Me, Myself & I

If you ask me what is my favourite book or what kind of books do I like to read, I would say anything that is nice, light and something that I can identify with. I am a total chick-lit fan (for those not in the know- chick lit is chick literaure for books as chick flicks is for movies). The more I read them the more I like them and the more i crave to read some more. And all of them have this one pattern that appeals me the most. The protagonist is often a strong willed lady-girl in her 20s something who loves to shop, falls in and out of love, works for a living and above all stays independently all on her own (picture Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and the City).

There are times when i wonder how easy or difficult it would be to stay all alone on my own. I know its going to be mostly difficult but staying alone can make life simpler too, by: a) not having anyone to answer to b) you can do your own thing without anyone coming in your way (helps! Especially during those grumpy,irritable days) c) not having anyone to keep nagging you (you can organize and clean your space at your sweet time) d) you can personalise your space the way you want it to look like (believe me i would love to have candles all around me) e)You can manage your daily chores at your own sweet time (can eat whenever hungry, no fixed time for lunches and dinner) f) And the most interesting of all: Invite friends, throw slumber parties etc whenever you want (fun!).

Well, the only way i see myself living alone is if I shift out of Mumbai since currently I stay with my family. (That would also mean i get to explore another city fully, ohhhh I can write a whole post on my love for travel. More on that later!)

Hope that this dream comes alive someday! Till then, here is something more on what I have been upto the last month:

• I have joined the much hyped family of twitter. Now I like to call myself an HNI - highly networked individual (;p well atleast on the net!) what with facebook, linked in, my blogspot and now twitter
• I have taken to the whims and fancies of being a farmer. Yes! Farmville has a die hard fan in me. I am totally addicted to it and keep worrying about my crops and animals all day long even at work :)

Wishlist 2009 !!

It has been a long time since, I got some time off for myself (feels soooo good). The lil time has given me enough time for some introspection and the result is - this post of mine!! I know it is too late for a wishlist "2009!!", but what the heck!! I just started earning again and I thought I could do with some shopping here or there. What follows is a total materialistic, pocket heavy list of things that I want to buy myself (or rather spoil myself with) :

• An ipod - Well, I own one already. But, it is rather an old model. Would like to upgrade it and if possible then will buy a pink one ;p.
• A new phone - I have just given my Sony W580i for repairing for the nth time. This time I think I should go for Nokia. Ive already decided the model.7210 supernova it is. Unless, I decide to change my mind the last minute
• A Swarovski ring - I just love wearing rings. Since, diamonds are totally out of my budget I think Ill settle for a Swarovski for the timing.
• A new pair of shades - Ive been using this one pair for too long. Now, I want something with a better brand name (probably a Guess or something)
• DKNY be delicious - And last but not the least a good fragrance. I have never ever till date bought a bottle of perfume for myself. The ones that I own are either vials, miniatures or bottles that have been gifted to be. So this one is a definite must - have. :p

That's it. Hope, I can strike off one from the above list every month; that way I'll reach my target by the end of the year!! Will keep you all updated!

Grumpier by the day!!

One most painful thing about Mumbai is or rather "are" the cab and the rickshaw wallahs.. Is it me or is it them? I am still trying to figure out the cause of the problem.. Have you noticed off late how difficult it has become to get a cab/rickshaw driver to agree to take you where you want to..and how grumpy they have become? I would say they are getting grumpier by the day!

Where in the name of god do they really want to go? I wonder how on earth do they manage doing good business? All they do is just sit and refuse potential customers all day long. I guess they must be making a lot of money by just chilling in their respective vehicles.

And do you know what bugs me the most? It is the fact that they behave like they are doing a big favour by helping us travel. Their expressions or the lack of them are worth a watch. Example: I say,"Churchgate station" (mind you If you are at Andheri (east) and you want to go to anywhere near Seepz, Chakala etc you are soooo doomed) ; the response, "..." (Point to be noted: Here, "..." means no response & when I say no response I mean zero, zilch, not even a slight nod & no, not even a murmur). Oh yes! How could I forget to mention that a few of them actually did a favour to me by either nodding, or by pointing to the other cabs. Well, and they show no mercy to anyone..age no bar, sex no bar, colour no bar (wow! Atleast they are not racists :p). The other day, I saw a poor old lady trying to catch a cab and no one even stopped at her calls leave alone taking her.

Well, its not not like I haven't had my share of good cab rides in the city. There are days when I get really lucky and the first guy I ask actually says yes (Yeah, I sound like some guy I asked out has said yes, but believe me the joy I get is definately comparable ;p). Sarcasm aside, I have come across some very sweet cab drivers who have helped me out when I was lost with the routes, or who havent insisted on change or those who have even let go of a buck or two 'cos I could'nt shell out change.

But overall, I do wish that the system gets better and these drivers show some consideration towards poor us mumbaites.

P.S: I think I sound as grumpy as them in this post. So please excuse the tone. Just had to let out my frustration somewhere, sometime. Cya!!

Of Bloggers and Writers

Its been some four or five years since I first heard of the blogging concept..Initially, I felt it was meant only for the erudite; people who could write well,were passionate about writing and those who had lots of opinions about the tiniest of the issues that struck the world (well its one quality i have always envied, mainly cause it evolves from extensive reading.. but anyways I have always ended up being neutral to most of the things that are unrelated to me..
However, things have changed since then (no.. not me being non-opinionated but my feelings about blog writers)...Its been a while since the blogging trend has set in here in India (I dunno about the rest of the world) And, now we have every tom dick and harry indulging in the blogging activity ..yes that includes me too (*embarrassed*) and that is what gets me to write about this entire blogging mania. I can't boast of having read too many blogs but from whatever I have come across I can presumably state that there are these four main type of bloggers:

a. The Opinionated Addicts- Well as the name suggests these people always have some views to share regarding everything that happens in their city,state,country, neighbouring country and their neighbours and so on..whether it is Satyam's falling reputation or the recent terror attacks you can always rely on them to share their thoughts on the same on their respective blogs.. Well yes some of them are really good at it and I do appreciate a certain few (visit http://www.indiauncut.com/ for proof)

b. The Hit by the Blogging Syndrome - These are the "I dont know why do I have a blog" ones.. they are the ones who do not really have any substantial matter to share but yes they write cos their friends write and their friends write cos their friends write.. phew!! here ull come across a whole bunch of non-writers who write on anything from movies to their daily lives to some philisophical melodrama..(God save us)

c. The Subject followers - These are my favourite ones.. they are the people who write only about the one subject that matters to them (e.g- capital markets, the fashion industry etc) being a marketing student http://marketingpractice.blogspot.com/ is one of my personal favourites. They are mostly learned professors of professionals and their blogs are the ones that make the most sense.

d. The Dear Diary Writers - These are the ones who use the blog medium to write about their daily lives and vent their anger,desire and depression in the form of mystical prose and poems. And the worst is when they make it public and publicise it (I mean if its a personal diary why share it with anyone at all??).

Well, I do not know which one of the above do I classify into but I want to maintain a different stand here (oh yeah!! ;p) I am here purely to improvise on my writing skills.. and yes the three comments on my first post have been very encouraging. Thank you! :p

P.S - I'll try to be a lil more regular with my writing. Cya till then.