and a drive (and mind you he’d moved offices as well so it was an actual effort on both our parts to meet up).  Then as you all know – I had my nasty flu – and he even came by my place to check on me when his crew went out to the bar below my building; and also drove 13 kms out of his way to come and take me for lunch whilst I was stuck at home for those 10 days.

Now during this time – I’ve noticed a few things … He always initiated the day / time that we would meet up; he would make the effort to link up with me at a party that I would be at in the evenings – even for 15 minutes and then leave to go on to whatever other party he was attending with his friends; we would text / sms each other close to 15 times a day AND even talk for short bursts (5 min convos) during the course of the day …. however we have never even kissed … we’ve flirted and teased and flirted more .. and that’s about it … and being the kind of person I am – I would like to know what’s going on … ‘cos really it didn’t seem very ‘buddy buddy’ …

Last week we were supposed to meet up for Sunday lunch – and circumstances turned that he left his phone with a work colleague when they went out for the weekend, and totally ditched me for lunch and I obviously didn’t hear from him till Monday … And I was quite irritated.  No one likes to be stood up without explanation right ?

So on Thursday or Friday I sent him a text suggesting isn’t it about time that he makes up for ditching me for lunch … He replies and its positive – and he even mentioned how he thought I was pissed off and hence took a few days to reply to me.  Now check this - HE has initiated that we meet up on Sunday for lunch, dessert and a movie !  I haven’t even said anything about what we should do etc. It’s all HIM !

He picks me up on Sunday – we go for lunch to a nice restaurant – have a glass of wine – we’re flirting – we’ve held hands – gone for dessert – I’m feeding him brownies whilst he’s driving … we’ve even done the hand-on-hand whilst on gear as well … He drops me home – says goodbye to me in the car – 3 times with a hug … and sorta tweaking my nose … Mind you, throughout the afternoon, he has complimented me a few times, suggested plans to meet up over the next week which include going for a play and to teach me investments AND even to meet me the same night AFTER he was done with his family commitments  … so I took the bull by the horns and suggested that we meet that night and I’d give him a kiss good night too …

First step taken … sent him a text message later telling him that I really did have a good time and that I was being serious about meeting up that evening – after all I had fed him brownies and as a p.s. note I added that his boys would cuss him if he ditched on such an offer … I was making a joke and being playful about it …

His response – which came almost 2 hours later … see below and let me know if you can make head or tail sense of it …

“Hey had a great time too.  That’s a very sweet offer and although my boys would be pissed with me for saying no to an offer like that, they understand that I am more interested in being friends.”

Seriously …. that’s what he sent me … digest it …

It’s such a simple response – and very nicely done as well mind you – but seriously – what the fuck ??? Sure friends – do all the things – him and I have done … but not always one-on-one …. Him and I are not best buds nor are we friends from donkey years … we actually met up once at a party and after that it has been one-on-one interaction between the two of us …

So of course my response to him covered my ass and his ass too so as avoid any future embarrassment … I actually told him that we were friends and he ruined my moment of being able to hand him a Hersheys Kiss chocolate bar … and that I’d talk to him later as I was watching Scrubs …

That should have been the end of it … Had I not heard from him after that – it would be fine … but guess what …

“Ya know, I’m sure you’re gonna agree. I really relate to JD in Scrubs. I’m as goofy and stupid as him. Enjoy Scrubs”

Have you ever watched Scrubs ? Do you know JD’s character ?? That was the icing on the cake because ironically I had just finished Season 6 of Scrubs and had started season 7 where JD realises that he is a “self-sabotager” and how he freaks out when any relationship becomes serious !!!

Give me a break …. of all the characters on TV shows – he picks JD as his reference ??? It was such a simple response … he should have just left it … but no … lets make it complicated with that reference !

Why make that reference ?? Does that mean he is interested but not sure ‘how’ interested ? or does it just mean that he’s got issues with an ex flame that he’s not over ?

At least his initial message was ‘just want to be friends’ … it’s another perspective to look at and think that his actions didn’t exactly reflect those of a friend … Honestly – I have lots of friends – and even with my close guy friends here in Bombay – I don’t exactly spend the one-on-one weekly quality time with them … yeah sure we hang out – more like once a month properly or as a group – not always as individuals …and even more unlikely that I would make time & effort to meet a new person that often if I didn’t think that there was something ‘more’ to it … know what I mean ??

Conclusion : Indian Men have way too many complexities to even be considered simple !

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Sometimes I give myself admirable advice, but I am incapable of taking it. Mary Wortley Montagu

 

I came across this quote a few days ago and had even applied it to my FaceBook status update.  I found myself agreeing to this quote quite  a lot.  Even funnier so was that I was almost ‘admitting’ to all out there on FB world that apparently I’m incapable of taking some of my own ‘good’ advice.  Even more ironic is the fact that there are quite a few people within my social circle who tend to talk to me about any personal / work related hang-ups, or issues; or come to me to vent as such.

 

As an individual, I am very laid back.  I take things as they are – for face value – and avoid passing judgement on the actions or words of an individual until I can verify my doubts myself.  I am an open book to those who care to read into the chapters, pages and paragraphs that me the person that I am today.  For those who are cursory readers and are just shifting to pass time; they find themselves drawn back every now and then – after enjoying their experience of discovering me.

 

The men and women that I know – I feel - can comfortably have a conversation with me about just any topic under the sun.  My openness to people and attitude stems from the fact that in the past 27 years; my first breath was taken in a London, UK hospital; during my developing years I attended 3 different schools (junior, middle & high school) all of which were of different teaching styles (British, Indian & International syllabus!) in Dubai, UAE; went to university in Montreal, Canada, ; started my career in London, UK and have spent the last 1.5 years in Mumbai, India. 

 

I am a Hindu Punjabi girl, born to a Punjabi father & Marwadi mother; hold a British passport and nationality; lived in 4 different countries and continents; travelled & visited 13 countries and 54 cities across continents.  I speak, read & write French and Arabic better than Hindi (which I can only speak BTW although I did try to learn it during one of my summer vacations)

 

During the years of 18 and 25 I have lived away from home, away from my parents, and in two different continents – university and my career.  I moved to India recently (emotional black mail from my mom) to look at a bigger market for my career; enjoy living back at home and just getting spoiled after slogging my ass off the last few years; and for the sake of avoiding conflicts – as far as my mother goes – me living at home – gives her and my maternal relatives the chance to ‘get me married’ !

 

I have truly grown up as a multi-cultural individual.  This makes me different.  Sometimes a stand-out from the crowd.  I’m a brown person in the land of my roots and origins of ancestors; and any local within a 20 foot radius of me would be able to point-me-out and tell you that I was a ‘foreigner’, ‘not really Indian’, ‘NRI’.  I swear – it’s like a giant invisible stamp that everyone but I can see ! LOL

 

Maybe it’s the clothes.  Or the accent.  Quite likely it could be my accent.  As soon as I open my mouth to speak Hindi – it’s this quasi Indian with a twang of Brit & Canadian coming out – getting genders mixed up. Although I must admit, when I’m at my angriest best – my Hindi is pretty much on the ball and about 100% accurate – especially with the swear words hehe.  Most recently I was told it could be the style of my hair-cuts (I tend to experiment – not drastically but enough to draw some attention hehe)

 

The point of all this background waffle is for you to just get a bit of an understanding of how and where I grew up.  I’ll leave it to your imagination to just try and figure out the adventures I must have grown up with =)  

 

Please feel free to take a break and just think about my life and what it must have been like growing up.  Also this looks like it’s going to be a long post – so a great time for bathroom / coffee / stretch break !

Now that you’ve had a few minutes to digest all that I’ve had to say … you can probably see why my friends come to me for advice or just to have a tete-a-tete or a pure out-and-out bitching session.  One of my mates MD from London calls me ‘Doc’ .. I think it suits me sometimes ! (although I would never be able to be a surgical doctor – couldn’t cut someone up !)

 

So how does all of this relate to the quote that I like ?? 

Basically – I am the type of person who looks at breaking down a problem; looking at it from both perspectives and I’ll play devils’ advocate – I won’t just say something just because you want to hear it – that’s not what friends do.   When talking to a friend about their problems – this works well and shows them another perspective to the issue and helps them assess their own feelings again.

 

Now if I have to solve my ‘own problems’ – wow that’s another story altogether.  Due to my methodology described above – and if I’m unable to get in touch of my own handful of problem solvers (I love these guys & gals to bits!) – then I’m left to my own devices which means I am often unable or even incapable of taking my own advice !!

 

How it works is that – I will end up having a conversation all by myself – and like a tennis volley – will banter through both parties thoughts and vocalise this to myself.  Instead of me necessarily bringing the point up with the person that I’m having a problem with – I would have debated and hashed it out by myself – and thus also have managed to refrain from creating any bad blood between that person and I.

Sometimes this works wonders for me.  It’s easier especially when you can be assured that the other person is never actually going to understand your view point because they are mentally just not ready to accept anything beyond their personal experiences and understanding.   Sometimes obviously this is not the best way to deal with things especially here in Mumbai at least – the locals love a good gossip – so really this just gives that person an added reason to splash some gossip on you or the issue between the two of you. 

 

I may not care about it – but then I get told off by my more sensible friends such as PK that I shouldn’t give anyone reason to gossip about me anyway.  But I honestly just don’t care.  That  person is quite unlikely to be in my TOP 10 Friend List right if they were gossiping about me !!??!!

At other times – especially when the issue or problem for me is more tilted towards any sort of ‘emotion’ and any emotion pertaining towards a man that I might be interested in – and I mean ‘really’ interested and not one of those ‘oh he’s quite hot men’; then I am a complete and absolute chicken-shit ! 

 

It’s not that I can’t go up to men and talk to them or lay out my intentions and even emotions.  I can do that.  It’s just sometimes – well most recently this happened – where I was just not able to take my  own advice.  I don’t know how or why !  It was like I just wanted to avoid all the tension and drama involved with battling out emotions !

Most men are just not ready to accept and deal with someone else’s emotion towards them because they haven’t had time to assess their own emotional stability levels from whatever scars that remain from past relationships; or whatever burried insecurity issues they might be withholding.

 

Although eventually I did pick up the phone and call the man that was causing me to go through an emotional roller coaster ride – I made sure that PK was on the other line with me just keeping my conversation in check.   The final issue was resolved over MSN (hey I  never said it had to be done on the phone or in person hehe and this guy lives overseas); and PK (bless her!) was on the phone with me still – telling me – stay calm, it’s a stupid reason but stay calm !! and then she says ‘just tell him how you feel, let it out of your system and end the conversation’

And that’s exactly what I did.  So now my self-advice to myself is having an internal debate on the fact that the man in question has not really acknowledged what I’ve had to say to him; we have spoken again a few times but it’s not come up; his reasons could be a plenty – between his business and some personal commitments – perhaps he hasn’t got the time; maybe he has thought about it and doesn’t quite know what to do about it; maybe he thinks I’m completely loopy; or maybe he didn’t even realise what I told him since our whole conversation was really about an arguement we’d both had.  Do I call him and ask him about it; do I write to him and ask him ? Should I bother bringing it up ?  Or just not bother at all ?  Maybe I’ll just wait a few weeks and give him some breathing space to deal with our fight and what we discussed as well.  But then is that waiting too long ?

Personally I rather get it out of my system right now and call him and tell him.  But …… but …. I might fumble my words on the phone !  And I don’t know when the hell he would check his email.  Actually he would check it – but his response is most likely to be on an MSN conversation or on text message.  He’s a complex character – maybe he needs just a bit more time.  I did send him a DVD of his brother’s wedding – he’d messaged me a few days ago to let me know he received it and would watch it when he got a chance.  Still not heard back about that either – then again haven’t had internet connection for two days now.

 

Now do you see what I mean ?? I can play devils’ bloody advocate quite well and hence at this very moment – am quite incapable of taking my own advice =(

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That got your attention right :P

NC and I were driving back home in the confines of my car a few days back and I let out a yawn; which quite naturally made NC yawn - and this little saga continued until we both got to discussing 'Why do we yawn'.

I began telling her about my recent readings from articles that basically suggested that the reason behind a yawn was for our bodies to take in more oxygen to awaken our senses. Therefore yawning did not imply that we were bored but in fact should be taken as a compliment as we want to be more alert.

Her retort to this, 'So why would that make people around you yawn then'; to which I really had no 'real' answer ... She must have mulled over this for a few minutes and then looks over at me, and with a straight face says 'I was yawning because You STOLE my oxygen' !!! (as I was the one who started the yawning hysteria in the car)

This was just Priceless !!! And I did tell her that I would blog about this - and finally today I have :)

Now this topic of Yawning has been on the back of mind for a few weeks; it so happens that whenever I am having a chat with my boss HA, I happen to yawn - and honestly it's not because I'm bored or not interested in the conversation; it just happens !! And he makes it a point to always point it out and teases me about this.

Secondly, there have been a few articles floating about on MSN about yawning and the reasons behind yawning. Do you know that scientists still do not know the REAL reason we yawn ?? Funny isn't it ??

Did you know that there are 3 Theories to Yawning ?? I didn't until I looked it up ...

1. The Physiological Theory - Our bodies yawn to drawn in more oxygen or remove a build-up of carbon dioxide. This theory helps explain why we yawn in groups. Larger groups produce more carbon dioxide, which means our bodies would act to draw in more oxygen and get rid of the excess carbon dioxide.
   
2. The Evolution Theory - Some think that yawning is something that began with our ancestors, who used yawning to show their teeth and intimidate others. An offshoot of this theory is the idea that in ancient times especially in villages found in the forest areas, yawning was an indicator that it was time for everyone to retire and go to bed so as to be wary of night predators - so in essence a form of synchronizing time.
   
3. The Boredom Theory - The dictionary describes yawning as 'to open the mouth wide with a deep inhalation, usually involuntarily from drowsiness, fatigue, or boredom'. Most of us do tend to yawn when bored or tired, however this theory doesn't explain why Olympic athletes yawn right before they compete in their event.

So there you go - some theories that we probably knew about in some way or form but may not have known they were actually addressed. Humans yawn; animals yawn; babies yawn; even 11 week old fetus yawn ! Now that was a shocker !

I have already yawned at least half a dozen times between the time I started writing this blog; looking up some facts and checking out the amazing animal yawning images that can be found on Google .

What about you ? Did you yawn ? If you did - its the power of suggestion apparently ! Even reading about yawning can make people yawn ! How cool is that ??

And just in case, you are not already 'all yawned out' - check these articles out ... Happy Yawning !

• Why Do I Yawn ?
• The Truth About Yawning
  
• Why Do We Yawn in Yoga ?

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I found this cool site today with some personality tests and decided to try it out ... The results have been proudly displayed as you can see =)

I believe this is given me quite an accurate result - most tests that can be found online are quite general and don't really cater to each individual .. Deft Digits has already given it a shot - and I was surprised to learn the results !

I'm beginning to wonder what the rest of you who honour my blog posts are like .... Guess I'll just have to wait and find out =)

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.... and I'm trying to find time to actually create a new blog post.

Yesterday, was an ordinary day compared to most days - but when I reflect back on it - was it really ? NC & I finished up at the office after working on a presentation that seemed to be able to generate more information than one could actually collate and summarize ! We stepped out; and asked the security desk if my car had come out to the front.

Backtracking a little - in our office complex, there is space for employee parking which is a couple of hundred meters away from the actual office and amidst this barren landscape currently being used a parking complex of sorts. It's always dusty out there; and the never ending construction ensures that all cars are covered in a thin (if you're lucky) layer of grit. If one ever decides that they need to clean up the windshield; the muddy residues is what would welcome you !

Back to what I was saying - so yes, since the parking spot is quite far off and my regular driver has now been officially fired (no it wasn't because of recession but more for his rudeness & inability to inform me that he would not be coming into work !!) - it's quite a walk in scorching temperatures; whirlwinds of dust; construction workers staring at every passing female like a piece of meat; and not to mention the handful of items that I have to carry on a daily basis - the essentials - laptop; handbag and lunch !

The security guards at my office are really sweet - and happily offer to park my car once I pull up to the main office and then on some days when I'm lucky - they even arrange for one of the other drivers to bring my car back up front before I'm ready to leave for the day ... *sigh* ... one of the perks of being in Mumbai ...

Anyway my point was that yesterday was not one my lucky days and the guards asked me to make my way to the car park and get my car as there were no drivers around - which is not a problem at all - so both NC and I walked off having a chat - and carried all our things with us (despite my suggestion of leaving it in the office lobby and coming back with the car so that we wouldn't have to carry it) ... Crossing into the car park - we notice that one whole side has been dug up (this city is forever under construction!) - nevertheless we plod on and head towards the general direction where my car would normally be parked ... we get the LAST row of the damn car park !!!

It's quite dark out here - there are no lights - and with all the construction work and dust flying around - we can't see my car .... hit the unlock button on my keys and no sign of any light anywhere ... we walked around a little bit and the whole time - I'm looking at NC saying 'great where the f**k is my car ?? seriously how does one lose a car ??' ...

NC who is forever on her spiritual trip - kept telling me not to worry and that I was doing a good job not getting mad at anyone ... so we decided to walk back to the office and figure out where the car was ... Get back to the front door and another guard says 'oh madam - but your car is just here on the side' ... that ofcourse got my blood rushing so we walked over to the side of our office and still NO CAR !! ...

Where oh where could my little car be ?
Where oh where is thee ?

Yup - I've bunged up the nursery rhyme but that's how I felt !!!

The guards are now in slight state of panic and confusion and telling me to relax and that they would go and find the car .... we both have a seat in the lobby and are just waiting .... I need to let out some frustration so instead of raising my blood pressure - I decide to munch on an apple (healthy option yeaaaah)

I think we were there for about 10 minutes or what felt like about half an hour - and eventually my car turned up ! They found my car =)

What a relief !! Turns out due to construction work - the parking spots were moved around and my car had been parked up on one side of the complex that I would never have thought to go and check out !

Which reminds me - the guards parked my car again for me today - I better call them and ask them to bring it out front for me otherwise it'll be lost again !!

colours dancing drinking festival festival of colours friends google holidays internet interpretations people reflections social thoughts vodka

Before starting this post, I must give credit where it's due. Over the past few weeks I had been looking at organizing a 'Holi Party' and had come across a post on UltraBrown which was aptly titled and I feel it captures the essence of my post.

For those of you that don't know what 'Holi' is a popular spring festival, also known as the 'Festival of Colour' which is celebrated across India as well as in countries across the globe that have an Indian population. (If you would like to know more then check out Wikipedia)

I have only ever celebrated the traditional Holi once before, in Dubai and that was years ago (feels like another lifetime ago) when I was barely 12 or 13 years old.

Here I am in Mumbai and have now experienced 2 days of 'Holi' and it's been a colourful journey. I had made plans to head out of town originally but due to lack of committment from some of the group - I cancelled those plans and headed to the Zoom TV Party which is apparently ranked quite high up on the social calender.

I must stress that Holi is not something that is played across in the evening; it is a 'day event' which means the music, the dancing, and throwing of colours, water guns, coloured-water balloons - all come out from about 10 a.m onwards !

Such is the popularity of this festival, it's the one day of the year, that the typically conservative Indian population shun away their inhibitions and just 'let go' ! The public goes a bit insane - people are pelting each other with water balloons; wetting each other's clothes to transparency (oh I forgot to mention, traditionally everyone wears white); smother coloured powder (nowadays it is organic) - the whole time getting drunk on 'bhang' which is a milky cocktail of hemp/cannabis and buttermilk !!! Everyone - uncles, aunties, kids, your neighbour even - are getting intoxicated on this day !

I was with a group of four friends, and we made our way to this stunning bungalow on the other side of the city and made our grand entry in 'all white ensembles' and 'water guns' for protection and sure enough, within a few minutes - we were sprinkled with coloured powder that was floating in the air. Luckily we decided to cross the threshold and just dab a handprint of each other on our outfits before any merry-men decided to do so instead !

The party was pretty good - there was make-shift dance area set up with trusses around that were sprinkling water - actually spraying would be the right word - on the masses of writhing bodies in the centre. The Dj was playing all the peppy hindi songs that are popular over Holi; and of course the bar was flowing !!! Imagine that - it's a Wednesday afternoon and everyone was drinking Vodka and Beer - not to mention the 'thandai' (minus the hemp)

My crew got themselves a mini-massages that was being offered at the party - good thing too as they were applying oil on everyone's head for the head-massage. I was smart - and had lathered myself with baby oil and coconut oil (yes even my hair ! I can't believe I went out like that!!)

We were actually really good sports - and doused ourselves in colour and even got under the water spray !! Lots of drinking, lots of dancing; and trekking across the mass mud-pits that kept forming and getting larger in size throughout the day. It was an afternoon of letting go of oneself; not caring a damn about how one looked; and just going a bit silly with the music and the madness all around !!

Thank the Lord for giving me Google which allowed me to find out how to protect myself from the colour stains !

adventures cars driving life people perceptions reflections road

In one of my earlier posts, I have mentioned how I can never seem to have a 'normal' week ...everyone's definition of 'normal' would be different .. and I'm quite aware of this .. but honestly, the things that I seem to go through just don't appear to be 'normal' .. there are days when I just wish the Lord above would 'give me a break' !!

Tues 3rd March
Had gone to bed really late and had made plans for breakfast with my cousin TC to her flight to NY. Hopped over to Indigo Deli, picked up some yummy chocolate croissants and made my way over to my aunt's place ONLY to discover that she'd already left for the airport !! =(

Made my way to the Mayfair Banqueting hall as my company was organizing a post-wedding screening of the event for the bride's family ... it was nice to catch up with everyone; we had a good laugh over the screening; and had a delicious spread for lunch =)

The day is finally over and I drop my cousin NC off to meet her cousins (remember I've mentioned we're a huge family!) .. this lady wanted me to drop her off on the side of the road .. it's a damn good thing I didn't - as we waited in the car for almost 40 minutes ! Ended up heading to HRC to show her cousins around, took some pics, and got some souvenirs. This was a good day.

Wed 4th March
Aaaaaah this is where the adventure begins ! So TC has missed her flight yesterday and we manage to have our breakfast date which was great fun =)

NC & I are heading home from work, and I take the same route every day to & from work unless there's a detour to be made. Normally I don't drive - but my driver has the had the week off - so I was behind the wheels. The route is near Mahalaxmi Station that goes onto this road known as 'Saat Rasta' - literally '7 Roads' as it's a major roundabout with these 7 roads going off in different directions.

Somehow that day - I don't know what quite happened - but instead of taking my regular turnoff - I took this other road. Since NC & I were both talking, neither of us quite realised this until we got further into the road and then the drive basically turned into the Road to Hell !! There were cars, buses, bikes, bicycles and people everywhere !! We couldn't turn around, and all we could do was go ahead ! We'd reached a point at a junction where there appeared to be utter & total chaos - it was like watching the 'Chaos Theory' in action ! I had actually folded my hands and was on the verge of begging people to let me take a left so as to get us out of there (and to save my poor car ofcourse !)

NC is now shouting instructions from inside the car to people to move; and I've got to stop myself from shutting my eyes at the thought of the cars from the next lane banging into me; one guy was highly amused at our driving tactics and spent a good minute laughing at us before directing traffic to STOP so we could at least move along on the road .... Finally we got out of there ! It must have only been a matter of 15 minutes - but it felt like an hour and we both heaved a huge sigh of relief at having gotten out alive !


Thurs 5th March
The day was not so bad - we were getting a free lunch at Little Italy due to a major mishap the week before with our food !! My team heads out for a nice lunch - and jeez we all felt like stuffed turkeys by the time we were done with the meal ! Ironically, the 'best dishes' were not on the menu according to the manager - and that was a 'good thing' because they weren't so great !!

NC & I are now completely prepared for our ride home - we laughed about the incident from the night before - and were actually 'looking' out for the 'right' turnoff ... which we took ... or so we thought !

Don't even ask 'how' this happened - but about 100 meters into the alley (yes I call it an alley as it really can't even be called a road) - nothing looks familiar (but then again maybe it never will since we tend to sit back for this particular drive and not actually go behind the wheel) ... Luckily for us, we were able to make a u-turn and get back onto the roundabout and take off on another route ... Guess what ... yup - it wasn't the right one ... I mean it was the right one but from another direction but it wasn't the one that I normally take ... Mind boggling !!! In all my years of driving I don't think that's ever happened to me ! At least there was road space on this route - and a slight change from the every day routine.

Fri 6th March
nothing too interesting happened today that was note-worthy ... I'd gone over to NC's place to catch up her sister & her kids ... they are sooo cute ! absolute munchkins ! My elder niece decided that today she didn't like me very much - and told me so =( they were painting today and it was great to just watch them playing about. Couldn't be bothered to go out today ... am still recovering from the OD of family weddings !

Sat 7th March
I had to go into work today ... my day started off really well .. had gone to the gym, had a great workout, and was all set to link with my client at the office. On-route to work (yes through that very same route !!) I hit a traffic light - no problem right ... WRONG !!

Some jackass thought he'd be smart and try to cut a right at the signal - and of course hits my car on the front left =( and has the nerve to come out of his car and look at me as if I've done something wrong ! He gets back into his car and continues to make this mad dash to the right and in the process ends up hitting someone else ! Talk about stupidities !

I was actually impressed with myself for not having gotten out of the car and given him a piece of mind .. of course the whole way to the office, I kept thinking to myself 'shit I should check how badly my car has been damaged' but then thought 'breathe in, breathe out, no point getting worked up about this, where the f**k is the driver when you need him!!'

Got to work, and sat with the editor of my clients' wedding DVD's ... I thought this was a 2-3 hour job at the most ... what I didn't realise is that it was gonna take up almost 11 hours of my damn day !!! My whole Saturday was shot =( My client VKD was almost as restless as I was - and her hubby absconded and linked with a few of his mates (I reckon both VKD & I wanted to do the same but duty calls!)

I left work just past 11 p.m !! I was home by 11:30 p.m - my phone battery died on the way =( My cousins and some friends were heading out .. slight miscommunication meant that I had to wade through a body of people in a small bar and get absolutely grossed out !!! went back to the bar below my building, linked with my mates, headed to another club where I linked with my cousins .. I was just too spaced out though ... I didn't drink as was driving and had to a do a voice-over the next day

Sun 8th March
Happy Womens' Day !! I was meant to spend the day at a BBQ & Pool party ... did that work out .. NO =( this whole week hasn't been in my favour ! I was doing a voice-over which shouldn't have taken more than 2 hours .. but it's India ... due to some technical snags, and my own voice apparently going 'sqeaky' (I have a husky voice !) it took us about 5 hours to get this project over with ... after which I hit my mate's pool party ... but everyone was out of the pool, I'd left my bikini in the car, and it was just a hassle to go back and get it !

On the way home, met up with some friends and family members (no I don't normally hang with family - it just so happens that there's a ton of them in town!) at HRC where we chilled out. My gym workout went for a toss - I helped myself to cheese nachos and potatoe skins !! I couldn't help it ! I was tired, hungry and cranky that I'd lost my whole weekend

2008 babies cousins family holidays life looking back memories nephews nieces people perceptions real life reflections vacations

As a pre-note, I must add that I had been meaning to post this prior to 31^st Dec '08 - obviously that didn't happen …. Now we can continue …

Wow – 2008 is at an end .. only a few more hours to go and the world shall be welcoming in 2009. I had thought about what I wanted to write today – and in my head – I saw the many things I wanted to talk about … after dilly-dallying on that for about an hour – I realized there was just SO much to pen down and that I'd probably not have the time to finish it off.

It's been a really interesting year so far for me … I have now been in Mumbai for just over a year – but I like to look at my stint here from Jan '08 till Dec '08 and just recap my experiences. (As an added FYI – I moved here Sept '07 but was working on a client wedding till Dec '07 and really had no life what-so-ever). January was a great month for me – I finally got relax after the wedding season got over – and I was going to be travelling to South India (first time!) for my current boss' wedding. I managed to wear a typical South Indian Sari, took a coach ride across cities, spent a blissful 24 hours on a house boat (the irony here is that I'm a vegetarian who doesn't eat seafood, and my boat comprised of another colleague from work and me – who also happened to be a veggie – the poor chef on the houseboat didn't know what to do with all the lobsters & fish he had planned for our meals!) … Once we got off the houseboat it was followed by a getaway at the lovely Estuary Island. I never thought I would celebrate my 26^th Birthday in an unknown city with people who I had just come to know and were within my work environment. It was actually a lot of fun ! I got thrown in the swimming pool as the clock struck 12 and my birthday began.

The rest of the year has seen me travel a lot .. something I didn't get to do and that I was missing when I was in London (there's another whole background on that) … 2008 saw me visit : Kerala, Delhi – work related events – and the highlight of that trip had to be the 'oily food'; Bangalore – to visit my maasi, my cousin & his wife & my niece – and surprisingly also got reunited with a university friend from Montreal who I hadn't seen in about 6 years either; Goa (6 times !! and really it's a bit over rated but the only place in India where you can go and chill out on a good beach – that I know off!), Israel – now that was a craaaaaaaaazy trip with a girlfriend of mine (Ghulan, Rishon, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Caeseria, the Dead Sea) and then the to the island of Mauritius where I went twice – both times was work related. In one of my earlier blogs – you'll notice that I've written about a whale – yup that whale was spotted out in Mauritius. All of these travels in some way or form have seen me form relations with people and in some instances also come to value some of the relationships we take for granted.

Goa ..the first time I ever went there was earlier this year in February – with my younger sister – it was a time for both of us to do some sort of sibling bonding – how well that has worked out – you'd have to ask my sister – but it was a lot of fun – we actually didn't kill each other over 2 days ! The next few trips to Goa were a bit scattered – in May, I flew there for a day to meet a friend who I hadn't seen for 6 years which was really nice – however sadly this person has now been cut out from life.

In June – I was back – this time with my work colleagues for a bit of team brainstorming and a day full of presentations … Tongue of Fish is all I have to say to that trip !!!

I went back there towards the end of August for an events related conference – and my girlfriend had flown in from London and she joined me for it – it was one of the best conferences I have attended  My last trip to Goa for 2008 was with an old high school friend of mine who I hadn't seen in 10 years but have been talking to over the past year online – and that was quite a lot of fun as well.

Israel … I get goose bumps thinking about that trip … One thing about me is that I normally NEVER travel with people – I always make my journeys on my own and meet with friends in different parts of the world (the benefit of having attended an international school whilst growing up) … however there is a one young lady that I have travelled with to Italy back in 2007 and we linked up again to meet in her home town. The city is simply quite stunning – there are some fantastic beaches out there and it was just such a pleasure to sit out on the hot sands, watch the waves and then take a dip in the water to cool off.

Another thing is that the people – the bulk of them – are just so damn good looking !!! The women have near perfect bodies – and the men – oh lord help me – but the men are just FIT ! Everyone indulges in beach activities and sports – everyone has a tan – and they are just drooooooooool-worthy !!! Ok I must stop now otherwise my laptop will cease to work !

Mauritius … An island of pure relaxation … the lifestyle of the people here is so different to that of anywhere else in the world that I've noticed. It's nice to see such laid-back Asians – the predominant population of the country is Indian. The most amazing thing about the island is that there are barrier reefs surrounding the whole island which allows one to enjoy the waters without getting caught out too deep. There are some exciting things to do that I found out about – zip lining being one of them – where one is strapped onto a harness and just hangs off these lines between mountains and valleys. How wicked is that !!! I went snorkeling there for the first time – and the waters are just CLEAR and Blue – with a huge variety of fishes ! (oh and I'm super paranoid about fishes coming next to me!) My boss – yes – I mentioned this was a work related trip – threw breadcrumbs all around me whilst snorkeling so I was practically assaulted by these tiny fish and was pretty much jumping out of the water out of fear !!!

Just had a quick read of what I've written and damn it sounds like I had a complete blast all year around …. Then again I've not once mentioned any of the work related things that I have to get up to – so I rather you know just how much fun I had instead 

But seriously – it has been a bit of a roller coaster ride this past one year – new avenues at work have been explored; the people who I have interacted with – some more than others – and the impact they have had in my general outlook; gotten to spend more time at home (considering I didn't live at home for 8 years) and that has been a test in itself ! I got to spend a lot of time with various members of my family (believe you me when I say we are a BIG family !!! 25 odd cousins on both my paternal & maternal side !!). As I mentioned earlier – I went down to Bangalore to visit my eldest male cousin and got to hang out with his wife and daughter as well as his sister – that was a fun filled weekend.

As an FYI – the majority of my cousins are older than me and married with kids – and it's been a busy baby season for my family between 2007 and 2008 !! My cousin, PCH, in the States had a baby girl – and she's already 9 months old as of today. In September – my niece ZG turned a year old ! In October my two nieces in London turned 2 and 1 respectively! Then my other cousin RM and his wife BRM in Mumbai had a baby boy in November. For the duration of November – my cousin RC & wife SC from Spain were down with their three kids – and I just got to spend a fair amount of time with my nephews and baby niece. December was super exciting : my nieces AD and RC both turned 1 year old; my cousin MC & wife DC from New York had twin boys in December !

Not to mention that another cousin of mine got engaged in August – and another one got married in December ! In addition to all of this – I have gotten to hang out with another cousin NC for the past 1.5 months as she's recently started working with me. If it wasn't for her – I swear I would forget to eat every day ! And she also reminds me to constantly drink water as I barely get through a quarter bottle of water a day !! She's now helping me get back into yoga (I only got into because of this mad woman – she bugged me for 2 years to join a particular course and I finally did!) and hopefully get me back into shape in time for my birthday (ok so it's a bit farfetched since my b'day is in 3 weeks).

I've always believe that people are not what they seem to be – the way one might be within a work environment is completely different to the way they are in a social setting … so where's the brain wave in that thought you might ask …. Well over the year I have come to realize that the majority of people are just too damn scared to actually let others know who or what they really are and what makes them tick ! I've been a part of a predominantly expat society within the city – that doesn't go to say – I don't mingle with the locals either – in fact some of my best times have been with my more 'localized' friends – who just happen to be on the same sort of mind-set as me.

This city is a hub for millions – to come and make a name for themselves – from the local shop vendors, to aspiring models – people flock to Mumbai to explore opportunities. I'm fortunate enough to be here with my family – and have opportunities come to me on a plate as opposed to me hunting them down. As the opportunities grew – I saw the drawbacks to it all … the stress; the laid back work ethics; the inability to work to deadlines; the constant battle of egos within the same company; the 'motivational' talks that go nowhere; even those who aim for perfection start to show a 'whatever' attitude because the network of those around them can't understand perfection.

With all good things – the year 2008 also comes to an end – and as I wait for the clock to strike 12 and bring in the year 2009 – I can only look back at the past 365 days and smile - I've thoroughly enjoyed all that the year has brought me and can't wait to find out what 2009 has in store for me :)