The Art of Subtle Deceit

This post is to celebrate the twisted tongue of the story teller in all its glory. I've come to learn that words are powerful, more effective than the action being described through them or the reason and purport of it. That's forgotten or more accurately veiled and hence successfully manipulated into being something totally different altogether by the very words that plant them in your vision. You might see the thing/event/situation that is being described and yet you're not. What you see is what you hear, what you're being told about that situation/event/person etc which can be far from the truth. How best to convey this lies in the hands of the one with the words, the artful narrator.

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I have had the good fortune of coming across some very talented specimen in this particular area. They convey the message alright but through their well practiced art of deceiving, the truth is overshadowed and what we take in are those very cleverly used words and tones spewing from these misleading mouths. I bow down to them, these great gurus of slyness and  trickery, these experts of craftiness. Entangled in the web of truthful lies are their friends, acquaintances and enemies alike; and almost always these masters of manipulation come out unscathed. I envy the confidence these confusion creators have, to look friends in the eye and lie, laugh and claim to love. Their convincing powers are not to be undermined, for that's how they have their entire world wrapped around their fingers, almost always.

I say almost, for time and a certain chain of events shed light on their shady undercover operations and unravel the layers of pretences, to finally reveal the person beneath, the real deal. It's like seeing your favourite celebrity sans make-up (do a double-take to reconfirm it's them?). The rest of the world is still enticed, ever hungry for the 'entertaining' lies being fed to them, lapping onto every word with the faith of the greatest believer, drowning in the depths of the falsity and falling forever in the endless abyss of the constructed perception. Don't mistake these deceiving doyens for the misinformed and their misinformation for any mistaken false witness. They very well know things as and how they are, they're just interested in making the world believe their version of it (with the halo shining on their head, the sun rising behind them, sprouting angel wings etc., get the picture?) A word here, a sentence there and their job's done. The seeds of confusions, doubts are planted that then lead to belief. Our mind works on the information laced with their opinions. And ta-da, thus forms our decided opinion...a horribly skewed perception of reality.

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Kudos to people who go through every day of their lives living a lie and convincing others of the same. Cheers to being shrewd and cunning in the most pleasing manner. Know that for some unfortunate few, your game's up and now they see through you, but rejoice, we appreciate your utter disregard for human sensibility and our intelligence, your antics slowly but surely provide us with a lot of entertainment. I enjoy being lied to when I know, inside my head I'm laughing my guts out at your sheer incompetence to stick to the truth. And I'll let you in on a secret, I'm guilty in most cases of egging you on. Oh how I enjoy it, two can play this game plus I'm always curious to the lengths that you go to sound interesting, convincing or whatever your motive is. It's highly amusing to see how wild your imagination runs. You remind me of the naked king who strut around his kingdom with an unmatched pride and conceit due to his 'magnificent clothes'. In your case, if not the whole city, a few sure as hell know a nonexistent cloth when they see your royal highness' precious bits a tad bit clearly and FYI we don't like being mooned.

You remain who you are, a person with a thousand affectations.

AN: Images via Google Images

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!

Women's day: Our place in a man's world

8th March, a day dedicated to women worldwide, a day celebrating womanhood, but somehow this doesn't in the least bit makes me feel any special about being a woman. The very need to put up a date specifically to remind the world to acknowledge and appreciate women all over is in it's own way tragic. But sad as it may be it's all done in good faith, with hope that people all over accept and admit that women face problems well beyond the understanding of a man.
Today my inbox was flooded with inspirational messages for women, lines describing a woman's greatness, a silent plea to love, care for and understand us in the way we deserve. We celebrate this day even as we had a gruesome reminder of what happened in the case of Aruna Shanbaug; even as she lays in the hospital bed, where she has been for the last 37 years of her life, not moving, not talking; even as the person responsible for her condition now roams around free after serving just 7 years jail time for the most brutal crime imaginable.
We celebrate this day even as each of us have been at one time or the other been at the receiving end of what generally is called eve-teasing. To always be on guard, to always have a male relative/friend around to feel safe, being subjected to the never ending list of gender-discriminations, this constant need to stay alert and so much more and yet to be put through all of this over and over again does not quite seem to be in sync with the notion that it's a woman's world as much as it is a man's.
We prove ourselves, we do it over and over again and yet we're still expected to. Even if we end up conquering it all, scaling all heights, and we miss out one small thing we hear the same old line again 'Women cannot do it'. We've reached the pinnacle of success and we still find the time to be a mother, a sister, a daughter, a wife, a friend...managing these without breaking a sweat; yet this goes unnoticed, because we're simply 'expected' to do all of this, simply because it's a woman's job to do everything right.
We celebrate this day even as Natalie Portman was criticized for being happy about being pregnant, criticized by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee for having a baby out of wed-lock. Ok so I paid attention in the sex-ed class, I'm sure I got this right that it takes the male sperm to get woman pregnant. Not only does Mr Huckabee not mention her fiancée Benjamin Millepied (leave alone blame him too) but also accuses Portman of being confident about being a single parent! Her fault he says is she is glamorizing single parenthood.
We celebrate this day even as female infanticide is as big a problem as ever, even that it exists is such a shame. We celebrate this day even as the girl child is being deprived of education and left to learn the household chores to perfection lest her male relatives face any discomfort. We celebrate this day even as each one of us is judged as under constant scrutiny of the society lest we disgrace our family and their honour.
We celebrate this day even as I will be termed feminist for my views and opinions that differentiate women from a doormat. We celebrate this day even as this article will be called cynical as opposed to realistic.
So is emancipation of women in the truest sense a far fetched dream? An illusion to the most part...? For every girl to be able to walk free, feel safe, and live well is what we wish for. In the hope that there comes a day as such here's to all the ladies around. Happy Women's day.

It's good to know you

So here I am done with breakfast, done reading the paper, finished reading the news online (checking if I missed anything really), latest scandals involving politics, sports, the entertainment industry, while simultaneously checking my FB home feed and tweeting my thoughts (social media gets to you), wishfully browsing the different smartphones in the market and ordering a laptop (finally) for myself. How gadgetfreak-ish do I sound! I mean I was far from being one; you tell me anything techtype and I’d go zzzzzz but not so much anymore, now I listen and you have my unfailing attention. I find myself reading the entire article about the new Hp touchpad being launched and wonder will it give the ipad any competition. That’s NOT me! I was a complete dud when it came to this, I’d have a better shot at understanding Greek and Latin.

What started as a simple research for the right laptop, reading a million reviews and the specifications, gave way to curiosity that clawed its way in till I was reading not just about laptops and notebooks but about phones, tablets and ipad, DSLR’s and the likes. And today when certain terms didn’t feel all that alien, when I knew what I was looking at and understanding the words when I was reading them, I did a mental happydance jig of sorts in my head, because FINALLY I was able to crack that solid wall of defense system that technology seems to have against people like me! Ok so it might be a centimeter of a crack but who cares! Achievement is just that, big or small regardless :P Being an amateur is better than being completely inept and looking plain foolish!

Such joy…

Scary looking gadgets, I shall conquer thee!

Old love

There’s something irresistible about them, like wine they keep getting better and more enjoyable with each passing day. People from every generation can’t help but fall in love with them, finding them intoxicating; and very rightly so for they serve the same purpose, wine for the soul...the classics, the eternally loved…
Old Hindi songs. Ok enough with the dramatic intro but with the topic at hand it was needed, melodrama was the life and soul of old bollywood movies and the songs were just overloaded with it. Not that we don’t like them quite the opposite in fact. Oh no we love these songs, like we’re listening to a shiny gramophone which plays the disk oh so brilliantly, not minding the minor tweaks in the sounds now and then. I say listening because watching these songs is quite different, I tend to find the actors, the costumes, the entire set-up a tad bit too weird to concentrate on the amazing music and the beautiful lyrics. A few favourites of mine..off the top of my head in no particular order would be…

♥ Pyar deewana hota hai Movie-Kati Patang Singer-Kishore Kumar (I love all the songs from this movie, Yeh Jo Mohobbat hai, Ye shaam mastani.. all of them!)

♥ Ek Ajnabee Haseena Se Movie-Ajnabee Singer-Kishore Kumar

♥ Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas Movie-Blackmail Singer-Kishore Kumar (Awwwwwness)

♥ Chu Kar Mere Mann Ko, Chalte Chalte Mere Ye Geet, O Saathi Re, Ye Shaam Mastani, Aane Waala Pal Jaane Waala hai, Dilbar Mere Kab tak Mujhe, Hum Bewafaa, Tum Aa Gaye Ho Noor Aa Gaya Hai… there are so freaking many!

Let’s just say every song that the legend Kishore Kumar has ever sung. Simple. And all of them are so melodious, such a treat to the ears.

♥ Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha Movie-Anpadh Singer-Lata Mangeshkar

♥ Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Ye Movie-Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai Singer-Lata Mangeshkar (This HAD to make it to the list)

♥ Lag Jaa Gale Movie-Woh Kaun Thi Singer-Lata Mangeshkar (Double in the awwwwwwwness quotient)

♥ Tere Bina Zindagi Se Koi Movie-Aandhi Singers-Lata and Kishore

I think this establishes the fact that almost every song by these two is undeniably great.

♥ Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein Movie-Kabhie Kabhie Singer-Mukesh (Love his ‘Main Pal Do Pal Ka Shayar Hu too)

♥ Bade Ache Lagte Hai Movie-Balika Badhu Singer-Amit Kumar (This one is the cutest… the pangs of innocent love, sweet grief)

♥ Baahon mein Chale Aa Movie-Anamika Singer-Lata M

♥ Tujhse Naraaz nahi Zindagi Movie-Masoom Singer-Anoop Ghosal

Omg look at the list and I haven’t even stated with Rafi! I fell in love with his ‘Tum Bin Jau Kaha’ the first time I heard it. And the others like Tumne Mujhe Dekha,  Badan Pe Sitare, Kaun Hai Jo Sapno Mein Aaya…..Uff!

All those crazy solos, all those beautiful duets with Lata Mangeshkar like Teri Bindiya Re, Baago Mein Bahaar Hai, Kitna Pyaara Waada hai…

The entire album of movies like Yaadon Ki Baraat, Amar Akbar Anthony, Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi, Padosan etc.

Eeeks I’ve got to stop this post right here else I’ll end up writing down EVERY song there possibly is! I sound like a music junkie! It’s 5 a.m and I’ve had all these wonderful songs to give me company through the night. Any amount of appreciation is still insufficient. AND what I did here was spread the love, so peace.

Haaaaaappy December folks =)

Winters always do this to me! I love December, no not just because it’s my birthmonth; there’s a whole lot of things about the month that just make it the best. For one, my calendar is scribbled the most on this month, so many happy occasions! Well I’ll ignore the fact that there are so many to steal my thunder but w-o-w so many birthdays in and close to December!

Studying at St.Ann’s, this was the one time that we would look forward to the most;students and teachers alike. The entire atmosphere in school would turn festive and there would always be that cheerful mood about everyone and no not even exams could dampen them. Christmas time! Santa visiting school, giving out gifts, Christmas decorations adorning the place, Christmas carols, just every thing Christmas! Holiday season; even now after all these years.

The food! It's called holiday weight for a reason ;) And it's pardonable, the world can cut you some slack there it's the holidays! So go ahead, BINGE!

Ooooh and the weather! I don’t mind early morning sunshine but I’m more of a Winter person. I’d rather go teeth-clattering my way than sweating; ANY day. The woolens, the warm bed, the comforters, the feel of a cup of hot chocolate in your cold freezing hands…wowie right!? I know a lot of people crave for some sunshine but I don’t mind, I mean we have enough of it throughout the year can I not have just ONE month of my favourite weather? Not like we aren’t doing enough to see to it that we never have winters again; we’ve done enough damage already.

Also the fact that this is the last month of the year would have a lot to do with it being different, special if I may say so. The year’s gone by, I speculate, going through the past events, my life the last year, knowing what I’ve done right, accepting my mistakes, realizing where I went wrong, wanting to change things, wishing to end the year on the positive note that I still have myself, I still have those who love and cherish me around, getting the right perspective of things, seeing how things happen for a reason and finally feeling glad they turned out the way they did even if then they seemed horrid, being thankful for all of it, getting the wish-list for next year ready too ;), and finally getting ready to bid adieu to the year, letting bygones be bygones, and stepping into the new year with a high that’s got nothing to do with alcohol :P

DECEMBER! I love thee :D You’ve always been a happy month for me and I hope that continues to be the case forevermore.

Go *brrrrr..* Go green. Save my December! Oh and HAPPY HOLIDAYS =)

Sit with me

Their incessant chatter and laughter made the clamorous platform a lot more noisy. Passers-by rightly guessed they were students. Young 16 year olds, off for a college vacation..yes..there was no doubt about that given the enthusiasm and excitement their laughter and merry talk was exuding.

It wasn’t infectious though. She wished it was. Standing a little away from the group, she looked at them with a feeling she couldn’t quite describe…these were her college mates, familiar faces, yet….
yet none was her friend. She admitted it. This was clearly a mistake. She regretted her decision. How could she be a part of it when she clearly wasn’t one of them? She tried in vain to find that initial eagerness she had.

She tried to tell herself she would make new friends. *sigh* No.

No she wouldn’t. She never could. She was the life and soul of a party, she was the centre of all things fun with her friends. But…she was bad at making new friends. Shy. Silly. True. She was but 16. Still. She told herself she’d enjoy the place. I doubt it said a voice inside her. She needed company. Her friends had bailed out. Alone. She looked at them again. Apparently she was invisible.*sigh* They were clicking pictures, their vacation had begun. Fun.

She felt alien. The other girl was voicing her exact thoughts. Prattling away about how she regrets not staying back. Shut up already! Damage done. Now she wistfully thought of the her friends, the cute guy she had a crush on forever, they had planned for the holidays together, they still would carry on with it. Without her. She was off on a vacation. With strangers. She wanted to cry.

There’s the signal. They get in. Too late.. too late…she thought. Bade goodbye to her parents, completely ignorant of the uneasiness she was feeling. Smile. For them. Wave. A little more enthusiastically. Turn. Pretence not needed now. Her shoulders drop. *sigh*. She walks along the long corridor to get to her compartment. Empty, save the ranting girl. *sigh* She sits next to the window. Great start she thought bitterly. The others have all disregarded the instructions given and were all assembled in one compartment, having a ball.

Lonely. No… it will be good. It won’t.

It was all crashing down. Every effort to look cheerful. This was a vacation! She should be thrilled. Then why was she so upset? She felt like now she could cry… or was she already? No. No she wouldn’t. Distraction. She looked outside the window. Stare out at the passing fields. Kids waving. Yes. Distraction. She shouldn’t be miserable. No she wasn’t. This was a vacation. Smile. Smile. Be happy. She wasn’t! Why wasn’t she? She couldn’t. Upset. Forlorn. She hated that very instant the fact that she was incredibly shy. She didn’t want to be. She didn’t have to be. But she was. Silly. Making new friends was daunting? No. Still. Getting past a few minutes seemed laborious! She had the entire week ahead. Depressing. She wished she was not on this train. She could now hear them sing. Stupid. Stupid me, she thought to herself for the millionth time that evening. She closed her eyes. Feeling the wind on her face as the train picked up speed, chugging along noisily. The sounds unsuccessful in drowning the singing. She tried to also block out the rants of the other girl now painfully describing what might’ve been. A smack on the face with her heavy bag would shut her up, she thought. She smiled at that picture. She sighed. She heard someone rush past her compartment giggling. She returned to concentrating on the rhythm of the train. Giggling. Block it out. It was getting closer, they would pass by again. Eyes still closed. Concentrate. Calm. Why aren’t they giggling their way back?

‘Hey!’ ..she opened her eyes. A curly haired girl from the group had stopped right in the middle of the compartment, smiling. A subdued hi was all she got in reply. ‘Why are you sitting here all alone?’. She too seemed to ignore the irritating girl who thankfully was quiet now. “Well I don’t really know anyone that well’’. Apparently it was amusing. The bubbly excited girl without a moments hesitation smiled the warmest smile ever. “Arre..that’s no problem yaar..come sit with me!!!”

:)

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And what would you wish for?

My  biggest worry at one time was a knot in my Barbie's hair (What was that? It is not that big a problem? Try telling that to a 5 year old!!), I wished for it to untangle, fall straight and smooth and if that didn’t happen I’d chop the problematic hair off. What followed would most definitely be my crying and bawling at how weird my beautiful Barbie looked in the new hair-do. Times have changed drastically, so has the cause of my worries, but even today more often than not when I find myself in a mess, in a complex knot where I’m caught between practicality and fantasies, reality and dreams, reason and emotions;
I wish for it to all smoothen out, I wish for my life and the world to be a simpler place. Without getting confused or dragged to the extremes of being a pragmatist or totally whimsical. When we’re done lusting after the farfetched luxuries, the million things we tire ourselves out to achieve, the reason why we keep rushing at a great pace so as to not lose out on time and in turn doing just that, and when you pause a while to think, to ask yourself that one question ‘why?’ and ‘what for?’ , and then? A penthouse in a skyscraper in almost every big and happening city in the world, a ride worth an entire third world country, a wardrobe fit for the Royals… and the likes, would the list ever end? I’m not saying we wouldn’t or shouldn’t want these, heaven knows how long my own list is!! But it grows, and somehow the most constant things that I myself have wished for from the core of my being are something else altogether.., simpler. By that I don’t mean they’re easily achieved, quite the contrary. There are things that appear to be mere flotsam and jetsam but what would we not do to have them come true.

The past seems to be a wonderful place to dwell in; between the uncertainty of tomorrow and the struggles of today. I get nostalgic and wish for those days to return, to relive those carefree days, the problems long solved look trifle, almost laughable. Of them school days top the list. Those days which seemed torturous back then(I couldn’t wait to get out of school and be a grown up!) now appear to be the best phase of my life ever. (Where is the guy who had to invent the time turner!?!)

There are times when all I wish for is acceptance; acceptance of things as and how they are(wouldn’t that make life so much better?). Live and let live, might be cliché and so no one takes it seriously but that is the need of the hour, the most important one too. Almost always I wish human beings were a better race, a better people; and trust, honesty, love were  not just words we know. For us to have a little more compassion, a little less hatred, a little more empathy, a little less evil, a little more action, a little less indifference.

The one common wish we all have (for some against our more sensible selves) is to have someone who would bring life to your existence, prove to you that there still might be a little hope for us after all; with who you can be who you are, flaws and everything. If not the entire world maybe just one with who acceptance, trust, faith and love hold true (Implausible in today’s world; hope against hope!).

For a fair world!!! Every single one of us has wished for this one! A considerable part of our lives goes away in grumbling about how unfair the world is, quoting Bill Gates when he said ‘Life is not fair, get used to it’, and then complaining about how he cannot say such things with that kind of money! (You don’t? Ok I do!)

Wishes wishes and more wishes! I remember as kids we had so many ways we could wish for what we wanted and had a child’s belief it would all come true. The sight of a mail van, a goods train crossing the bridge over you, this one’s really funny but wishing every time you saw a Sardarji (Sikh with a turban; no offense but every kid did it, even my Sardar friend who would get up every morning, look at her dad first thing and wish happily!), and then there was that very famous song from the movie Pinocchio which got every kid to Wish Upon a Star. So I’d end up wishing for a holiday during a school week, for a fever during exams, for rains, for attending a real Hogwarts, for a never ending-self refilling-glass of coconut water…you get the picture. Here’s a thought; would you still want something as much you wish for today later?

Cause of this post- Partial insomnia and hunger both of which made way for a tomato and cheese sandwich at 4a.m and itunes running over and over again the recently played songs one of which was this track that’s been running in the author’s  head for quite sometime now.

Can You Keep a Secret?

Long ago I’d spent almost an entire year reading just the English Classics, from the Brontë sisters to Jane Austen, from Alexander Dumas to William Shakespeare, from W.Somerset Maugham to O.Henry, J.D Salinger, George Elliot etc(one year, 365 days, has to be a long list!) I was craving for a change from it and I happened to come across Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella. After a year of spending time in the countryside of England, in the stately manors where the only entertainment for the young was dancing at the balls, playing on the pianoforte et all, I was in for a refreshing change. I love the classics mind you, but then a genuinely funny, light read novel was the need of the hour and this book fit the bill.

The story starts off with Emma Corrigan (the heroine), on a plane ride back home from a disastrous meeting, blurting out her most embarrassing secrets to the stranger sitting next to her. This due to a turbulence in the plane causing great panic which leads her to think there’s going to be a crash and she’s going to die. Safe landing, a very much alive Emma Corrigan and a very amused stranger (who wouldn’t be when you tell them all about your…).

But to her surprise she finds that the very stranger is the CEO of the company she works in as a Junior Marketing Assistant! The fun begins when she also finds out that he remembers every single secret of hers! What follows is their many funny/awkward encounters, Emma Corrigan’s place in her family, her snob of a cousin Kerry, her office crisis (boss who won’t give a raise, colleague who treats her like another paperweight on her table etc), and her ‘perfect’ boyfriend Connor.

This story might be just another addition to the style of chick-lit fiction but I found it quite entertaining, probably since this was the first of Sophie Kinsella’s that I read. Yes it has a dash of the fairy-tale element to it but hey who says fairytales are only for kids?! The part where we read her deepest secrets is the best because it suddenly dawns on us that even though they’re plain silly we too have a number of such secrets which we would NEVER share with another soul although they are very very petty and insignificant. Oh and not to forget, the happy ending! I enjoyed it much more than the rest of Kinsella’s books, for after reading the entire Shopoholic series and the rest of her books I found a repetitive pattern in them and the same formula was being used which got a bit tiring to read.

This book is a light, funny, quirky and enjoyable read that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy. For all those who think age does not necessarily shatter the illusions(illusions with a probability of turning into reality maybe!) that you endeared as a child, and it doesn’t stop you from enjoying a pleasant read, Can You Keep a Secret will prove to be just that.

It’s been more than two years since I first read this book, but even now when I feel like reading without troubling my grey cells I almost always pick this book again.

Happy reading!

The in-between we spell L-I-F-E

With nothing interesting to do I was reading up random quotes, poems, articles etc., when I noticed one common point of contention. Life. Life and everything related. And the most common question that every thinking soul ponders upon at some point almost always is “What is the purpose of all this?” Other similar questions “Where are we going?”, “What is our purpose here?”, “What have we come to exist for?”, “What IS the ulterior motive…?”. I turn to my family and friends with the same questions, first they dismiss me and my silly talks as always, but then when I insist on knowing they give me the answer which doesn’t quite answer the question… “You’ll find out, eventually, that’s what we’re here for”. Ok, you’re as clueless as the rest of the world!



For the most part we tend to take no notice and ignore such insights; be oblivious to it and go on with our normal daily lives, no matter how tedious and monotonous this wont gets, being irrational about the place we’re headed to, smothering what we want to do to make place and time for something we HAVE to do. It maybe our sub-conscious self telling us that the likelihood of the universe conceding to out innermost wishes is few and far between, so isn’t it wise to move ahead and reach for that which we yearn and crave for as opposed to the many frivolous and petty affairs and pursuits? Here’s a thought, honestly I think the perseverance we’re endowed with is all for the wrong reasons, to meet misguided ends! Isn’t it unbecoming of us to think eminently of ourselves as the most supreme creation? Why do we assume such self-importance among all other things? We have a certain exaggerated opinion about ourselves that makes us bathe in vanity and self-conceit.


Wonder why we ignore the fact that we will, come hell or high seas, cease to be! There might be a why and a wherefore for our being and the one who solves this paramount, most substantial mystery becomes omniscient…all knowing! I have a metaphor quite apt for the whole purpose of life…a well, an indestructible unfading well. The purpose of life is exactly like a well. We know it exists, that fact is established. Yes, at the end of our journey there will be the answer as to the purpose of it all. The question to actually think about is whether the well is brimming with water or just dried up, whether we have lived all this while to find that there is some relevance to it OR to find that there is in fact nothing to it!.. So there is a purpose, the findings differ. So in the end we might just find out that life genuinely has no meaning, and mankind serves no end. There is a possibility that life is insignificant and death without consequence, it may be immaterial whether or not we live.


I’m reminded of what Somerset Maugham had once mentioned, that ‘..why can it not be that man, no more significant than other forms of life, had come not as the climax of creation but as a physical reaction to the environment?’


And so I think I shall give this question of the purport of life a rest, wait till I get to the well to find it either empty or full, but in the due course have my mind open with wonder for the possibilities of all things is so high and great. All we can do is not be insufferable insolent know-it-all’s when it comes to this, let each one figure it out for themselves and most importantly accept that all things considered we’re part of a very stupendous and immeasurable universe, a very modest, ineffectual and trifling part.


Peace…

Monday Movie Marathon!! ♥

A Monday like no other indeed! With a mug of coffee and Sleepless in Seattle!!! And oh did I mention I absolutely LOVE romantic comedies!.. One place, no, the only other place apart from books where you always find happy endings and the best guys ever… I’m not the romantic kind, oh no I’d end up having a fit of laughter if reality was anywhere close, but movies I don’t mind, I totally love them!...Melodrama looks good as long as you know it’s made up. Hypocrisy? No, it is knowing what is and what will never be.

Whatever my views on the emotional sensitivities of the world in general, I totally love to watch it on screen or read about it in books, and genuinely like them even. There are a couple of movies that I’d watch over a million times and never once feel I’ve had enough (Ok maybe not a million but you get the idea). Oh no not the overdose of emotions with unnecessary weeping, unrealistic events, over the top icky romance, no that’s downright pathetic. Those are just plain dumb, exaggerated a little too much for normal sensibilities to live with.

Easy going movies with the perfect ending…♥

I love the idea of a lone heart with just a cat for company finding herself in the middle of a big adorable and loving family, a fiancé she always had a crush on and eventually finding the Mr. Right one Christmas (While You Were Sleeping).

How a single day, even if nothing seems to go right, can turn out to be the best ever (One Fine Day).

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are always so good together, be it in ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ or ‘You’ve Got Mail’.

And the Classics! Witnessing Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet putting aside their pride and realize they’ve found in each other what they’ve always been looking for (Pride and Prejudice). When the proud Miss. Emma Woodhouse realizes that her heart, which she had been sure would never love, is no longer in her power, and her fate in this matter is now uncertain due to her own misdoings; the dangers of misconstrued romance! And then to see Mr. Knightley fix it all is a delight (Emma). The stately manors, the lush grounds, the carriages, the balls…the feel of 19^th century England…who’d think any different?!

A good start to my week surely, Monday morning blues? SO not for me!

No Tacit Temper

Warning: The author was at the time cranky, irritated, frustrated, depressed, angry, exasperated, affronted..in an indescribable mood. For better effect of the post imagine the author in the most animated form with arms flying all over, eyes popping, eyes rolling, draaaaaaaaaagggging accent at the mossssssttttt feeling words. Also appreciate the author’s herculean efforts to remain civil throughout the post, something that is a formidable task given the state of mind.

AARGGGHHH!!!!... Sometimes.. no scratch that.. Almost always things go awfully wrong and one such incident plunges you into an abyss of such melancholy it’s more vexing than depressing really! Like the vacuum sucking out all the light of the place.

What is really annoying is that the very undesirable bad luck waits lurking in the dark for that one moment when you absolutely need no miracle or a great stroke of luck for things to go smooth and make them work. Smooth running, no glitches, job done. But NOOOOooooo…. Bad luck comes and comes with a force that knocks the day lights off you. Casting its shadows on every turn, a curse upon the happening and there goes the simplest of things that COULD’VE been. And the result? A restless, agitated, frustrated mind! When nothing goes your way, when every attempt of yours comes right back to the ground, and it seems like the universe is conspiring AGAINST you as opposed to doing it for you, nothing else seems to be making sense either!.. You’re thrown into a world on confusion and a restlessness that keeps dragging you back into those murky waters you’d rather stay clear of. Like you’re running amok with the “Target me” sign around your neck, with a bulls eye mark and so the continual bombarding. And this is how I find myself at this very moment. How many times have we shouted out at the sky with the question “WHY ME?”, “WHY THIS?”, “WHYYYYYYYYYY?” .. Ok maybe not everyone is as dramatic but I certainly have. And find myself doing that yet again. :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

WHYYYYYYYY?? :-( Can you not give me a rest? Can you not find a rock to torture?!!!!!Can I not have one single thing go smoothly without any struggles and so much of head-breaking/nerve-wrecking/maddening complications that have me on the brink of insanity? Well apparently no. That’s all the answer I get and a very subtle ‘get on with it kid’. OK SO BE IT!... HMPH!... I may not win but I will definitely put up an undeniably good fight that will make things considerably difficult for the universe to ruin it for me! HA! There you go!.. *deep breaths* *calming down process* Ok I cannot do it, I need yummy food, bye!

P.S. I had to delete all the unnecessary exclamation marks, a direct consequence of my mood!!!!!!!! Poor keyboard of mine..

Romancing the Rains.

Pitter patter they fell; drenching the world,

Soaking the mud the trees and men alike,

A varied set of emotions they unfurl

Of gloom, of hope, of simple bliss or love?

I’ve always had a super liking for the rains, right from my school days when we were made to wear those horrendous coloured raincoats, all through my teen years and now. All I feel like doing is stay cuddled up in my blanket and stare outside, something I found out a lot of us would love. And it makes me do one more thing I totally love.., write.

No more a child, no more a teen even(although that’s a bit difficult to sink in), and still the sound of the threatening thunder, the whiplashing lightening, the soft calming drizzle and the total downpour each hold something special…The weather has always known to be a metaphor for one’s thoughts, feelings, moods et all, for none the same..

And so our mood interprets the rains as well, but the one common ground is that it is always welcome.

Of Gloom and hope...Even for those who think rains are gloomy, sadness is still beautiful. The feeling that the sky knows you’re in pain and is crying along with you, and then goes on to give you the most splendid rainbow lit up across its bosom gives you the hope needed, to tell you it’s all alright, that the worst of storms come to an end and that it all happens for a reason, that in not giving you what you want the universe is getting you something even better…you only have to wait for the sunshine, and together with the glistening raindrops a rainbow is formed. And so we live on with this hope, following nature’s example.

Of the simple joys...For some like me, the simple task of watching the rain splash across your window while you sip at your hot chocolate, reading one of Jane Austen’s classic, makes it the best time ever spent. Having oneself for company, it’s a very satisfying sign of being completely content, at peace with yourself and surprisingly with the world at that very moment. If there is any feeling that would describe harmony, between mankind and nature, between the heavens and earth it is this. The smell of earth during the showers is divine; it is the smell of tranquility, of nature, of purity and is easily every human’s favourite. (So that implies… think about it)

Of love...And then there is that lot who simply love the rains for somehow... for some strange reason they find it very (for the loss of a better word) romantic. And no not just the ones who’re in love with someone, even those who’re in love with the idea of love, love rains… right! This mostly is due to our highly creative and entertaining cinema, apna Bollywood where we have from time immemorial witnessed the suave dashing handsome ‘hero’ and the shy rosy cheeked (no mention of makeup it would ruin the whole mood) ‘heroine’ dancing around trees in the rain, or just looking into each other’s eyes while it rains with that deeply-in-love look, basically an overdose of the lovey-dovey coochie-cooie sentiment they want to convey.. ok we get it, you’re madly in love…Paani ki barsaat se gaano ki barsaat aa jaati hai, as we croon the cheesiest of rain-themed songs.

So here we are, linking rains with romance and why not, it’s a time when we all want to feel warm and cuddle up, be it your soft toy, your dog or the person you love.

End of it all, each one of us loves a rainy day, we have all found immense joy in getting drenched against the elders’ warnings, standing alone facing the sky hugging the rain, riding our bikes in the drizzle, craving for garam pakoras, sipping hot tea, chocolate, coffee whatever your taste.. Easily the best time of the year, no summer days, no cool winters will ever be anticipated as much as this splish-splash season.