"Lucky" numbers

I dont really associate myself to the evergrowing population celebrating Valentine's Day worldwide (in the typical and cliched manner), but it does feel good to go out of the way and do something un-routinely for a change. So I got a reason and a chance to give N a surprise last Sunday in the name of Valentine's day gift. Apparently, Lucky Ali was performing live in Bangalore and I did not want to miss out this opportunity as we both are ardent Lucky Ali fans.

There was just one problem!

The same day, Indian team was playing Australian cricket team for a practice match in Bangalore (and I had a doubt that N might be planning to go for this match). So I double checked with him a couple of times if he has any plans for Sunday and he definitely got suspicious.

"Are you planning something?" he asked, suspiciously.

"Oh no!" I muttered to myself.

"No, not at all. I was just asking coz a few of your friends are planning to go" I finally managed to say.

"Nopes! Its totally impossible to get the tickets and then, I am not really much enthu about it coz its just a practice match" he said, still looking suspiciously at me.

He kept pestering me till Sunday and when I finally handed him the print-outs for the concert tickets, he was really excited. When we reached the concert venue, we were pleasantly surprised to realise that it is happening in an open air amphi-theater in UB City, one of the most beautiful malls in Bangalore. When the concert started, it was just like any other concert. Some random chap came and started crooning self-composed english songs. We waited and waited till finally Lucky Ali decided to show up.

And then, it was as if we were transported to a different world altogether. Lucky Ali kept belting out one beautiful number after another. There was no hooting and no chaos usually associated with live concerts. Just beautiful, touching and heartfelt songs. Since a sizeable number of Bangalore crowd was busy with the cricket match and Bryam Adams concert (again happening on the same day in some other venue), it was not very crowded. The weather was also just perfect. It felt more like a private performance for a small group of people simply there for the love of Lucky Ali. There were a few song requests and Lucky Ali entertained them all.

When he wasn't singing, he was busy making everyone laugh at his witty jokes and clever one liners. Sample this:

Talking about love:
"Love doesn't necessarily mean.... Well, love doesn't mean...it just is..."

Taking a jibe at the hype of Valentine's Day:
"Ahh...the pressures of Valentine's day..."

When talking about his character in "Sur"
"In Sur, the main protagonist is an egoistical person. May be this character resonated with the director's personality"

When someone shouted "Tu kaun hai" (requesting to sing one of his songs "tu kaun hai"):
"Main Lucky Ali hoon..."

We just wanted him to go on and on but he finally ended the concert with one of his father's songs "Aao twist karen". Even after he left we kept waiting for around 5 minutes expecting him to come back and sing may be just one more song. But no, he was gone for good.

"This was one of the best concerts I have ever attended. I am so glad we came for this" N said.

I couldn't agree more :)

one of the shots of Lucky Ali that I took with my phone cam

Happy New Year 2011

Dear blog,
I know I had sort of abandoned you. So many times I thought of penning down my thoughts here but didn't do it. Anyways, I am not going to write down all the regrets and disappointments today, I am simply going to celebrate the fact that I finally wrote.

Last year did not turn out to be as good as I had expected, but I am gonna make this year a really rocking one. And you would be a part of all my trials and tribulations, I promise.

I am not going to have any new year resolutions as I do not believe on living life on pre-determined basis. Rather, I would take each day as it comes, and try to make it more fulfilling than the previous one. But yes, I do make a resolve to spend less time fooling around on the internet and more time enjoying the little blissful moments that the life has to offer. I also hope to travel more this year as traveling keeps me rejuvenated and alive.

Here's to a rocking 2011
Cheers!!!
-N

Oops! I have fallen again...

What do you do when somebody goes out of the way to do something for you??...something that is so nice, touching and lovely that you don't have words to describe the feeling!

Well, I had already fallen for him but I was swept off my feet again when he cooked entire dinner "including chapatis" for a sleepy, tired, hungry and annoyed me, in the middle of the night (it makes the occasion all the more special coz he had made the chapatis for the 1st time in his life)

It followed with some nice crispy dosas and amazing adrak chai for breakfast the following morning!

My heartfelt gratitude and love for you...mwaah!!!

Hope 2009 will just be fine.

Happy New Year everyone. I know it's a bit late par kya karun yaar...recently things turned out to be not-so-good at my end. On Christmas, Neeraj met with a shocking and bizarre accident. He was hit on the head by a total stranger while walking on the road after office hours. Things could have been nasty but his presence of mind and a brave fightback saved the day (and his life). Till now I thought such things happen only in movies.....lekin ye life kisi bhi movie ki story se jyaada dramatic hai.

I had to cut short my trip to Kolkata and immediately rush back to B'lore. However, by God's grace, he was fine and out of danger. So all new year plans were dumped and we had a peaceful new year at our home along with my 2 sis-in-laws who had come to visit us after Neeraj's accident.

Though 2008 didn't end the way we had planned but I'll always remember last year for one very simple reason: I got married and started a new chapter of my life...leaving behind a lot of old memories and readying myself to grace a lot of new ones!

Right now I am looking forward to another amazing year of my life. A few things that I want to do in 2009 would be (I feel that putting things in writing makes it easier to execute them...MBA-mentality hai na...can't help it):

1. Learn swimming (yeah, I am a Piscean and I can't swim...what an irony!)
2. Learn guitar.
3. Get a job (abhi tak velli hoon yaar!)
4. Take an adventure holiday.
5. Plan a surprise for someone special.
6. Get in touch with old friends and call and mail them more often.
7. Be involved in any one social service activity.
8. Be more regular in blogging.
9. Watch all the pending movies (and all the new ones too!)
10. Love and enjoy life even more than before!

I think that's a good enough list for now. Would add more as and when required.

Have a safe, healthy, happy 2009...!!!

As an afterthought, my tribute to all those who lost their lives in 26/11 Mumbai attack. May God give strength to their families.

I am here again.

Hello everyone
(though I am not sure after such a long break how many people would be still visitng my blog)

This has been my longest break from my blog....almost 9 months...looks like I had taken a maternity leave from my blog (sad joke, I know!). If you ask me what was the reason for not contributing any junk to the blog servers for so long...I have just three little words to say......"I was lazy".

While I was away all this while, my blog went past one year of its existence. So a very Happy Belated Birthday to you my blog. Though I was not around you all this time, I still love you a lot....mwaah!!! :)

Sometimes you are just too self consumed and detached to take out time for things that matter to you. And thats what has happened in the past 9 months....when I decided to pen down my thoughts a lot many times...but something just kept postponing that ritual.

I had been meaning to write a lot about my life post marriage.....the marital bliss that I have been enjoying....which includes a lot of fun moments....and a few painful ones as well. But it has been an amazing rollercoaster ride. Thanks to my sweet hubby....I travelled to so many wonderful places....experimented with different cuisines....started taking some interest in physical activities like swimming, TT, adventure sports etc. and even became a mature and (hopefully) more understanding individual.

There is so much to write....yet I dont know how should I frame everything in one single post. So before this draft post also goes into oblivion, I better post it. The latest updates are that I am back to Bangalore...Neeraj has taken up a job here and we have permanently shifted to India from US. As of now, I am completely vella and berozgaar and on the look out for some decent job in this recession period. And this berozgaari has made me a complete couch potato. So next time you need to know about the developments in serials like "Baalika Vadhu", "Bigg Boss", "Dill Mill Gayye", etc. etc., you know whom to contact.

The next post wont come after such a long break hopefully, and my love affair with my life would go on forever and ever.

Till then....enjoy the Indian cricket team screwing up England in the on-going ODI series! :)

Some things just don't need a title!

In exact one month from now, we would be tying the nuptial knot! There was a time when we both had not even met each other...and still it seemed as if we knew each other so well. At that time I was waiting for my Prince Charming to meet me and sweep me off my feet...and now, I am waiting for him to make me his princess!

The following lines were apt and true then...the following lines are apt and true now also. It was dedicated to him then...it is dedicated to him now also!

We both haven't completed this poem...coz certain things are better left unfinished...forever...

Initially strangers we were,
Overtime became friends dear,
In spite of the unknown fear, my heart is going through...
A feeling that is very early, very strange, very beautiful!


The wait is becoming long,
The bond is growing strong,
It doesn't seem any more wrong, that we are savouring...
A feeling that is very early, very strange, very beautiful!

Weekend tidbits

If you happen to be a privileged resident of Bangalore, I am sure you must not have missed the amazing treatment that the autowallahs give you here (sarcasm very much intended). They actually feel as if the entire working crowd in city of Bangalore are money minting machines having loads of money. They just don’t think twice before charging exorbitant sums (Sometimes I feel that this is latest kind of extortion mechanism!).

Just penning one of the innumerable experiences with the autowallah…
Last weekend I had to go to Forum (a mall) which is from my place a minimum charge by a rick (Rs 12). It is just 4 in the evening and I stop a rick

Me: Bhaiya Forum?
Autowallah: Ummm…theek hai. Only 30 rupees
Me (Muttering under my breath): What the..!!!

My roommate has a brilliant punch line for these autowallahs. She will approach them and say…

Roommate: Bhaiya waise toh hume pata hai ki aap xyz jagah par nahi jaayenge. Phir bhi hum aapse pooch hi lete hain kya aap xyz chaloge?
(The autowallah gives a confused and surprised look, and sometimes outta this confusion he reluctantly agrees to take us!)

Jai ho Bangalore ke autowaalon ki!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It has been so long that I left Mumbai. But it still seems that I belong there. Remember those good old days when people used to get something or meet someone from their native place and immediately felt a bonding towards that thing or person, thinking…”arre ye mere gaon ka hai!!!”

Something similar happens to me when I come across someone or something remotely related to Mumbai in this alien city down south.

So it was simply a moment to cherish when after months, I decided to have Vada Pav last weekend. I was all alone at that time and usually hate eating without a company. But surprisingly, I enjoyed my Vada Pav a lot. To tell you frankly, it felt as if:

I relished Mumbai again!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ahhh…..I have moved and traveled so many times from one place to another in the past couple of years that I have almost become quite comfortable with the trauma of packing and unpacking every time. (Given the optimistic person that I am, I have started seeing it as an alternate career opportunity….having my own Packers and Movers Company. Tell me if you are looking for a job change. Don’t get me wrong dude…I won’t hire you…I’ll come and help you pack!) :D

So it did not bother me much that I have to pack a cupboard full of clothes and other stuff before moving from Bangalore to Calcutta. My dad was after me for last two weekends and every time he brought up this topic, I would assure him that this weekend I’ll finish most of the packing (and no prizes for guessing, I would postpone it every time!).

But last Sunday, I decided to take action on my dad’s advice (phew! finally!!) and started packing at 11 in the night. Boy! It turned out to be more tedious than I had thought….and then, I started feeling hungry. Cooked up something in the middle of the night (wanna use the phrase “I was burning the midnight oil”…hee hee). After satiating the rats in my stomach, I started packing again.

And after three hours of slogging, the moment finally came when I took a deep breath and calmly said:

Khallas!!!