My Latest Fad

Endless Longings

2010-02-09T01:17:00.008+05:30

Whenever I have enough time to sit back on my chair and think, I yearn for our China Study Trip and the time when Sid and I would finally live together. I want time to zoom past until the study trip, and then slow down for those exciting (I hope) days in China, then conveniently zoom past again until the time I am with Sid and then perhaps slow down as per my wishes.

This makes me realise that my life is more like a series of longings for something or the other. Last year at the end of February I was longing for coming to Belgium. When I was finally here, I longed for our Christmas break to go back to India. After the Christmas break here I am, yearning for the China Trip and going back to India for being together with Sid. I am sure the craving would be for something else after I have lived these two experiences. Do we ever get satisfied and live completely, uncomplainingly in the moment? Or is it just me? I like to imagine that when I will live with Sid and we would have the careers of our choice and live in the country of our dreams, I will long no more and be unquestioningly satisfied and sickeningly happy. But is that true? Would there be something else to crave for then? Babies, perhaps? I don't know, I am just guessing!

The thing is that why can't I just be happy in the moment. Not that I am not happy, but there is just this endless longing and waiting. After all I am now living the life for which I was counting days a year back. Why then, am I waiting for this time to just fly by? Perhaps because I believe that I have more exciting things to look forward to. I am thankful that I have such a life at the moment, that every time I have newer and better things to look forward to, but I should also be able to completely live the experience that I wished for in a not so distant past. Isn't this insulting to that 'someone' up there who grants our wishes if we just keep desiring for more and better?

Is it just normal human nature or is it the paranoia of someone who can never be satisfied? Am I just human or am I insane? Or am I being insane right now by blogging my useless (?) reflections when I have to study for the frightening Corporate Finance exam?

Life Is Throwing Lovely Gifts At Me!

2010-01-08T16:01:00.008+05:30

Welcome 2010!! I hope you will be as exciting as 2009 was.

I loved 2009! It was the most favourite year of my life so far; the year when I made it to one of my dream B-Schools; the year when I started a very exciting journey of Business education. The year when I met (again) the person with whom I am destined to spend the rest of my life. Yes, I am officially engaged to Sid now. You can congratulate us! :D

My vacations in India were too beautiful but too short. Going back home for 12 days after 5 months in this cold and different country was like months of spiritual and emotional healing. I hogged on food, I shopped when I had time, I met Sid's parents and he met mine. It cudn't have been better but too soon it was time to leave.

I was scared before meeting his family for the first time. How would it go? Would they like me? Would they like my family? Would my family like them and Sid? Would we have anything in common with them? But as it turned out, all my fears were just stupid. It went fabulously well, I couldn't have asked for anything better. They loved me, and my family loved Sid! I am in love with Sid's beautiful home and his adorable family. The next day when they came to my home, our families quietly suggested to us to make it official. So, there was a little exchange of gifts and voila, we were engaged! It was a beautiful evening and I keep reliving it through pictures that were clicked.

We both are on top of the world and have many dreams, hopes and plans. There are many decisions to be made. Whether I will move to Bangalore or he will move to Belgium? Whether we should immediately start working on our business plans or just continue with boring work lives for a while? Whether I should target consulting companies or investment banks? Whether we should get married in November or February of next year? Phew!

However, all said and done, we are both looking forward to it, and just can't wait to be with each other. It was difficult to say goodbye at the airport this time. At that moment, I felt that I don't want to leave, at least not so soon. I am glad that my family organized it in such a way that Sid could come with us to the airport when I was leaving. I hugged Mom and Dad and shook hands with Sid. I almost had tears in my eyes when he clasped my hand with both of his and looked into my eyes and simply said, "Take Care". I kept looking back at him until the last moment and he always smiled back. No, I did not cry before him but I did cry during the flight. I am this emotional fool at times, who can sob away while staring out of the window into nothingness as a plane flies 10,000 feet above ground. Sigh....., love can make you silly ;)

As an extra beautiful surprise in life, I received a 'Stylish Blogger Award' from Small Town Girl. Thanks sweetheart, you are one of my favourite bloggers and receiving an award from you feels great! This award is doubly special as it is my first and will always be cherished.

Counting Days

2009-12-12T16:58:00.006+05:30

No matter where you are in the world, there's one feeling that stays the same across cultures and countries. The feeling that you get when exams are over!!

I used to feel the same way in High School, in Engineering, and now even in MBA. All my classmates here feel the same way. That feeling of relief, and of having all the time in the world to do whatever you please. Right after the last exam, a Chilean classmate mentioned to me, "Now I have an appointment with my pillow!" And I smiled.

So, the first part of our MBA is done, that constitues one-third of the program. I don't want to comment on how I did in the exams, they are over, and that's a relief. We have a 4 day residential seminar starting from 15th December and then holidays!! Wooohoooo!!!

I shopped last evening and realised how beautiful the streets looked because of all the decorations for Christmas. I hadn't been out of my studio and school since last some days, and hadn't realised that the Christmas season is already upon us.

I am counting days for going back to India. While eating pizza last night for dinner, I almost cried thinking of Mom's cooking and all the food that I will eat when I reach home. I am tired of the Belgian, Thai and Turkish food here and even of my own cooking. I know that I will hog and gain weight at home, but who cares!

Siddharth has booked his tickets for Delhi and I can't wait to see him again. This will only be the second time since we have grown up that I will meet him! Sounds unbelievable even to myself, but it's true. Surprisingly, I never feel that I have met him just once. Perhaps because I know him since I was a 6 year old and because I see him on Skype everyday. When I tell our little story to my women friends here, they get the shock of their lives. "You have met him just once since you grew up! And you really started talking to each other only six months back, out of which you have been in Belgium for four months! Are you sure you want to marry him???" If I use all that logic, I know I would never suggest someone else to do what I am doing. But truly, I have never been so sure of anything in my life. Yes, I do want to marry him :)

Ah! It's time to get ready and head to the shopping streets! It's Christmas season and I wanna shop!!

One Of My Favorite Profs!

2009-12-06T20:28:00.002+05:30

He has made Financial Accounting interesting for us! That in itself is an achievement!

Check out the video on the right.

Getting Graded

2009-11-18T05:37:00.007+05:30

We have been graded for 2 subjects so far and thankfully I have scored above the class average for both Financial Accounting and Managing Across Cultures. I don't know how long would I be able to maintain that but for now, I am satisfied. I never aimed to be the topper here and I live a relaxed life, talk for hours with my boyfriend and have healthier sleeping hours compared to most of my classmates, so I feel I am good with the grades :)

I used to have this feeling a couple of months back that Siddharth and I would just spoil each other's professional lives because we spend so much time on Skype and phone. However, I am happy that we are both managing quite well. My entire class knows that I talk to my boyfriend for hours at a stretch on Skype, and they get quite shocked about the fact that I manage to find so much time for him. Sid is doing great in juggling his job and Phd. preparation and IELTS preparation and French classes and gym etc. Trust me, his job is not easy. Poor guy is living the dreaded post MBA work life, in which one works like an ass ;) But I never feel starved of attention from him, it is just perfect. Touchwood! :)

At Vlerick, we work in many teams for various group projects and reports in different subjects. Some groups are great and others... well.. not so great! Sometimes you find one or more team members annoying and impossible to work with but I feel that it is part of our learning. We never get to choose our colleagues in work situations, so we should know how to work best in a group. Moreover, the grades of every individual depend on the final product of the group work, so you just can't take it casually. I am glad that my group for Entrepreneurship is just awesome. It is one of the longest and biggest projects and we have to come up with a business plan and a marketing plan and present it to a jury. We were able to choose our group members for this project but it wasn't so easy to do that. For starters, it was difficult to decide what criteria we should take into account while considering possible business plan partners. I mean, whether to look at people's profiles and pick people from useful backgrounds like Marketing, Finance, IT (if you are doing an IT project), or whether to just see if I was comfortable working with someone. I honestly feel that for this project, comfort and understanding matters more than backgrounds. We can come up with a good marketing strategy even if we don't have a marketing professional amongst us, but we can never put our hearts to a project where we don't like working with others. So, my team has ended up as being a great team and I am very happy with the progress so far. We managed to finalise and mutually agree upon a business idea (many other groups haven't yet finalised an idea) and we have started our research based on it. The idea looks so good for now that we can even consider it as a real entrepreneurship opportunity after MBA. Let's see how it shapes up!

On Saturday, our Chilean group member invited us to his home in Brussels for a team meeting followed by some Chilean food and wine. Everybody knows that Chilean wines are some of the best in the world, so it was of course a tempting offer. Our friend and his wife offered us tortillas with a choice of many spreads (I specially loved the Avocado spread) and various fillings. I ate 2 rolls and they were super delicious. The Chilean wine lived up to its name and I had 2 glasses of red wine with dinner. Now, after dinner our friend told us about a whiskey called Pisco. It is very popular in Chile and if mixed with Coke, it is called Piscola (which I think is a funny name). I am no fan of whiskies but this one was very smooth and I really liked it mixed with Cola and Ice. The train ride back home to Leuven was easy after that, because I couldn't feel the cold at all, thanks to Pisco!

Life is going good I feel. I am looking forward to 19th December, when I will take my flight to Delhi. However, we will have exams before that during the second week of December :(

Send in your wishes folks, they always work for me :)

Love,

Nicky

Autumn Break

2009-10-31T17:41:00.014+05:30

If I ever had any doubts about the ability of time to fly, they have been put to rest now. It's been only some time that I came to Belgium, and I am already booking tickets for Delhi and looking forward to my winter vacation. Yeah folks, I will be in Delhi for Christmas and New Year's! I can't wait for it and guess what I am missing most in Leuven?? South Indian Food! Yeah, that's surprising for me too. Not family, not friends, not 'ghar ka khana', but I am missing good old Idli, Sambhar and Dosa here. Would anybody believe that? Maybe because that is the only thing that I could not find here at all so far. I am regularly in touch with family and friends, I cook my own 'Indian' meals but Idli-Sambhar is something that is just not to be found in our little town :(

We don't have any classes for this entire week and I am enjoying the break. Talking for hours with Siddharth, cleaning every minute inch of my studio, listening to songs, cooking nice meals etc. Of course I will also catch up on all the subjects where I am lagging behind and prepare for projects and exams, but that is secondary priority for this week.

Our classes have been progressing at a break-neck speed as usual and I did not even realise when subjects like Leadership, Human Resource Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, Business and Law, and Entrepreneurship zoomed past us. The learning in each was immense and I am in awe of most of our professors here. For example, our Business and Law professor started the course with us by distributing some cases and questions to test our ethics and knowledge about Law. In the first class he told us jokingly that the purpose of his course was to keep us out of jail. The entire class laughed but when he discussed our answers to the cases and questions, we realised how unethical, hypocritical and unaware of the Law we were. If we indeed did those things in real corporate world, we would have been put in jail, and all the while we thought that we were being fair!! I do believe my professor's joke now and realise how difficult ethical choices are in the real world. Wow, I am already beginning to talk like an MBA!

Diwali came and went and I did not light a single cracker. I badly missed home during Diwali but thankfully I have very nice classmates. A chinese classmate called us home for tea on Diwali afternoon and we had dinner at an Indian friend's place. His wife had prepared a delicious Indian meal for us, which we ate while watching the classic 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro'. We also played cards, because Diwali without gambling is utterly boring. I explained the concept of Diwali to many of our classmates who wanted to know the story behind the festival and why and how we celebrate it. I hope I gave them the correct version of the story, but anyway they would never know the difference :)

On the day after Diwali we visited a Krishna temple called Radhadesh in Ardenne. It is a beautiful place with rolling hills and dense forests. After the prayer ceremony at the temple we took a walk in the woods and it felt like going back to nature and connecting with the Supreme.

The second pic is of the castle in which the temple is situated.

I hope that after this one week break, I will emerge refreshed and full of energy, specially because it is Autumn and it is so beautiful here. I love taking walks in the park close to my studio and will post pics of the beautiful park soon.

Simply Love

2009-10-11T00:16:00.009+05:30

How does it feel when you fall in love with someone who was your classmate 20 years ago, when you were 6 years old?

How does it feel when you fall in love with someone who has come back into your life after 13 years of separation?

It feels like a fairy tale, nothing less.

We are opposites in many ways and yet so similar. He was always the intelligent guy of class, while I was hardly ever concerned about studies. He was the class joker and I used to be sophisticated. He is a powerhouse of energy and enthusiasm, while I am laid back. He is a Cancer and I am a Leo :)

And yet, we fill so many voids in each other's life; we have the same past, we have shared our childhood, we know each other's roots.

I am happy!! Unabashedly, wilfully, tremendously happy!!

We are in love.

Life as a MBA student in Belgium

2009-09-17T17:48:00.012+05:30

My life has changed. I have changed. And I am very happy!!

Amidst all the excitement and millions of things to do to adjust to the new life, my blog was neglected. It is the easiest thing to neglect and so it is neglected first of all. When I started getting comments and messages from some blogger friends about my whereabouts, I decided that it indeed has been a really long time and I should better blog about my new life.

I don't know where to start. I have been in Belgium for a month now and many things have happened since then. Mom and Dad came with me to Belgium to drop me here and then to go on a short Europe trip. I am immensely glad and thankful to them for coming with me because with all my luggage (almost 60 Kgs), I would have broken a few bones and all my suitcases before reaching my destination. Leuven is a small town, at a distance of 30 mins train ride from Brussels. I love the town. It is only 3 Kms in radius! You can see the entire town in half a day. And because it is a student town, you can see students and university buildings everywhere. It is almost like one huge campus.

That is the Town Hall in Leuven. A beautiful building at the heart of the town.

The weather here is gray most of the time and it rains almost every second or third day. The two awesome things about Belgium are its beer and waffles. They have hundreds of varieties of Beer in Belgium. I knew about Leuven's beer connection before coming here and that people here love drinking beer but I had no idea that someone like me who hates it would become an ardent beer fan. Waffles have a similar story. I have never had a sweet tooth but the sight and smell of a freshly baked waffle can make anyone drool. In Brussels I tried a just-baked waffle topped with strawberries and chocolate sauce. I have no words to describe how good it was.

That was my first beer in Belgium!

Now about the MBA life - My classes started on 1st September, so I have been into the program for 17 days now. The first week was all about lunches, dinners, drinks with classmates and alumni, getting to know the school, and even a party at the Dean's house (and what a party!). It was fun at the beginning and before we knew it, the grind started. In just 2 weeks, we have completed 3 subjects!! From the very first day of classes, I have been immersed in team assignments, tutorials, reading for the next day's classes, networking and trying to stay in touch with friends and family back in India. I did not realise when waking up at 5 AM and sleeping at midnight started sounding normal. I did not realise when going to the school on weekends to work with your team for group work became usual. I did not realise when the book shelf in my studio was piled high with thick binders and heavy books. I did not realise when reading 300 pages everyday started seeming achievable. I did not realise when I actually finished an impressive amount of reading. If I collectively count the number of pages for all subjects I have read so far, then that is probably more than I read in an entire year before starting my MBA.

But you know what.... it is fun! I like it! Every moment of sitting in class, every moment of group work, every moment of reading micro and macro economics, financial accounting, statistics and managing across cultures.... I love it. Even when I crib, even when I tell my boyfriend in India that all this work will make me die early (he is a MBA so he thankfully understands), even when I don't get time to cook, even when I am too tired to update my blog, I am loving every moment here and I can see that I am changing as a person. My thought process, my stamina, my ability to cope with pressure, my social networking, everything has already changed drastically. And that is when I am only 1 month into my MBA!

To top it all I joined French classes here which will start on the coming Monday. I have no idea where in the world will I find time for studying French but I have still joined.
Oh and by the way, before my classes started, I managed to visit Amsterdam and Den Haag in Netherlands. Beautiful places would be a gross understatement for them. The canals of Amsterdam give it the romantic feel of a quintessential European city and Den Haag has these beautiful buildings and a mix of the old and new in Europe.

I have made some new friends. We are 90 students divided into 2 sections of 45 each in this year's batch. Among these 90 students we have 42 nationalities, so our class is one of the most diverse in the world. Conversation topics during lunches with my classmates include; Geisha in Japan, our upcoming trip to China, the integration of Europe after the second world war, Barrack Obama's political campaign, Mexican food, Life in Nigeria, the Australian boyfriend of my batchmate from Peru, French versus Dutch language courses, and other equally diverse and interesting topics.

I am sure that my year at Vlerick is going to be a life changing experience for me. No matter where I land after the MBA, no matter what job I get (or don't get!) the learning that I am getting here is immense. My only regret is that I am not able to blog regularly. Some of my classmates have blogs and they post every few days, although I don't understand where they find the time and energy to do it, but taking inspiration from then I will try to blog more often. I suppose that I am just not that great at managing my time.

I will post some pictures of Brussels, Amsterdam, Den Haag and Leuven in my next post!! :)

Shaken And Stirred

2009-07-29T18:40:00.003+05:30

Here I am after a little hiatus! Some of you might have even forgotten me, but hey, I am still on blogosphere :)

During the past month my blog's first birthday came and went (25th July), my 26th birthday came and went (26th July), but I did not as much as post a 'Happy Birthday Dear Blog', one-liner post. Honestly, I am so drained out these days that I don't feel up to even a twitter-like post. Anyway, belated birthday wishes for my online journal.

'Happy Birthday Dear Blog. You mean so much to me' :D

You guys may wish too.

I celebrated my birthday for 2 consecutive days and to such an extent that I promptly fell ill with exhaustion on the third day. Late night dancing and partying with friends, bringing three girlfriends home to stay for the night, and then chit-chatting till the small hours of the morning. It was fun! Almost like engineering college hostel days, all over again. And then, a quiet homely party with family on the following day. I couldn't have hoped for a better start to another year of my life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Exactly 16 days are left for me to pack, shop, prepare, study, say goodbyes, etc. I am beginning to panic now. My things-to-do list has started appearing like a monster that is impossible to slay. The more tasks I finish, the more are added to my list. I actually have a to-do list that is growing bigger by the day.
I bought my ticket, bought a new laptop (HP Pavilion dv4), booked hotel and temporary accommodation in Belgium for 4 days, started my Statistics Course and did other stuff that I cannot even recall now. I read something about time somewhere long back, that how time goes by in lumps when we are in a state of high anticipation or excitement. Sometimes it seems like a large chunk of time just disappeared from my life and at other times, even few minutes seem very long. Yes, time is going by in irregular, unpredictable lumps.
Many a time, I notice myself saying and doing routine things like an automaton, because my mind is busy figuring out what is the next thing-to-do on my list. This is the first time in my life that I am marveling at the powers of habit. I don't need to think while talking to many people. I can give correct responses and expressions out of habit, keeping my mind on other matters all the while. And what's more, people don't even notice!

I will try to write another post before flying to Belgium, but going by the frequency of posts on my blog lately, it seems unlikely. Wish me luck folks, I need all of it that I can get :)

Oh, and by the way, the blog title has got nothing to do with drinks, as you guys might have figured out by now. It is about how I feel presently :)

The Four-Legged Cupid

2009-06-24T12:53:00.006+05:30

It was not long since they had moved to the new place. She loved it; she thought she could call it her own. He loved it; the view from the 14th floor balcony was mesmerizing. They still did not have a double bed. Mattresses on the floor with loads of cushions and pillows made a makeshift arrangement, and they were happy with it.
It was a hot summer Sunday afternoon.

He- This mattress feels so hot. I can't sleep.
She- Get the chatayi from storeroom and sleep on that.
He- hmmm.. yeah.. good idea.

He gets up, opens the storeroom door, and looks back at her. She is still lying on the mattress, face down, eyes closed.

She- Beware of that lizard in the storeroom. It is so fat that it threatens to fall on one's head at any moment.
He- Unlike you, I am not scared of lizards.
She- Well then, get rid of it.
He- I will when I see it. Right now, it is not in the storeroom.
She- uh..huh..

He is back with the folded chatayi. Contemplates a moment for the best place to spread it. His eyes fall on her, lying on her stomach at the very corner of the mattress. He smiles. Next to her is the best place.

Holding one end of the chatayi, he lets it roll on the ground next to her.
Something jumps on her from the folds of the chatayi.
She shrieks, his eyes dart on her.
A lizard runs the full length of her terrified, shaking body and scurries across the floor to the nearest wall.

He- Oh shit!

Her screams don't stop. He is frozen. She does not turn, does not move at all, and just keeps yelling his name.
Letting the chatayi drop in a heap on the floor, he jumps on the mattress to lie down beside her. He hugs her and she clutches at him, as if for her life.
She- I hate you

He- I am sorry kid. I love you.

Her body is still shaking with suppressed sobs and fear.
His body shakes with suppressed laughter and he hugs her tighter.

The afternoon doesn't seem unbearably hot anymore.

30 Nosey Things You May(n’t) Want to Know About Me

2009-06-23T08:50:00.004+05:30

Alright, here's the first tag on My Latest Fad. Unsungpsalm promised that I will enjoy it, so here I am.

But before you get to know the 30 nosey things about me, you first agree to pay a price. I need a new laptop and everybody knows there are so many options in the market that it's a madhouse out there. Oh, don't run away yet. I am not asking you to buy me a new laptop. All you have to do is suggest one. My requirements? Pretty simple actually. Something close to 12", lightweight, easy to use and handle, costs within 40-41K. That's it.

Now, to the tag

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? My eyes look puffy. Didn't I sleep well??

2. How much cash do you have in your wallet right now? Rs. 2100, besides debit cards.

3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR? Whore... before being judgemental listen to this. Unsung already used the first word that came to my mind. This was the 'second' that came to me.

4. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? Di.

5. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? I never download ringtones. I use only those that are already on the phone. My current ringtone is 'backpacker'

6. What are you wearing right now? I am still in my nightclothes, yes, I am jobless. Pyjamas and a spaghetti top.

7. Do you label yourself? mmmm yeah. An Intellectual. I know it's not obvious from my posts, but that's because I don't like showing off. Ha!

8. Name the brand of the shoes you currently own? Reebok shoes. Carlton London stilettos. Various sandals from non-branded stores in Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Vegas. Yeah, I shop all over.

9. Bright or Dark Room? mmm bright generally.

10. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you? Unsung. I am tempted to use his real name out here for some reason. But that would be a serious breach of trust :)

Hmmm... Unsung knows what I think of him. Awesome writer, mature for his years, cute in many ways :)

11. What does your watch look like? I am averse to wearing a watch. Don't like them, don't wear them.

12. What were you doing at midnight last night? For the first time after months, I tucked myself in bed with a book, at midnight. Trying to sleep early and wake up early.

13. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? “Powercut again. I am getting ready. Call you later."

14. What’s a word that you say a lot? There are many I guess. "Shutup", "Oh F***", "Duffer", "mmmmmm". This last is an exclamation, but I use it as a word mostly :)

15. Who told you he/she loved you last?(please exclude spouse, family, children) Di's daughter Maahi told that to me just a few minutes back, but I have to exclude family. I think GO was the one then.

16. Last furry thing you touched? Maahi's many soft toys. Last year in Kanpur at Priya's home, I held and cuddled her oh-so-adorable dog Lolo. She has a Pekinese pair, Lolo and Pluto. Lolo is sweet but Pluto is a wicked little .... mmm... dog. He won't let anybody touch him.

17. Favourite age you have been so far? 16.

18. What was the last thing you said to someone? "Aap dusting theek se nahin kar rahe ho", to the maid. For those who didn't get that, "You are not dusting properly"

19.The last song you listened to? "She's always a woman to me" by Billy Joel. It's an awesome song and my caller tune these days. If you want to listen, here's the link.

20. Where did you live in 1987? Ghaziabad. We lived there for just a year because of Dad's transferable job.

21. Are you jealous of anyone? Not anymore. Used to be, in a funny way, when I was younger.

22. Is anyone jealous of you? I don't know.

23. Name three things that you have on you at all times? Phone, money, Lipbalm.

24. What’s your favourite town/city? Dehradun (only because I have spent some of the happiest years of my life there), Delhi (I like it despite the heat), Vegas (I couldn't have enough of Vegas in 3 days), San Francisco (I would love to have a house there), and some remote towns in Uttaranchal that nobody has heard the names of. They are beautiful places.

25. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? I love writing letters on paper but I just hand them to people they are for. I can't remember when was the last time I mailed a letter.

26. Can you change the oil on a car? Erm.. I can't .... yet! I intend to learn someday.

27. Your first love/big crush: what is the last thing you heard about him/her? My first crush, that I can recall, was a classmate when I was in class 2. He was my crush for 3-4 years. We recently found each other after years of leaving school. We chat almost every 2-3 days and talk every couple of weeks. Last I knew, he was immensely enjoying his new job after MBA and was certain that he would flunk his CFA level 2 exam.

28. Does anything hurt on your body right now? Come on, what kind of question is that. Is this tag intended for bed-ridden people? Of course, nothing hurts on my body, thankfully.

29.What is your current desktop picture? A purple lotus with small yellow petals in the centre. Surrounded by big green leaves in a pond. I took it at a roadside eating joint while travelling to Dehradun.

30. Have you been burnt by love? Ah... yes!

I did enjoy the tag but I am not sure about people who read it. Don't forget to post your suggestions for my new laptop.
Everybody who reads this tag and is game for it, is tagged :)

A Fresh Beginning

2009-06-21T14:11:00.006+05:30

I never thought that I would ever be too busy to post on my blog or to read posts of my favorite bloggers. It has happened now and I am not too happy about it. I started this blog last year and whatever crap I wrote here gave me immense satisfaction and an outlet to burst out. Moreover, reading blogs of unknown strangers (who I now feel I know since ages) gave me a sense of belonging. I am too busy to write posts and read blogs regularly now and it feels that some part of me is locked up and getting suffocated. I feel guilty when I don't post for long periods and then coming back to the blogosphere is even more difficult. It is like facing a close family member whom you have been avoiding since long.
I have lost track of what is happening in the lives of my blog friends and I feel left out. Is this weird? My blog friends would know, I guess.

A quick review of what I did all the while I was missing from blogosphere:
~I got my Visa (yippeee).
~I read MANY books, To Kill A Mockingbird, Rebecca, The Kite Runner, The Firm; to name some of them.
~I entertained guests and relatives at home. Many relatives came to visit and live with us for few days because they know I will be leaving soon for a long time. That was sweet of them. I had an awesome time gossiping, shopping, eating with them. I have gained a lot of weight after these visits and screwed my daily routine, but it was all worth it. I will miss them all in Belgium.
~I completed my French classes. Yes, sadly my French classes are over. My teacher can't continue for the next level so I have to now learn on my own.
~GO came back from US and I watched 2 movies (17 Again and Paying Guest) back to back with him again, after knowing that the last time I did that was a disaster. It wasn't so much of a disaster this time, except that Paying Guest is the most pathetic movie that I ever watched. By-the-way, Zac Efron looks cute in 17 Again.

It was enough to keep me occupied if you add it up with social networking, trying to read business related books and articles, and sleeping :)

I can see that life ahead will be even more hectic. My School has e-mailed a list of recommended pre-MBA reading and will make us take 3 online courses (Stats, Financial Accounting and Economics) in July. I have to shop and pack and generally prepare for going.

But, all said and done, I have no intentions of staying away from my blog, like I have been doing for some time now. I have realised that it is important to me, and I am going to make it a part of my routine. It is strange how we neglect many things, knowing that they hold a lot of value for us. Like family, friends, learning new things, and in this case, blog :)

It has started to sink in, now that the initial excitement is getting stale, that I am indeed going for at least 13 months. Away from people who care for me, food that I love, and the life that I am used to. It will be fun and a great learning experience, but I think it would also be difficult. All I have in my survival kit is my enthusiasm, passion (which I hope won't fizzle out too soon), common sense and intellect. I have realised that another survival tool is my blog, just rant here and it becomes easy to get along with things. More so, when unknown strangers (with blogs that I am only too familiar with) post comments that are all concerned, supportive, hopeful, energizing and considerate at the same time. I love my blogger friends. There comments are sometimes all that you need for a doze of energy :)

I changed my blog template. The new one looks fresh and professional, and goes with my present mood; to make a fresh beginning.

My Affair With A Romance Language

2009-05-09T15:02:00.010+05:30

It has been long since I was on blogosphere and I admit that there were a couple of times since I last posted when I started writing but then just gave up. I blame it on multiple factors, but Delhi heat takes the biggest share of blame. I just hate this time in Delhi. The dry and scorching weather gets me into depression, and I should add here, that it really takes a lot to get ME into depression. Going outdoors is suicidal these days, even in evenings. The only places to hang out are malls, and it gets intensely boring to hang out exclusively at malls. With all my social life limited to Facebook and French classes, there was not much to talk about. Moreover, I was in a lazy, introspective phase.

I promised last time that I would blog about my French classes, as they are a lot of fun. They still are fun and I love my time there. The teacher is nice; she gives good material, and teaches well. I have two more students in class with me (both men), so it is a small and intimate class. We get many opportunities to laugh because we keep making silly mistakes that are at times HILARIOUS. One such instance that comes to my mind is of the day when Swati (our teacher) asked me to make a sentence that starts with 'Je voudrais...' (I would like...) It was our third or fourth class and I was still struggling immensely with vocabulary. I started to say something but the sentence that popped out of my mouth was "Je voudrais un bon homme." (I would like a nice man.) Shucks! That was followed by a shocked second and then peals of laughter from everybody including me. The other two students in the class specially laughed loud at that. Embarrassing, I know. But trust me, that's nothing compared to the mistakes that THEY make.

I think it's time to describe the other two students in my class. 'A' seems like a pretty boring guy and he is the one who struggles the most in our classes. It has now got to the extent where the rest of us feel he wastes the time of the class because he just doesn't understand things. Whatever job 'A' is doing, it keeps him busy in some health related seminars these days. He comes to the classes right after work, travelling from CP to Gurgaon. I appreciate his dedication, especially in this weather. He turned up a little late during one of the classes. We looked up as he entered the room to join us. The first thing that I noticed about him on that day was that he was wearing a big, round, red badge, which said "Loose weight now, Ask me how" in shining white letters. Before I could stop myself, I pointed to the eye-catching badge and asked him, "What is that?" His response, "Oh, I forgot to take that off after the seminar." WTF? He traveled all the way from CP to Gurgaon and then walked into the class wearing that. I wonder how many people asked him tips for loosing weight that day.

I call the other guy "My grey eyed Ipod" or The ipod for short (this nick suggested by GO). He has beautiful grey eyes but at times irritating manners. He sings really well, calls me nearly everyday, and hangs up only after singing me a song or two. I know it is funny, but I admit that I enjoy it. I mean how many men these days would sing you songs everyday when you are not even dating them (and nice songs at that). I know he is either too nice or too creepy and I am still trying to decide in which category to place him. He is doing well in class though and I enjoy talking to him, especially when he talks passionately of his career. Like me, he is going to start his MBA program soon but in Canada. He is intelligent, having completed his engineering from a good college and worked for a couple of years, he managed a great score at GMAT and then admission at a decent B-School. I am impressed at how informed he is about his field and at the amount of reading he is doing. From financial accounting to French vocab to oil fields in Canada, he has read up a whole lot. I am always impressed with well-informed people but at times, he intrigues me. He would at times say non-committal but suggestive things, which might mean that he is flirting. I give non-committal responses then but try to make it clear without being too obvious that I am not interested in any relationship or fling (or anything) at all at this point in my life. I just don't like it when men try to play it so safe that they stand neither here nor there; I think that's not being man enough. Of course, I might be wrong with the whole thing, it might be just premature alarm bells ringing in my head, and therefore currently I just brush aside such things and ignore. However, while talking, laughing, arguing, at every imaginable instant, I am watching him to try and understand where he is heading with all his talk (and songs!).

On a different note, I met my best friend Amit yesterday after more than a year and half. Although we could manage less than an hour with each other but it was totally great. I took him to TGIF (my favorite hang out) and we of course had LIITs. I haven't laughed so much in ages as I did in that hour. Friends always make you feel so good. Although Amit and I talk nearly everyday but meeting each other after that terribly long period felt really great. I am glad we could make it because in a couple of months, I would move to Europe and then I don't know when we would ever meet.

Ah! It feels wonderful, now that I have finally written this long post. I wonder why I was putting it off. There will be more to come and soon :D

I Am An Intellectual Originator

2009-04-19T08:59:00.005+05:30

Last night I took a personality test at MyPersonality.info after reading about the test at many random places. I knew already that the test results often surprise people with their accuracy and I have to say that I was not disappointed. While taking the long test, I wondered how accurate it could be with such haphazard questions that people obviously answer in a hurry. But whatever the testing strategy is, it works.
There are 4 broad personality types and my results placed me in the intellectual category. No surprises there. I have held that opinion about myself since I was 3 years old :) Within the intellectual category, I was described as 'The Originator'. Here is a short review of an Originator:

Logical, innovative, curious and downright inventive. They see possibilities for improvement everywhere and possess the ability to understand complex concepts. They are introspective and carefree nonconformists. They often neglect the more common areas of life while pursuing new solutions. They can be good conversationalists and exciting company.
I loved every word of it :D

My personality type is basically the 'ENTP'. Let me decode it for you. It means that I am more of an Extrovert than Introvert, I am more iNtuitive than Sensing, I prefer to Think rather than Feel, and I Perceive more than I judge. I guess that pretty much sums me up.

The test was interesting and I feel it should be made a mandatory part of any person's CV.

PS: I am longing to write a post on my French classes as they are so much fun. It will be coming soon :)

An Invitation to all Vlerick Admits

2009-04-08T09:10:00.010+05:30

The world has become a far smaller place than it was decades ago. More and more people are traveling across the globe for fun, business, study etc. However, going to a foreign land involves more and more hassles. On one hand, we are shrinking the world and on the other, we are making it difficult to get a simple permit to enter a foreign land, the Visa. Protectionism was a hot topic in the latest G-20 summit and I believe that getting work permits, student visas and even tourist visas will get tougher by the day (at least as long as the recession and its aftermath last)

There are 8 Indians in the 2009-2010 Vlerick batch and all of us are finding it difficult to understand the Visa requirements. All of us are well-traveled people and none is applying for a foreign Visa for the first time. However, there are so many confusions regarding the Belgian Student Visa process that I have really started wondering whether I would make it in time. The problem is not just for Indians. We have 2 batch mates from Chile and they too are facing similar difficulties, maybe even more so.

Anyway, this post is not about the Belgian Visa. I found that some of my batch mates have come across my blog while searching for Vlerick related blogs. I feel that I can reach out to other batch mates across the globe if they do find my blog. We have a dedicated Facebook group for the 2009-2010 Vlerick batch, created by one of our batch mates. All the Indian admits are already part of the group and our Chilean counterparts too found the group and joined. We have all introduced ourselves to each other and have some very informative discussions going that are benefiting all. It feels great that we already know each other well, months before starting the program. I know when Shrini's brother is getting married, I know what food Sanjeed likes, I know what problems Julio and Javiera are facing with their Visas, I know who got their loans cleared and at what rate of interest, I know when Abhi started his French classes. That is the level of interaction we already have.

I invite all 2009-2010 admits of Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School to join our Facebook group and be a part of all informative as well as personal chit chat. We have plans of taking the group forward by forming various interest groups and by inviting suggestions from everyone. Whoever has the latest bit of info, he/she shares it with others on the group and the rest of us save a lot of time and energy. It would be great to have all the batch mates there and the sooner the better :) I am really looking forward to know the group of people with whom I am going to share a very exciting year of my life.

Leonine Luxury

2009-03-28T20:27:00.007+05:30

Ah! The joys of a manicure! I am indulgently staring at my fingers while typing. I am touching and picking objects gently and not grabbing at them, to make my nail polish last longer. Alas! Even with new and improvised beauty products entering the market every other day, there is still not a single nail polish that would last even for 3 days without chipping. Anyway, right now my hands are glowing and my nails are shining. What more could a girl ask for? Apart from some Mac products and spa trips and new clothes and.... mmm guess I am getting carried away :)

While getting my manicure this evening, I let my thoughts wander. I was thinking how much I love pampering. I know everybody does, but with me, it goes to another level. It has a healing effect on my body, mind, and soul. It makes me so happy! I think it has a lot to do with me being a Leo :)

Okay, people who don't believe in sun-signs are now rolling their eyes. Roll 'em as much as you want dear non-believer, but every Leo loves luxury and pampering, and that's as good as a fact. There might be just different ways of being pampered that work for different people, but scratch the surface and you find that need for self-indulgence in every Big Cat.

These days I am too much into it. I have a set routine (yes, I count that as indulgence), I wake up at 6 AM, I do Yoga, I meditate, I listen to soothing lounge music during my shower, I eat only fruits for my dinner, all of which makes me feel as fresh as a baby. My mind is so relaxed, my body feels so light and I am so peaceful that I do imagine being just-out-of-the-womb kind of fresh. Alright maybe a just-out-of-the-womb baby isn't that happy. I should say a-day-old-baby kind of fresh. I believe in getting my facts right :)

I want to clarify here that I am not a diet and fitness freak, neither am I paranoid about my weight, and I call myself a 'foodie'. It is just a phase that I am in, but now I am seriously considering making it my lifestyle. However, I also know that all this is possible because presently I have more time on my hands than I can waste without feeling guilty. Once I get back into the grind of work or studies, it would be nearly impossible to afford such luxury. This gets me back to the L-word. Yep, that's the L-word of my life nowadays :)

Psst: I succeeded in not mentioning Vlerick even once in my post. Yayieee!! :D

Life And To-Do-List

2009-03-19T10:05:00.007+05:30

Life has suddenly become very busy. There are numerous things to do on my list and there is a deadline for everything. I came back from Kanpur on 12th and had an exam for my HR diploma on 15th. I have the next exam tomorrow but since 15th I have been busy with my registration at Vlerick. I met GO and his friends day before to catch up over drinks and dinner because GO is going to US for 3 months on a business trip. I will be done with my HR exams on 25th and after that, I have to rush things to get a loan and then apply for Visa. Meanwhile, I also have to join French classes (it will look good on my resume during placements next year) and keep learning until August. With all this work and the deadlines threatening to zoom past, I am also trying to keep in touch with my future batch mates at Vlerick. They are a nice bunch, all of them from varied backgrounds and age groups. I know only about the Indian admits yet, and hence I can imagine the kind of diversity we will get in the class once we are actually there. The Indian admits are all brilliant people and I am looking ahead to an intellectually stimulating and exciting time at Belgium.

I have to visit Parneet while she is in Delhi. Amit has promised to come to Delhi from Hyderabad before I leave, so I have plans to catch up with him too. Golly, I need to meet everybody in these few months.

Life is revolving around a 'To-Do-List' these days and I guess it is going to get busier and busier. I have heard and read about the horrid working and sleeping hours at B-Schools, and I think I need to prepare myself for the grind. Already, I feel that I have stopped thinking coherently. My thoughts all start with, "I need to ..." and a new thing-to-do is mentally added to my already miles long list. :(

.11) I need to brush up my cycling skills. It has been years since I rode a bike and in Belgium people prefer to pedal down to wherever they want to go.

.20) I need to do a lot of boring reading before I go. Business Reviews, Economic Times, Business Blogs.

55) I need to learn all about Internet Marketing and professional writing. It might help me earn during my studies. Just an Idea :D

.79) I need to reduce my sleeping hours :(

.100) I need to stop needing rest :(

.101) I need to stop talking about Vlerick :D

Karma and Holi

2009-03-11T08:32:00.006+05:30

A Very Happy Colorful Holy Holi To All

I am visiting my cousins in Kanpur for Holi this year, and although I have never in my life liked Kanpur, I am looking forward to celebrating Holi with my cousins. This will be my first Holi here and I have heard that Kanpur people go wild when celebrating the festival of colors. I have been singled out as today's target by cousins, brothers-in-law, nephews, and nieces alike. I know I am going to get a raw deal today :(

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My to-be-school Vlerick is constantly on my mind these days. It feels like I am infatuated with the school, and I am sure if there was any such thing as love with inanimate objects, then I would have called it the beginning of a love affair. Well, come to think of it, to my mind Vlerick is not at all an inanimate object. However, I don't want to go blah-blah about my school again because that is exactly what I am doing since many days and people around me now grab any nearby object to stuff it either in my mouth or in their ears, whichever is easier. I would just write about my love relationship with Vlerick :)

In February, I first saw its name on the 2008 Financial Times rankings and because it was in Europe, I visited the college website. It was simply love at first sight. The college campus was beautiful and the city even more so. The various stats about the college were very impressive and I knew that we were meant to be together. I had a fair idea that my chances were bleak considering the reputation of Vlerick in Europe. I nevertheless decided to give it a try. It was tough, the application, the essays et all, but the path of true love is never easy. I submitted the application and waited for some days with bated breath (just figuratively), praying throughout and asking my friends to pray for me. I think that Gods were kind and I came to know my results in 6 days flat. I am the only person out of those admitted who had the results in that unbelievably short duration. For everybody else it took more than 2 weeks. I made it, I have been accepted by my love and I can't wait for our new life together. The latest FT rankings just gave me more reason to rejoice, because Vlerick jumped up by 22 places (now ranks 75 in the world), which makes it the fastest moving-up-the-ladder school. I have to now complete the registration process to legalise our relationship and then Vlerick would be officially mine. We will live together from 1st September.

Give this couple your blessings :D

Alright, so I just demonstrated my insane infatuation but so what!

The News

2009-03-05T18:52:00.002+05:30

Although I am very ill and tired at the moment, I still feel euphoric. I have been speaking almost non-stop for the last 2 days, which has made my tonsils swell and has resulted in a mild fever, but I never felt better in my life.

Dear Blogdosts,

Thank you all for your kind comments on my previous post. You all encouraged me no end and I am very happy to share now that I have received the much-awaited offer from my dream school, Vlerick Leuven Gent School of Management. I still can't believe that I really made it to one of the top 100 B-Schools in the world. As far as I know, I am the only girl selected from India as yet, 4 other Indian guys have been offered admission, and I believe there will only be 2-3 more Indian admits.

I have been running really busy since last 2 days. On 3rd March I went to Noida and met Priya, GO and a college friend whom I had not met since ages. I came back home late and tired and checked my mails to find a mail from Vlerick, informing me about the offer. I screamed, yes, I did. I told Mom and then Dad and then called friends and since then I am talking incessantly to friends and family and narrating the whole story to everyone. Nothing less would do! On 4th, that is yesterday, I had a wedding to attend, where I again met many family members who got to hear the entire history of Vlerick from me. That much of talking has its disadvantages, and I am now struggling to recover from a fever and pain in my throat. I never before realized that I gulp more than once every minute. I now know, because each time I gulp, I close my eyes and do it in slow motion, else the pain seems almost unbearable.

Anyhow, these last few days have been very eventful for me and I am not complaining :-). Thank you guys for your good wishes. I think they really worked for me. The session begins September 1 and I am really looking forward to it :D

Fingers Crossed

2009-02-27T11:09:00.010+05:30

I am sorry about the sporadic posts, but this was one time of my life when I started hating the activity of writing.

I was applying to a very reputed, very prestigious MBA College in Belgium and as a part of my application had to write '12 essays' to let the admissions committee know more about me. It took me a week to write those essays and to finally hit the submit button on my application and I think that there's nothing left about my life that the adcom won't know now (except my love life). I wrote and re-wrote those essays because I am dying to go to that school, and totally exhausted myself in the process. After doing the final add-a-comma, delete-a-word thing on my essays, I reviewed my application again and to my horror discovered that if I want to apply for a scholarship I have to write another essay building my case. This was new for me; I have applied to 2 colleges so far and at both places all applicants are automatically considered for scholarship. I was not prepared for it and by now harbored a severe contempt for writing essays. I opted, and I still can't believe it, to not apply for the scholarship. I don't know of anyone who does not apply for a scholarship and I think the adcom would think of me as being the richest young female in India, which I am not :-(

Anyway, that was the reason I was not posting on my blog. I wanted a break from writing but it's nowhere to be seen in near future. I have decided to apply to another college, which is in Spain. Although they ask for only 2 essays, but I have to write nonetheless. Therefore, I gave up trying to avoid writing, and returned to my blog. By the way, I also want to ask all my blogdosts, whoever would read this post, to pray for me to get an offer from the B-School in Belgium. I am already so much in love with the school, despite its weird name, Vlerick Leuven Gent School of Management. I told you it's a weird name. However, it is the IIM-A of Belgium, being among the top 100 MBA colleges in the world, with a 1-year MBA that includes a residential program of some weeks at another reputed school in China :-). The only problem is that the average student at Vlerick is almost 30 years old and has 5 years of work-experience. I am counting only on my GMAT score, my diverse profile and my gender to make it to the school, yeah; they try to maintain a female strength of 40% in their very small class of 65 students from around 30 countries. I could go on and on about the positives and I have not even started talking about how good a place Belgium is, with the world's biggest brewery (InBev) having it's headquarters there :-)
Please Please Please pray for me to make it. I am applying to other European colleges too but Vlerick is the place where I really want to go. After writing those 12 essays and taking 8 days to submit my application, I am obsessed with Vlerick. My family silently bears with me while I blabber non-stop about what a certain Indian alumni had to say about Vlerick, what the Director of the Vlerick MBA said to me when I met him while he was in Delhi, what I wrote in my essays and blah blah blah. I would be heartbroken if I don't make it, even though I am very late in applying and I am stretching my chances too far at such a reputed college. But I don't care how far I am stretching my chances, I just want to go there.
Keep watching this space for updates on whether I made it or not :-)

An Outburst

2009-02-19T18:04:00.007+05:30

Is it usual human behaviour to get irritated at the drop of a hat and take it out at people who love us? Or am I the only arrogant, ungrateful, selfish, insensitive, big-mouth around?

Love scares me. Not the family kind of love, but the friends and boyfriends kind of love. I used to think until around 3 years back that I am incapable of loving someone wholeheartedly, with devotion, submissiveness, with no other feeling but love for the other person at all times. Then somebody came in my life and that kind of love did happen. It was sheer bliss; being totally, incautiously, head-over-heels in love. The feeling was new for me and I revelled in it. However, I now think that that kind of love is probably unhealthy because love takes so much priority in life that every other thing is overshadowed. Moreover, plausibly that kind of love scares the other person. Even after so much love (or maybe because of it?) that relationship did not work. I am single for almost 10 months now and I am comfortable with this single status. Nevertheless, unplanned, unintended and surprising new relationships are always waiting for you around the corner. The thing is that I am back to where I was 3 years back. I feel I am incapable of loving someone without reserve. I am too practical now to be in love, and the shortcomings and drawbacks of the relationship are glaringly visible to me. Even the shortcomings of the other person. I keep telling myself that nobody is perfect and probably I am more imperfect but, I don't want these shortcomings to be visible to me. Love hides such things, ain't it? Such unwanted details are glossed over when you are with someone you love. I have been in that kind of love so I know. Now these small discomforting details are a little too visible to me and I just can't stop myself from mentioning them to the other person, much to his dismay and discomfort. Therefore when I feel that the other person really loves me, it scares me. Loving somebody when that person can't love you back is still less painful than being loved by someone whom you can't love back. It hurts you, makes you feel guilty, makes you try hard, and at the end of it all trying never helps. I want the other person to be practical like me, I encourage him to point out my shortcomings and that of the relationship, so that I may not feel so guilty about being cruelly practical but he, being so much in love, can't see any. He even tries to justify those that I point out. It makes me wring my hands in irritation and makes me say things that I don't really want to say. He is still sweet as ever, utterly unconvinced about the impracticality of the relationship, and I feel more guilty, more irritated. It's like a vicious circle. I don't want to hurt but I end up doing exactly that. I don't want to be very practical, but I end up being exactly that.

I have heard this question many times that is it better to get married to someone whom you love or to someone who loves you. I have always heard girls saying that it is better to marry someone who loves you because you are always made to feel special. Still I can't convince myself about that. I think that won't work for me. I feel it is far better to be with someone you love, even when the other person does not love you so much in return and when it hurts like hell, than marrying someone who loves you, then hurt him when you try your best not to and then feel guilty about it. Being hurt is still better than feeling guilty. What is your take about it?

Pub Going, Loose and Forward

2009-02-10T12:02:00.009+05:30

This consortium is the perfect example of how a small snowball of an idea can gain momentum throughout the nation and grow into a giant, all-engulfing, avalanche of pink chaddis to the Ram Sene Office in Bangalore. For once, such a below-the-belt tactic seems totally fair and sensible. Hence, I am now a proud member of the Consortium of pub going, loose and forward women. I have joined their facebook group and asked all my friends, cousins and anybody whom I know to join the campaign. I read in the TOI today that the Ram Sene's Bangalore unit chief Vasanth Kumar Bhavani has said about the campaign that, "It's a free country. However, we would like to know the background of these people since nobody from good families would resort to such cheap steps". Yeah, you are right Mr. Bhavani. People from good families only beat up women and drag them by the hair.

I don't want to question how a celebration of love on a particular day can be a part of only western culture. I don't want to start discussions about why women should have the right to drink, go to pubs, and socialise without the fear of being beaten up by hooligans who want to sudharo every female in the country. I don't want to ask these hooligans that what happens to their moral policing when a woman is raped, abused or molested. All I want to say is, oppose them, stand against them, fight them back.

This Valentine's I am going to raise a toast for all the men I know, who are real gentlemen, and who support and take care of women around them. For my brother, who helps my sis-in-law around the house with every possible work, unasked; who took me out to celebrate in a pub when I got my first salary; who really respects women. For my Dad, who brings me a bottle of white wine whenever I ask him; who has never had a problem with my dressing sense; who really respects women. For my friend Amit, who pulls out chairs and holds open doors for women no matter what their age is; who would make any girl feel like a princess just because he thinks women deserve it; who really respects women. For GO, who accompanies me to pubs even when he is not much into drinking; who gladly lets me be the person I am even if he doesn't agree with me about something; who really respects women. I will a raise a toast to all of them not because I feel they are going out of their way for the women in their lives but because these men do it without the airs of doing women a favor. They do it because that was how they were brought up.

Go ahead, raise a toast this Valentine's to all such men in your life and to every woman on the planet :-)

Movie + Drinks + Movie = Bad Headache

2009-02-02T13:59:00.006+05:30

A movie, followed by a couple of drinks, followed by another movie results in a bad headache!!

That was the lesson I learnt on Saturday. GO and I had another date; GO drove all the way from Noida to Gurgaon again, I made him wait again and we had drinks again. Everything was pretty much the same except for the fact that this time I insisted on watching two movies that day. Yeah, I make such insane choices at times. I totally disregarded the fact that GO comes from Noida on a weekend so that he can meet me and not to watch lousy movies. However, I had to watch a movie and it was painfully difficult to pick between Raaz and Slumdog!! Okay, I know there's no comparison between the two movies but I am a die-hard horror movie fan. I enjoy the creeps that I get sitting in a theatre and moreover I had enjoyed Raaz 1, little did I know that Raaz 2 has not even the remotest connection to it. I fell for the line 'and the mystery continues...' and assumed that it continued from part 1, but, no, it didn't. To make matters worse Emraan Hashmi looked like a wild gorilla because of his hairstyle. I made GO suffer through Raaz and he kept asking me at intervals, "You really wanted to watch this???". I unconvincingly replied each time, "Come on GO, it isn't that bad. And if it gets worse, we can walk out in between". We did walk out but only when just 10 minutes of the movie remained and I realised that we barely had time to grab a bite before it will be time for the Slumdog show.
We were in Ambience Mall and neither GO nor I had ever been there before. I just loved this mall, specially because you don't get the feeling of being at a crowded place at all, so much so that it almost makes you feel that you are not in India. Anyway, after Raaz both of us badly needed good drinks to recover from the disappointing experience and we found a pub, Firangi Paani. Unusual name and nice place. They have an awesome scheme going these days, they have a ladies nite on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, when ladies can have free drinks, yeah absolutely free!! No I am not advertising for them, I thought it may be useful for anybody in NCR :-). Anyway, I ordered the usual LIIT and GO ordered some nasty and evil looking cocktail with Blue Curacao in it. It tasted just like cough syrup, sweet and heady, ugh!! The LIIT was good, not as good as in TGIF though. We were a little high soon and didn't realise that we had missed nearly 20 minutes of Slumdog already. Anyway, we rushed to the auditorium, I with unsteady steps and GO holding my hand. I dropped on my seat in the audi and wanted to sleep right away but GO whispered in my ear almost threateningly, "Don't sleep, watch this movie, it's better than Raaz." He filled in the background so that I could understand what was going on, and although I was almost on the verge of sleeping, and my mind had gone comfortably numb, I watched for a few minutes. The movie was good, my mind slowly aroused itself and then I really watched it, taking in the brutalities, the dust and grime, the reactions of the foreigner couple sitting next to us and even though the narrative went on at a breakneck speed, I enjoyed it. However, GO kept making some intellectual comments about how the director had caught an incomplete view of India albeit a poignant one.

By the time we came out of the audi, I had a bad, real bad headache. Lessons learnt: Never watch two movies in a day; never mix drinks and movies; never mix GO and bad movies (although he is sweet and can watch any movie with me but I later feel guilty).
Next date is already planned and despite headaches and lousy movies, I am loving it! :-)

Welcome To The World - Anhad and Paavaki

2009-01-28T12:36:00.008+05:30

Its strange how time flies and how things change. Just like while driving, the landscape keeps changing from one beautiful and picturesque view to another, the situations in life keep changing from one colourful scenario to another. It just seems like yesterday when eight of us used to live together in one flat during my engineering days. We were great pals, eight girls who knew each other's secrets and stories. Each of us went through various highs and lows, saw each other crying and breaking down, saw each other fall in love and moving on, celebrated each other's successes in exams and later in work and so on. A couple of years after graduating some of us got married, some went for higher studies and some continued working. However, now another phase of life has started, another landscape in the journey of life. Ruchi already has a beautiful daughter Pari, who is now 20 months old. Parneet was blessed with a baby girl Anhad, on 29th December and NV was blessed with a baby girl Paavaki, on 13th January. Its almost as if another gang of girls is in the making :-)

ANHAD & PAAVAKI

I used to chat with NV every day for hours. Even when she went to US with her husband our chats continued in the same fashion. It is since the day Paavaki was born that we haven't had a chat even once. She has become so busy with changing diapers, feeding the baby and taking care of her needs that she hardly gets time to sleep, therefore coming online to chat is near to impossible for her. I realise that life has changed dramatically for her and she is struggling to get used to it. I so want to meet Parneet and NV to hold and cuddle their little ones but it's not possible anymore. We are all in different cities and very busy with our lives. We just manage to send mails to each other, share snaps and keep each other updated with the latest gossip and news.

I really wish at times that all of us could be together again, along with husbands and kids. It would be great to have that sort of a reunion sometime. Sigh! Wishful thinking, that's what it is.

Long Island Weekend......... Contd.

2009-01-21T11:26:00.005+05:30

My last post (or should I say non-post) was unintentional. I accidentally posted just the title and hence the funny post without words happened. I would have removed it but when I got a couple of comments on that post I decided to let it stay.

Anyhow, this post is about what I did this past weekend and how does Long Island come into picture. I met GO (My George Orwell) on Saturday after a pretty long time. None of us remembers when was it that we last met, as if we have collectively lost that portion of our memories. I can guess that it must be close to 2 years but I am not sure. Its funny really how we don't remember when and where did we last meet. We have stayed in touch throughout, courtesy orkut and phone, probably that's why we never realised that time is flying by and it's probably 2 years that we haven't seen each other. Finally we met and I noticed that GO looks as cute as ever; the same smiling face, the same witty jokes, only this time GO had a car :-)

We wanted to catch a movie, or to be true, it was I who wanted to catch a movie because I usually don't get company in Gurgaon for the movies. The only available option was Chandni Chowk to China! GO warned me that it was a crap movie but I HAD to watch it, so we did. Crap was an understatement, the movie is outrageously bad. I don't even want to write about it. However, GO and I still had a good time by laughing at everybody and everything in the movie. After the movie it was time for TGIF, yeah whats a date without a couple of drinks!! Oh, didn't I tell you that it was a date? Well it was, seemed like it at least :-)

Whenever I want to try a new drink, I mostly end up getting confused and then I order what I love drinking, Long Island Iced Tea. I love its name (specially because Tea is the only beverage that's not in it), I love its color, I love its taste, I love its ingredients (gin, vodka, tequila, rum and triple sec) and I love it because its stronger than any other cocktail :-). So I had 2 LIITs and they were enough for me because I did not want to scare GO when I met him for the first time after soo long. The next time we meet, I am going to have more. You reading that GO?

We laughed, discussed drinks, friends, old times, new times and later GO helped me walk to the parking lot, even 2 LIITs make me need support while walking. He dropped me home and I have to say now that I really had a great time. Would look forward to the next time you come here GO :-)

Sunday was another thrilling day. I met another great friend, Karan. We attended an MBA fair where some Australian Business Schools were participating. Karan had come with some friends and three of us who had taken the GMAT (all 3 of us have decent scores), got on the spot offer of admission from University of Technology, Sydney. Now, how cool is that?? You go to an MBA fair, you are not even interested to study in that country and you are offered admission in a University that's ranked 9th in Australia. None of us was delighted however, because we have gone through gruelling days and nights to apply in couple of universities in US and we are still not sure whether we would be offered an interview, let alone admission, and here we get a straight admission offer with the only condition that we need to submit our documents. I mean wasn't that too easy?? Still, I GOT AN ADMISSION OFFER FOLKS!!!! In August, probably I would be writing from Australia about how much I love Sydney and how cool my university is :-)

When 3 of us had admission offers, that called for a celebration. Since we were in Vasant Vihar we went to RPM, the only disc in the vicinity. It was time for LIIT again :-). The LIIT in RPM was stronger than it was in TGIF. We drank and danced, 5 guys and me, all of them sweet and decent guys, and had a great time. So this past weekend was my Long Island Weekend and I still feel that I just can't have enough of LIIT :-)

Long Island Weekend

2009-01-20T13:41:00.000+05:30

Of Drinks, and Cigarettes, and Books

2009-01-15T10:47:00.004+05:30

Okay, so last night I went out with my cousin Chummu and had two cocktails and five cigarettes. I needed it, the break I mean; the break from monotony. Yesterday I tried a Gin cocktail for the first time; usually I am a Vodka or Wine person. To tell you the truth, I could hardly tell the difference between Vodka and Gin. Probably because the Gin was mixed with other things to make my cocktail. I wanted to have more drinks but did not, since we had to come home later and I did not want Dad to suspect that we had been up to some mischief when according to him I had taken Chummu to check out an awesome new Pizza place.

Last night was fun. I smoked for the first time and smoked five cigarettes in a row, which later made me feel that all my innards are on fire and that my intestines have turned to ashes. I have tried to smoke twice before but could never suck it in. Last night I managed to achieve that feat and in amazement mixed with a sense of achievement stopped only after five cigarettes and when I had started feeling queasy. However, I am not going to have a smoke again, never. I had a very disturbed sleep last night because of those five bloody cigarettes.

Anyhow, I and Chummu had a sort of reunion yesterday. It had been a reeaallly long time since we talked like that. It was good, everything, the drinks, the gossip, the sleeping together, even those cigarettes in some way. I also had a talk with GO (My George Orwell) after having my drinks and cigarettes, and it was fun too. I giggled a lot while talking to him. Usually I don't giggle, I laugh. Was I flirting? Naaah. GO is an old friend, I can't flirt with him after all these years. I don't think so!!! However, I know I usually am a big flirt after a couple of drinks. But no, I wasn't flirting with GO. Oh well, I sense some confusion here :-)

Oh, the best part of last evening was that I bought two books. GO was after my life to read Nineteen Eighty-Four, so I finally bought that and another GO-recommended book, in fact his favourite, To Kill A Mockingbird. That makes me a rich book lover for sometime. I and GO have plans of catching up this Saturday. Its been a long time since we met, so GO would drive all the way from Noida to Gurgaon to meet me. That's sweet of him, ain't it?? :-)

Helplessness

2009-01-12T22:49:00.003+05:30

What do you do when you really want to talk to someone but can't? When you have absolutely no way of knowing anything about them. When you can't call or write to them. When you know they would never call or write to you.

What do you do then?

Pray.

Why doesn't even praying help? Why doesn't it release that knot in your chest, which threatens to explode? Why doesn't it stop the tears from coming at the weirdest of times? Why doesn't it end the suffering?

Symphony Raaga

2009-01-12T09:33:00.005+05:30

On Saturday I got a glimpse of how schools are slowly getting westernized. In the good old times (I have already started talking as if I am ancient), school annual functions used to be a cultural fiesta with performances that included genres like classical, folk and western. My niece Maahi is an adorable three year old kid who is a pre-nursery student at an elite (and expensive) Gurgaon school. The school celebrated its annual function on Saturday at the Sirifort Auditorium. To start with, when we got the invites for the function the venue surprised me a little. I mean, the last time I was at Sirifort it was to see Anoushka Shankar live in concert playing some compositions of Pandit Ravishankar on her sitar. Sirifort is one of the best and largest auditoriums in Delhi and a school is using it for its annual function!! Maybe I really am ancient and it happens like that these days but my school had its own auditorium and grounds for such events.

Anyway, Maahi came home on Friday with three pages of instructions for parents on how to dress their wards for the function. She got a pretty but awfully flimsy and see-through dress from the school. The pages instructed the parents to make her wear white high-neck sweater inside the dress, to wash her hair on the day and to keep her hair loose. Maahi got immense attention from us on that day. Her mom (my sister, Dido) and my Mom constantly checked whether Maahi had matching beads for her hair, matching gogos, what makeup should she wear etc etc. Maahi's waist length wavy hair (we are very proud of her hair) were washed and kept loose since morning. I was her makeup woman, Dido was the hairdresser and my Mom looked after her wardrobe whilst Maahi's Dad drove us all to the venue.

Isn't she adorable with that loud stage makeup? :-)

We reached the venue before time, handed over Maahi to her classteacher (as instructed) and went inside the audi to take our seats. There were customary speeches and then the function began with a semi-classical Symphony performed by 120 students and the only Hindustani program of the evening. The kids were awesome in the Symphony performance, it was obvious that they had been practising for months to do some justice to those compositions. Thus, the evening began fabulously and then immediately lost steam.

Each class performed a dance number and we cheered enthusiastically because the kids were adorable, even with their slips and flaws. They were excited at being on stage, happy at being dressed up, and were no less than superstars for us. However, the selection of songs by teachers was somewhat disappointing. Little kids danced on those disney songs and nursery rhymes and the senior kids on Micheal Jackson numbers. There was not even a single Indian dance, no Punjabi, no Rajasthani, no Bollywood, no Classical. The evening climaxed with a musical 'Fiddler on the Roof' and by the end of the evening we had a feeling that we are probably in the US or UK because the program had no Indian touch to it. Ironically the evening's program was called Symphony Raaga on the invites, which is a very Indian name. I wonder what our kids are learning in such institutions. They would never know what it is like to do the Bhangra or the Garba or any Indian dance form for that matter. They would all know how to Tango or how to move seductively on Salsa music, which is all very good, but isn't that education incomplete? Is it because these schools consider the Indian dance forms to be beneath their attention, I wonder.

Introducing My(!) George Orwell

2009-01-09T18:55:00.005+05:30

This is a special post because here I introduce My George Orwell. Yeah, My George Orwell. Everybody knows George Orwell, the author of the famous book Nineteen Eighty-Four, but My George Orwell is not the same person. So My George Orwell or GO, for the sake of brevity, is a friend with whom I discuss books, blogs, music and many other things. He has introduced me to some wonderful things and I love my conversations with him. To begin with, it's refreshing to know a guy who can talk intellectually about books and music and technology in the same breath. Being from the Engineering background, most of my guy friends are either useless computer nerds or else too much into girls and movies, shallow I should say. Books are something most of them stay away from and even if they read, it is mostly autobiographies or self-help books. Fiction is a far-cry for them and if they do try a work of fiction then their reading efforts are limited to Chetan Bhagat and Sydney Sheldon.

Now, GO knows his books. He is the only guy in my friend circle who can make me feel ignorant when it comes to discussions about books. We give each other a lot of gyan and I just luuurve talking to him. Anyway, now why do I call him GO? I told him today that since most of our conversations are intellectually stimulating, I would like to post them at times and therefore I wanted to give him a pseudonym. He absolutely did not want to be called by his pet name so after much thought I asked him which was his favourite book. He replied that it's difficult to single out one book but still the best would be, To Kill A Mockingbird (I told you, GO knows his books!) but since the author of this book is a female, I couldn't have given him her name as a pseudonym. The next favourite book that came a close second for GO is Nineteen Eighty-Four. Moreover, GO tried to convince me for a good ten minutes yesterday that how important it is to read Nineteen Eight-Four, since I haven't read it yet. Hence I call him My George Orwell now and I think it suits him. I could have called him by his real name and there is no real need for a pseudonym but it struck my fancy that I want a pseudonym here. This makes it important that GO can't reveal his identity when he posts comments on my blog. You are reading that My George Orwell??

Our conversations mostly are something like this:

Me: you know something... yesterday's conversation triggered some thought process

GO: about books, music?

Me: yeah, i was thinking of what you said about those books..... Namesake, Gone With The Wind, The God of Small Things

GO: ok, go on

Me: I think you have a good point there. They ARE girlie kinda books.... a guy won't enjoy them as much as a girl

GO: not chicklit.... but feminine

Me: yeah not chicklit. They are wonderful books, anybody would enjoy them but yes feminine

GO: so I won't read Gone With The Wind then :-)

Me: haha... I still think Gone With The Wind is worth it. I mean I have read Great Expectations and Oliver Twist and liked them despite the fact that they were all about guys

GO: me too me too.... but I read the abridged versions

Me: oh don't do that!! abridged versions spoil the fun

GO: I was in 7th or 8th at that time

Me: have u read Pygmalion? By George Bernard Shaw

GO: No. He is known more for quotes than books I think. He has said so much

Me: yeah true

GO: father of one-liners

Me: btw i share my birthday with him

GO: oh wow

Me: couldn't help bringing it up. 26th july.... me and GB Shaw.... 2 great writers :-)

GO: sun signs, birthdays and girls

Me: yepp... anyway... Pygmalion is a play. something like Shakespeare's works but more modern

GO: hardcore literature? come to think of it I haven't read hardcore literature much

Me: me neither. But I love classics any day. That was such a romantic period, I feel drawn towards such books. So, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, Leo Tolstoy, GB Shaw all work well for me

GO: Fountainhead?

Me: yeah read that too. Ayn Rand is awesome. And the other book.... whatsitsname?

GO: Atlas Shrugged

Me: Atlas Shrugged yeah....

GO: they are difficult to comprehend

Me: you know there is a school of thought based on Ayn Rand philosophy

GO: yes, about individualism and all that

Me: yeah, the idea is wonderful. It does provoke thoughts

GO: oh yeah, talking of abstract books... u read ulysses?

Me: well, no. ashamed as I am of not reading Ulysses but I haven't

GO: don't be. I read 1 page and then left it. It took the author 7 years to write it.

Me: wow

GO: read Mitch Albom? Tuesdays With Morrie? Five People You Will Meet in Heaven?

Me: naah

GO: wonderful books... when you feel low and small in life, read these two books

Me: I love feel good books

GO: :-)

Me: hey I want a good pseudonym for you. what shall it be?

GO: call me KB... sounds like a Russian spy's name

Me: yeah, similar to KGB :-)

GO: yep

Me: hey have you read a book called The First Lady.... too much of sex, but good plot

GO: author?

Me: can't recall his name. Most of his books are like that .... sleazy :-)

GO: you read all of his books? :-)

Me: hey this Nothing Else Matters song that you were talking about is amazing

GO: yeah.... i have started singing.... so close no matter how far

Me: yeah beautiful song

GO: I am crazy for classic rock

Me: and the guitar is awesome

GO: okay, listen to this song at least twice then I will give you a link

Me: :-)

GO: a performance by another band that played it on Cello.... amazing instrumental and video

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=rbTozgoj9OQ&feature=related

Me: hey it was beautiful.... i heard it thrice!!! So sad and beautiful

GO: sad and beautiful, yes

and it continues like that. I and GO can talk like that for hours and it's amazing. I mean you can never get tired talking of books. There are so many books out there, so many genres, so many authors that each conversation about them seems new and exciting.

Okay, I stop Mooning and am back on Earth

2009-01-08T11:19:00.009+05:30

Urgh!! I just read my last post of 6th January and I feel disgusted. Such an icky post it is!!

Trust me to get carried away whenever I pen down a poem. But to get carried away to that extent!!! I actually wrote an entire autobiography in that post. To all those who commented back with sweet and encouraging words, I know you guys were only being kind to me. The way we are kind to a lunatic or to kids and let them believe in their fairies and Santa. Thank you very much guys, I am touched :-)

To top it all, I read Shobhaa De's blog yesterday and left a comment there about how I never read any of her books because I was under the impression that she writes depressing stories but that I was pleasantly surprised at the liveliness in her writing and would definitely try one of her books. She actually e-mailed a reply to that!!! A one-liner reply about appreciating my frankness and a thank you. I saw that mail and went all Yay!! and Wow!! and dreamt last night of getting a book of my poems published and Shobhaa De unveiling it for me. Oh when will I grow up???

Poetry And Me

2009-01-06T10:55:00.012+05:30

I have been writing poems since the age of 5. I even distinctly remember where the first inspiration came from. Although I don't have a great memory and I often forget many incidents that others around me remember in detail, but I remember this episode. That is because I have a very selective memory. I remember things, people and incidents in great detail if they matter a lot to me. Anyhow, so this incident somehow has remained intact in my head. The image of a 5 year old, skinny and laughing girl, watching TV with great interest when what the only channel has got to offer is a 'Hasya aur Vyangya Kavi Sammelan', yeah that's a gathering of poets who pride themselves in humor and satire. I don't know how it caught my 5 year old fancy but immediately after the program that was what I wanted to do. I told Mom that I wanted to write poems and she laughed and said that I could when I grow up. I never had the patience to wait so I just gave it a try. Writing poetry in English never occurred to me back then. The obvious choice was Hindi because I had watched the Kavi Sammelan in Hindi, and although my vocabulary in both English and Hindi was very limited at that time, I was still more comfortable in Hindi. I remember my first poem was more like a song and it was something about dancing flower buds :-) In fact since my Mom collected a lot of my poems for many years, I had the opportunity to read that poem numerous times in the coming years and every year it embarrassed me more than it did the previous year. I won't even dream of putting it down here :-)

So I kept writing poetry in the years to come and I always wrote of things that I saw in nature; flowers, snow, water, wind and sometimes there was an occasional poem about fairies or people. My family was proud of my poetry, all of my poems rhymed perfectly and I read my poems on a few occasions in the morning assembly at school. On one big occasion during the time when Uttaranchal was still a part of Uttar Pradesh and the people of Uttaranchal demanded that it should be a separate state, there was a gathering of several poets from Uttaranchal who wrote and read their poems in front of a big audience. I had the privilege to be a part of that gathering and as the youngest poet I read one of mine too. It was about the state of Uttaranchal and I had written that only because I was asked some days back to write something for the occasion and not because I had any real feelings on the subject. I was too young to understand why we should have a separate state and had to think hard before writing the poem. Anyway, I did write that poem, read it before the audience and accepted their applause. Incidentally, I don't remember any of the poems of other poets who were present there, some of them were well known writers too. In fact I don't remember anything else about that evening except that I read a poem before a big audience and then rushed back from stage to my Mom sitting in the audience. I was in 8th or 9th standard at that time, not too young but somehow my memory fails me about the other happenings of that evening.

However, the poetry writing spree was abruptly stopped when I studied in 10th. I had a big accident and in the aftermath a big loss that nobody including me noticed for a long while was that I had stopped writing poems. A couple of years later I tried but I couldn't. I thought that it was just a childhood thing and I had now grown out of it. But it seems that poetry is too much a part of me because it resurfaced many years later and this time in English :-) I don't write great poems, in fact I feel embarrassed in sharing them with many people, so they lie dead in my laptop. And I don't even write that often now, only when I feel so full of some emotions that they cannot be expressed in any other way, I write a poem to let them out. This happened when I started writing a post on December 11, the only way I could write on that day was in the form of a poem although it was very unstructured and effortless. I composed directly on blogger and edited very little and thus happened my first poem after years that was written for anybody to read.

Yesterday I read a poem on one of the posts of The Unsung Psalm, which was beautiful. I started writing a comment on that post and what came out were few lines that started with the last line of the poem that he had posted. I like the lines that I wrote and would post them here too

I do not die

I just live on

To see what you do

When I am gone

Would you feel me

In the morning dew

Or forget my touch

In days too few

Would you hear me

In the gentle rain

Or would I call you

Just in vain

Would you know

That I caressed

Or would you be

Forever unimpressed

When The Unsung Psalm asked me where those lines were from I paused to think before replying that they were out of my own head. I read the lines again and again to decide whether they were any good but then I decided that good or bad, they were mine and I liked them and I would not abandon that poem as an orphan that belongs to no one and yet exists. Hence, I replied that they were mine and therefore I am putting them here on my blog too. Good or bad, they are mine :-)

The New Year Begins

2009-01-04T10:32:00.010+05:30

I watched Ghajini on the first day of the new year and really liked it despite the violence and just okay music (except Tu Meri Adhoori Pyas). I had a mind to write a review of the movie but I just read a post by Chandni, who is one of my favourite bloggers. She wrote a review of RNBDJ and it was plagiarized word by word by a certain Ms Salty Sea Breeze who posted it on her blog as her own. I feel offended for Chandni and that kills the mood to right a review now. I will write it some other time.

Anyway, the other day I read some lines by Vikram Seth that really touched my heart. I will dedicate them (even though they are not mine :-)) to The Unsung Psalm whose writings I enjoy. Here goes:

Some men like Jack and some like Jill

I'm glad I like them both but still

I wonder if this freewheeling

Really is an enlightened thing,

Or is its greater scope a sign

Of deviance from some party line?

In the strict ranks of Gay and Straight

What is my status: Stray? Or Great?

A few years back I read A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth and found it unnecessarily stretched out with irrelevant details although the plot and its setting were really good. There were many things that I liked about this book but the unnecessary length killed my interest in it when I had managed to read only about three-fourth of the book. It was the only book of my life that I had not been able to finish and I blamed Vikram Seth for that. However, when I read the above lines of poetry by him they salvaged his reputation in my eyes :-). Also, I found that Vikram Seth did his schooling from my hometown Dehradun (Welham Boys and Doon School), so that kind of settled the fact that I would definitely read more books by this author :-)

Luckily, the day I watched Ghajini I found that there was a Sale at the Om Book Shop in MGF Mall at Gurgaon. A sale and that too at a book shop is too tempting to ignore and so I went inside telling myself that I would not buy anything but would just take a tour. I already have around 5-6 still unread and good books lying around at my home and I had told myself that I would not buy any more books until I finish those that I already own. However, the shop offered a great bargain on many books and the shining hard covers of books had an almost lusty appeal. I think everyone would understand if I say that I finally did buy books but only 2 of them. One is of course by Vikram Seth (An Equal Music) and another is a collection of spooky short stories :-). It has some stories by authors like Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Dickens and has a beautiful cover, hence I bought it.

I got these two books for just 500 bucks, can you believe it? Such beautiful, hardbound, original books together cost just 500 Rupees!! Wow what an amazing start to the new year :-)

The Year That Was

2008-12-30T13:06:00.003+05:30

2008 is finally nearly over and am I glad? Well, yes I am. This was one year which was neither entirely good nor entirely bad but was too good and too bad in spurts. Come to think of it my whole short life till date has been like that but this year was a bit too much. It was a year of surprises, shocks, new beginnings, sudden endings, success, failure and everything being utterly unplanned.
I will list down major events of this year in chronological order and reminisce, so that I can breathe a sigh of relief and look back at the rollercoaster ride that this year was and pat my back to congratulate myself for surviving.

January- I visited Mumbai for the first time in my life and stayed there for a month with my brother. Yeah, I had never been to Mumbai before. Although I come from a family of travel freaks and I have been to nearly all places in India from Jammu to Kerela to Goa to Kanyakumari to Kullu to Jaipur to Mysore, and the list goes on, but I had never been to Mumbai. It was a good start to the year.

February- My best friend NV got married on 24th February in Kanpur. Although this is a major event of her life and not mine but when your best friend gets married it results in a lot of changes in your life too. For starters, NV moved to Hyderabad from Noida to live with her husband and this meant that I had to lose my favourite company. I did feel lonely, a lot.

April - The big break-up. Needless to say it left me shattered. Particularly because of why it happened and the way it happened. Enough said.
On 21st April, that was just 2 days after my break-up and the day I exchanged a last hateful sms with my ex, I went to US for a 20 day trip. The trip had been planned hardly a month back and I was naturally very excited about it, until the break-up happened. I lost all willingness to even exist let alone to go on a vacation. I had never imagined that my first overseas holiday would happen in such disastrous circumstances that I would have no interest or inclination towards it. Even just before stepping out of the airport in New York, I had not realised that I was on a long-awaited trip for which I was insanely excited until a week ago. However, the trip turned out to be a really needed break for me and took me away from the sad scene in India for sometime.

July- I decided to prepare for GMAT and started my blog just a day before my 25th birthday. Both the decisions turned out to be very good.

September- Dad joined a new company in Gurgaon on 1st September and Mom and Dad moved to Noida to stay with me. It was a great thing to happen for many reasons. I have always lived a pampered life when it comes to money but this new job of Dad pays him mindblowingly well because he works as the topmost executive of a very good company. This ultimately translates to the fact that I live an even more lavish life now :-)
Another fact is that, my parents moved in with me at a time when I needed them most. I was very lonely after NV's wedding and my break-up. There were other friends but they were not enough. I needed a stronger emotional support and I got that from my mother. Moreover, I could prepare for GMAT without worrying about what to cook for the next meal.

October- I took the GMAT on 25th October and got a really good score of 680. Although I had hoped for more, this score was enough to carry my MBA dream forward.

November- I found a consultant and took TOEFL. I was taking little baby steps forward towards my goal. I was excited and worked hard which gave me immense satisfaction. We also moved to Gurgaon from Noida on 7th November. The new home is BIG, beautiful, comfortable and rich. Plus I left my Noida flat which was full of memories, some horrid some good but I wanted to run away from all memories for sometime. My Noida flat is empty these days, empty because nobody lives there but it is still full of old furniture and old memories. It had become too cramped for me, the memories took up too much space. This was a good month.

December- I lost all steam for MBA, simply because the application process is too long to hold my interest. Although I got my TOEFL score and it was a fabulous 115/120, it wasn't enough to fuel my engine which has turned cold. I am still working on it but it's just because I have got myself so involved that i can't back out. Moreover, this is the only sensible thing to do right now. CARRY ON.

Now that I look back I can see that there were more good things and few bad things that happened this year. However, the bad things took the charm out of every other good thing. It was an year full of a lot of emotional turmoil and upheavals. It somehow seems to me that this year was a year of changes. Changes that are preparing me for the future, and changes are always painful even when they are for good. Well, I really hope that they are for good.

I am eagerly looking forward to 2009. If 2009 was a person, I would have welcomed it with big banners and flower garlands and smiles :-)

What I Have Been Doing All These Days

2008-12-22T13:35:00.005+05:30

The holiday season is here and I am in the holiday mood for nearly a week now. I don't want to work at all :-)

I completed my application to Maryland Smith on 15th because it was the last day to apply. My Spanish classes are going on really well. I have taken 5 classes and learnt a lot of Spanish vocabulary. I now know what does Bailamos mean (remember Enrique's famous song?), it means 'we dance' :-). Meanwhile we celebrated Dad's birthday on 19th. It was a nice and cozy family get-together that included a lot of good food, a lot of laughter and latest family gossip. The following day, I took my cousins to a nearby mall where we played video games and tried a game each of Bowling. I have improved since last time, my score wasn't too embarrasing :-)

These days I am frequenting websites of cosmetic brands like Mac, Body Shop, Urban Decay, Sephora etc. Three of my friends are coming from US soon and I intend to mail them each a shopping list, so that they can get me some really good products. I had a chat with NV the other day on webcam and she showed me her entire shopping. I was visibly green with envy and she was delighted with my reaction. She has bought some fabulous boots and sandals and cosmetics. She showed me each lipstick and nailpaint that she has bought, even though the reds looked like black on webcam. I squinted my eyes to make out the shades but couldn't, so had to trust her claim that they were amazing.

Anyhoo, NV looks like she can have the baby anyday now, infact her doctor has advised her to be prepared. It seemed to be an unreal experience looking at her obviously pregnant shape. NV has always been the kid of our group and now she will soon have a baby. Its still difficult for me to digest this fact, even after more than 8 months of her pregnancy.

I was never so thankful of being on Orkut as I am now. I found a long lost friend with whom I have not been in touch for 22 years. Yes, and I am only 25 now :-). Her name is Shany and she was my first best friend and neighbor. Our families were very close, infact Shany's Mom taught my Mom how to cook south-indian food. Her elder brother and sister were very close friends to my sister and we have spent a great time together. Shany's brother found us on Orkut and we are all back in touch after 22 years. It's amazing how much we remember about each other, Shany remembers more as she is 2 years elder to me. She is now an architect working in Dubai. I cannot describe the feelings I had when I saw pics of Shany and her family, it was beyond nostalgia. She is engaged to a handsome software engineer from Bangalore and would soon get married. I already have plans of going to Shany's wedding although the date has not yet been finalised. Shany still looks the same, plump cheeks and dusky complexion, sweetness etched all over her face. We have been catching up on mails, we have a good 22 years of catching up to do. I am glad she has grown up to be a fun loving and totally chilled out girl. She told me of her entire love story with her fiance and I was in splits when I read that story. Wow, its great to know Shany all over again after all these years.

Estoy Aprendienda Espanol

2008-12-13T12:45:00.004+05:30

The past week was heavy, sad, and boring. I have observed that the best way to get out of a depression is to learn something new. It rejuvenates you!
I was really happy when I joined swimming classes (3 years back), when I joined salsa classes (2 years back), and when I was learning French on my own. Although my education in all these stopped after a month each, it nevertheless was exciting.
So, this time I decided to learn some Spanish. I did not continue with French because it was difficult to learn on my own. I could not find a great site for French where I could get interactive video lessons for free. Moreover, French seemed somewhat boring (no offence to those who love it!). It seems a very laid back and mature language, whereas Spanish is full of life and zest. Add to it the sexy latino accent (if you can capture it) and hola! it's super exciting.
I found a fabulous site www.spanishdict.com which gives superb video lessons in Spanish for free. There are various stages of learning, various lessons, and even points to earn. I took my first class today, needless to say I got a fabulous score :-)
Now way to go; and now I know what does Madonna mean when she sings 'Te Dijo Te Amo' in 'La Isla Bonita' :-)

I Fear A New Beginning

2008-12-11T14:25:00.007+05:30

How do I tell you
That I have given my heart away
That I carry a baggage night and day
That I have gone astray

How do I love you
When I bear a broken heart
When I can't make a fresh start
When I can't let go of the past

How do I make you happy
When I am smarting inside
When I can no more decide
When I contemplate suicide

You wonder what I am thinking
You think I am unfair
The truth is my darling
That I am in despair

You want to have me in your life
Then weed out each hurt and strife
The pain that I carry from the past
I fear it is always going to last

How should I tell you
That you deserve to be loved
And I cannot use you
As a cure for my hurts

Love

2008-12-09T15:10:00.004+05:30

I am Sorry. I still miss you.

Why Does It Happen

2008-12-08T19:00:00.009+05:30

That the people whom you love the most, hate you

That when you want to do something good, it actually hurts people you love

That when you are speaking the truth from your heart, you are percieved as a liar

That every effort you make to make someone understand, alienates them even more

That you still love people when they hurt you like nobody else ever could

That when it seems that things could not be worse, you are proved grossly wrong

Why?

Unsure and Upset - That's Me

2008-12-07T14:11:00.007+05:30

Gosh, I am all jittery and confused and that too at this stage when I have to be very focussed. I am not so sure about the list of schools I am targeting, I am not so sure about my choice of International Business and HR, I am not so sure of anything anymore. Help me God!!!! :-(
I worked again on my list of target schools, the new BW rankings are out and I am super confused now, I read some MBA aspirant blogs and they confused me even more. I took 2 schools out of my previous list and put in 3. I don't know what I am doing, selecting schools now :-(
I am confused about IB and HR so much so that I have started thinking of completely different options. I had a chat today with a very dear and respected friend who is an MBA from IIFT. I only take opinion from people who have done well themselves ;-)
The chat went something like this:

Frend : Long time dudette, did u get ur scores?
Me: Yeah, GMAT 680 and TOEFL 115
Frend: U seem to be on an adrenaline trip these days, sexy score and all :-)
Me: haha... kind of. But GMAT ain't that great.
Frend: ok, so what next?
Me: Tell me something, how is an MBA in International Business, I am quite inclined towards it
Frend: depends on what you really want to do after that
Me: I want to earn good money and work at a good place and maybe travel :-)
Frend: Try INSEAD and you don't need an MBA in IB for good money
Me: no way, no europe for me. They have 1 year MBA in EU and ask for more experience, I am going to US
Frend: ok. well, to be honest, think long term, money will happen, what really interests you? Some ppl like environ management and different MBAs rather than a vanilla MBA and then doing routine corporate jobs from one company to another. Ain't that exciting in the end?
Me: I want to learn a new language and study a different economy, dats why IB sounds cool (see how undecided I am)
Frend: well IB is not just that, you can do without learning a foreign language and of course any general MBA these days would have some IB flavour
Me: But how are the job prospects in those different MBA programs. I am very confused... guide me :-(
Frend: Job prospects are linked with economies. Even IIM grads are facing a tough time
Me: Gosh, I am even more confused now
Frend: Think long term, not what happens immediately after MBA
Me: what if I do a combo of IB and HR. HR is good for women
Frend: Don't disappoint me. Why do the usual? Do something different as always :-)
Me: What if I don't get a job after doing something different and IB is almost different, not many ppl opt for it :-)
Frend: I mean what do you mean by HR is good for women. U want to go abroad for an MBA then why think from this angle of women and gals
Me: I mean it's not very stressful, like finance maybe
Frend: Stress is on you, not on what you do. It again depends on your personality
Me: You know I am a somewhat laid back person.
Frend: Don't be self-proclaimed. You can do anything if you like what you do, like you did in your exams
Me: I don't even know very well what I like. How can I decide if I have zilch experience in IB or Marketing or for that matter, the different MBAs
Frend: Its not simple, but I want you to broaden your analysis and choose intelligently. Talk to the folks in the colleges
Me: Yeah, I am thinking of talking to people in IB and HR, they are the only options that interest me now. You did MBA in IT right?
Frend: Nope, IB with majors in Systems, whatever that means
Me: Hey, then you are the right guy to talk to. When can we talk?
Frend: When I am back in India and we will talk over beer and you will take me out. I will be back on 20th Dec
Me: Wow okay.... I will go nuts until 20th Dec
Frend: You won't and you don't have to opt before you actually get admissions
Me: well, allright and thanks :-) We will talk over Beer and I will take you out :-)

That was the conversation and I am still as confused as ever. Who else out there can give suggestions? I am in dire need :-(

It Has Started

2008-12-06T10:28:00.004+05:30

Yesterday I had a phone interaction session with the Director of MBA Student Recruiting of BYU. Now I haven't even applied to BYU yet, though I have sent my scores. They know nothing about me except my GMAT score and yet I got an e-mail invitation from the Director for a talk and to answer any questions I might have. I like to think that they were impressed with my score and therefore wanted to talk, wish I could tell them that I was getting even better scores in practice tests :-(

BYU is one of my top choices, being the excellent university that it is. Therefore I was obviously excited about the call but I did not have many questions for them except one. Moreover, I had no idea what exactly would the conversation be like because this was not an interview call as such. Anyway, the Director called me at the exact time we had decided and she was very pleasant and asked me if she had got my name right, which she had :-). She asked me what I had been doing and I ran her through my profile, she actually liked the career jumps from Software to HR to NGO :-). I told her about my TOEFL score and she seemed impressed. Then she told me about BYU and about the religious approach that they have. I knew all about it already, having researched each and every bit of information I could come across. She answered my questions and told me to mention her name in my Letter of Intent as that would help my application. That was it, a very pleasant, informative, general chit chat.

Now that I am feverishly writing essays and have collected nearly all documents, I will start applying and will hopefully get more such calls, for introduction, interviews etc. Gosh, it seems to have started. I don't know if I will get a desirable admit but after writing nearly 30 essays about myself and talking to so many people about my profile, I would at least emerge out of this episode with some self-enlightenment.

A Breather - TOEFL

2008-12-04T10:01:00.004+05:30

I watch the news, get angry when I see a complacent politician, fight back the tears when I see a martyr's family, and feel agitated when I watch large crowds of people demanding action. I find myself in an emotionally charged mood the entire day every day.
A respite came in the form of my TOEFL result. My score is 115/120, which is reaaallllyyy good. Reading - 30/30, Listening - 30/30, Speaking - 27/30, Writing - 28/30.
No mood to celebrate but this at least made me get back to work on my applications, else since the night of 26th all I have been doing is watch the news, talk to people, show my anger and express solidarity with the nation. Not that I am moving on and going to forget 26/11. Some things in life are not supposed to be forgotten, though they hurt, we refuse to nurse such wounds. They have changed the way we think forever.

For Tomorrow We May Die

2008-12-03T11:34:00.004+05:30

Shivraj Patil resigned, RR Patil was thrown out and Vilasrao Deshmukh is unwilling to let go of his chair. Kerala CM said that even a dog would not have visited the dead major's family had he not been a martyr. BJP spokesperson Naqvi said that women in Mumbai were demonstrating against the government wearing powder and lipstick. Deshmukh gave a Taj tour to Ramu and Riteish. Ha!
I wonder whether our netas are competing against each other in trying to give the most distasteful comment of the year or in committing the most horrendous act of indecency. Whatever they are doing, this is for certain that they are not helping the nation. They are only helping their own cause.. which is to stick to their chairs, save their necks, and stay complacent.
They are as bad as the terrorists themselves or probably even worse.
I dunno from where a phrase has entered my head and keeps repeating itself incessantly. 'Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we may DIE' and the DIE here is so strong that I shudder at its force. I think this phrase was coined by someone who was happy and content with life. For people like us, a sombre and gloomy nation, a more apt phrase would be 'Work, Love and Stay United for Tomorrow we may be Killed'.

Of Insomnia and Junk Thoughts

2008-11-26T11:22:00.005+05:30

Have I turned into an insomniac? I thought only old people or billionaires or harried housewives suffer from insomnia. I don't fall into any of those categories, then why me????
Last night I twisted and turned in my bed till 2:30 am, after which I took off the sweatshirt I was wearing and tried to sleep again. [I just read my last sentence and think I need to do some explaining here] I thought probably I am feeling a little too warm and uneasy in that thick sweatshirt I had decided to wear to bed, so took it off and no, didn't bother to find something else to wear. I am all alone at home folks, so I can wear anything or nothing to bed [Grin]
Anyway, the trick didn't work. I was so frustrated that I got up, finally found something suitable to wear and went into my Dad's room to dig into his closet. I was hoping to find something to drink :-). That plan didn't work either, we have shifted only three weeks back to this house and a lot of our stuff is still packed. I recalled that Dad has ordered for a bar to be built where he could proudly display his collection of bubblies and Scotches and the likes. Turns out he will unpack his bottles only when the bar is ready. Sigh!!! No late night indulgence for poor me.
I had to finally doze off counting sheep in my head. I really don't want this to happen again. I don't have the luxury to nap in the afternoons, and without a good night's sleep I feel mentally and physically lethargic the entire day. I tried to understand the cause of the problem and figured it out too.
I have so many things going on in my head that sometimes my mind gets hyperactive and just refuses to shutup. I am going to vomit all my thoughts here, as they come to me, hoping that they won't bug me tonight.

I need to go to college for documents....
Wow, college, sigh!
In the first year of hostel life, I used to bug my roomie to madness. Our gang used to forcibly hold her down and scribble whatever came to our heads on her arms and legs. 'F*** me n Kick me', 'Come Hither' and similar stuff :-)
Hmmm now I am fondly thinking of my roomie.
Gosh, need to write essays for two colleges and submit before 1st December.
Get to work Nicky, what are you doing!
I am thinking of working for 2 years post MBA and then take a shot at the civil services exam, for Indian Foreign Services...... :-)
Honey, you need to apply to colleges first to do your MBA and you are still short of essays and some paper work :-(
I got a funny proposal last week.... I am smiling and thinking how funny can guys be... I will write details about it on my blog :-)
Write your essays first :-(

And so on and so forth.... most of my thoughts are pure junk. I wish I had a spam thought filter in my head.

A Visit To My Alma Mater

2008-11-21T23:19:00.011+05:30

Hmmm... at least there is something good about collecting documents when applying to universities. I got to visit my school, my alma mater, and it felt like visiting a long lost nanny of my childhood. The first thing I felt when I entered the huge gates was a feeling of pride for having once belonged to that wonderful place, CJM Dehradun. When the guard asked what my business was, I told him I wanted to see the Principal and that I was an ex-student. He looked at me and asked again, "Which batch madam?"
"Err.... 2000", and I immediately felt as if I was old. Gosh, it has been 8 years since I passed out!
"Oh, long back" the guard retorted, as if he wanted to cement my view.
Anyway, it was great visiting CJM again. The building still looks beautiful, ancient, graceful, like a cultured and well-bred arrogant lady who never seems to age. It is more than 100 years old, yes, the school was founded in 1901. Some history it has, even the then Queen of England visited it sometime before independence. Yeah, I am proud to be a CJMite and I always will be.

The Church in school campus. I couldn't capture the whole structure :-(

That old but sedate building is Father's residence at CJM.
And below are some creative pieces of art from the paintbrushes of kids :-)

What It's Like Being Devil's Lil Sister

2008-11-16T15:44:00.008+05:30

Finally.... the effing exam thing is over. I partied yesterday with a careless abandon that I had forgotten I was capable of and then slept like a dog only to wake up late and groggy this morning. And yet, where is the feeling of relief??? It just isn't there. I feel like I have stepped from a storm into a tornado. I just hate documentation and paper work and financial statements and running around offices and you know what I mean. However, I have to do it all and do it fast :-(

Meanwhile, something very annoying happened with me. I was getting some anonymous comments on my blog, which I admit initially made me quite curious. I really wanted to know who the anonymous reader was and does anyone blame me for that? I mean, aren't all girls curious about such things? However, after a somewhat sleazy comment from the anonymous reader, I decided to not pay attention or at least pretend to ignore, as it obviously was some prankster trying to be funny. After ignoring for a couple of days, I started wondering why the anonymous reader wasn't commenting anymore. And then, I had this conversation with my sister yesterday

Dido: hey, I read some anonymous comments on your blog. Who do you reckon that is?

Me: Dunno. Some creep, but I have decided to ignore now. Sooner or later there will be more comments and probably I would be able to figure out who that is.

Dido: (Cruel maniacal laughter)

Me: (Stunned but obstinate silence)

Dido: Well, they were from 'Yours Truly'

Me: (Insane maniacal laughter) I knew it.

Dido: Haha.... you didn't and you never would have. Gosh, I shouldn't have told you, it was such fun. I could have carried on more.

Me: Shutup.

Thus I came to know that my sister, in one of her usual fucked-up efforts to provide amusement, had targeted me and pulled one on me succesfully. She did get a lot of amusement from the episode, as she always does when I am her victim. She is devil personified and I have the enviable honour of being devil's lil sister.

Shortlisting B-Shools --- OMG!

2008-11-13T11:34:00.004+05:30

Shortlisting universities where I would eventually apply has turned out to be a far more tedious process than I imagined. At the beginning of my search (like a month back), I had a very vague idea of what I wanted, so I went by university rankings. However, I soon realised that it's a very lazy way to look for prospective B-Schools. I then narrowed my search to B-Schools who are known well for IB and HR. I then looked for the average class profiles in those schools and there placement statistics. I knew that my GMAT score would definitely be above 650 and below 740, I knew what my work-ex was, I knew my academics. So studying the class profiles was a great help. I knew which industies and what sort of companies I would prefer after MBA, so the placement statistics were a great help too. After all this search I have identified 11 schools but there are 2 particular schools which I think would be a great fit for me if I get admission there (Texas Mays and Maryland Smith, also BYU but their essays look scary). However, these schools are pretty much on the top rungs of the ladder when it comes to rankings and that scares me. Admissions have become even more competitive, thanks to the recession, the number of people applying to B-Schools has gone up. Lets hope for the best (for me!).

Now came the fun part of identifying schools. I considered locations, weathers etc. My trip to US earlier this year has given me a good idea of what many places in US are like. Good thing was that I visited both the east coast and the west coast. I closed my eyes, recalled my trip and tried to imagine what it would be like living as a student in all those places. NYC is so crowded that it gave me a feeling of being at home :-). Also, there are people from all over in NYC and that makes it a very interesting place to be in, plus I love the cold weather, however, it's a very expensive city. Washington DC seemed boring initially but I really loved the wide streets and avenues. It seems to be a quite place after the hustle and bustle of NYC, although I am sure the place is very alive. Buffalo and Niagara are too remote for me, no point considering them. Then comes Florida. I was in Orlando for around 5 days, I liked the place but just as a holiday destination. I won't fancy living or studying there. Moreoever, it took me weeks to get rid of the horrible tan I had acquired in Orlando and Bahamas. The tanned look doesn't suit me at all, I look sunburnt and fried rather than having a golden brown sheen (Sigh!). Then we went to San Francisco in the west coast. It's a beautiful place with a very unpredictable weather and interesting history. Again, SFO has people from all over, especially China. It has so many hills that I again felt at home. The city has some very pictureseque views and charming houses. Nice place I would call it. Our next visit was to Las Vegas. Ah! the place that I loved the most (remember I was on a holiday). Vegas can simply spoil you, with the grand and luxurious hotels and the number of ways of having a good time. Gamble and drink away to glory in Vegas but I seriously doubt that it is a good place to live. Los Angeles was another story. I liked the crowds, the places (Beverley Hills :-)), the weather, also the chance of meeting celebs, in short almost everything about LA.

Phew! I hope I have covered almost everything that needs to be covered while identfying schools. Oops! I forgot, the TUTION. I have also considered which schools have a more affordable tution and give a better return on investement. With all this search and also the advice of my consultant, I hope I am applying to the right places.

Random Thoughts

2008-11-10T23:10:00.002+05:30

I am writing from my new home in Gurgaon. We don't yet have curtains and I have a big glass window next to my bed. I am lying on my stomach and facing the window and right at this moment a crazy looking fella in a balcony facing my window is staring at me.

I still have cold and cough but I am feeling much better.

After my post titled 'Feeling Low', I got some very interesting responses. A friend suggested that it seems I have too much pent up energy, so what I need is sex. Another friend said I should meditate and practice yoga. Another suggestion was to get married and settle down (I really wonder what people mean by settling down). Best response was from my sister, she said that yelling and fighting is my everyday behaviour ("ye toh tu roz karti hai") so I have no cause to worry about it.

I read a lot about Barack Obama today and I was impressed by the man. Although I rooted for him, I did not know much about him. I now know, why he has that brilliant personality - he is a Leo, that's why :-). I would anyday have a Leo world leader over a Virgo (McCain). Then there are those other interesting facts about Obama. His Harvard education, his inclination to writing (he has authored two books), his unusual origins, his impressive height (6' 1.5"), how he met his wife (while working together), everything makes him charismatic. I hope he appears as brilliant and charismatic after his term in the White House as he does now.

Agonies

2008-11-08T12:14:00.006+05:30

When it hits you, it hits you from all quarters. I have not had such a bad bout of fever and cold since a long time. Dad never fell down from stairs ever in my memory. I never before post-poned an exam when it was very important to get over with it asap. We never had to move house amidst all such confusion and agonies. However, all this happened together in the past two days.

Well, life's an adventure!!! So be it.

I have decided to take the TOEFL on 15th November, I couldn't possibly take it earlier.

Duh!!! And I can't write now.... my sister, the most irritating, insufferable, full of sick jokes, and distracting person in the world is reading this over my shoulder. She is like plague and I can't get rid of her right now. So I will write a follow up post later.

She just took a bite off my leg for writing this...........

It's my turn to do the same to her.......

Feeling Low

2008-11-02T12:14:00.005+05:30

When you are feeling low, you get irritated at everything. I just fought with my Mom because she wanted to change the bed sheets on my bed. Yeah, ashamed as I feel while writing this but it is true. My reason was that she had to do it exactly when I sat on the bed to do some work on my laptop. I completely ignored the facts that (1) She was doing me a favor, it's not her job, (2) The important work that I had to do actually was to play football on Facebook, (3) I had not changed the bed sheets myself and it's already nearly mid-day. Yesterday I fought with one of my best friends because he is in Delhi after a whole year and met someone else before he met me. The truth is that I couldn't have met him even if he had asked me to, for my own reasons. However, I nearly yelled at him. Poor thing, he was scared and said lets meet now. I yelled some more at him and asked him to not call me till I don't call him back. Nice guy that he is, he called me today to ask whether I was still angry and I was so embarrassed that I wanted to disappear from the face of the earth.
The causes of my bad mood are many, three reasons that I know of and some other yet undetermined but equally forceful ones. The first cause is that I have lost the urge, excitement and enthusiasm for my preparation. The Diwali break turned out to be suicidal for my exam preparation. Another bigger reason is that I am very confused about a major decision concerning my life. I swing like a pendulum between the To-Do and Not-To-Do states. Still another reason, the biggest one, is something that I don't want to think about, so I won't even consider writing about it.
Pull yourself up Nicky!!!! Yeah, I talk like that to myself all the time. My conscience is a separate entity, not a part of me. The fastest way for me to recover from such insufferable phases is to start dieting immeadiatley and to go for long and brisk evening walks. No, I don't feel better after binging on food. Well, I do, but it's momentary. I can imagine the state of mind I will have this evening during my walk. I will start with a slow walk while contemplating on the issues at hand. Slowly my pace would become brisker and I would start thinking that exams are something that I have been facing since the age of 3 and I have always (almost!) done well. Then I would accelarate my pace a little more and think that I would just leave the major decision on my family and God and then play along. I already know there's no major risk in playing along. I would finally think of the last reason when I would be at a nearly running pace. At this pace, I am so much at peace with myself and so full of energy that nothing in the world can pull me down (excpet a speeding truck, maybe!) and hence, a cheerful state of mind would drive away the bugging anxieties.
You know what, I am already feeling better!!! :-)
Looking forward to my evening walk :-)

Diwali and After-Effects

2008-11-01T10:38:00.017+05:30

We had a fabulous, rocking and spirited Diwali this year. Blew up loads of crackers (Shh!! I am not anti-crackers, though I am anti-pollution :-) but spare me for a day puhleez), had an amazing barbecue, ate all sorts of sweets and snacks, got gifts ranging from accessories and dresses, to photo frames and perfumes (I even got a nightie from China!). I have gained at least 3 Kgs in a week and have lost all enthusiasm for TOEFL. I have posted some pics from Diwali, here they are

Chacha (my uncle) narrowly escaped being injured from a wayward rocket but his new trousers weren't that lucky. Apart from this solitary incident, Diwali was peaceful.
I got my official score report for GMAT and my score in AWA is 5.0 out of 6. I think it's good though only 55% people scored below 5. I have to get back to the grind without losing on time as I am already running short on it. My targets for this week are to prepare for TOEFL and to find a consultant.
I finally got a pic clicked wearing my knee-high boots but it's not a great pic.
Yeah, the boots are not very visible. I will get another better picture soon :-)

GMAT Done

2008-10-27T00:18:00.007+05:30

So GMAT fever is over!!! I scored 680 and I still can't get over the shock. Everybody has been telling me that it's a good score but I am not satisfied. What happened to the 700+ scores that I was getting in all practice tests?? My score breakdown was 48 in Quant and 34 in Verbal. My overconfidence in verbal was the cause I guess. How could I screw up where I expected to do really well? I even considered taking the test again because I know I can get a 700+. However, I don't have time, because the application deadlines are fast approaching. Anyway, the good news is that B-Schools consider Quant scores more than Verbal, and a 48 in Quant is really good.
Next steps are TOEFL and essays and I have no intentions of screwing up anymore.

On the day I took GMAT. Were the Red Heels unlucky??? Still wondering....

I reached Dehradun today and so did my cousins. There are14 adults and 3 kids in my home at this moment and I am having a great time with my family. We have some fabulous plans for Diwali :-)

Introspection and Retrospection - 2 Days 2 Go!!

2008-10-22T22:24:00.006+05:30

Yesterday I took another practice test of GmatPrep (from mba.com) and guess what my score was............. a 7.... 5... 0....... yeah a 750!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw my score. It took time to register that grand figure in my head and to digest the fact that I just scored nearly 100 percentile. My score was 49 in Quant and 42 in Verbal. Yeah, I know.... 49 Quant is amazing :-) Everybody has been telling me that. I just wish I could score a wee bit better in Verbal. I am greedy, I admit.

However, there's someone who has been dampening my high spirits with loads of doubts, apprehensions, misgivings, qualms, dreads, and fears. That someone is the other half of my personality. No, I am not a twisted character suffering from MPD, in case somebody is getting any such ideas. Like everybody else, I have this high-spirited, vivacious, confident, optimistic and happy self; and another gloomy, pessimistic, agonised and dispirited self which sometimes brings me down. Now the pessimistic-me is worried that since all the material that I have studied consists of just one book (Official Guide), the scores that I am getting in practice tests are just a stroke of luck, and this lucky streak may or may not be there on the D-Day. Since I have decided to take the exam on 25th October (Yes, I preponed it by a whole month. Gulp!), I don't have time to go through any more material. All I can do is take as many tests as I can and then work on questions that I get wrong.

2 days to go and all I have studied is the OG! I don't believe I am actually doing this. Heck, I got above 700 in all three practice tests.... I will just keep my fingers crossed now (except when I am typing).

I don't have any preparation for AWA, will work on it in these 2 days as best as I can.

2 days.... GULP!!!!

News News News

2008-10-16T23:49:00.005+05:30

Gosh! So many things happened since I last posted that I don't know where to start. Let me give the news in bullet points.

* I got a 710 again in my second practice test (Quant 47, Verbal 41).
* NV has gone to US and will have her baby there. (Did I mention that she is pregnant? Well, she is.)
* I bought knee-high boots for winters. Can't wait for the weather to get cold.
* Priya is going to California during Christmas and New Year's.
* Mom and Dad have gone to Sikkim, leaving me alone at home
* I have decided that I will pre-pone my GMAT date to 1st week of November

Whew! I will elaborate now. I downloaded test software from mba.com just to be sure that my score is reliable. I really doubted my last score, but a 710 again has boosted my confidence. What was surprising this time was my quant score. I jumped from 39 in quant to 47, although dropped in verbal from 48 to 41. But I don't mind the drop as long as my points stay in the 40s range. The decision to pre-pone my exam has come after this new found confidence in my preparation.

NV is almost 7 months pregnant and was going to have her baby in Kanpur but suddenly her husband had to leave for U.S. and after much thought she decided to accompany him. The shocking part of the story is that none of us had any inkling that she is leaving for US. Well, I admit we were not in touch with her since something like 15 days. She mailed us all today to inform us that she arrived in Virginia yesterday and will be back in Februray after having her baby in Jan. Now, were we shocked? We felt flabbergasted, thunderstruck and similar stuff. When a 7 months pregnant female suddenly decides to have her baby in US instead of her in-laws place, it's normal to be shocked. She and her hubby will look for an apartment now and for doctors who will take care of her. I support her as always, may she have a baby as unpredictable and daring as she is.

My knee-high boots look sexy. However, I had a tough time buying them. I had no plans of buying any such thing but so wanted to have them when I spotted them at a shop in Janpath (I am an impulsive shopper). I was wearing a long skirt and chappals on that eventful day when I bought my boots. I pointed out around 4 pairs to the shop attendant and said I wanted to try those. Now, I have small feet and always find it tough to find footwear in my size. This shop attendant said he had boots in my size, took out various boxes and sat down to help me try the boots. He took out the first pair and I stepped out of my chappals and sat on a sofa to try the boots. It now occured to me that I will have to pull up my long skirt to my knees to try the boots. It would have been so much better if I was wearing capris or a short skirt. Anyway, feeling awkward I put my leg into the boot that the shop attendant was holding out for me. It fit my foot perfectly. Now the attendant started pulling up the side zipper. Damn!! It was tight, the zipper wouldn't close and I embarassingly asked him to take off the boots and let me try another pair. My sister gave me a laughing look which meant, "You should start dieting". I scowled and tried another pair but the same thing happened again. This time the attendant tried hard to pull up the zipper and even asked me to stand so that the Boots could fit me. I guess he was desperate to sell because the boots in his shop were weird (I am sure the boots were weird and my legs are absolutely fine). I finally bought a bigger size but they fit me well and I will soon post a pic of them.

Colour Me Purple

2008-10-13T10:38:00.013+05:30

In the past few days I have realised how much influence colors have on us. We may or may not realise it but our moods change according to the colors around us. I had never thought much about it till recently when we got our house painted in new colors. I chose all the colors of-course, my parents don't have enough energy to argue with me. I was all set to experiment, no matter how absurd the color seems; fortunately the results are great.

This one's my fav, in my bedroom. Purple + Pink = tranquility + romance :-)

Orange and White in living room. Did I hear someone say 'Vibrant'?

I am in love with the new colors. They have given a new life to my home and to me too in some aspects.
Talking about colors, it seems I love 'Blue' when it comes to accessories. I was going through my junk pile and noticed this. Have a look.

You Will Always Be My Friend

2008-10-08T15:28:00.004+05:30

This weekend I went shopping with Mom and Dad and while Dad was going through greeting cards in Archie's Gallery, I was going through the T-Shirts they had on display. They had a nice collection of Tees with some really witty statements. I don't remember any of them now, except one. This one caught my eye and I immeadiately thought of NV. It said, "You will always be my friend. You know too much!" It made me smile and brought forth a cascade of thoughts.
I pondered over it that night. Come to think of it among my friends we all know so much about each other that if we decide to ruin each other's life, we can easily do that. Ye!! Gives me that evil power over them, but then they possess the same power over me. If I try to recall what all I know about all the close frends I have ever had, I can list some pretty nasty details. :-) Multiple affairs (not at the same time, all my frends are decent), drinking, gambling, a wedding in a temple (I and NV signed the marriage certificate as witnesses), and other things which I would not list here (this isn't that kind of blog) :-) Superb!!!!
If we assume the statement on the Tee to be true (my engineering language), it implies that we will all stay friends forever. Our dark secrets bond us together. On a serious note, I love all my friends. Dark secrets or no, I do hope we always stay bonded.

Ratan Tata Vs. Mamta Banerjee

2008-10-07T00:40:00.003+05:30

Don't we all think that it was the right thing to move out of Singur for Ratan Tata? Don't we all feel sympathetic about the huge losses he has incurred in the Singur plant? Don't we all feel that Mamta Banerjee was villanous in her acts? I thought so too, until today. While watching Ratan Tata's interviews over the national news channels, I always felt strongly that what he did was right in principle. Now the West Bengal ruling government would learn its lessons, even the opposition would learn some lessons, and that it serves them right for not co-operating with an industrialist like Ratan Tata, which would have been in their own best interests.
I thought all this till I read an article by Prem Shankar Jha in the editorial section of Hindustan Times. To say the least, I feel I have been looking at only one side of the coin, just like most of the national news channels are portraying. Ratan Tata said in his press conference that "We believe a fair compensation has been paid". Jha raises an apt question, "Paid by whom?" The compensation (Rs 131 Crore) has actually entirely been paid by the West Bengal Government. Tatas had taken the land from the government at a lease with a meagre lease rent. This was why it was so easy for the Tatas to move out because they had so little at stake there. Although there investment in the Nano project was 15oo crores, but a major portion of this was in equipment and machinery and other movable things, which they will move out. They would still face a big loss in infrastructure etc, but it would be quite less than what the West Bengal Government would.
Moreover, the land was acquired forcefully by brutal beatings given by policemen to local people. About 400 villagers were demanding their land back since they considered it to be the only security in an uncertain and unorganised sector of non-agricultural jobs. However, Ratan Tata would still have been totally non-guilty if there was no way of making the landholders beneficiaries instead of victims. Jha comes up with an ingenious yet simple strategy - what if the Tatas decided to set aside just one quarter of 1% of their annual sales revenue and distributed it as anuual royalty to owners and sharecroppers. With an annual turnover of 5000 crore (from 500,000 cars), the royalty would have amounted to Rs 125000 crore per acre per year to be split between landowners and sharecroppers. To recover this, the Tatas would have had to increase the price of their car by only Rs 250.
Now the question is would Mamta Banerjee have refused such an offer? Of course not, the farmers wouldn't have let her. Ratan Tata has only proved that he is just another industrialist who did not try an approach that has never been tried in our country.

Omigosh!

2008-10-05T00:13:00.004+05:30

I took my first GMAT full length practice test today and was no less than shocked with the result!
I am quite confident about my verbal skills but I come from an engineering background for heaven's sake!!!! I should score better in Quant :-(
Anyway despite my poor performance in Quant, my score was a whopping 710. Ye Ye Ye!!!! Clap Clap Clap!!!! Kudos!!!! Am I getting too excited??? Well, I have to be, coz I never aimed that high even for the main exam, much less for the first ever full length test I took. My score was 39 for Quant and 48 (Grinning) for verbal!! Verbal score is better than I expected but Quant was the dampener.
Still, a 710 is shocking for me. Probably I underestimated myself, or worse, probably the test software I used is total crap. I downloaded the GMAT prep software from prepwizard.com. I am satisfied with the level of questions that I got, but a 710 still gives me doubts about the reliability of the scoring. Anyway, a quick analysis of my quant section made it clear that there are certain types of questions at which I totally suck (excuse the expression). These are probability, sequences and series and Data sufficiency questions. Need to work harder in these areas. Also, I totally mismanaged my time for quant, randomly guessing the last 4 questions without even reading them properly. I am happy with my verbal section, though there is always scope for improvement, particulary in Reading Comprehension.
Still, I got a 710 folks!!!! :-) This has acted as a big boost for me and I am now aiming for a higher score in the real exam. I hope that my scores go up from here.

GMAT is in the Air

2008-09-30T12:09:00.004+05:30

I attended the MBA Tour in Delhi on Saturday, and I am so glad I did. It was an eye-opener. On the day I booked my GMAT appointment, I stumbled upon this information that there was going to be an MBA Tour in Delhi with representatives from many international B-Schools who will interact with the participants and provide information. I promptly registered for the event and went to Intercontinental, CP on Saturday. First, I was surprised at the number of people who had turned up for the event, must be close to 500. Second, I was surprised at the number of B-Schools who were participating, 35 to be precise.

We had 3 sessions; How Admissions Decisions are made, Managing your MBA Career Search, and an Alumni Panel Discussion. Finally there was an MBA Fair, where I interacted with representatives from the admissions comittees of some schools, alumni of other schools, and collected brochures of about 10 schools. It was all so helpful.

The lessons that I learned - (1) I need to start looking for prospective schools NOW, (2) Getting a good score is the least of challenges, (3) A self-analysis is needed to decide where I want to land, (4) Time is going to FLY, (5) I should learn to be realistic, and not get carried away with B-School Rankings (6) I need to gather more information from many people and sources.

Phew! It is going to be tough, but whats an achievement when the road to it was a cake-walk.

Today is the first Navratra, I will be fasting for 9 days, i.e, will take only one meal a day at night. Hopefully it will help me shed the extra pounds I have lately gained :-)

Accessories - The Right Look

2008-09-28T17:47:00.010+05:30

Since I am not an accessory person, meaning I am not great shakes at accessorising my outfits so I asked my friend NV to help me put together some tips. NV is great at picking the right accessories and can carry almost any piece of junk jewellery. She is cute, somewhat plump, and has adorable cheeks. Many a time I jealously watch her shopping for HUGE glares, HUGE watches, HUGE earbobs, and HUGE beaded neck strings. She looks perfect wearing any such thing. Now, the HUGE accessory look doesn't suit me at all. I am the kind of person who looks best while wearing slim strings on neck, delicate watches, sober earrings, and bracelets are not made for me at all. Anyway, here come tips right out of NV's head for accessories:

1) While wearing a Black cocktail dress with your favourite black sandals, simply put on a fab watch, diamond ear studs and nothing else. You can also wear a matching beaded necklace with nothing in the ears and a nice matching bracelet or watch. Carry a good clutch (which goes with your watch and sandals) and the look is complete.

2) With printed tops and kurtis, avoid wearing anything in the neck. Earrings should also be simple. Sleeveless kurtis can be accessorised with matching bangles or bracelets. With plain outfits you can wear long neck strings and junk stuff.

3) It is smart to have a Golden, Copper and Silver clutch or bag. Black ones are too common but they help college-goers a lot. These colors go with many outfits but then remember to have a matching pair of footwear too.

4) While wearing a Business Suit, keep your style statement very simple. The only thing that can do wonders to your simplicity is a pearl necklace in any warm color (green, red, black, coffee). It looks super chic.

5) While wearing a Sari, many women go overboard with their jewelery. Even with a Sari, a nice watch, some sophisticated jewelery, and maybe a bracelet is enough. If you want to wear a nice, huge pair of earrings, then do not wear anything in the neck. Show it off instead (that looks hotter).

6) With Capris, knee or ankle length skirts, you can wear anklets in one leg or both, but they shouldn't be loud. Moreover, sandals and heels don't go with anklets, they look best with jodhpuris or slip-ons.

7) Always match your belts with your footwear and bag. If you want to show off a gorgeous belt, then wear it with plain outfits in colors that contrast with the belt.

Wardrobe Must-Haves for 25 Year Old Gals

2008-09-26T15:07:00.005+05:30

I am fed up of looking at so many inappropriately or badly dressed women around me. Coco Chanel once said that when a woman is impeccably dressed, you notice the woman else you notice her dress. I find this so true in day-to-day life, while looking at women wearing mismatched combinations, ugly footwear, gross nailpaints etc. I am no fashion guru, but I know at least some basic fundamentals about clothes and make-up, and it surprises me that a number of people don't. I believe that you should never go over-board in terms of fashion when at work. Keep it simple, and yet try to make a statement with your clothes. While getting ready for office if you are confused whether something is appropriate for office wear, better don't wear it. While at work many women go wrong with their accessories. While choosing accessories for work, you should keep in mind that they are not flashy, or dangling, or make sounds (think jingling bangles), or come in your way at all. Office bag, ah, you can experiment so much with this one, always remembering that the size and look should be right. Anyway, I have come up with some wardrobe must-haves for 25 year olds and listed them below:
While compiling this list, I have assumed that you are neither too fat nor too thin, but someone with an average body type (like me)

1) A denim mini skirt - This looks sexy and cool at the same time and can be teamed up with a variety of tops to give it the right look. For Example, team it with a nice white statement Tee during the day time, with a sexy red top, for a movie in the evening, even with a pair of black tights when you are not in a mood to show your legs.
2) Denim Capris - They look cool and are very comfortable. Team it with various Tees in any colour you fancy.
3) Pleated short skirt in a dark color for winters - This looks totally hot. Team it with black tights and boots. Wear it with a tight smart sweater and a jacket, which can be either very short or as long as the skirt.
4) Spaghetti tops - Have at least 3 or 4 of these in bright colours. You can have so much fun with these. Wear them inside an open shirt, or inside a dungaree, or just with a jeans.
5) Black Cocktail Dress - This little number comes in handy for a night out at some pub, or a formal party.
6) Black High Heels - Do I need to emphasise the importance of this one.
7) Jodhpuri Chappals - They look cool with ethnic as well as trendy clothes. Team it with a salwar suit or with Jeans or capris. They always look cool and are oh-so-comfortable.
8) Leather Boots - I can spend an entire winter in these.
9) Ethnic suit - A very Indian, very bright, very ethnic suit is a must have for all young Indian ladies. It makes a good impression on elders too ;-)
10) Sari - A sexy, bright yet simple Sari with a glamorous choli. Oooooh!!!!! HOTTTT is the word for it.
11) Jackets - I love jackets. They can make any plain dress look fabulous. I have so many of them, one long brown suede, one long black leather, one short green denim, one long black fur :-) You need not have so many, but one long and one short will do, choose your own material.

I am not too good with accessories, so I won't put them here. But I will soon post pics for all the above listed items.

Home Alone and Partying

2008-09-22T15:01:00.004+05:30

I was home alone for a few days. Dad's gone to Hyderabad and Mom's visiting my sister. So, did I behave like an opportunist to have some fun in the absence of my parents?? I sure did, what else did you expect. I totally threatened my friends to make some good weekend plan since noone knows when I would get such an opportunity again. I cannot have late nights in the presence of my family, curfew timings for me are 8 P.M. Yeah, I know, gross!! But I don't complain, coz I love being with the old gal and the old guy :-) But that doesn't mean I wouldn't feel guiltily glad when they are not at home.
So a friend of mine told me that one of his friends was having a house party and I was welcome to come along. Now, I didn't even know the guy who was throwing the party. But what the hell!!! At 25, you are still allowed to visit parties where you don't know anybody. (Ain't it??!! ) So, I went without the least idea of what the party was going to be like, how many people would there be, etc. All I knew was that the party could go on till veryy late and there would of course be drinks. As it turned out, the party included somewhere around 12 nice people. The host was very friendly and very drunk by the time everybody arrived. So we drank, ate, talked, played cards, and finally danced. I did not drink too much, as I did not want to embarass myself or my friend by being tipsy. So all I had were 2 vodka and orange juice and one shot of Tequila. We danced through the night and it was in the wee hours of morning that we said our goodbyes. I reached home at 5:30, dead tired, and dropped on bed without even changing.
So I had all the fun I could in the absence of my parents, and that would keep me going till the next time they are not home. :-)
Till then, I would be a good, homely daughter

Delhi Bomb Blasts

2008-09-14T20:59:00.003+05:30

I was out with my friends at the Great India Place mall in Noida yesterday and got a call from my Mom towards late evening. She was somewhat panicky and asked me to get back home early as there had been a bomb blast somewhere in Karol Bagh. Now my sister lives in Karol Bagh and we could not talk to her or her husband because the networks were all congested. Boy, was it a panicky situation while I frantically tried to connect with my sister! I finally talked with her and she said all was fine but she too had not been able to talk with Jiju who being a doc was in hospital. With some relief I resumed shopping with my friends when a shop attendant informed us that their had been bomb blasts in Greater Kailash too. Shit!!! What was happening!! I now tried calling my Dad who was coming home from airport.
My friends and I decided to return back to our homes but when we drove out of the parking, it seemed as if we would never get home. All roads were blocked due to traffic congestion. I suppose everybody was trying to rush back home as soon as possible. While stuck in traffic, I got a call again from Mom. There had been 5 blasts in all, including one in the Central Park at Connaught Place. I closed my eyes, and just wished to be back home quickly. I looked at the posh market around me and thought of the possibility of a bomb blast there. I tried to clear my head of the unpleasant thoughts as I started receiving calls from many relatives in other cities, who wanted to know whether we were all fine.
I reached home at 8, my Dad had reached only 10 minutes back. So, we were all at home, safe but shaken. The only person with whom nobody had been able to connect was my sister's husband, my jiju, who was at the hospital. However, he probably realised that everyone at home must be trying his number, so he messaged us all that he was really busy because of the blast victims at his hospital. When he came back home today he told us that 2 people were brought dead and the others were badly injured. Both the men who were brought dead were young guys, one of whom had a girlfriend who had many injuries. Poor girl did not even know that his boyfriend was dead. Some victims were in a very critical state with ugly injuries. Jiju had blood stains over his clothes and even being a doctor he said he was feeling really sick after seeing such injuries.
Since yesterday, all news channels are showing the same news about the blasts. What the hell is wrong with these people who are behind the blasts? Do they really think that they are serving God or some part of humanity with their work? It is just impossible to imagine that they take the name of God to justify their heinous deeds. Please, say whatever you may but don't say that you do this in the name of God.

GMAT Date Booked

2008-09-04T16:55:00.010+05:30

I booked my GMAT Exam date today for 27th of November. 2 and a half months to go, and a lot to do. Well, I have always performed well under pressure. So the date is set and so am I. All the Best to me. :-)

Dad's new company gave him a brand new black Honda Accord. It's a sexy car, classy too.

Craving for Isolation

2008-09-01T12:16:00.005+05:30

Hmph!!! The last few days have been really busy. It's only now that I could get some quality time for myself. So, here I am, sipping on some hot tea, with the laptop on my lap, and typing my heart out. My sister was staying with me for a few days and I was doing all the cooking and cleaning. She was kind and considerate enough to prepare a cup of tea for me whenever I demanded; and that was it. I do the same to her whenever I visit her place :-). I have a mind to call us the wicked sisters since we are really mean to each other. However, I love that about our relationship, no boring formality when I am with my sister. I have seen some siblings who are sweeter than sugar towards each other and talk like they are in church. Yuck. I am glad my sister gives me tough competition in being mean, wicked, delightfully selfish and ready to pounce on any opportunity to fight. That's the right way to live with your siblings.

Mom and Dad arrived yesterday with almost a truckload of luggage. They have gone to Gurgaon today and will hopefully finalize an apartment out of a few shortlisted. So, I am all alone at home and enjoying these moments. Being with family is all too good but one needs some time alone for oneself. At least I do.

Family Time

2008-08-28T23:52:00.008+05:30

I have six people at my home tonight (including me). My sister, her husband, and my cousins Ashu Bhai and Nitu are staying with me tonight. We are watching Bruce Almighty and sipping on a lemon tea each and it is already midnight. Wow!

We went to another of my cousins' place in the evening to celebrate her husband's Birthday. The dinner was superb and the chocolate trouffle after dinner was simply exotic.

We are going to have a late night gossip session. Ah, how I love gosiping! :-)

My sister bought a beautiful silk Lehenga for me from Benaras. Oh, it is such a pretty pretty thing.

Back in Noida

2008-08-23T18:37:00.004+05:30

I am back and trying not to feel too lonely. After 21 days at home, surrounded and pampered by family, the first day back in Noida is going to be tough. I was moving from room to room, checking things, and suddenly felt so alone in my 3 bedroom apartment. I am now telling myself that I don't have time to feel lonely as there are a lot of things to be done. I have to resume my studies without losing on time. Moreover, Mom and Dad would be here after a week. Dad is joining a new company in Gurgaon and that means I would now live with my family.

Come on Girl, do what you love to do. Read. Write. Study.

Sweet Surrender

2008-08-19T15:07:00.004+05:30

Raksha Bandhan was fun this year. Since last few years I have been celebrating it in Noida in comparative isolation. This year the day was busy since morning, cousins visiting us, celebration, eating goodies, collecting money from brothers etcetera. I have been eating like a famine victim at home because I know that once I go back to Noida, meals would mean maggi noodles, macaroni, soups, fried rice and the usual bread-omelette. Not that I don't know how to cook. I don't want anybody to get wrong ideas. I know how to cook, infact I love cooking, but it's so boring cooking for nobody else but for your own little tummy.

The latest news is that I have surrendered myself to intense lethargy these days. I do nothing, absolutely nothing, from the time I am up to the time I drop back on bed. I surf and surf on the internet, I spend hours talking on phone, and I sleep. Yeah, I doze for sinfully long hours, curling up on bed with a pillow under my head and another under my arm, the window open and the monsoon breeze drifting into the room, carrying with it the faint smell of fresh earth and the fragrance of flowers from our lawn. Ah, I am turning poetic, but that's what a lethargic mood, the monsson and an overdoze of sleep and food does to one.
I would call this phase - Sweet Surrender :-)

Happy Independence Day

2008-08-15T16:49:00.004+05:30

Happy Independence Day to all Indians!!!!

We have enjoyed 61 years of Independence, and this year the day is even more special because of Abhinav Bindra's achievement at Beijing. I read his blog today; it was a different experience reading through his journey to the Gold. Such achievers inspire one to excel at whatever one does.

Tomorrow is Raksha Bandhan, one of my favourite festivals. I will miss my brother, who is in Mumbai. However, all my cousins will visit tomorrow and we will have a gala time.

My Life at Dehradun

2008-08-12T16:04:00.006+05:30

Abhinav Bindra won a Gold for India at Beijing, and we Indians are so proud of him. I wish we win more medals at Olympics this year.

Meanwhile, blogging has taken a back-seat since I am at home. All the special treatment one receives while at home with parents tends to make one happy and content even without blogging. I wake up everyday with a cup of bed-tea and then sip on it till eternity. I then get lazily out of my bed, fresh-up, and pick my books to sit at the dining table. I declare everyday that I will skip breakfast because I am gaining weight but then Mom supplies information about what has been prepared for breakfast and I immediately change my mind. I munch on my breakfast moodily and flip through the pages of my book, or surf the internet, or just look out of the dining room window at the overgrown plants in the lawn (I will post pics of our lawn soon, I don't have my data cable with me).

After finishing breakfast I get energized enough to study, which I do till around 12 when Maahi comes home from her play-school.

I chat with her and then we lunch together and I resume my study till Namit and Neha (my cousins) come home from their schools. I then chat with them following which I take an afternoon nap. I wake up in the evening with a cup of tea and repeat the ritual of picking my books and moving to the dining table. I surf the internet now if I have not already done it in the morning (like today). I then study till dinner time.
Whew, what a life!!!! I feel like Garfield these days (except when I am studying). I eat and sleep and do absolutely no work around the house. I will miss this time when I will go back to Noida, where I do everything around the house. I fix my own meals, tidy up the rooms, clean the bathrooms, blah blah.

Writing from Dehradun

2008-08-08T08:58:00.003+05:30

It feels good to be back on Blogger; I so missed my blog. I came to Dehradun on 5th August, and dutifully caught cold on the same day. I write 'dutifully' because it has almost become a ritual that I should be down with fever and cold whenever I visit my hometown. The change of weather from dry and hot to wet and cold did the trick. It's raining everyday in Dehradun and the proximity to Mussoorie brings cold breezes into the Doon valley. Our lawn looks like a forest and I don't dare venture out on the grass for fear of strange and ugly insects [we even had a snake once during monsoons :-)]

My studies are going on surprisingly well. I had not expected that I could concentrate in the presence of my cousins and Maahi (my sister's 3 year old daughter). I am very happy with the first TOEFL practice test that I took; I scored really well. I am simultaneously preparing for GMAT and TOEFL as well as doing assignments for my HR course.

Today is Nitu's (my favourite cousin) birthday, so we will visit him in the evening and celebrate his birthday. I need to finish my study targets for today before that. Whew!

This and That

2008-08-03T10:42:00.011+05:30

The past few days have been all about visiting friends. I visited my childhood friend Nidhi, who had a baby boy on 2nd July. It was touching to see her with the baby who looks just like her.

BTW I get touched easily and for any reason whatever, which at times is awkward and embarassing. I was fighting back those stupid tears when I clicked Nidhi's picture with her baby. Thankfully, she did not notice. Another episode was when I got tremendously touched at NV's pre-wedding celebrations. NV was all decked up and danced to a traditional wedding song and I had these big tears welling up. Somebody even clicked a snap of that moment where I am standing with my friends with this teary-eyed look like a sentimental old lady. Oh! I hate myself for all such awkward moments.

The dumb teary-eyed look!

Yesterday, along with Priya and Neelam, I visited Pritika who will leave tonight to US for her higher studies (read MBA). I carried my digicam to click pictures with her and guess what, we ended up making Pritika click most of the pictures. Priya acted very greedy yesterday. She will kill me for writing this, but it makes an interesting story. She grabbed a stuffed teddy that was gifted to Pritika by some friend and said that she would take it as a parting gift from Pritika. Yes, you read it right. Priya's reason was that since Pritika is not taking the stuffed teddy to US, it will keep lying useless in her home, therefore that entitles her to take it. Pritika said that she had no intentions of giving away the teddy but Priya is one adamant female and she shamelessly told Pritika's parents that she wants to keep the teddy. They readily agreed and poor Pritika was left with no option. However, after we were driving back from Pritika's place and had driven for about 5 Kilometres, Pritika called and told Priya to come back with the teddy as it was a gift and she was attached to it. We had a good laugh at Priya and drove back to return the troublesome teddy.

Reminiscing about College Days - Part 1

2008-07-31T10:26:00.005+05:30

Oh! those were the days. I don't want to sound like someone whose life isn't exciting anymore and keeps revisiting the past to fill the void, because that's so not true. Life has given me bigger and better things but College Days are always remembered, especially when your college buddies were a gang of girls known for being different from other girls. We were 8 girls living together in a flat in our hostel and the flat number was 18A. By the end of our first year, this number held a feeling of notoriety among the girls and warden and one of curiosity among the guys. What's up with 18A??? Why can't they be like the rest???
The simple answer to which was that 18A fortunately comprised of girls with similar mentality and attitude; all of us were thrown together by some strange co-incidence. We were never known for great achievements in studies (though most of us were good at studies and succeded in getting ourselves placed during campus placements). We were known for- untidy rooms, always breaking the curfew timings, loud music, late night parties, being too friendly with guys, never mixing ourselves with other studious girls, and creating other troubles. My hostel days were a lot of fun because of my mischievious friends and especially because of my roomie NV. We managed to spoil each other a lot during the four years of living together. NV was active in keeping the room untidy and I was lazy in tidying up, so the result was a mess to which we got used quickly. The coming of Warden into our rooms was always the time of great frantic activity- stuffing bags and clothes under the bed and in the almirahs, hiding novels and pretending to be in deep concentration over Math books. Once Warden said she would check our rooms before bedtime and we wanted to impress her for once with clean rooms. After dinner NV and I tidied up to the best of our ability and waited eagerly for Warden to come. She came and said, "Your room is very tidy". Both of us smiled from ear-to-ear and said, "Thank you Ma'm". To our astonishment Warden was furious, "Shameless girls, that was meant to be sarcastic" and she stormed out of the room. We looked around carefully, "Shit NV, how could you miss that pile of your clothes visible from under the bed", to which NV said, "And how could you miss the pile of novels on your table with the table-lamp overturned on top of them". To our horror we realized that our eyes had stopped seeing the mess, but we never changed, at least for 3 years.
We shared the same hostel building with male students, which at times caused trouble. Once at night there was a power-cut and instead of studying by the light of emergency lights like the other girls, we were having fun. The weather was hot and we came out of the flat with our chairs and sat there to enjoy the breeze. Our flatmate Plucky was in a jovial mood and started dancing to the song 'Can't get you out of my head' which she was playing on her portable player with batteries. She is a good dancer but that day her moves were particularly provoking and funny, as the light was low and there was nobody around. We watched her as she jumped around, moved her waist, gave arousing expressions and what not. In a few minutes we were laughing hard and as the song ended we heard the sound of clapping from somewhere above us. All of us dashed inside but cautiously came back again out of curiosty. On the floor above us was a bunch of senior guys from MCA and they clapped again as Plucky came out. Plucky was red from embarrasement remembering her dance moves but walked back inside in a dignified manner and slammed the door behind her, following which we heard loud laughter from the above floor.

GMAT Prep Re-started

2008-07-29T16:16:00.004+05:30

I started preparing for GMAT a month back, and in this month I have done less than a week's worth of actual preparation. I started reading a book called Cliff GMAT, read it from cover-to-cover in two days, took the tests in the end of the book, and scored a slightly better than average score. After that I decided to solve all problems in the tests given in that book and go through the solutions. I started this task, which should have taken me two or three days, but I procrastinated and lost track. Since then I have been doing almost nothing with respect to the actual preparation. I just read blogs and articles and talk to people.
I decided it was best to get back on track and sweat it out. It's a very bad idea to take a break from your preparations, which I did by taking a trip to Mussoorie, and since then I just could not resume my pace. I have started some serious study from today and decided to keep track of preparation on my blog.
I just have to remind myself each time I seem to give up that, I love solving mathematical problems and I am somewhat confident about my verbal skills, which give me an edge over other engineering graduates who are not native english speakers.
Time to slog!

Kismat Konnection - A Review

2008-07-29T09:41:00.004+05:30

Do I need to say that the movie is bad? I guess not, since most of you have probably already read the reviews. Then why am I wasting my time writing a review about it? There are two answers - First, I love movie bashing. Second, an interesting incident took place when I went to watch the movie, which I wanted to share.
I went to the movie with my friend Neelam. We snacked before the movie in the food court and Neelam was adventurous enough to leave behind her cell phone on the table. I, of course, did not notice. As it was my birthday [ :-) I love bringing it up], I was carrying a digicam in my bag, and the PVR people don't allow eatables, shopping bags and cameras inside the hall. I was stopped at the security and was asked to leave behind the camera battery at the baggage counter. We went to the baggage counter, which is 2 floors below the hall, to do as asked. We were late by the time we rushed back to the security and did not check the audi number on our tickets. The first Audi on our right had a moving neon display on top which said Kismat Konnection. We rushed inside and reached our seats smashing the toes of various people. As soon as we sat down Neelam realised she was not carrying her cell phone. After a hurried check into her bag and then mine, she grabbed my cell phone, muttered something about being back soon, and smashed some toes again to rush outside. I now concentrated on the movie which had already started. There was Shahid Kapoor looking crestfallen, Vidya Balan getting engaged to someone and I was not able to understand what was going on. I thought a flashback into the past would soon happen, to clear things. However, I waited and watched but no flashback came. There was a song and many weird characters and other stuff but no flashback. I watched for about 15 minutes till Neelam came back. She said, "Nicky this is Audi 8, we are supposed to be in Audi 6." I responded with "So what, audi 8 is screening the same movie." Neelam watched with me for a minute and said, "I think we are watching the post-intermission movie."
"What!" I gasped. We looked at each other and dashed out of the hall, smashing toes again. I had no time to yell back at people who were yelling at us. We reached audi 6, found our seats and I wondered how come those same seats were unoccupied in audi 8. Providence, I suppose. I felt so bad at missing the first 30 minutes of the movie at that time, but I can safely assume now that the first 30 minutes were not too exciting either, just like the rest of the movie.
It's an illogical, slow-paced movie, with a boring plot and lifeless characters (Ah! so many adjectives). I have seen some illogical movies, which were entertaining (like Om Shanti Om) but Kismat Konnection falls too short of the mark to call even some parts in the movie as entertaining. I always go to the movies to look at good looking people for few hours. I don't want to look at a next-door-kinda-boy (Shahid Kapur) and a next-door-kinda-girl (Vidya Balan) for 3 hours. I see too many next-door-kinda-people in day-to-day life. Vidya Balan lived up to the expectations of dressing pathetically again. Why can't she just give up trying to glam herself up? It makes her look even more, ugh, sad!
The movie revolves around Shahid Kapur who plays the role of a failure who can't do anything right to save his life. In desperation he goes to a seer, played by Juhi Chawla (who seems to have forgotten all about acting), who informs him that he would be aided by someone or something that would make him lucky. Imagine! This someone, turns out to be Vidya Balan. Whenever, she's around he gets lucky - he lands a project, he plays a great shot at Snooker - oh, leave it. He becomes friendly with this girl in order to stay lucky but she's engaged and going to leave the country after her marriage which is going to happen soon. However, she realises her fiancee is a male chauvinist pig and is getting laid by his female boss. There are other things and characters in the movie that don't deserve to be mentioned.
My advice- Don't Watch. And BTW Neelam did find her cell phone, it was with the security people in food court :-)

On the day I turned 25

2008-07-28T15:19:00.007+05:30

After having these amazing Dimsums, I watched the extremely boring movie Kismat Konnection. Vidya Balan looks pathetic and her outfits are 'oh-so-outdated'.

Cheers!!! I love White Wine. That's Di with my gift and Jiju uncorking the celebrations.

I can't wait to spill it into glasses. We had 2 glasses of wine each before going out for dinner.

You guessed it! That's my Birthday dress. But no points for the guessing, as I already posted a pic of my B'day Dress. :-)

Posing with my new bag :-)

Birthday Gifts

2008-07-27T11:02:00.003+05:30

I live alone in Noida and wasn't expecting an exciting B'day and no B'day gifts at all. However, when you have a family as adorable as mine, any dull day would be filled with a lot of sunshine and warmth. Here are some pics of my B'day gifts - My B'day Dress from Mamma, a gift pack of Flowers, teddy and a chocolate from my brother who lives in Bombay, a cake from my Di and Jiju, a galmorous bag from Di and Jiju, 2 salwar suits from Mamma and Papa. Wow!

Birthday Plans and Preparations

2008-07-25T21:46:00.000+05:30

Wow, Birthday eve is such a beautiful-wonderful time even though I don't have any great plans for tomorrow. Didi and Jiju called today to say that they will come to my place tomorrow and Jiju will take us out for dinner at The Great Kebab Factory (My entire family loves this place).
I will do some DIY pedicure and facial tonight to look and feel great tomorrow :-)
I have a sparkling bubbly tucked in my closet waiting to be spilled into glasses tomorrow to celebrate my Birthday. I love white wine and can hardly wait to sip on it. BTW this bottle of white wine has an interesting story on how it landed into my closet, but I will save it for another time.

First Post on My Birthday Eve

2008-07-25T21:33:00.000+05:30

Hey, it's my Birthday tomorrow and I am already in a festive mood. I have this habit of treating myself with a gift on my Birthday since as long as I can remember. Last year I bought a cocktail dress but this year my birthday dress has been sponsored by Mom (thanks Mamma!), so after giving it a lot of thought I decided to gift myself, a creative outlet to my at times terrible and at other times terrific writing skills. So, here I am and it already feels wonderful. However, I have a concern, I have never stuck to ideas and things that I so zealously start! Although I feel starting this blog on my Birthday eve will probably give it a special place in my heart and I won't abandon it. This was the reason I decided to call it My Latest Fad, because this is what I feel about it now.