Wednesday, December 31, 2008

what a day!!

While everyone has new posts out regarding the new year, i thought i'd bring out a post on the best day of my life.. my birthday!!!
and what wow fun it was this year,,..
i got THREE separate birthday parties!!! yay!!!
i want to thank all you nice people for dropping in your wishes... mmmuah!! and a big hug :D
and i want to thank kartz for sending me thisand also picking out this adorable teddy...

thank you soooo much karthi :) a HUGE thanks and hug :D

thank you niceguy251 for being such a darling and sending me a beautiful card. That was such a lovely gesture.. thank you ever so much!

and of course, my dear friend Vinay. Thank you for being such a sweetheart and posting this on CK.. i LOVED the poem... this is one the sweetest things anyone has done for me.. i can't thank you enough!

and there are so many other lovely people in the world i want to thank.. i dont want to miss out on anyone here.
rohit, megha, shilpa, swati, geri, shvetha, brindha, unni, vishnu.. you guys made my day extra special... what would i do without you?? love you.. ooommmah!!! also, arvind for wishing me almost everyday the whole of december :P aye... i like you so much ya! :D big hug to you too..
and also, my family, the bestest family in the whole wide world.. without doubt! ]
undoubtedly, i'm the luckiset prson in the whole universe (nope.. you guys dare not argue! :P)
anyway, here's thanking all of you for wishing me luck and love.. THANK YOU!
and this is for you :)

Friday, December 26, 2008

A-tag.

John had tagged me loooooong back with this.. was trying to put it off for as long as possible. considering it's the year end and richa has tagged me again, i thought i'd take it up. i've tried to be a smug smart ass with this though :P  

1. If your lover betrayed you what would your reaction be?
I'll kill him.. off with his head!

2. If you could have one dream come true which one would it be?
The one where i become Priyanka Chopra :P

3. Whose butt would you like to kick?
Arjun Singh! eeeeaaargh "pataaak"!!!!

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?
geez... i have no idea! hmmm... maybe get a make over. everyone's getting one of those of late nai?

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?
that's not something you can predict, is it? 
never have till now, but who knows what's to come?

6. Which is more blessed: loving someone or being loved by someone?
Loving someone and being loved by the same person.. that's blessed!

7. How long would you wait for someone you love?
Not very long, the moment i realize it's futile, i'll move on.

8. If the person you like is secretly attached, what would you do?
(i don't think i like these qs very much :| ) 
whine and cry about it, irritate all my friends, sulk for a few days and then move on. 

9. If you could root for one social cause which one would it be?
sexual abuse of the girl child.

10. What takes you down the fastest?
bad breath, talking to men who believe beauty is skin deep and when ppl tell me, ohh ur so chubby and bubbly! God how much i hate that!!!

11. What I loathe most in people
It's difficult narrowing down to one single thing you know :P
but picking one thing at random, i guess i'd say, hypocrisy. 

12. What's your fear?
that i'd never lose weight!!! :O
that apart, failing at something i desperately want.

13. What kind of person(s) do you think the person who tagged you is/are?
richa: strong, sensible, someone who doesnt fear to voice her opinions and a real babe who believes in the inner beauty of ppl. girl power go go!!
arjun: haven't got to know him much, but from what i know, a sincere blogger.

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor?
ooooohhhh tough one! why why whyyyy can't i be married and rich??

15. What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
scream at my dad for waking me up so early (early being somewhere around 9 :P)

16. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously who would you pick?
the one who is absolutely crazy about me and adores everything i do.. that would be the perfect pick :)

17. Would you give all in a relationship?
i haven't till date, but henceforth, if there is one, i would want to.

18. What's eating you now?
MBA!!!!! eye yooooo :(

19. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
i answered 18 questions!! pls pls let me bunk this one? :D

20. Tag 6 people...
right so, if you guys haven't already done this, i tag

Monday, December 22, 2008

yay yay YAAAAAY!!!

first off, his highness kartz ;)  passed on this award to me.. yay yay!! thankooskoos :D =D



i'm keeping this one to myself :P  
why?? 
cuz i'm in a selfish selfish mood!
 why?
cuz i'm damn damn happy!!
why?? 
cuz it's december!!
so??
EET EES MAYII BERTHADAY NEXT WEEK!!! WOOHOO =D

and my friends came over a few days back and gave me a surprise advanced birthday party(YAY YAY!) .. so that i can celebrate my birthday throughout the month.
is that cool or what?? yay yay yaaaaay!!! i'm so so happy :D


 Tis' the season to be merry :D indeed!!

Update: stupid of me to not have mentioned... birthday's on the 30th.. yippeee!!! :D

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

OH MY GAWD!! she's size ZerO!!

This is a post I should’ve posted ages back, but well I didn’t, out of fear that my close friends would call me a hypocrite. And now I thought I should. So here it is!

It was a fine Saturday morning. I wake up to the birds chirping, sun shining, coffee brewing, a nice smell ensuing, etc etc etc and I pick up the paper. As always, I throw away the main Hindu paper and spread the Weekend section in front of me to catch up on the latest Bollywood/Hollywood gossip. Lo and behold! The main story there is ‘Kareena Kapoor has attained size zero (taaliyan taaliyan!!). Personally I thought she looked horribly anorexic in the pic (apologies to all Kareena Kapoor fans but anorexic is a polite term I’ve used. The precise reaction that my brother gave after seeing the pic, if I remember right, was eeeugh!!) And of course, there was an entire write up dedicated to lolo’s or bebo’s or bimbo’s, or whatever that is she is called, feat. Bravo. Very nice.
And then, sometime later I was watching TV and I came across a very interesting report in one of the leading news channels (darn it, I don’t remember which one it was, would’ve loved to shred the channel’s name and reputation into tiny shreds of parched meat like pieces :P ) . Yeah so well they were excitedly talking about a movie to be released, Tashan (if they had known what an outrageous flop the movie was to be, I’m sure they wouldn’t have wasted so much time on it… or perhaps, going by the present state of news channels, they still would’ve!). And what were the two most important things they were discussing about the movie? 1. Kareena Kapoor’s new vital statistics. 2. Kareena Kapoor- Saif Ali Khan relationship. Wow! I would love to comment on point #2 but that would be digressing from the topic, so we’ll come back to oh-so-thin Kareena’s new size. The protagonist was gushing and blushing and basking in the glory of numerous compliments that were being bestowed on her by the pathetic host, fans, viewers and some ‘inside’ Bollywood people who had (surprise surprise!) to comment on something as dumba-dumb-dumb as this. And all this while, she looked like she was going to drop dead the next minute.
Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Kareena Kapoor. My fury is directed against all those people who are promoters of the size zero bandwagon. Pick up any issue of any woman’s magazine, and I assure you there will be at least one article on how to look sexy/glamorous/thin. Not fit, thin. Yes, I plead guilty; I’m one of those numerous people who are affected by the get-thin-to-look-good propaganda. No I am not thin. I know I’m not fat as per the norms of fat (as my friends have tried to tell me in vain) but in a world crazed by the size zero phenomenon, I’m obese :|   and that fact has not been a very comforting one. I may have been a good student at school, a good friend, a kind person, and have had numerous virtues but in a world obsessed with getting thin and looking fab, I was a loser. And trust me; I’m not alone in thinking so. I have known girls who were way worse than I was and who took this very seriously- slimming pills, crash dieting and going to gym till your body cannot take the stress any longer- all this is not new to any one. Most of them are very pretty girls, but God decided to let them have some meat on their bones, (oh no!). Seriously, so what’s the big hullabaloo about? 
Media, as always the culprit, and fashion shows have tampered with the definition of good looking so badly that it is no longer what it used to be. Good looking implies being in shape. And if that shape happens to be anything other than an hourglass shape- oops... you’re out! Staying fit, which doesn’t imply getting rid of all that is fleshy from your body, is a forgotten concept. Yes, I agree one has to look good when in show biz, but why the brouhaha about the size? I mean, I had never thought Kareena Kapoor was fat in the past, if anything, she looked better then! The heroines of yesteryears weren’t size zero, and well they looked far better than our present day heroines. So what’s my point? That the obsession with the whole size zero thing must stop. Not everyone is born a model, hell that’s why they are models! So Kareena Kapoor slimmed down- why the fuss? It’s not like she invented a machine that will blow up all terrorist camps with one click of a mouse (now THAT would be worthy of some fuss). If the present day media (and youth) stopped giving so much attention to looks and focussed more on basic intelligence, fitness, general awareness and overall development, we’d probably have a more informed generation next (that knows that our president is not Sonia Gandhi and that Bihar is not the capital of Uttar Pradesh and that Madras is not another name for South India, which is again, not a state), which is by all means a better thing than to have a circus of stick thin, weak anorexic women (and men too, wanting to look muscled up and beefy).
On that note, I’m going to have a cheese pizza and a chocolate ice cream.
(and to all those people who accuse Vidya Balan of being fat, screw you!)
Pic courtesy : bestpicsaround

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

yay yay!

tadaaaa!! and i have been awarded (*mwaah mwaah*), yet again by vinay/ leo.. (a mega huge thankooskoss to you :D)  i feel so happy :)  (*sniff*)

What is this Proximity award about? 

"This award is given to a blog that invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."


AND NOW, the passing on of the award to 8 dear dear dear people whom i have befriended out here :D

swati (cuz she is my bestest friend, and the best there ever can be!)

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

THE PALADIN'S MOTHER

It was Meera, Nafeeza’s neighbour’s daughter who had first told her about it the next day. ‘Nafeezumma, did you hear about the bombing and firing? Its all over the news, come home and see it on TV. There has been a terror attack in Delhi.’ Nafeeza hurried over to Meera’s house. There it was, the horrific images playing back to back on the TV. Images of blood splattered across the ground, clothes, shoes and baggage drenched in blood strewn across, relatives of the victims huddles up, their faces grief stricken, many of them crying, some too shocked to react. Fire and smoke were emanating from the building nearby. Nafeeza watched in horror as journalists and reporters frantically tried to brief the viewers on what had happened. ‘How can people do this Nafeezumma? How can people be so cruel? Look at that small kid crying! Why does this happen?’ Meera looked at her old and wise neighbour who always had answers for her. But Nafeeza could not say anything. Indeed, why would anyone want to do all this? She knew the pain of having lost a child. And now, probably two. Why?  She had no answer. Quietly cursing the evil times, she left from the place.
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'Ameena, could you come here for a moment?’ Nafeeza called out to her daughter.
‘What happened umma?’ Ameena asked irritably. She was obviously annoyed at having been summoned when she was busy at whatever it was that she was doing.
‘Could you get me a glass of water child? I had a bad dream today’.
‘How many times have I asked you not to sleep during the day? You worry so much and you keep thinking about bad things, then why wouldn’t you have bad dreams? Hold on I’ll get you water’. 
‘I saw Afzal’, Nafeeza whispered.  
Ameena gave her the glass of water and pretended not to listen.
‘I saw Afzal in my dream Ameena. He... he doesn’t look well’. Nafeeza accepted the glass with trembling hands. She shivered slightly. She looked at Ameena for some response but Ameena remained passive. She appeared to not have listened to anything her mother had said. 
‘I’m talking to you Ameena. Can’t you hear me?  I’m telling you that your brother is not well and you choose not to listen? How can you not care?’
‘Umma! He’s been gone for 7 years now!! Seven years! We have no idea where he is, no letter, and no calls! If he were still alive, surely he would’ve tried to contact us by now! I’m tired of telling this to you umma. Please get this into your head once and for all.’
‘Afzal would never have spoken to me like that. He was not a good student but he was a good kid, my Afzal. He’d never have let you speak to me like that’, wept Nafeeza.
Ameena looked apologetic now. She sat next to her old mother, ‘umma, I didn’t mean to be rude or hurt you. You are worrying yourself for a lost cause. We’ve been trying to tell you for two years now. Haven’t we searched enough umma? See how weak you have become worrying yourself? Where is that old strong umma of mine? You’re not one to live a lie. All I’m saying is once you accept the truth you might be able to handle it better than being hopeful and worrying yourself. I love you umma.’
‘I have hope Ameena. That is why I’m still talking to you. I will never lose hope Ameena. Nothing and no one can survive without hope. Your brother is out there somewhere and I know he isn’t well now. I’m a mother, I’d know.’
Ameena shook her head. She has known her mother for 19 years. She was not one to give up so soon. And all along when the rest of the family was convinced that Afzal was no more in this world, Nafeeza never listened. She would always accuse them of not caring enough. That, had Ameena’s father still been alive, he would’ve found out about Afzal’s whereabouts. Nafeeza believed that her son was trapped somewhere with no means of escape and no way to reach them. And she fiercely believed in it.
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Nafeeza was old and weak and arthritis had rendered her unable to walk without a limp. If it wasn't for her tremendous will power, she would've been crippled by now. But she wasn't someone to give up so soon. It has been years since her husband died and she had looked after her children all by herself. Her first son had died of a hole in his heart when he was only one. Now she had two daughters a son. The eldest daughter was married to a man and lived in Dubai. The youngest daughter, Ameena, had finished studying and was at home. Her uncles were searching for a suitable groom for her, which wasn't very difficult. Ameena was a beautiful girl, much like her mother and had many suitors. As for her son, Afzal, Nafeeza had no idea where he was. 
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Three blasts-gun fires without ceasing-3 terrorists killed-2 still inside the building. Nafeeza was still trying to grasp the magnitude of the event the next morning when her brother ushered her into her room. ‘Did you see the news paper Nafee?’ 
‘No iqqa, I saw the news at Meera’s place yesterday…’ 
‘They are looking for an Afzal’, her brother cut her short. Nafeeza stopped abruptly. Her eyes shot at her brother, first with shock and then disbelief. She struggled for a minute to come up with the right words and then slowly said, ‘My Afzal would never be part of such an execrable deed. That is not how I raised him.’ 
‘Oh Nafee, we don’t know where he has been for the past 7 years. How do you know this is not our Afzal? I’m sure people are talking now Nafee. Everyone knows we don’t know where Afzal is. What do we tell them?’ her brother snapped.
‘Tell them the truth iqqa; that we don’t know where Afzal is. But the Afzal they are looking for is not my Afzal. I know for sure.’
‘Ha! Your Afzal was never good for anything. I don’t think I have any doubts. He is not good for anything else. He was insecure and ashamed of himself. He sounds like someone who would do something like this’
Nafeeza tried hard not to scream. ‘You thought he was dead. You all thought he was dead and gone. How can you be sure it is him now? You never appreciated the kid when he was here. Stop blaming him for everything. He is not with us now; leave him alone at least now! Let him be, please iqqa. I know my Afzal will not do such a heinous thing. He will not. He surely will think of his umma. He may have been an under achiever but he was a good boy’, fought back Nafeeza. ‘Leave me be iqqa. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. You can tell the whole world whatever you want to. But I know it isn’t true. My Afzal is a good boy’, she said storming out of the place.
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There was not a single day that Nafeeza did not worry about Afzal and his well being; even before he had gone missing. As a child, he had been bad at academics while both his sisters where outstanding students. When his father was alive, he would always compare him to his sisters and mock him for being beaten by two girls. He was a subdued child, who preferred staying at home than going out to play. The neighbourhood children laughed at him for being a milksop. But in spite of all the jeering and sneering, Afzal preferred to stay at home, lost in his world of books and poems or talking to his mother. Nafeeza had a natural soft corner for this child of hers. She believed he was timid and was artistic, but artistic men were never recognized in their own time. She believed her son was special and had the makings of a great man, but her husband used to laugh at her when she told him so. ‘Haha! Afzal? No no Nafeeza, don’t fool yourself. He is a shy boy, not fully grown. He cannot survive on his own. Look at him; he prefers sleeping on your lap to getting dirty in the mud. He is a boy Nafeeza, a boy! How can a boy be so?’ he used to say. His father did love him, but never believed he had any special qualities. Nafeeza often suspected that her husband was ashamed of his only living son and that pained her. She loved Afzal more than her other children for he was always with her and seemed to love her more than he loved anyone else. She loved him more than anyone else because he was mocked at by the others, and she didn’t want him to feel neglected. Afzal was her everything. Yes she loved her daughters, but Afzal was special.
And yet, seven years back when one of his uncles had slapped him for not being able to get a job, he had left her without a word. Initially she had thought he had gone to the lodge nearby and that he’d return the next day. But he never did. She waited for days, weeks and months, hoping for a letter or call from her son but none came. The rest of the family tried to search everywhere, or so they said, but Afzal was nowhere to be found. They had no hopes anymore, not after these 7 years that a boy so attached to his mother could stay away for so long. They were assured that Afzal was dead. But Nafeeza didn’t believe that. Something told her he was alive, and now she worried for something told her he was in danger now. 
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She was not going to believe her brother. What did he know? He never knew her son like she did. He would never do such a thing. So many murders? Surely he wouldn’t. He believed in the goodness of deeds. He was an artistic kid who loved the beauty of nature and its creatures. He could never kill someone. He was a timid and quiet boy, not a rebel. He wouldn’t bomb buildings and shoot at people. He wouldn’t even hold a gun in his hand. Why did he have to? He would think of her, his sisters and all those people who loved him and cared for him. But then, did he know how much they cared? Had she not shown enough care, given him enough love? Didn’t he know how it felt to lose someone you love? He had heard from Nafeeza; about how much she grieved his brother’s death. He would never kill anyone. No he wouldn’t. She was sure of that.
But the fact remained that he had been missing for seven years. Nafeeza knew nothing about his whereabouts or what he did for a living. What if??
NO! She dared not think about that. She might have had as well thought him to be dead. Dead and gone than be associated with such God forbidden evil deeds. She was confused and old and very weak. Her mind was playing tricks on her. Even if the entire world thought he was a terrorist, she wouldn’t believe them. She couldn’t believe things had come to this, her son, her only son, being termed a murderer. 
Even if it was him, it wasn’t his fault. He was a neglected child. No one had accepted him for what he was. That would’ve been the reason he was misled into everything. People would understand that, wouldn’t they? They’d forgive him. He was Nafeeza’s son, everyone loved Nafeeza. She was a nice loving woman and her son had made a mistake, that’s all. But to kill so many people? Was that a mistake? Should she report him to the police? But her only son! What if he was indeed dead? She would be torturing him even in his death. What was she to do?
And she cried, like she had never cried before. She cried for her Afzal, for her deceased husband, for her first son. She cried for everyone she had lost. She cried as the entire nation mourned the deaths of many innocent victims. She cried, hoping that would wash away her son’s sins. She didn’t want to believe it was her Afzal, but iqqa had been so sure of the accusation. What if it was indeed her boy? She cried for long and then slowly drifted off to sleep.
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‘Umma!! Umma wake up. Its Afzal, Afzal is on TV. They are showing Afzal!’ Ameena’s high pitched screech woke up Nafeeza from her deep sleep. She had been dreaming of a happy family of four kids and a mother and father. 
‘Umma come to Meera’s house. There is something you have to see. Afzal… he is not dead. His photo is on TV. You were right Umma… he was in danger... He… he is in Delhi…’ she tried to mange before running off to Meera’s place again. 
Nafeeza sat still on her bed. Afzal’s photo was on TV. Her iqqa had been right. Her Afzal, her sweet child was a criminal?? Nafeeza felt numb. She had given birth to a criminal? He didn’t deserve to live then. But he was her son. Her favourite child, how could she will him to die? She was torn between morality and motherly love. She sat there, her eyes moist but too dazed to cry. And then she heard another yell, ‘Nafeezumma!’ She slowly raised her weak body from the bed and walked towards her neighbour’s house. What was there to see? Her son being branded as the most wanted man of the nation? What was left in it to see? She aimlessly walked towards the house. And there she saw him, his photo on the TV. She did not hear anyone around her as she looked at the face she had loved so much. She looked into the eyes that had given her hope and sunshine. And she slumped into a chair nearby.
‘Umma Afzal iqqa is a hero!!’ screamed Ameena. Nafeeza was suddenly shaken out of her trance. ‘What?’ she asked, perplexed. ‘Umma look at the caption! Local boy saves hostages. He helped the army! He is in the hospital but doctors say he will live. Umma, Afzal iqqa is a hero! The country is so proud of him!’
Nafeeza couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her son, her only son was a hero. She had been right all along. She had believed he was alive. She had believed he was not at fault. Her chest swelled with pride. It wouldn’t be long before she talked to her son again. He will come to her, as a man who has achieved something and he will get a hero’s welcome. All was well. She thought about her husband and brother, and a little smile spread across her wrinkled face. She hugged Ameena and Meera and cried. 
‘Why are you crying now Nafeezumma? Isn’t he fine? Aren’t you proud?’
‘Yes sweetheart, I’m proud. I’m very proud. I’m very happy. God is kind. I’m very happy’.
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Saturday, December 6, 2008

I, Woman Of Today

Forgive me mother, for I no longer stick to your ideals.
I have foregone the customary path.
Given in to the wildest of wrath,
Come out unscathed and
embraced all that you call fiend.

Forgive me father, for I’m no longer your little girl
or the delicate maiden you thought I’d become.
I am not afraid to walk out into the sun,
in the open to a world that was once scary.
None of those warnings intimidate me.

Forgive me my country of birth;
Forgive me if it is up to you.
For I do not believe endurance is my virtue.
I have endured enough, enough have I suffered;
Now I come of age, wary yet unruffled.

Forgive me world, for I have broken barriers.
I am no longer what you want me to be.
I am no longer the silent voice of mutiny.
For now I speak out in a voice loud and firm.
I fear not your stares or words of criticism.

Forgiveness I ask not of shame or defeat
Forgiveness I ask for I tread the forbidden path
I am no longer ‘the weak’ that you chose to disregard.
Long gone is the day when I wept in a corner.
No longer at your mercy, I am independent and stronger.

helloooooooo!!!!

and after that looooong hibernation i have finally decided to scramble out of my big lazy burrow. so here's a very energetic HELLLLLOOOO!!! 
before i post anything i want to thank bhai (with that glass of delicious milky cut chai!), vinay, kartz, princess mia, arvind and trinaa for missing me and checking my blog for updates. here's a big hug coming your way for not forgetting me.... thank you!!!!!!
i have been really restless, irritated and irate of late due to innumerbale reasons and was hit by an unfortunate bout of blogger's block (:O tch tch tch!). poor me? yes i agree!
anyway... i knew i had to get back to blogging to keep myself busy.. so here i am.. (yay!!) and i'm sorry i'm out of date with all your blogs. will start reading everything i missed out on.. promise!
will post something tonight :)
cheers!!
(PS: can you get extra glasses of chai when you come, bhai? ;)