Things I have NOT done....

• Blogged (self evident)
• Read (except thrashy magazines in the parlour)
• Watched a movie
• Holidayed
• Excercised
• Dieted
• Bought Christmas Gifts
• Organised New Year's Eve celebrations
• Eaten at Soul Fry in ages
• Find the Lamy pen I lost
• Called my aunt in Gujurat
• Decided my wedding party

basically, I followed people on Twitter and spent money like crazy!!

Music pit-stop!

So...I might have mentioned earlier but I now get MTV Europe...and Trace (not that I really know what channel that is!) but it enables me to listen to tons of Angrezi music whenever I turn on the TV and not wait for the music programming like on VH1 [which by the way sucks after they stopped all the beatiful life programs!]. So recently, I have caught the top 10 Urban hits of Europe which has some real doozies - classic example Madonna 'Celebration' - I don't know where the music and video are synced or not - one cannot tell in this new style! However,an excellent track - Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys 'Empire State of Mind' has been playing in my head on loop and so has this...'Fight for this love' by Cheryl Cole. The David Guetta/Akon track 'Sexy Bitch' has been doing the rounds as well as Jason Derulo 'Whatcha Say'. I also discovered someone called LaRoux (I'm not your toy, Bullet proof) who reminds me of the pop/synth queens of the 80's including the androgynous styling.
I've realised that even though I like Bollywood music (hence the working in it), I really love Trace more!

This post was lying in draft - decided to publish!

Recap

As usual, this post is about things I've done in the last few weeks, some of which are edifying, some of which make me feel as foolish as a 22 yr old but on the whole, I've been a super busy baby - and dressing up a whole lot - it's the year of the 'looks' this year compared to last year of the 'books'.

Fri 23rd October - Shiro's to celebrate birthday of friend with 1 yr old baby - she wanted to party, I ended up drinking - the night ended with me jumping into a cab despite being followed by the car I came in(feeling like a foolish 22 yr old) and the juggler losing his blackberry in the process!
Sat 24th October - Struggled out of bed at 4 pm in the same clothes I had worn to go out in the previous + full face of make up on. Note to oneself: Elizabeth Arden ceramide lash mascara very good - no streaking inspite of sleeping! also went to book venue for wedding where was informed was too early to do so. So much for catching worms!
Sunday 25th October - Visited the juggler's house; coffee with one of the girls; followed by visit to birthday girl house.
Monday 26th October - Dinner at Ming Yang to bring in Ear Damage founder birthday
Tuesday 27th October - Show support at Hard Rock Cafe Pinktober event
Wednesday 28th October - Wedding and Reception of school friend
Thursday 29th October - Asleep at 9 pm!
Friday 30th October - Drink at Toto's
Saturday 31st October - Firangi paani with symbi angels
Sunday 1st Nov - Brunch at friend's house
Monday 2nd Nov - Social drink at Aunt's house(edifying responsible adult behaviour) followed by yummy dinner at Yellow Tree Cafe
Tuesday 3rd Nov - Dinner with the girlies!

Aah! I feel so popular! Aaah! I'm exhausted!

I'm not fat - i'm just thought-full!

Over this weekend, I read the latest Dan Brown novel 'The Lost Symbol' - I found the book strictly ok but you gotta love the man for constantly expanding your frame of reference for so many things. In this one, he introduced me to Noetic sciences - I'm still a little bit unclear as to what it exactly means but the experiment to weigh your thoughts/soul....Wow! Basically, when I'm lighthearted, it's pretty much a literal feeling!

Other random things I've learnt from Dan Brown novels:

• Water pressure in the Mariana trench is 18,000 pounds per inch compared to a mere 14 pounds on the surface
• Chrondules
• Divine number
• The medallions demarcating the Roseline in paris
• Holy Blood, Holy Grail was a book

Things to do - done list!

What I've been doing the last couple of weeks feeling like a busy busy girl:

• Trying to catch up on reading and not really succeeding
• Gone for the Juggler's niece's Godbharai to Baroda where I might complain, have not eaten Gujurati food - rest was nice
• Said Goodbye to 2 girl friends with massive staggered farewells including trips to Goa, clubbing and the finale - bar crawl last saturday.
• Went for a wedding peripheral exhibition with the other bride to be
• Started watching Season 6 of 'Two and a Half Men'
• Spending girlie nights at the partyhouse [read house of juggler's best friends]
• Started Homeopathy and reasonably pleased with the results
• Discovered yummy cupcakes at Sante
• Had extreme period pain and gotten up twice at 4am with it[Please remember this blog is also for posterity so im allowed to mention random details of my life!!]
• Not watched any movie worth talking about majorly - liked 'Kaminey' but that's it
• Realised the minimum number of people I need to call for the wedding is 125!
• Loving the music of 'Wake Up Sid!' espescially Kya Karoon?
• rediscovered a love for Indian chinese food - Mr.Chow's Zindabad!

Little things make my life!

Random Thoughts

Random Thought # 1: In India, in the 80's action films were so popular coz people wanted to rebel against the sytem, they saw the 'Angry Young Man' as their representatives, fighting against the injustice [I've heard License Raj was not so good - I don't know!].Therefore cotton candy movies do well today coz people aspire to lead those lives which is a possibility in this open economy. They see the young urban adult as someone who they can possibly be given enough time etc.

Random Thought # 2: Indians are not service oriented people - we always try to cut corners - we are subservient by nature but contrarily, we cannot excel at service. It is at odds with our personality - in contrast, the chinese are extremely service oriented without the personality to drive it. What the world needs is front office Indian and back office Chinese. (this came after discussion with thebride)

Random Thought # 3: Why Oh Why cannot I be a particular person? so I don't have to spend 10% of my time rectifying my own created messes. I think I need a chinese back office for me.

Random Thought # 4: I love Girlie nights, I love my girl friends and I hate it when they move away espescially 2 in the same week.

Random Thought # 5: Next year, should I go back and study something unrelated and try and change my life direction or should I just stay where I am?

Funeral blues

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crêpe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
- W.H.Auden

I first heard this poem in the movie '4 weddings and a funeral' and till date, it makes me cry.

So many things - so little time!

I'm finally motivated to blog....couple of things have happened in life - went on holiday, got engaged, parents met etc etc but let's focus on my favourite subject - travel.

The bride is planning a 10 day vacay in Italy - making me incredibly jealous - very excited for her but still incredibly jealous and we got to discussing our top travel destinations that we want to visit. All of The Bride's currently seem to be in Europe. (1. paris 2. rome/ venice (though now florence also) 3. london 4. dublin 5. scotland. 6. moscow. 7 prague. 8. berlin).

I have a travel agenda for the next 3 yrs where I plan to strike off 1.New York 2. Istanbul (Turkey) 3. Angkor Wat/South East Asian island preferably Koh Samui. Post which, I will be looking at South America - Inca and Mayan civilizations{Machu Pichu- here I come!!] and also torn between the Eastern European countries like Prague etc. This list does not even include a trip to New Zealand where I will spend more than 6 days this time and explore the South Island.

There are so many places in the world that I will never get to see and this really causes me pain!

I will get down to making a comprehensive list of where all I need to go in the world and post it so I can have the pleasure of ticking it off/striking it through when I'm done!

Also, I have discovered new music after quite a while - In addition to the love of my life Robert Pattinson, 'Twilight' film also introduced me to a band called Muse whose track 'Super Massive Black Hole' is in the soundtrack. I really like the sound and realised how much I missed knowing good music or just hearing different things. In the middle of these discussions, I learnt about Damien Rice and also the sound of Gomez both of which I'm currently enamoured and listening to on loop on youtube. It's music like this which makes me realise why I need a Mp3 music player and why just radio on the phone is not enough!

I also appear to have given up reading - the last books I read were on holiday - Curtis Sittenfeld's Man of my dreams - eminently skippable and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go which I found very interesting - I also remember watching a movie on the same thoughts - 'The Island' starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johannsen. Since then I have started a Joanne Harris 'Rune Marks' and the last in the Thursday Next series 'First Among Sequels' - both of which are still pending completion.

Mommy mania?

I'm surrounded by babies - it's a sea of them - let me count it! My BFF had a baby boy in Jan, The juggler's BFF has a baby girl last Nov, another friend of ours had baby girl in early Jan, next one is due in Sept and that's within like the immediate friend's circle - there are a multiplicity of babies that we know of - both my bosses had kids, other friends have produced little ones - and they all put up photies on facebook making you a part of their lives since you see the change in the baby everday - anyway the point is all these babies are making me broody! It started with my niece who is the apple of my family's eye - and I'm telling you - there has never been a kid as smart as her, but any way I digress!
I can spend hours looking at photies of other people's kids - which makes me somewhat creepy stalkerish but still....I'm really getting angsty to have kids of my own but the steps to achieve tht in India where you need to be legally bound etc etc seems to freak me out where I appear to have upped the drinking etc which will prevent me actually getting to that state! It's a vicious cycle I tell you- one that I have less than a year to break!

RIP - MJ

While I agree that Michael Jackson created some fabulous music and he rocked the 80's and some of the 90's - this massive outpouring of grief is way beyond my understanding. For the last 10 yrs or so, the man has been a recluse with accusations of paedophilia and paying women to have his children - he has declared bankruptcy and dangled children out of balconies. Obliterating all that, there is still no need for my facebook page to be completely filled with all these memories of MJ - which is actually a list of his songs and other random facts. None of us knew him personally - his music is what we remember and that still remains - we can still own those records - I think we should all go out and buy it so that his children actually inherit something not just a memory of a King that used to be!

Astrological help?

I've been having one of those months where nothing seems to go my way - it's not necessarily a major catastrophe but it's one of those season's where I overlook all the little things and land up not in trouble but with a leaden weight of guilt in my stomach - this in turn leads to wanting to drown my sorrows in alcohol which further leads to late nights and the cycle continues.

This has always been my biggest problem - I used to have a higher than average intelligence and I can retain information - I'm willing to work hard and I can work smart but I lack an attention to detail! so it will always be the small slips that catch me and these will always come at a time when I am facing a larger issue which is not necessarily my fault but compounded by this minor infraction, in totality gains a larger meaning.

I've discussed this with friends who also screw up and from their experience, we are not the only ones who screw up - others do it too! they are just more proficient at denying it or avoiding the issue altogether. It's just lucky few, who seem to do it consistently and feel it majorly. The best solution is over look it and pretend it never happened. Yes - good in theory, in practice crap - coz I'm one of those people who admit fault and always with an expressive face, cannot drum up cheer in the face of flaws.

For non work related issues, a classic example, cheap deal to fly to HKG - ticket for Rs.15K. Grabbed it, trying to work out dates and find out when the juggler is going to be in HKG. The first set of dates I chose had expired by the time I finally went to pay. When I decided on the next set and got leave approved, I went ahead and booked. 30 minutes later, it turns out the juggler will be in HKG the week after me....and 3 days later, during a discussion with my parents about how I think I won't have to change planes at the halt in SQ since it's only a 15 min difference, it turns out yes, it is a 15 min difference with an additional 24 hrs!! Yes, I have a whole day in SQ - which is not such a bad thing since, I've never seen and I have a cousin there so it all turned out ok but it's the attention to detail thing again!

I'm hoping that my moons were not in alignment this fortnight making the coming week, a pleasant experience otherwise as my twitters often read, this day/week/I need to curl up and die!

Reasons why I like being a girl:

• Chick lit - can you imagine the serious reading I would need to do otherwise?
• Girl bonding - I cannot imagine knocking back beer and competing in sports as an option
• Dresses/skirts - One has the option of not encasing one's legs in hot fabric
• Make up - the joys of girl bonding while dressing up
• I can cry during movies, Actually I can cry whenever I want and then get whatever I want
• Accessories - Bags, Belts, Shoes, shiny clips, Jewellery, the list goes on
• Having an excuse to be snappy once a month, twice a month, however often one wants

For a longer more comprehensive list, please visit the bride as well as the flip side of things!

To the Juggler on his 37th birthday

I know you hate celebrating the day since you did none of the work and your parents are the ones who should be congratulated. So we will start with that....

To Juggler's parents, thank you for the wise decision and the patience to have a child after you thought you would be done with child rearing - you did a fantastic job and 37 years later, it definitely seems worth it!

Birthday's, as I keep saying, are milestones of your life - another year completed, more goals achieved, more change accepted - it reminds me of where you are in your life and more importantly who you are.

This year,

• Just now, you did the boys holiday you've always wanted to do and the one you felt cheated out of
• You were asked to a representative of the music industry in India on your merit alone
• You went to Amsterdam twice
• Vienna + Prague struck off a list
• You have seen every responsibility you touch turn to gold
• You're team leading skills are appreciated - witness people willing to rejoin under your fold
• You watched your team at work grow [not physically], with pride
• Your sister praised you to the skies
• People still laugh at your jokes
• You discovered you have timing - no joke maybe but timing for sure ;-)
• You discovered remix versions of Auld Lang Syne
• You are financially secure with 0 debt
• You now own 2 pairs of Onitsuka Tigers
• as well as 2 original Yankee caps
  

There have been some setbacks:

• You were not chosen President of the U.S.A
• Your best friend passed away
• You only managed Hong Kong once in the last year
  

That's all I can think of - all in all, I think you had a good year and I don't know about you, but I'm certainly grateful for this day and you!

P.S. The juggler's response

Stress

definitions by Urbandictionary.com

1. To be overwhelmed with responsiblity
2. To contain an enormous amount of pressure
3. An unpleasant by-product of life in modern society

It also means ' a california slang term which defines a type of weed that is so shitty it causes "stress". ' Oh Well! U learn new things everyday!

Elegance - A guide

To quote from the Amazon review of the book I am going to discuss "Tessaro writes a lighthearted contemporary version of Pygmalion." The protagonist changes her life around by following the style guidelines in a 40 yr old manual ' the Guide to Elegance'. The book made for an interesting read since each chapter is based on a rule from this guide book.

Examples:

• Retire alligator skin after 5 pm - they are strictly sports and travel wear
• Always own suits
• Decollete increases as the night passes
• Comfort is unimportant in the larger scheme of things

Anyhoo, the list goes on and really in a lot of ways, what the style guide teaches you is a lesson in self worth - starting with self awareness. When you look good, automatically you are more confident since we live in a society that is governed by shallowness! By insisting a woman always look her best, she is insisting on being who she is. The book also states how every woman is not born beautiful and beauty fades but charm is something everyone can aspire to and it will last you a lifetime since it is an acquired skill.

I disagree in some cases tho - As you know I live in Mumbai which tho being a wonderful city prides itself on it's ability to showcase all kinds of people. Therefore it is not a crime to wander the streets in pyjamas or torn jeans or any statement making article of your choice or in some cases sheer laziness to change clothes. In Hong Kong on the other hand, all the girls are very well dressed in accordance with the latest fashion - here it's not just about style its about the style of the minute. Which is lovely however, I find that people who live in it also end up bowing to the pressure of being so perfect.

On the flip side, I really think I ought to do more on my daily elegance - I think I have it cracked for the gala occasion but as the book points out - why don't we look our best for the ones at home or the ones we love? Those people are subjected to holey trackpants and face masks at worse times. The flip side of this is that there are people who find natural wholesomeness much more appealing than any artifice.

I always want to be the sort of girl that has the perfectly manicured nails and prettily pedicured feet - always has fine eyeliner and pouting pink lips. In actuality, I have a halo around my head since my hair stands on end, my finger nails are always chipped and sometimes I cannot bear to look at my own feet. I'm not even going to get started on the hair situation since due to my many allergies, I may not visit the parlour for months at a time leading to me losing in a comparison with the juggler with regards to hirsuteness. I have never been able to stand lipstick and since lipgloss gets eaten within 30 seconds of application and I tend to rub my eyes leading to my kajal running and me sporting the not so latest Raccoon look, make up on a daily basis is not meant for the likes of me. I definitely dress for comfort not for fashion and tho I think I wear stylised outfits, salwar kameez 3 days out of 4 does not really make for high fashion statements. Since I have constipation issues, on the days I don't - jeans/pants are definitely not an option and only loose flowing tops save the day.

I do go through these phases where I do the make up everyday since a little bit goes a long way but I never keep to it. I am now deciding to carry around a little black liner and pinky brown lipstick so at least one swipe at work and one is presentable which always helps in dealing with boys which the lords knows, one has enough of at work. Also insisting on throwing out grubby clothes has helped as well since I'm forced to wear decent things to work! Here's hope the guide to elegance is not lost on me!

P.S. An Interesting article relevant to both the book and this post

Marriage - societal obligation or human choice?

After a mega discussion on the institution of marriage with The bride, since she has put up her views on marriage, I am going to discuss my take on it.

The first thing I really need to vent is the infamous question - 'Are you going to settle down soon?'. so like listen up, I'm 28, have a good job, do not have any substance abuse problem, have a steady boyfriend, how much more settled can I get? do I need to have a ring and 2.2 kids to be settled? I agree living with my parents may not signify settled but thats just Indian culture - if we lived in a different country I could be out of the house since I do make enough money to support myself - not sure about family but myself for sure. Is that not settled enough for people?

Don't get me wrong tho - I totally believe in the institution of marriage - I don't think its just societal sanction - I honestly believe it is a person's choice - you are declaring this person makes you happy in more ways than one. The rest of your family is handed to you on a plate from your parents to your children, you do choose your friends but its not the same relationship. Your spouse is someone who you declare - this is my partner, I want to grow with this person, I will create life if possible with this person. To digress and address the issue of noone wants to have sex with the one person for the rest of their lives, the commitment is also the inherent sacrifice in it - that you forgo your other options. I don't think the term marriage implies just a piece of paper - it signifies the emotions, the desires, our need to belong and our need to own. We need to say this person belongs to me - it is mine!

The first line of any sociology textbook states 'Man is a social animal' - this is true - we have evolved from primates where there in A alpha male - in our society, there is no such sharing. That again is a choice!

I think that's one thing I got from my religion - everything is a choice and I cannot believe that marriage is a sociological conditioning to be with a person - it has to be a choice people make, a declaration of love.

Taj Fort Aguada is Fabulous!

I'm sorry - I had to say it upfront so it's very clear - if you have not understood let me repeat...
FORT AGUADA VILLAS ARE FABULOUS!
So anyway, as we landed, my room partner and I were given a room within the hotel which is nice since its on the cliff but its still a hotel - 5 minutes in, we realised we had been given the handicapped room with a steel chair near the shower and handles near the loo - which makes it impossible to use. I wish I had taken some pictures to explain.So we stated our discomfort and to appease us, we were given a villa but we were given one of the fancy ones reserved for CEO's etc - we entered into a little patio then a hall + a massive as bedroom and of all joys! 2 Bathrooms! this is a blessing in disguise when 2 girls are sharing and all activities are constantly delayed so you are rushing to get ready for the parties in the night.

First view of Villa from gate:

Entrance of Villa:

Hall:

Bed Room:

View of Other villas:


Hotel Terrace:

View from hotel terrace:

Goa Baby

So, In case I have not announced it earlier, I am going to Goa for the annual company conference.We are putting up at the Taj Holiday Village/Fort Aguada Resort from Thursday through Sunday. In case you are not clear what the place looks like, please find images below

Highlights of the Event:

• Moisti Kar Soiba - casual Goan evening on the Taj lawns - I is going to wear the lovely cotton strapless dress I got stitched in Vietnam in the tailor town [Hoi An]
• Outlandish - white and bling themed party at Paradiso in Anjuna - in this the girls have the option of wearing black so I can wear a black mini dress with black crystals or my white lace strapless dress with a gold belt and gold keds
• Gala dinner - Taj Ballroom - very safe options here of a neutral hued knee length dress or a black fine pinstriped knee length fitted sheath dress -will see which way I go eventually

In addition, there will be telegames and actual conference along with a new addition this year of workshops/training manuals but still....the sun, sand and sea. And the company has a policy of alcohol drinking compulsory.
In the not so good news, since the tickets are non refundable, I am unable to change my tickets to stay back for an extra night which is only an issue since the 'girlies' [previously known as the 'apostles'] will be in the state at the same time - one of whom is researching wedding venues and the other 3 are along for the ride. It appears to be a fun vacay but since I need to save leave for Hong Kong which I have to do in June, I cannot make it. Will meet them for a little bit on Saturday evening in all my finery. P will also be in Goa at the same time but not looking like I can catch her at all unless I nip out quickly on Friday which since it's the actual conference seems highly unlikely.
Anyway, gotta say, still looking forward to the trip and here's to not getting burnt!

politically yours

I had kinda told myself that if a BJP led government came into power, I would start the immigration process for a country [most likely NZ] - since the UPA is back, I no longer have worries on that score. I can take my time till the next time the country is attacked and then think about the process again!

I'm really grateful for a Congress government tho - their politics are not hate based. I'm sure they are pro Hindu - it just makes it better that they are not anti - other religions.

I have always maintained that while there have always been religious skirmishes in the country, we dissolved into this antagonistic nation post the famous Rath Yatra of 1990. I mean was there really a need to go and incite a mob to demolish any religious place? Since then, Indians have lived in constant fear - of riots, of their neighbours, of different religions.

Also, it seems to me that when the politicians realised they were getting their asses whupped by the Muslims [ref bomb blasts], they found a new religious target - they started attacking Christianity on the grounds of conversions. I then want to ask why do all the matrimonial ads of the Hindus read for Convented girls? Obviously one thinks that the education one receives in a convent is better on all aspects including moral values.

This is just a political platform that parties are using to garner votes - knowing the psyche of the Indian population, they are easy to convince on any issue. Which explains how the British ruled for 300 years with a minimum number of wars!! Not that Im knocking other people down - I am Indian and does it show! the line of reast resistance is my favourite path - which also explains tho I know that I need to be the change, I am not doing anything actively - each vote helps but I'm sure I could do more!

Since I very rarely write about things like politics, there is one lady I need to doff my hat at - an au pair from Italy turned out the master political strategist of this decade. From fronting the Congress party to turning down the post of prime minister and her children actively participating in this process, she has turned every expectation on it's head and is now reaping the benefits.

A little J

Ever think some people have all the luck?? Don't get me wrong - I have a fabulous life for the most part but some days, it just seems other people catch really good breaks. I don't know if I've posted about my ex-friend [she married my ex-boss and I found out about it when he announced it in my ex-company]. Anyhoo since that story can go on forever while I give the background and foreground and some side bits, let me just get to the current point - she has now been sent to Cannes for the film festival where her company is putting up a stall. After which, she is going to Italy with her husband which I don't envy so much ;-)! but really, being officially sent to Cannes - sounds like a dream to me!

Weighing scales for life

I have issues currently - I'm a little unhappy with a situation at work and I have no idea how to rectify it and eventually it all boils down to balance.
If I crib about every little thing, then I'm the whiny bitch so if there is a big issues, everyone is like oh just another problem. However if you don't make a noise about the little things, when the big issue comes, it's like how is this suddenly a problem?
Also, if I am going to demand these rights, I then need to fit into the concept of the working person in India which is think of work 24/7. I'm good at what I do but I like my life as well. The alternative is to keep quiet and enjoy the life that I do have.
It's about striking a balance: At which point do I start complaining and at what point do I say this is the end of the fight - anything more and it's not worthwhile for me?

28 and counting...

With the apathy that I'm currently going through regarding the birthday, I decided a recap post is in order just so I can count my blessings and feel glad for my life.

• My mother has not added heart problems to her list of ailments - she gave us a minor scare but other than that all good - my dad as usual hale and hearty
• The juggler is still wonderful and promising to undergo behavioural changes - what is it with women that we feel a compulsive need to change stuff?
• My job seems to be getting better since I've been moved completely out of sales to a marketing profile- not entirely happy with the reporting structure but I could be surprised
• I'm finally a Godmother - R had an adorable baby boy in January
• My money woes seem to be decreasing - I've learnt a little bit of saving also works
• My weight while not decreasing has ceased to bother me - I have attained nirvana in this aspect
• I no longer count my joys with the number of shoes I own - this shows that I have matured as an individual
• I am come to terms with the fact that I am a Vampire lover. Exhibit A: Luke Perry who starred in the film ' Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Exhibit B: David Boreanaz - Angel in the TV series ' Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Exhibit C: Robert Pattinson - Edward Cullen in the film series 'Twilight'
• I have MTV Europe on my TV which gives me access to English music 24/7 - However I only watch it once a week but still...
• My Scramble IQ on facebook is above 160

This seems to be enough stuff to make my life worthwhile - So I'm doing dinner on Saturday!
28, I will survive you - you cannot be worse than 26!

So, I did not go to Turtle bay but I did not go to HKG either - no sirree! what I did do was fall sick with stress since my mother was laid up in hospital with a supposed heart artery blockage! So I skipped work for 3 days and cancelled my holiday since I had no idea of how the operation was going to turn out and whether I would be needed to stay or what. As it turns out, it was all clear and my mother is fine but since I had already taken 3 days off work, I could not take off the extra day required for the trip so cancelled the same.

Ironically, my mother is completely healed whereas I am the one who is still recovering from the stress of the time - I've been weak and unable to stand for long periods of time - this is due in part to my issue of Low blood pressure but it's really annoying when I look like I should be in the hospital bed instead of my mom!

I was really touched with the support from my office tho not just in terms of leave but with the sheer concern and offers of help that were extended.

So anyway, thats one holiday plan that went bust - it was dogged with indecision in any case.

In other news, I turn 28 on Friday and I cannot drum up any enthusiasm for the occasion. What's making it worse is that to compensate for the voting day off, we are officially working this Saturday as well - so there goes any plans for a debauched birthday night! In addition, a friend's boyfriend has decided to have his housewarming party on the Friday as well, making my defacto choice Saturday if I choose to celebrate!

However, The company is taking us to Goa to the Fort Aguada/Taj Holiday village for the annual conference in about 2 weeks so that is definitely something to look forward to - only thing is The juggler will be jaunting about Europe so...but still, Sinquerim beach is pretty.

That pretty much sums up my thought process for the last couple of weeks - hopefully fun things will happen like Robert Pattinson will move in next door! There's no tax on hope, is there?

Desi Fanatic!

I never think of myself as 'communal' but just going by the rooting for Anoop Desai on 'American Idol 7' just because he's brown and his surname is Desai and everyone knows I have Gujurati leanings ;-)!! The boy is cute, wear strange grandfather type clothes even for us Indians and can sing the socks off any ballad - however he cannot hold a candle to the creativity of Adam Lambert or the sheer personality of Allison Iraheta but still....my little brown Indian heart breaks when I think of his being voted off.

In Non Desi related news, I don't have a lot to write anymore since my heart and head are busy occupied with watching Robert Pattinson pull his hair back or drink cola or talk or sing or anything for that matter - Go! Youtube!

BBC book list

The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. 1984 - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dicken
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville-
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Inferno - Dante
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

English, anyone?

* Since I have already been pulled up [alternate word: chastised] for this post, I am going to state at the very beginning, this is my opinion and it is not a judgement and I am not being condescending either - I do not understand it, it does not make it wrong!

So I'm going to take a break from stalking Robert Pattinson on youtube and write about rather ask why do people speak funny? It all started with a friend of mine who described one of her friends as a 'RAKE' - I mean the poor boy is like 24 yrs old and he likes to play the field because he can due to his excessive cuteness but no, she made him sound like a 40 yr old preying on the emotions of women everywhere. Who uses terms like that anymore? apart from my mother, of course - she has a 'paraoxysm' of coughing instead of a 'fit' like other normal people in addition to not having the 'werewithal' to do something - I would just say the 'means'. I then heard the funniest story of a friend's boss who told him not to 'obfuscate' the issues but he was an old Bengali so he gets excused on those grounds. However, my young Tam Friend was telling us the story of how her brother was conned by her parents into wearing a dress and jewellery at the age of 12 and she has no idea of how he 'aquiesced' to that - wouldn't you rather say 'agree'??

Dilemma - Help needed!

***DECISION MADE*** going to Turtle bay.


Ok as I posted earlier, I was supposed to go to Turtlebay on the May 1st weekend. However this has become option 1:Let me note the approximate costs:
Tickets: Rs.6260
Ticket forfeited by Juggler: Rs.2050
Stay: Rs.5000
Food + Drink: Rs. 4000 minimum
Shopping: Optional but accounting for Rs.700 minimum
Total: Rs.18000
Benefits:

• New location
• Friends
• Beach
• Good food
• Sea + Ocean activities
• Loads of alcohol

Option II: The juggler is going to HKG on the 4th - my birthday is on the 8th.
Fly in on the 7th and come back on the 11th.
Ticket: Rs.25000
Stay: Free
Food + Drink: Free
Shopping: Optional but taking Rs.5000 just in case
Total: Rs.30000
Benefits:

• SAMARA
• the Juggler for the birthday and in Hong Kong at the same time
• Good food
• Excellent shopping

Help with the decision making!! please feel free to let me know what you would do!

Turtle Bay

So I had been to Goa in early March after a hiatus of 3.5 years and Boy! Was I grateful for the hiatus!! It was not at all the same as I remembered - I agree maybe it was the lack of company that also added to the disappointment but on the whole, the masses of people, the lack of change in some aspects of the 'Strip' in terms of the shopping and then the complete change in management of the restaurants etc - I mean every second restaurant advertised a 'Pure Veg' Gujarathi thali or 'No non Veg served here'. For crying out loud! this was supposed to God's Own Holiday Spot where a wide variety of meat is available not some pandering to the religious sentiments of the majority!

Now, I have a trip planned to Turtle Bay on the labour day with some friends - it's a new resort in Karnataka close to Mangalore that none of us have been to but it sounds/looks really good on the website. It also advertises it's varitey of sea food - thank God! It should be good just with reference to the time my parents and I had stopped in Mangalore on a driving holiday. The beach was desolate and the food to die for - we're talking soft shell crab and divinely grilled Lady fish! Looking forward to 4 days on a non crowded beach with the options of snorkelling and a massage sipping on margaritas and the like! That's the life!
Unfortunately, this trip seems to be dogged by problems - my company might schedule it's annual conference for the same weekend and since the conference is kind of a big deall and theon one time when the entire company is united, prescence is mandatory unless you are dying or getting married and even then they might expecty you to put in an apperarance. In addition, the juggler [previously known as the boy] had to cancel his tickets since he needs to be in HKG the day we leave Turtlebay for a conference for which he is also missing my birthday - guess I can expect a really big birthday present huh?

I am also going to take this opportunity to invite Robert Pattison to keep me company! anyone have an email id that I can send the invite on? Don't worry,Isis, I will send an invite to Hugh Dancy as well!

It's official - I'm in love with Edward Cullen - if anyone knows him - please send him a proposal on my behalf. He's british, a vampire and he sings! what more could a girl want?

P.S. Juggling is over ridden when singing is involved

Best Friends Forever

I realised yesterday that I have spent equal time apart practically from my best friend than we were together - we studied together from 1996 - 2002 [7 years] and she has lived across vast ocean from 2002 - 2009. In that time, she has visited India thrice, I've visted her once [6 days does count!] and we've been on holiday together once totally up to maybe 80 days tops, stretching it. She has gotten married, had a baby, I've moved away from home and back - life has carried on. The magic is that inspite of the distance and time, to put it in her words, 'there is noone else I can be totally honest with'! Thank you for the love!

Eclipse of life

I have a new obsession - 'Edward and Bella'- like millions of people around the world - I am now addicted to the 'Twilight' series. I want to know what happens next! I am only halfway thru the second book but it's making it impossible to work today - I have spent practically half the day trawling youtube for Bella and Edward videos - this after having seen the movie barely 2 days ago....I love this feeling though when I cannot wait to know something - it reminds me of college when I used to read thru classes, thru conversations, thru the night - just continuously till I reached the finale and when it's worth, the satisfied feeling I used to get! I can't do that anymore - so many things to distract you, the biggest being work!

Random

Things I've done in the recent past:

• 2 girlie days with P, one of which where we spent 1.5 hrs in a Health and Glow buying makeup
• Saw 'Confessions of A Shopaholic'
• Had Sunday lunch at the Good Earth Tasting Room

10 things

I would rather be doing....
Currently: Listening to new remixes of OLD hindi film songs to create one of the many new products to be released within 10 days - not a bad job considering it's fun but having one of those day when would rather be doing

1. Finishing Eragon/Buying New Moon
2. Sorting through my shoe cupboard
3. Buying new shoes to replace what I would have thrown out!
4. Drinking a fancy cocktail with strawberries
5. planning a holiday to Turkey
6. talking to R about her new baby
7. Playing with one of the many new babies
8. Watching Gossip Girl
9. Getting a pedicure
10. Going for an excercise class

Restaurant review

Since lack of gossip in all aspects of life and sick of introspection to search for posts [refer music, 25 things], I have decided to review my favourite places to eat...please note this will all be places that serve alcohol since obviously one cannot eat dinner without booze!


All Time Favourites:

• Soul Fry: Yummy Squid Green Chilly Garlic, Sungta Maria [fancy name for prawns on toast], Portugese Prawn Rice, Mutton Sukha, and the most divine Margeritas
• Churchill Cafe - ok this one does not serve alcohol but it is forgiven since from the burgers, to the sandwiches and the pasta and the desert, everything is melt in the mouth delicious
• TheoBroma - its supposed to mean food of the gods and I agree - the food is nice but the deserts are to die for, actually to kill for - the after 9, the millionaire brownie, the lemon mountain, the strawberry tart
• Cafe Mocambo - this one serves alcohol, is a favourite of the boy and sister concern of Churchill, with yummy steaks, this ones a winner as well
• Bagel Shoppe - again no alcohol but since I have seen people smoke joints, I am not going to hold it against them! the goa sausage bagel, the yummy milkshake coffee type things, the nutella bagel, yummy I'm hungry!
• Swati Snacks - I've just realised a lot of the places I like to eat do not serve alcohol but never mind - Suva Panki, Dabka Kadhi and Makai Bhat, Baked Khichdi, Sugarcane juice etc
• China Gate Global Fusion - the Sushi oh! the Sushi, then the prawns tempura[little more salt needed] and the other wok stuff, plus the regular chinese then the unlimited soft drinks, then the desert counter + baskin's icecream - do we really need to eat anywhere else?
• Jai Hind And Gajalee - for the yummy Bombil Fry and the divine red curry with rice!
• Calcutta Club - this is the one place my father will drive 14 kms to in traffic to relish the fish in mustard gravy, chorchori bati, the yummy luchis; my mother raves about the misthi doi and the luchis....I cannot talk since I'm too busy stuffing my face. For simple, home-made bengali food, this is the place

Fancy Favourite:

• Olive - the brunch is Super, The pizza is divine, the White gold is to die for [except when they cheat and put appy fizz instead of the splash of apple juice].Normally in a fancy joint, one has to be well dressed and on one's best behaviour which is why Olive rules since anything goes

Isn't it Ironic...

.....the boy is a music fanatic and I cannot operate his ipod!

.....both BFF's cannot move without their music playing device and I can't sing a note

.....that no less than 3 friends sing in a choir and I cannot sit through a whole 5 mins of a song

.....that lyrics tend to describe my life but I can only remember songs by their videos

.....I can possibly tell you who a singer is dating but not more than 2 of his songs

....that I have not entered a music store in 5 yrs but I work in a music company!!

Don't you think?

Mini Vacation update

So it's final - I am going to Goa.... after 3 yrs and 4 months. I am flying in on Saturday afternoon by Go Air to be picked up from the airport [Friend has graciously arranged car and driver for the duration], am trying out a new hotel 'Casa Esmeralda'[which has A/C and T.V] and will be flying back Kingfisher [thanks to my kf miles]!! Another novel thing about this trip is that there will only be the 2 of us - this is a first and we actually shortened the duration of the trip from 5 days to 4 to avoid the potential of killing one another!
There are a couple of things I am looking forward to doing:

• Relaxing on the beach with a book and a beer
• Eating the Seafood platter at Britto's
• Prawn Stuffed papad at Souza Lobo's
• Chorizpao everywhere and anywhere
• Brownies from Infantaria
• Shopping down the strip

Even though I have given up the alcohol and nicotine for Lent, I am not going to stick to the resolution for the Goa period - my excuse being is that Lent is 40 days and 4 sunday - the time in Goa being my 4 sundays!

Feb Movies

• Milk - Loved Sean Penn [think he might be gay - poor Robin Wright], James Franco is soo hot, P learnt what she has been doing wrong - need to pick up guys in a subway on your birthday, Cannot understand how Anne had 3 kids, loving the 'Twinkie Defense' - going to use it next time goof up at work
• The Pink Panther 2 - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan should only speak Hindi since noone understands her english, John Cleese endearing as usual, Steve Martin funny as usual, Jeremy Irons - surprising!, Andy Garcia - gracefully sullen as usual, Alfred Molina - why?
• Valkyrie - Had no idea there were 15 assassination attempts on Hitler's life from within his army, very impressed, had no idea germans spoke with an american accent, liked the way Hitler's own emergency plan was used against him
• The Curious case of Benjamin Button - Loved loved loved this movie!! the storyline is fantastic, Brad Pitt is gorgeous, Cate Blanchett is beautiful, the emotion, the misery, the joy, the love - I could feel it all. I would have picked this for the oscars anytime!
• Slumdog Millionaire - I liked the movie but definitely did not find it anything to rave about - maybe for people who are not exposed to India at all, it was fascination but for anyone who has ever lived it, it was a regular feel good movie. Some of the flaws were very basic - KBC or WWTBAM? is essentially not a live format - it is a prerecorded show.
• Dev.D - thoroughly enjoyed this modern version of Devdas after the overdone hype of the SLB version. The change in setting from Cal to the Punjab was a mini shock but still...the soundtrack is awesome from Pardesi to Nayan Tarse but the icing on the cake: Patna ke Presley - Emotional Atyaachaar. What was nice is how the women are shown as emotionally stronger whereas the male protagonist cannot deal with his own feelings
• Underworld: The Rise of The Lycans - was interesting to see the prequel, did not live upto the first 2 but was good!

The secret....

....to happy living is that THERE IS NO SECRET. No self help book, no video, no guru can help u find peace - psycho therapy yes!! but trying to think positive, or act positive by denying a problem is not going to help anyone! Life is not meant to be one continuous round of joy - it is not meant to be disected into segments and there are no mantras to chant when the turn for unhappiness comes - you have to learn to deal with it yourself!

Hey Upper East Siders...

Rumour has it Curly Girlie has fallen into the trap of watching the most addictive television show. Will she be able to fight off the addiction and go back to leading a normal life? or will she be joining her colleagues in gossip girl rehab when there are no episodes? Only time will tell…
Xoxo
Gossip Girl

I've been quite active I think in the recent past - watched Dev.D, Underworld - The Rise of the Lycans and He's not that into you. I've not read a lot tho I finished Jasper Ffordes 'Big Over Easy', another crime novel and in the middle of 'Something Rotten'. But what I really have been doing for the most part is watching 'Gossip Girl' - yes I know how scandalous is that? My life could not further away from that and yet that is pretty much my highlight of the day - what will Blair and Chuck do now? Will Serena and Dan make it? Will Little J ever turn out to be a nice person? Will Nate find one girl and settle instead of trying it on with every chick he meets? So many questions....I watched 18 episodes of season 1 across 3 days - trust me I was not answering the phone, I was not moving my eyes from the TV screen lest I missed one minute of the Upper East Side life!
In other Televison related incidents, recently, I have been obsessed with Kyle XY [I follow this on TV so it's even harder], Desperate Housewives Season 5, Heroes [of course, but this chapter leaves a lot to be desired], and my current comedy favourite - How I Met Your Mother - if you have not seen this show, quit reading this right now and go watch!! It is one of the funniest sitcoms to start this side of the 21st century. I have to say tho I'm a little bit addicted to the new 90210 but I think that it's just a throwback to the original Beverly Hill series which all of us have good memories of espescially me with Luke Perry - I wish he would do a guest appearance on the show.
So as you can see, Ive been slightly involved! What is it about TV shows that make me forget my real life and get involved in the convoluted imagination of a script writer?

**the note on top written by colleague who introduced me to GG!

25 things...

I was tagged on facebook but cannot face the thought of the many random people I know reading stuff like this so decided to do it here

• My life is planned from holiday to holiday
• I want to be a travel writer but don’t know where to start
• I’ve visited 12 countries in the world and 12 states in India
• My favourite holidays are the ones taken with my best friend
• I really want to visit the following places before I have kids
  Greece – coz I think it’s ultra romantic
  Turkey - coz it’s practically the centre of the world
  New York – can you imagine dragging kids to all those bars?
• I only read fiction however my favourite book is a true story – Tuesdays with Morrie
• I am a beauty product junkie
• I love to play games – hidden object and word are my favourites
• From my educational institutions, St. Joseph’s gave me a foundation, St. Xavier’s gave me a personality and SIBM gave me a fun time!
• My first job taught me practice makes perfect, my summer training taught me presentation makes a difference, my second job taught me stick- to itiveness and my latest job is teaching me patience and tolerance!
• My favourite fruit is mango but I hate mango flavoured drinks!
• I’m an internet addict and think blogs are wonderful way to make you realize there are other psychos out there and you are not alone!
• I honestly believe friends are the family you choose for yourselves and tho I adore my family – it’s my friends who know exactly who I am
• My best friend had a baby and I have not held him yet – I hate the fact that other people get to see/hear/stuff about her first!
• I’m a jealous possessive bitch – if I think I own you, god help you!
• I hate the thought of having a job – it creates limitations on what you do!
• I adore television and have to know to put life on hold when I’m watching select programmes
• I’m completely crazy but I have a lot of balance in my life – this is thanks to my parents and the way they raised me leading me to make good choices
• I’m not introspective but I acknowledge my own motivations, inspirations and pettiness
• This should have been point 1 – I’m an only child so quite self centred as you can see by the number of points beginning with I
• I make a lot of friends but I ‘talk’ to really few – fact is till date, no matter where I am or what time it is, if I have an issue, I only want to talk to R [ this does not count for S and A since they boys and mostly concerns them!]
• I love films and aspire to be a film critic as well
• I used to write poetry in school but stopped when I realized how mediocre it was – I wish I had continued tho just as a release
• I am incapable of committing to writing – maybe I think if I do it, it will ruin the pleasure it gives me
• Writing this reminded me of how much I hate being out there – which is why I barely blog personal and when I do, I tend to unpublish it for a while as well.

Body Swap, anyone?

I stayed up late last night watching the movie 'It's a boy/girl thing' where the next door neighbours who hate each other inexplicably switch bodies - what follows is your regular movie plot - thrashing the other person's reputation, making the most of the physical changes, and finally ending up completely understanding one another. Other examples of this genre of movies is 'Prelude to a Kiss' where Meg Ryan during her wedding to Alec Baldwin kisses some random old codger while wondering what it would be like to be him and lo and behold! she was him, and In 'Freaky Friday' where mother and daughter exchange bodies in order to create understanding and harmony between them.
I enjoyed watching the movies but was cringing at the thought of a body swap with a boy like in 'It's a boy/girl thing' like the female in the male body has no idea what to do with the erection every morning or how to pee standing up - also the thought of exchanging bodies with an old man is not making me very happy either and my mom least of all tho can you imagine what that would do to women with Electra complexes?
It makes me wonder tho, would anybody really like to exchange bodies with another person keeping your mind and soul in place and even if you did, who exactly would you be? the person outside or the person inside coz the person inside is defintely influenced by the outer packaging and vice versa? so over a long period time, would you be you, would you be them or would you evolve into a third person creating a whole new identity for the new amalgamation? or would you just be a split personality?

6 Degrees of seperation

Swimming in an ocean of words....

.....that's really the best way to describe some of the books I read in the last year - The Jasper Fforde series starring Thursday Next are set in fiction {I know, it sounds very wierd when I type it but I have no other way to describe it}, with guest characters from all your favourite novels and even nursery rhymes. He easily wins 'Idea of the Year' much like J.K. Rowling did for Harry Potter - that kind of creativity amazes me.
All in all, I think I got a lot of reading done this year, inspite of having taking a hiatus since December - can't seem to get through one decent book - read loads of contemporary fiction but cannot get through new literature.
I just wanted to recap some of the things I read this year which have really stayed in memory:

• Jasper Fforde: Thursday Next and Nursery Crime
  
• Marian Keyes: Sushi for Beginners, Rachel's Holiday, This Charming Man -
  
• The Time Traveler's Wife
  
• The Painter of Shanghai
  
• The Zoya Factor
• Almost Single
• The Devil Wears Prada
• World according to Garp
• Lovely Bones
• David Baldacci's Camel Club series - The Camel Club, The Collectors and Stone Cold
  
• 3 Candace Bushnell Novels [did not like even one - tho I love all the TV shows]
• P.S. I love you
• Interpretation of Murder
• Sister of My Heart
• Princess Diaries [totally online!]
• Compulsive Confessor's cliterature: You Are Here
• Swati Kaushal - piece of Cake
• Chris Kuznieski - The Sign of the Cross and Sword of God
  
• Raymond Khoury - The Sanctuary
• Steve Berry - The Last Templar
• Jeffrey Archer - Prisoner of Birth
• John Grisham - Playing for Pizza
• Julia Navarro - Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud
  

I've kind of started a swapping sytem with the BFF so that pretty much leads to an interesting stream of reading since he comes across different literature. All in all, this year has been quite heavy on the religious fiction, chick literature esp Indian cliterature and the off beat novels of which my personal favourite has been the Time Traveler's Wife - cannot explain why - just really liked the novel and the circle of life it represented.