This and that

So today I had decided to enroll myself in a gym for the time that I am here in NY. Of course this was after much coaxing and cajoling by S. Poor thing spent an hour over the phone trying to explain to me the benefits of staying fit. And of course this is not the first time he has done that. Ani & Swati di, sounds familiar right?;)

So yeah, he finally managed to drive home the necessity and I had truly decided to do the good deed today and prepared myself to be praised by him when we talk tonight. I even took a printout of the google map directions to the gym from work. But as luck would have it, I stepped out of the office only to find that it’s unusually dark and windy and cloudy and by the time I walked ten steps, it began to drizzle. So instead of taking the subway to the gym, I took the bus back home. And rain it did! In fact, there was lightning and thunder to add to the dramatic effect! Its almost like the forces of nature joined hands to ensure that I do not go the gym today. Now tell me what can I do about that? I had even planned on taking my gym gear with me today. So anyway, in my defense, I honestly had the best of intentions!

Apart from that, I am back to my mint-addiction. I wonder whats the connection between me going to work and getting addicted to mints. And that was my gtalk status message today. Needless to say people had a lot to say about it. But where has the creativity disappeared? Four out of five people who commented on it had the same thing to say: "Do you know the side effects of excessive consumption of mints?" (Impotence...duh! And this would invariably be followed by an annoying giggling fit!) The fifth person who commented was a friend from school who thankfully had something different to say! And she said if someone mentioned impotence, I should say: "I do not plan to procreate" or if they meant mental impotency then I should say "I am smart enough already". Ha!

Oh and you know what? On my way to work today, I saw this super creative flower display outside a restaurant window. See picture below:




Isn't it a creative way to use old shoes? I am mighty impressed!

Oh and I saw a white limousine yesterday. Now I don't find it terribly exciting but I remember someone saying to me that there are no white limousines. So this is just to prove my point , ha!




And then a friend went on to make fun of Kolkata chaats. I can tolerate a lot of things but not this. Hmph! I take it very personally. Kolkata chaats are the best. Period.

P.S The red eye is still there.

Everyday stuff

Now playing: Hai Junoon from New York

Yay! My blog has new clothes. I am thrilled to bits. I wasted nearly a couple of hours (not just mine, but also my friends') yesterday, trying out new skins and finally reverted to the usual one. Nothing seemed to fit my taste. Either it was too dull or too colorful or didn't have as many columns as I would like. This is not the first time I have wasted precious time doing this. Then it struck me. It's the 'change' symptom. I can't seem to stand any change on my blog too. That got me quite worried. Am I really that rigid? But finally today, I took the big step. A new look for my blog. And am glad I did. Otherwise this blog looked just like my old one. It defied the purpose of having a new blog. So that's the story behind my blog's new clothes! (By the way, do you like it? Also, if any of you know someone who designs custom blog templates for free, then please let me know!Note that the keyword here is free)

Other than that, my right eye is red for some odd reason. No I don't have conjunctivitis/Madras eye/Jai (Pronounced: Joy) Bangla. I guess it’s just due to over excessive exposure to the computer (Read: 24x7 minus the time I sleep).

And today I finally got the 4:57 bus back home! I know you won't appreciate my excitement behind this. But for the last few days, I have been noticing that this bus never turns up! In fact, I got drenched in the rain on Friday just waiting for the bus to come. So now you can imagine why I was cursing myself for having forgotten that when I stepped out of office today at 4:45. And as I stepped out, I realized that it's getting cloudy as well. I definitely did not need a re-run of Friday evening. And thank God that it wasn't! The bus got in right on-time and it didn't rain either. So all's well! And on this happy note, I am going to give my eyes some rest and take a short nap!

P.S I just realized that the title of this post is not apt. It's not like my blog has new clothes every day, no?!

Yamma Yamma!

*Edited at gunpoint
**Published with the permission of all parties involved

You know what makes me feel good? A fun conversation with Hema (Yamma Yamma!). My roommate and best friend from undergrad! Talking to her is like writing in my journal and this post is just a glimpse of our crazy times together :)

Read on...*GIBBERISH ALERT*!

[[8:27:30 PM] manasvi: hema..when she told u
[8:27:33 PM] manasvi: u should have said:
[8:27:42 PM] manasvi: yeh sunne ke pehle mere kaaan phatt kyun nahin gaye
[8:27:47 PM] hema: hahahahahahahaha
[8:27:55 PM] hema: drama queen you are manas
[8:27:58 PM] manasvi: and 3 times u should palat ke look
[8:28:21 PM] hema: 3 times turning n looking
[8:28:25 PM] manasvi: hahahha
[8:28:34 PM] manasvi: actually i have watched too many K serials
[8:28:39 PM] manasvi: i was addicted to them
[8:28:41 PM] manasvi: hate to admit it
[8:28:44 PM] hema: yeah i can see the effect
[8:28:55 PM] manasvi: yeah
[8:29:13 PM] manasvi: silly woman
[8:29:17 PM] manasvi: tum bhi dekho na
[8:29:21 PM] manasvi: silly woman
[8:29:27 PM] manasvi: maine jisey abhi abhi dekha hai
[8:29:32 PM] manasvi: kaun hai woh anjani
[8:29:47 PM] manasvi: usey jitna dekhoon utna sochoon
[8:30:10 PM] hema: silly woman is the name of a K serial????? :O
[8:30:17 PM] manasvi: no hema..it can't be
[8:30:22 PM] hema: hahaha
[8:30:25 PM] manasvi: It would have to be KKilly woman
[8:30:26 PM] manasvi: :D
[8:30:35 PM] hema: it should be villy woman
[8:30:36 PM] hema: hahahaha
[8:30:37 PM] manasvi: K-silly woman maybe
[8:30:46 PM] hema: oh lilke thatttttttttttttt
[8:30:49 PM] manasvi: yes
[8:30:49 PM] manasvi: :D
[8:30:51 PM] hema: ahh!!
[8:30:54 PM] manasvi: silly billy
[8:30:57 PM] hema: i see what ur saying
[8:31:02 PM] manasvi: tubelight
[8:31:10 PM] hema: hehe
[8:31:30 PM] hema: hey listen to black eyes peas my humps please
[8:31:39 PM] manasvi: oh your fav song no?
[8:31:42 PM] hema: yeah
[8:31:43 PM] manasvi: u keep talking abt it
[8:31:48 PM] manasvi: okie will listen
[8:31:51 PM] hema: havent you heard it?
[8:32:00 PM] hema: i met a girl down at the disco
[8:32:00 PM] manasvi: by the way, this conversation of ours is going to the blog
[8:32:13 PM] manasvi: part of it
[8:32:15 PM] hema: she said hey-hey-hey-hey lets go
[8:32:23 PM] hema: what??
[8:32:26 PM] hema: means?
[8:32:31 PM] manasvi: i thought u were saying u really met a woman at a disco
[8:32:33 PM] hema: you will blog abt k serials?
[8:32:40 PM] hema: hahahaah
[8:32:43 PM] manasvi: i am saying ke i am pasting part of this convo on my blog
[8:32:45 PM] manasvi: cos its funny
[8:32:49 PM] hema: noooooooooooooooooooooooooo
[8:32:52 PM] hema: you cant
[8:32:54 PM] hema: which part???
[8:33:04 PM] manasvi: i want to share my happiness with the world..for having a nutty friend like u
[8:33:12 PM] hema: privacy violations
[8:33:17 PM] hema: i could sue you for millions
[8:33:29 PM] hema: ;)
[8:33:31 PM] manasvi: u have blank check already
[8:33:38 PM] manasvi: why go through lawyer n all
[8:33:42 PM] manasvi: extra jhanjhat
[8:33:47 PM] hema: no i will get the court to seize your assets
[8:33:48 PM] manasvi: he ll take off most of it
[8:34:06 PM] hema: declare your assets to me manasvi
[8:34:06 PM] manasvi: hema...hema..when will u learn
[8:34:19 PM] hema: is duniya ke tarike
[8:34:28 PM] manasvi: ke u should pick on someone your own size
[8:34:34 PM] hema: hahahahahaah
[8:34:36 PM] hema: shut up
[8:34:39 PM] manasvi: rofl
[8:34:51 PM] hema: those days are gone when you used to threaten me with size
[8:35:02 PM] hema: ab main badi ho gayi hoon
[8:35:12 PM] manasvi: hema..u haven't grown an inch since then..if anything, u have "shrunk"
[8:35:13 PM] hema: (rofl)
[8:35:19 PM] hema: rubbish woman
[8:35:22 PM] hema: rubbish
[8:35:24 PM] manasvi: and I have grown in width and depth
[8:35:31 PM] hema: depth it seems
[8:35:34 PM] manasvi: so the equation is more disbalanced now
[8:35:39 PM] hema: no
[8:35:40 PM] manasvi: cos i realized am 3D
[8:35:48 PM] manasvi: so i need to have width and depth
[8:35:50 PM] hema: rotfl
[8:35:58 PM] hema: you are 3 D
[8:36:06 PM] hema: you just realized
[8:36:20 PM] manasvi: yeah.. I mean I never gave it much thought before this
[8:36:31 PM] manasvi: but it just dawned upon me
[8:36:51 PM] hema: why dont you blog abt being 3 D
[8:37:13 PM] manasvi: ummm, maybe I should
[8:37:27 PM] manasvi: my readership will increase due to the profound width and depth of my thoughts
[8:37:41 PM] hema: hogu
[8:37:47 PM] hema: enuf manas
[8:37:53 PM] hema: enuf is enuf i say
[8:38:04 PM] manasvi: sigh hema
[8:38:11 PM] manasvi: I never thought this day would come
[8:38:14 PM] manasvi: when you would say this to me
[8:38:47 PM] hema: iyyo manasvita :((
[8:38:59 PM] manasvi: yes hemavathi
[8:39:26 PM] manasvi: this badrinath no... some names he has given us!
[8:39:35 PM] manasvi: and very dilligently we use it also
[8:39:50 PM] hema: heheheheh
[8:41:08 PM] manasvi: Years ago, I had decided I would sue my parents for my name one day..
[8:41:10 PM] hema: crazy you are
[8:41:45 PM] hema: sue ur parentss?? ur so dumb..ur gonna get what is theirs anyway
[8:41:47 PM] hema: stupid
[8:41:53 PM] hema: hahahahahah
[8:42:00 PM] manasvi: true that. didn't think of it then!
[8:42:07 PM] hema: sue ur paretns
[8:42:11 PM] hema: my god
[8:42:14 PM] hema: shiva shiva
[8:42:15 PM] manasvi: like meet your parents
[8:42:20 PM] manasvi: we can make a movie.
[8:42:20 PM] hema: what has this world come to
[8:42:40 PM] hema: ok! im up for it!
[8:42:44 PM] hema: i'll be the heroine
[8:42:50 PM] manasvi: you wanted a break no?
[8:42:55 PM] hema: you can be the heroine's mother
[8:43:04 PM] manasvi: ja jee le apni zindagi
[8:43:09 PM] hema: hahahahahaa
[8:43:16 PM] hema: pah! fullto filmi
[8:43:21 PM] hema: too much
[8:43:23 PM] manasvi: bade pardey pe I will give you break
[8:43:29 PM] manasvi: and woh bhi hollywood mein
[8:43:44 PM] hema: meri to life ban gayi
[8:44:19 PM] manasvi: correct. then 30 years later - Main hemamalini banna chahti hoon.
[8:44:30 PM] hema: yes yes
[8:44:38 PM] hema: i will become sooper star over night
[8:44:40 PM] manasvi: correction. Main hemamalini murali banna chahti hoon
[8:44:52 PM] manasvi: otherwise ppl will get confused with other hemamalini
[8:45:04 PM] hema: kharrectt
[8:45:16 PM] manasvi: yes hema...you can practice your oscar speech now itself
[8:46:29 PM] manasvi: waise, you know what... when I was a kid, I would practice my acceptance speeches in the bathroom...no wonder I would take ages
[8:46:55 PM] manasvi: and I would imagine being on simi garewal's show - Rendezvous...
[8:47:16 PM] hema: yes honey i remember
[8:47:24 PM] hema: hahahahaaha
[8:47:34 PM] hema: you know you were sort of following the secret
[8:47:45 PM] hema: you were living a dream
[8:47:50 PM] hema: without knowing
[8:47:55 PM] hema: had you continued
[8:48:20 PM] hema: you could have become some major action heroine :))
[8:48:25 PM] manasvi: hahahaa
[8:48:25 PM] hema: (rofl)
[8:48:31 PM] hema: no no
[8:48:35 PM] hema: i meant some great person
[8:48:42 PM] hema: nobel laureate
[8:48:45 PM] hema: its not too late
[8:50:22 PM] hema: im alone at home
[8:50:24 PM] hema: alone alone
[8:50:27 PM] manasvi: Home alone
[8:50:28 PM] hema: akele hum
[8:50:29 PM] manasvi: hmmm
[8:50:31 PM] hema: akele tum manas
[8:50:43 PM] manasvi: jo hum tum sang hai toh phir kya gham
[8:50:54 PM] manasvi: manasvi ko hema se pyaar ho gaya
[8:51:14 PM] manasvi: pehli nazar mein pehle pyaar ho gaya
[8:51:25 PM] hema: pehli nazar main nothing happened though
[8:51:29 PM] hema: hmph!!!
[8:51:34 PM] hema: cold looks you gave remmeber?
[8:51:39 PM] manasvi: lots happened no? remember that bus ka look?
[8:51:45 PM] manasvi: that was hidden louu hema
[8:51:46 PM] hema: yeah true
[8:51:51 PM] manasvi: till today u never understood
[8:51:53 PM] hema: dil jiagr dono ghayal hue
[8:52:04 PM] hema: haha
[8:52:10 PM] manasvi: teere nazar dil ke paar ho gayaaaaaaa
[8:52:17 PM] hema: so true manas
[8:52:29 PM] hema: this should be offically our song what say?
[8:52:37 PM] manasvi: yep
[8:52:39 PM] hema: manasvi to hema se pyaar ho gaya
[8:52:50 PM] manasvi: if someone reads this, they will officially declare us gay
[8:52:52 PM] hema: pehli nazar main pehle pyaar ho gaya
[8:52:56 PM] hema: yeah man
[8:53:01 PM] hema: totally
[8:53:17 PM] manasvi: I think this should go to the blog too
[8:53:29 PM] hema: go to the blog?
[8:53:32 PM] manasvi: lets come out in the open
[8:53:37 PM] manasvi: lets declare to the world
[8:53:42 PM] manasvi: our true feelings for each other
[8:53:50 PM] manasvi: which have remained in the closet for years
[8:53:56 PM] manasvi: and are gathering dust
[8:54:16 PM] manasvi: lets seize the moment!
[8:54:18 PM] manasvi: carpe diem!
[8:56:13 PM] manasvi: I love you hema
[8:56:18 PM] hema: omg!
[8:56:20 PM] manasvi: (heart)
[8:56:26 PM] hema: this is what i was afraid of manasvi
[8:56:29 PM] manasvi: (inlove)
[8:56:44 PM] manasvi: I am afraid hema
[8:56:48 PM] manasvi: i have said it
[8:57:02 PM] hema: aur ek lafz mat kaho
[8:57:14 PM] manasvi: the words are out of my mouth and now i cant take them back
[8:57:27 PM] hema: manasvi
[8:57:35 PM] hema: let me apply for jobs woman
[8:58:59 PM] manasvi: okie..
[8:59:09 PM] manasvi: tumhari khushi mein hi meri khushi hai

P.S Utter gibberish no? Don't tell me I didn't warn you! :P

Addicted.

Ok, so it's confession time. I am addicted. I should have told you all before but I couldn't muster the courage to do so. Sigh...

(Mom, Dad, N and S - Relax! I am not a drug addict, nor do I drink or smoke, ok? Ok.) I am just addicted to my laptop. I wake up in the morning and before I even jump out of bed, with one eye open, I check if anyone has buzzed me or if I have new mails. My family and a few friends don't seem to quite understand my attachment (they call it obsession!) to this inanimate object. But how can we coin it inanimate?! It's through the laptop (duh! and ofcourse the internet!) that I get to see everybody I love, watch them smile, take part in the diwali puja, and show them my room or anything I want to! It's my window to the world I miss and love the most. It connects me to anyone and everyone who matters to me. I wonder if I could have survived in US had I come years ago when technology wasn't so advanced and people spoke to their loved ones back home only on birthdays, anniversaries, festivals and other special occasions. So instead of cribbing that I am away on a faraway, strange land, I am going to count my blessings!

Dear God, thank you for the laptop, high speed internet and cell phone that connects me to everyone I yearn to be with! :)

On Love

It's been a while since I wrote something here. I won't say I have been busy. But I will say that I have been lethargic and drowning myself in self-pity. And at times like these, there are only a handful of people who can lift my spirits and put me right back on the race track!

I received a comment on my previous post saying 'Love is blind'. So yeah let's talk about love today.

When we are falling in love with someone, it's an exciting feeling. It's a tickling, tingling sensation that keeps you on a high forever. Now if things work out and the person you love reciprocates your feelings, then you are on cloud number nine...only for a bit...for a month, 2 months, 6 months...maybe a year! The period varies from couple to couple. And then you sort of get into a routine. Talking about the same stuff at the same time, day in and day out. Its a wonder that we still find it exciting. I still look forward to that time of the day when S and I talk about our day and our todo lists and other household stuff. And just when you are getting used to this humdrum, your love does something super nice and makes you fall in love with him/her all over again! You get reminded of your 'dating' days and reasons why you initially fell in love with this person. Its again a wonder that from then to now, this person has seen you in the worst of your moods, on your bad hair days and on days when you look your worst. Yet this person continues to love you, cherish you and always tells you that you are the best.

It's true. Love is blind. And I am so glad it's that way! :)

P.S Somehow I am reminded of the song 'Yeh tumhari meri baatein' from Rock on! :)

NY: Reality check (Continued)

Here are a few pictures I clicked on my way to work:








So yeah, this is NY!

P.S Uma, so now you see that US doesn't look good in all pictures! :)

NY: Reality check

So it's exactly a week since I came to NY and I thought it would be a good time to summarize my experience so far. I think I understood a lot about myself over this week. A LOT!

While I was at D, I thought I loved the hustle-bustle of big cities. I realized I don't quite enjoy it. Or maybe I do. Maybe I have just got too used to the quiet and peace at D. However, I do know that I love Calcutta. I REALLY do LOVE it! Even though it's big, it's crowded, it's noisy and it's dirty, I still feel it's home. Chennai comes a close second.

When I was in India, I had this very glossy picture of NY in my head. Contrary to popular belief (or at least mine!), NY is like any big city: it's crowded, it's dirty, it's noisy and it's huge. I had imagined it to have perfectly clean roads and sidewalks and prim and proper, well-dressed people. Reality check: it has potholes, horrible traffic...and it smells weird (or maybe I have been spoiled by the clean air at D!). NY has a really diverse mix of people. On one end you have the hoity-toity, immaculately dressed crowd that resides and works in Manhattan, the Wall street bankers and on the other end you even find beggars here. It's fast paced. Everybody is running, always running. Sometimes it almost feels like I am in a daze as I see the city whiz past me. Oh, and I finally went to Manhattan today. And I am not being snobbish here, but seriously, if you just made the buildings in Calcutta taller and newer and a little glossier : Voila! We would have our very own Manhattan! (No offense meant to die-hard New Yorkers!) I didn't really get to see much because my friend had an important matter to attend to. But I did get a glimpse of Times Square and Union Square. It was incredibly crowded. There was a farmer's market set up at Union Square and hordes of people flocked around at the various stalls.

Times Square

Union Square

...and that's me at Union Square! (Sheesh...I have become chubby!)

I hope I get to explore the city a bit more and hopefully appreciate it's energy. After all, it's supposed to be the land of opportunities! Something that I do miss every time I go to a new place is: my family (S, that includes you!). I wish I could go to these places with you all and click pictures where I am not standing alone. Love you and miss you all a lot!

There are other things that I have learned about myself in this past week which I don't feel like writing about right now. More on that later!

Coming up: Pictures of NY that you probably wouldn't have seen before!

The only thing constant in this world is 'change'

Have I ever told you that 'change' unsettles me? I realized that only about a few months ago.

I didn't like it when I moved to Chennai and it took me a couple of years to settle down. Then when I moved back to Kolkata, believe it or not, first month I actually missed Chennai, just a teenie-weenie bit. And then of course I moved to US and detested it. I was unhappy and miserable and I cried such a lot! (There were many reasons for that in the first couple of months, those of you who know me well would know what I mean!) Soon I settled down and got into a rhythm of things.

And now comes another change - I moved to NY yesterday. I get that 'unsettling' feeling again. My roommate is an Indian Professor who teaches Nutrition in one of the universities close by. We shall call her IPR from now onwards. IPR has 4 cats. I mentioned in one of my posts before that I am not really a dog person. But what I didn't mention is that I am not a cat person either. So it's sort of weird every time I step out of my room to see cats roaming around. I feel like they are glaring at me and saying: "So you are the newbie huh?" Also, the house doesn't look as nice as it looked in the pictures I had seen before. But yeah, this will have to do for the next 10 weeks. I am not sure if I am just paranoid or what but even the food here doesn't taste as good. I ended up having extra sweet cereal with a raw banana for breakfast. And yesterday I made some maggi for a snack. That was the last packet of maggi that I had and imagine my plight when the maggi didn't taste the way it does! I mean how can maggi ever taste bad?! It freaks me out! Anyway, IPR took me out for grocery shopping in the evening and I am stocked with stuff for the week. So far what I have seen of NY is not very nice. It's crowded, dirty, smelly. I miss India and home and parents and S and friends. Sigh...

Anyway, so as you all know now, that this 'unsettling' period is temporary. I call it the inertia of motion. Once I settle down in a place and get into the rhythm, then its like I am moving at a certain fixed pace. And then suddenly I find myself somewhere else. And I feel all unsteady for a bit until I get a grip on things and start moving again!
(Until then, you've to put up with my grumpy self for a bit!)

Oh by the way, here are a few pictures of my new room: