almost year end an early start art of conversation bringing in 2010 end of 2009 multiple realities need a hug today new years eve reflections

… It’s 5:20 p.m here in Mumbai and 2009 is almost at an end  .. I’m supposed to at least attempt to start getting ready and sorting my things out for a party tonight … Seems just like yesterday that I was writing about half a year going by !

Since yesterday I’ve come across some really thought provoking posts; a lot of reflections on the whole year – not to mention the new year resolutions … and I thought to myself … what are my thoughts about the year ?

 

2009 has definitely been a learning experience in many ways for me …

1. I was never meant to work for anybody but myself.  I’ve resigned from my job of 2 years and have started up on my own again.  The hours are long; there is no guarantee of how much money I will make – but I love what I do and that’s all that matters.  I’ve managed to incorporate my favourite social activity (going out, organizing parties) into my career .. and after over 7 years of doing this – I still want to keep at it.  Now I just need to own my own night club and I’ll be sorted !
2. Old friends aren’t always the right friends for you.  This summer, I saw a friendship of 13 years break apart through a series of texts and emails.  Apparently it didn’t even justify a phone call.  I never attempted to make that call – neither did she.  I saw PK again a few weeks ago and its like nothing happened.  But something did.  I think she still needs to come to terms with that.  After talking to Vixen earlier today, also realized that I had spent over a decade in being friends with TM – for it to just fizzle out after our old business partnership died.  Haven’t spoken to her in 2.5 years now.
3. Some friendships are just meant to be.  I started 31st December talking to my mates from London and Montreal – including 2 ex-boyfriends.  These people mean the world to me.  It doesn’t matter that we haven’t seen each other in years (7 yrs in the case of my ex) or haven’t spoken in months or even exchanged emails.  They are always going to be there.  A big shout out to my boys once again; to NC, Vixen, E-Goh, Dayo, My Boo (yes I can still call you that), and Nomiswamii !
4. Family is Important – even if they do get on my nerves.  I lost my grandmother earlier this year; and it was my first time seeing a dead body.  I can’t get over that.  I’m lucky to have been able to spend time with her because until 2 years ago – I would only see her when I came to India.  I told my grandma all the things I wanted to whilst waiting in the hospital.  In some ways after all the years of living away from home – I’m getting closer to my brother and trying to develop some relationship with my sister – which we do manage most of the time.  My mum is great and the relationship with my dad is getting better I suppose.  I am now doing business with my cousin NC – she’s a great person to work with..  I wouldn’t have known this if we hadn’t spent any time together. – and now I spend all my time (work and free) with her !  I also got to spend a lot of time with my other cousins and their respective other halves as well as all my nieces and nephews.  I really do love them to bits !
5. I am content with who I am as an individual.  Sure I’m a crazy party animal; and to my family it looks like my ad hoc ways will never let me settle down.  I tried that route – it’s not for me – when my time comes to get married – I will but for now – I’m very happy being single :)  I am who I am and I honestly feel that those who know me – love me exactly the way I am and wouldn’t want me to change.  I’m not perfect by any means – but I am confident about myself, my abilities and my capabilities. I know I will continue to be successful in whatever I choose to do and it is with that belief that I do the things that I do.  I like to live in my very own secret life =)

As I get ready to bid adios to 2009 with a face pack on, and oil on my hair (I need pampering before I go out tonight – been sick a few days!) – I’m quite happy to note that I got this post in on 31st Dec ‘09 as opposed to sometime into 2010 like I did with my Adios 2008 …

I’d like to wish all of you a very very Happy New Year and hope you all have a great time whatever you choose to do tonight.  From the bottom of my heart, I  hope 2010 brings you whatever you wish for … actually wait .. I hope you all get to enjoy some great Sex with lots of orgasms; hold your alcohol like you were 18 all over again; and that you win a lottery that you don’t remember entering … why .. because 2010 is a new beginning for us all !

Happy New Year Everyone !

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 !

blog awards blogger friends celebrating changing lifestyles changing times mixed emotions multiple realities people's perceptions random thoughts

I’ve barely been gone a few days and have been overwhelmed with a few statistics that have hit me straight in the face !

Edit Made @ 23:38

Okay I stand corrected – and am embarrassed as well … My first award was in fact given to me on 25th August by the Mysterious Kaddu !!  Unfortunately I didn’t see this award and might have really upset Kaddu which obviously I do not want to do – so am trying to make amends here … please forgive me !

Kaddu has given me the Zombie Chicken Award !  Wherein the recipient believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken – excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.

I am now fearful of the zombie chickens who might come after me in my sleep since I missed out on this but hopefully I have redeemed myself !

The Fabulous Bitch over at The Joys of My Splintered Life In Small Town has bestowed upon me …. my very first blog (actually my 2nd but I didn’t realize this) award on 27th August 2009 ! 

And this isn’t even the Bloggers Choice Awards that I am still in the running for – which I had done for a bit of a laugh !

The Fabulous one has decided that My Blog is So Swank !

Before I could even prepare my thank you and acceptance speech, I got caught up with the documentary I mentioned earlier and some intense physiotherapy sessions … The point is as I sat down to write up my lovely speech … wait for it … hold your breath … the Fabulous One has moseyed over to my blog just yesterday with … I Give Good Blog Award !!!

I’m so damn gobsmacked I have no idea what to say or do and how to react ! I’m overwhelmed that I have received not one but three awards in a space of one week ! and that too, from two very amazing bloggers !

I’d like to take a minute to thank you all for dropping by my Sporadic Reflections – whether you meant to go through my blog; came across me via Twitter; perhaps I’m part of your drop list for Entre Card ; maybe you happened to come by as part of your 30 link visits on Link Referral … or if you were just coerced into reading it because I wanted your opinion … but really because you dropped by and took a few minutes to read what was going on in my mind at the time and perhaps even commented on my thoughts.

I started writing years ago – in school actually – it all started with some short stories and huge descriptive essays as part of my course work and then ironically because I didn’t enjoy the poetry as part of my literature course – I took to randomly writing some of my own poetry ! Which was a surprise to me and even bigger one for my professor of the time !

I kept up with the small pieces of poetry but never really collected it anywhere – they would be scribbled on pieces of paper – and one fine day – I picked all the scraps up and compiled them into a notebook …. I’ve since moved 3 countries and my notebook is sitting in a storage unit somewhere in London *sigh*

I made this blog account in 2007 but didn’t actually post anything until June / July of 2008 … those were my very old poetry pieces which also happened to be published on Poetry.com ! It’s been an evolving process since then … Being the planner that I am – I thought I would keep separate blogs about separate topics but then realised ‘yeah right !!!’

So it’s all out here at Dazed Reflection a.k.a Sporadic Reflections and I officially have 2 awards to my name … not bad I’d say =)

Now what do I do with these awards – the Swank Blog award has no rules except to pass it on and was developed by Atomic Lola  whilst the rules of the I Make Good Blog come about from Jenny Mac over at Let’s Have a Cocktail and are quite simple – make a cocktail, pick out 4 of your favourite bloggers and tell them why you think they give good blog. 

I reckon now would be a good time for the drum roll and trumpets whilst I hand out the THREE above awards to some very deserving blogs.  I will try to do this every month – because I can’t very well award ALL my favourite blogs !  So here goes …

The Joys of My Splintered Life in Small Town by the Fabulous Bitch :)  She is one of my favourite bloggers with a distinct style of writing that ranges from being sarcastically hilarious to down right bitchy ! And since I got my first award from her – I feel that I must share it back with her whether its part of the rules or not :)

Sex Lies & Dating In the City by Simone Grant … I have already mentioned Simone in a few of my earlier posts, and her blog is about as Honest as you can get ! It’s a fantastic insight into the mind of a single woman living in New York ! Her writing style is not only addictive but it’s practical too :)  It leaves you coming back for more !

Nigerian Interrupted by Jollof  … This is definitely the blog of one crazy Nigerian ! He’s witty, eloquent, well versed and down right funny ! I found his blog via Link Referral and am always back for some more – after all I have to make a trip to Nigeria sometime soon and what better way to enjoy a new place than with a local :)

Is This Really Happening ? by Chris Mollo … I only recently discovered this blog but feel it deserves the awards.  This is straight up – in your face – no holds barred type of blog.  The language can be a bit explicit and the content is not always for the faint hearted but all that stuff he’s writing about is really happening ! Someone has to voice an opinion and Chris is doing a wicked job of it !

Gay Arab Boy by Wilmaryad O’Scallas, love child of Oscar Wilde and Marie Callas … I came across this blog months ago, and got back to it a few weeks ago … I am awed by his writing style and the simplicity behind each sentence that leads to profound thoughts.  I’ve grown up in an Arab country, although more modern than others, but I can understand where he is coming from.  Check this Blog out – there are some fab posts in here.

I’m saving the best for last – who was in fact going to be my first nomination for next month but since I’m on a redemption trip …

Miss-teerious by Kaddu … there is lots to be said about this enigmatic personality that shows up all over her blog ! There is a free spirit behind the blog that delves into a range of thoughts from healing chakras to minute noodles; blogging tips & tricks to tagging conspiracies ! I’m quite glad to have come across her via the Indi Blogger site :)

And now my dear Kaddu – can you please tell me how I can put up my awards in my side bar ??

 

changing lifestyles changing times filming my life multiple realities real life documentary shoe shopping

A couple of weeks ago, my mom’s best friend, SK, rang me up and asked me if I would be a part of a project of hers.

A bit of background on SK – she is a film maker … and has won awards at Cannes Film Festival … and she had just asked me to be a part of a documentary !

Not just any documentary – but a ‘real’ life documentary that would follow me around and highlight the life of an NRI (non-resident Indian) who has recently come to India.

I won’t give away all the details but it’s been a really fun few days – not to mention absolutely exhausting !!!

Between having a camera crew turn up at my house and being ‘miked’ so that they can hear everything I say – I have also gone out for ‘dress fittings!’ ….

Yup you read that correctly … one of the perks is that I get to keep the outfits =) So last week Friday, I got to go over to a designers store and pick out 6 outfits ranging from evening formal wear, an afternoon sun dress as well as some formal Indian outfits.

If that’s not enough – I get to go shoe shopping this weekend along with a spa treatment !!

insights interpretations metaphysics multiple realities random thoughts such is life universal spectrum universe

Over the last few days, the topic ‘everything happens for a reason’ has cropped up numerous times with different groups of people. 

I suppose I really started believing or acknowledging this theory after a chat with my mate SK – who also writes at Iguana Road … He’s the mad man that introduced me to the concept of metaphysics.

Basically we are all specks in an infinite universe … There are various parallel universes co-existing simultaneously as our own.  As individuals, we can only see as far as our visual reach – we can only comprehend the actions of others that are visible to us – we only know our own life in and out and the obvious … we do not know what goes on in the day-to-day lives of our friends, family or colleagues once they are out of our present sight.

Those daily grinds that others experience are part of an alternate ‘universe’ beyond our own.  Now think about how many billions of people this takes place for.  That’s a huge spectrum to cover – and as far as we on an individual level are concerned – we aren’t able to digest that.

I’ve always believed that each of us lives in our ‘own universe’ … when I was a kid, sometimes I felt that that everything that happened in my life was like a book – that God was reading out.  With time – I still feel sometimes that my life is made up of various chapters and someone out there is getting a great read :)

To put it simply – we are a part of this broad spectrum called the universe – and our very existence is defined by the universal energies surrounding us.  In essence there’s nothing that is right or wrong – good or bad – there are just events which occur out of the actions of people and these events happen to anyone and everyone.

There is almost an unsaid predetermined set of events that are the consequences of our actions.  Someone famous – Newton- once said ‘For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’.  That’s pretty much how the universe works … well kinda if I have understood this correctly … actually maybe that quote doesn’t work too well LOL

All our actions and thoughts have an energy flow attached to them which the universe understands – the more positive energy we have – the universal energies come together for you .. and the more negative energy we have – the universal energies just move away from you …

So for everything we say, think or act out – there is a flow of energy which goes out there into the universe and attracts some sort of force which eventually finds its way back to us … good or bad depends on what we thought, said or did …

Maybe that’s why the concept of karma came into place.  Do good to get good right ?? If you get a chance to read Iguana’s blog – you might get a few more pointers out of it – and I didn’t want to do a copy & paste job … Ironically everytime I am motivated to write something inspired by SK – he happens to ping me online !!! that’s the law of metaphysics !

The thoughts we think are carried out and if we genuinely mean our thoughts – they will find a way to make things happen :)

If you want to really understand this concept then perhaps the book (which I have NOT read as yet FYI) The Universe and Multiple Reality by Professor M R Franks might bring some insight into the topic.  I came across it whilst browsing the net and will definitely have to pick it up.