Thankful for my Bunch…

One thing constant in and behind my failed relationships has been trusting people blindly. I have been hurt so badly so many times that by now, I should be immune to the pain and hurt that comes along. But, I guess that never happens. Every single incident leaves me cheated, betrayed and sick. That is possibly the only thing I should focus on changing in me before it goes beyond my ways to repair the loss.

That is also the reason why I have very few friends. Very few. And I crib about not having that big gang of buddies who party hard, take holidays together, have house parties…the usual fun and all. Yes, I always whined about not having ‘such’ friends. Until today. 

It was just a normal day and then things happened. I could feel myself choked, my eyes all welled up and that sinking feeling in my heart. I wanted to blurt it out to someone. To a friend. I just wanted to be heard. I wanted a friend who could be around me at that time. I wanted that comfort. I tried calling and reaching out to a few, but it could not happen. I decided to spend some time alone in a café and just do nothing. Sitting there, I texted a very dear friend about my bad mood. And then she called. After talking to her for about half an hour, surprisingly, my mind felt calm, at peace, relieved and happy.

That made me thinking…do I really need a big gang of friends?? Or, should I count my blessings and be grateful of what I have??? The answer was right in front of me. I realized I do not need fair-weather friends. What I need and…thankfully, I have, are rough-weather friends or should I say, friends for all seasons…

The names did not take long to pop up in my head when I thought of those I could call at 2 in the night and they will help me out. Ya, very clichéd, but true.

So yes, I don’t need a bunch…four are good for me…

I thought it apt to take this as a way to thank all of them for being there for me in their own special ways. This post is dedicated to them. 

Here go my special 4 (in alphabetical order):

·        Ashish – I met him at work in a CA firm. He always, ya always, listens to me and my side of story. He has been a witness to my career shift and has supported me all through. 

My best moment with him was when he flew down from Mumbai for a very dear friend’s marriage. He had no confirmed ticket and shelled out some fortune to get an airline ticket. All this because I was after his life to come for the wedding as we had not met for a long long time and I had been looking forward to meeting him at the party, having lot of conversations with him, again on my career and a ‘DOA’ love life…

He truly is a gem.

·        Chetan – We met during our CA classes and the first day I talked to him was to ask him to drop me home as it was raining and he stayed pretty close to my house. We became really close friends after that. I became good friends with his wife Chetna too. They moved to Australia 4 years back but we have not lost touch. He, without fail for last 4 years, has been convincing me to move to Australia as it offers good life and chances of finding my life partner are high there!! Well, it is very tempting… Also, he wishes me birthday every year when I am thinking he will forget this time…

When he was moving to Australia, I had asked him to visit Opera House whenever he goes to Sydney. My most favourite memory with him is when he called me up from the Sydney Opera House saying he is standing there and it looks beautiful!! 

Chetan, you are the best and I miss you calling me ‘Naine’… :(

·        Daddaa – He did not take my calls today. The last I spoke with him was couple of months back. His texts have been sporadic. I should be really pissed off with him after all this. But he is my daddaa. He advises me, listens to me, acts like a wall because mostly I am just writing and writing without getting any replies…

I have noticed that he does text back, when I am least expecting it. All the sensible and calming words that I need to hear come in my phone inbox once in a while. Those are my best moments with him. 

I am sure he knows what he means to me…

·        Mann – She is the one who called me today after I had texted her about my bad mood. We met in our PG course 2 years ago and the friendship took its own sweet time to grow and reach where it is now. 

She is wild, wacky yet sensible; a tomboy yet has a beautiful feminine side to her.

My best memories with her are those moments when she was around when I most needed someone. She is very absent-minded when it comes to replying to a text. But God knows how she calls me so fast after reading some awful texts from me.

One such moment was today. She called me when I was least expecting her to call. I thought she would text back at most and that too after like 2 hours…but she did call. Another time, I had texted her when I had broken a ligament. And she called. And on another occasion, just a night before a college presentation when she got to know that my mom was not well, she called me to ask about her. Mann, do you recall this one??

She calls me ‘Nemo’ when she is in a good mood and we call each other ‘grasshopper’ and ‘cow’…God knows why…

Mann, stay around…love you grasshopper!!

As I end this post, my only wish to God is when I read this couple of years from now, the names remain as is…no more and no less. I would definitely make more friends going forward in life but then my bunch is kinda full and complete…

I am very grateful and humbled that atleast I have four to count on…in the world full of people who continue to surprise me…

And ya, a quote that says “Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget” is how I want to end it with... :)

Ten day you Challenge - Post 10. One picture of me.

 

 

I am having such mixed feelings this moment as I write my final post in the challenge. I am happy that I managed to write new post every single day non-stop for 10 days. There is a little, very little, sadness on the series coming to an end. I had gotten so used to writing it.

But I want to end the series with lot of happy feelings. And the last post happens to be one picture of myself.

Since this post does not suggest putting a ‘recent picture of yourself’ so I decided to dig into my images database and take out a picture that has lot of memories attached to it. 

 

This picture was taken on my Mumbai trip same time two years ago. The place happens to be Marine Drive. I remember I had sprained my foot and had it in crepe bandage. But I and my sister decided to venture out anyways. So after darshan at Sidhhivinayak Temple, we headed for Marine Drive. We got down from the bus near Marine Lines station and thought we will manage the walk till the very end of the road near Hilton. On our way, we spotted a Jumbo Vadapav shop and got two vadapavs and a glass each of Kachi Kairi (raw mango) and Kala Khatta soda packed. I know so very Delhiite but we were starving and there was no Mc Donald’s in sight! Beside, brand colours and packaging of this vadapav brand were exactly like Mc D.

So holding that vadapav packet in one hand and soda glasses in the other ,we managed to walk for about forty five minutes when we finally reached the extreme point at Marine Drive, all with my limping foot. The food tasted yumm…it was almost sunset and the weather was awesome, it being monsoon time. Picture perfect moment.

I sure have lot of better pictures of mine but not all good pictures may have memories…they may just be a click afterall…

Ten day you Challenge - Post 9. Two songs.

I can’t believe I have reached the penultimate post in the 10 day challenge. Still feels like I started only yesterday. I managed the weekdays in between and what not. It sure is giving me a happy feeling.  :)

Today I am sharing my two songs that I like the most. Again, it is so unfair to limit the number to just two when music is the only constant in my life. I think I have mentioned before as well that at any time there is some song or the other playing in my head. I never need any orchestra to play background score in my life….!! :D

Okay, so my two favourite songs are:

It must have been love by Roxette.

I love this song and listen to it often. It has been sung so well and is also the original soundtrack of one of my favourite movies, Pretty Woman. There is certain comfort level to it that makes me coming back to it everytime I am feeling low.

This line from the song touches me the most :

Make believing we are together…

That I am sheltered by your heart…

Baawra Mann dekhne chala ek sapna from the movie Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi.

There is so much soul to this song and I listen to it most when I want to shut myself out from the world. I love everything about it, lyrics, music and the playback. Swanand Kirkire’s voice has taken the song to a totally new level.

Best time to enjoy this song is when you retire to bed, just put on your earplugs and play it at an easy-on-your-ears volume. You will love the experience.

I particularly like this line from the song:

Baawre se iss jahan mein baawra ek saath ho…

Iss sayani bheed mein bas haathon mein tera haath ho…

I hope you enjoyed this musical post.

See you all tomorrow with the final post in the challenge.  :)

Ten day you Challenge - Post 8. Three films.

Lights, Camera….Action…

I am movie buff to the core. I have loved watching movies for as long as I remember. I grew up watching Yash Chopra brand of cinema, all love and no war. The ‘happily ever after’ types movies. Well I still love them,  but I have evolved to some extent to accept ‘itches and glitches’ and  ‘not so happily ever afters’.

From the moment I understood cinema, Shah Rukh Khan became my favourite. I think I have watched almost all his movies, barring a few real bad ones. I loved his portrayal of that caring loverboy image and to be honest, Shahid Kapoor does that part really well. I loved him in Jab We Met.

So ya, after watching DDLJ in mid-90s and Jab We Met after almost a decade and a half, I think I want someone who is just like Raj Malhotra of DDLJ and Aditya Kashyap of JWM….perfect amalgam of the two…(sigh)…

Ahem…ahem…back to the topic of my favourite movies, well, choosing three is such a difficult task. Very difficult. I will try and not cheat by putting options in one choice… My favourite genre in movies is romance, drama and thrillers. I particularly like racy political thrillers like Frost/Nixon and A Mighty Heart.  

I am not too much of a fan of animated movies and I also don’t like movies which have tameless wild animals flying all over the city…I am sorry if I am being offensive to lovers of such cinema but I don’t understand this and I have no intention of spending time in making friends with this genre either.

Now that we are sorted, let’s get started.

1. The Pursuit of Happyness

There is no reason why anybody would not like this movie. I have seen this movie many times and every single time there is a new learning. There is some positive energy around this film. The honesty with which Will Smith plays Chris Gardner and does justice to this true story, moves you. There are many scenes in the movie where your heart goes out to Smith when he is running to make his ends meet while raising a kid.

My most favourite quote from the movie happens to be the conversation between Chris and his son, Christopher Gardner:

Chris Gardner: Hey. Don't ever let somebody tell you, you can't do something. Not even me. All right?
Christopher: Allright.
Christopher Gardner: You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period.

Ten day you Challenge - Post 7. Four books.

Post seven in the challenge, four books.

I do read a lot. I read on lot of topics. I like to read on politics, social issues, romance/fiction etc.
I get my politics feed through newspapers, magazines and web. I feel the stories on Indian politics are no less than a racy thriller. I am such sucker for the political stories and articles that I can even start reading an interesting article on the piece of ‘newspaper bag’ in which I just bought ‘jhaalmuri’… :)

I usually pick up ‘nice reading’ random titles on fiction, romance from bookstores. They are easy reads for the mind and eyes. Though I would admit I have not read any ‘classic’ English novels and it is on my list to pick up a few, I think reading a Chetan Bhagat suffices for me at the end of the day as I really want something like a ‘feel good’ story to read and call it a day.

Genre which I don’t understand and can’t pick up is Sci-fi. Never ever. All Greek and Latin to me.

So, my list of four books, in no particular order, goes like:

1. Don’t lose your mind, lose your weight by Rujuta Diwekar

Ok, before you get any judgmental about I reading such weighty books, I have to tell you if you have not read this one so far, please go and read it pronto. ‘Losing weight’ is probably the last topic discussed in this book. What you eat, how you eat, how it affects your body, all the myths that we have been carrying for food…everything. It clears all the cobwebs and gives a whole new perspective on food, diet and health. A must read for all and not just for those ‘who want to lose weight’!! Besides, title is so catchy!! :D

2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I loved this book. I have not read Hosseini’s other titles but after reading this one I would sure like to pick up ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ soon.

The characters, surroundings, portrait of Afghanistan then and now, all are so well-defined that you actually are living in it. Yes, many scenes in the book made me choke.

A must read, again.

Those of you who have read the book and seen the movie by the same name would sure agree with me that the movie doesn’t come any close to the emotions and pace that the book had created. I was disappointed with the movie adaptation. 

Ten day you Challenge - Post 6. Five foods.

There has to be this confession right at the start of this story, I love food. I am a happy Punjabi who lives to eat. My Mom is an amazing cook and that makes the every simple meal, special.

Also, being in Delhi I feel food is kind of a celebration in here. We all love our food here, from roadside chole-bhature to sushi in an upmarket Japanese restaurant. Food changes with Delhi weather and that gives it so much more flavour and variety. Gajar ka halwa in winters, pakodas in monsoon and dahi-bhalla in summers. So much to choose from.

I usually eat when I am happy and I turn to food when I am emotionally drained out. Food has always been comforting for me. Always. And yeah, going by how it shows on me, I am not surprised it loves me too! Also, not surprisingly I usually end up going on a major guilt trip once I have indulged in gluttony, which I know is not a great state to be in.

Twist in the tale is my fake vegetarianism. I turned to being a vegetarian a decade back and stuck to it without any struggle. But God knows why, gave up and gave in to KFC on fine day out with my friends. So, since then it has been a constant fight to get off meat but never happens. And to top all the confusion, I always tell people at the start of ordering food that I am a vegetarian and by the time food arrives, I am gobbling down chicken. Hence the term, fake vegetarianism. The point is I really want to turn to veggies but doesn’t happen. And last few days, I have been thinking of turning a vegan in a couple of years. Hmm…thinking never killed anyone….