A cut above the rest

Have you ever been compared to Shah Rukh Khan? What’s the big deal – you’d think. After all, there is nothing extraordinary about him: looks or otherwise.
Exactly.
But if you were a girl, who is not his sister/relative or, do not have any similarities in any manner, then it is quite unusual.
I had the misfortune of having such dubious distinction recently. Nope, it is not my looks either, excuse me. The blame completely goes to my hairstylist.
Just Imagine, I spend almost a fortune to get a nice, wavy haircut (well, at least that’s what I thought) from a trendy, upmarket salon and come home to flaunt it in front of my aunt. And I get to hear this: ‘Hey, you look just like SRK; he has the same hair cut in Pepsi ad!’
Oh, by the way, if one wants to disagree on the ‘extraordinariness’ (rather, lack of it) and start an argument regarding SRK, we can do it in another post.
But for now, where do I go to get another stylist?

Wicked Magic

Yesterday.
As I lay in bed, I saw the sunlight filtering into the room through wide windows – slowly at first, like a hesitant bride stepping into the house. Their warmth slowly seeped into my body.
How easily they bring out the best out of every soul! Even those million atoms in the air that act coy and stay invisible, cannot resist their attraction; a slow dance ensues.
The beams appear tender and fresh, yet strong enough to cleanse the terror of a nightmare.
They are enthusiastic - only they have the permission from millions of sleepyheads world over to enter the bedroom unceremoniously and wake them up from their sweet slumber.
They bounce off the dull walls and brighten up their lives. Like an excited pup, they wander all over the house, bringing a smile on the face.
I let out a sigh of content.
They reassured me that world at large is still safe and filled me with a fresh bout of optimism to look forward to the day ahead.

Today.
This morning I looked out of the window and found dirty gray clouds. I thought about the missing sunshine and felt all the more lost.

An unusual method

It had always bothered me. The irritant in question is an advertisement on TV about a soap brand called ‘Nature Power’ by some RKN group. It shows two women discussing about the ‘best’ method to buy soap (where one model actually says – ‘by watching advertisements!’) and you see a third one popping up from nowhere, providing unsolicited advice after committing the offense of eavesdropping. The ad in itself is extremely lousy; a half-hearted, amateurish effort. What caught my attention was some ‘TFM factor being more than 76%’ or some such info the models provided; apparently soaps above 76% are supposed to be very good. And this seems to be criterion for recommending this soap to random strangers in the store.

At one point the camera zooms in on the product cover and the inscribed word ‘TFM’ with the percentage is displayed. At no point of time in this entire ad, does anybody bother explaining what this percentage or the acronym means. I expected at least one of the characters to bat her eyelids and ask ‘What is this TFM?’ like they show in many other advertisements – the usual, obvious leading question used to introduce a concept. No such luck here. They even show the fair maidens getting impressed by this mystery jargon they neither have any clue about nor care to get clarified.

I googled out TFM and found the details and it’s evident from the information on net that TFM is a fairly common term used when it comes to quality of soaps. However, I did not know about this and I am sure, there are millions others who wouldn’t know either.

The advertisement, per se, is not worth a glance but it definitely would have made a difference if I was told upfront what this ‘TFM’ was all about.
Or, may be not – only because it gave such an incomplete message, this ad stuck to my mind. And, that is a pretty roundabout way of making people remember a brand isn’t it?

Road Trip

Life on a friday morning is quite ordinary. Nothing useful or meaningful happening around. I have four days of leave ahead and am shocked to find out I am not excited about them. I have never been this jaded all my life. Probably I need another road trip. Speaking of which, I have realized travelling by one's own vehicle is so much fun and relaxing.
My trip two weeks ago from Bangalore to Udupi via chikmagalur, kalasa, kudremukh was a bliss.

Chikmagalur Hills Arecanut plantation, chikmagalur
Twilight in Kudremukh

The return journey was equally fun since we travelled via Aagumbe with breathtaking views of Western Ghats, thirthahalli, shimoga, tumkur and then back to B'lore.

Bamboo forest - Thirthahalli Hair pin bend - Aagumbe Sahyadri Range - Agumbe

Sunset Point - Aagumbe

Note: The pictures are quite fuzzy since we were constantly on the move.

Leather connection

What is it with men and leather jackets? While traveling to work in the office bus, I see this guy with a 'passion' for leather jackets - black, brown, fawn, and even red! (What was he thinking?)
I suppose it's about being macho. I mean, it probably gives them the feeling that they are macho men or, may be the belief that they turn into one once they wear such stuff. But for the jacket, most people would not have noticed the guy in question who is well, kind of short, skinny and totally self-conscious enough to look down diligently while moving towards the rear seats. I always wondered how did he know which seats were empty – if he kept his head that low!
Before one jumps into conclusion that I don’t like him or any men of similar stature, let me clarify it was the jacket that had me gagging and not the person.
I guess it is not fair to expect only the rippling muscle men to wear leather jackets and accessories; after all, every one is entitled to their bit of fantasy.

Post gorging session

There were three things to cheer about this Deepavali (or Diwali, as more commonly called nowadays and somehow less appreciated.)
*Great food back home, lovingly prepared by mommie dear
*Having Potter around for few days without having to worry about his and my work
*Gifts to be given and received

As the lights faded and I tumbled back to reality, I realized the monotony of our lives – mechanized by work, a crowded city and general listlessness, is all the more highlighted.
Added to the misery is my new found love for sweets. I can not believe I have grown to like these squishy looking halwas, browned burfies and other seemingly unappetizing eatables. Life has not been easy – hiding all those bulges takes a certain amount of efforts, skill and preparation on my part every time I go out.
But, it is not the time to ponder over such depressing things now.

I have more things to worry about than the President of United States – for example, I have to think and strategize about how to counter the magic spell by all those awful sweets on the already weak muscles and growing adipose reserves.
After five days of holiday bliss, the Monday morning is another major hurdle that I will have tackle now. Thankfully, the blow is less painful since the boss is not around yet – allowing me the pleasure of cribbing online.

The one thing I am happy about these festivals and the breaks that come along with them is that they urge me to demand more out of myself. And a purpose to get out of the usual laziness that surrounds life.

See-saw

Have you ever noticed those strange periods when songs pull a sly trick on us? The happier the songs sound, the sadder we feel.

Well, it happened to me.

The Perfect Couple

There was no way he could have got an internationally acclaimed beautiful wife. There was no way she could get a husband whose family had sole rights on the word “iconic” and whose status could be defined as that of demigods. There was no way they could have missed each other. They were “The Couple” for the star crazed nation made perfect by a manipulative media.

How convenient a marriage can be!

The Roman Catholic Cemetery, Adugodi

It is strange that a location that is generally synonymous with eeriness, fear, and Stephen King stories in the darkness, magically converts into a place that looks serene, lovely (with all the greenery) and calms me down when I pass by it every morning.

Magic Number

I had this sneaking suspicion all this while. I have had dreams - pleasant and unpleasant ones on this.
Today was the day of confirmation.
I have reached the magic number - that sticky one which will refuse to let go of me no matter how hard I try (why does this remind me of the melting cheese on a hot pizza? Never mind..)

Shouldn't I be happy? I have joined the ranks of "healthy" people.
Should I be sad? Fifty does not sound so bad...

Necessary jolts

'Look before you leap' - Cliched, but every word of it is worth the implemention. Life gives us a chance to remember and practice this very often, as I was made aware of. What could be the truth and what we perceive as the truth are two entirely different things - in fact, as separate as a parallel universe.

Power that stinks

The link I found in Amit Verma's blog shook me to the core (of course that's no fault of his - the details in the story link under the heading "Good girls do what they are told")

I wonder what kind of brain damage had these managers and their assistants undergone that they helped the man commit such heinous acts on innocent people. Surely they were not thinking about some bravery award or some equally crappy recognition that would come their way? What is so shocking is that the victims (read their colleagues) were not strangers. These were the same people who would have shared a cordial work relationship with the perpetrators.

Another thought creeps into my head - is it some kind of perversity buried deep in humans that without fail they take advantage over the others in a situation that offers them the power to do so. Deep down would every human being want to use an opportunity to enjoy the discomfort of the other without having to feel guilty about it? All these days, I thought it was not the case. Now, I am not so sure.

Mid week crisis

I am in a mid week crisis... It's 2.41 p.m and after a heavy lunch, an ice cream and no interesting work in sight, what else can I be facing but a crisis?
I have nothing to do... agreed, its the best thing to happen at work place but, I feel guilty. Guilty about making money for an afternoon that is used for blogging away some random thoughts...
How justified is my guilt considering I can throw hundred arguments against 'them' for not providing me enough work? Few will understand and empathize with me on the strain that one goes through while pretending to be busy when your boss walks around. The only comfort I gain in this situation is from the knowledge that even my boss is walking around pretending to be busy..
Even then, why does it make me so uneasy about this?