Decadence

Delhilicious

I consider myself quite lucky as I hastily type this, totally overwhelmed in my present surroundings...sitting in one of the many sunny spots of the Imperial suite of the Imperial Hotel.
More than decor or even the various objets d'arts, I think it's the sublime light that bathes this massive space that makes it unlike any other suite I have ever visited before. The Imperial Hotel is a grand testament of the Art Deco style of design. Personally I love the geometric lines and unusual shapes of the art deco period, not to mention the outrageous fashion!
I first came to the Imperial Hotel years ago for the launch of Chanel in India. What a perfect setting this was to the brand! I was younger and less exposed, so what the I saw at the event left an indelible mark upon me.

I am so glad to be back here and shall be camping out in this suite for the nest 3 days on work. This is definitely one place I don't mind being held hostage in!!!

GG for Life

i thought she had gone...she had thrown her away her crochet top and long ghagra skirt. She had grown up, travelled and had decided that those days were childish and now part of a distant memory.

But alas, the GG lives and has perhaps changed a lot from those early years, she is more GG than ever before!

I can't describe it. It's beyond words for me since I can never fathom what it is that makes Goa so special. It's a connection so deep and strong, and no, it's not that I'm high on the good stuff, it's more 'spiritual' than that.
I have been visiting Goa since I was literally born and I yet haven't actually discovered it. I think that's the best thing about Goa - I can never get enough of it! Every time I visit, I discover something new, and always something wonderful. So it leaves me with a valid reason to return. Yet again!
What's interesting is also that I have had various 'goa phases' . For each period of my life I have lived and loved a different Goa. Each trip is memorable and distinct for some specific reason. Each one is engrained into my mind with a vivid association of colours, foods, songs and of course people....
I remember faces and places very well. Actually it's often quite bizarre because it could be a person I might have bumped into amidst a colourful array of scarves at a stall in the flea market, only to bump into him or her at some other unrelated place at another point of time. For the most part, these completely random "meetings" have always been positive. These people have been good to me or shared with me or helped me or better still, have taught me something I have treasured ever since. So what might appear at first as "random", have been significant and valuable little postcards that make it such a sweet memory.

I won't pretend, but I also do associate goa with an air of mystery and the unexpected. I become another person the moment I land at Dabolim Airport (which has remained the exact same since time immemorial). This Aru is definitely lighter, looser and lives on the edge! Ok, it isn't as if I indulge in particularly dangerous activities all of a sudden, but I most certainly am less cautious than the original me. I live by the sun, the moon and the elements. It is as close as I can go to living au naturel...I love that I have windy, salty, matted hair and that I'm in my favourite (totally fatela) mulmul pyjamas. I don't need to tan, but I still sit in the Sun to get "colour". I love to leave Goa with the shape of my watch as the official souvenir from that visit.

My last visit was the previous weekend and was it fun! I went there on a girl's DND ( do not disclose) trip so this blog post can't reveal what went down there but I'll share all the safe parts.
For starters, we made a call to stick to the basics and stay at the Taj Village.

Now that is a place that I have intensely strong memories of (for all that transpired there!). God, from days spent eating Tom n Jerry chicken at the Kiddies Corner in between blissful hours spent at the pool, of nights spent dancing to the macarena, to the Tambola games I would happily lose at every evening at the Caravela, to Chef Rego's heavenly local fare, to volleyball games to MTV The Grind like mojito-filled sunsets to villa 7, 8 and 9 to the Bidappas, to post board exam mayhem and destruction (the general going on's of my batch that year led to a blanket rule laid by the village on having a parent accompany the group on future exam celebration groups!) to bike rides, to the storm of 1997 that brought ashore the big oil tanker that now is a permanent part of the shoreline......and I could go on and on!
Well after dedicating all my family summer holidays within the happy confines of the village, we all experimented and have since found other places that seem more fitting to the change of plans. The girls thought returning to the comfort zone made sense since it was technically off season and it would be nice to be in a known space.
I must admit, although the village will always hold these wonderful memories, it as now lost its magic. Not that it is run-down, rather, it has run-out. By which I mean, it hAs gotten dated and left behind amongst the many newer resorts in goa that have come up since. The location of the hotel is no longer ideal since it is away from the Baga strip and cab rides are ridiculously expensive. The rooms are okkkk, the khaana is as expected, the pool bar plays soft music and saddest of all, there is NO beach!
In any case, we weren't going to let off-season or an off-location deter our lot from the good times. We were determined to make it work, especially since the groom to be was living it up and how in Thailand!

After gathering necessary information from the all-learned Goa cab drivers, we were directed towards the only "on" scene - the infamous Tito's lane.

That's another thing that one will hear a lot whilst in Goa, "Dude what's on tonight?" and "Where's the party?"
As in most seasonal party towns around the world, in Goa depending on the time of the year / the night in the week and the occasion; certain locations are "on" or not. The "on" place is the spots that shall remain on till late at night or even the next day.
Another useful word to throw into your party lingo is "canned" which would mean that due to some reason, the "on" scene has been unceremoniously stopped early.

In Goa, usually the best way to find the party is to stay in touch with the savvy cabbies and to keep your ears alert to catch the thump of the bass.
What deliciously exciting times I have had following the traffic towards what is hopefully an "on" scene. Sighhh - good times indeed


I think the bride ended up trading her angel wings for devils horns by the end of it all.......

That brings me to the end of this nostalgic post.

teşekkür Ambush and the crew...we did well!

Cannot wait for my next adventure - I hear the waves calling.

ENDourage

So long fellas....

I am quite sad as I typed my farewell to Vinny Chase and the boys. It has been an exciting 8 years with them.

I must admit, I have always been starry-eyed and have secretly longed for a taste of the life of the Hollywood Brat Pack and watching the 22 mins of Entourage was the closest I got to it.

I remember when the show started, I was instantly taken into the world, living vicariously through them - chilling in the pad, shopping with them, going to the parties with them, rolling through town in one of their awesome cars (I had a soft spot for the yellow Hummer though) and basically living it up with them!
I remember the first time I visited L.A was in the second season of the show and by then, I had my hit-list of entourage hot-spots to go to. Luckily, my friends there were super savvy and bigger fans than I was, so I got pretty darn lucky and spent those days blissfully at the Urth Cafe (Vinny's all time favourite cafe!!), hoping for a sighting of any one of them!

That didn't happen but the love affair continued...

It is difficult for me to pick my favourite character; although I love me an Ari Gold. Whattaguy!
Despite his garbage-filled mouth, his utter disdain for society at large and his serious anger management issues; Ari Gold is a gutsy workaholic, a family man and a live-wire of a person, who ends up showing rays of humanity when it really counts. His dialogues are epic and worthy of a compilation!
Of course, you gotta love Vinny Chase - the man with the entourage. The best thing about Adrian Grenier is his eyes. The boy hardly has to do more than look at you ( or rather, the camera); to get your heart to burst with love . I must say, as the show went on, the Vinny Effect did start to wear off. His character was written weakly and became less and less charismatic. Also, after a point he got fairly side lined and irrelevant. But not matter what, Vinny remained a "chick magnet", gathering into his coterie most of LaLa's finest....But always, making sure to share the wealth with the rest, along his conquests.
And who made sure to be around Vinny at all times, especially when the girls were around: Johnny Drama and Turtle, of course. The most endearing of the lot, these two play the Laurel and Hardy duo in the show. Drama, Vinny's older sibling, makes one ponder of the wonderments of genetics. How can a Vinny have a Drama as a blood brother is quite a thought. Johnny Drama is one of its kind - brimming with inner confidence and self belief as an Academy award winning actor who for some strange reason hasn't received the kind of acknowledgement he ought to have by the industry in general. A fierce protector of the brood, Drama is the official nourishment provider to the entourage, whipping together the most delicious looking breakfast spreads. Whilst Drama tries to spread his positive cheer, Turtle tries his best to "score". Literally speaking! In his signature cap and sneakers uniform(with Arnold his massive Rotweiller in tow), Turtle ends up as quite a "chick magnet" himself getting Jamie Lynn Sigler as one of his serious girlfriends. I think it was that relationship that serveed as a turning point in Turtle's personality since he had started out as Vinny's Man Friday, the official driver and provider of the herbal stuff  in the crew. He swiftly graduates to become an astute businessman and independent individual, trying to break away from Vinny's shadow.
hat leaves me to Eric Murphy. E, oh E! Principally, he serves as the Voice of Reason to thr group, often popping them out of their self delusions and self indulgences. E is the most stable and conventional of all the characters. Eric is the good guy, the hard working guy, Vinny's best friend and manager. He and Ari remain at loggerheads with another through most of the show, but end up joining forces in the end. Eric gets his dream girl (of course!!!) and alls well that ends well....

With a smattering of several other incredibly memorable characters (Llyod and Shauna particularly). Not to mention, the self-starring appearances, every episode was smart and with it. You really did feel like you were with them.

All in all, a disappointing and anti-dramatic final season to my favourite show, I will miss all of them dearly.Oh well, I guess I can always turn to Californication and Weeds, any time I need to connect with the West Coast sunshine. That's before either of them (Moody or Botwin) don't entirely crumble in their own mess.

Oh, Oh, Oh --- but this weekend, I know I can definitely turn to Paris Hilton to bring the LA Times to a TV screen near me, Welcome to the Bay Ms. Hilton.....That's Hottttt! ;)

Week Excuse

Wow - this feels strange, yet wonderful. It has been so long since I last posted. Over the past week, a lot has happened and I got so caught up that I didn't get a chance to write at all...

Here goes my attempt to put it all together.

                                                                      Morbid

The later in life one has to attend a funeral, the better. I know many people would disagree - after all, death is the biggest fact of our lives and the earlier one accepts it, the better.
True........I suppose. But I feel that as important and necessary that acceptance is, its alright to not have to attend funerals until and unless you really must be there.

I frankly haven't been to several funerals (thank God, touch wood); but I have been deeply shattered and moved to complete discomfort by all those that I have had to be present at.
The sight of seeing a "body" is highly troublesome. An active, ticking and thinking human gets reduced to a piece of mass in a matter of a few seconds just seems terribly off.

Growing up, I was never taken to any funerals and it was only in my later teen years that I first did, and it was a hellish half hour spent at the crematorium.

I strongly and deeply believe that knowing about the transience of life - how precarious and delicate it really is; is one thing we should all bear in mind. One never really knows about his or her time on Earth....as with most things, we don't come with any guarantees. But at the same time, for the more faint-hearted, it is OK and fine to be scared. It is scary.
For others, it is sort of therapeutic to be present and see it all happen. It closes the chapter. For Good. It is a social and community binding exercise - to express solidarity with the affected family and the rest of the mourners.

Me thinks, to each, its own...

I for one, am till wondering when it was that I grew up and had to deal with these harsh realities?

Ready or not - the pungent smell of anesthesia confronts my greatest fears!!

LATE POST: Well done Weekend

Satisfied and Recharged.

Wow! I feel good....almost forgot how this feels. Clearly I had a good weekend. It was well-needed and welcome.

I made sure to catch two super movies: 'Meri Brother ki Dulhan' and 'Friends with Benefits' - and enjoyed them immensely.
Both were romantic comedies and despite their simplistic premises, they did what movies are supposed to do - entertain.

I will start with MBKD -
Kat in the Bag again! That girl is really something because this movie is another winner. I was thoroughly impressed by her performance. In addition to being her usual, lovable, cuddly self - she had a well-defined role which demanded more than her smiling and getting away with it. Dimple was a build-up on Laila (ZMND) and one could really see the hardwork Katrina has put into her diction, emotions and dance skills. She and Imran were well cast and had amazing chemistry between them. Imran with his molten chocolate eyes, was lovable and believable. Despite the fact that her wore plaid shirts throughout the movie, he gave yet another commendable performance.
The dialogues, back ground score and screen play were terrific. Particularly, all the various movie references that were thrown in rather subtly and cleverly. Although, the first half was faultless and well-paced, the second half did get draggy and repetitive and could have used tighter editing.
Music was lovely, with "Dhunki" and "Choomantar" as my two top picks...

In general, the movie was completely realistic and credible. The characters were well-written and well-cast, ensuring the movie was easy to relate to. The trick is to get the basic details and lifestyle nuances correct, which gets audiences nodding and thinking, "Arey, I would have done/said/worn the same thing yaar...."
The director, Ali Abbas Zafar, who's been an assistant director on a number of Yash Raj Films productions such as Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Tashan, New York and Badmaash Company, makes his feature writing and directing debut with this film. Incidentally, Zafar has spent many years in Dehradun and has used this town as the setting for the movie.
YRF that has produced and distributed the movie, has picked a gem, keeping the "Band Baaja Baarat" legacy going.

My verdict: Popcorn time at MBKD!

Only this deadly duo could pull it off!

Next up - "Friends with Benefits" starring hotties Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis.
I went in hoping that my hopes wouldn't get dashed with a cheesy, over-done "chick-flick", that would annoy me and leave me in an "aargh!" mood. And it certainly did not, in fact, I left the cinema feeling deliriously hopeful about love, life and all that jazz....

JT and MK were fantastic together. The movie had a fair bit of hype surrounding it and all the interviews I have read basically ask the starring couple how difficult or awkward shooting the intimate scenes were. Yes there was a fair amount of that involved, but the both of them were in perfect physical shape and had a palpable chemistry between them, that the scenes came out natural and aesthetic. Watching them romp about made me wonder, if in the real world did such perfect bedtime action take place with ordinary folks too, or was it just limited to wonderful-looking people?
I don't think the friends with benefits plans can ever really work...by and large (save a few stone-hearted animals), human beings relate intimacy to emotions, so conducting relationships for purely physical purposes, is some what of a sticky situation leading to the crumbling of at least (if not both) the participating parties.


I suppose I enjoyed the movies so much because I felt a strong connect with the generation they were set with?

They were both movies that essentially dealt with the boy/girl equation. In MBKD, the boy and girl had found themselves and were now finding one another. In FwB, the boy and girl were finding themselves, but have found one another.
Both the movies show their personal journeys in understanding their basic requirements from their 'should-be' partners.
East or West, the premises and circumstances might be different, but universally, everyone is looking to find a correct match. As simple as that goal is, the search remains fairly complicated.
So here's hoping that in the crazy scheme of things, most of us make the Right Pick!

Divine Intervention

We live in truly troubled times there is absolutely no denying that. pardon my language, but   it is totally messed up. what is weird is that we have be fairly accustomed to the twisted ways of the world and our definition of what is ‘normal’ has definitely broadened to include the conventional ‘abnormal’!

As the news gets grittier and more gruesome, our sensitivities gets hardier and more seasoned. Even the most shattering occurrence now gets acknowledged by a mere widening of one’s eyes. What to do? So much evil, so little time. Lick the wounds and get on with life...pronto. Time is money, honey!

So amidst all the horror, we continue to exist to the best of our sanities and whilst we hope for the greater good of humanity, we mostly just hope to see the next day, all goods in place!

I sound like I had a bad day?

Not at all.....quite the contrary actually. All I’m doing is saying it like it is...

Before you think I am all tainted and pitted, let me share my “happy moment” with you:

Faith is what keeps every one of us going. Religion is a classic example of “faith” and although I am not supremely ritualistic, I do like to pray and thank God every now and then. My basic philosophy is to believe in whatever makes you happy and to hope for the best, Inshahallah!

Its Ganpati time in Mumbai and I just love it! Over the years, people have gone all out, bringing in such crazy and whimsical Elephant Gods. I have seen BIG ones and little ones,   movie star inspired ones (Titanic ganpati wins this category hands down!!!!), cricket cup ones, Himalayan ones (with super cold temperatures et all), Eco-friendly ones...and...the most powerful one, aamcha Lalbaug Cha Raja (LCR)!

My annual darshan to the Lalbaug Ganpati is the only pilgrimage I have made so far  and This little ritual is very precious to me - the few seconds that I get, give me immense joy. It started close to 10 years with 3 of my girl friends. We all loved Ganpati dearly and these 10 days would be an absolute blast for us as we went from pandal to pandal and house to house, meeting him. It was Puja’s family relative who had organised our first visit to LCR. It was all rather exciting as the 3 of us gathered the family’s mithaai and farsaan shop at the foot of the gully, amongst the thousands of devotees that were in line! As we waited for the uncle to give us his neighborhood pass, we would watch the people around us in awe wondering how much devotion and passion they had to stand and wait endlessly in the lines...all for that one, brief sighting. What got to me then and continues to now, is the sight of new parents with their tiny little babies, all decked and bundled up by them, to offer to their favourite deity and pray for a full and prosperous life for their little one.

That tradition continues to this day, but alas, the mithaai shop no longer exists, so neither does that “community” pass. We have had to resort to other, “more privileged” manners of getting there (because there’s no stopping us now!).

Two years ago, I missed out on a particularly enthralling darshan, as the girls went as part of Himesh Reshammiya’s troop (wonder if they had to do any nasal sounds to make the cut?!). So it was the 3 of them, Himmy bhai, Raakhi Sawant and their cronies in a protected troop, marching their way in. Not only did they made it all the way to the stage, they also enjoyed a spontaneous jig from the awesome-twosome! Did they luck out or what?

However unfair and wrong it might appear for many, I don't feel that guilty about using these routes. We are a country of contradictions and un-equalities, and there is always a short-cut to be found. As long as I never do anything immoral or harmful to any one else to get somewhere, I am not riddled by guilt. 

We got a midnight darshan yesterday. it was the first year that i had seen close to a lakh of people in the serpentine queues that went on for miles and miles...all the way down to Byculla. People were dressed up in their best, and the mood was upbeat and jovial. The best part was that the Raja is now set on the ground level and is accessible to all so everyone who made it in, got his/her up-close and personal moment with him.

I too, had the chance of a private tete-a-tete with him...I threw in my demands, and now await the Raja’s orders. Lets hope we attain a resolution!

Bolo, Ganpati Bappa Moryaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

JulLEH

To think that just 48 hours ago, I was on top of the world (literally!), is difficult as I look around at my present surroundings. Back at work, back to the grind and back to the humdrum of daily life, this all feels terribly wrong. Life in the mountains is so wonderful and self-gratifying. Your life is made around all the elements of nature. Your body follows the Sun; often taking its cues from the winds and the water. The birds might distract you, and if they don't, then the yaks most certainly will! Ohhhh, lovely Ladakh, how much I miss you already.

In just a matter of 6 short days, I dare to say that I have turned from beach bum to pahadi pagli. I always thought that my ideal holiday was set along the coast of the sea, lazily lying on the beach, wearing as little as possible and soaking in the UV’s. In fact, it was just last February when I saw my first mountain when I took a ski trip to Chamonix in the French Alps and I barely survived the after-effects of that overwhelming experience! I just wasnt prepared for the mountain magic to cast its spell over me. 

Travelling up north in india had become some what of a mission for me since I didn’t have enough of friends showing interest in going there and this was one trip I was finding it difficult to coordinate with my family. I had always wanted to go to Rishikesh, Haridwar, Manali....the winds were just beckoning me. A few months ago however, Energetic E, put together a group for Ladakh and I jumped in, no questions asked. I told myself that this was the moment and it needed to be seized and that’s that! After a series of manic convincing, re-confirming, booking and other dizzying activity, a group of 8 people made it to the Ladakh Residency in Leh and embarked on a series of adventures amongst the Karakorams...

Here are some pictures from the travels:

Amidst a flurry of emotions, I suppose the most strong after-thought remains the goodness of the mountain folk. I have never come across such kind, gentle and decent people in my life time. The population of Leh and Ladakh is roughly 20,000 people and about 80% of them are Buddhists. They lead startlingly simple and spartan lifestyles. The region being a desert, there is not much that can be cultivated, taking agriculture out of the picture. Also, as it borders both China and Pakistan; it has a lot of the sensitive points of military control and so most people (I should say, men) are occupied in and around the military forces. Smiling and ever obliging, all the “locals” that I crossed paths with, overwhelmed me by their innate simplicity. I felt that they were so lucky to be sparred of the complex world I consider “normal”. Here they were, tucked into the sharp mountains and valleys, sipping on chai, and amusing themselves with the tourists that made it up into their world.

Another noteworthy mention has to be on the road makers of the region. Called as Project Himank, it was impossible to marvel (and chuckle!) at the amazingly developed roads, particularly the NH1. Of course there were bits and areas that were mostly kuccha roads that were bumpy and made for an uncomfortable ride, but remember we are talking about roads made on the Karakorams at altitudes of 14,000 feet and beyond! Given that Leh-Ladakh is a region that one can principally exploit in a vehicle (there’s nothing like our Super Scorpio), one could think the drives would be arduous. But the road-makers definitely made sure to ease that problem by creating not just great roads, but the greatest road signs one has ever read! Here are a couple of my fav-favs:

It is so difficult to select a few photos from the lot as almost every picture is postcard material....Going to end this post with a photo that I would like to title "euphoria":