Cest La Pluie

The rains truly arrived yesterday - finally - with much aplomb! There was much noise as clouds crashed against each other in a fierce battle to see which would burst first; flashes of lightning illuminated the hills beyond my new home eeerily, crazily, every few minutes...and the wind! It uprooted everything that obstructed its wild race down the countryside, leaving in its wake much mess and a decent amount of destruction, one of them being damaged electricity poles which meant that we had no electricity from 20:30 till 09:30 this morning! This afternoon was a dull, grey, wet which I spent waltzing down F.C road, straining against the force of the wind, pulling my salwar up so it wouldn't get completely ruined by the river making it's way down the road and I returned home tired, looking quite the mouse dragged in by the cat...yet strangely, not only am I impressed, but I'm very happy!

...and I thought I didn't love the rains!

Patience Bears Sweet Fruits...

Oft do I repeat this citation to others, as to myself…and boy, when the tree of patience decided to finally bear fruit, such a sweet, succulent fruit it bore!

Winter 2003, I was in Germany as an exchange student and I promised myself that I would return to Europe and travel at free will. It’s taken me three years and much patience and forbearance to fulfill that dream, but finally it’s come true.

It’s still sinking in, but ten days later I am going to be on my way to France for a summer training programme, in a gorgeous Mediterranean city close to the Spanish border. Montpellier beckons with open arms and the French Embassy sponsors generously – all I have to do is pack my bags, collect those dreams and take that flight! It’s going to be a glorious month and a half in France – I’m finally visiting the cities I’ve yearned to see for the past three years and that too with my dearest friend.

Yes, patience, does indeed, bear sweet fruits.

Not Giving Up...Not Yet

This really charming scholar from Cambridge suggested I re-evaluate my stance on abandoning my pet project, GeeBaby. Since charming scholars from Cambridge are rarely wrong, I stepped back and thought of what I had to lose by bidding adieu to Geebaby, and what I had to gain by hanging onto her and continuing to nurture her (yes, ofcourse my Blog has a Gender and it is but obviously Feminine)...as you can see, here I am with a brand new avataar, all spruced up and ready to bore my readers some more!:-)

Watch this space people, for Plain Jane has a lot of plans for Geebaby!

Phoenix Mecano India

Phoenix Mecano India, as it stands today, the living legacy left behind by my father. A few days back, they started work on the final phase of development, based on the plans my father left behind...I could do naught to control the emotions surging through me when I heard the news...

MY FATHER KICKS ASS - TOTALLY, COMPLETELY!

Souvenirs...

Remnants from my childhood…
A dungaree set made by Ma for my favourite doll – this fat stuffed doll that Papa had brought back for me from England, that I refused to give away. I still have her – used to call her Annabelle and at one time, even Moti
Some of my favourite books from childhood - I couldn’t bring myself to give them to nieces/nephews as I did scores of other books.
Deutschlandrëise - a German board game that involves making a planned trip around Germany. It was a gift from one of Papa’s colleagues and an addiction for years amongst my building friends.
Two of my favourite hair-clips that Papa brought back from one of his trips to – they are these huge bows made from satin – big reminders of the time when I had thick, waist-length hair! Ah those days…
The very first bottles of perfume gifted to me – miniature bottles of L’Air du Temps – Nina Ricci (when I was 5 years old) and a few years later, Contradiction – Calvin Klein. Yes, I’ve been using them since that tender age – classy right from the beginning ;-)
The duvet I used as a child (embroidered by Ma of course, as were many of childhood clothes), the kurta from my school uniform autographed all over by batch-mates from the batch of 1997 (shit it’s been a decade! I’m old!), the Arya Samaji stole given to each and every student who graduates from Arya Vidya Mandir.
Pages from my school dairy, class photographs, essays written by me during school years (including one very embarrassing essay, extolling the virtues of a beauty queen that K and I foolishly considered beautiful in our childhood ignorance of true beauty!)…
Certificates, so many of them, that I got each year in Arya Vidya Mandir, some that make me proud (from when I topped or stood in the top 3 in class), some that make me roll my eyes – who else would get certificates in handwriting, in diligence, in sincerity as a student?
Diaries, that recorded in scrupulous detail events and emotions that marked my college years, including my first attempt at love/relationships that leave me cringing in horror at my naivety! Quite a few painful moments in there as well, which make me think it’s time the diaries went…
The key-chain made from cow-leather (and which made my hands stink each time I carried it, for nearly a year after I started using it!)Papa brought back from Milan, Italy. It still has the keys from our home in Gayatri.

Curios and souvenirs of special moments in my life…
A caricature on a tissue-paper made by K, the very first time we went to Mondegar together – each and every memory of our many South-Bombay trips brings a smile instantaneously to my face.
Letters, postcards and cards – from Papa when he was in Venice in the 80’s; from A, after our first gigantic fight, when we patched up and truly became friends for life; from K when I was in Magdeburg, from friends across the globe.
From my sojourn in Magdeburg, Germany in December 2003 – pine needles, a maple leaf, pebbles from the beach in Lacanau, a good-luck charm gifted to me by a friend’s grandmother, tickets from the various trips I made in Germany, France and Sweden, brochures and postcards from all the places I visited, my Vodaphone SIM card…
Corks from wine bottles opened on special occasions, evenings that I’ll cherish forever – the first bottle of wine I finished all by myself, the Montbazillac I shared with K, the bottle from A’s farewell soirée, one from the many bottles opened recently on K’s birthday, yet another from a Provençal wine, opened on a magical evening…
…and of course all my photographs, each and every one of them is worth three times their weight in gold!:-)

Liberated...

Sorting through my stuff as packing for the final big move started, I made the very difficult decision of letting go off my precious Literature notes that I’ve been guarding like treasure worth its weight in gold, since my First year of B.A! My heart swelled with pride as I saw once again (and for the last time) my notes made painstakingly after many visits to libraries, poring over books, scanning material available online and compiling it all together in a neat, organized manner, so as to aid easy comprehension and retention of matter. Then there were all those assignments and examination papers where professors I still hold in esteem had awarded me as high as 13 out of 15! Yes, yes I was quite the ideal student ;-) I must say it’s quite a painful process to big adieu to all of them – it’s almost like cutting off the umbilical cord and finally stepping over the threshold into a new stage of life that no longer has any links with the past. Over-the-top, melodramatic reactions but believe me it felt much like that…

An Evening in Italy...

Toscana...Barely does the world roll off my tongue that my mind conjures images of an idyllic Italian vacation - the sun-kissed country-side, the wind teasing my hair and playfully blowing away my linen shirt to expose my mid-riff; languid afternoons spent sipping a cool drink by the pool, the water glittering under the sun’s rays; a lizard darting across the terracotta floor towards the kitchen from where wafts the heavenly aroma of freshly baked pizza; sultry evenings spent pirouetting in the arms of a sexy Italian…

What I got was a sultry summer evening transformed into an idyllic evening with the cool breeze gently kissing my naked arms and whispering through my hair, as I sat back in a lawn lit by lanterns strung across the space and a few candles scattered across the tables, retro music drifting in from next-door, and dreamy plans of a European vacation over beer, succulent chicken and pasta, with the best dinner companion I’ve had till date…

Where, you ask, did I find my piece of Italian paradise in Pune? Why, at Toscana, the delightful Italian restaurant next to Soho’s, Kalyani Nagar…it was a perfect evening, with just the right ambience, good food (though not pizza, since we opted for pasta for the main course), good service (surprise surprise!!) and, as I said, great company and great conversation. It’s been a long time since I enjoyed an evening out as much as I did at Toscana – and with it, I think I’ve finally broken the jinx of mediocre gastronomic experiences in Pune!

Geetanjali, the Restaurant Critic!

I’ve been thinking I should take up an alternate profession – that of a restaurant critic. Why? Well, I’ve always enjoyed filling out the suggestion/comments form given in restaurants, but off late, I’ve noticed that those forms are becoming increasingly crucial. Why you ask? Well simply because of the falling standards of services, not to mention cuisine, in most restaurants. Restaurants are popping up at every nook and corner like wild mushrooms. Unfortunately the increase in their number hasn’t led to an improvement in services. I’d have thought that the increasing competition would make them treat their clients better, but it seems that the scarce importance given to the client has also disappeared!

To me, the complete gastronomic experience includes not just quality meals but also a good ambience and service. If even one of these criteria isn’t fulfilled, then the experience simply isn’t satisfactory. And I’m sorry, but if I’m paying for the meal, then I think I deserve to enjoy my meal…and if I’m not content then I think I have the right to express my discontent and have it noted and taken into account.

This weekend, to celebrate my cousin’s birthday we’d gone for dinner to Bombay Brasserie. I’d been given the impression that it is a rather posh restaurant, BCBG as the French would say – Bon Chic, Bon Genre - only to discover the restaurant was far from it!

The entire experience was so unsatisfactory, that it bordered on disgusting. It’s a fact well-established that one can’t find good personnel in a restaurant in Pune (except perhaps for the waiters at the Blue D restaurants and at La Dolce Vita) but the waiters here had exceptionally dour faces, and were remarkably inept and ignorant. It didn’t help that they had a certain tendency to lean too much into the client’s space while serving (or was it just one client whose space they insisted on trespassing?) Their food and service had me disappointed before the first-course arrived on our table....

Needless to say, by the time I finished my meal, I was utterly disgusted with the complete waste of a good evening. To eat over-salty, over-spicy food in an over-lit restaurant with tacky string lights on the steps of a wooden floor that had been scratched and abused, with waiters who don’t change the cutlery after the first-course (unless specifically asked) and table-cloths that were dusty – well that is far from my description of a good gastronomic experience. I didn’t hesitate to inform them that their cuisine and services were befitting of a lower grade restaurant and that it pained me to be paying them the prices they demanded. I ensured that my uncle who was paying didn’t leave them a tip – I have to be really annoyed to refuse to leave a tip, so you can well imagine the quality of food and services.

Word of Advice – Stay away from Bombay Brasserie, Dhole Patil Road, Pune.

Simultaneous critique in French on Francesay

From the Unwritten Diary

Swirling whorls of dust descended on us, sweeping up in their fury clothes not pinned down, saplings already struggling to survive the heat and awnings that tried to obstruct their course and slow them down…seated at my computer staring out the window I marveled at how I couldn’t even make out the form of the building in front of ours. And then, as suddenly as it had descended the dust storm disappeared, leaving behind an eerie silence that echoed in my ears uneasily. There is a restless energy inside me that’s been scrabbling for attention, begging for release. I tried to drown it out with music, turning the volume up till the floor beneath my feet throbbed with each beat, but the restlessness inside me just grew, making me yearn for the forbidden. I tried writing, hoping it would bring forth the much needed calm, but what came forth helped naught…my senses are jarringly, electrically alive and my mind jammed with an entangled mess of images. I’m aching to cut loose and head for the unknown, the unexplored…

The skies outsides are a heavy overcast grey, the sunlight streaming through the clouds bathing the landscape in a strange luminosity…and I must rein in this edginess and focus my concentration on a new project. A long, incredibly boring evening lies ahead – oh how will I survive it? I think I shall shock some people tonight…dare I?

Back From Hibernation

I’ve pinched myself several times the last few weeks, trying to believe that it’s really happening – it’s difficult to believe that this dream is actually coming true, that I’ve actually cleared all the obstacles from my path and that very soon I’ll embark on a long awaited voyage. Somewhere deep inside of me, I’m still incredulous about the whole affair! A friend recently commented on my (changed) notions of romance/love, others have drawn my attention to my (apparent) practical attitude towards all matters related to relationships/ambitions/dreams – I think it all boils down to the fear of losing what’s dear to me…

A much delayed (and embarrassingly mediocre) response to a Limerick tag by the charming Wandering Dervish

There once was a girl quite bright,
Her intelligence was much tried,
As were her generosity and patience,
Till at last she lost all her sense.

Tagged: Extempore, Idle Mind, Jo

Current Book: Che Guevera’s Motorcycle Diaries (don’t recommend the film – I know I’m a fool for having missed it since it’s an astoundingly brilliant film! I don’t need salt rubbed into my wounds! Grrrr!)
Current Music: Say it right by Nelly Furtado
Current Mood: Frazzled by the heat, work, studies and myriad chores.
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PIFF - the complete review

Pune International Film Festival 2007 – despite what the newspapers might have said about the crowds it pulled, please be informed that the crowd was extremely disappointing. Even while it’s nice not to worry about not getting good seats, or worse watching a film sitting on the floor of the hall, it’s not at all nice to attend a film festival when the halls are half-empty and it feels like you’ve come for pathetic cinema, instead of the other way around. Also, the organization and the schedules were really screwed up this time – what’s with screening three Chinese films simultaneously and scheduling all the good films at the same time, so you’re forced to choose one and miss three others?

Now that I’ve got the criticism out of the way, let me go ahead and inform you that this year too was a great experience! I hardly saw any films in comparison to the last 2 years when I truly did camp out at ESquare for one week but I still managed to catch over a dozen films, short-films and documentaries. If the films I saw in the last two years appealed to the intellect, this year it was largely the senses and the emotions that were appeased.

Unlike last year, when I saw many serious films, I managed to catch some really big-budget, very mainstream European cinema, which was really fun, yet very moving and intelligent cinema:-

Les Bronzes (French Fried Vacation) – France – Patrice Leconte
An exceedingly side-splitting riotous film about a bunch of French people on a vacation – the insane activities, the hilarious attempts to get laid by all-and-sundry and the hysterical swimming gear had me screaming with laughter!

La Vie est Ailleurs (Life is Elsewhere) – Switzerland – Frédeéric Choffat
Three stories, three countries, one common theme, that life is elsewhere. A very interesting film – its main appeal (for me) was the fact that a large portion of the film was shot in trains and stations in France, Italy and Germany. Needless to say, nostalgia hit very hard as myriad images from December 2003 flew across my mind.

Winterskys (Kissed by Winter) – Norway – Sara Johnsen
A marvelously sensitive film dealing with loss - shot in Poland it revolves around a young doctor who loses her son to leukemia and consequently shifts to a small village. It goes on to deal with her various experiences as a county doctor, her attempts to rebuild her life and her struggle to come to terms with her role in her son’s death.

Tibor vagyok, de hódítani akarok (Young Dumb and Full of Love) – Hungary – Goergely Fonyo
The Hungarian version of American Pie – yes that’s it. How else could I best describe a film that deals with the humorous attempts by an adolescent to lose his virginity on a summer vacation, all the while armed with a fluorescent condom? There were also some hysterically funny scenes revolving around a golden cell phone, oops I meant dildo! ;-) Obviously big budget, very mainstream, but just so much fun. It’s almost liberating to watch such a crazy film at a film festival, normally associated with a more serious genre of cinema!

Ik omhels je met duizend armen (Thousand Kisses) – Netherlands – Willem van de Sande Bakhuyzen
Once again, very big-budget and very mainstream cinema; this one dealt with relationships, guarding as it’s take-off point the relationships and lives of young professionals in the world of fashion and cinema/television. Much crazy fun, sex, partying and holidaying, but also another level of complexity in relationships at home, dealing with the fatality of a parent and losing the parent to euthanasia. As much as I enjoyed seeing this one, it was an equally heart-rending experience sitting through the scenes dealing with euthanasia and much as I miss him and wish he was still around, I’m suddenly very glad I didn’t have to see Papa go through that and want/opt for such an end.

Yadayim Kshurot (Tied Hands) – Israel – Dan Wolman
My second film by Dan Wolman – I’d seen Ben’s Biography last year, and like it, this too, was a sensitively and very intelligently made film dealing with very prevalent issues, yet not being preachy and militant about it. Without revealing much about it, the film basically deals with the attempts of a mother to obtain grass for her son who’s suffering from a fatal disease and needs grass to gain some respite from the pain. In the course of that one night, physically away from her son, she truly comes to know her son and ends up closer to him at the end of the night…and his life. An extraordinary film, worth watching – I’d go as far as asking you to actively search for the film and get your own copy!

And some others as well, namely – Cry, The Beloved Country, The Collector, Reyhaneh, the very strange Macedonia, the stranger A Bahraini Tale and the interminably long and boring The Road.

This year’s PIFF was also my real introduction to the documentary genre – saw some great documentaries which were not only informative, but extremely sensitively shot and touching.

Vietnam Symphony – Australia – Tom Zubrycki
A heart-warming documentary about the Hanoi music conservatory that had to move to the country-side during the Vietnam war, it narrated the experiences of the students as well as the villagers who welcomed the school and its member into their homes – some 40 years later the students, now professionals, go back to the village for a performance. An excellent experience, not only vis-à-vis to what it opened my eyes, but also from the angle of music (except perhaps for that one shrieking wonder!)

The Black Road – Australia – William Nessen
I wasn’t very sure about this film dealing with Aceh (otherwise famous for its struggles post-tsunami) and its struggle for independence from Indonesia. Informative, but highly disturbing, as would be expected from any film dealing with the subject of struggle and that too, such a militant and violent one – I emerged from the film wiser for sure, and wondering what really drives us to indulge in such horrendous deeds all in the name of power.

Rhythm is It – Germany – Thomas Grube and Enrique Sanchez Lansch
Interestingly the first German film I’ve seen despite 3 years of attending PIFF and the only German film I’ve seen apart from Run, Lola Run – an exhilaratingly liberating experience if I may so. Revolving around the production of a dance performance based on Stravinky’s Sacre du Printemps, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle (quite delectably handsome if I may so!) the performance brought together nearly 250 young debutant dancers from variously realms of society and their growth (professionally and personally) through the course of the preparation for the performance. My aesthetic senses and sentiments were highly delighted.

And then, ofcourse there was the Kristophe Kieslowski retrospective. Hard-hitting cinema that forced me to think – really glad I saw at least some of his films and would definitely recommend his films.

My Students – the “Lumières” of the 21st Century!

When I started teaching I never imagined that apart from being incredibly de-stressing and satisfying at an intellectual and emotional level, it would also be an amazing source of humour…the things I hear in class are worthy of being compiled and published in a book! Here’s a teaser:-

• J’ai emmené mes mères là-bas. (I took my mothers there) – My immediate reaction was “Really how many do you have?”
• Je suis une question. (I am a question.) – You can imagine the mirth that followed at this one! Ah bon, really? The student meant to say “J’ai une question” (I have a question.)
• J’étudie lingerie (I study lingerie.) – it took several minutes for all of us to calm down before I figured out that the student meant to say “J’étudie l’ingénierie.” (I am studying engineering.)
• Je suis mort l’année dernière. (I died last year.)- this came as a response on being asked to rearrange the given points and write a biography using the past tense. It seems we don’t know the difference between a biography and an autobiography. I couldn’t help adding another line, “Maintenant je suis phantôme” Now I’m a ghost!;-)
• Souris! (Mouse!) – I’d just reprimanded a boy for talking too much in class and when he said this I did a double-take and was quite horrified. It turns out he was just trying to frenchify the word “Sorry” so instead of saying “Désolé” or simply “Pardon” he ended up called me a mouse!
• Talk about vain efforts to elucidate and illustrate without using English. The word in question was “incroyable” (incredible) and I decided to use an extremely unpunctual student as an example “ Ashwin est arrivé à l’heure? C’est incroyable!” A student’s immediate reaction – “Ah incroyable ça va dire la fiction” (“Incroyable” means fiction!)
• Je reader des nouvelles, player de la guitare et talker with mes friendsa – this one was a classic case of frenchifying english by converting all english verbs into the group of French verbs with the suffix –er. It shouldn’t be difficult to figure out what it means – here’s how it should have been said: Je lis des romans, joue de la guitare et parle avec mes amis.

And I saved the best for the last…

• J’aime fairer un serpent pour Noël. (I like to do a snake for Christmas) – I almost choked on hearing this one – what the student meant to say was J’aime décorer un sapin pour Noël. (I like to decorate the Christmas tree)

And on the same note,

• Vous avez fait qui ce weekend? (Who did you do this weekend?) – to say that I was horrified with this question would be an understatement; luckily the student realized the faux-pas and immediately replaced “qui” with “quoi” so that the question correctly said “Vous avez fait quoi ce weekend?” (What did you do this weekend?)

So what’s the verdict, people? Rib-tickling material isn’t it?

Current Book:- The Dream of Scipio - Iain Pears (it’s captured my attention and imagination completely. I wish I didn’t deal with words all day long and that I had more energy at the end of the day so I make faster progress with it…)
Current Music:- Naked and Sacred – Chhyna Phillips (from the erstwhile Wilson Phillips)
Current Mood:- Most content – after meeting best-friend over lunch and splurging money over the Robert-Collins Français-Anglais-Français dictionary for my translation work, a copy of Hotel Rwanda, so I can finally see it and this incredibly nice, red corduroy skirt…I was (and still am) looking for a short number and this is anything but short, but still very appealing and sexy! :-)

Blame Wandering Dervish for this one ;-)

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There is Therapy and then there is Therapy

I started studying in earnest yesterday - yes that means, out came the new stationery, the highlighters, the myriad coloured pens...and then I sat down, read, underlined, highlighted and started making neat, organised notes with highlighted headings, and post-its and what-not to ensure clarity at the time of revision....yes I know, I'm an incorrigible geek. Geeky Geets - I love her, don't you?

I went shopping today - it wasn't much, just some basics (well not very basic, but basic enough to not feel indulgent, though I did want to indulge, but felt too lazy to seek it...am I making any sense?) but enough to perk up my mood and feel leisurely pampered.

I have three books lined up for the weekend/upcoming week - The Last Song of The Dusk - Siddharth Sanghvi (I figured it's about time I stopped being a snob and gave it a shot, after having avoided it for so long and having heard diametrically opposite reviews about it...), The Motorcycle Diaries - Ernesto "Che" Guevera(really looking forward to reading this one) and The Dream of Scipio - Iain Pears (this I've already started reading - a most fascinating novel set in France, and spanning the collapse of the Roman Empire, the period of the Black Death and the Second World War)...and get this, for a change, none of them is mine, they all come from the informal "AFP teacher-student-colleague library" !!!

I started the day with a heavenly breakfast comprising of scrambled eggs, pancakes, toast, coffee and fruit...and I just ended the day with a dessert that comprised of some Nutty Caramel Mousse Cake, Rustic Chocolate Mousse Cake and some Cappuccino Mousse Cake

Need I say any more?

Current Mood:- Calm...finally

Current Music:- Like a Prayer - Madonna

End of the Tether

I swore to myself I wouldn’t break down – I told myself I’m strong…and I am, but I’m very, very close to the end of the tether. Nerves stretched taut, my patience is wearing thin and my tolerance levels for any kind of inefficiency, indiscipline, incompetence, ignorance, insensibility not to mention insensitivity are at an all-time low. My temper has flared more than once and nearly reached the dangerous levels beyond which I am incapable of practicing reason and am only concerned with making the object of my ire feel like the lowest form of cretin that exists…have had a vicious fight with my brother, lost my temper in class with very horrifying consequences – I’ve actually taken to turning my back on such issues and counting to ten, numbing my senses in order to keep a handle on that temper. Doesn’t help that I’ve had a nasty cold since last week, coupled with a hacking cough and congestion that forces me to take breaks while teaching just to cough and clear my throat like an old woman! That’s when I’m not blowing my nose like a freaking trumpeting elephant! Gah I’m sounding like a woman bordering on PMS – and gah again, I’m not even close to it…someone give me a valid reason for this abominable behaviour, and I mean "valid reason" not "excuse"….sigh. How do people get through life with such low standards for themselves? How do they avoid the inevitable stage of disappointing one self?

Current Music:- Nothing…head hurts too much to take any sound at all. It’s all noise inside my head right now. Tout est bruit, rien n’est musicale, rien n’est agreeable.
Current Mood:- Worn-out and extremely irritable, longing to give more than one person a piece of my mind (to hell with the consequences), but holding back because bloody hell the consequences would be horrifying. Can someone please send a hug by courier, ‘coz I sure could do with one right now…and oh, while you’re at it, toss in a full-body massage as well!

Turbulent Times

Turbulent would be putting it mildly if one were to ask me how the days have been –
I’ve been complimented on my professionalism and efficiency at work, at the same time I’ve realized that certain aspirations connected to work might have to take a backseat for another year;
I’ve missed my father so much this past week and am going to miss him so much more as the 4th of March draws closer – all the related ceremonies and the things being done to commemorate his life and actions make me feel so damn lucky (not to mention proud) that I am Mr.R.Shrivastava’s daughter, but it’s just as (if not more) traumatic;
I’ve said good-bye to yet another friend who’s seeking greener pastures, wishing him the very best even while wishing the greener pastures were closer home, knowing all along that this is where the friendship will finally be tested, for if it survives the distance, there’s no getting rid of me till the big ol’ ticker gives way;
I’ve been back “home” to bring in best friend’s birthday (I think this is the first time ever – strange considering he’s my closest friend) with an incredibly fun soirée, surrounded by friends and some very interesting…though unfortunately highly unavailable and ineligible bachelors ;-) and lots of excellent wine;
Last but not by any definition the least…
I’ve finally gotten high (little surprise considering the copious amounts of wine consumed on an empty stomach) and I think it was quite enjoyable, though I think I could easily keep my distance from the wine for a bit (this despite my “bewadi” reputation!) ;-)

Current Book:- The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (very interesting work) and A Dog’s Life by Peter Mayle (gift from a dear friend and a fellow-Mayle fan)
Current Music:- Tékitoi by Rashid Taha feat. Christian Olivier (from the recently acquired Génération Française 5 courtesy CAVILAM and the External Affairs Ministry of France)
Current Mood:- Nostalgic – incredibly so, with my mind filled with a galactic collage of memories from the last one year. Missing so many people so god-damned-much and wishing I could have them right next to me always…

A Year Down...

What could give me a greater sense of pride than the fact that even a year after my father’s demise, the company still looks up to him and not only recognizes his contribution to their existence and growth but is constantly making efforts to concretize the fact? That apart from having put up a huge photograph of my father at the reception they now want a plaque put up next to it, dedicating the foundation of the company to him, laying it down on stone that Phoenix Mecano India is synonymous with Mr. R Shrivastava…

What could be a bigger honour for me than to be asked to script the text for it? And what could be more painful?

Coz Goodbyes Suck....

18^th August 2006 – I heard what seemed like the most incredulous excuse (and that point I even thought pick-up line) for getting my phone number. As I refused, a smile tugging at my lips, little did I know that nearly six months later, just the mention of the same person’s name would bring an instant smile to my face…well almost always; like with all my close friends, there are always those moments when I’m all too willing to bring a beer bottle crashing down on the unfortunate victim’s head. In this case, there have been times when I’ve contemplated far more painful and sadistic means of gleaning revenge. ;-) Who’d have thought I’d be so glad I changed my mind a few weeks later and gave my number to D…and I must admit a little regretful that I didn’t do so when I was first asked! (I’m never going to hear the last of this, but to hell with it – every dog has its day(s) and D’s share seems to be rather big!)

I thought I’d reached that stage where I wouldn’t be able to trust someone so completely, and to love anyone apart from my closest family members and closest friends so unconditionally – yet looking back at the last six months and how our friendship has grown, I know that there is now one more person about whom I’m almost irrationally crazy. Close friends have wondered about the nature of our friendship, warned me not to get too involved, knowing my wonderful capability of giving so much importance to a friendship, only to be disillusioned by betrayal later – and I must admit I even tried reeling myself back a couple of times, but something just seemed so right in this crazy friendship that has made me defy every rule in my book, that has made me behave so uncharacteristic of the Plain Jane that I normally am, that has made me throw caution to the winds and for once not think, but follow only my instincts…

D, is leaving town next week and I know I’m going to miss those lazy afternoons when we watched movies/television and I was teased mercilessly about all my goof-ups and my apparently “moronic” behavior. I’m going to miss having someone to accompany me for films, someone who’d arbitrarily decide that my lunch is not sufficient and I must have some more (whether I want it or not is immaterial), someone who can make me forget the reason for my ire/frustration with absolutely inane conversation, not to mention some outlandishly hilarious suggestions (which also gave me some ideas, but they were mostly rib-tickling material!)…

I’m going to miss a wonderful friend who has become an irreplaceable part of my life. Damn but saying goodbye sucks…

Picture This...

Shaniwarwada – fort constructed in the 18th century, bang in the heart of Pune. The old part of the city – traditions, conservatism et al. A pleasant February evening. Approximately 1000 people from all walks of life and all age groups (5 years to 60+ years)…and to set the mood for the evening we had Merzhin…

Merzhin? A rock band from France, hailing from Bretagne and known for their rich and contemporary rock music!!! The concert was organized by AFP of course – my first rock concert and what an amazing experience! I was hooked and moving to the music seconds after the first chords were struck – the wealth of sounds thanks to their use of the flute and the snake charmer’s instrument, the palpable energy levels of the group made it a “rocking” experience!

Current Mood:- Blah!
Current Music:- Sexy Back – Justin Timberlake
Current Book:- Marley and Me – John Grogan

La Fille Occupée

Ah, it’s been a busy few days – busy and tiring, but equally satisfying and fun…except perhaps for my weekend class which is beginning to be a royal pain with those stubborn, unenthusiastic students who refuse to get rid off their blinkers and perceive the world beyond their well! Translation assignments, a soirée that was quite exhausting because of the high levels of boredom and exasperation that I experienced (the saving grace was the wine!), Aristera’s weekend visit (I so love that man and it’s been so long since we spent so much time together, just chilling out, that this was the highlight of the weekend! ! The noise I’ve made about this visit has certainly got some people very jealous of his presence in my life – hehehe!), good films( Mon Oncle, Parzania), great meals(Parsi food at Dorabjee’s, Rosti and Pizza at Swiss Cheese Gardens, Chinese at Silk Route and Mainland China, apart from some pretty decent home-cooked food!), greater conversation (be it with Aristera, D, or my students S and J)– all in all the last few days have been pretty good. The one thing that has been irritating me is out of my control, so I’ve decided not to let myself be bothered by it. De toute façon, que sera sera, je n’y peux rien, alors pourquoi agir avec frustration?