Postcards From J

Here's wishing you all a joyous Christmas and a smashing 2006... ~j~

... At Abdul Rahman Street Near Crawford Market, Bombay © ~j~ It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Ev'rywhere you go; Take a look in the five-and-ten, glistening once again With candy canes and silver lanes aglow. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, Toys in ev'ry store, But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be On your own front door. A pair of hopalong boots and a pistol that shoots Is the wish of Barney and Ben; Dolls that will talk and will go for a walk Is the hope of Janice and Jen; And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Ev'rywhere you go; There's a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well, The sturdy kind that doesn't mind the snow. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas; Soon the bells will start, And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing Right within your heart. Found this really cute website where you can sing...

To wonder is not just the domain of a wide-eyed child, right? Here are some questions that I've been contemplating upon: * Why is Tanisha dressed like a slut in that candyfloss of a movie ? And why is she still being referred to as Kajol's kid sister? * Were the semi-finals of Nach Baliye rigged? How can Varun forget his steps? Why did they have the judges voting ONLY today? * Why is Abhishek Bachchan getting hotter by the day? [Get THE video here .] * When is the Big B going to be back on his feet? And will he still endorse Chyawanprash and Hajmola? * Is Anjalli Gupta guilty or will she be another victim of the system? * What the hell is going on in the Indian Parliament, BCCI and in Saurav Ganguly's brain? * Will India beat Sri Lanka in the upcoming second Test? Aur Sehwag ka kya hoga?

Since I've been bereft of ideas for a post on Mangalore, my native place, I've decided to put up this poem (if that's what you wanna call it!) I wrote on the trip for my office newsletter. Plus, I really want to get back to proper blogging and that I can do ONLY after I've put down something about the entire trip. One problem though - I need a title for this, so all you creative minds out there, please put your thinking caps on and HELP ME! 4004 destinations galore But I chose Bangalore and Mangalore. Packed my bags and away I went, Ten days of fun and time well spent. Welcomed by a wet Garden City, I was hoping the rain would have some pity And let me have a chance to explore The myriad facets of Bangalore. From architectural splendours of Tipu's Palace To rickshaw-wallahs who seem so callous; Then gorging on biryani at The Biryani Merchant And Death By Chocolate at the Corner House tent. An encounter with a 'live' dinosaur on hydraulics Was just perfect f...

Just back from a much needed break (only to wish for another one again - sigh!). Its funny how vacations can get taxing too! Bangalore was my first stop, so here are some sights and scenes of the Garden City... At Tipu Sultan's Palace An interesting monument, though no longer as large as the original structure, Tipu's Palace has lovely woodwork and design in some places. I particularly liked the painted floral motifs on some walls, ceilings and corners. Meeting Ranju in Bangalore was definitely on my agenda. She made sure I visited her two favourite places - The Biryani Merchant , a cozy biryani stop and Corner House , the ruling dessert spot. DBC @ Corner House For reasons beyond me, she wanted me killed, and suggested the Death By Chocolate (which I did tuck into... quick review: didn't like the peanuts they so generously sprinkled on the chocolate cake - vanilla ice-cream combo). But Ranju obviously had no idea about my monstrous appetite ;) Since we (my frien...

Found this on Naukri 's HR news: HR Headlines (Oct 15 '05 - Oct 21 '05) Does Your Company Give You A Dating Allowance? The latest trend in the corporate world is issuing dating allowance to employees. This is done to encourage inter-personal relationships and even nuptials within the organisation. According to Mr Sanjeev Kataria, group executive VP, NIIT, "The philosophy behind the initiative is to show that the company wants to participate in the lives of its employees. We take on the role of the family and help the employee move to the next phase of his or her life, which is marriage." There is also a practical reason behind the initiative. As per adman Mr Prahlad Kakkar, "With high-pressure jobs, employees spend a lot of time together. They are thus attracted to each other, so this does make sense." Source: 18 Oct' 05 The Times of India New Delhi Edition When I read this, I fell off my chair laughing! I mean, if my employer were to give me a datin...

Warning: The images you are about to view in this postcard are not recommended for hardcore vegetarians or those serious on shedding some extra kilos. Friday 14th October 2005 - Mayura, Iden, Madhu and I decided to descend on Mohammad Ali Road after work to check out the delicacies laid out during the evenings in the holy month of Ramzan. The Muslim community break their fast by sundown and the array of food served in this locality is mind-boggling. From meaty portions of kababs , kaleji , bheja and other assorted fare to absolutely incredible desserts like phirnee , malpua and aflatoon , it is a food route worth your time and money. Feast For The Senses What was more praiseworthy is that, even among the milling crowds, we never once felt out of place or uncared for or despised at. In true review style, here are my ratings: Chicken Something Ummmm... Food - 9/10 Non-Vegetarians, this is ONLY for you. I liked the seekh kabab and baida roti. The phirnee in clay bowls was yummy; I p...

A storm is brewing in the Indian blogosphere. And the winds have finally got my brain out of the freezer. Its no longer JAM Magazine versus IIPM. Its Bloggers versus IIPM. Much like the Super Series between Australia and ICC World XI. However, this promises to be a much more exciting affair. At the heart of the controversy is JAM 's expose on IIPM's tall claims in their ads. When Gaurav Sabnis blogged about it, he got slapped with a legal notice for allegedly defaming the Arindham Chaudhari-run institute. Meanwhile, Rashmi 's blogpost was inundated with obscene comments about her sexual preferences. Gaurav, on the other hand, took a courageous stand to defend his opinion and quit his job at IBM when he learnt that IIPM students had threatened to burn laptops supplied by IBM. He did not want his employer to be dragged into murky waters. All this has not gone down too well with the blogging community who view this as a violation of our fundamental right to speech . And...

"bheege hont tere, pyaasa dil mera... " blared into my ears. and i felt like 'murder'ing the idiot. this was not your regular roadside romeo trying to marao chance! its one of the zillion candidates i call day in and day out for suitable opportunities in my organization. and no, he was not serenading me. this was his choice of "caller tune" that his cellular service provider had enticed him into paying for. all day, i call and wait for the candidate to answer the phone. now, it has become such an ordeal to go through the tunes belted out as if you're watching the Top 10 on Channel [V] or MTV. {aside: personally, i like VH1 though} from the hugely popular " lamhe " ( jal /remixed by dj suketu) to " heaven " ( bryan adams - which i liked), from " lonely " (akon) to " hello " ( lionel richie ), from " rock the party " (bombay rockers) to " zombie " (cranberries) and more! the worst was having to...

it was supposedly only the 10th rainiest day in the history of the indian monsoon. tell that to any mumbaikar and s/he will give you a cold stare. my arm hurts even as i type this. its been more than 97 hours since i reached the safe confines of my home. the experience of taking more than 19 hours to get home from office on 26-27 july 2005 , two bleak and forgettable days in the city that never sleeps (and probably one that will not sleep for a while), is going to haunt me for the rest of my life. honestly, compared to what so many others went through, my ordeal was nothing. but i was scared to death. the reason: i can't swim and i'm not much of a water fan! so here goes my story: tuesday 5 pm - i left office with 5 others in somebody's car. B whose car we were in, lives in Bandra... so we got a ride till the Reclamation Flyover (this we reached at 11:oo pm ). then DN (my other colleague who lives in Vakola, close to my place) and i walked towards the highway, but we heard...

yes, i partied (the way it is supposed to be done) and no, i didn't get drunk. okay, have to get this out of my system: i had my first shot of tequila last night at shooter's, bandra . not bad at all. actually, you barely have the time to understand tequila. its a now-you-see-it-now-you-don't kinda drink. taken with (a pinch of) salt and a lemon wedge , it vanishes in a matter of seconds. interesting! tequila's worth a shot! (pun intended) say cheers!!!

reasons why women find it hard to find the man of their dreams... 1. The nice men are ugly. 2. The handsome men are not nice. 3. The handsome and nice men are gay. 4. The handsome, nice and heterosexual men are married. 5. The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men, have no money. 6. The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men with money think we are only after their money. 7. The handsome men without money are after our money. 8. The handsome men, who are not so nice and somewhat heterosexual, don't think we are beautiful enough. 9. The men who think we are beautiful, that are heterosexual, somewhat nice and have money, are cowards. 10. The men who are somewhat handsome, somewhat nice and have some money and thank God are heterosexual, are shy and NEVER MAKE THE FIRST MOVE!!!! 11. The men who never make the first move, automatically lose interest in us when we take the initiative. now, who the hell understands men? "Men are like a fine wine. They all start out li...

...always get me down" sang the carpenters . nope, its not a monday (a lousy sunday to be precise) but it sure is rainy out here in bombay. haven't blogged at all the last few weeks...tied up with work, depressed with work actually, and then caught a bout of viral to go with that. aaaaarrrrrgh!!! but this post is not going to be a rant about my condition or that of the bombay roads or the wonderful experience of getting your rickshaw-wallah to dodge the craters on them. no, not even about the mini floods i have to wade through at the railway station or the filth floating in them. this is gonna be about the songs that should be played on a rainy day. music to soothe my nerves, music to lose myself to, music to calm my soul... some are rain songs, some are not, some are romantic, some melancholic, some are old favourites... even the movies celebrate the rains, so why shouldn't we? here's my list: scorpions, winds of change john mayer, why georgia hoobastank, the reason ...

Your #1 Match: ISFJ The Nurturer You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal.A good listener, you excell at helping others in practical ways.In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music.You find it easy to be devoted to one person, who you do special things for. You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist. Your #2 Match: ISTJ The Duty Fulfiller You are responsible, reliable, and hardworking - you get the job done.You prefer productive hobbies, like woodworking or knittings.Quiet and serious, you are well prepared for whatever life hands you.Conservative and down-to-earth, you hardly ever do anything crazy. You would make a great business executive, accountant, or lawyer. Your #3 Match: INFJ The Protector You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity.Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is.You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience...

life is what happens when you're busy making other plans! my folks had gone to mangalore for a family function. and me? i couldn't take leave from work due to an all-important project that was underway. so, here i was - all alone (except that sherline stayed with me so that i didn't die of boredom) in the city of bombay. what fun!!! or so i thought... i was eagerly awaiting this opportunity. made elaborate plans to: (1) have the girlfriends over for a session of gossip and glug-glug-glug (2) catch a late night show of a good movie (3) clean out my cupboard and sort all the junk that i proudly own ...and lots of things. but did i do any of this? no! i realized that i had to get back home after slogging at the office and keep home spic and span. worse, i had to cook. my nightmare come true! so, lunch was usually some stuff rustled up by the canteen-wallah but dinner became an all-consuming affair. add to it the bombay humidity and its not a pretty picture in the kitchen :( w...

pope john paul II 1920 - 2005 "eternal rest grant unto him, oh lord and let perpetual light shine upon him." may his soul rest in peace.

men think its quite a task to understand women and to know what we want. but here's an attempt to figure out what men want... still reading? a long time ago, i had registered on some site which proudly proclaimed of trying to make the world a smaller place. as with most things on the internet, i registered and promptly forgot about it. till one day, i re-discovered an email from them. with a 'lets go check it out' attitude, i added some details about myself and for timepass, updated some stuff for the local dating section. and forgot about it again . days later, i check my inbox and whoa! what do i have in my junk mail folder??? about 25-odd emails from boys/men (call them what you want) asking to get in touch with them. initially, i was pissed reading some of them and hit the delete button faster than the speed of light. then i came across some absolutely hilarious ones...meaning some guys could actually attempt writing like that to a girl. here are some samples {pun int...

aargh! just coming to terms with this whole blogging experience... i've been tearing my hair apart since i put up my last postcard. being technically duh, i got all frantic at not seeing the last post. Ranju said she could see it and Thakkar , well, he was kind enough to lend some tech support to moi via yahoo messenger . some of his IT gyan did work, but i'm still lost. the price one pays to be a novice, i guess! just trying to belong, oops blog...

for a long time now, i've been thinking, nay, contemplating moving out of my parents' home...you know, all that jazz about being on my own two feet, learning to live and fend for myself... yes, it sounds rosy, but the emotions and decisions that go with the whole idea are clouding my mind. parents don't seem to think its a particularly good idea. which parent in india would? In fact, ma says that if i want to move out, "you should get married and go, and do whatever you want." kinda silly response, if you ask me. i've come across many of my friends who are thinking on the same lines, yet it is so difficult to just up and leave. physically, mentally and emotionally, it is unnerving. plus the whole rigmarole of finding a place, having to fork out the moolah for it, and then sticking to your guns no matter what can be a major letdown. at first, i couldn't even get myself to voice aloud what i really wanted...i was beginning to despair that i'm never gonna...

8:46 am churchgate slow - damn! i only manage a "fourth" seat. just when i was hoping to get a better seat, two pretty young things decided to bitch about this and that. now, how could i have moved from that vital spot? first, i thought they were from a south mumbai b-school bitching about some babe who did a brilliant presentation, but that didn't count. after all, she was the bitch! as they started taking names, realization dawned on me that they were actually talking about 'the apprentice' - the reality tv show where donald trump eventually hires one of the participants to head one of his many businesses for a year. i had seen the first season, and liked it too. the second season was a bit of a bore, i thought! so, haven't even bothered to catch a single episode. coming back to the two women, they went on to express their opinions on 'indian idol' ; how amit sana (i think he rocks) was a more deserving winner as he had an original voice, and ...

whew! finally made it to the blogworld... hello, hi, namaskaar, aloha, bonjour this is your friendly neighbourhood, uh-umm...blame it on writer's block. well, i'm here out of curiosity, and on the insistence of my good friend Ranju ( http://ranjhu.blogspot.com ) who gives me the impression that blogging is good for the soul - allows one a platform to express, complain, boast, ramble, get furious...so Ranju, thanx a ton! easter brings with it the promise of new beginnings and new life. well, my journey here has begun! gotta keep myself motivated enough to post regularly. a very close friend of mine, Sharon, begins a new chapter in her life - she and her sister moved back to their old home after it was reconstructed. here's to bright spring sunlight, sparkling fresh mornings, and many beautiful moments. stole that from a hallmark e-card. what? blame it on writer's block! atleast, i'm being honest. keep smiling!