I chomped down on my cornflakes with a purpose ... the crunch was echoing through the office and some wayward glance came my way but today I was in a D.K.D.C mode- what is that you ask – it’s Don’t Know Don’t Care!! I had a very big decision on my hands – and if you have seen how huge my hands (along with the rest of my body) is you can understand this was the mother of all decisions. To FB friend or not to FB friend !!! ok no you don’t get the gravity of it – this was not your garden variety FB request – This was a request from an EX!!!! Taaaeeuuutaaaeeeu(this is how it would sound if my heart could sing). Do you also sometimes feel like there is background music playing for all of your actions? No, you say – well then I am the only crazy one here. In my head – actions have a sound associated with it. Like when I miss the bus by that half a second – I can hear a ppaaapawwww- wrong answers always have “eaaaahhhhhh” ( game show buzzer sound) or when I crack a super joke I hear a “baadammbushhhh” ( you would be thinking given my sense of humor – this would be happening very rarely, right ? eaaahhhhhhhh – so wrong – I find my own jokes hilarious !!!! (please don’t judge me :( )

Anyways- I digress, so a few months ago on a perfectly fine day this …. This.. “thing” happened. My daily routine – as I am getting out of bed- even before my eyes are open, my hand has found the iphone by the bed- The first thing I do is my scrabble app – I forget so many things lately that it worries me some day I am going to forget where I live or that I am married ( which may be Biju’s lucky and only ticket out) – someone suggested scrabble / crossword to keep the brain “active” – so it’s been my first and religious action for some time now. As I pretended to dominate the online alphabet world – I then move to the one and trusty Facebook- there was a nice and welcoming “1” displayed next to My friends request- doesn’t that always make you smile – that number next to the friend request? – don’t lie – your heart does a little jiggy and you say to your self - ohh yeayy-  Noooo you say again? ;).

Anyways so seeing that request I let my figure poke the iPhone screen to reveal the details and lo behold – His name displayed on the screen - XYZ wants to be friends with you. My first thought was WHY … I mean why would anyone want to be friends with their Ex?!? For a minute leave aside the point that I ‘have’ stalked a few of my ex on Facebook ( serves them right for not updating their security settings) and danced my happy dance seeing their  increasing waistline and receding hairline ( ohh don’t look at me with those judgmental eyes- I know you’ve done that too!!) but I wouldn’t want to send them a friend request. That’s just so many degrees of awkward and wrong. I am sure there are some unwritten rules about such things …right? Like the toilet cubicle rule- unless there is none other available you DO NOT use adjacent cubicle to an occupied one?!? Don’t look at me like I am crazy.

Even by the end of my breakfast I was nowhere near making a decision… I could very well do the grown up thing and completely ignore it (Which I actually did do for almost a week) – I mean it works for everything else why not this!!! Hhuum somehow it didn’t sit right- I had to tackle this one head on. I finally decided to draw up some Pro’s and con’s and see where that took me- I will not bore you with that table but what I will give you a peek at the few sane/pg rated points of why I am Mad to even think of Accepting it and and ever bigger Dork for not accepting it :-

1)    He knows I used to wear White acid washed jeans – which I still may or may not have in my wardrobe ;)

2)   Do I really want to be reminded of my mistakes – to borrow words from someone else – when I think of it I wonder- was I drunk through the whole relationship!!

3)   But then we “were” good friends before it all soured – I mean the good times were good ;) 

4)   My first bike ride or rather – non platonic bike ride was with him – ohh my!!! Words cannot describe the thrill of sitting on a hot as bike with a cool as guy when you are in your teens and having a clandestine affair – yes I know the adrenaline rush!!

5)   Without accepting the request – I couldn’t not troll through his photos to poke fun and feel – ummmhumm ;) and just as I say this- I can see you all go into your settings and block me – baadaambushhh!!! Don’t worry – I don’t blame you- I would have done the same.

6) Somethings are better left in the past?...or are they?

What would you have done?

- yours questionably !!! :X

PS:- here is a Random photo of a bike - taken in Oz- happy figure-ing ( yes i just made that up - D.K.D.C :P )

India Blues?!!?!!

These yearly trips to India can be best describes as like hooking up with an ex- a very very steamy ex - It’s such a torrid love affair na – hot and sweaty- when you hook up again after a break -you cannot seem to get enough of each other at first, you re-discover things you did together that gave you toe curling pleasures – the places, the quirks. And then you feel spent -  you start noticing the burnout and remember why the long distance relationship did not work in the first place– sighhh. It’s been 4 days since I came back from India and - I am partly depressed. Just like getting over a hot ex – I am finding getting over this trip a little hard – such random incidents and thoughts keep swirling in my head - ok, let me share a few, only cause you insist ;)

Ok- I know this one is weird but its on top of mind – cause it happened when we were out shopping and well shopping and I are … let’s just say – we laab each other - we have "best buds" tattoos and keep photos of each other in our wallet ;)

Her billboard took up most of wall outside the mall. A petite model ( read  as size Zero) looking over her shoulder at the mirror in her bedroom- from here it gets a bit confusing- she is dressed in frilly pink undies  and a tank top. Try as I might – I couldn’t figure out what was being advertised, then I looked at the print “reebok Shoes" and I thought “yeah right – her shoes is EXACTLY what I thought  < insert sarcastic rolling eyes here> ; Actually it reminded me of another print I saw here in Singapore – a “perky” model lay on the beach in an excuse of a bikini. Her pose – well.. to keep it PG rated let us just say that she was “stretched” in the sand with her back arched and one hand over her head. She had a beach hat and a beach basket next to her. I hazarded a guess – beach wear / accessories – Welll – “eeaaahhh”( that’s my take on how a game show buzzer would sound in print)  wrong answer !!! The ad was for an Esprit watch- wait – where is wally..sorry I mean where is the watch? – ohhhh right there it is – it’s in the other hand resting on her…. Well its PG rated so let’s leave it to your imagination.

If you are in India and you don’t think about food then – Something is wrong with you!!! With rainy season - people falling sick around me like flies and D-day or rather the W-day just round the corner I could not afford to eat out and join the queue at the doctors or the toilet. But the ever alluring Pani puri – kept rearing its head – every street corner had a Pani puri wala beckoning me – ummmmm H-A-VE –TO- RESISST..(droolll) Well finally my sister in law- Monal came to my rescue- She is gujrathi and making awesome pani puri is in her DNA. Even if she wanted to she cannot make a bad pani puri. The plate you see below – well.... this was just a warm up round – I may or may not have reached the half century mark – if you don’t have proof I deny any knowledge ;)

Coming back to shopping – cause yes baby I cannot stay away ;)- We shopped – and then we shopped and cause there were still hours left in the day we shopped some more!! On one of our saree shopping trip – Biju and my brother Rohan tagged along cause they wanted to be included in the action – Normally what would have taken us a couple of hours took us 5 !!! by the end of it I am sure every person in the shop knew us, about the wedding and even what our blood group was – no I am NOT kidding !! As luck may have it we all got stuck in the shop lift on our way out – while my mother hyperventilated – the rest of us were giggling; until the guy from outside said  “wazan jyada ho gaya hoga “ ( must have exceeded weight limit) – and it may not surprise you that at this precise moment every one was looking at me with accusing eyes( damnit!!). Below is a photo of my mom trying out sarees followed my the Oommen boys waiting for their suit trial – and if you have seen the wedding photos – you will know that they looked hoowt!

Ok, so saree shopping has to be followed by a blouse stitching- so as customer of this century I took along some styles that I had shameless snapped from other shops. I showed my tailor the following photo – he looked at me – spit his paan to one side, looked me in the eye and told me – "you cannot pull it off" – and again I do not kid!!

If tradition is to be believed – we both should hate each other or at least mildly dislike each other. My mother in law on the other hand is pure mush- we get along well and in the decade long relation we have never even had an argument and I find that troubling sometimes - you see when a lot of my friends gossip about their respective mother in laws – I am the dork without anything to contribute. Its been some time since they have revoked my membership to the MIL gossip club. Anyways – she was my one ardent iphone photo buddy – even as we went to friends / relative house to give invitation we would sneek some photos ;) – below is one of them

On this trip we took possession of our first EVER unit- sorry if I cannot keep the pride and joy out of my words. Before we saw our new house, Biju and I visited the first place we lived together as couple. It was a small studio on the top floor - we rented it with the last of our saving. It only had enough space for  1 single bed, 1 small cupboard. Only 1 person could stand in the kitchen at one time- water was available only 2 hours a day- if we forgot to fill the water tank during that time – we had to go over and ask a neighbor for half a bucket –we lived there for the first year of our marriage- it was DE BEST place ever!!! Below are photos of the kitchen window and the building – don’t judge a book by its cover ;)

Following that is the nameplate outside our new place in Pune – sighhh – life has come a long way :D

 

This trip also had a lot of traveling between Bombay - Pune - the scenery on the way is just mind blowing - we sometime so easily forget what a beautiful country we live in. This was the time that Biju and I used to catch up with each other or when Biju "dozed" off ( as you see from the following photo) I used to chat with my mates online - 3G - you have been a trusty friend.

And this last photo I am posting just in case tomorrow I become famous and some one needs to bring me down a notch- they can use this ;). Or if they can use - at not cost - if they need to scare the crap otta some one :D

Your homesickly :)