maa tujhe salaam...

its a really hectic wednesday morning.
im running super late for work.
ride my bike real fast...can u get a ticket for speeding on a bike btw?!
hmmm...i wonder!

anyway, somehow reach work, all sweaty, irritated.
drink 2 glasses of water.
still panting! damn the flu and its lasting effects on my stamina.
suddenly the phone is ringing.
im fed up. let the voicemail get this one, i think to myself.

its ringing. ringing. yesss still ringing.
that means only one thing. its my mommieeee!
the phone will ring till i answer it.

i look at my watch. its 9:30 AM...which means 10pm back home.
im still panting ... btw!
answer the phone with a very breathles..errr HAAAALLO?

a very very cheerful saroj at the other end.
yeah, we call our mom by her first name! get over it.

Saroj: (real cheery) monaaa..what u doing?

Me: (irritated) im at the beach in my tiniest bikini sipping cosmopolitan just lounging around with johnny (depp)!!! what do u think im doing?!?!

Saroj: (if its possible even more cheerful) aaaaaa...say my hello to johnny and ask him..beta ghar kab aa rahe ho?!?!

BATAAO...she is my MOTHER in every which way!!!
maa tujhe salaaaam....

life's applecart...

life stumps us everyday.
just when we think we have it all figured out, one tiny little thing goes wrong and the apple-cart collapses.
aren't we all used to that?

but for me, just when im about to give up, something comes along to restore my faith.
it happens everytime.
im grateful for that.


"At the end of the day faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don't really expect it. It's like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it's not so important happyily ever after, just that its happy right now. See once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you , and once in a while people may even take your breath away.”
- Meredith Grey


but just in case it doesnt happen, have a refuge song ready.
Currently this one is mine!






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it echoes...

ive been away for a long time. too many changes happening too fast. im back now with lots to tell. over the weeks more on that...but for now something that has been echoing in my heart...

main jahan rahoon
main kahin bhi hoon
teri yaad saath hai
kissi se kahoon
ke nahi kahoon
ye jo dil ki baat hai..

kehne ko saath apne
ek duniya chalti hai
par chhup ke iss dil mein
tanhayee palti hai
bas yaad saath hai
teri yaad saath hai.



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saturday night fever...

it was time we got "wild" back.
the mellow-saturday-nights thing is really over-rated.
so this time jake and i got dolled up to go cruising men!
the thing is...it sounds so great when u say it.
but when ur out and about around town...its whole another story!
oh btw...we use the term "cruising" very losely...atleast in my case.
jake of course...goes all out.

now IM apparently waiting for eric dane to come save me from myself.
cos everywhere else i looked i thought i was part of a very bad soap.
a very bad soap where men are from some planet thats not even in our galaxy.
men will shout that its the same with women too.
but unfortunately im heterosexual and notice mostly men.

so whats with men and belts these days?
let me tell u its not serving the purpose its supposed to serve.
or is the ass SUPPOSED to hang out like that?
i think im really really old cos i just wanted to grab a few boys and tell them to pull their pants up and tuck their shirts in.

oh and whats with the silver colored ones?
every second man was wearing a shiny clunking silver belt.
it was a club for straight people, with women stuck to their arms like leeches.
mostly men, who to me were looking like greek gods gone horribly wrong.
very well sculpted bodies shown to full advantage in tight vests, sphagettis i swear, in some case...and big tattoos.
looking all dapper and thats when ul overhear them saying bhen**** in such a dirty accent im not even sure where its from.

jake says im too choosy.
i think...thank god for thaaat little mercy.
the only thing worse than this wud be a man with the golden belt.
and then i spotted him too.
black tight t-shirt, tighter (if its possible) blue jeans and a golden belt.
a BIG golden belt.

i needed air...so we went up to the terrace.
it was better.
we drank, we chatted and decided this yuppie nonsense was not for us.
we went to another club.
more grown up, less crowded, more fun.

each time i make eyes at a cute guy, turns out he likes jake.
my friend who is very handsome, super cool with some mean dance moves.
im lucky to have a friend like him.
he listens to me bitch about life in general, men in particular, all day long.
still believes in fairytales and pushes me towards ugly men.
and on saturday nights like this one...is just happy to 'hang out'.

life's good.
you know when it gets better?
when the DJ plays uff teri adaa...





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when wishes are horses...

i wanted to be the biggest star on broadway.
right after...id set up my own vineyard...
...between directing oscar winning films
based on my own booker winning books...
...alongwith travelling the globe.
and did i mention that i was mentored into this life by robert redford?
with johnny depp as my greatest love...
...and sachin tendulkar as my close personal friend???

well...
u can imagine why i stopped wishing a long time ago!

ups and downs are a part of life...i know that.
but everything takes a toll on you...doesnt it?
today if u ask me, i just want peace of mind and good music on my ipod.
id like to think that ive no regrets about the past.
but then also not much excitement about the future.
does that mean that ive become more cynical or just sensible?

the old katie...would hang onto every little thing no matter how insignificant.
which is why i think i have cupboards full of crap.
mailboxes overflowing with mails...that have NO meaning in the current context.
and ive got less than a month to sort it all out.

im supposed to begin a new journey soon.
completely different from my set life till now.
loony says very few people get that opportunity in life to begin again on a clean slate...so i should count my blessings.
but that means that everything else wil get left behind.
everything id held dear and close to me til now.

despite my i-care-a-damn attitude, i now know i fear that.
i hadnt even noticed it...til charlie pointed it out.
why do all your mails end with a tone of such finalty!
do you do that with everyone? he'd asked me.
in my bid to de-clutter life...id started to try and ease people out.
goodbyes are easier than long drawn out see-yous!

i try and avoid the il-see-u-in-a-million years endings now.
im moving to a new place...but i hope old ties wil remain.

after all...i may not have had a starring role on broadway yet..but jake and i hv given the performances of our lives at mannequin.
il think about that vineyard someday...but till then many a bottles to be shared with gyaani.
i may not get the booker for my blog but you guys read it. i know cos u shout at me for writing crap later.
i dont have robert redford but life has been my mentor...with gunther, loony, zoozoo, sam, gyaani, begum, jake, naz, jc and jt in lead roles as my close personal friends.
sorry but johnny im still holding out for :)

and yes charlie you can be my conscience keeper!




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like the phoenix...

not too long ago he was booed off his home ground in mumbai.
crowds jeering him for slow scoring.
journalists busy writing his career obits.
some even said that while a great player, he wasnt a match winner.

im not surprised that these people today cant stop extolling his virtues.
200-not out in a one-day match is an almost unthinkable thing.
but then this one man has made so many unthinkable things possible.
sachin tendulkar...afterall IS the god of cricket.

my own interest in the game is limited.
i love to watch the high-pressure games with the boys.
but my life doesnt depend on the ball-by-ball commentary.
ive adored some of the players.
though honestly...less for their cover/square drives, more for their good looks.
but NO ONE can be indifferent to the charisma of this little master.

im a huge fan too.
not just of his skill and performance.
but his ability to bounce back each time people write him off.

no one has written me off.
im too small and insignificant to even be part of that analogy.
but sachin makes me believe that anything is possible.
he makes me believe in self-belief and magic.
he is my hero....like the phoenix...always rising from the ashes.


"To Sachin, the man we all want to be"
- Andrew Symonds
(Symonds wrote on an aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin)




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thats the way i like it...

A brief candle; both ends burning
An endless mile; a bus wheel turning
A friend to share the lonesome times
A handshake and a sip of wine
So say it loud and let it ring
We are all a part of everything
The future, present and the past
Fly on proud bird
You're free at last.

- Charlie Daniels




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