For the love of Double Trouble

With overwhelming joy I took the box in my hand. I closed my eyes for just a second and in the same instant did what my friends call the 'Goat Dance'. 

After a mundane day at work, reading the plaints, tracking them down, checking to see if anything interesting was happening in the virtual world, I reached home ready to call it a day. Another 'nothing-special' day I thought to myself. If this is how my days are going to be once I start working full time, I wasn't so sure I wanted to do it. Pondering over how I'm going through a quarter-life crisis (yes, you read it right and yes it does happen!) the BB went ping.

Friend: ''Stay at home tonight''.

Me:"Ummm, Ok..where else will I be?!"

Friend: "Good! Stay awake till 11pm"

Now having known this friend for a while I was pretty sure she was going to pass by my place on her way someplace and so as the ritual at such a time was, would give me a call, say "hiiiiiii Ko..Byeeee Ko" in those 3 seconds it takes to cross my house, laugh, exchange a few stupid lines, laugh some more and hang up.

I was curious nonetheless. So a few more nonsensical messages were exchanged (yes, the word mental was created for us) and I went back to waiting for the day to end. So when I got a call from this friend to step out of the house my curiosity levels peaked. This was strange, I thought. What could possibly be the reason for a casual hi at this hour?

Saw her cab (she came here directly from the airport?! What's going on?!) pull up in front of the house. She got down holding something, in that instant Simba came running down and I got a little distracted trying to get him to go back in the house. I turned to say hi when my eyes fell on the cover she was holding. And then I heard the words "You always keep talking about them so I thought I'd get them for you"

And in the cover was *drum roll please* a box of *even more drum roll if you may* DONUTS! Yes, donuts from Mad Over Donuts, Mumbai, donuts that I abso-fricking-lutely love, donuts that I was craving for since so long, donuts that made me do the 'Goat dance'!

You would too if you were a dessert deprived foodie with an extra sweet tooth. 

Made. My. Day.

Authors note: Goat dance is a form of dance that one does in euphoric situations to express the immensity of one's happiness. Normally the person exhibiting it hops around the same place with hands bent at the elbows and fists clenched, head tilting to the right and left with each hop. There can be variations to it depending on the Dancer's level of euphoria and lunacy. The name has been inspired by the goats of Farmville in Facebook (No you needn't like the game to use this form of dance, you just need to be a little silly)

I'm Not Twenty Four... A review

"There are two types of stories. One, where you sit up and say 'this is so me'. Second, when a story takes you to a world you would hardly believe actually exists." This being the very first line I read about the book raised my expectations from it. It created a sense of mystery waiting to be unfolded in those pages.  Even more so when the description added that this story was the latter of the two.

The story as opposed to the description takes you to a world that any person with a minimal knowledge of the world around knows exists. A steel plant in a remote village of India. Big surprise there! Throughout the story I was anticipating something unbelievable, something that would completely throw me off the regular path. Unfortunately I was left anticipating till the very end.

This tale is that of a Delhi girl, Saumya, who loves her fashion, her shoes, her city, her malls, in short all the perks that living in a metro provide. She finds herself placed in a steel plant situated in a remote village in South India (which I'm guessing is the world she never thought existed, MBA grad? Really?) How she copes with the alien surrounding strutting in clothes too scandalising for such a place, being subjected to a whole lot of stares from everyone in the vicinity, witnessing some very gory accidents that working in a Steel Plant bring with it, basically trying to survive the place and deciding whether to run back to the comforts of the city or hold ground and stay put. She then meets one Shubhrodeep Shyamchaudhary, interesting, mysterious, Indian version of Hugh Grant, hippie, world-trotter, creator of the move-on theory and maybe more?

The story looks to convey Saumya's journey and the process of growing up, realising what you wish to do in life and  falling in love. There seems to be something amiss when the story reaches  the 'falling in love' part. It's abruptly just declared. Where are those small but highly meaningful scenes and events like that special look in the eye, a touch of the hand, a tiny but significant gesture that builds this emotion in the characters and the reader as well? But if you say they're in love and so immensely at that, we believe you.

The brilliance of the book is not in the story, its characters or the plot but the fact that the author has written the book from a girl's perspective. Commendable attempt and a successful one I must add. It has very rightly been said that 'You may take everything away from a girl but please don't take away fashion'. Yes, I could relate to Saumya's  joy on finding her cubicle in a corner where no one can see the screen (Facebook!). And her love for shoes strikes the right chord. A girl's story through and through. Another part that I totally enjoyed was Shubro's story. Two thumbs up.

I wish I had a more positive feedback about the book, but I personally think it was a let down. It probably would prove to be a good read if you happen to randomly pick it, knowing and expecting absolutely nothing about it. And yes, disregarding the description given. Enjoyable read if you ignore the grammatical and printing errors, and you don't mind the Indianism (reading about how someone 'went off to sleep' doesn't particularly earn brownie points in English Fiction).

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Diwali Snippets

Deep jalte rahe, roshan karte rahe raahe

Is duniya se, apne hee dil se,

Hatae ye andhere, mitae ye andhere

Har zindagi ho is ujale se roshan

Har manzil nazar aae, mitenge ab jo ye andhere.

Rangeen ho ye zindagi humari,

Rangon se bhare rishte humare,

Oob na jaaye kabhi raaho se hum,

Aisi khoobsurat ho ye saare pal humare. 

Author's note: The lines in Hindi are my first. Pardonnez-moi for the complete amateur attempts at shayari :P
The rangoli was my first as well, surprisingly turned out pretty don't you think?