Chocoholics Unite!

From one chocolate lover to the zillions out there - Just wanted to share these quotable quotes I found in the India Today Travel Plus issue, June 2004. (The magazine by the way is worth browsing through!)

-Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies. – John Q. Tullius

-There are four basic food groups – milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate and chocolate truffles. – Anonymous

-I never met a chocolate I didn’t like. – Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation

-Chocolate is cheaper than therapy and you don’t need an appointment. – Anonymous

-Las cosas claras y el chocolate espeso. (Ideas should be clear and chocolate thick.) – Spanish Proverb

-Biochemically, love is just like eating large amounts of chocolate. – John Milton

-I have this theory that chocolate slows down the ageing process…It may not be true, but do I dare take the risk? – Anonymous

-The 12-step chocoholics programme : NEVER BE MORE THAN 12 STEPS AWAY FROM CHOCOLATE! – Terry Moore

-Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands – and then eat just one of those pieces. – Judith Viorst

Couch Potato

Alliance Francaise Diplome classes begin today – well not really. Today is the meeting to decide the days and timings – the AF-Pune has this rather weird system for Diplome. Since they don’t have too many students by this level, they feel it’s better to have a meeting and go with the days and timings that suit the majority of the students. Nice of them to think of the students – only I don’t like the uncertainty. :( Well I guess that will get sorted out today, won’t it?

Apart from that...hmmm. Been so vella this past one month it’s not funny. All I do is eat, sleep, watch TV, eat some more and sleep. Seriously I’ve gotten so lazy it’s not funny anymore. Apart from putting on weight in unwanted areas (I NEVER thought the day would come when I’d fear weight troubles, but it has come – and too soon for my liking!), I’ve started tiring easy. Now that I truly don’t like – I mean how happening is it, that I’ve gone from a person who loved walking and used it as a form of therapy and exercise to someone who complains of leg ache after a 15 min walk? EEEEKS – I do need to start getting out of the house and active again – a sedentary life would do me remarkable harm! *Shudder*

One good thing that has come out of all the TV watching is that I’ve discovered these slots on TV5-Asie (French channel targeted at Asian audiences) when they have French subtitles along with the show. Since my comprehension skills in French are not as good as the rest of the areas, I had problems following the shows. I didn’t get TV5 in Bombay so I couldn’t practice this earlier – now not only can I get a daily dose of French parlance, I get subtitles to aid me till I’m confident. It helps that they screen small films and detective programmes during this slot – interesting stuff. There is the Journal (NEWS) too – but I’ve still not started that on a regular basis. Soon soon – it shall all happen soon! :)

Naughty Ideas ;-)

Rainy days always put me in a romantic mood, so here’s what I think are some of the sexiest things you can do with your guy :

1.Crawl into his bed and wake him up with a kiss (Trust me - Nothing beats seeing those eyes open with that warm sexy smile and what follows!)
2.A long drive on a rainy day – somewhere in the ghats preferably so you’re driving through the clouds!
3.Make out with him in a car on a rainy night in a secluded spot (a la Monsoon Wedding!) – will be difficult to escape the moral policemen, but tell me what could be sexier than that?
4.Curl up in a comfy rug and watch a movie with him, entwined in his arms...umm...most romantic...
5.Sip a mug of steaming hot coffee, somewhere by the sea-side, watching the waves break on the shore – who needs conversation , but if you get that as well, it couldn’t get any more idyllic!

Now all I need is a fairy godmother to wave her wand and make each one of those a reality! ;-)

Hallelujah - My Own Bedroom At Long Last! :-)

One advantage of moving to Pune is that I finally get my own bedroom here, since it is a 4-bedroom flat, and we intend to buy an equally big, if not bigger place of our own. Finally my own space to do as I wish…it’s still very much “mix-n-match, make-do-with-what-you-have-for-now” since none of us thought it makes sense to invest in new furniture etc till we move into our house. I’ve got my cupboards, my dressing table where I can spread my numerous perfumes (my weakness) and other junk, my writing desk (which I love so much my brother calls it my dowry!), my gaddas which double as a bed, a warm and inviting carpet, book shelves, music – I’ve even “maroed” a brass kettle from Ma which I have put next to my desk – very cozy, very nice! Used unopened cartons with planks of wood placed on top to create a bedside table and a small diwan for friends when they visit. Got a cute little lamp, all my assorted junk I’ve collected over the years spread out all over the place - I’m content. There’s just one other thing I need to stay in that room 24/7 and emerge from it only for food! ;-) Keep guessing folks!

I'm Back...

Gonna be a short little blog since I'm doing this in a hurry and haven't even thought of what I am planning to spew out onto the world ;-) But blog I must coz my baby's been ignored for too long! Anyways so obviously I'm in Pune...haven't been able to blog coz I didn't have internet connection at home till now. Still don't - papa (he's a darling) got home his Reliance Wireless and we logged into his office account. I did check my email once at a CC but we all know how much I hate those cubicles - no way was I gonna spend much time in there! LOL!

Took us a week to settle in - first few days we were at my chacha's place till we got syuff functioning in the house...moved in last Tuesday. Still doesn't feel completely like "home" and won't coz I know it's just a temporary resting place till we get our own place. Anyways it was kinda fun - working our butts off from morning to night shifting funiture around till we liked its position, opening boxes, setting stuff, repacking stuff we don't need for now...and yeps we had our house looking "dhaasu" within a record 4 days...polished off the remaining work by the weekend.

And then before you can think of it, I was back where my heart belongs - in BOMBAY!!! Hehehehe...went there for a short trip with the excuse of getting some work done...did get some work done (picked up my DELF certificate: 15.17 out of 20 - am I cool or what?) but the real reason was something else totally. And yeps mission accomplished!:) OK I'm looking like that cat who just polished off her bowl of cream- LOL! Seventh heaven is a heavenly place to be in...

More soon...gradually once things get smoother here...

Ladies and Gentlemen I'm Addicted

Got a new addition and wondering how I'll handle the withdrawal symptoms, when I'm already suffering from withdrawal symptoms of my addiction to this city! ;-) On the other hand, I've been waiting for this new addiction so I really can't complain about the repercussions, right? LOL - not making much sense I guess! Muhahaha...fun happened!!! Not slept properly since Friday night - its either coz my sleep is fraught with dreams, or that my mattress is uncomfortable and then I start thinking, or my dear little dog is up to his nocturnal activities and wakes me up. I think I'm gonna sleep like a dog (not like mine though) when we finally settle into our new house in Pune...

Been inviting my friends to come visit me in Pune - Appu, Kunu, Amit, Mansi, Aditi, Amisha, Madhavi Sherry - hehehe we will be busy if they all live up to their promises of visiting me! :)

Appu is coming over tonight one last time - doubt we'll sleep till the wee hours of the morning. Hope she comes early so we can hit the beach...hmmm...what else? Guess this is it. Wonder when I'll blog after this...Packers n Movers shall come on Friday and then I'm on the mercy of a cyber cafe till we get internet connection of some sort at home. Hope we get it soon. Amen to that!

Oscillating Emotions...

Could feel my iron control over my emotions sliping yesterday - the enormity of this shift to Pune sank in Sunday morning. And shook me to the core...the very idea that I'm leaving behind friends (yes even those who don't reside in Bombay and just visit it once a year - I won't be here when they come down - and short trips to meet them just aint the same are they?), a lifetime of memories, dreams for the future based on this city - holy shit, but I hate it! Literally jumped at the task of going to the bank, so I could get out of the house and get the angst outta my system. Nearly got myself run over on the way to the bank, so lost was I in my thoughts...Gotta be strong, can't afford to be weak right now. But I so desperately want to be pampered silly.

Yesterday I packed away some more of my stuff. My kiddie stuff that I refuse to throw away/donate, my favourite fat German doll that I insist my kids will play with, my painting paraphernelia, my albums, my MA and French notes - and as I taped the boxes shut, one thought raced through my mind "Fuck but I just put the lid on my life" - over-the-top reaction huh? But totally how I was feeling yesterday - pretty much going outta my mind. Freaking out. Don't wanna go anywhere, except to meet you-know-who, at the same time the four walls seemed to cave in on me during the evening. I am so used to be being busy and not being at home in the evening, that when I'm home (specially under these circumstances) I'm one major bitch - snapping at everyone and just waiting to sink my claws into someone. Ain't helping that my hormones seem to be in an overdrive right now! I definitely need to enroll myself at AF Pune the very first day I reach - I so can not sit at home vella!!!

Fervent Prayer - Let me not lose the sense of control and balance that I fought for all of 2002 - I definitely don't wanna slip back into that mess I was.

Hmm...went to the Univ to pick up my marksheet yesterday and bumped into my classmates - Suhan, Deepa, Nazia, Deba and Madhavi - nearly went up the wall when Deba kept questioning me about how much I got in which paper (I ofcourse didn't remember since I care a shit about marks anyways!), how many sides I wrote for my answers, what I wrote in my answers, whether I got second or third highest in some paper...Like who cares dude? I did well. Am Happy. Comme d'hab. End of story....HELP!!!!! Was so tempted to give him my mantra on exams, but I doubted he'd take it calmly, so I refrained from chanting it out to him :

"EXAM is a FOUR letter word. So are FUCK and LIFE - both are far more important!" ;-)

Am rocking to Genesis' "Jesus He Knows Me" at the moment "No Son of Mine" is lined up next on Windows Media Player - been listening to my MP3s all morning - hell they keep my mood rocking! :)

*Shudder*

Read about this in TOI yesterday, and it sure shook me out of my sleepy state...despite repeatedly saying that nothing shocks me in this world anymore, this did. I mean just how crazy can we get?

Murder, he typed in chatroom

La Vie Est Belle!

28.05.2004 - Ha. I like this mode of blogging...short n sweet. Precise. Saves me time when I'm in a hurry,but the itch to blog must be taken care of. Blogging - another addiction.

Packed my second box of books yesterday. Still have to pack my painting paraphernelia, MA notes and clothes/jewellery/shoes. A day's work. Struggling to digest it!

Ecstatic - Rhapsodic - Delirious Delightment...

If I was happy in the morning, by night the happiness threatened to engulf all around me. Yeps I'm damn pleased with the way things are going - go ahead and read between the lines! :)

Happy as a Free Bird

I don't know if that analogy is right, but happy I am. Extremely so - not just content with the way things are going, but happy. the kind of happiness that makes your steps lighter, your smile brighter, makes you feel like sunshine has spread in every pore of your skin, every nook and corner of your body.

Spent a lazy afternoon at Amisha's doing the usual gossip-gyan routine that we women are experts at! Odd how despite our differences in opinions, ideas, lifestyles, we've stayed in touch and been friends since 5th grade!!! Amen to that and touchwood!!!

Clocked over an hour on the phone with Mr.Balani in the night - so despite the fact that he stood me up for a second time this week, I'm over the moon. (He was pardoned this time coz he was staying home with his dadi - even made Maggi for her!!So cute na? Another tick in his favour!)

OK enough...more when I sound more intelligent! ;-)

Notes From My Appointment Dairy

26.05.2004: Lunch with Kunal and his friend Arghya. Black lungi and yellow kurta - taxi or arty belle? Al fredo for pizza - yummy chicken pizza. Nice lazy afternoon. Very lazy.
Evening - lazier. Trip to Lo Price to purchase essentials needed in first few days in Pune, to be sent with Papa on his next factory-progress inspection trip.
Lots of TV...
Early Night - but one filled with dreams of all kinds...

27.05.2004: Lunch date with Amisha. Mayhaps something else in the eveg. What should I wear? Lets See...

Schindler's List

Saw Schindler's List yesterday - now for those of you who have not been subjected to this, I think it's a movie EVERYONE must watch - OK, every adult, coz bacchas shouldn't be made aware of the brutalities of life that early. Makes them lose their innocence and become these mini-adult horror thingies that I abhorr! You know the types that are 9 going on 19? Anyways I'm digressing...

So yeah Schindler's List(1993) - phenomenal movie. I just realised I've NEVER blogged about it. Horror of horrors! I've seen the movie atleast 5 times if not more - and it never fails to move me! The movie is based on the life of Oscar Schindler, a Czech Catholic who set out to make money by exploiting the Jews and ended up saving the lives of over 1100 Jews. But that's not all the movie is about, for Spielberg has used the platform to depict the horrors of the Holocaust, the brutality of the Nazis and the inhumanity of their actions against the community. It makes you realise what the hunger for power can do to a human mind. Last but not the least, the actors have done a wonderful job - be it Liam Neeson(Schindler), Ben Kingsley(his accountant Itzhak Stern), Ralph Fiennes(Nazi officer Amon Goethe) or one of the actors in the smaller roles - each one them has portrayed his/her part to perfection moving the audience to horror, pity, fear, hatred, disgust or anger by their mind-blowing and true-to-life performances!

Please go see it if you haven't already!

Erudite Ms Shrivastava

Cheeky, eh? Well ever since yesterday I've been my cheekiest best - happy and pretty much floating in 7th heaven or as close to it as it gets...

MA results were announced yesterday - the Class obtained was out by Friday evening, but I hadn't bothered to go find that out, since I was sure I'd get a First Class! Confidence bubbles over doesn't it? Anyways yesterday our marks were revealed to us - and I got 66% (528/800) aggregate for 2 years of the M.A (Eng Lit) programme. It seems I'm 4th (definitely in the top 5) so I'm generally going about telling people that I am! Got 72/100 in Postcolonial Lit (optional paper) so I'm even more proud of myself - considering that if I do decide to pursue a PhD, it would be in that field! Yeps its kinda tough to burst that bubble right now! LOL!!!

Plus I spent the evening with one of my favourite men - Amit! So yeah generally the happiness doubled because I had such a fabulous time!! I sooooooo adore that man!!! :)

OK I'm gonna stop now coz I'm gushing and I know it! ;-)

Blabbing Comme d'hab

Had a good weekend - met my college friends on Saturday (atleast those who weren't too busy) at Pizza hut. Caught up with news and spent a nice chilled out few hours with them...Kunu dropped by in the evening for a bit. After that it was time to go to my mausi's place for dinner. That wasn't too happening - BAD BAD Dhansaak made by her Parsi daughter-in-law, my cousin generally ended up annoying me big time with her highly unwanted advice on how I should conduct my social life...I was glad to get back home and sleep. Cracked a few sad jokes about how they must be glad to see the last of us, meaning much the inverse actually.

Shit am I bitchy or am I Bitchy? Just living upto my new MSN nickname actually - Sexy, Naughty Bitchy ME!!! ;-)

Met up some more cousins on Sunday morning. In the evening we went back to the Old Furniture Market and picked up a nice old writing desk for my room, plus a folding table and 2 chairs to go with it for our "sit-out"! Most nice...I'm most happy about our purchases!

And oh must blab on this - so for 2 days last week I was sporting a swollen cheekbone and split lower lip - most oft asked questions were - "Were you involved in a beer-bar brawl?" or "Since when did you start having a violent boyfriend?"

Real reason - I was playing with my dog and he bumped his thick boney skull into my face! Sheesh - what a glamourous reason for looking beat-up!

LOL! Ain't my life just one happening turn of events! Hehehehehehe....

"We Bid You Farewell and Hope You Fare Well..."

And so the process officially started today...what process? That of the farewell rendezvous that shall be lined up for the next 2 weeks or so. Today was Shashi aunty (our oldest neighbour - though she moved away from our building some 15 years back, she remains a close friend of my mother and dear friend to the family!)...had a fabulously sumptuous buffet lunch - I'm still full! ;-)

Feels odd though when people wanna meet you "One last time" and say stuff like "We are gonna miss you" or "It will be difficult adjusting - how will you manage?" And ofcourse lets not forget our Indian obssession with marriages - "Poor Geetanjali will have to adjust twice - now and then a few years later when she marries!" LOL - like I'm bothered about that right now!

Appu was here last night and we were up till 4 am talking, discussing everything under the sun - and it hit me how much I'll miss these sleep-overs and all that talking and soul-baring goes with it. We also got talking about the path our future is gonna take - our respective "love-lives", career confusions, families and how things have changed at both our places etc etc etc...Damn but I'm gonna miss her!!!!

Shopping, Chopping et al...

Yesterday I shopped literally till I dropped - or almost - by the time Madhavi and I caught the train back home, we were so exhausted our feet wouldn't have done much else than head home, to the shower and into bed! But what a day - both of us accomplished all that we had in mind! Got exactly what we wanted, plus some more! Good bargains, good stuff, no fights with irritating vendors, no bad moods - weather too wasn't bad. We walked the whole length of Colaba Causeway and back - picking up earrings, scarves & stoles. I picked up 4 pairs of earrings, 2 scarves/stoles and 1 bangle - all within Rs.250/- Now if that wasn't a good bargain I don't know what is! :)

Chopped my hair today - went for a trim. Stopped the coiffeur and thought for a bit. Then changed my instructions and asked her to cut off more than my mandatory 1 inch - so now instead of waist-length, it's now just half-way down my back. Won't seem drastic to most who are habituated to shorter hair and keep trying to convince me to throw caution to the winds and get my hair-style changed, cropped etc etc.
Amma nearly fainted!
And me?
I'm...
Kicked...
Feeling ridiculously light-headed (literally and metaphorically)...
Generally being vain and silly and playing with my hair...
Hell I have just one vanity! ;-)

Dhagala Lagli Kada, Pani Thim thim Padla...

Yeps it rained here this morning - buckets and buckets full of water - thunder and lightning. The works - good old Bombay ishtyle! Boy Oh Boy! Nothing like Bombay monsoons is there? Days and days of non-stop rains - gutters, roads, parks, housing complexes overflowing with water, high-tides, waves lashing at rocky sea-faces, grey skies, rays of sunshine struggling to break through that dense covering of clouds, new leaves sprouting everywhere, the delicious smell of bhutta, pakodas, bhajiyas, masala chai and coffee filtering through the air and mingling with that of wet clothes...the bed and a softly glowing lamp beckoning me to get lost in a nice thick novel, or burrow beneath a nice comfy razaai and slip into a dreamy and blissful oblivion! Ah... :)

Feeling quite nice right now (as is obvious by the text above!;-)) - but I do hope that this pre-monsoon shower doesn't wreak further havoc with the already crazy levels of humidity which have left everyone quite sticky and hot and grumpy with the weather! I'm quite looking forward to a few days of pleasant weather, cool breezes wafting through the terrace doors of our living room, walking down to the beach to enjoy the sunset and the salty, fishy breeze...

Planning to go Colaba causeway today with Maddy Mata and looking forward to picking up some good junk jewellery...and then there's more. Appu might come over for a sleep-over. Got lunch dates sprinkled over the next few days, got to plan a good-bye rendezvous with my college mates.

Yesterday we went to the Old Furniture Market to check out if they have any good deals happening. And boy oh boy do they have some really sexy furniture! Teak, rosewood, Mahogany - chest of drawers, writing desks, cupboards etc etc...all to kill for! Atleast worth paying for! Considering my room is gonna have that old world charm look, I'm generally pataoing Papa to pick up some stuff from there for his dear little sweet daughter! ;-)

What say am I not the sweetest thing around? Just the most adorable little babe - the goody-2-shoes angelic mademoiselle? ;-)

Bombay-Pune

Hot and Humid, sweltering, sweating, grimy, dirty, slums abound, trees don't, esacalting property prices, as does the population, not to mention the pollution - yet there's no other place like my good ol' Bombay. Not Mumbai, mind you - but Bombay - of Churchgate, Marine drive a.k.a Queen's Necklace, Cuffe Parade, Colaba Causeway, Gateway of India, Malabar Hill, Worli Sea-face, Bandra Bandstand, Hill road, Pali hill, Juhu, 7 Bungalows, Versova - hell even claustrophobic Lokhandwala, and the far-flung very Guju suburbs of Kandivili and Borivili, or the next-to-impossible-to-reach suburbs of Mira Road and beyond! No city in India can compete with the sheer energy, diversity and electric vibrance that drives this city - no city rocks like this city - no city is more happening...

But go I must, bid adieu to the land where I was born, the terrain where I have walked for over 22 years of my life. Move on to a new city, a new way of life, seek new horizons, learn new habits...

Just back from that city - Pune. Spent a long weekend with my cousins. That was fun. Chatting, getting pakaoed by my jijas, late nights, early mornings, one meal blending into the next, some booze - yeah it was definitely a cool weekend! Apart from that I discovered a few cool places in Pune (obviously near and around the much famed Koregaon Park of Pune), saw my cousin's flat where we will be staying till we find our own "home" and its ready for occupation. I'll FINALLY be getting my own room in Pune - that's one advantage of moving there. Already planning how I want it to look (ofcourse alot will be decided by my talented designer Kunal Shah) - been picking up stuff for the room for quite a while now, starting from Paris! :)

Another good thing about Pune is the weather - days weren't too bad, and evenings were most pleasant and breezy, thanks to the still vast open spaces. Most upcoming residential areas are away from the main city and are approached through villages and fields of cabbage, cauliflower, corn, sugarcane etc - that's gonna take some getting used to - as well as encountering herds of cows/buffaloes, sheep/goats crossing the tiny winding roads, the odd donkey standing in the middle of the road refusing to budge depite fervent furious honking by the much agitated drivers!

Oh yeah it's gonna be a completely different life altogether!

P.S My dear friend Kunal Shah a.k.a Kunu Baba just started blogging - I'm shamelessly promoting it!

Bonne Weekend Mes Amis

Going for a play today at Alliance Francaise - La Poutain Respecteuse (The Respectable Prostitute)by Jean Paul Sartre, the famous French Literary Critic, Philosopher, Dramatist and Novelist. It's being performed by the Manna Makers. I've seen their performances when they started off doing coffee-shop theatre, a unique concept in Mumbai. A friend was a part of the troupe, but he isn't performing this time, because of upcoming CA exams. That isn't the reason I'm going for the play - after La Nuit de Publivores, I'd decided to go for more AF programmes, so I'm just following through with that decision of mine!

Aur kya..oh yeah heading off to Pune tomm - Tripti didi & co, and Shubhra didi & co are there for holidays. Sandeep jijaji (my mostest favourite jija) got only a week off so one has lesser time to meet him. And since I MUST meet him - as everyone said when I called up, you've not called to talk to us, you've called to talk to Sandeep - I'm going a few days in advance, the rest of the family shall reach Pune for the weekend. Guess this is it then, till Monday...bonne weekend and au revoir!

Let 'em comments flow in my absence...;-)

Patati Patata

AF results are out! Yippeeeeee!!! And I can't resist announcing my marks out loud, bhopu that I am! ;-) Earned a neat little 16/20, which rounds upto 80%...so am I cool or am I cool? Actually not very, considering the highest is 19, and considering that I could have done better had I studied before my exam instead of taking off for a holiday as I did, but well we all know how allergic I am to studying feverishly for exams! So I'm content, comme d'hab!

Spent a lazy day yesterday after getting back from Appu's place...same so for today. My only activity centred around sleeping, sleeping and sleeping some more! Oh yeah I did hem the bottom of my new PJs - awful untidy hemming - who'd guess that my mom does such sexy hemming that it could pass off as embroidery, and that her embroidery is so delicate that people often mistake it as a painting on first sight! Sheesh Geetanjali, go find your chullu bhar pani and take a dupki!

Met Amit for a brain-chabaoing session - wonder why all the men I love are such experts at driving me up the wall! Must say something about my personality I guess - what say people?