Weekend in Pune

I spent a very enjoyable weekend in Pune and Lonavla shopping, eating and hanging out with friends. Bought *chatai chappals*, Shrewsbury biscuits and ginger snaps..and felt very Bombay-superior the whole time. Honestly, our dress sense is so much different from theirs....and we're only 200 km away!

I went to the Gay Pune party as well..boy! How different was that compared to the mayhem in Bombay. For a change there were only like 70 people there...it almost felt like an intimate party with friends. And it didn't hurt that I was the most attractive one there (OK I kid, I was like the third most attractive guy there). What amazed me was how aggressive the Puneris were in coming up to you..makes such a welcome change from the wallflowers/attitude-wallahs in Bombay. I was having a great time dancing (an uncrowded dance floor? MY DREAM!) with friends from Bombay and I had like 3 guys come up to me one after the other. Then again, they made me laugh so hard, I spilt my drink done one guys pants. Laugh..not at them, but at their approach (though full marks to them for trying..that's more than I could have/would have ever done).

The basic approach was "Hi, are you from Pune? No? Oh, Bombay! Nice. Well, I like kissing and body sex. Do you want to do it in your car or in your hotel?". Short and to the point. Nice I guess, sure beats all the co-ordinating, mindless chatter and glazed looks on dates.
Sadly for them, that's exactly what I'm looking for. Dates. And the approach really tickled me. I just had to laugh. And spill my drink, and then drink some more..till I found myself back in my hotel room (alone!) in a happy buzzed state.

But strangely, I felt awesome. I felt so free outside Bombay...didn't have to worry about what to say to whom, about who you offend, about who's toes are very steppable, about who's interests are out of bounds etc. Plus, I felt good that I'm still *in the market* and *approachable* (2 words that I heard a lot of from my friends this weekend). And I bought Shrewsbury biscuits! When I have those, who needs a lover?

In related news: I was spotted wearing my *kaala chashma* reading Vol. 4 of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (and you thought I was kidding when I said I bought that?) at Cafe Coffee Day. By someone who was doing the eye-flirt thing. You know, the one where you stare at the other person till he catches you doing that and then look away and smile mysteriously. I caught him doing that, smiled back and turned the page. He waited for about 10 minutes (hopefully?) and then left.

Oh my God. What was I thinking? I picked the campaigns of Belisarius in Italy over coffee with a (medium) hottie?? I am now officially old-maid material. The kind who sits at a sewing machine (Singer brand preferably) making nappies for nephews/nieces yet unborn.
Still, as I'm sewing I can always relish the fact that I still have 3 more volumes of the book to go through...and then all 38 Volumes of the Enclyclopaeidia Brittanica await my reading pleasure. Now where was I? Ah yes, the Eunuch Narses takes over command of the Imperial Legion Victoria Felix...

Current Music:
Dessine-moi un mouton - Mylene Farmer.

(I think I'm going to be French for a while. I promised V. I'd watch Ozon's Huit Femmes with him again. *hums "Pa-pa-pa-pa-papa, t'es plus dans l'coup papa....."*)