I *heart* Bombay (and well..Boston)

I'm urban..in the way other people are mountain-people or tunafish junkies. I love city life...something about dreary concrete blocks and grumpy people totally gets my juices flowing. Ergo, this will be a blog about me, my two favourite cities (Bombay and Boston), my addiction to Vietnamese coffee and my views on Gregorian chant and it's efficacy in curing some types of tympannic membrane rupture. Enjoy!

Monday, January 05, 2009

And it's another year gonne by...

Happy New Year everyone..

I know it's been forever since I blogged...but trust me when I say absolutely nothing new has happened in my life since then. Well, nothing I'd want to share anyway - after all, reading about long commutes and endless cups of coffee don't make for much enjoying no?
New year's Eve was quiet. Didn't get asked out (a part of me held out making plans hoping that someone would step in at the last minute and ask me out to party) so rather than get back into the gay Bombay party scene, I just piled up all my Johnny Depp DVDs, put on my PJs and sat in front of the TV...was tough to prise the remote away from my dad and whatever crap it was Star Plus or Zee had decided to spew out.
Thankfully, a last minute call from S. (my "end of 2008" new friend - intelligent, hot and super nice...and straight) got me outta the house to hang with him, his girlfriend, Domino's, Kingfisher beer and yes...Johnny Depp on the telly - I guess I'm not the only one who is fascinated by the man. Was reasonably quiet, we had no music other than what his neighbors kept blasting out (I found "Jiye Bhutto Benazir" a rather strange song to play..but Hey! my other option was humming Auld Lang Syne over a quiet glass of wine).

2009 - a year of change?
Well, Barack Obama thinks so, so do a couple of friends who're giving up years of playing the field and settling down with wife, babies and dog. Which leads me to think that perhaps I should do something drastic too this year? After all, my most drastic thing last year was the tattoo that I had hoped would create some discord in my family and instead ended up being appreciated by all and sundry. This year perhaps I'll take that vacation I've been pining for and postponing till I found someone. That is probably not going to happen in 2009 either so I might as well pack that single toothbrush and book my twin bed in Pondicherry now.
Am gonna try to learn to swim, drive a stick shift car and kick box this year. I'm 32 and I guess I should've done all this by now...but true to procastinating form, I've managed to live very well without knowing any of these. Just keep me away from the sea, a car rental and a prospective mugger.

And lose some weight.

For someone who's been underweight (and drastically so) all his life, my thirties and my sudden slide into weightwatching is freaking me out. The same mom who begged me to gain weight (yes, guilt will work, mom!) is now begging me to lose some. It's not like I'm fat - I'm just no longer Bombay gay boy skinny. And explaining to a prospective date the reason why I'm "fat" (a dumping reason) will involve me having to disclose my age as well ( another dumping reason). So there's this delicate dance one has to do around this - which pretty much involves not meeting up and instead hiding behind a newspaper if one is spotted. Sadly, I've gone from hiding behind a magazine to behind a double spread Sunday edition now.

And finally, to appreciate the people who care about me this year. 2008 ended with another terror attack on my city - one that hit very close to home with my workplace being affected. Made me realize (once again) how much I take some people for granted. So this year, I'll be a better son, brother and friend - and that's one resolution I'm sure I will keep.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

An Engayging tag

A general lack of anything happening with my life (post festival blues) and a tag (yay!) from my friend Kris lead to this:

  • RULE #1 People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.
  • RULE #2 Tag 5 people to do this quiz and those who cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by continue this game by sending it to other people.
  1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
    Dump the asshole. I''m not a forgiving type - and even if I took him back, I'd never be able to trust him again. Best to cut the strings and forget he even existed.
  2. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?
    To have a house on an island with my lover, 2 dogs and a VERY hot gardener.
  3. Whose butt would you like to kick?
    All the guys who have "types". Come on! Live a little...doesn't hurt to date someone who isn't "exactly" what you want. Maybe you'd even be surprised.
  4. What would you do with a billion dollars?
    Open up a club playing only 80's retro music and serving martinis. That will cost me about a million or so. Maybe I'd just drink the other 999 million away. Oh, and must save money for tummy tuck and Botox. (was going to say "get a boyfriend" but then Paul McCartney tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me that "Money can't buy me love").
  5. Will you u fall in love with your best friend?
    Yes. I have several times. Which is why I have neither lover nor best friend.
  6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
    Oh totally being loved by someone...then you have the option of reciprocating - always keep the power reins in your hands.
  7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you really love?
    11.59 pm, Feb 1, 2009. Starting then, I'm just gonna settle for what I can get.
  8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?
    Totally pray for them to break up. It's evil but sometimes you need divine intervention. Oh and excel at EVERYTHING the guys' partner doesn't do. And make sure the guy knows it.
  9. If you like to act with someone, who will it be? your gf/bf or an actress/actor?
    How about an actor who is my pretend boyfriend? I pick Kunal Kapoor.
  10. What takes you down the fastest?
    Being ignored by my friends.
  11. How would you see yourself in ten years time?
    On a chair at Jamuna Pai's clinic undergoing facelift Number 1.
  12. What’s your fear?
    Bald, fat and single at 40 watching all the twinks dancing at the GB party with a whiskey and water in my hand. Shudder.
  13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
    Someone who refused to watch Mamma Mia with me. That says it all.
  14. Would you rather be single and rich or married but poor?
    Single and rich always. Money can't buy you love but it sure makes being single hurt less.
  15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
    Hit snooze on the alarm and sleep some more. Oh, and check to make sure the undies are still on.
  16. Would you give all in a relationship?
    No. I would have said yes when I was an idealist and a romantic. But having been in a couple of relationships, I'd say never completely open up till you are absolutely sure (and get it in writing) that you're gonna be together forever. It's just not worth the humiliation otherwise.
  17. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, who would you pick?
    The Deep Vik says the one who has more to offer emotionally. The shallow one says the one with the bubble butt.
  18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing the someone has done?
    Never. He's lucky I haven't put a hit on him yet!
  19. Do you prefer being single or having a relationship?
    Do you even have to ask. (Gets back to folding laundry and eating chips)
I tag Rambunctious Whippersnapper and VisualScribe.



LOL.

Best reason I've received so far IN MY LIFE for not going out on a date with me.

"I'm sorry but I have bad jetlag from my business trip yesterday".

The dude was on a work trip to .... Ahmedabad.