Thursday, February 28, 2013

Busy bee

The best kind of day today. No time for anything but work work and more work. The weekend kicks in in another two hours and I will watch Skyfall. Have been wanting to watch it for a while and Anshuman finally downloaded it for me yesterday. I quite like Daniel Craig and the energy he has brought to the character although I do love the other Bonds as well. I remember the first Bond movie I saw was Moonraker. I still remember almost every frame of it. It was one of the rare English movie VHS we had at home. Roger Moore was very nice indeed.

And my favourite Bond girl has to be Izabella Scorupco. Such a beauty isn't she?


Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Mr Man

So that's Mr Anshuman Kishore at the Polo event in his smart blue jacket looking very dapper I must say. I've been feeling under the weather today. My eyes just won't stay open and I'm not even delighted by the thought of coffee. I would love to  be a kid again for a day and make a little tent with my razai and sleep like a baby. This doesn't happen very often when there's nothing really wrong but you feel like crawling into a hole and not coming out for a week. May be I'm exaggerating a bit. Actually I'm not. I wouldn't even mind being an ostrich and burying my head in the sand for an indefinite period. I just had an excellent masala dosa and watermelon juice for lunch, actually went out for lunch after a very long time. It wasn't so bad. I mean I loved the dosa but it hasn't woken me up really.
At least this nice photo made me quite happy.



So here's another one in the series. My husband does look really gorgeous. Time to fall in love with him all over again I think. Damn! I should've gone to the Polo match with him. He looks good enough to eat. I'm actually quite happy now within the span of writing this post. Imagine if the photo makes me so happy, how happy the man himself does. I will refrain from sending a link to this post to him lest he should be found floating a few inches above the bed when asleep tonight. I do love him so.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Bloody Tuesday

OK I admit I'm not at my happiest. I missed the full moon entirely yesterday because I was watching the Oscars and then I got so damn late coming to work. Was driving like a crazed maniac when a Porsche Cayenne started flashing it's lights to get me out of the way and I felt like hitting the brakes, getting out of the car and bashing the guy's head in with my lunch box but instead I just let it go knowing that the prize asshole will continue tailgating me which is very dangerous and I have no intention of dying in a stupid car accident.

I couldn't find a song that I liked all through the journey and kept skipping tracks till I got to a song which I did like and by that time I had already parked the car. I finished writing an article that I'm not at all satisfied with and I don't know how I can possibly improve upon it. It's upsetting me to no end. Everyone else seems to think it's good but I'm just not happy. May be I'm being too harsh on myself or may be not. One should expect the best from one's self after all.

Anyway I seriously hope something or the other brightens up this day before I let my pissed off state of mind take over and bash someone's head in with the lunch box. May be I should eat now. 

Monday, February 25, 2013

The full moon and daisies

I came across a picture of these beautiful daisies on facebook and I stole the image. I'm quite sure the owner won't mind. They reminded me of Meg Ryan in 'You've got mail'. There's a scene where Tom Hanks brings her daisies when she's sick having lost her little shop. I'm always amazed that she forgives him for ruining her mother's legacy but who am I to question the logic of romance movies. I remember she says "they're such happy flowers" and truly they are. I couldn't help but smile seeing this picture. Can you imagine it was taken in the hot desert that is Dubai? Yes there's a place called Miracle Garden in Barsha which is filled with flowers in all the colours and shapes and forms that you can imagine. It looks truly lovely in pictures. May be I will go visit next weekend and see the daisies for myself.


My friend has a blog about astrology. She updates it everyday and I like to go and read it and today it says that there's going to be a full moon. I look forward to a full moon, it's one of the most beautiful and magical things one can behold. It would be lovely to take a walk in the night with a full moon for company and the little dog prancing along by my side. Just thinking about it makes me smile. It's going to be a good day!

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Huh!

Huh?? I'm not the prettiest girl in the world?

tennis

So there was a Polo match on Friday that I didn't go to. Somehow I was so tired and  needed the day to myself. I hung around, pitter pottered around the house, watched Pride and Prejudice again. Watched Argo which is a fabulous movie by the way. Must watch if you haven't seen it already. I was being a lazy ass on Saturday too but Anshuman somehow convinced me to go to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship Women's Doubles Final and the Women's single Final.









So I decided to wear my blue shoes for the second time despite the fact that the last time I wore them they squashed my toes and gave me a blister on my heel. Of course that was a mistake but I just wanted to give them another chance. Now I don't know what to do with them. They cost good money and now I can't wear them without wincing. There should be a return policy on misbehaved shoes. But there isn't so moving on.

So off we went in Anshuman's car. He played his music loud and sang along with it while I tried to read a Miss Marple novel. Had I not been reading he would not have been singing at the top of his voice. That's the thing you see. If he doesn't have my full attention he is bound to do something or the other to get it including annoying me. It's fun for him. Not so much for me. But that's marriage, you enjoy annoying each other and you know that even after being annoyed silly your spouse is going to love you just as much.

We got to Irish Village which is essentially a place for people to have a drink and snack and generally chill out. The Tennis court is built right next to it. The last time I went there, there was just that one open air place for people to hang out but now there are many restaurants that have sprung up around the place collectively known as century Village. It's an altogether very nice place. We collected our passes and sat quite close to the court. Sania Mirza and Bethany Mattek- Sands ( I found her full name on google) were playing against two women about whom I literally know nothing aside from the fact that they looked like twin sisters. I think very few people knew anyone other than Sania so there were many,"C'mon Sania!" and then once someone yelled,"C'mon Mattek!" and a laugh went up at the stadium. Finally Sania and Mattek won and it was all very nice.




The next match was between Sara Errani from Italy and Petra Kvitova from Czechoslovakia. Anshuman decided to support Petra while I supported Sara just so we could fight about it.














Petra began by demolishing Sara in the first set 6-2 and then Sara came back strong and won 6-1 but in the end Petra took the game away. The above picture is Petra and the dejected looking Sara is on the left. During half time Princess Haya came to the stadium as the chief guest. She's very elegant and later gave away the trophies. There was a Mexican wave in her honour and that was fun.

Finally we went to the close by Nomad for dinner. The image above is the view from where we sat. There was a big screen showing football and the players kept getting into brawls every now and then much to everyone's amusement. There were several cute ducks in the water and Anshuman pointed out a sweet little turtle floating by. I had the sweet and sour Salmon which was not bad. The service was not quite up to snuff as we waited for the longest time for the food to arrive and as you can see my husband was famished as he had eaten brunch at about one in the afternoon and nothing since then.

All in all it turned out to be an enjoyable evening and I'm glad I decided to step out instead of staying home and diving into a book.

So on another note I had ordered two books from Amazon and they didn't arrive for five months. So I wrote to them and they charged me again and then refunded my money and I think I lost 10 Dirhams in the process but the books did arrive finally. Unfortunately I already had one of the books as I had ordered it through Barnes and Noble so I gave it to Cursty. Both the books are a collection of stories. One of them is a collection of Norse myths and the other one is a book of Norwegian folk tales. I love reading myths and folk tales. They're always so funny and sometimes entirely twisted with an array of amazing, sometimes entirely stupid humans and bizarre creatures. A couple of days later I ordered the complete Calvin and Hobbes and it arrived within a few days to my utter surprise and delight. I love Calvin and Hobbes and so does Anshuman so I'm sure he will be very happy when I give him the whole set. I love giving gifts even more than I love receiving them.

Wow this has turned out to be quite a long post. Let me make it longer with an update on my ears. The left one is better though there is some loss of hearing and the right one was in pain last night but this morning things are much better. Somehow things always get better in the morning. It has something to do with sunshine I'm sure!


Friday, February 22, 2013

Weekend chai

My hair has gone from wavy to curly to curly and frizzy. I'm not complaining, at least I still have some left on my head. It's Friday afternoon and I chose to stay home instead of going for a polo match. I know I can be pretty boring sometimes. It's been a hectic tiring week with an awful ache in my left ear for most of it. It's better today thanks to a daily double dose of antibiotics. As Cursty my new assistant editor would exclaim," Proool you're fallin' apart!" I'm not falling apart though I am a bit tired from the past week.

The best thing about the weekend is chai and lots of it.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Sun

Every evening there's a brilliant sunset and I never fail to notice the sheer beauty of the spectacle. Yesterday I decided to take a picture of it but since I was in the car the result is not so great but you kinda get the idea. Beams of light radiating from the sun are just so life affirming. I love the winter and I wish it would never end but like all things it will.

There are new things happening at work and it's exciting. I'm looking forward to get cracking. On another note I've come to a deep understanding about human beings. I will not share what that understanding is but suffice to say that it is not something altogether pleasant. At the same time I'm surprised that it has taken me so long to come to a conclusion I should have arrived at so long ago. Somehow some of my definitions have been challenged and it's rather sad that I have been so very wrong. But I believe one needs to admit one's mistakes and learn the lesson. As is well known the lesson is far more important than the mistake. 

Monday, February 18, 2013

Sophie

It's wonderful when you forget a song and then it comes back ever so sweetly into your life and evokes an emotion you once associated with it. The only song I remember hearing in the voice of Sophie B Hawkins is called "Damn I wish I was your lover". There are many reasons for liking the song. The first one has to be the passion that Sophie's voice brings to it and the second is the black and white video. I love black and white and as a bonus this song starts with a train and I love trains just as much even though I haven't actually travelled in one for some time. I think I took the Dubai metro some time back if that counts.

Coming back to Sophie, she is so very beautiful with her wavy curls and bohemian manner. I was least surprised to find that she calls herself omnisexual. Her long time partner and manager is a woman. Sometimes I wonder what it is with these talented women and 'ominisexuality' or lesbianism for that matter. K D lang is a lesbian and so is Tanita Tikaram. Sinead O' Connor considers herself one fourth lesbian and ofcourse there's Sophie to add to the list. Well as long as they remain wonderful artists who cares really. I'm including links to two of her songs- "Damn I wish I was your lover" and "As I lay me down". Both sung by Sophie and both love songs but so different from each other. I like both but the first one has to be my favourite track. These days you see videos of the likes of Rihanna, Beyonce and Britney Spears and all the overt sexuality which borders on distasteful. Sophie on the other hand is so amazingly sensual as she belts out this number dressed in a sleeveless flannel shirt, torn jeans and bare feet. I envy the one whom she wrote the song for! "As I lay me down" on the other hand is much tamer but beautiful nonetheless in saturated tones, Sophie dressed in a school girl outfit looking like a rebellious doll. Here goes

Damn I wish I was your lover by Sophie B Hawkins


That old dog has chained you up alright
Give you everything you need
To live inside a twisted cage
Sleep beside an empty rage
I had a dream, I was your hero

Damn, I wish I was your lover
I'll rock you till the daylight comes
Make sure you are smilin' and warm
I am everything, tonight I'll be your mother
I will do such things to ease your pain
Free your mind and you won't feel ashamed, oh, oh
Open up on the inside, gonna fill you up, gonna make you cry

This monkey can't stand to see you black and blue
Give you somethin' sweet each time
You come inside my jungle book
What is it just too good?
Don't say you'll stay 'cause then you go away

Damn, I wish I was your lover
I'll rock you till the daylight comes
Make sure you are smilin' and warm
I am everything, tonight I'll be your mother
I will do such things to ease your pain
Free your mind and you won't feel ashamed

Shucks, for me there is no other
You're the only shoe that fits
I can't imagine I'll grow out of it
Damn, I wish I was your lover

If I was your girl believe me
I'd turn on the Rollin' Stones
We could groove along and feel much better
Let me in
I could do it forever and ever and ever and ever

Give me an hour to kiss you
Walk through Heaven's door I'm sure
We don't need no doctor to feel much better
Let me in
Forever and ever and ever and ever

I sat on a mountainside with peace of mind
And I lay by the ocean
Makin' love to her with visions clear
Walked the days with no one near
And I return as chained and bound to you

Damn, I wish I was your lover
I'll rock you till the daylight comes
Make sure you are smilin' and warm
I am everything, tonight I'll be your mother
I will do such things to ease your pain
Free your mind and you won't feel ashamed

Shucks, for me there is no other
You're the only shoe that fits
I can't imagine, I'll grow out of it
Damn, I wish I was your lover

Just open up I'm gonna come inside
I wanna fill you up I wanna make you cry
(Damn I wish I was your lover)
Gettin' on the subway and I'm comin' uptown
(Damn I wish I was your lover)
Standin' on a street corner waitin' for my love to change
(Damn I wish I was your lover)

Feelin' like a school boy, too shy and too young
(Damn I wish I was your lover)
Open up I wanna come inside, I wanna fill you up, I wanna make you cry
(Damn I wish I was your lover)
Gettin' on my camel and I'll ride it uptown, ooh
(Damn I wish I was your lover)
Hanging around this jungle, wishing that this

As I lay me down by Sophie B Hawkins


It felt like springtime on this February morning
In the courtyard birds were singing your praise
I'm still recalling things you said to make me feel alright
I carried them with me today, Now

As I lay me down to sleep
This I pray
That you will hold me dear
Though I'm far away
I'll whisper your name into the sky
And I will wake up happy

I wonder why I feel so high
Though I am not above the sorrow
Heavy hearted
Till you call my name
And it sounds like church bells
Or the whistle of a train
On a summer evening
I'll run to meet you
Barefoot barely breathing

It's not too near for me
Like a flower I need the rain
Though it's not clear to me
Every season has its change
And I will see you
When the sun comes out again


Friday, February 15, 2013

Bat outta hell

So this song started playing in the car as we were driving to meet Anshuman's cousin for tea. He turned up the volume saying the song reminded him of me. I began listening to it very carefully and the first words that I understood were "Like a bat outta hell I'll be gone when the morning comes". I looked at my husband with are-you-fucking-kidding-me eyes and he quickly said ,"No no the part that reminds me of you comes later." So I listened on.

And then there were some more unintelligible lyrics after which my husband sang on top of his voice," Then like a sinner before the gates of heaven I'll come on crawling back to you." I burst out laughing so loud a tear escaped on to my cheek. He's so adorably funny my wonderful husband.

Here's the song and the lyrics. Enjoy



The sirens are screaming and the fires are howling
Way down in the valley tonight
There's a man in the shadows with a gun in his eye
And a blade shining oh so bright
There's evil in the air and there's thunder in the sky
And a killer's on the bloodshot streets
Oh and down in the tunnel where the deadly are rising
Oh I swear I saw a young boy
Down in the gutter
He was starting to foam in the heat

Oh Baby, you're the only thing in this whole world
That's pure and good and right
And wherever you are and wherever you go
There's always gonna be some light
But I gotta get out
I gotta break it out now
Before the final crack of dawn
So we gotta make the most of our one night together
When it's over you know
We'll both be so alone

Like a bat out of hell
I'll be gone when the morning comes
When the night is over
Like a bat out of hell I'll be gone gone gone
Like a bat out of hell I'll be gone when the morning comes
But when the day is done
And the sun goes down
And moonlight's shining through
Then like a sinner before the gates of heaven
I'll come crawling on back to you


Day at the beach

There was a choice today. Either go to the Dubai Food Festival or go to the beach. As you can see I chose the beach and it was such a lovely afternoon. There was a cool breeze and the sun was warm upon my skin. Ninna ran around happily and got herself nice and dirty in the sand. There were many people with their families. Kids playing in the water. People reading books and generally enjoying the afternoon sun. I literally bathed myself in sunscreen and yet became a darker shade of brown than I already am. I'm not complaining. The sun and the sand was worth it.
 The sky was a clear blue and the sea a beautiful greenish blue. Anshuman went in to the water for a while while I lounged around in my chair. Ninna settled down under my chair. I don't think she likes being in the sun too much. It was a wonderful afternoon. May there be many many more!











Thursday, February 14, 2013

The disarming rose

Just when I was done bitching about Valentine's day Elie came around the office and gave every girl a long stemmed rose. I can't help it but it brought a smile to my face. I love flowers so much. Happy Valentine's day everyone!












And this decadent cup cake sits on my desk as I write this. It looks so pretty all crimson and gold that I don't want to eat it though I have to say that I am sorely tempted and will give in very very soon. But for now I have to say that my office rocks and I'm filled with this fuzzy, lovely feeling and I think it's called love!! So all you cynics out there I hope this day will convert you into a quivering mass of chocolate mousse and you will bask in the sunshine of love, not just today but each day of your life!

Now I'm going to eat it.

This Valentine's thing

So I find it very hard to get excited about a day which is apparently a day of expressing love. I think one should express love each day. May be I'm being cynical but I think Valentine's day is really for teens and other such young people who want an excuse to approach whoever they have a crush on. The flower companies are blooming and teddy bears are in big demand. Some of the schools in Dubai will remain closed and some others will close early on account of what happened last year. There were instances of kids smooching around the campus. Kids are kids and when they'e in love they will kiss so if not in school then some place else. What's the point of closing the school, I don't understand. Anyway good luck to you if you've got big plans for your significant other.

Normally I would never do anything special for the day but yesterday I thought why not and actually called the flower company and they told me they're all booked up. Well I think I'm not supposed to believe in this soppy little day. I don't think you need a special day to tell someone that you love them. On the other hand I must admit that I have been hounding Anshuman to get me a valentine's present. I've even threatened that I will not allow him to enter the house if he doesn't buy me something. It's not that I really want the present. It's just that he resists the day with every fiber of his being. He gets annoyed and refuses to budge. He said he will keep standing outside the door and ring the bell constantly if I don't let him in. The dog will bark herself hoarse and I will have to open the door. Minus the present of course. I love annoying my husband. That doesn't sound like a good thing but it is. I can't quite explain it. Ok I'm done being bitchy and to all you wonderful friends and family- I love you!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The lone woman

Just came across this wallpaper and it looked so serene that I had to put it up here. I would love to be that woman looking at the mountains surrounded by so much natural beauty. I was supposed to visit the mountains this month but it didn't work out. I hope I can go soon and spend quiet days in the company of sunlight, lush leaves, quiet mountains, cups of tea and a good book. Soon I hope...

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Arora Unsafe

My friend Akshay is a passionate artist. His day job is that of accounting but his soul remains staunchly that of an artist. His home is an art gallery in itself. Every inch of the wall space in his home is covered in paintings with vivid colours and visual themes that delight the eye. He recently launched his website www.aroraunsafe.com, I had a bit of time today and landed at his web address. The one painting which spoke directly to my heart was this one simply called 'Joy'. Every time I look at it I feel like smiling. I think Akshay totally succeeded in what he set out to say through the colours of this painting. There is a sense of serenity in the white flower while the red one seems to be reaching out through the canvas almost as if it would hold your hand and the yellow ones are undulating with pure joy. I love the sense of movement in the piece. The dark center of the flowers which holds each one together. Yes the painting communicates the sense of joy that life can be. I love it and will try to procure it soon.


Lovely day

The sun is out and everything is lovely and bright. My morning cup of coffee was perfect. Suzanne Vega is singing about a room off the street and it promises to be an easy day. I woke up feeling quite happy. I had a good dream. I dreamt that I was moving in to a big house. I went into each room and decided the colours of the walls. I was putting my books on the shelves. There was a lovely babbling river flowing outside. The house had two levels. The bedrooms had wooden floors and I was so happy. I scrubbed and cleaned and put up paintings. There was a big park on the other side of the house. My mother and father were also there with me and they were both so happy in the house helping me along. It was a beautiful dream and how I wish it would come true one day. There was a lovely terrace with a canopy and easy chairs. It seemed to be a winter day and the sun was shining. I love it when I wake up with a good dream.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Hmmm...

It's been a while since I came around here. It's not that there wasn't anything to say but it's just that I didn't feel like speaking. Things have been positively buzzing at the office and I find myself busy all day. Those days are actually the best kind when you don't have the time to think of anything other than your work. In my case God has been very kind and I work for a magazine that I love so it's easy and I'm blessed.

Hmmm... may be there really isn't much to say because I honestly cannot think of anything. Although I would like to thank the powers that be for having bestowed upon me a peaceful life rich with the love of family, friends and dog. Thank you.

Sunday, February 03, 2013

Hello Sunday!

As Anshuman would call me- Golu pakora! Happy Sunday. I'm glad to be back at work :)