A date with my coffee

Going to Starbucks with friends-nice
Getting tagged by friends-dumb
Ordering your regular coffee without seeing the price-stupidity

I'm a big coffee person, and being a Tamilian may have something to do with it maybe.
I love my coffee sweet, medium strong, milky and frothy and more importantly made in front of me.
So,

I was on line in Starfucks today, stupid coffee place that charges 300 bucks for a coffee..and some strange obsession to see my coffee being made I stood there in front of this glass counter staring at that machine, and this guy with a pony tail with a bored expressionless grumpy face pressed a few lit buttons and "brrruuuuzzzz" the machine puked out a few liquids in a soup bowl size mug got filled with something like a little baby;s diarrhea   (I'm not sorry about my gross description) Its exactly how I felt when I saw the coffee being made. And I picked my cup of watery, not so enticing coffee and passed it on to this teen girlfriend of a friend who swears by Starfucks.

The later that eve,
I go out with my brother, to this small open air coffee place (Tapri in Hindi) on the corner of the road with rickety wooden benches, even before we went near the coffee place, the smell of freshly ground coffee was in the air. That tantalizing aroma.

Filter Kaappi (coffee)

We ordered for two coffees and a kind looking man smiled at us, called for his wife and said "make coffee for our guests"
Guests? He could have aid customers but no..we were his guests and were treated like one 
She then  started making our coffee so beautifully as if it was some delicate piece of art, she put the freshly ground coffee, then sugar and mixed them well, them put in warm milk and frothed it (1 meter coffee) for 3 minutes and gave it to us in cute stainless steel tumblers.
That coffee..... my friend, was heaven, the authentic filter kaapi (Pronunciation: Kaa-pee)...Bliss...It actually took us to another world altogether.That aroma,..That milky coffee flavor..That sip that energizes every cell in your system
To top it all, this amazing coffee cost us mere 8 rupees

Its not how big the place is, Its not how expensive things are.
Its the affection, the expression, the love that you put in what you do for others reflects in the job you have done.
People don't need AC's and Big cushion when they have actually come for a cuppa coffee...
Big chains Coffee places, should change their name to gossip places...

Image Courtesy: My Samsung S-2 plus camera

WOW - With Love

Its end of January and like every year for the last few years, I have started shutting myself off. Being single during the first half of February, especially when all your friends are couples is totally a dreaded prospect.

31 year old, slightly plump, with little flab around the waist, Yes, that's me. Single, virgin and bored with my life as a librarian meant for senior citizens in a deary old skeleton building.

I have always dreamt of having this perfect boyfriend, who would surprise me with things, take me to movie and dinner dates, whisper sweet nothings to me.
But, for now all that seems to be just a dream.

Every pre-valentines, the shops get laden with all heart shape toys, cards, pillows. I do make a face and walk off as if they don't make a difference to me, but in real it makes me scream inside "I want them too"..

Then came, that dreaded day..the 14th of February..Flower vendors making displays of red roses, heart shaped bouquets, couples air-kissing, chics blushing at their men who are proud about the gifts they got. Those lavish plans that my friends have boasted that their men have planned for them.
So many people in my train on leave, and are on special valentine's day holiday.

Phew!! With a huge sigh i entered my dully lit library, and plonked my big brown tote on my rickety table, that creaked with the weight of my bag.
Suddenly, my eyes fell on a well wrapped box on the leg of my desk.

 ‘I was surprised to see a parcel with my name on it.’

 Like I have never ever received a parcel in my life, and never a well wrapped with a red satin ribbon bow on it.
With all my mixed emotion, I grabbed the card that was stuck on the box.
"To the love of my life.....from, A"

My hands automatically flew to my mouth, a happy tear stung to the corner of my eye.
"Darn, I recognize that handwriting,"..""Oh lord, after so long....he is here....and f*** he loves me...."

I wanted to jump high and punch the air,scream out loud "yaaaayyy..." but i just stood silently there with the box in my hand...thousands of emotions exploding in my head..

Slowly, I looked up at the picture of my Lord Shiva  and said "I'm finally going to have a Valentine..Thank you" with a smile of my face

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

His Phoenix

He was out on his well-deserved vacation with his friends to this very popular resort.
The early morning breeze, the softness of the sunlight pouring through his window warmed up his chilled bones.
Came hell or high water, he being a disciplinarian, did not break his routine of having his morning jog, only today instead of his concrete jogging track he jogged along the beach.

That early morning he saw a shadowy figure going inside the waters, he curiosity knew no bounds, that lithe body, elegantly moving with the waves caught his fascination, those perfect curves made his body shiver with excitement. He peered closer to have a look at the creature that caught his attention.

All he could see was a "Phoenix tattoo with Tamil script that said drowned to ashes and came out stronger" etched on that bare skin on her nape.
There was something about her that he couldn't take his eyes off her.
She created these unknown feeling inside him that he never knew existed. He wanted to knw her. WHo is she? What is she? What was this weird feeling that he is experiencing?
In this flow of emotions, he suddenly lost the sight of her. She was like a dream.  He waited for more than an hour, but she did not surface out of the waters. She was gone.

5 years later 

It was a typical arranged marriage scenario, the parents set up a "girl seeing date" they see her, like her, guy talks to girl.
It had become a mundane task for him. This arranged marriage "girl seeing" thing was not his scene.

The memory "tattoo girl" was locked away in some corner of his being.

He had met many girls, as a prospective bride, but none really caught his heart. His parents hoped, this time at least it would be different.

He hadst seen the girl picture, he just went out of obligation for his parents.
The moment he entered the house, a pretty girl in saree was ushered in with a tray laden with tea cups and sweets.
There was something familiar about this girl, drooping eyes, lazily moving hips, lips rosy red, something about this girl that reminded him of someone.
the girl turned to go into the kitchen, she had a tattoo on her nape that was faintly visible through the flow of her hair.
'He had seen that tattoo before! If only he could remember where"

He just knew, he had this nagging feeling in his head.
He requested, the parents permission to talk to this girl in private, with their permission he was led to the garden, where she sat with her back facing to him one a chair.

Like a bolt of lightening it struck him.
Its her. Its his beach girl. Its the Phoenix.Those inscriptions. It was as if it was a divine signal back then
He knew now. Its her, he had had finally got the girl of his dreams

That year, he got engaged and married, to "His tattoo girl"

Liebster Award

I got this award and got nominated by The Woolgatherer - Thank you buddy

I have always read about Liebster Awards given to so many blogger buddies, and frankly I always had this thing that I wanted an Liebester award too
Then The Woolgatherer nominated me.. for this Liebster Award ....Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!
Ok now..

what's a Liebster Award?

The Liebster Blog Award is given to upcoming/new bloggers or who have less than 200 followers. The 'Liebster' word is of German origin and means sweetest/ kindest/ nicest/ dearest/ beloved/ lovely/ kind/ pleasant/ valued/ cute/ endearing/ welcome...

 How does it work? 

1. Link back to the persons blog who has nominated you and convey thanks for giving the award.
2. Answer all questions posted by the nominator.
3. Nominate 10 more bloggers whom you feel are deserving of more subscribers; you pass the award on to them.
4. Create 10 questions for the nominees.
5. Contact the nominees and let them know that they have been nominated for the Liebster Award!

My answers to the questions posed by The Woolgatherer who nominated me: 

1. Three things without which you would never step out of the house?
A. Clothes, Shoes and Kajal



2. Writing a blog post or reading another's post?
A. Writing a blogpost

3. Backpacking/ adventure holiday/ luxury trip - if money was not a constraint which would you enjoy the most?

A. Luxury Trip

4. Favourite genre of movie - comedy/ sci-fi/ fantasy/ horror/ romance (a.k.a chick-flick)/ biographies?
A. Rom-Coms, Horror (mood dependent actually)

5. Photographs as memories or memories only?
A. Photographs as memories...

6. Skydiving/ Bungee Jumping/ Zip Lining/ Paragliding - which one would you prefer to try out?
A. Skydiving

7. If you had the chance to take the place of a celebrity for a day, who would you be and why? (Sorry, Mother Teresa and working towards world peace are out of the running here.)
A. Anna kournikova. My only reason...darnn I wanna date Enrique and look hot

8. Favourite musician/ band?
A. Mohit Chauhan, Strings, Euphoria, BSB....i have a list

9.  A holiday memory that you remember vividly?
A. Hong Kong Macau..the whole trip was special...

10. One definite bucket list destination to travel to in this life?
Bora Bora



My list of blogs nominated for the Liebster Award are:
 
http://amarllyis.wordpress.com
http://chanaisms.wordpress.com
http://atrociouscribblings.blogspot.in
http://darlingsofvenus.blogspot.in
http://deepasubbaraman.blogspot.in
http://sarahmalikdelhi.blogspot.in
http://evanescent-flame.blogspot.in
http://m-scribbles.blogspot.in
http://acisot.blogspot.in
http://mrs-which.blogspot.in

I have chosen 10 of my personal favorites, a few blogs are that of my friend's too. I hope you enjoy reading their blogs as much as I do :-)

My questions for the nominees are:

1. Your worst memory
2. Your biggest fear
3. Initials of the person you love
4. Something that you have always longed for in life
5. Your idea of a perfect date
6. Your typical weekend agenda
7. A holiday with - Family or Friends or By your own (Your choice)
8. The color of the shirt/top you are wearing right now
9. How do you vent out your anger?
10. Your definition of  -Happiness

You can copy the badge and put it in you blog too with me tagged in it.

P.S: Link me in your posts and also check out The Woolgatherer's blog 

50 Shades of Dee

My friend and I did this "50 questions in 5 minutes" game that we read about in some woman magazine, just for fun...and this was it...total honest answers

Date of the Game: 29th October 2013
Time: 3.45pm
Place: Canteen

1.      WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

            Not Really...

2.      YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? 

      I love it…

3.      IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

Absolutely 

4.      DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?

Yes, maybe...

5.      DO YOU BELIEVE IN TRUE LOVE? 

Yes, I do believe in fairy tales

6.      WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?

Yes!! Yes!! Yes!! 

7.      DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?

Ohh yes…

8.      WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

THEIR EYES…

            notice in men…hmmm...eyes...smile...broad shoulders...forearms…
            notice in women..shoes, dress, earrings, bag

9.      RED OR PINK?

Red

10.  WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF ?

Ahh..hmmm..well…hmm..nothing…

11.  WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?

            Black pants and blue loafers

12.  WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE ?

An Apple

13.  WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

Aunty, police bula legi :P

14.  IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?

Mauve or Purple or blue

15.  FAVORITE SMELLS?

            Rain wet mud, petrol,,..some deos ;-) 

16.  WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

Sanjeevani from ICICI bank

17.  FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

Cricket…Tennis..Bitch fights

18.  HAIR COLOR? 

Black that sometimes looks like dark brown

19.  EYE COLOR?

Dark brownish

20.  DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?

No..thankfully

21.  FAVORITE FOOD?

Cheese..Paneer..Pastas…Pizzas…Chocolates 

22.  LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?

Gravity

23.  WHAT COLOR SHIRT/TOP ARE YOU WEARING? 

Light Blue Kurta

24.  SUMMER OR WINTER?

Summer…I like the warmth..n those lovely little dresses..

25.  HUGS OR KISSES?

            Depends who it is from 

26.  WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?

Mouse...what did you expect?…*lame*

27.  WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? 

            Big Boss 7

28.  WHAT IS GIVES YOU IMMENSE PEACE? 

Seeing my parents and my brother smile and the reason for their smile is me

29.  WHERE WERE YOU BORN? 

Mumbai, India

30.  HAVE YOU EVER SLEPT IN SOMEBODY ELSE’S CLOTHES?

Yes

31.  HAVE YOU EVER BEEN SO DRUNK THAT YOU THREW UP

I don’t booze

32.  DO YOU SECRETLY ABUSE PEOPLE IN YOUR MIND WHILE THEY ARE SPEAKING TO YOU?

Hehehehehehe….many times..that too with a stupid smile plastered on my face

33.  HAVE YOU EVER NOT HAD A BATH FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK?

Yes…I was without a real bath for 3 months…woahh I wasn’t lost or nomad..I was in the hospital and not in a position to have a decent bath

34.  WHAT DO YOU EAT ON THE DAYS OF FAST?

Fruits

35.  DO YOU LIKE TO GET YOU PICTURES CLICKED?

I love to..I’m not called "the nautanki" for nothing...

36.  DO YOU CHEW YOUR NAILS?

Yes Mi Lord I do

37.  WHAT DID YOU SPEND YOUR FIRST SALARY ON?

A mobile phone, A shirt for Dad and a Saree for Mom

38.  WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WROTE A LETTER TO SOMEONE ON PAPER?

Sometime in February 2012

39.  HOW MANY LANGUAGES CAN YOU SPEAK?

            English. Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, basic Punjabi

40.  REALITY SHOW OR DAILY SOAPS?

Reality Shows

41.  SING IN THE CAR?

Loudly with a dance motion

42.  DANCED IN THE SHOWER?

Many times

43.  OCCUPATIONS YOU WANTED TO BE WHEN YOU WERE A KID?

Astronaut, or a truck driver

44.  HAVE YOU EVER CRIED BECAUSE YOU WERE HAPPY?

Oh yea..many times..

45.  WHICH WAS THE LATEST DESTINATION YOU TRAVELED?

Hong Kong and Macau

46.  WHAT IS YOUR MOST COMMONLY USED WORD?

F**k/Freak

47.  EVER HAVE PLASTIC SURGERY?

Yes…

48.  WHO WAS YOUR FIRST CRUSH?

I still don’t know his name..I knew him by his car number only..

49.  HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR COFFEE?

Sweet, Milky, Warm, Semi strong

50.  DO YOU TALK TO YOURSELF OR YOUR MIRROR?

Many times…pep talks...angry conversations…long happy conversations, critical analysis on appearance conversations

Your call is important to us

"Our customer service representatives are busy on other calls. Please hold the line. Your call is important to us"

How many times have we heard this line when we call up our phone/credit card companies?


I wonder when they tell me that my call is important to them and they will be gutted if I cut the call after pressing out a million buttons..am I really important?

It is so heart warming of me that I never cut the line..I patiently press 2 then 4  then 8 then # then 7..then patiently listen to their music and their promotional offers..

By then I put my phone on loud speaker, cook, clean my house, have a shower, straighten my hair..and now I'm 6th in the queue and my call is still important to them..

Now, someone comes on the line..and I pour out to him my heart content about my issue very nicely..after an hour of listening to the company's music...again my call is put on hold before they extract my data...again i listen to the music...
The person finally comes over and "apologizes" and gives the complaint number but being a normal girl i never have a pen and paper around and ask them to hold precisely for a minute..and by the time I come back the line is cut...

I again patiently redial go through the same ordeal..still being assured that my call is important and they are busy serving other customers even at 2.07am ..woooww lovely customer service..im so touched
or else I just give up trying to be important to them..

I wonder
Why don't they follow the same policy for the pesky  tele marketing people..they call even after you have have hung up..why wont they give up...?
Why don't they follow the same policy if I miss my Credit Card payment by 1 day and suddenly I become the most important customer for real and all their operators are on my throat with swords to cut it off...

........................................"Your call is important to us"

Perks of Being a Man

I have a lot of guy friends, I have a brother too...there are so many perks of being a guy that I have noticed in my growing life

1. You can stay out all night alone and not get your parents worried sick about you being raped.

2. You guys can do things simple by saying that you are "Dandekars"

3. You can pee standing anywhere, behind the bush, corners of the road, on trees everywhere. We have to either hold it or find a pathetic washroom or a pit to do it. Pee-thatic

3. Having a dick seems pretty cool. I know it probably hurts a lot when you get kicked there and makes it hard to cross your legs, but you get to be the subject rather than the object when it comes to sex (unless you’re a bottom or there is a strap-on involved). That seems more fun.

4. No one stares at your chest when they are talking to you

5. No one pinches your butt in a crowd.

6. No one passes comments in so-called hushed tones which fall clearly into our ears.

7. You can roam around shirtless...or banianless...no problems

8. The day you forget to wear a banian you wouldnt feel empty and bouncy and hangy.

9. To make a baby, you can just have sex with someone. You don’t have to actually wait for 9 months, grow fat, bear kicks and then have it come tearing and screaming out of your body.

10. If you don’t have children, you just get to be a bachelor who gets more sexy as he ages. If a woman doesn’t have children, everyone worries about her biological clock and advises wrinkle cream to her.

11. Boys cricket gets more footage than girl's cricket. I havent heard about international women's football yet..or League matches for that matter

12. You can eat n eat n eat...grow all round and fat...and not feel a pinch of it...For us women, an extra hanging fat here and there and we become the un-dateables...

13. Using a condom or not is your choice, you aint getting pregnant. Every contraceptive is for women

14. Women have to wear mangalsutra and sindoor as a proof of being married and the man roams around scotfree.

15. We get to hear "Sasural jayegi toh kya kahenge, maa ne itna bhi nahi sikhaya"
We never say "biwi ayegi toh kya kahegi, baap ne itna bhi nahi sikhaya things"

16. If a girl roams with 10 men she is a slut. If a guy roams with 10 women he is a player.

17. if its a scorching hot day, you remove 3 buttons of your shirt and no one gives a damn. If women's shirt one button is open by mistake..the jaws of so many men touches gravity.

18. You cook, you are chef's. We cook. Its our duty

19. You cant cook. its ok...we cant cook, we are domestically pathetic.

20. You swear in every possible language, its so cool. We swear , we are so unladylike

This world is so unfair.....

Open Letter to the Hypocrites of Indian Society

Dear Hypocrites...rather skip the dear part of our Indian society

I know you worship Goddess Saraswati when you start studying..I know your business place surely adorns a picture of Goddess Lakshmi..Every Diwali you conduct a pooja of your lockers loaded with Lakshmi..

But, have you ever notices the way you treat your Ghar ki Lakshmi? 

You still want your wife to be under a hidden veil while you go around snooping the innocent maid..
You still consider a girl child as liability..You still kill female fetuses because you cant get a waaris  for your hypocritical khandaan.

You have double standards for a guy and a girl.
From the moment a girl is born till she dies, you treat her differently.
You say men and women are equal?
No...never is that possible in this life..

Women are not the weaker sex..they may not have a strong fist but she bears pains 7 times a normal endurance level of a human body during child birth.

You say, you treat your daughter's the same like your son?
Really do you..?

Tell you what..I can make a generic list of inequality imposed on feminine gender,

At Birth - female foeticide 
As a youngster - A girl doesn't get education its ok, since she is gonna only cook and clean..but boy has to get a good education....
In her teens - 1 girl roams with 10 men she is a slut, 1 guy goes around with 100 females he is a "guy its ok..he is a boy after all"
Engagement - Girl's engagement breaks..its her fault...guys breaks it must be the girls fault 
Girl is 30 something and unmarried - something is wrong with her..maybe she has an affair....guy is 30 n unmarried he was busy making a career
Marriage - girls parents bear most of the expenses, give their little girls too..
Girls have a tag like magalsutra and sindoor as a a proof of being "married"....a man is scot-free to lie to other women and chase them claiming to be unmarried
A couple doesn't have kids - the woman must be barren..
Women die of dowry deaths
A widowed women is not allowed to attend functions and treated as an outcast..but a widower is allowed everything.

Rapes happen on women.
Women groped, molested, eve teased by men
Women are victims of acid attacks
But, still according to you guys its the woman's fault.

There was a conversation I know of ,
A: You know about the rape case right?
B: yeah, must be the girl's fault, she must have worn sexy clothes
A: She was wearing a full sleeves salwar kameez with a nehru collar...nothing revealing
B; She must have smiled and made gestures at those men
A: She was playing a game in the phone and didn't even look up
B: She must be wearing a lot of make up
A: She was returning from work, all tired looking
B: Why did she go to that lonely place, that late?
A: She was pulled from a crowded bus stop and 6pm
B: She shouldn't have been alone then
A: She was with a guy
B: Thats the problem, these girls roam with men and accuse rape
A: She was with her brother
B: Ok, bye I have to go

This "B" is any common person, a man or woman of this society who will go to any extent to justify an act like rape.
You can make so many excuses for a rape to happen but do nothing to stop it.

Our law is such that rape cases go dragging for years together even in any fast track court.
Till then the victim is mentally and emotionally raped by the society and the accused roam out in bail.


The man who is less than 18 and rapes a girl, is should not considered juvenile after such an act. 
Abolish the juvenile age, deal every issue as case to case basis.
Punish him for his act and not his age..
But, no...we still live in the 5th century with follows archaic laws.



Teach your sons to respect women, and not abuse them.
Give your daughter that confidence that she is no less than a man.

Women are human too. Treat them like one.

A harrowed Indian girl

I Miss You...My Special Stranger

I am sharing my Do RIght Stories at BlogAdda.com in association with Tata Capital.

This post is dedicated to her...whom I know absolutely nothing about..not even her name
here was this really old, frail,bi spectacled woman outside Andheri West station. She used to stand in either the middle corridor or the end of the stairs and beg.
Never in the past 1.5 years have I seen her sitting or lazing or fretting. She always had this unexplainable aura about her.
Every time I saw her I felt this urge to go and hug her, or take her home, give her the comfort of a grand-mom. (Its really an different feeling altogether, I am not able to get words to express it).

This year on Valentine's Day, I wanted to do something special. I got her a bunch of roses, a scarf and chocolates.
I stopped by her, with curious,surprised,agast stares and hush hush around us. I gave her the gifts..and there was this glow in her eyes behind those old glasses. The roses made her really happy, coz when I gave her the gifts, all the said was "Phoool..." (flowers in Hindi) in a small feeble voice and gave a cute single-tooth smile.
I had this single tear, fighting hard not to escape my eyes. My heart was filled with this immense satisfaction.

That day onwards, we used to look at each other and smile, nod or wave. It was like we were expecting to see each other every morning.
I used to sometimes see her in the evenings at Dadar station too


Last one week, she was not there in her regular place.
I was actually missing seeing my stranger grand-mom.
My eyes were frantically searching.
I used to have horrific visions, and I used to calm myself saying "maybe she is in a different place".
But all that while, I had a very nagging feeling on the back of my mind that something was wrong somewhere.

Yesterday, I gathered all my guts and asked a ragged looking man about her.
What he said about her, broke a small part inside me...

He said she died, 10 days back....

My heart stopped beating for a moment,

There was no relation between us except for a daily smile, but the warmth in that little moment was immense..so deep that even today I can see her there...

I want to see her, I want that comforting look, I want that single-tooth smile...God, I so love my grand-mom

I know, she will know now how I felt for her....

My Grandmom...I miss you everyday!!! :_(

Image Courtesy: http://www.grafixalicious.com