Soaked!

“I’m soaked!” I sighed scrubbing my feet on the welcome mat as I entered home. My husband was already there, sipping on a cup of steaming coffee as I looked for a towel to dry myself. He looked at me and gave me a pitiful frown and sweetly asked if I wanted some coffee.

The rain today was unexpected, just like my day at work had been. What I thought would be a relaxed Friday at work turned out to be hectic and challenging. In the end, I was tired and left late from office missing my spa appointment too. All I wanted to do now was soak myself in a hot bathtub and lie there for an hour. Mais alas, we were to leave early the next morning for a friend’s place in Lonavala. Before that, I had to take control of the house. Man! This being a homemaker and working at the same time was taking a toll on me. I just didn’t have the time to do anything for myself. 

I made a mental list of the things I need to do- pack a bag, make idlis to carry en route and wash the clothes. All this and it was already time for dinner. We quickly packed our bag for the weekend, and I soaked the idli dal keeping a check on the time. That’s when I broke down. I was famished and still had to wash the clothes, which meant soaking them for at least an hour. “Arghhh! Enough soaking for the day!” I grumbled aloud.

That’s when hubby came to the rescue. Like a TV commercial, he brought out a pack of Surf Excel Matic, and held it in his hands, reading “The new Surf Excel Matic has the power of ‘Vibrating Molecules’ to penetrate deeply embedded stains & remove them effectively, so no soaking before washing!” I smiled at him and hugged him, saying “What would I do without you?”

With the clothes washed in a jiffy, we quickly had dinner. I relaxed in front of the TV, healing my aching feet in a bucket full of hot water and sea salts. He suddenly looked at me and said, “I thought you didn’t want any more soaking!” Yes, I threw a pillow at him :) 

PS: This blog post is written for 'The Surf Excel Matic, Soak No More Contest' on Indiblogger.

Merry Melbournian Christmas!

Like every conversation we had, this one too ended with “So when are you coming here?” I laughed it off and coyly replied, “Well, soon!” and we hung up the phone.

This was a typical conversation between me and my sis. She had settled in Australia long enough and she wished I came down to meet her. Of course you know that staying in Mumbai diminishes all your time and money for you to be able to think of taking a vacation to Matheran; let alone Melbourne. How I wish I could take a weekend to just land up in the Victorian city! This weekend though, I decided to take an afternoon nap.

When I had fallen in deep slumber, I heard the doorbell ring. It was a courier and I quickly signed for it wondering what my sister had surprised me with now. I ripped open the envelope and was astounded when I found an air ticket. A note she attached said ‘Merry Christmas! It's your time to visit Melbourne NOW!’

A month later, here I was, in cultural capital of Australia; grinning from ear to ear. My tour guide (a.k.a. my sibling) knew exactly what I wanted- shopping, eating and relaxing. But mostly, shopping! I had heard her speak endless number of times about her everyday experiences there- what she eats and she shops. In a way, I felt like I know what to expect, like I had experienced all these things too.

The entire city dazzled in Christmas lights and just about everyone had shopping bags in their hand. I love summers and it was great to see a not-frigid Christmas. Though I found out later that Melbourne can have up to four seasons in a single day. Talk about variety!

I’m sure I looked like a kid high on sugar when I skipped from one shop to another in the Victoria Market. I picked up some really awesome knick knacks, souvenirs to take back home and even a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many well-known brands at great discounts there. The organic fruits and veggies section looked and smelled so great; I wished we had something like this back home. The one thing that resembled Mumbai though was the Flinders Street railway station. It was as grand as our CST station. It was clearly the same British influence. There is a giant screen there where I’m told many sporting events are broadcasted. Can you imagine how much fun it would be to watch the World Cup there? In fact last year’s 20-20 match was in the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The other place that reminded me of Mumbai was the city skyline from the Waterfront City. It reminded me a tad about the Queen’s necklace in Mumbai.

There were loads of tourists like me who seemed to be shopping, though I’m quite sure they even went sight-seeing. More tourists plus the festival season made parking seem a hassle, so on my first day there, we went cycling for a while.

I am a total bookworm, and as it turns out, Melbourne has the most number of bookstores in all of Australia. I even got a chance to visit the State Library. It was massive and I immediately fell in love with its reading room- La Trobe. So I paid a visit to the Fed Square Book Market and picked up a couple of magazines and a novel from my favourite author. The Books for Cooks place got me drooling and I knew it was time to eat!

That’s when we headed to China Town. It had an amazing spread of Asian restaurants and shops. We decided to go to one of the more well-known one:  Shark Fin. The menu showcased some amazing food but also some dishes that I wouldn’t dare taste.

If you are going there, you will be bedazzled at first at the amazing line up of stores like Myer, David Jones, Zara, Duty Free, Tag Heuer, Gucci and what not. Besides, there are several malls which were really cool too, Chadstone being one of them. It literally extends as far as the eyes can go and the best part is that it is still expanding. Pure bliss for a shopaholic like me! I could spend hours in the Apple showroom and other cool shops like Tiffany and Oakley.

If you had to mention a landmark here, you would have multiple choices. One landmark that I fell in love with was the Crown Hotel. It was beautiful! You may recall that it is the same place where Preity Zinta had her ‘Ben n Jerry’ ice cream in the movie Salaam Namaste. I’ m told that the richest of the rich come here to stay in the Crown; including Tom Cruise. The top-most floors of the hotel are about $40000 a night, so I decided to give it a skip this time!  The Christmas decorations at the Crown were a sight! It had shows every few minutes which had kids in frenzy and adults like me mesmerised.

I wasn’t here only for the shopping, you know! We also visited the zoo and the aquarium. The Melbourne Zoo was a great expanse. The best thing I enjoyed there was the seal exhibit and the Australian Outback. We then headed to the banks of the Yarra River to the Aquarium. Four levels and the variety of sea inhabitants will be forever engraved in my memory as beautiful. We ended the day with going to the Eureka Tower which made me happily dizzy. It has 91 floors and is more than 950 feet high. The Skydeck on the 88^th floor really amazes you and gives you a bird’s eye view of the entire city.

Christmas Day was a day out and lunch with my sister’s friends. They are Aussies and were so welcoming! Their home was beautifully decorated and they even had a huge Xmas tree. The food was delicious. I can still taste the sumptuous stuffed chicken salad and the mouth-watering pavlova.  I don’t think I had ever enjoyed a Christmas meal as awesome as this!

That day when I was speaking to a local, I realised that by now I had begun to use the words ‘mate’ and ‘no worries’. I really did feel like one of them. I looked at my shopping list and mentioned some really expensive stuff to my sister and she nudged me and said, “Hold on to your horses for Boxing Day!” I sighed, but I knew that the next I had to wake bright and early for the amazing sales and discounts!

A few seconds later I heard my phone buzz, only to realise that I was back in my bed. Was it all just a dream then? Did I really not be a part of the thrilling and elegant cosmopolitan? I had yet so much to see and do!

That evening I went online and visited www.visitmelbourne.com/in to relive what I dreamt. It was now time to make this dream come true!

www.visitmelbourne.com/in

Of course it is Real Love

My husband and I found each other in an ad agency. While office love may seem cliché, our relationship felt from the beginning. I know now that we were in love way before the two of us knew it. We were an odd couple, and they looked at us holding hands in disbelief- a fat guy who won’t shy away from yelling at his juniors, and a petite quiet girl.


He didn't build me anything like the Taj Mahal, or even a sand castle. He didn't write love letters, but his 'luv u' smses were enough. We didn't plan to run away and get married, but waited patiently for our families to respond.

6 years down the line and a marriage to prove it, we can proudly say that this is our real love story. Looking back, it may not be a fairy tale from wonderland; but a real tale in the hustle-bustle of Mumbai. 

Ours is a story that goes from working together, to living together. Of thinking alike, to thinking poles apart. Of wanting the company, yet enjoying the freedom. And of loving each other through all of it.

This is a story that a few of our families and friends know of. I know it will be written, perhaps with Harper Collins. Here’s the link if you want to share your Real Love Story too:

http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/

For Sleep’s Sake

Stone Age man was once really bored. It was late in the evening and he didn’t know what to do, now that it was getting dark. For some odd reason, he could not sleep. Scantily clothed and messy hair dropping to his shoulders, he sat by a boulder. He fidgeted with his bare hands to pick up a pair of odd-looking stones next to him and held them in each of his hands. He started rubbing them together, just to see if they take another shape or something. A few strokes; and heat and light flickering were almost instant. Excited, the Stone Age man does it again and the stones flickered once more. He noticed that the white semi-translucent stones gave out a sharp yellow light. Intrigued, he rubs the stone harder with short grunts and making bizarre expressions, till he sees the flashes of light again. Soon after, fire was discovered. (Contrary to the song, we did start the fire. Billy Joel was just didn’t get the memo)

Cut to today’s human (otherwise known as the Homo Sapien, but I’d rather call him metrosexual). 

He was once really bored. It was late in the night, but for some odd reason he could not sleep. Leaning against a bean bag, he sat in his boxers and looked into his white iPhone to check out his new messy hairstyle. Fidgeting with his manicured fingers, he went to the Zippo app on the phone. Lighting the zippo on and off every few seconds, he thinks, ah yellow light. When that bores him he starts playing Temple Run, making short grunts every time he has a close call, making bizarre expressions. The game ends when the guy in the game falls on his face and a sponsored ad flashes; which asks the Metrosexual to ‘DOWNLOAD SLEEP NOW’. That should be nice, he thinks and before you know it, thanks to the 3G speeds, he has already got it. Excited, the metrosexual opens the app and has to wait a few seconds before it starts running. This makes him very impatient and is already fidgeting with his hair again.

Soon the app blinks to life but asks the Metrosexual to download additional data. Worth it for sleep, the metrosexual says without batting an eyelid. ‘DOWNLOADING R.E.M.’ keeps flashing on his screen and the green progress line zaps ahead. About time, the Metrosexual huffs. ‘THE VISUAL CAPACITY OF YOUR PHONE IS HIGHER THAN THE CURRENT RESOLUTION. UPDATE NOW?’ Oh well, if I am going to spend time on it, it may as well be in hi-def! Update. ‘DOWNLOADING D.R.E.A.M.’  The iPhone blinks for not more than 2 seconds when a final message appears ‘SLEEP TIGHT’ followed by the most picturesque lush green field.

Right in the middle of the field is a long wooden fence. Soon a sheep appears on screen and before you know it, jumps the fence. Another one, and then another. The metrosexual is mesmerized by the visuals- the moving skies, the grass blades slightly tilting left to right, the odd bunch of flowers, the ‘baaaaa…’ of the sheep if you touch them…There was even a settings icon if you wanted to slow the process of the sheep jumping over the fence. If you were too tired, then activate the counter that counts the number of sheep jumping over the fence. Soothing music can play – preloaded or from your music library. The weather can change, as well as the time of the day.

The metrosexual didn’t sleep at all that night. Neither did the Stone Age man.

The Day Before The Rain

The sky, a little grey

The ground, a tad brown

The air, somewhat grainy

And on everyone’s face a frown.

Tired faces and beady sweat

Marks the people who want to feel wet.

The flutter of pigeons, somewhat louder

The exhaust from vehicles, adding to the powder.

Then the skies go much darker

The signal of a shower

Minutes act like an hour

The city seems like it has lost power.

Just then, a trickle

The thoughts, so fickle

Hoping the drops don’t stop.

And stop they don’t

Clear skies they won’t.

Till more than our fill

We have, and sit still.

Waiting then for the clouds to go.

The Cheerful Blogpost

Cheer up cheer up

You will find your way

Cheer up cheer up

You will seize the day

Cheer up cheer up

When you hear me say

Soon you'll keep your worries at bay!

Cheer up cheer up

You need to change your mood

Cheer up cheer up

Go eat some good food

Cheer up cheer up
Don't find me rude

When you hear me say- buck up dude!

Lark or Owl

I've been asked this question too often lately. And frankly, it scares me. Articles and articles of research done to find out how to differentiate between the two types. After all, whether you are a lark or owl defines who you are, your working styles, thinking styles, even the type of diet you should have!

How, you ask? Being a 'lark' means you are a morning person and prefer waking and going to bed early. Being an 'owl' is its exact antonym.

You may laugh this off, but had I known its importance I would've had a hundred decision-making points in my head before I got married (I knew you'd laugh it off!)

Well, my husband is a lark and I’m not. While he prefers to be awake at 7am and have the most interesting discussions then, I’m groggy even at 9 all the way till I reach work. And while he can just jump into bed and start dreaming, I almost always need a book to get me to sleep soon.(Now let’s not get judgmental). Thankfully, I work in an industry where I don't need to walk in to office at 10 am or be formally dressed all the time. So the times the owl in me takes over, I can pull out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and it’s all good.

Of course that doesn't solve a lot of other issues. Our avian nature means a late night movie is forced onto my better-lark-half. And owls possibly end up skipping breakfast I assume?

Now I bet you didn't realize the importance of knowing what kind bird you are till I brought up these points. My take? It doesn't matter what zodiac you are, or your favourite colour or food. All that matters is what bird type you are! Heck in today’s day, does even ASL hold as much importance as this?

So, tell me. Are you a lark or owl?

The Poet In Me

The Poet in me
Is finally dead.
Perhaps it happened
The day I wed.

The poet in me
It never did rhyme.
Maybe ‘coz it never
Cared a dime.

The poet in me
Came from my left side.
Always unimportant
It was ‘left’ aside.

The poet in me
It hated the prose.
Even in simple sentences
It would stick its nose.

The poet in me
Never wanted to yell.
Always looked for synonyms
For ‘crazy’ and ‘hell’.

The poet in me
My time it sought.
It begged me to write
Before it forgot.

The poet in me
Is finally dead.
Now what will I write
Lazing on my bed?

The poet in me
Is finally dead.
Yes, its true
(Apart from what you just read.)