Vacanza? Dove? Con chi?

I find myself on the eve of a Diwali vacation..3 whole days off! And if I can fineagle Eid into this equation, I get a whole week off! A whole week!! Or in my previous job in Ammrikka terms, 70% of my *yearly* vacation time. Add to that the measly 5 days or so Ammrikka allows for festival holidays and I was saving vacation time for 2-3 years to be able to make just one trip back to des (humming "Ghar aaja pardesi, tera des bulaye re" on the Lufthansa flight back). This time I find myself with the luxury of 3 days off for Diwali, 1 day off for Eid and then the weekend.

And I'm tormented. What do I do with this time off?

I tried calling up friends to find out if they wanted to go somewhere with me. Alas, I seem to have realized it's vacanza time too late. Everyone seems to have plans; ranging from time with family outta town to seminars in Delhi (blecch! You'd pick a boring seminar over me, Kate/Bob?). Prospective interests in the dating sphere begged off claiming work (!!) or the fact that they're already going somewhere with someone who was a little less chicken to ask them out. My parents don't wanna hang out with me either (my last resort? And that's gone too!). So I have a bunch of options I'm thinking. Blog readers may comment in the next 3 days and help me figure out what to do with my time.

1. Stick around in Bombay:
Pros? Don't have to bother with packing, travelling. Will be able to get table at Coffee Day at Carter's a little more easily. Can spend mucho dinero shopping on Diwali gifts for myself. Can go to Mohd. Ali Road for iftar and finally eat some haleem.
Cons? It's hot. Crackers with the noise and the smoke? Asthma central! And sans amis? Mais non!

2. Go to Ganpatipule:
Pros? Quiet, tranquil beach. Can catch up on my writing (I'd say reading, but I do too much of it already). Can relax and unwind. Lovely Ganpati temple there as well.
Cons? I'll be alone at one of the most romantic places in India. Sleeping alone in my nice AC MTDC room, wading through the surf without playfully ducking someone into the water. It's boring.

3. Go to Pune:
Pros? Big city fun at small town prices. Can catch up with the Pune guy who seemed interested in me the last time I went there. Can watch the cricket match there on the 3rd.
Cons? Pune? Come on! How is this even a vacation?

4. Go hiking in the Sahyadris:
Pros? Beautiful. The weather will be awesome as well. I love hiking and the mountains and I can get some very awesome photos this time.
Cons? Can't decide which peak to climb or which trek to do. Perhaps an Ashtavinayak? Trekking alone freaks me out ever since a couple of hikers had their throats slit about a week after I was hiking in the same area at Shenandoah in Virginia.

5. Go to Agra:
Pros? History! I'll be in seventh heaven comparing the architechtural styles of Shahjahan and Aurangzeb. The Taj!
Cons? The Taj! Will sit on the marble bench forlorn and missing M. Can't let that happen on a vacation!

6. Work:
Pros? Well, I *do* have a lot to do.
Cons? Well, I *do* have a lot to do.

Everyone got their Diwalii lights up yet? I'm putting up my *kandil* (Lantern) tonight and stringing out all the lights (which my mum calls Christmas lights...weird that this Hindu family only uses Christmas lights for Diwali). The kandil is this cloth thing (vagely Rajasthani looking ) that M. bought for me when we were holidaying in Goa. More memories..why won't they stop??

Current Music:
Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac

Learning this song so I can sing it this Sunday night at Not Just Jazz at Karaoke night. I'll be the drunk guy also singing Abba's "Fernando" and Alannah Myles' "Black Velvet". With actions. Oh yes. Definitely with actions.

75 Questions?

Woohoo! I've been tagged! My first tag! After months of waiting for someone to tag me for one of those 55-word stories, I finally made it! Someone would actually like to hear my points. What a pity it's one of the answer *x* questions. Still, I've been tagged!

(Naughty thought: I just replaced the word tagged with something else. HeeHee! I'm so easily amused..and bored)

75 Questions

1. Gum: Sadness? Often. The Chewing Kind? Dentyne Ice.
2. Restaurant: In Boston: St. Petersburg Cafe; In Bombay: Gallops.
3. Drink: Umm..Sour Apple Martini!
4. Season: Fall in New England; Monsoon in Bombay.
5. Type of weather: Cold
6. Emotion: Nostalgic and Contemplative
7. Thing to do on a half day: Read, walk through Bandra
8. Late-night activity: Watching Seinfeld, Friends and Full House
9. Sport: Watching: Tennis, Cricket, Gymnastics (Wow, the bodies!!)
10. State: Maharashtra, Massachusetts (Well, more the former than the latter)
11. Store: Aldo (Shoes), Fascination: Bandra (T Shirts), Strand (Books)

When was the last time you.....
12. cried: October 10th, 2005 (Read:Here)
13. played a sport: Umm...2003? Was in the work softball league.
14. laughed: This morning. Heard Russell Peters do his Indian shopping at Chinese mall bit.
15. hugged someone: This morning. Dad's 60th birthday. Happy birthday Annu!
16. kissed someone: As a friend? S. 2 nights ago; More? Well, last weekend. (wink)
17. felt depressed: Around Dussera. Festivals depress me when I am alone.
18. felt overworked: 2 days ago. But I quickly got into the groove.
19. faked sick: School? I have no idea. I almost never do this.
20. lied: Yesterday. My feet are hurting, can we stop at this club for a rest?

What was the last....
21. word you said: D'oh! (I dropped tea on my keyboard)
22. thing you ate: Leftover Paneer Makhani with Green Peas Pulao.
23. song you listened to: Don't Speak (No Doubt)
24. thing you drank: Tea
25. place you went to: Temple (Yikes!)
26. movie you saw: Bridget Jones - Edge of Reason (last night on TV)
27. movie you rented: Swimming Pool - Francois Ozon

Who was the last person you...
28. had a sleepover with: Sigh. Is this an adult sleepover? In which case, A.
29. called: R. - One of my work clients. She sounds cute on the phone.
30. went to a movie with: Saw some sidey military themed movie with J. - my asshole date.
31. saw: Mummyji.
32. were angry with: M. (I'm more angry at me than M. though; anger is just the emotion I have to use on him because I can't use any other)

Have you ever...
33. danced in the rain: Yes (latest: June 2005, Marine Drive Bombay)
34. kissed someone: Yes (SomeONE? Is there a word like SomeMANY?)
35. done drugs: Yes (Is weed a drug? In which case, pass the fries please)
36. drank alcohol: Yes (LOL! The fact that my blog is named for my fav. drink?)
37. partied 'til the sun came up: Yes (And then passed out for 2 days...the perils of being 28!)
38. had a movie marathon: Yes (Woohoo! I love Movie Marathons)
39. gone too far on a dare: Yes (Truth or Dare when you're drunk? Not a good idea)
40. spun until you were immensely dizzy: No! That sounds horrible!
41. taken a survey quite like this before: Yes. Sadly yes.

My life...
42. name: Vikster (I'll also take TheHotVikster)
43. gender: Male
44. birthday: February 2nd.
45. relationship status: Single
46. nationality: Indian
47. occupation: Token love interest/Wise cracking best friend/"That" guy

Love...
48. love is: comfortable.
49. love or lust: Lusting after the one you love.
50. best love song: Pehla Nasha - Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar
51. is it possible to be in love w/ more than one person at the same time: No. Not "in love".
52. when love hurts, i...: obsess and wail and whine about why life is so unfair.
53. is there such thing as love @ first sight?: Yes. I didn't believe it till I met M.

Opposite sex (or same sex)...
54. turn ons: Humour, Cosmopolitan'ness, Ability to discuss books, cinema and politics.
55. turn offs: "I don't read". Bisexuals. Shirts tucked into pants.
56. do your parent's opinion on your gf/bf matter to you?: LOL! Asking an Indian *gay* man?
57. what kinda hairstyle are you into?: I like soft hair..the kind I can run my fingers through while I kiss you.
58. what is the sweetest thing a girl/guy can do for you?: *Really* want to be with me.
59. Are you the type of person to HOLLA and ask for numbers?: Yes. If I'm drunk enough.

Picky picky...
60. dog or cat: dog (a chocolate lab to be precise)
61. short or long hair: As long as it's not bonded/straightened/highlighted, I'll take it!
62. sunshine or rain: rain
63. hugs or kisses: A hug that magically turns into a kiss.
64. summer or winter: winter
65. written letters or e-mails: Letters!! Am I the only one who writes them anymore?
66. car or motorcycle: car (I miss my Mini Cooper!)
67. house party or club: House party. Or better still Dinner party.
68. sing or dance: Karaoke at Not Just Jazz on Sunday nights (yep. I'm there)
69. freak or slow dance: I like the slow freaking...I call it my "Candyshop" dance.

Lately...
70. How are you today: I think I feel a headache coming on.
71. what pants are you wearing right now?: Black jeans
72. what shirt are you wearing right now? Green Tshirt that reads "Got Lucky".
73. what does your hair look like at the moment: Gelled, sprayed and coiffed to perfection.
74. how is the weather right now? Bombay in October! Miserably hot and humid.
75. What did you have for Lunch/Dinner: I *will* be having fish curry and rice.

Snippets of conversations..

I've met and talked to several amazing people over the last week or so. Here's some conversations that still stick out in my head. I've reproduced them (LOL! Now there's a first!) to the best of my ability and memory...If you recognize yourself in some of these, drop me a line. You're one of those people who's talk touched me this week (And then I went back to touching myself).

Chat over IM about 3 pm.
V. - So come along with me this evening to see Salaam Namaste..
Me - NO! I can't stand modern Bollywood crap. It's so pseudo. I hate Karan Johar for this.
V. - Come na! I need to analyze this film (for some fundaes)
Me - (against my better judgement) OK. But I'm walking out half-way, I promise.

Drinking at Shooters listening to Madonna.
Me - I need to date someone hot next. I've had enough of waiting for intelligent guys.
S. (a woman) - My ex R. is pretty hot. And hung too.
Me - But he's straight!
S. - Yeah....I think so.
Me - But I love him! He's uber-hot! He's the father of my unborn kids!
S. - Umm..I'm sorry I mentioned him now. Still, I'll set up dinner for you guys.
Me - (weeps in gratitude) I'll gay-ify him. See if I don't!

Hanging out at Crosswords, Bandra.
Meenu - Hey! You're looking good.
Me - (plonks self down on sofa) Thanks, I just put on 5 kilos.
Meenu - Nice, turn around and let me see that ass.
Me - (turns) And??
Meenu - It's rocking! By the way, this is Vikram Seth's new novel. Two lives.
Me - Man, his aunt looks like a drag queen!
Meenu - She's Jewish! You probably love her already.

Walking along the Carter's promenade.
B. - So do you remember that cute guy at the party?
Me - Oh him? He's slept with all of Bombay.
B. - Really? What about his friend?
Me - Oh! He's a druggie. Supplies all of Bombay's gay clubbers.
B. - I thought that guy at Coffee Day was cute.
Me - He's a whore. Does it for money.
B. - Am I never gonna ever find a nice guy in Bombay?
Me - No. I think we should move to London instead.

Talking on my phone while shopping for Tshirts at Fascination, Bandra.
N. - Hi, I got your number from your friend P.
Me - Hi, do I know you?
N. - No, we've never met but I love you.
Me - Umm. OK. I love me too but why?
N. - You are too hot man.
Me - Have we met? Is this a joke?
N. - No, but I can make out from your voice that you are hot.
Me - (hangs up)

I love small talk. The 101 IM conversations I have over the course of a day totally make my day. Especially when some people come online..then I know I'm guarenteed a fun conversation. And weirdly, that translates well into real life conversations as well. I know the people who will keep me interested and laughing and wanting to chat more. I also know the people who metaphorically and literally have the window closed on them. Which one are you reader saheb?

Current music:
Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd

This is one of the few classic rock songs I love. U2 has most of the others..well, the Joshua Tree album actually.

Ahmedabad blues..(Or lack thereof)

Back in Bombay after a weekend off from the pressures of the job. "Where in the world was Matt Lauer...I mean.. Vikster?" I hear the cry go forth..Well, he (again with the third-person referral! One would think one believed himself to be Julius Caeser or something..He had a prediliction for the same vices one has..wine, men and the need to talk in the third person singular) was in the land of milk, communal riots and Gandhi. Ahmedabad to be precise, MICA to be even more precise.

MICA is the Mudra Institute for Communication, Ahmedabad. A sorta tony place where you go to study adverting, strategic marketing, communication and the lot. Stuff that a lot of very cool people like to study. Not like engineering where one of the primary qualifications is the level of unattractiveness. (Full disclosure: I'm an engineer). Over the weekend, I met tons of very cool, well-adjusted and intelligent people in the age group of 23 to 26. As you can tell, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. That breed exists somewhere in India? You mean I can actually meet intelligent and motivated youth who're also quite hot? Wow!

I met up with and stayed with a regular reader of this blog. Which was amazing in more ways than one. I mean, what are the odds that you meet someone through something (this blog) that's not an online dating site or an online hook-up site and actually get along with the person and his friends? I met some very awesome and friendly people at MICA and had an absolute blast. It was MICAnvas, the yearly MICA college festival and it was so much fun to be able to actually do and take part in all the fun stuff I remember from when *I* was in college (YES! We had colleges in the Jurassic era!). Quizzing, JAM, Dumb Charades, Pictionary, Photography..so much fun stuff. One of my pictures even made it to the top 10 list..I won JAM and came second in Dumb Charades (Made it outta MICA Rs. 1500 richer!). As usual topped the quizzing prelims and crashed and burned in the finals (Is this a metaphor for my life? Awesome first dates and disasterous relationships?).

Being there this weekend made me realize just how much I miss the *fun* part of being in college. I had a blast my 4 years in Engg. School but I sorely miss the absolute lukkhagiri and timepassness of my life then. Hanging out at the college canteen making fun of the badly dressed people (To their face of course! What do you think I talk behind anyone's back? Hmmph!), bunking classes to go watch the latest English film at Sterling (These were the days BEFORE multiplexes and malls), sharing the one Thums-up or Energee we would limit ourselves to per day (Cause we had NO money unlike the rich kids of today). Man, the more I think about it the more I feel I'm from a different generation from most of the people I tend to meet.

I was talking about this very thing with V. How we tend to look at things in a pre-liberalization, pre-cable TV, pre-cellphone, pre-mall, pre-multiplex way...while everyone we meet has no idea what life was like when you had to wait for 6 months to see Titanic because the only 2 theatres screening them in Bombay were booked for months ahead, while no one remembers "Tree of Unity" and "Sooraj ek, chanda ek", no one hums "Mile Sur mera tumahara" anymore, no one replies to "This K-soap opera stuff is insane" with "But you have no idea what we had before", the words "Krishi Darshan" and "Aapan Hyaana Pahilat Ka?" makes no sense to today's generation...I could go on for hours just on the whole pop-culture differences alone..

Excuse me while I go off and feel nostalgic..and pop in one of the pirated Pakistani plays that we used to wait for for weeks...(Tanhaiyaan, Bakra Kiston Pe...)

Current Music:
Punjab - Karunesh

OK. So I absolutely love this song. Lay down stoned outta my mind this weekend listening to this song on repeat on my Ipod. It's the best.

Groan!

Well, after being bitch-slapped by a whole bunch of regular blog readers after my last, automatically generated blog post (Some of you seriously thought I spent the weekend with Sarah and Britney's boyfriends..silly people! Sarah and Britney are lesbians!); Vikster has decided (to refer to himself in the third person?) to get back to his brand of nonsensical whining about a non-existent dating life and lack of bubble-butts in this here Urbs Prima in Indis.

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa....(Who knew scrouging could be this arousing?)

Anyway, I'm uber-bloated today. For lunch, I used to get khana from the neighbouring restaurants till I decided a daily diet of Chicken Biryani and Kali Daal was B.O.R.I.N.G.
Now I get a dabba with ghar ka khana (that is; if your ghar is anywhere in the Ludhiana-Ropar belt) from a nice auntieji called Babita. She strikes me as what Meenu and me call one of the "Haalthy and Waalthy" Punjus. She booms when she talks on the phone, she guffaws when you complain about the rotis and she has a bosom that brings to mind one of my guilty pleasures (No. Not that. I meant the series "Twin Peaks". I love Kyle MacLachlan)

Ann-way (As Babitaji says), the home cooked food is making me bloat amazingly. To recap this afternoons meal, I had 2 rotis, rice, kaali dal, alu gobi and gobi manchurian (I'm sorry: the guy who invented Gobi Manchurian has to be lined up against a wall and shot in the back of his head. It's absolutely vile). Oh! And did I mention the glass of Mirinda, jalebis and ...gulp...pani puri I also had for lunch? Washed it all down with some Energee (Only 10 Rs still? Is it still milk at that price?).
So now, I'm about comatose, my belly looks like even the most hard-hearted of Bombay commuters would give up a seat for me ("Bhaisaab, is it twins?"), and I'm belching a vile taste up (mix of Pani Puri masala, soy sauce and milk). I just wanna pass out on a nice soft bed and die.

This; dear readers; has been happening EVERYDAY! For the last 2 months. Thanks to which, I can now fit into only 3 pairs of jeans and 1 pair of pants. OK, so that's an excuse to go shopping which is good...but as B. will tell you; I'm getting very self-concious about the fact that I no longer have a Two-Pack Belly (I called him Tupac..pyaar se). I swear, those two drunk girls at Seijo last night were TOTALLY laughing at my distended belly. Bitches. I hope someone slipped some rohypnol in their drink or something.

On the plus side Meenu let it slip at Crossword yesterday evening that my ass was totally rocking. Me = happy enough to go halves on Vikram Seth's new book and let her read it first. It's about his uncle Shanti and his German-Jewish wife Henny (who looks so drag-queenish; it's not even funny). I think I'll get it when I come back from outta town on Monday. Hooray! Anticipating a new read is so much fun! Also sad. In some ways. OK. In many ways.

I love how I'm channeling all my relationship angst into body issues. I *am* Oprah's next 10 shows. All I need is some destructive behaviour to complete the trifecta. Hmm. Perhaps I should tear up that crappy cross-stich wall hanging that is the bane of my life. When accused of the crime, I'll just weep incoherently.

I think I'm hallucinating now. That Gobi Manchurian was "special" I tell ya! And all this time I thought you could only use *it* in brownies...

Current Music:
Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd

Literally Numb. I don't think I can walk home from work now. *jots down plan for healthier diet and promises to exercise from tommorrow. HAHAHA! Who am I kidding!!*

I'm way to lazy to do my own writing..so..

Today was really awful.

I got out of bed just before breakfast because the smell of cooking bacon woke me up.

I feel sad, because Sarah and Britney are complete bitches. They told everyone I have an STD, just because I slept with both of their boyfriends on Saturday night.

I'm so hardcore. Me and Buzz went to the mall today, and I stole a whole heap of stuff. I got a Good Charlotte CD, a couple of DVDs and some new boots. Buzz got caught, but he fought his way out, and then we stole some lady's car and smashed it into a phone booth.

Last night I had to shave my entire body. Apparently, the lice that I caught from Amanda's friend are really hard to get rid of. I look quite strange with no hair and eyebrows. I'd post pictures, but my webcam is broken.

I want to tell the world that I love you all! You're all so special to me!

I am really annoyed with those assholes at _are_you_hotter_than_us_?, because I am so much cuter than them, and those photos don't do me justice. They can't reject me, so I'm starting my own rating community. Click here to join (the first five applicants are automatically accepted).

Today, I got a digital camera! Yes! Here's some photos of my cock.

I want to say thanks to the world for absolutely fucking nothing! You all suck. I feel so alone, no one ever reads this journal, or even comments to let me know that I'm not suffering alone. It's cold here, and I want to die, but I cannot figure out how many of you to take with me when I go.

I went to the doctor yesterday, and he said I have bipolar disorder, which makes me different enough to be interesting, but the same as all the other cool people with bipolar disorder.

You should all do this quiz! It's amazingly accurate. You just put in your name and birthday, and it will tell you you're a moron.

Has anyone noticed just how adorable puppies are? Especially in a stew with potatoes and leeks.

That's enough for now. But I'll leave you with this thought - sharing your life with strangers on the internet is the cheapest form of therapy available. Leave a comment and tell me I'm beautiful.

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Bookies unite!

So next to kissing a really hot intelligent guy, my favourite thing is reading a really good book. Followed closely by drinking a cold Pepsi on a hot October day and finding a pair of jeans that make my ass look good.

On the book topic, Time magazine has a list of the 100 greatest novels since 1923 (Dunno why they picked that year, but I'll work with that). I spent the morning looking it over to see how many of these books I own/have read or have yet to read/buy. I was glad to see some old faithful friends in there...and was surprised at having not heard of some of these..(Needless to say, I Wikipedia'd the books/authors as soon as I could).

Here's the complete list.

Books I've read out of that list:

• All the King's Men - Robert Penn Warren
• An American Tragedy - Theodore Dreiser
• Animal Farm - George Orwell
• Are you there God? It's me, Margaret - Judy Blume
  
• Atonement - Ian McEwan
• Beloved - Toni Morrison
• The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler
• Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
• Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
• The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
• A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
• The Confessions of Nat Turner - William Styron
• The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen
  
• Death Comes for the Archbishop - Willa Cather
• Deliverance - James Dickey
• The French Lieutenant's Woman - John Fowles
• Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
• The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
• The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
• A Handful of Dust - Evelyn Waugh
• The Heart of the Matter - Graham Greene
• A House for Mr. Biswas - V.S. Naipaul
• I, Claudius - Robert Graves
• Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
• Light in August - William Faulkner
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
• Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
• Lord of the Flies - William Golding
• The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
• Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
• Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
• Naked Lunch - William Burroughs
• Never Let me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
• 1984 - George Orwell
• ONe Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
• A Passage to India - E. M. Forster
• The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene
• Rabbit, Run - John Updike
• The Sheltering Sky - Paul Bowles
• Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
• The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
• The Spy who came in from the Cold - John LeCarre
• To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
• Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys

What? I've only read 44 out of the 100 Best English Language Novels? Man! I got to catch up....so all you hot men out there in Blogland who want to ask me out (but haven't because I'd blog about you the next day..) listen up!

You may buy me dinner, buy me a drink, dance close at a club, laugh at my jokes, praise my kissable lips, even kiss me. And then I'm off home to read the other 56 books on this list. You may watch me read. God knows there's nothing sexier than a man who reads.....(or can talk intelligently about the books he's read).

Sigh. I'm off to Strand this weekend to look for some of the books I'm missing out on. IF you wanna cruise me there, I'll be the glasses wearing (to look intellectual), witty tshirt wearing (to show my disregard for propriety), low rise jeans wearing (so you may admire me as I reach down to the bottom shelf of books) guy sipping from an Aquafina bottle while mentally calculating just how much phatka I'll be taking on this huge book purchase.

Current Music:
Baby I love your way - Big Mountain

I loved Reality Bites (the movie this was from). I think I fell in love with Ethan Hawke then..(and not during Dead Poet's Society as I usually assumed)

No! I mark easily!

Well, my skin that is. So when I walk into work on Monday morning with a giant blue-black welt on my neck, it naturally leads people to ask if something is wrong. Well, the virgins at work anyway asked if I hurt myself. The all-knowing souls on the other hand; I get a wink and a nod. The Vikster has had a good weekend.

Clubbing on Friday with S. and his very beautiful and interesting date S. took me to Shooters, this club in Bandra I'd never been to which is weird seeing as it would be the closest club to my place and McDonald's. Now how did I ever miss the place? I walk in with my Superman Tshirt and about 5 minutes later a very sheepish girl comes up to me and hands me a napkin (TOTALLY flirting with me) with a request to hand over my Tshirt to her and her friends. I played along gamely, hoping there would be a hot guy friend who would perhpas want my Tshirt too...But alas, just a bunch of women. Anyway, they buy me a drink, ask me to dance, touch me rather suggestively when the DJ played CandyShop and then ask for my number. Boy! Women in Bombay are aggressive! Nice! If only they teach their lily-livered brothers to show the same amount of guts...

Ended up at a close friends birthday party on Saturday. Lots of fun and lots of bitching. Well, it was a room full of gay men after all. I spent some time linking everyone in my head (Well, he's slept with him, and he's slept with him and I've slept with him and he's sleeping with them both but they don't know it, and he's slept with us all and....) The hot guy who hadn't slept with any of us was instantly judged by us all...and numbers were exchanged. Pity he seemed uninterested in me. He did laugh at my jokes though....(which means he was probably very drunk ..or just being polite). Ah well, Happy birthday GuppieTalk!

And then Sunday Blessed Sunday! Waking up late with a mild hangover, heading off to Coffee Day to read my book in peace (Jerusalem, One City, Three Faiths - Karen Armstrong), before I know it I'm 3 Cappachilos down and 140 pages into the book (about when Titus tears down the Temple). No cute men around. Apparently 12 noon is way too early for the hotties of Bandra to show up anywhere. I gamely soldier on through the book...I'm starting to worry I'd give up a good date for a good book nowadays. At least my book won't cheat on me. LOL! *looks down at shoes*

Anyway, get a phone call from girl from Friday's club night. She wants to meet up to say Hi. OK, I say, I'm not doing anything, Come on down and we'll walk along the Carter Road Promenade. She shows up and we wlak along in the HOT sunshine and make desultory conversation. I quickly find out she's 22 and thinks like a 15 year old. Sigh. Even the women who want me aren't mature enough to know what they want. I shudder and force myself to listen to the details of her vacation to Dubai. I hear "shopping" and my ears perk up. I hear "Hot Arab men" and suddenly I'm all ears. Then she grabs me (We're sitting on the promenade now) and proceeds to chew the gristle off my (ol' crone-like, withered) neck. "Ow!" I protest, "Stop! I mark easily!" (I seemed to have forgotten the phrase "bruise like a Georgia Peach") She continues and then moves on to a more pleasurable kissing session (I mean, on my lips).

Well, it's been a while since a guy kissed me. I miss that. I may be gay..but I'm still a man. I'll take what I can get.

Lips locked for 15 minutes, I beg off saying I have somewhere I need to be. I walk her back to her car and come out to her along the way. "Oh! OK" she says "It's just that you had awesome lips so I just had too...I'm so sorry". LOL! NO! I enjoyed it just as much as you did B.

And then spend the rest of the evening and night hiding a rapidly growing and colouring hickey. It was red when I went over to V.'s party, blue when I got home and about a deep grey this morning..People snigger, girls giggle, guys nudge each other. Yes. I mark easily.

But someone kissed me. Horray! Even if it was a woman....

Current music:
Humming "Shiny Happy People" by REM to self softly. (My headphones are missing!)

OK, so I'm also doing the funny dance that goes along with the song..

Today's guest post (courtesy my best friend Meenu)

"You know that you're toxic…"

Britney Spears might have been referring to it in a sexual way, but I am talking about platonic toxicity, i.e. toxic friends. I had many in my youth, which was not THAT long ago, who I have exiled out of my life. Back then, these people started as toxic friends and ended that way too. I am much happier without them in my life. What do you do when you think someone is a well-wisher, but turns into a toxic friend once life changes for you?

As you guys know, I recently got engaged! Trust me, I have done my time as a singleton, unlimited vague relationships, jerks that were just using me, long-distance romances that didn't materialize and much more. In fact, in the last 14 years of dating (first boyfriend Matt Lebel with a bonafide mullet-it was sexy then!), I have been more single than attached. And the attached ones were nothing to write about (yet I mention them). So finally, I meet a nice guy who treats me well and makes me happy. Most normal people are happy for me, but not the toxics.

Flashback: Back in Boston, I had a group of single gal pals I hung out with all the time. About 7-8 sexy, super-smart, kick-ass chicks available at any moment of need or otherwise for each other. We all had other best friends, but we all came together over our singledom- and I was sort of the joining glue between it all- the common friend. It wasn't like we were mourning or anything, but more so just company when we didn't have dates on the weekends. Well, I flew that nest to come and work in India for the last year or so and met A. Since then, most of my gal pals have been super supportive and happy for me, except one, let's call her F. Every time she says something about me getting hitched, it's cloaked in negativity. For example, "Now we are losing you! How come you didn't tell me sooner? Don't turn into Bridezilla! You are now banned from our single chicks' night out". In addition to thinks behind my back to the other\nfriends "Meenu has changed so much!". It just hurts me for some reason.It's not like she has met A. or seen us together, and some day oranother, the other girls will also have other priorities in their life.It's not like her and I were Bert and Ernie, we weren't that close. Or at least in my book we weren't.

I am not going to make assumptions and say she is jealous because she may have her reasons, but it still does hurt when someone takes unnecessary digs at me. One of the reasons I didn't share all this with her before is because she is the queen of making a small issues huge events and then it is embarrassing to face the disappointment when those expectations don't materialize. More and more, I am realizing she is toxic and will have to be phased out. Sadly, she will assume it's because I am with someone, when really it is her attitude that is driving me away. Any thoughts? Advice?

PS: I am guest blogging with Vikster because we were discussing this earlier and I felt compelled to write. It made me feel better.

:p>

Apology

Apparently I came off really harsh in the last post (2 complaints down from readers..and more awaited).

I apologize if I hurt your feelings. That doesn't mean this behaviour still doesn't piss me off.

It's been a long day at work. I got an invite for a party that I don't have a date for. And am going to look stupid going alone. But I'm going because I'd look like a loser if I sat and watched Fame Gurukul with my folks on a Saturday night.

And I miss M.

Slowly realizing I will never meet someone else who cared for me and my feelings like he did. I feel like a fool for putting career first and him next and moving to India. Now I have a great job and I'm dead inside.

*heads home to another lonely night with my thoughts and my Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire ..Vol 6*

Woof! It's time for the pet peeve....

Well, it's been a week of confronting my pet peeves here in ViksterLand (Or Viksteristan if you prefer). And no, I've bitched about allergy season long enough to even have pollen on my list of pet peeves..(OMG! I said "bitched" and "pet" in the same sentence...I must be a genius). I've collected a long long list of things that piss me off and behaviour that gets me all worked up. I need to vent. Festival time is over till the Diwali house cleaning season starts next week (Wilkommen to my murderers/assasins...their names? Dustus paralysis throatii, Danderus Canii and Paintus Flakes Sinusii ...Morituri te salutamus!)

1. Liars: I do/have done my fair share of lying. But, true to my Hypocritic Oath, I hate liars. Over the last month, I've had the opportunity to disprove Anne Frank's theory that "All people are basically good". People exist to (Pardon my French) "fuck you over" and "hurt you needlessly". Especially people who tell you "We want to date" and then end up on every online chatroom looking for a good fuck.

2. Beggars: I don't care about how horrible I am or uncaring I sound but I'm sorry. I DO NOT need to be guilted into giving money to people who push maimed children into my face at traffic lights. It's a very standard middle-class viewpoint which all you Champagne Socialists will hate.

3. Cowards: I don't care how deep you're burrowed into your closet. Giving me fake info about yourself doesn't necessarily endear me to you. If I had a Paisa for every Amit, Raj and Rahul I am introduced to, I'd have enough for a blow-up rubber doll I could take to clubs and pretend was my boyfriend (Of course, he'd just meet another airhead and leave me....).
Honestly, I understand how tough it is to come out, but lying to me about your name, job etc.? What do you think I'll do with that info? Sell it online to gayshaadi.com?

4. Markers with no erasers: My wrists are BLACK from wiping the board off after I make a presentation everyday (thereby neatly hiding the cutting I do to pass my time at Barista). WHERE are the erasers? Is there an eraser bunny that steals them all every night? He must be in cahoots with the elf that steals my pens every night. I swear, if someone rejects me because I'm too black-wristed, I'm blaming the eraser bunny!

5. People who bend book spines: GRR! I will throw the book at you and mug you for the money you owe me for the book. I love my books..I'm proud I haven't ever sold or destroyed one in over 27 years of reading (Yes. I learnt my alphabet at 11 months..I was a prodigy. Then I discovered heroin.)

6. Avvarekkai - No translation for this most-despicable-of-Konkani-veggies. Amma uses it in place of peas and I HATE it! I'm too old to throw tantrums so I just flatly refuse to eat it and order up a paneer makhanwala to go with the rice and dali toi (Punjabi food at a Konkani dinner table? Hai Ram!)

7. Shaving - I postpone this as long as I can and look progressively more and more intense as the week goes by. It's got to be the most GodAwful monotonus job in the world! I do enjoy getting shaved though..perhaps I'll head to my barber tonight..
Shaving....there....is also a pet peeve. I like to be well groomed....there...thus arises the major issue with itching as the hair grows back. Why can't I be like those hairless Eastern Europeans? Instead if I didn't shave I can easily be mistaken for a Persian carpet...Sigh. Thank G-d I live in India though..I can scratch my balls in public and people think it's a sign of manhood.

I'm peeved out. Felt good to get out my frustrations. I'm off to order some panner makhani and scratch my balls in private while reading a book with a perfect spine. Bliss!

Current music:
Where have all the cowboys gone? - Paula Cole

That's a weird lament for an Indian to sing along to, dontcha think?

Happy Bijoyadashami!

These are the eyes I talked about on a previous blog...It's like She knows what you want..

It was good to run into a regular blog reader last night at the Pujo. Much cuter than I'd have imagined..and also much more intelligent than about 90% of the gay men I meet..I mean the dude reads!! Awesome.

So looks like the general demographic of my blog reader is rather like the sort of people I like to hang out with and wish were friends. What a pity most of you are so far away...I would have loved to meet up someday. I already have met a few and have enjoyed the experience. Whether it's discussing the correct way to break syllables in Sanskrit or smoking weed while discussing old Doordarshan TV staples, I seem to have lucked out on having good, cool, hot people reading.

Also some possible love interests. I say possible since none of them live closer than 500 miles from Bombay. I say love because I'm too prudish to say lust. I say interest becuase like all things with me (excepting ass shape) , it's one-sided. I say interest"s" so that you know there's more fish in the sea if you don't start giving me any bhav soon.

Today is Bijoyadashimi (Bijoya to the Bongs, Dassera to us Konkanis, Dusshera to the vast musltitude of moffusil-types in this country). I hope good triumphs over evil in your house. I know my dad just agreed to give me equal access to the remote (case in point).

Onto Diwali and a series of blogs complaining about the noise and the smoke. Yippee!

Current Music:
So Lonely - Akon

I LOVE the voice in this song. I'm gonna talk like this even if it makes me sound like a spoilt Sindhan from Nepean Sea Road.

Good news!

So my best friend Meenakshi took the plunge this weekend..metaphorically speaking. She got engaged on Saturday evening to a super-nice (and wicked tall!) guy. I'm nicking these pictures to show you her mehndi for the function. Of course, as a gay MAN, I refuse to have anything to do with henna/mehndi unless it's as a nice face-pack (don't leave it on for too long though..you'd turn orange!). Or if I was an old Miyanbhai living on Mohd. Ali Road, I'd use it to dye my goatee a bright orange...to match the red spittle drooling from the edge of my mouth onto a spotless-white Lucknowi kurta..

Anyway, Meenu's engagement in a very Punjabi family led me to brush up on my Monsoon Wedding dialogues...Of course, I need any excuse to burst out into a line from that movie..And what better place to do it than at a full-to-goodness (an old Bandra expression) Punju engagement ceremony? "Arre give them some pri-vassy na! You know, when I was your age, me and CL just met and phata-phat got engaged!" I was waiting for some old auntieji to say "Tumhare man nahin karta shaadi karne ka?" to which I could snootily reply "Aapke bete ne abhi puccha hi kahan hain?"

Alas, none of it happened. Just went on smoothly..Meenu looked very very pretty in a (Sorry the fashion digression is for my gay readers) pale purple gharara (or is it shahrara?) with matching rhinestone patterns and slippers. All accentuated by a (dinchak-jhatak) gold purse holding the bare essentials every girl carries to a function - condoms, lube, batteries...Oops! Sorry..that was my bag opening..

Anyway (Or Unch-vi as Meenu and me say), I just wanted to wish my best friend all the luck and love in the world with A. by her side. And yes, let me be the first to tell you, A. does have a really nice ass....

*ducks and runs for cover as a rhinestone studded chappal is thrown at me*

Love you Meenu and A.


In other news, I was accosted by a mob of Konkani relatives last night as I walked out of the RK mission Pujo after the aarti. Apparently, I was spotted singing the Bhajans along with the monks (yes, I actually was doing that.....hey! those monks needed glamourizing!). So now all these aunties think that I'm religious. The words "G-d fearing, religious, cultured and ABoyIWouldLikeToHaveAsASonInLaw" were used in rather animated conversation over rossogolla and bundi. I'm very scared.

I think I will lie low and try not to be seen at temples this season. Probably only hang out at clubs and bars to reclaim some of my lost coolness...Aunties love me, Uncles appreciate me. If only I can get a fucking guy to do the same!!

Current Music:
(In honor of Meenakshi) Kaala Chashma

Why? Well, unch-vi !

Prayer works? And other musings...

So Durga Puja began yesterday (Sashti was yesterday) and like every year (well, assuming I'd have done it for all those years I spent in Boston), I headed over to the DP (Durga Pujo) over by my house in Bandra to watch the Bong dadas set stuff up before heading over to the Ramakrishna Mission in Santa Cruz for the aarti there. (And the bhog, but don't tell Ma that..oh wait! If She is indeed the Great Goddess, she'd know I'm there to check out guys and eat bhog...).

So this time, I head over (feeling very underdressed...it's HOT here in Bombay..35 C yesterday evening!). I wore a vest and shorts and got many looks from the assorted pishimas around. I could hear them mutter (in Bengali naturement!) "How come he gets to be in such deshabille while I have to lug my belly fat around in a tangail?" Left my chatai chappals at the "Leave shoes and other items here" desk and sorta hopskippedjumped (Rushdie literary device...anyone get it?) accross the burning tarmac to the cool of the hall where the idol of Ma was kept.

I sat down, looked around, found the poseurs in their kurtas (FabIndia, non-FabIndia, FabIndia, FabIndia, FabIndia) and then saw the idol. Wow! Ma's eyes are always the first thing that I look at..and OMG! Were they beautiful or what! I mean, it's this weird feeling where a cultural Hindu like myself (who believes myths are just that..myths, who doesn't believe in ritualized Hinduism, who treats religion scientifically but follows it becuase my ancestors didn't spend 1000 years running away from assorted Muslims and Catholics to be allowed to practise Hinduism in vain!), I, felt this amazing feeling where I felt like Ma would give me anything I asked for if I told her why I wanted it.

I asked for only one thing. That M. never forgets me.

I came back home that evening after a few hours, checked email...and there was a one-line message from M. After 3 months of silence. Not one word, not one email, no calls.....and the day I ask for something from Ma, I get it. He misses me. Still. I cried.

Coincidence? Sure, why not? But I'd like to think it had something to do with the feelings I still have and will always have for M. and the fact that someone somewhere (an energy, a woman with 10 arms, a presence, an idol) recognized that and made it happen. It gave me goosebumps. And yes, I went back to the RK Mission and gave thanks for the gift Ma gave me. I am happy today after a long time....not becuase M. emailed me. But because I now believe someone up there (and around me or wherever) cares about me. Men may come and go, but Ma will always be around for me. And that feels like the best feeling in the world.

Theism is not in fashion here in Bombay. My friends will laugh..and I understand why. I would laugh at myself too. But sometimes there's a lot to be said for faith and the way it makes you feel. I even feel kindly disposed to the Halwai downstairs and his non-stop Durga bhajans...and that's saying a lot for the well-disposedness I'm feeling!

Saptami today..and I'll be there at the evening aarti as usual. I think this time I'll ask for some new shoes. And that big bottle of Hugo Boss I've been dying to own. I mean, with Ma on my side, I can have M. and smell good too!

Current Music:
The Winner takes it all : Abba

(Does anyone notice how Agnetha's accent makes it seem like she's saying The "Weiner" takes it all? LOL! Story of my life!)

"Will you make friendship with me?"

I was asked by someone who messaged me today. I have my IM handle (heehee..handle!) on my blog profile so I get a lot of messages from folks who read and enjoy (or hate.....yes, there's a couple of you out there!) this blog.

This simple (ungrammatical) request got me thinking. About friends and friendships. Past, present and future. Friends I've had, cherished, lost, cried over, cried with, slept with, dumped, danced with, shopped with, come close to marrying...

I'm an Aquarian. We collect friends. Well, all y'all other Zodiac'ers call them aquaintances..we call them friends. Yet, ask an Aquarian if he has a "best friend", and chance are he'd have maybe one perhaps two. I realize the superlative "best" denotes one, but seriously, how many of us have more than half-a-dozen "best friends" really? I make friends very very easily. I lose them even more easily. There's people I can call every night of the week to come hang out with me. Yet, when I want to bawl out my frustrations and sadness, there's only one person I call (Meenu Mwaah!). She knows when to listen, when to talk, when to cajole, when to ajay (OK so that was stupid), when to praise, when to bring me down from my flights of fancy, when to flirt, when to sympathize.

That is what best friends do. I've had maybe a couple in my life. And weirdly, they've been best friends for exactly a limited amount of time before we've drifted apart. In my case, it's been the distance. I moved a lot (Bombay to Virginia, then to Boston, back to Bombay) so I tended to lose those wonderful wonderful people I met along the way. I'll never forget the help and company Jim, Dave and Aaron provided me when I was at UVA. Without them I'd have been a lost little Bombay boy slowly but inexcorably being drawn into the sambar-eating, bitchy-gossiping, IIT-graduating world that was Grad School life in the US. They taught me to run to the gym every morning (well, they ran..I sorta stumbled along), to do the Navy Seal Workout (I credit my flat abs to them!) and together took me through one of the worst times in my life (personal issue..crime related). I love you guys for all that..even though I haven't talked to y'all in 4 years.

Then onto Boston, where I had so many awesome people who became friends along the way...like you pick pebbles when you walk along the beach. Paul, Adam, Sean, Carl, Ajit, Giulio..the whole Diesel gang. And Ilya before that and eeka (all lowercase..Happy?). You guys made the past few years of my life some of the happiest times I have ever had. Sympathizing with me when another relationship failed, urging me to flirt with that guy giving me the eye, picking out my t-shirts to wear on a date...I loved every part of being with you.

My Orkut gang. I've laughed harder than I have ever done with you guys. It was awesome the way you guys accepted me for who I was (bitchy little drama queen that I am) and quickly became people I could trust. COming back to a strange Bombay was hard till I met you all. And the times we've had (thanks to ook and southpaw) will be on cam forever! Cheers!

And finally, my gang from VESIT. You're all in America now (Well, besides S.). I was a horrible friend in terms of keeping in touch....but now that I'm in Bombay, when I pass by all those places we used to hang out at; Noorani's (I can hear H. call out for greasy butter chicken and naan!), Pink Corner, splitting a Thums-up according to who paid how much, Andorra's....Man! I miss you all SO much. You're all settled...most of you married now. I'm so proud of having known you all...such a successful bunch you all are..I love you all.

I realize I never say that to anyone I care about anymore so here goes. To all my friends, past, present and future; I love you all. You've kept me sane and grounded. And for that thank you as well.

Current Music:
Mahishasurmardhini - Bhajan to Durga Ma

I'm learning it for Sashti pujo. Dang, some of these words are over 15 syllables long! 2 more days to go!!

Random musings today..

Too "eh" and "blah" to make coherent conversation today, so I'm subjecting the world at large to general incohernt ramblings. May even disintegrate into rants...but I'm not promising anything just yet. (My conversations today have had the whiff of non-sequitor about them so far. Would you like some tea with your ramblings?)

Why is Jai Ma Sherowaali the ONLY cassette the Halwai's minions downstairs have? I'm sick of hearing the damn song! I have half a mind to chuck them the CD of 50 Cent's "The Massacre" I'm listening to. Take that, Durga worshippers!

I always return calls. If I don't, there's a reason. It's cause I don't wanna talk to you anymore. Well, for the most part. Take a hint. Stop bugging me! (I'm crossing my fingers and hoping someone takes heed). Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

I hate sneezing. Woke up this morning with a major case of the allergic sniffles. It's not even like the satisfying snot-filled sneezes that feel good to get off your chest (oy! with the mixed metaphors!). It's the general runny nose and itchy sinus that is killing me (softly, I might add.)

Why do Bombay buildings all resemble giant cages? When I was growing up, we all had nice balconies to chill out in and breathe in the sea air. Suddenly, over the past 5 years, we're all enclosed in steel bars? Does this reflect the bestialization (or words like that) of the Bombayite?

When I want my bhel puri "meetha", i want it "MEETHA" dammit! I barely have a tongue anymore after choking back a plate full of "normal" bhel puri. America has heightened my taste buds methinks (reflected in my new found hatred for Maggi Chili Tomato sauce).

Why do people say Hello when they pick up their phones? I mean, I prefer the Italian "Pronto, sono io!" myself. This way I can fool people into believing I'm busy. I also like Mr. Burns' "Ahoy-hoy". But if you don't watch the Simpsons (Sacrilicious!), you won't get it.

I love kurtas. I'm heading over to FabIndia to buy a couple in an hour. Since I'm resigned to being single, I've decided to switch to ethno-chic. This way I'll only attract Bong communists who I can then reject. And how I'll laugh! The thought is making me feel better.

I was told that I should resign myself to sleeping around because "gay men don't have relationships". First of all; Fuck You! Secondly; I can do that when I'm 28, who's gonna sleep with me when I'm 48?

Ladakh is where I plan on going this year. Alone. I made up my mind. Alone. Watching the geese fly accross the Zanskar and walking along the Indus. Alone. Watching the monks at a gompa in Leh and turning the prayer wheels. Alone. Om mane padme hum.

I need my cup of tea. NOW. It's tea-time..where is that boy! Hot Assam tea with milk and sugar (2 spoons). And a couple of Britannia Nice biscuits (which I call "bikkis"). In a saucer. Yum..bliss!


Current Music:
Baby got back - Sir Mix-a-lot.

Oh My Gawd Becky! Look at her butt! I remember singing this song at top volume with Mo and his roommates at a karaoke bar in Washngton DC. And these two girls pulled their pants down. How much fun!

Festivus for the restofus....

Well, since I don't *really* celebrate Christmas (not since 2002 when I bought gifts - expensive ones for ALL my friends...only to get NOTHING in return...they all assumed that as a Hindu I didn't celebrate), and Ganesh Chaturthi for me has been destroyed by the immense spectacle that it's degenerated into (atleast in the Konkani community), I suppose Durga Puja is my only outlet for devotion and celebration...

Navratri with it's dandiya nites and Phalguni "Bull Dyke" Phatak nites never cease to provide me with hours of amusement the one night I drag myself to Goregaon or Ghatkopar (or wherever it is Gujjus congregate). Watching Kalpes and Hiral fighting over who gets to dance with Hemal or Rupal, all the time swirling about in skirts hitched up to their chests (I know it's traditional, but seriously, it looks ridiculous!); that's just so much fun. As is the prospect of watching all the Auntiejis and Bas matchmaking in the sidelines...Does anyone even dance at these dos anymore? All I see are people standing about looking at each other. For nine nights no less.

Read an article yesterday about Gujju men who spend upto 50,000 Rs. these nine nights just getting dolled up. The Age of the Gujju Metrosexual seems to have dawned. Eyebrow pluckings, chest waxing and pedicure/manicures...not to mention elaborate costumes and jewellery. This is attractive? Not to me! (Then again, I have yet to find a Gujju guy who's somewhere between Ghatkopar-type and Malabar Hill-type) I suspect I'd get *one* comment from someone offended by this..but c'est vrai mon ami!

Now Durga Puja..more my type. It's weird, I actually get religious around this time of the year...extends through Dussera and onto Diwali. I count myself as an agnostic Hindu but for these 3-4 weeks I actually begin to believe there's a Higher Power governing us all...all the effect of public devotion. One fails to be moved by the sight of thousands of people praying so deply. I go to the Ramakrishna Mission Durga Puja (or "Pujo" as those Bong snobs will have us belive) every year and I love it. I hang out there most of the evening praying, watching people pray and in general people watching. Plus, the Durgas are always so beautiful. I could spend hours just staring into the eyes of one. Plus, I love the words to "Mahishasurmardhini"...my aim is to finish learning it by the time Puja begins in a few days time.

Bong men? Well, all puffy cheeks, protruding eyes and attitude. Not my type either. I'm SO getting a comment from someone for this! I could go to the Lokhandwalla Puja and watch the Punju models coming to pray there....all good looks and no brains. Or to Shivaji Park and see the ghaati crowd show up in the evening. Washed out complexions, terrible accents and inferiority complexes all.

I'm SO going to be single methinks! I've set my expectations SO high, so far only M. has been able to meet them..and we all know how well that turned out. I know what I'm asking Durga this year.

Oh. And Happy Rosh Hashanah people...(to one person in particular!)

Current Music:
Jai Ma Sherowaali - Kaalia (Amitabh/Rekha doing dandiya)

The Halwai downstairs is blasting this so loud on his loudspeakers, I can barely hear myself think!