A couple of days ago, while switching channels I came across this ‘breaking news’ on India TV. Somewhere in Bangalore, a man proclaimed that he had a stone which answers questions. If the answers is yes, the stone becomes light for him to lift easily and if the answer is no, then the stone will become so heavy that he wont be able to lift.
It’s obvious that he is a fraud. But there were enough gullible people even in the city for him to amass large amount of wealth. It took a ‘Sting Operation’ and several request from the India TV people to (hopefully) make people see sense.
But isn’t it strange that the more modern and technologically enhanced our society gets, the more superstitious the people get? The more fragmented life gets, the lesser faith you have in yourself. So even a ridiculous suggestion like the above can create such a desperate need to connect to something.
Sigh.
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Does the sponsorship voiceover in Star World really pronounce HCL as HechCL?
I think the guy who says Korea Sparkle in the Korea Tourism ad is really really cute. I didn’t know Koreans could be so good looking. Hmm…I think I’ll add Korea in my list of foreign travel destinations!
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Sample this scene from ‘Seinfeld’ on Star World.
Jerry, the comedian is dating a ‘non’ laugher!!
George is dating a model who, he thinks is bulimic coz she keeps going to the bathroom after every meal. One day he follows her to the loo and hears ‘throwing up’ type noises.
George: So its true…
Jerry: What do you mean?
George: The ‘yuucck’ noise from the bathroom.
Jerry: So you meeaan….
Elaine: Do u care?
George: Of course I Care. I don’t want my monies flushed down the toilet, go down the drain every time I pay for the meal! I want my monies to be work for some time, u know digested properly!
Hilarious!! New York lifestyle at its best! George is so straight-forwardly devious and so straight-forwardly superficial. I just love him!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
Pres – tea - gious:
I went to a Mall last week. I don’t know which one because all look the same to me. And my only reason for venturing there was that it was too hot to do anything outside and the ACied surrounding was a welcome relief for a change. But that’s not the story here.
I like tea. Better than coffee. Coffee I can have only once in the morning and once in the evening. Tea is anytime anyplace. Over a Cuppa – means over a cup of ‘Tea’. From Masala Chai to Earl Greys, (to Long island ‘Tea’ ;-) anything will do. But anyway, that again is not the point here.
At this Mall, there was a Café Coffee Day. The guy over the counter taking orders was rude. He had this ‘you little filthy pigs’ attitude. He was arguing with the person before me on why he didn’t he come with some change. Maybe he was having a bad day. When my turn came, I placed an order for a Darjeeling tea and an iceberg for a friend. He immediately looked down his nose at me (actually everybody looks down on me coz I am very short) and proclaimed – “(I hope u know that) Darjeeling is a very light tea.” I couldn’t help myself; I made a face at him and said – “ I KnoW!!”
So what is the deal here? Is Darjeeling served to only the immaculately dressed, lipstick and mascara in place kind of people and not to jhallas like me? Or suddenly Darjeeling has become a fad and people order it without knowing the taste and he was only doing his duty of informing me? It’s after all an acquired taste.
Another guy came and served us our order. When I told him to take the milk away, he looked at me as if I was from a village in Bihar. Well it’s a preference; I don’t like milk with my Darjeeling!
Definitely all the jokers there had an attitude and also according to them only classy, elegant people should drink Darjeeling!
Hmmm….when Barista had newly opened, the staff used to inform us that Espresso was black coffee unlike the Expresso’s that we used to have outside. They were never so rude or hoity-toity ….Ohh god, I am again digressing.
I like tea. Better than coffee. Coffee I can have only once in the morning and once in the evening. Tea is anytime anyplace. Over a Cuppa – means over a cup of ‘Tea’. From Masala Chai to Earl Greys, (to Long island ‘Tea’ ;-) anything will do. But anyway, that again is not the point here.
At this Mall, there was a Café Coffee Day. The guy over the counter taking orders was rude. He had this ‘you little filthy pigs’ attitude. He was arguing with the person before me on why he didn’t he come with some change. Maybe he was having a bad day. When my turn came, I placed an order for a Darjeeling tea and an iceberg for a friend. He immediately looked down his nose at me (actually everybody looks down on me coz I am very short) and proclaimed – “(I hope u know that) Darjeeling is a very light tea.” I couldn’t help myself; I made a face at him and said – “ I KnoW!!”
So what is the deal here? Is Darjeeling served to only the immaculately dressed, lipstick and mascara in place kind of people and not to jhallas like me? Or suddenly Darjeeling has become a fad and people order it without knowing the taste and he was only doing his duty of informing me? It’s after all an acquired taste.
Another guy came and served us our order. When I told him to take the milk away, he looked at me as if I was from a village in Bihar. Well it’s a preference; I don’t like milk with my Darjeeling!
Definitely all the jokers there had an attitude and also according to them only classy, elegant people should drink Darjeeling!
Hmmm….when Barista had newly opened, the staff used to inform us that Espresso was black coffee unlike the Expresso’s that we used to have outside. They were never so rude or hoity-toity ….Ohh god, I am again digressing.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Generation Strange:
I love to bait and then bash the new generations….the present day teens and kids. I believe that they are a highly pampered, irresponsible and a precocious bunch who will never have any true understanding of life and nature. I have always held my generation and those previous in very high regards….and why not….we have gone thru a phase where we did not have anything to a phase where we have almost everything. Hence who would know life better than us?
And then I saw a 3-4 years old girl wearing a halter-ish gown with a slit upto the thigh. The dress was pretty and the girl looked cute….but why force fashion and sexuality on a such little girl…isn’t the world already a bad bad place without inviting the big bad wolves lurking everywhere?
My ex-boss’s eight-year-old son goes to an elite school in Delhi. She said that she never pampers her son. And in the same breath told us that she bought him a Nokia handset costing Rs13000. It is a necessity for a child to have a mobile…coz the working mother needs to keep a tab. All agreed given the situation….but why a Rs. 13k phone?
A friend who works in an advertising agency told me a rather sad tale the other day. A proud father had approached her with his son’s portfolio. He had done many ads in the past. The father soon became aggressive and called her up day and night telling her that his son had worked with all the agencies except hers. He met her, cajoled her and messaged her till the time an opportunity came up. On the shoot day which was almost towards the evening, they landed up. The boy looked tired and could not perform. The mother informed her that he’s been shooting since morning. Instead of being sympathetic, the mom shouted at the kid that if he didn’t get the shot right, he’ll get a slap. Whatever happened to the concept of childhood or is it always about the money and parents’ ambition?
Suddenly I realized that all these kids and teens have parents who are my age group or perhaps a decade older. So I cannot really blame them but rather blame the very generation I thought was intelligent and grounded enough to know and understand life. These parents, in an effort to get the best out of everything, have messed up not only their lives but many generations to come.
And since the downfall has already started, I can only look at these 30-somethings, sigh and wonder….what went wrong.
And then I saw a 3-4 years old girl wearing a halter-ish gown with a slit upto the thigh. The dress was pretty and the girl looked cute….but why force fashion and sexuality on a such little girl…isn’t the world already a bad bad place without inviting the big bad wolves lurking everywhere?
My ex-boss’s eight-year-old son goes to an elite school in Delhi. She said that she never pampers her son. And in the same breath told us that she bought him a Nokia handset costing Rs13000. It is a necessity for a child to have a mobile…coz the working mother needs to keep a tab. All agreed given the situation….but why a Rs. 13k phone?
A friend who works in an advertising agency told me a rather sad tale the other day. A proud father had approached her with his son’s portfolio. He had done many ads in the past. The father soon became aggressive and called her up day and night telling her that his son had worked with all the agencies except hers. He met her, cajoled her and messaged her till the time an opportunity came up. On the shoot day which was almost towards the evening, they landed up. The boy looked tired and could not perform. The mother informed her that he’s been shooting since morning. Instead of being sympathetic, the mom shouted at the kid that if he didn’t get the shot right, he’ll get a slap. Whatever happened to the concept of childhood or is it always about the money and parents’ ambition?
Suddenly I realized that all these kids and teens have parents who are my age group or perhaps a decade older. So I cannot really blame them but rather blame the very generation I thought was intelligent and grounded enough to know and understand life. These parents, in an effort to get the best out of everything, have messed up not only their lives but many generations to come.
And since the downfall has already started, I can only look at these 30-somethings, sigh and wonder….what went wrong.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Something’s cooking!
I am not a good cook….I can barely manage to dish out edible khana. All my life I have been dead sure that if I strictly follow the instructions in the cookbooks, I’ll be able to get the formula correct.
So for many years, I tried this trick or the other – biryani, paneer, cakes….nothing came out good. Mind you, they were just okay but not finger licking good. Then a few months ago, I met this person who came very close to taking my heart. He was a foodie like me and we discussed all kinds of dishes and cuisine. So I started cooking again, this time keeping him in mind. I didn’t follow the cookbook but just what mom told me. Some I tried on my own. And surprise of all surprises – all my dishes came out delicious. My mom was amazed and so was I.
This continued for some months until one day I realized that he’s not my man after all. That very week I cooked a normal subzi with the right masala and everything. It took me an hour to finish cooking it and not only the taste was all wrong but the vegetables were still hard.
That’s when I remembered what my mom and other seniors had often told me - that one should cook with her heart. Only then the food turns out delicious. All this while, I had ignored it completely as an old hag’s tale. Now I know – maybe when I meet ‘the’ man of my life, I will become a great cook once again.
So for many years, I tried this trick or the other – biryani, paneer, cakes….nothing came out good. Mind you, they were just okay but not finger licking good. Then a few months ago, I met this person who came very close to taking my heart. He was a foodie like me and we discussed all kinds of dishes and cuisine. So I started cooking again, this time keeping him in mind. I didn’t follow the cookbook but just what mom told me. Some I tried on my own. And surprise of all surprises – all my dishes came out delicious. My mom was amazed and so was I.
This continued for some months until one day I realized that he’s not my man after all. That very week I cooked a normal subzi with the right masala and everything. It took me an hour to finish cooking it and not only the taste was all wrong but the vegetables were still hard.
That’s when I remembered what my mom and other seniors had often told me - that one should cook with her heart. Only then the food turns out delicious. All this while, I had ignored it completely as an old hag’s tale. Now I know – maybe when I meet ‘the’ man of my life, I will become a great cook once again.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Do I really need Your advice?
I have been off work for a few months now – something which could have been avoided but I didn’t want to.
I refused a good job at a decent place coz it reminded me so much of my earlier office – something which I should have taken but I didn’t want to.
A few days back I went to my ex-office to collect my final dues. I met the guard there who asked me where I had joined. When I told him no, he commented that time is money.
A colleague (ex) sat and chatted up with me. He showed great concern about why I wasn’t working. He insisted that I should immediately go back to work and that I shouldn’t have refused the other offer. His point was I was harming my career in the process.
Some of my acquaintances call me up from time to time to check whether I’ve got a job or not. They show extreme concern over my financial situation and how I am wasting my days doing absolutely nothing.
To all of them, I make some uninteresting noises and laugh it off. But I hate it when they show concern about my situation when they do not know even 1% of who I am. I know all of them mean well….but who are they to judge my choices in life.
And why is everything weighed with money? Whatever happened to personal choices, decisions and living life my way and being happy?
I refused a good job at a decent place coz it reminded me so much of my earlier office – something which I should have taken but I didn’t want to.
A few days back I went to my ex-office to collect my final dues. I met the guard there who asked me where I had joined. When I told him no, he commented that time is money.
A colleague (ex) sat and chatted up with me. He showed great concern about why I wasn’t working. He insisted that I should immediately go back to work and that I shouldn’t have refused the other offer. His point was I was harming my career in the process.
Some of my acquaintances call me up from time to time to check whether I’ve got a job or not. They show extreme concern over my financial situation and how I am wasting my days doing absolutely nothing.
To all of them, I make some uninteresting noises and laugh it off. But I hate it when they show concern about my situation when they do not know even 1% of who I am. I know all of them mean well….but who are they to judge my choices in life.
And why is everything weighed with money? Whatever happened to personal choices, decisions and living life my way and being happy?
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Times…they have a’changed!
If one wants to check out the latest fashion trends of the city, one just has to go to the Priya Complex. There is usually something or the other happening and one can find the hippest crowd hanging around. Even some 10 years ago. I remember a time when khadi kutris and big bindis and oxidized ear-rings were in vogue. A rare bold few wore mini skirts in day time but only to be seen at the Priya Complex.
Sitting with a friend at Priya’s one weekday, I watched the school kids thronging the place…and with their exams just getting over, they were at their carefree best. What was a rarity then has become the norm today. Casual minis and noodle strap tops as revealing as they can get….(didn’t see too much of coloured hair though!). The best part however was that everybody seemed comfortable, the girls as well as the guys. Unlike yesteryears, nobody turned around to stare – except I think for me!
At that age, we had also experienced a fashion revolution of kinds. Baggy Jeans and baggy colorful sweaters with shoulders drooping till the elbow had taken our world by storm. We also used to fold the jeans till our ankles but the looks never came anywhere close to the fashionable Capri looks of today. And dancing at a friends place to the tune of Hawa-hawa and Like a Virgin, we also had our share of fun. We all used to fantasize about wearing minis and revealing tops and be free. But with so many chances now, most at our age will feel rather uncomfortable and much undressed.
An ex-colleague had said, we should have been born either 10 years ago or 10 years later. We are caught at a transition phase…holding on to what was so real and being pushed to a life which is fast becoming sur-real.
But I will not give up my current status in life for anything. I think ours is the last generation who had a chance to live real quality life….no other generation will ever know what they really missed.
Sitting with a friend at Priya’s one weekday, I watched the school kids thronging the place…and with their exams just getting over, they were at their carefree best. What was a rarity then has become the norm today. Casual minis and noodle strap tops as revealing as they can get….(didn’t see too much of coloured hair though!). The best part however was that everybody seemed comfortable, the girls as well as the guys. Unlike yesteryears, nobody turned around to stare – except I think for me!
At that age, we had also experienced a fashion revolution of kinds. Baggy Jeans and baggy colorful sweaters with shoulders drooping till the elbow had taken our world by storm. We also used to fold the jeans till our ankles but the looks never came anywhere close to the fashionable Capri looks of today. And dancing at a friends place to the tune of Hawa-hawa and Like a Virgin, we also had our share of fun. We all used to fantasize about wearing minis and revealing tops and be free. But with so many chances now, most at our age will feel rather uncomfortable and much undressed.
An ex-colleague had said, we should have been born either 10 years ago or 10 years later. We are caught at a transition phase…holding on to what was so real and being pushed to a life which is fast becoming sur-real.
But I will not give up my current status in life for anything. I think ours is the last generation who had a chance to live real quality life….no other generation will ever know what they really missed.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Delhi DNA:
A few days ago, My ex-Delhite and a current Mumbaite friend and I went to our favourite watering hole – TC. He’s now taken to calling Delhi ‘your city’ after spending more than 2 decades here, much to my chagrin. But anyway…..that’s not the story here.
It was a non-media / party day and we arrived at a time when mostly non-working or oldies like us visit a pub. Not surprisingly, there were only 3 groups of people sitting close by and the music was relatively low. Good music and a little tipple in the belly had loosened inhibitions - enough for all the people in the various groups to talk a tad loudly for me to overhear snippets of conversations.
Group1: 2 guys in their mid 20s, from a very middle class background and wearing regular striped shirts and loose trousers, talked only in Hindi. They seemed to have reached a fairly decent income level – enough for them to get ready for marriage. Bits of talks suggested that one had ‘seen’ one girl for shaadi and were discussing her and ‘characters’ of girls in office in general.
Guy1: Calling the waiter – Arre kapda maar de!
Waiter: We don’t do like that here.
Guy1: Jo bhi, table saaf kar de.
Waiter: Cleans
Guy1: Tandoori nahin hain?
Waiter: No.
Guy1: Kya yaar, humlog yahan aaye the sochkar ke tandoori milega. (It always has to be Tandoori!)
Guy2: Thik hain, phir chilli chicken de de! (And why only Chilli chicken as a substitute?)
Group2: 2 guys in their late 30s or early 40s, moneyed and confident and expensively dressed.
Guy1: MC, BC, Ch*^&^……(and strings of abuses)…..and then Shiela Dixit, ?? Fernandes and (some body apparently big) had come to inaugurate my show…(and so the name dropping game start!)
Group3: 3 girls in their early 20s probably in their first job, had come down to check the pub scenario. They were sitting closely and sipping mocktails and very naturally talking and giggling about office, the guys in the office and who said what. They reminded me of my giggly new work life days! But 20-somethings in a pub meant for 25 years and above and Only girls??!! Delhi sure is changing.
It was a non-media / party day and we arrived at a time when mostly non-working or oldies like us visit a pub. Not surprisingly, there were only 3 groups of people sitting close by and the music was relatively low. Good music and a little tipple in the belly had loosened inhibitions - enough for all the people in the various groups to talk a tad loudly for me to overhear snippets of conversations.
Group1: 2 guys in their mid 20s, from a very middle class background and wearing regular striped shirts and loose trousers, talked only in Hindi. They seemed to have reached a fairly decent income level – enough for them to get ready for marriage. Bits of talks suggested that one had ‘seen’ one girl for shaadi and were discussing her and ‘characters’ of girls in office in general.
Guy1: Calling the waiter – Arre kapda maar de!
Waiter: We don’t do like that here.
Guy1: Jo bhi, table saaf kar de.
Waiter: Cleans
Guy1: Tandoori nahin hain?
Waiter: No.
Guy1: Kya yaar, humlog yahan aaye the sochkar ke tandoori milega. (It always has to be Tandoori!)
Guy2: Thik hain, phir chilli chicken de de! (And why only Chilli chicken as a substitute?)
Group2: 2 guys in their late 30s or early 40s, moneyed and confident and expensively dressed.
Guy1: MC, BC, Ch*^&^……(and strings of abuses)…..and then Shiela Dixit, ?? Fernandes and (some body apparently big) had come to inaugurate my show…(and so the name dropping game start!)
Group3: 3 girls in their early 20s probably in their first job, had come down to check the pub scenario. They were sitting closely and sipping mocktails and very naturally talking and giggling about office, the guys in the office and who said what. They reminded me of my giggly new work life days! But 20-somethings in a pub meant for 25 years and above and Only girls??!! Delhi sure is changing.
As the night grew, people also started streaming in and the music got better and louder. We looked around; not an oldie in sight. A cool hangout place for the 30-somethings with great rock music had suddenly converted into a haven for the post-teens. When another drove of barely mustached boys walked in, we decided it was time to leave. Certain mindsets like tandoori chicken and name dropping will never change in Delhi. But we could not bear to hear the good old Rock change to a Pussycat dolls number in our favourite joint. So we left and let the young Delhites to redefine the city and its watering holes.
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