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2011-08-11T16:00:00.002-04:00

So far did that music challenge go! Back to square one. Still seeking the inspiration to write, even though I have a plethora of thoughts rushing in my mind just waiting to be penned. What's keeping me? I have no idea. Maybe dealing with the constant struggle of my parents' medical issues, or the uninvited man issues that knock my door ever so often. I remember back in 2001/2002 a random psychic told me that when I start seeing someone, I should keep it to myself because every time, I bring them forward by telling someone about that person, something happens. I honestly didn't think much of it and honestly didn't believe in it. But now that I look back at history, even as recent as the recent "connection" it proves to be true. Why is it that? Does this mean that I have to live a life of secrecy? or the fact that maybe I don't true love who would have the guts to go public?

Can someone clarify this to me?

Recently I've been feeling quite low almost to a point that even random people off the streets have told me to smile or the fact that life is bound to get better. Although the mere thought of it does make me smile but is it? is it going to get better? I saw the movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (Translates: Life wont come twice) and a particular line just stuck to me. You're only in a box when you are dead, and that when your mind is restless you know that you are alive.

It is soo true, but then why do I feel so dead? Is it because I'm being in denial of the possibility that the reality of a particular situation is the absolute truth? Did that even make sense? What is it that my life and my mere existence is destined for?

Again, can someone clarify this to me?

Day 30 - Your favourite song at this time last year

2011-06-19T15:13:00.001-04:00

So i dont know why my Day 30 never posted. Here it goes...

Day 30 – Your favourite song at this time last year

I Got A Feeling – Black Eyed Peas

Day 29 - A song from your childhood

2011-05-28T04:45:00.002-04:00

Like as if I havent mentioned enough about my childhood.

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody

Music Challenge from Day 21 - Day 28

2011-05-28T04:15:00.002-04:00

So I've been slacking. I know! It was my birthday! 30th as a matter of fact. And although I did not do much, I've managed to keep away from all internet applications. Minus what work demanded.

Here is a catch up.

Day 21 – A song that you listen to when you’re happy

George Michael - Faith

Day 22 – A song that you listen to when you’re sad
REM – Everybody Hurts

Day 23 – A song that you want to play at your wedding. This is such a happy and romantic song. Fell in love with it and Michael from the movie.. The Wedding Date
Michael Buble – Save the last dance for me

Day 24 – A song that you want to play at your funeral

People also pick sad songs to play at their funeral if they do play any at all...Muslims usually don't play any but if i had a choice and with Music being such a big entity in my life, I would pick
Slumdog Millionaire – Latika’s Theme

There is a sense of serenity and a new beginning feel to it, which in a way symbolizes how I would be at that moment and onwards...

Day 25 – A song that makes you laugh

Just watch the video and hear the lyrics...NUFF SAID!

Bloodhound Gang – The Bad Touch

Day 26 – A song that you can play on an instrument
Doe A Dear – Sound of Music

Day 27 – A song that you wish you could play

Metallica – Nothing Else Matters

Day 28 – A song that makes you feel guilty
This song reminds me of that one morning in my apt in Abu Dhabi. Eldorado Bldg, 18th Floor Penthouse overlooking the Gulf Sea (Corniche). I still remember how cozy it was under the covers but in a chilled room...

Bryan Adams – Please Forgive Me

Day 20 - A Song That You Listen To When You Are Angry

2011-05-22T21:14:00.001-04:00

On Day 20 I have decided that the challenge that I had so easily tweaked has become quite the mute point. So from today to the rest of the 10 odd days left to complete Challenge No.1, I'm going to retort back to the original plan to just post the song. But if I feel generous enough to share an anecdote. Then So be it.

So on this day, I hope you enjoy the song I listen to when I am angry!

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge

Day 19 - A Song From Your Favourite Album

2011-05-22T20:55:00.002-04:00

If U2 is my favourite band, clearly my fave album has to be one of theirs. But to choose which is my favourite album is like asking who is your favourite child? Not that I'm taking credit for their birth or anything but it really is a toss up! To choose between The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.

But since, I've already posted a song from the Joshua Tree, I'll post something From AB.

Here goes, Enjoy

U2 - Mysterious Ways

Day 18 - A Song That You Wish You Hear On The Radio

2011-05-22T20:50:00.002-04:00

I love how Jamiroquai has the 70s 80s feel to his music but also not. So I want to hear

Jamiroquai - Cosmic Girl

Day 17 - A Song You Often Hear On The Radio

2011-05-22T20:46:00.002-04:00

I cant remember when was the last time I heard the radio. Maybe when my driver was waiting for me in front of the office and I entered the car without him realizing that I was there. But when I did, it was

Eenie Meenie – Sean Kingston ft. Justin Beiber

Day 16 - A Song You Used To Love But Now Hate

2011-05-16T07:53:00.002-04:00

Everyone used to make fun of me when I used to say that I loved this song! It's upbeat, catchy and it had girl power...what's not to like, right? Now when I look at this song, I think to myself, what was I thinking? Look at this video and I think you will agree with me!

Spice Girls - Wannabe

Day 15 - A song that describes you

2011-05-14T22:51:00.002-04:00

Defining one self to a particular song is like saying I saw a pig fly! It's IMPOSSIBLE! Solely because a person sees themselves differently based on what they are feeling at that very moment. For example, when a person is in a good mood, he/she would think that they are the million dollar baby but when sad, he/she would probably describe themselves as a worthless piece of %&#&! Anyways, don't know if you can figure out what my mood is like right now, but these are the two songs that I currently feel like it represents me the most today!

Meredith Brooks - I'm a Bitch

Blind Melon - No Rain

Day 14 - A song that no one would expect you to love

2011-05-14T00:39:00.003-04:00

Since people connect me to more flowery and new age music, my choice for today may be a shocker. Thanks to Sajjad who connected me to this song back in the day when it was released! Enjoy this song by Linkin Park called In the End.

MUST READ: Pigeonholed by Akkas Al Ali

2011-05-14T00:37:00.000-04:00

Now that I'm all caught up with my music challenge, I thought I would share a great article penned by my "playwright, dramaturg and director" friend, Akkas Al Ali. Published in The Platform. He is based in UK.

Link to the Article: Pigeonholed by Akkas Al Ali

Where in the world did Days 8 - 13 go?

2011-05-14T00:08:00.008-04:00

For some reason my posts from Day 8 to 13 are missing including an article my friend wrote...

Well here is a consolidated version of all those posts...Ok akkas, for you, I will post your article separately yet again.

Day 8 - A song you know all the words to...

A song that mostly everyone either knows the words to or wants to know the words to.

Extreme - More Than Words

Day 9 - A song that you can dance to

When this song came out, every party, dinner and or dance, we kids were forced to danced to this song. We mastered the steps by the end of the day of listening to this song. Even taught others how to dance to this song!!

Los Del Rio - Macarena

Day 10 - A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep

A song that makes me fall asleep is usually a song that makes me feel all relaxed prior to falling a sleep. Every time I listen to this song, it just manages to relax all my tensions, worries and problems and during that four minutes and nineteen seconds it transcends me to the happy place of uninterrupted sleep!

Coltrane and Duke Ellington - In A Sentimental Mood

Day 11 - A Song From My Favourite Band

This is undoubtedly the best song ever produced. All U2 Fans and even non U2 fans will agree with me that it is one great song! This is my go to song...

U2 - With or Without You

Day 12- A Song From A Band That You Hate
So I have no idea on the following matters regarding this band.

Band Name: Hanson Brothers

No Clue on:
1. Why are the a band?
2. Why were they popular?
3. Why can't they sing?
4. Where are they now?

and most importantly

5. Are they boys or girls?

Hanson Brothers - MMMBOP

Day 13 -A song that is a guilty pleasure

TLC – Red Light Special

I think this is self explanatory.

God I Miss NY! lol

2011-05-11T23:23:00.002-04:00

Naked man goes berserk inside subway car (video)

By JEANE MacINTOSH and DANIEL EDWARD ROSEN

Last Updated: 9:51 PM, May 10, 2011

Posted: 2:43 PM, May 10, 2011

NY POST

It was just another manic Monday for this loon.

In an epic meltdown, a passenger came unglued on a Bronx subway train last week — stripping off his clothes and chasing people naked through a station before finally being subdued.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

The rowdy rant, which was caught on video May 2 and today went viral on the Internet, starts with a 41-year-old man on the northbound No. 6 train shouting epithets before stripping down to his boxers.

As he continues to rage against African-American and Jews, a transit cop can be seen in the frame talking into his police radio. After hurling insults in the officer’s direction, the man suddenly doffs his skivvies and runs, butt-naked, from the subway car. Dashing onto the Hunts Point Avenue station, he continues screaming and then attacks a straphanger, ripping a bag off her arm as she walks up some stairs. He smashes the bag to the ground and runs around the staircase, at which point police and other passengers finally take down the wild man.

He was arrested and taken to Lincoln Hospital for psychiatric evaluation. The officer who made the collar was sent to Jacobi Hospital with minor injuries.

Day 7 - A Song That Reminds You of a Certain Event

2011-05-07T22:44:00.001-04:00

My God!! This challenge is getting tougher! I connect every aspect of my life to a song so how am I supposed to pick just one song? But one event I vividly remember and think about every time I hear this song is when we watched the jump scene from the movie Dirty Dancing. My friend Karen L. and I would go to the pool every weekend to practice that jump! In the process, the two of us drank plenty of pool water. I wonder if all the water retention that's happening in my body is a cause of all that wonder?....

Dirty Dancing - The Time of My Life

http://youtu.be/WpmILPAcRQo

Day 6 - A Song That Reminds You of Somewhere

2011-05-06T23:22:00.002-04:00

Gosh! Looking at these videos make you realize how old you really are. Sugar Pie Honey Bunch is a song that reminds me of Abu Dhabi. Why? Well, when I was a child, my friends and I would listen to this Mini-Pops version and dance to it every weekend. It was almost a part of our ritual-to watch the Mini-Pops video cassette. (If those two words didn't make you feel older, then I don't know what would!) So now, every time I hear that song on my Ipod, or just plain anywhere, it just takes me back to Abu Dhabi.

So after reading all these posts, have I not said enough about Abu Dhabi and my childhood? Yeah Good TIMES!!!! In fact very good times!

Day 5 - A Song That Reminds You Of Someone

2011-05-05T13:57:00.002-04:00

Without naming any names and details. There is a person out there that makes me think of them on a daily basis. There are times when they seep into my mind the entire "25" hours of the day...

No I don't have any regrets. Life happens the way it happens for a reason and for the best. And whatever is meant to happen will happen.

Day 4 - A Song That Makes Me Sad

2011-05-04T14:26:00.002-04:00

Recently, I've been quite the emotional wreck due to so many things on my mind. Not being able to adjust to this new city; Dealing with mood swings by family, Parents falling ill. I thought moving from New York to a different city would change plenty of things of my life for the better. Although all my friends repeatedly told me that the change that I am looking for will not be in the city that I chose, I thought a city is a city. I admit they were/are right. Should I pack my bags and go back? or should I stick it out for a few more months/years? If I decide to leave this country, I can at least say that I at least tried. Granted I wasted a year trying, but its best tried than wondered. Anyways, after coming here, it has helped me decide a. the kind of people I would like to associate myself with, b. The type of countries I want to live in and c. is still work in progress. Once I can pen it down, I will share it with you.

So anyways, as I was saying that I was an emotional wreck, the song that scored my background music was Broken by Lifehouse. Every word in that song represented my state of mind. In fact, whenever I hear this song, whether it be on the radio or randomly on my ipod, it automatically reminds me of all the hard situations that I've had to face.

Nonetheless, it's a great song!

Broken By Lifehouse

Day 3 - A song that makes me happy!

2011-05-04T00:28:00.001-04:00

There are way too many songs that make me happy but if i had to pick one that makes me smile every time is Hey Mickey by Tony Basil. ok fine another song is Karma Chameleon by Culture Club.

These two songs are songs from a time of my childhood that I vaguely remember but know that those were the good times and I wish we were back in those times! We were all little living in Abu Dhabi and would eagerly wait for Wednesday to arrive. Tuesday evening we would start planning for the weekend. Even though, there weren't much to do, we still didn't complain. Life was soo simple then.

Here are the songs if you don't remember them

Karma Chameleon - Culture Club

Hey Mickey - Tony Basil

Day 2 - Your Least Favourite Song

2011-05-03T06:42:00.002-04:00

So I started writing this post early in the morning and it really had me stumped for the longest time! My Least Favourite Song! Which could it be...and then I thought back to my childhood and I found my answer. It is

Meatloaf - I would do anything for love

Why? When this song came out, we had just recently got MTV in Abu Dhabi as one of the first satellite channels that were being broadcasted from abroad. And so naturally, when you see something new other than Arabic cartoons, you get glued to it. However, soon enough, the channel found a way to get me disconnected to it.

They had a tendency of repeating 4 songs, as if there were no other songs out there. However, when this song was released, it was the only song that aired, month after month. After a while, MTV was like yet another arabic cartoon, only there would be new cartoons every week.

The song is probably a great song. It's just a pity that with my experience with it, I won't see it that way

Day 1 - Your Favourite Song

2011-05-02T01:44:00.002-04:00

My ULTIMATE favourite song is Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx.

I remember when I was a little girl, this song had just released and there was something about Richard's voice that just connected to me. You could feel his pain and all his emotions that just came out of his lyrics and chords. I used to sit quietly in the dark, listening to this song on the cassette player transcending my mind to a better place where there is only one person who understands me. It is my dear Richard Marx.

Enjoy my first song...

The 30-Day Music Challenge

2011-04-28T02:03:00.004-04:00

In the efforts of getting back into the swing of blogging again, I have decided to take upon the 30-day music challenge. A challenge where every day of the month, I will post a song based on the list provided below. The idea is to share a little bit about myself through music. But here is the twist. Well, my twist only because I like to be unique. Not only will it help me make sure to post at least one entry a day for the next few months, It'll be something different. Life is blah without music! So here goes...

The Challenge: 30-Day Music Challenge

Contender: Marketing Elite by day, Music lover by night

The Rules and Regulations:

Here are my changes:

1. The first month will consist of 30 songs that will be all in English.

2. The second month will consist of 30 songs that will all be in Hindi. (Third=Bangla, Fourth = Arabic, Fifth = English etc..)

3. I will give a short anecdote on why I chose this song and my connection to it.

So with that being said, here it goes...

The Annual Update!

2011-04-21T06:23:00.004-04:00

It's been a little bit over a year since I have posted something on my blog! Reason? Life!

But if you really are curious, here's what I have been up to.

1. I no longer live in NY! Yes! I have finally moved after 3-4 years of blogging about it.

2. Work has been daunting.

3. Experiencing this new city/country

4. Battling the balls that's been thrown at me every other month

a. major car accident

b. drugged by maids to steal 30k from my bag

c. Dengue fever

d. Father and mother falling ill

e. Traffic

5. Touring other cities in this country (aka. The Sunderbans, Cox's Bazaar)

6. ICC World Cricket Cup 2011 in Dhaka

7. Family pressures to getting married

and most importantly

8. Just didn't want to! sorry for being harsh but sometimes I have to be!

But without making promises, I'm back! Let's see how long this lasts!

love,

Youth Reality Hits Indian Television!

2010-03-14T22:03:00.007-04:00

Finally! After years and years of terrible soap operas with unnecessary scheming specifically between the in-laws and their Bahus or between the mistresses and the filthy rich manwhores' families (I say manwhore with all the love I have for weak men to fall into temptation), Yash Raj has finally smelt the new coffee and brought us two new brilliant shows called Mahi Way and Rishta.com. Over the years, Yash Raj has repeatedly given us films that epitomize on the notion of love can happen between anyone, anywhere at anytime, so it was only time that they poured their beliefs on to television. One fine day, I decided to spend time with my parents who without any failure sit in front of the TV everyday to watch their Indian Soap Operas. Ok I will admit that I did watch my share of Indian soaps but after a while, I realized that life was too short to watch these saas-bahu fights to which I couldn't relate to. And well more particularly refused to believe that real people were like that.

So why are these two shows brilliant? Apart from the fact that it doesn't include any of the melodrama, These shows connect with their target audience on a personal level and most importantly are REALISTIC! Ok..I admit, I am their target audience. I don't have a saas and I surely don't have

a bahu! The best part of the shows is that they show us how we can become a future bahu in the process to knowing and becoming a saas! Sort of...

So about the shows...

Mahi Way connects because here's an oversized girl who can't find the man of her dreams due to the bubble around her (no pun intended). Mahi's mother is worried that at age 25, with all her cushioning, she will not get married and so is

being forced to meet guys and accept their marriage proposal regardless of their shortcomings. After a huge outburst, she manages to make a deal with her mother that she can find the man of her dreams who will look beyond her chub, love and marry her for who she is. Granted a good portion of the show revolves around Mahi being overweight, it's actually more about one's insecurities getting in the way of their own dreams thanks to what the society wants us humans to be. We have a tendency to easily say than do. But when it comes down to it, when we just can't deal with our problems anymore, we blame it on someone and/or God for our shortcomings, that is if and when we see it as shortcomings. Why isn't one accepted for who they are as a person as opposed to what they look in the outside...Where is the beauty is skin deep saying hiding? Will Mahi find happiness like the rest of world? Let's watch and find out...

While Mahi is soul searching, we have another show on Sony that help the likes of Mahi find their soul-mate called Rishta.com. It's a show about a matchmaking bureau run by the hip and trendy generation Y as opposed to your 60-year old auntie-jee. Marriages are harder to work these days as the word compromise is almost falling off the dictionary when dealing with the institution called marriage.

There are more divorces today than their ever were. We live in a world where we don't have room or patience to stay married to a person who leaves the toilet seat up. Think about it? Ever thought of shooting your spouse at night when they are snoring away and you can't sleep because of the sound so you decide to go to the loo and then fall in your bowl because you expect a seat there? Shit happens... But beyond all that, these kids find the "right" qualities and get couples together. It's a show for cynics like me to believe that there is still hope out there in finding your one!!

With a comedic twist, these two shows mix in some reality for those who need a break from the exceeding make up, jewelry, vindictiveness and melodrama. Let's hope the saases and bahus of B-Telly town let them stay to provide entertainment to those normal ppl like us!

Check your local listings to find out when these shows air and Enjoy!

March 1st, 2010

2010-03-01T18:43:00.004-05:00

So although my last post says it was posted sometime in December, I actually finally finished it last week. And now that I'm finally done with it, I can finally talk about the other things that have been going about in my mind. But as I sit down to write about these thoughts, I can't seem to recollect any of them!! WTH!!! Is this the sign of old age? I mean seriously!! Wasn't it just yesterday that we were celebrating New Year's Eve and then Valentine's day? and now we are already in March?

Where is all the time going? can someone tell me?

The European Adventure, Chapter 2: Paris, Je T'aime!!

2009-12-20T02:05:00.032-05:00

So I've finally gotten around to writing about our next destination Paris!! Last I left off was that we were knackered from our trip to Bath, Windsor Castle and Stonehenge. Well, our trip to Paris first started off as rushing to the airport at the crack of dawn almost feeling that we were surely going to miss our flight. It felt like deja vu, probably because we were rushing the same way yesterday when we were trying to catch our day bus tour. It was chilly and partly cloudy. Secretly, hoping that our flight was delayed but of course it wasn't. Not only was our flight not delayed, we managed to get there with ample time to even grab a nice English breakfast at the airport lounge. I, as usual, got distracted by Burberry while my friend ran to the loo for the third time! Sadly enough, I didn't buy the watch I semi fell in love with because now we really needed to board our flight. Soon we did and off we were to the land of crêpes, French onion soup, boeuf bourguignon and well Tour Eiffel, Louvre and hot French men avec croissants et cafés.

Bonjour Paris!! We landed at Charles De Gaulle Airport and I kid you not, the gate we exited out the plane from was literally on the other side of the terminal from where we needed to exit and take the RER train from! After trying to manhandle the machines pour les billets (tickets) we gave up and stood in line to get our Paris Visite tickets which we later found out that the machines were not working. For those who don't know, the Paris Visite tickets are basically a ticket with unlimited rides of subway, buses, and RER trains-- the sweetest travel deal for any outsider! Once we got to our station we were convinced that even though Paris is known for its well-connected subway system, we knew they had to have some sick twisted sadistic mind to make every train track situated so far apart from each other within the train stations. It was probably our tiredness speaking and the fact that our luggage seemed heavier than it actually was at that very point but nonetheless the thought or observation if you will was just as correct.

We finally made it to our hotel, the Idéal Design Hotel. The ultimate minimalist hotel, one could ever find. The funniest was when we saw the size of the elevator. My friend, I and our suitcase barely fit through, though it was quite the squeeze. Now we're not big girls so I wonder what happens when a fat person comes through. Clearly they have to send the suitcase alone and then them alone otherwise there is no other option! We walked out of the elevator and was greeted by a hot handyman who directed us to our room. My friend and I couldn't stop smirking at each other because we both were thinking of how we've seen this scene play in front of our eyes in many movies or tv shows that were filmed in Paris or with a French guy period. We were amused that it was happening to us. Granted, we didn't break into a passionate kiss with the man but he nonetheless smiled and left. We plopped on the bed and took a 15 minute power nap before we headed out to experience Paris. After getting ready and seeing our handyman yet again because our hairdryer was genuinely not working, we finally hopped on the train and got off on Saint Michel to first get some lunch; We were starved!!!

We walked around the little alleys which were nestled with little restaurants but then finally found the one we liked. It was an open restaurant that allowed us to enjoy the warm weather but also people watch. We ordered our food with excellent pairings of wine which we later found that wine was cheaper in France than regular drinking water. Not complaining and thoroughly amused! We were in Paris, so we had to taste French wine! Our waiter complimented on our fine choice and chatted us up because we didn't look like we were from there. Luc was quite friendly, flirtatious and most importantly CUTE!! As we ate away our scrumptious lunch, (french food is by far one of the yummiest cuisine, probably because it's not shy of using BUTTA' and lots of it!) we were looking at the map trying to to plan of action as to where we were going to start and finish for the day. Luc pulled up a chair next to our table and helped us out!

Once we were done, we headed out to Notre Dame Cathedral. Absolutely exquisite and utterly speechless! The detail on all stained glass paintings and the carved sculptures kept my mouth shut and in awe for once. There was a sermon going on at the time we walked in, so we decided to take a moment and hear it even though my friend didn't understand a word of it since it was in French and only I understood French. We then prayed and made our wishes to God, which hopefully will be granted this new year, and walked out towards the grounds. But of course the turds that we are, and the fact that we were on vacation we had the urge of being silly, in other words the french would call stoopid Americains. My friend dared me to ask the information where the statue of the Hunchback of Notre Dame was located. I know...tres istoopeed but when you're on vacation, all is well...or how Aamir Khan says it in 3 Idiots, Aall izz well So after the Notre Dame, we trekked down the Seine River...and what a view... We walked and walked in search of the Eiffel Tower...and we walked....we saw all the side attractions the Petit Palais, Grand Palais, Concorde, Musee D'Orsay, Assemblée Nationale to name a few...

As we walked down Champs Elysee, we finally saw our first siting of the Eiffel Tower! So even though our feet were about to fall off from all that walking, immediately we got a burst of energy and excitement! We were on a mission to find the Eiffel Tower! We continued to walk and even managed to take several buses but still could not reach to the tower! Finally we just got off at one stop (thanks to my knowledge of French and being able to communicate with them) we got a block away from our destination. There it was standing pretty fully lit from top to bottom. As we crossed the bridge to get to it, we were followed by a smirking old man. Of course I noticed this and nonchalantly told my friend to walk faster no matter how much it pained to even walk at that moment. We got to the tower finally and was completely enamored! How can the French find it ugly!?!So intricate in its own way! Anyway we walked around and feeling our stomachs turning and craving for food we finally made our way to dinner back in St. Michel! We decided that it was going to be crepes night! We searched and found La Crêperie. If we could sum it in one word of how it tasted then it would be " mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" That's still a word! After it all, we barely made it to our hotel, showered and crashed immediately as we were heading to Versailles early next morning.

Once we were all ready the next morning, we picked up two small café au lait and croissants avec beurre (two small coffees and buttered croissants) and headed to the train that was going to take us to Versailles.

As beautiful as we thought the tower was, Versailles was breathtaking, and that adjective is an understatement of what it really was. Speechless!!!! Our tired eyes were awakened by its beauty and we hadn't even gone inside yet. It was 10 am and the lines were already long!! As we walked along the path of the palace from room to room, our eyes beamed through the windows looking at the vast endless gardens. If only we were there during the spring or summer time when the flowers were blooming!! But even then it was an attractive sight. After doing our rounds around the palace and buying gifts for the family, we headed back to the main city to finish the rest of our touring and most importantly have tea with the Mona Lisa!

We went straight to the Louvre and covered most of the museum in 4 hrs. It wasn't hard to find the Mona Lisa at first because not only were everyone going to see her, were surrounded by Calcuttans calling out in their heavily accented Bengali, "Dadaa!! Mona Lisa dekhben na!?! Uni bolechilo okhhaaney aachey!" (Translation: Brother, Wouldn't you like to see the Mona Lisa, He was saying it is over there!) Amused as we were, hearing bangla from aged ladies in their cotton saris and sneakers, we enjoyed being secretly directed to Da Vinci. There were so many stairs going up and down but managed to see the exhibits that were most important to us! Already our foot was swollen from all the walking and going up and down the stairs but we held strong and continued on. We took the bus from the Louvre and headed over to Montmartre to see Sacre Coeur. It was such a cute area...little alleys with cute stores and cafes. Yet again we were lost and walked endless to see the Sacre Coeur but every time we were on a mission to find what we were looking for, we were rewarded!!! From the top of the Cathedral, we could see the entire view of Paris. What a site it was and luckily we had reached just before sunset! There were music artists playing their guitars and the French accented songs of Michael Jackson. Soon enough I got a call from my old high school friend who just got out of work and will be meeting us for dinner around 9:30ish near our hotel as she lived close by and since we were still looking around, it just seemed ideal. We walked around even more at a slower pace this time to see Moulin Rouge. Of course, as we walked the street, we were hounded by even more sleazy men than we had already met during the past two days since we were there. That is one thing... French men have no fear or shame and full of confidence! If we were in the US, most men would think twice about randomly hitting on girls of the fear of rejection. Whereas Frenchmen, if they are rejected by one, they immediately move on to the next with even more perseverance. This trait of theirs was truly an amazing site to see. I would even call it a French attraction that should not be missed, but I guess it's something hard to miss anyways.

Soon after we returned back to the hotel, freshened up to meet my friend and her sister for dinner to which I found out that I was allergic to pork. How did I find that out when eating pork is against my religion and the fact that i find the smell slightly revolting? Well in the dark restaurant to what it seemed like a tomato was a thin slice of jambon (ham) that i had no idea of. Later, I was itching all over and found red splotches all over my hand. We couldn't figure out what it was from, so the next day when we went out again to meet my friends who were visiting from London for a day, I walked over and checked the menu on the wall and found that it had pork in it and i had no idea! Oh well now I will never be curious about pork anymore. We soon enough met our friends in St Michel yet again which became my friend and my favorite place for food and hang out. We had breakfast and then went off to continue with the sightseeing. Some as ever, each attraction was just as exquisite. but the best part of the day was when we went up the Centre De Pompidou and enjoyed a bottle of wine at Georges Restaurant and just as Sacre Coeur relished yet another panoramic view of Paris! What a sight it was. Our waiter was again very chatty and jokingly asked about our trip because clearly we were out-of-towners. Once we were done, we at the end of the day were girls so how could we come to Paris and not do some shopping, so off we were to drop some Euros! We went to the famous wholesale designer markets and got all the things we wanted. Bags and Shoes. This was one thing my friend and I noticed. Not a single female in Paris carried an ugly bag of which we see lots of in New York. Finally we capped our wallets for the night and headed our own ways. The Londoners headed back to London and we continued our touring of Paris. We walked around checking out the final important places that we wanted to catch this trip around knowing that we wont be able to capture the entire of Paris in one trip because at the end of the day we also wanted to relax and enjoy Paris as well! Waltzing around town, we were getting slightly hungry so we headed back to the hotel and explore for a restaurant nearby where we could just relax our last night there to which we did. We found the cutest restaurant to which i think had the best meal the entire trip so far. We stayed there for over 3 hrs just chatting and and reliving the three days that we had been there and of course had heart to heart and somewhat philosophical conversations about life and the future of our lives as to where we want to be and what we want in life. it was almost 1am and was surprised to see that the restauranteurs didn't even budge us out. If we were elsewhere I'm sure we would have been getting dirty looks well into our first our there! The culture there is to really enjoy life which is what we really talked about. We are all soo busy to go to the next stop that we hardly enjoy the day we are living in! We returned back exhausted from our day and plopped on the bed planning our final day in Paris as in the evening we had to catch our flight back to London which also meant soon enough we will be back in New York and our vacation would be over. For once, we woke up late, enjoyed a proper breakfast and headed back to St. Michel. We still had some sightseeing left over so we finished that and decided to end our trip with the ultimate dish that I refused to leave Paris without eating it. Boeuf Bourguignon... As we enjoyed our meal, the gentleman that was sitting next to us was enjoying his meal alone to which i know we both thought we would never be able to do it ever! Not only did he order what we had, he also ate a bowl of soup and a dessert and a cup of coffee and yet he was not fat. Where did all the food go behind that sharp suit he was wearing?? and he was there even longer time than we were, and no, he was not jobless either? He occasionally was looking at his blackberry and putting through deals! Can you imagine taking a 3 hour lunch break? Surely you'd be fired if you were anywhere else!?! We moved on and because we still had a few hours to kill, we decided to go on the boat ride. around the island! I recommend everyone to take that bus ride because not only was it exciting, it was relaxing, informative and most importantly scenic!!

After the ride, we headed back to our hotel and off we were to get to the airport and of course our train luck, there were some mechanical difficulties and as usual had to run for the terminal once we got there. We said our goodbyes to Paris where the immigration officer taught my friend her first french words. J'aimes Paris! YES...I truly J'AIMES PARIS! Julia Child once said, "France was my spiritual homeland: it had become part of me, and I a part of it, and so it has remained ever since. [It] reminds me that the pleasures of the table, and of life, are infinite — toujours bon appétit!"

Couldn't have said it better even though we were just there for four days. It was love at first sight and it was Paris that made a lover out of me forever...

À bientôt, j'espère!!

Edit: Because i didn't have much more to say on the conclusion of this trip i decided to combine my next post on the time in London here. Hope you guys don't mind!

The European Adventure, The Final Chapter: Back in London!

So as exhausted as we were, I still had a few more days before I had to head back to New York. The next day, the day I will never forget, came in a whirlwind. We stuffed our face with Nandos Peri Peri Chicken and the other fixins and off we were to do our necessity final shopping at Marks and Spencers. As always after marks & spencers we headed to the next store called Dune which is where my bag got stolen. All my prized possessions which included my recently acquired Bvlgari sunglasses, Ipod touch given by my friends, my friend's camera, phone, my disposable camera of all our Paris pictures were gone. This incident dampened the rest of my trip and erased all the good memories we had captured via our camera! The rest of the trip remained a little uneventful which i didn't mind because i was tired and just needed to relax catching up with friends that i didn't get to see when i first arrived in London! Oh well SHIT HAPPENS I guess...

The best of it all I guess was how cooperative the London Police was. Not only did they meaning Detective Michael called me to check on me several times, he called me in New York, in addition with a written letter, that they could not find the perpetrators and that he is having to close the case a month later...How sweet of him! What can I say but say C'est La Vie!

And now that I'm done recollecting this trip, i can now go back to writing all the things I've been meaning to write about all this while.

Imran Khan on "How to Win the War"

2009-10-23T11:05:00.003-04:00

I know another distraction but much needed post! Finally a man who knows what he is talking about...

Facebook

2009-10-17T10:56:00.003-04:00

Before I go back to writing about my Europe trip, I just had to share this!Recently, I've been feeling really iffy about Facebook. Almost to the point where I really want to deactivate myself from it. It's not entirely due to the fact that there is no sense of privacy in the network regardless of how much privacy settings you've altered. It's more of this whole "fake-friendshipism" that it creates. I've seen more fakeness from the moment people adding you to the silence you hear there on after. What's the point in adding then? But then i hear a story like this in the video below and it warms my heart.

As I see this video, I still wonder, is Facebook for me?

The European Adventure, Chapter 1.3

2009-10-15T19:06:00.007-04:00

Every once in a while, one needs to step back to think and come to the conclusion that they need a break. To step away from their comfort zone and get a fresh perspective on life, and well also, to appreciate the city they live in a little more. This is exactly how I felt when I left for London and Paris. I'm currently on day 3, and already got accustomed to all tube stations regardless of the weekend changes, although I will admit that it was partly because I met a girl on the replacement bus to Baker Street, who gave me her tube map. It's a funny story really. I asked her a quick question about which train to take to Hammersmith, since I was meeting my friend to watch the play Punk Rock, really funny and is a must-watch. So anyway we got to talking and she asked where I was from because my accent was a little mixed (part Brit and Americano). When I told her that I was from New York, she jumped and said she was going to be in NY for an internship. Instant connection. So I gave her a brief lowdown on the ins and outs of NYC. We exchanged numbers and come January, I will be meeting my very first tube friend from London in New York. Yes, there was one more but will share that much later.

When I recounted this story to my friend, while we waited for the second entry point, he couldn't believe how I could befriend a stranger on the train. Even though secretly I didn't know how I did it myself, but it just happened. (Side note: for those who are wondering what second entry point was, in London, once a show starts you have two more chances to get in and if you miss both chances, you’ve basically missed the entire show without a refund. I know, here in America, we are a little more capitalistic, call it generous or lenient if you will, that if you have a paid ticket, you can enter at any time during the show, quietly of course! But luckily I made it in time for the second entry point!) Anyways, he then shared that he was jealous of the fact how he hears stories like this but can never have the guts to do it himself. What can I say, I'm a natural, or maybe that the very trait I tease my mother about, I found myself committing the same... Am I becoming like my mother? So soon?

After the play and realizing that I haven't had a meal since Nando's for lunch the day before, filling this utter starvation feeling was becoming quite important. Yet, distraction by a wholesale bookstore got us to our lunch destination much later. We ended up in Chinatown at a restaurant I can't remember the name of but recall that it rhymed with something like feng shui. I know it's terrible of me considering how good the food was but seriously I can't remember. We then walked around oxford circus and just enjoyed the rest of the evening because the next day, the friend with whom I was staying with, was throwing a bhorta party and as much as I wanted to save my freshly manicured nails, I was tricked into being the chef for the successful night that it turned out to be in the end. Mind you, the next early morning, my NY friend and I were going to head for our jam packed day trip to Windsor Castle, Bath, and Stonehenge. My New Yorker travel buddy finally joined us at the crack of dawn, and poor thing had to deal with the disastrous tube changes as soon as she landed in London which of course would damper anyone’s mood but was soon enough regained when she saw our familiar faces and when we were in Camden Market for lunch. Camden Market is like a bustling hippie area with a lot of shopping and food stalls; a really fun joint and a quintessential avenue where London meets the rest of the world. I recommend all of you to go there when you get a chance to visit London. Soon enough after a scrumptious meal we walked around for a bit to burn off the calories we just gobbled and hurried back to start cooking for the said successful bhorta party.

The next early morning, a.k.a. crack of dawn, I hurriedly woke up to the alarm on my iPod that didn’t ring because I forgot that my iPod was in NY time and not London time (bless the body alarm) and somehow we managed to gather ourselves and rush to Victoria Coach station. Half asleep, all we could think of was coffee, so when we reached there we saw nothing but Starbucks even though there was a Costas right there. So the American that we are, instead of trying some European coffee, we forgot to look left or right and ran to "our nearest Starbucks location", where we did get to see some yummy items apart from what Starbucks had to offer. Heeheehee... Yes distraction yet again but soon after we were running to get to our tour bus which of course had to be on the other side of where we were. We barely made with 2 mins to spare after having to run to the smelly loo which we had to pay for. What's the point in taking money if you can't make it a point to make it smell like peaches n cream?? Anyway, we finally made our tour bus with the funniest tour guide ever. Before I delve into the intricacies of our trip, I have to recommend Evan tours to everyone reading this blog. You can find them on their site or aviator.com because this trip was worth every penny.

Off we were to Windsor Castle first which is known to be the largest inhabited and longest occupied castle in the world by a royal family. How cool was that!! Apparently it is the queen's summer home. Side note: As I find myself to be no less important than any royalty, having a castle as summer home would be quite nice. Actually having a maid and a butler in an any-size home would be just as divine. We strolled around the castle looking at all the bedrooms and the offices. Apparently the only reason the castle started providing castle tours was because they needed to raise money to repair the burnt tower and well cover the expenses... You would think the queen wouldn't be soo cheap but when we heard the damages cost it was quite exorbitantly unreal. We looked at our watch and realized that we had just enough time to grab some lunch and head back to the bus and be off to our next destination, Bath. Funny story. So when I told my friend about the day trip I booked for us and that it included a trip to Bath, she thought I was going to take her to see an exclusive shower...loll she didn't know it was the name of a famous city known for its roman baths dated back to 43 AD. It was quite hilarious pulling her leg about it. So off we were and of course luck would have it one of tour members realized that they had left their really expensive camera back somewhere in the castle. How can one be so careless to leave a camera behind especially when you're on such a picturesque tour!! So lo and behold we had to turn around and were already 30 mins behind because some people didn't understand the meaning of being back by the time we were asked to. FYI don't ever be late on these tours because the amount of beef the tour guide gave the couple and openly made fun of them which was quite embarrassing for them but funny for us. The drive to bath was so scenic that as much as I wanted to take a quick powernap I just couldn't. I was just mesmerized with the vast quintessential European greenery and well the size of British cows. These cows made our Bangladeshi massive cows look anorexic and malnutritioned... I was just in total disbelief with the size…. I’m still in shock….

Finally two hours later, we arrived at Bath and the very second we entered the main town area, literally it felt like we just walked into a painting. This city was sooo pretty that we already started planning our nonexistent married lives being settled there especially when we drove around Nicholas Cage's home. LOL!! But really Bath was nestled on top of many hills and the valley of River Avon and boys and girls there are no words to describe how riveting the view was! We then walked around the King’s Bath which was the principal source of Bath’s hot waters. Apparently you could taste the water in the Grand Pump Room but the water inside looked soo disgusting and shady that we decided to skip it and just stick to our Marks & Spencer Evian bottle. Because it was such a beautiful city, my friend and I were convinced that people just lived here to just enjoy the view and well life because why would anyone want to work there? But apparently it’s a large service sector with growing information and communication technologies and creative industries as well…who knew?!? We soaked as much of Bath as we could while enjoying our cappuccino and dessert at Café Rouge, a very cute French bistro. What can I say; we were getting ourselves ready for Paris the next day. We headed back to our bus, the tiredness slowly creeping on us, and off we were to see Stonehenge.

What can I say about Stonehenge?? I will admit that I was really excited to go there especially after seeing this documentary on it on the National Geographic Channel. But when we got there and heard that we’d be staying there for 45 mins, I kind of felt a little let down. I expected more from it and in the end it was just set of rocks. As sad as it sounds but it was. Maybe it was my tiredness speaking or what but it was quite blah. In a way I was glad that I didn’t do a special Stonehenge tour but expected more from the heritage site; maybe more guides or information, even though I knew quite a lot about it on my own. In fact, I wished we spent more time at Windsor and bath instead and maybe spent 25 mins at Stonehenge because everyone was clearly done seeing the site in 10. Finally we were done as hit the bus and as soon as we sat down, we were out. Nap time because we were meeting my aunt and uncle who were also visiting from Dubai for dinner at Garfunkels for fish and chips! I know we could have gone to a better and more authentic place but it was just convenience at that point. We freshened ourselves at Selfridges where of course I ran in to a fellow New Yorker. Yes, it’s official. Either I know too many people or too many people know me. My brother-in-law would argue that it’s a bit of both and more of the latter. Finally we got some fish and chips into a stomach with of course some stellar company because we laughed and laughed as we recounted our stories from since we last met. We finally reached our friend’s place, showered, packed for Paris the next day and soon enough caught up with all our zzzs while dreaming of the Eiffel Tower and Gilles Marini….or well maybe just I did.

Hope you’ve enjoyed so far and are hungry for more…don’t fret I will be back with Chapter 2: Paris very soon…or shall I say tous de suite….A Bientot mes amis!

Home Sweet Home

2009-10-07T09:45:00.001-04:00

Hi Boys and Girls!! I know I promised you guys that I would give a daily account of how my trip went. But let's just say that it has been soo eventful that by the time I reached either home (aka friend's pad) or hotel, I was soo beat that I didn't have much energy to type. But fear not..I am now waiting for my mini london cab to pick me up and take me to the airport. Soon I will be back in the comfort of my own bed and computer and will dish all...till then...A bientot mes amis! Je vous ecris tout de suite!

Europe 2009 - Day 2

2009-09-25T19:19:00.003-04:00

Ok its 1230 at night and I was supposed to be partying with my friends right now but this afternoon i was feeling soo ill and jetlagged that i slept and I just woke up. Nothing is really coming out of me now. so here i am posting a random and useless post. However, looking forward to spending time with friends and going to watch a play. I'm going to have to start making plans with all my friends.

oh well...My update is that I am loving this London weather. Sunny with VERY light breeze! I got my eyebrows done by a Turkish lady and it looks great!!
Next stop hair cut....maybe....

Till tomorrow! Adios mi Amigos! Yes I had Nando's today and the Peri Peri Chicken Extra extra Hot was sinfully brilliant!

Europe 2009 - Day 1

2009-09-24T18:44:00.005-04:00

The countdown comes to an end and I have finally arrived in London, whilst my friend from NY will be joining me on Sunday. Just like many others who blog about their exotic adventures, I have decided to blog about mine. Destinations for this trip are London and Paris. I finally finished packing literally 10 mins before I had to leave at the latest and barely got some dinner to eat so that I wouldn't have to force myself to eating overpriced and gross airport Mcdonalds food. Finally, all my luggages were kept in the trunk and off we were to the airport. My flight was at 1120 pm and it was already 845. Yes running slightly late.

As we approached the airport, I clearly saw that terminal 1 was for American Airlines only to find out that American Airlines was not in terminal 1. It was already 940 and my father scared me that I might miss my flight as we headed towards to an area that similarly looked like shady noman's land....We finally found our way back to the terminals and found that I misread Aeroflot for American Airlines and that it was in Terminal 8 and not 1. I finally entered, and checked in by just scanning my passport and all my details popped up. this new system is quite cool. Printed the suitcase tags and off were my suitcases to head on the plane. As we boarded, I faintly saw that a crying kid was 4 rows down from me..OH lord!! Did I jinx myself by saying that I always have a good experience with AA??? Anyways, thank God for inflight movies and extra high volume! I started to watch My Sister's keepers and was miraculously able to drain out the screaming and wailing. God sometimes I JUST HATE KIDS! (Side note: My Sister's Keeper is a beautiful movie! and yes I cried in the plane)

Midway watching the movie, the captain had informed us that we will be reaching London 20 mins earlier than as planned. and I thought not bad, I can run to the loo, take my time, beautify myself and then come out of customs and baggage claim looking like I wasn't hit by a bus like most passengers do when coming out of the arrivals. I watched the entire movie as I devoured the surprisingly delicious chicken lasagna. Still not feeling completely sleepy, I started to watch this other movie which seriously I can't remember the title right now and honestly I dont think anyone should even bother to remember. It was with the main duo actors from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Like seriously, it was soo bad that it just knocked me out. Finally I woke up moments before we landed and believe it or not I came to find that not only did we arrive 20 mins earlier, we were landing at London Heathrow Airport 1.5 hrs earlier. My phone didn't work nor did my aunt pick up her Phone calls. I basically had to wait there for 3 hrs, until my aunt showed up.

As I exited the baggage claim area to meet my aunt and cousin, I was thoroughly surprised that for a change I saw more white people than brown compared to the last time I was here. Last time, I literally felt that instead of arriving in London, I had landed in some part of India. Anyways, I'm wondering if it's just me or do I actually look more Arab these days or what?!? While I was waiting at the Meeting Point are, 3 different Arabs came up to me asking for the time or directions in Arabic. Maybe it's just london, I say this as I recall several other incidents in New York and Dubai Airport. Funny thing, the last time I was in London strolling down Edgeware Rd with my fellow brown friends, I was instructed to hang out with other Arabs instead of brown people. Little did they know I was brown myself. They were in disbelief when I told them what I was! It was quite amusing the whole incident. Anyways, I finally made it to my friend's place and immediately devoured my aunt's biryani. Apart from the baburchis of Bangladesh, she makes it the best, outside of bangladesh.

The moment of truth was to now pass the jetlag test. I refused to fall asleep now so, we headed out to hit London town. Walked around the streets of Leicester Square towards Covent Garden. Sat down at this nook and cranny coffee shop to have fine European coffee. It's beyond me why Americans drink and make such shitty coffee!!! I endulged myself to a proper machiato. Divine!
After a long flights journey, I was finally in bliss with my caffeine intake. We then strolled around the streets as I engulfed London town and being whisked around by the London fall breeze, I realized how much I missed it. If only this weather was all year round!

Soon enough, we reached Sandersons Patio, which is a very cute lounge nestled in a hotel. The ambience was nice and felt like we were sitting outside in a patio. Similar to La Bottega at the Maritime Hotel, NY. Had a virgin Martini with Lychees and Chillies. It was quite tasty. As my friend and I caught up even though we had seen each other 2 weeks before in New York, we relaxed and took a few pictures, which is when my body was telling me to call it a night. it was already 8pm. I managed to last this long. After walking around all over Oxford Circus etc, we took the bus and headed home. I showered, we had yet another mouthwatering meal and soon enough I drifted off to my ZZZsss...I'm now awake and writing at 3am, jetlagging away and thinking of what to do...

I hope you enjoyed my first post from London and will be looking forward to reading more...

Till my next post, Lots of Love!!!

Fallen Souls of 2009

2009-09-15T00:08:00.003-04:00

Is it just me or have you peeps noticed that too many legends have passed away this year! I'm sure it's like this every year but I guess what I'm trying to say that people with bigger names and larger than life characters have passed away and surprisingly all around the same time!!! Michael Jackson, Farah Fawcett, Ed Kennedy, Bea Arthur, Ed McMahon, Billy Mays and many more! Anyway, I didn't really have a long post ready for this, but just wanted to point it out that soo many people are leaving us....and sometimes it makes me think, are we all coming to an end soon?

A prayer to all the departed souls...

http://www.whosdatedwho.com/celebrities/people/list/celebrity-categories.asp?FD=yod&ID=2009

USOPEN TENNIS!

2009-09-02T06:42:00.004-04:00

It's September 2nd 2009 and it's already day 3 at the US Open Tennis Championship!So who are we looking out for this season. Well for the Men's Tennis, immediately I'd say Roger Federer. He is my current favorite. But boys and girls guess what!!! Rafa is back!!!!! And I can totally sense that the fight this time is going to be harder for all the big boys!! Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Roddick, Murray etc...have many new guns to battle with. Monfils, Witten etc.. The new guys have matches after matches to check out what the big boys' weaknesses which I guess becomes the ultimate test if the big leagues are meant to remain there!

Amongst the girls, of course we all expect the Williams sisters to be them warrior selves though i prefer the eastern European girls because even though they screech more, they seem more female like!! I know it sounds mean but hey, if I look like a skinny midget next to a woman, clearly something is not natural there! lol But the woman underdog I will be rooting for this season is Natalie Oudin!!! (As a joke, we pronounce her name as UDDIN..dont know why but it's just funny!)

So anyways, Hope you kids are enjoying the US OPEN season and hope to see some of you there on the courts!!!!

But before I call it a day with this blog entry, I say final championship matches with

M: Federer vs Monfils or Murray

F: Oudin vs. Williams

Bets anyone?

It's the Final Countdown!

2009-08-31T13:59:00.003-04:00

My friend and I are finally booked to make a trip out to Europe! I fly out September 23rd and she flies out September 26th! The trip starts in London! Let's see where else this trip takes us!!!!

MySpace Countdowns

Single??

2009-08-28T12:42:00.003-04:00

The reason why some girls stay single....

The story is this: a girl was out with friends having drinks on King St (in Toronto). This guy approaches her and won't leave her alone -saying how cute she is. She finally gives in and hands the guy her business card to get rid of him. The attached is an MP3 file of not one, but TWO voicemails this guy left. This goes down in the history books - especially the second voice mail. After hearing them you can clearly see why she didn't call him back - instead she called in to the Z103.5 morning show & had them play this on the air.

Ladies: He is out there... :)

Mohammed Hamaki

2009-08-25T21:32:00.004-04:00

Every few weeks, I go through these phases where I have to listen to every Arabic song I have and well also search for new. These bursts usually come out when I miss home! Yes, the good ol' UAE. Earlier this year I was bellydancing to Nancy Ajram's El Dounia Helwa which in my opinion is a fab tune and the chick is hot...(ahem: Boys and a few girls out there, she surely is eye candy!). But now i'm addicted to Mohammed Hamaki's tunes! His songs are equally as hot as he is!!!

Check out his music courtesy of Youtube and his picture courtesy of google search!

Mesh Maool

We Aftakrt

2009-08-19T23:39:00.002-04:00

So I've been sick since Saturday and basically since then, I've had limited internet or computer activity since then. Well until today. I felt slightly better today so as opposed to staying hours and hours in front of the computer when i am normal and then barely staying a total of maybe 15 mins per day since Saturday, I've managed to stay for as long as an hour and already I've started to get a headache!

I hate Sinus pressures...I'm actually thinking that I should get referred to an ENT specialist. If you guys know of any, do let me know!

Another thing that i noticed in my limited brain function for the past couple of days that since my lack of interaction with fellow friends and etc....my blog hasn't been getting much hits....does that mean i always have to be on my toes? Can't ppl come to check on me on their own???

Yes im in the mood to nag and demand some love...it's allowed when you are sick!!!

Seriously what's up with that people?

How Michael Jackson can never be a cheater!

2009-07-29T12:30:00.003-04:00

Today my friend and I were chatting online, and we came up with the theory that Michael Jackson can never cheat on his significant other...He just wouldn't know how to.
He: Hey you!
Me: Hi!
He: I was listening to this song and it made me think of you so I'm dedicating it to you
Me: Konta?
He: Michael Jackson - Girlfriend

Me: Boyfriend? What boyfriend?
He: haha...
Me: And what are we doing? You're gay!!

I'm going to spare you peeps from the rest of the conversation but we came up with this theory because if you read the lyrics, it screams of a taddle-tale. And it's not just this song, there are several songs out there that promote the devoted lover image. Not that either of us are promoting infidelity but we're just saying that if any of you randomly go to a high end lounge and u come across Michael, you couldn't have an affair with him especially if you have a significant other... though I wonder who would hide the fact that they had an affair with Michael Jackson!!!! Ok fine many of you would probably dump your current to be his girlfriend but what if you had to choose between MJ and Bono...who would you choose??

Yes, I'm on crack and am talking rubbish...this is exactly why im not posting the conversation. It's usually how our conversations go...full of rubbish! But you do see our point right???

Here are lyrics to the song:

Michael Jackson - Girlfriend

Girlfriend
I'm Gonna Tell Your Boyfriend (Yeah)
Tell Him (Woo Hoo)
Exactly What We're Doin' (Yeah)
Tell Him What You Do To Me
Late At Night When The Wind Is Free

Girlfriend
I'm Gonna Show Your Boyfriend (Yeah)
Show Him (Woo Hoo)
The Letters I've Been Savin' (Yeah)
Show Him How You Feel Inside
An' How Love Could Not Be Denied (Oh No)

We're Gonna Have To Tell Him
You'll Only Be A Girlfriend Of Mine
Do-Doot-Do, Etc.

We're Gonna Have To Tell Him
You'll Only Be A Girlfriend Of Mine

Girlfriend You Better Tell Your Boyfriend (Yeah)
Tell Him (Woo Hoo)
Exactly What We're Doin' (Yeah)
Tell Him What He Needs To Know
Or He May Never Let You Go

We're Gonna Have To Tell Him
You'll Only Be A Girlfriend Of Mine
Do-Doot-Do, Etc.

We're Gonna Have To Tell Him
You'll Only Be A Girlfriend Of Mine
Do-Doot-Do, Etc.

Classic Hindi Film Songs

2009-07-22T18:48:00.003-04:00

Earlier last week, a friend of mine had updated her status on facebook asking everyone to share their favorite old Hindi song titles with her so she could build her old Hindi music collection. Although I gave her a title, it made me really think of which is my ultimate favorite old Hindi song. I came to the realization that it is just simply impossible! It's like asking which of your children is your favorite. You just simply can't choose. So I decided that I would share some of my favorites with you guys! I will try to link a youtube video to it so you can listen as well but you know how hard it is sometimes to find old songs...Just click on the titles that link up and you can listen...

Playlist.com

2009-07-14T16:57:00.002-04:00

Those of you who have been reading my blog, Thank you! The comments and suggestions in my inbox are really great! And Really thank you for all the feedback I've been getting on the music I have going on my blog! Playlist.com is a great feature...and all you bloggers should get it! There have been instances when my ipod died and i had my blog/playlist.com to save me because as you know, my life without music is just beyond comprehension. They say silence is golden. Yes to some sounds it is golden but for the most part I can't think of any waking moment where I prefered silence to music.

I enjoy being a portable boombox with discretion. I don't walk down the streets with a boombox on my shoulder blasting my music. I let my ipod do it on my headphones.

Breaking the Hiatus!

2009-07-14T15:31:00.002-04:00

It is Tuesday 14th July, 2009 and I've finally sat on the computer to write a blog entry. All this while, I would write a sentence and then lose motivation or attention and then move on to doing something else which at that moment seemed more interesting. So this entry is just to say to all you readers that my mojo is back...especially after being dissed for not writing a recent post.

Sorry! Why? because I've noticed that every 3rd of 4th post is of me writing that I'm back to posting again and then I disappear again. Although, I can't make too many promises but I really am going to try more to write often.

Cheers!!

The Man Ring

2009-05-08T22:56:00.001-04:00

With so many friends getting married, topic of the ring always seems to come up. How much should one spend on a ring? 2 months salary they say....But that's just for the woman's ring. What about the Man's ring? Now I personally just like the platinum solid band look but nowadays I'm noticing that men are pulling off rocks...not the little diamond dots but the big rocks...Is it just me or is that just too girlie?? The other day, a friend of ours got married and funnily enough instead of looking at the girl's ring, all of us were busy looking at his. The rock was huge! Or maybe it just seemed huge because it was on a guy's finger but even then! So peeps, what do you think is appropriate for a man to carry off?

The college rings seem ok but are you ok with them carrying a 2 carat ring as opposed to u carrying off one? I wonder....I really wonder....

Oblivion

2009-04-29T00:44:00.007-04:00

After finishing her days work, quietly she sits on the bed all curled up. As she paints her toe nails with a shade of vermilion, merrily she hums the tune playing in the background. The music, bleeding into her body with every gun shot beat, somehow relaxed her. She always looked forward to this very moment where she would be waiting for his return with a piping hot and delicious meal on the table to celebrate their newest union. The newlywed smoke was seeping into her breathing space which is when she realized that her dish was probably overdone. Rushed to the kitchen, she was on a mission to save her dinner with her husband, the man she hardly knew and yet loved unconditionally nonetheless.

Caught up with her surroundings, the muted television with the army marching on screen did not connect with her. Bodies were being taken out for identification to the many families crying their wits out. Earlier, she was watching an action movie and assumed it was another war movie that had started. The high-pitched voice in the next song startlingly synchronized with what was showing on TV, she thought. Although this made her slightly feel uneasy, the continuous thought of being in her husband's loving arms in less than two hours relaxed her and continue to delve into oblivion.

She was a woman in true divine love; the love she craved for since the time she couldn't even remember. Her dream had finally come true. At that very moment, while lost in her own dream, the music stopped and she looked down to see that she had forgotten to finish painting her nails. Love being the new house guest in her soul, she couldn't stop herself from thinking of him. The sound of the door bell startled her and with utter excitement she jumped for joy so much that she didn't realize that she had spilled the nail polish all over her outfit. She hurriedly changed while the bell continued to buzz profusely. She was soo happy that her husband was finally home desperately wanting to see as she did that day, that she skipped to the door. Little did she know that after all this anticipation, she was about to open the door of loneliness yet again and that oblivion of the cries from the television screen earlier was at her doorstep to haunt her for the rest of her life...

The Men That Flutter My Heart!

2009-04-23T01:41:00.010-04:00

Chatting with my aunt, uncle and mom, the topic of my wedding plans came up (of course). Yes, my dear family, I would like to get married but not to any random bloke. Then of course, they asked me what kind of man I would like...and it made me think...I knew what I didn't like, which I did mention to them...So then it made me think...of all the guys I've dated/liked, including celebs...what are the commonalities between them?

I'm going to post pictures of male celebs that I like and maybe you can help me come up with a logical answer of the type of guy i like...so much for all those random and stupid quizzes on facebook and elsewhere...

1. Salman Khan

2. Hugh Jackman

3. Simon Baker

4. Hugh Grant

5. Matthew McConaughey

6. George Clooney

7. Dermott Mulroney

Got any ideas? If any of you can find me a man that fits all of these men's qualities then I will always love you!

The End of An Era - Le Souk CLOSED...or is it?

2009-04-20T10:17:00.004-04:00

So this past weekend, I was at a friend's house just talking about the many randoms out there and lo and behold the biggest shocker came up! Le Souk is CLOSED! Not WAS but IS!! Based on reflexes, my initial reaction was, "April Fools was two weeks ago, you're a bit late," but believe it or not, it was. Apparently more than one person heard it from various sources. At that very moment, I felt something truly devastating had just happened to me! How can Le Souk be closed!?!

My friends and I have had the fondest and funnest moments there!! And it's always packed so it clearly can't be the recession. After a weekend of being in complete denial, Sunday night, when I was rooting around due to sheer boredom, I decided to Yelp it. Yelp, Clubplanet, Google all confirmed the news. It was closed!!!

Posts like these were floating all around

NEWS: LE SOUK CLOSED
"the placed has been shut down by the IRS and ABC for countless violations. the owners marcus and sameh jahcob are also facing criminal charges!"

Something had died in me yet again. Days before, I was looking forward to telling everyone that I was going to celebrate my birthday at Le Souk and today I hear it's gone. Still in disbelief, I still picked up my phone, scrolled down to the letter L and hit call. It was RINGING! and went to voice mail. With my fingers crossed, I left a message.

It was Monday, still dreary from the news, I sat down to check my email and in the corner of my eye I see my phone flashing with a voicemail beep. Who could it be? I dialed in and the sound of her voice made me smile from one end of my cheek to the other!! Le Souk is NOT CLOSED! I mean not closed for business but closed for renovation!!! As I was done checking my message, she called back!! We spoke, it's official...Le Souk is not closed you morons!

I instantly started living again...I was jumping for joy! One of my places are back! Not that it was gone anywhere but its back in to my life! More hope for more fond memories!

Woohoo!!

Boyz II Men Waltzed Back Into My Life

2009-04-14T10:36:00.004-04:00

It almost got to me with the fact that I had almost forgotten about the highly musically talented Boyz II Men. When I saw them on Dancing With The Stars last week, it brought back soo many fond memories. Where were they all this time?? They were...I mean, THEY ARE...so talented, why did they ever disappear?? Though I did notice that Michael wasn't part of the quatro anymore! A little birdie said that he had to quit because of chronic back pain...hmm...couldn't he still have sung? I guess I just miss his deep voice. What can I say, I'm a sucker for deep voices. Anyways, the point of journal was to bring back Boyz II Men back into your lives as it came back to mine. Until the next post, here, listen to some of their tracks I absolutely LOVE.

P.S.- Go buy their album titled "Motown - A Journey Through Hitsville USA"

End of the Road

On Bended Knee

Water Runs Dry

I'll Make Love To You

Song For Mama

4 Seasons of Loneliness

One Sweet Day ft. Mariah Carey

Music That Is About Me! -- Let's Party

2009-03-22T12:32:00.003-04:00

RULES:
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Tag x no. of friends.
5. Everyone tagged has to do the same thing.
6. Have Fun!

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?

Baat Pakki Remix - Just Married

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?

Breathe - Télépopmusik

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?

Butterfly - Talvin Singh (ok this makes no sense whatsoever)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?

Dancing Queen - Abba

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?

Every Breath You Take - UB40

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead - Bon Jovi

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

Lebanese Belly Dance - Debkeh Mix

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?

Someone Like You - Van Morrison

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

Roja Jaaneman - Roja.... hahahahaha if only I had a jaaneman...maybe it's more lack of one that im seeking one...

WHAT IS 2+2?

Chapel of Love - Dixie Cups

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?

Kasme Vaade - Kasme Vaade

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

Saawariya - Saawariya

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

Love Generation - Bob Sinclair

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

The Way I am - Ingrid Michaelson

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

Dekha Hai Tujhe Yaar Dil Mein Baji Guitar - Apna Sapna Money Money (HAHAHA)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

Tu Meri Dost Hai - Yuvraaj

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?

Save the Last Dance For Me - Michael Bublé (This is soo coincidentally true...I love this song!)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

Tere Bin - Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

Twist and Shout - Chaka Demus and the Pliers

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

Disco Deewane - Nazia Hassan

WHATS THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?

Jag Soona Soona Lage - Om Shaanti Om

HOW WILL YOU DIE?

Breathing- D'alt Vila - Tiesto

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?

Right Here Waiting - Richard Marx

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?

Music Jew - Futhman

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?

More than Words - Extreme

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?

Kisi Din - Adnan Sami

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?

Empty Hands - Karsh Kale

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?

Bahon Ke Darmiyaan - Khamoshi

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

With or Without You - U2

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?

Osad Aieny - Amr Diab

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?

Let's Party - God Tussi Great Ho

MY TV

2009-03-19T03:22:00.005-04:00

So I go on vacation and come back to find out that most of the shows I watch are canceled? Like WTF?!?! I was soo looking forward to coming back to Eli Stone!

Over the past year, I got accustomed to a few shows and now they are all gone....TV is dying my friends!!!

Canceled shows:
Eli Stone
Big Shots
Cashmere Mafia
Notes from the Underbelly

There is literally nothing to DVR anymore!!! damn it!

Shouldn't the big wigs send us out an email saying I'm sorry we are not airing this anymore, and giving us a reason while at it, instead of just cutting us dry?

Anyhoo, so I really like My Boys...It airs on USA TV and I totally think they should bring it to the major networks and actually have more than 5 episodes per season. Granted it's on the summer TV schedule...hmmmm....

Anyways, so now I watch: Brothers and Sisters, Gossip Girl, Two and a Half Men, Castle (not bad..the guy is cute), Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice

I think it's time they say good bye to Grey's Anatomy. As much as I love watching the McDreamies and McSteamies the story is just going under...they should retire that show now and bring back the ones I listed above...HELLO ABC...are you hearing me?

ps. the star cast of Dancing with the stars is soo lame...its not worth it anymore.

Reflexology

2009-03-17T13:00:00.004-04:00

During my stay in Dubai this winter, I met a reflexologist who not only made me a believer but also hooked. In the early part of my trip while I was in Dhaka, I was not up to my mark. I was constantly ill and well it was a first for me in this degree. It had almost come to the point that I was going to cancel my Dubai trip and just head back to NY. But of course I didn't. So when I got there, I was just discussing with my friend about how ill I was in Dhaka that she immediately told me to meet her reflexologist. And I did; I figured I didn't have much to lose and that in worse comes to worst case scenario I could just see it as an hour long foot massage...

So her whole deal was that she was going to come in and by massaging the various pressure points in my foot, she will be able to diagnose and cure all the problems I have in my body. The logistics behind reflexology is that all the blockages in your body that create these problems, whether if it is diabetes, Irritable Bowel Syndrome or just a mere headache all lead to the feet. So by just massaging, squeezing, or pushing parts of the feet, sometimes hands and ears, it can actually heal your body. Of course it has yet to be scientifically proven hence the reason it's known as alternative medicine.

In the beginning, I will admit that I was slightly nervous. Did I really want to know what I had/have? Yes...was I ready to take care of it? Probably Not...

So after talking to this lady, and getting my foot massaged, I literally felt rejuvenated and within moments after my first treatment, I was feeling much better! Was it a fluke? I think not. I was actually enjoying myself!!! So I found out what I had...travel bug...which was good...I needed a detox....But the scary part was, she was able to detect my family health history and if I follow a certain path, I may also get it and hence she offered remedies that I can use to prevent it from happening...Cool isn't it in a way. That's what got me hooked and especially after seeing how my friends swear by it too...Friends it's definitely worth a try.

So all in all after all that...sorry decided to not share the gory details, I've returned to New York, got myself to my nearest Barnes and Noble and bought my very own first book on Reflexology.

Coming from a person who hates medicines...it's a great relief...anything I can cure naturally, I'm all for it!!!

"Kabool, Till Death Do Us Part"

2009-02-16T14:03:00.011-05:00

As we progress into the world with many advances in various aspects of our lives, at times I question myself if we really are moving forward and whether this progress is for the good or the bad? Let's look at the basic institution of marriage, a practice that has been exercised since before time. Marriage? How has it changed? My oh my, has it changed from when our parents started to get married. Just for the record, this post is not going to be of a femi-nazi one where I just focus on how women have advanced in general, or nor is it going to be an IT geek post where I focus on how technology has really gone above and beyond.

Back in the day, if you think about it, making a marriage last for 50-60 years was key and the norm. Then, the couples barely knew each other prior to the wedding night. Heck, I know many who didn't even meet their spouses until they were supposed to consummate their I Dos, (Our grandparents and their contemporary) and yet their marriages have lasted for 30+ years. If my grandfather was alive today, they would be celebrating their 67th wedding anniversary this year...

Today it seems that a couple should receive a gold medal if they can even make it to 5 years, forget the 10 years...it's come down to 5 now. It amazes me when couples really get heartfelt congratulations when they celebrate every milestone anniversary. Actually it scares me more than amazes me that of all the weddings that I have attended in the last let's say 5 yrs, about 95% of them have ended in divorce in less than one year of marriage. In fact a good number of them called it quits within the first 3 months!!! 3 months?!?! Yes! 3 months is nothing if you think of it. Time flies like no tomorrow these days. It seems you spend more time prepping for the whole wedding shebang than actually give a chance to the marriage. As a joke, I was telling my friends that the new milestone anniversary should be the first 6 months. The other day, I was yapping with my cousin in Bangladesh, who every time I speak to asks me when I am going to visit, and I was telling her that I was just there a year ago. We debated this issue for a good 10 mins only to find that it has been over 2 yrs already that I've been to Dhaka!! (Side note: I need to go visit!) I just couldn't believe how fast the time flew!! Forget that, I can't even believe that the young me is going to attend my 10th High school reunion in October this year! Ok I'm going off tangent. But my point is that if time really flies so fast, how are these marriages lasting less than 3 months? That's like saying, if you were to compare, these marriages are lasting only a week. I just don't get it! Marriage isn't a game where you get married and then 2 weeks later you decide that you aren't compatible anymore therefore you get a divorce. What happened to THE ONE!! You've waited all this time, met each other, did you not foresee all this? That's just insulting the institution!!! Seriously people!!! You're making singletons, like myself, jaded about the whole concept of marriage!

What is this "sense of incompatibility" that is making all these couples not stick together? Shouldn't they have addressed all these issues before tying the knot? Is it so imperative that you break up because he leaves the toilet seat up or the fact even though she is an OCD cleaner, she doesn't even know how the oven works? Okay, before I go ranting off to the many petty reasons a marriage doesn't last; let me analyze this to the best of my ability with the many theories that could be out there. FYI...none of these theories are scientifically proven through research...it's just what I think are the causes for break up.

Theory # 1: "Ooh Paris, Senior Vice President Promotion, Blind Date no. 33, ok fine, I will get married instead."

It's a no-brainer...There are too many options out there. It's not about not being able to lead a monogamous lifestyle but it's more about having too many things to do or accomplish in life that's the issue. When you are single, you really don't have to worry about a spouse's opinion hence the lack of feeling bogged down and not being able to do things at your own whim. At that stage, it's no longer an "I" as it is a "WE" or "US" instead.

For example, year after year you slave away at the same job and then one day, you get the opportunity of working at an exotic location. A new city, cuisine, locales to discover, and in an essence, a new you to unravel. If you were single, you could just pick up your bags and leave your current life to experience the new. Whereas if you were married (or some would argue that the situation could be same when you are attached but not legally bound), you would be compelled to think twice about the trip. Adjustment, commuting, long-distance issues and so forth. If you look were to look at the other side of the coin, back in the day, if the husband had to move somewhere for work, then that would be that. The entire family would have to move. So in a way, it’s good that a person actually cares for their significant other’s feelings but in reality, does it come with a grain of salt? Like let’s say when the relationship gets slightly sour or one random night when the couple gets into a fight, does regret seep in? “I could have gone to Timbuktu but noo… I had to think about you, the family, MY FAMILY!”

Theory # 2: “And Now the Double Jeopardy question, Define commitment?”

What does it mean when a person says, “I'm really not ready for a commitment”? Before I give my take on this theory, let’s look at hypothetical situations that could occur between couples but at different times in the course of their relationships.

Scenario # 1 Boy and Girl meet each other; they go on a date but at the end of the date one or both declare that they are not ready for a commitment. Clearly, I would say that this is probably a good time to mention this statement because it gives one/both of the players a moment to decide do they want to 1) casually date this person and not expect anything out of it or 2) not waste time and call it quits and move on to catch another fish who is willing to “settle down”. Agree?

Scenario #2 Boy and Girl meet each other, date for a few months or maybe closer to more than a year or so, and then one of them says they are not ready for a commitment anymore. Is this justifiable? You’ve already wasted/spent this amount of time with the person. There are two takes on this. Although you have spent time with the person at least they had the decency to tell you that it is not working out and want different things, and then you break off. If you can’t live without each other then the room for getting back together is there. The other take is that ok you’ve spent this much time with this person and all of a sudden when you want to move the relationship to the next level, your significant other says they aren’t ready for a commitment, you get frustrated because you feel that you had been cheated for those time lost since you aren’t getting any younger and want to settle down in life so other things can fall into place.

Scenario # 3 Boy and Girl meet each other, they date, they get married and then soon after marriage one of the partners say they weren’t ready for this commitment and want a divorce. Is it justified? Let’s say the first time the couple meets, they meet in the pretext of being set up for an arranged marriage, one person goes along with it to keep the family content and then after marriage want to break it off. Now is that justified? How would one respond to that?

So looking at all three scenarios, what can we say that is causing these scenarios to happen? Is it suffocation? Childishness? Well that is definitely the case in scenario 3 but I think it is more about having the lack of “balls” pardon my French to come clean to the person ahead of time and letting them know what they really want in life. I mean seriously, I can understand mentioning this before going through the whole wedding process…but after? Shouldn’t you be sure that if you are going to marry a person then you should know for sure that this is the person you want to live with for the rest of your life…till death do you part??Not only are you shattering your significant others’ dreams but also their belief in the marriage/ commitment system. I understand that there are some people out there who are hardcore not marriage material and in all honesty they should remain single for the rest of their lives. These people are just not cut out for marriage. They have mini relationships and move along and I think that should be enough for them but then they should keep themselves in scenario # 1 and not force themselves to be in Scenario 3. I’m really not going to discuss scenario 1 because it’s been predefined. However for scenario 2, it’s still a little iffy but even then you learn from the experience and move and really grow and understand what you really want your next partner for life. Thoughts? Comments?

Theory # 3: Hmm Marriage, does it have a return policy?

Over the years, women have advanced in a faster pace in their careers, standard of living and etc not only by just getting an education; a college degree. So when comparing them to the men of today, it seems that they are more qualified than most men hence creating instances where men are not living up to the female “standards”. This leads women having a harder time to settle for a man who is not up to the mark because as history shows it that most men have tendencies to suffer from inferiority complexes with their women hence creating more problems in the relationship than is necessary. Now I'm not saying all men, I know many men out there who would gladly sit at home on their buttocks and let their women be the breadwinner. I guess it could be more of an ego issue. So for a woman, a man having a penis and a bank balance isn’t enough. But then again I'm sure a lot of men out there are equally having a hard time to find a woman who can match up their standards so I guess in a way it could be a two way street. However if you look at reality, men have a bigger pool to choose from than women do. I wonder if the divorce rate is higher with women who settle for someone who is not the complete definition of what they are looking for? It's worth the look into...

Most people say that once they get married, it’s the lack of compatibility that breaks the couple apart. I personally feel that it’s not about lack of compatibility but it is more lack of compromise that is the issue. Back then, you met the girl/ boy and you got married and you live happily or miserably ever after and that was that. There was a lot of room for compromise. Even at age 85, you would still compromise. I think most people today are not willing to compromise because there are so many options out there and are not willing to work on the relationship maybe due to lack of patience and/time. There is such little effort these days into making a marriage work that I’ve seen marriage last less than a month. Can you believe it? Yes, less than a month.

So anyway, I’ve said a lot on this and am looking to hear/ read your responses and take on this topic.

But I must say that interestingly enough as I was writing this blog, I came across a few interesting articles on how men are preferring to remain bachelors because they are afraid to get into a bad marriage. Google this article topic and you will find a great deal amount on it. They are worth the read. I probably will have to update this entry but it’s really late now and I'm really not in the mood to give men some benefit of the doubt…HEHE…just kidding…I do trust them…or at least some of them. Until Next Time…Sleep Tight me AMIGOS!

25 Random Things About Me!

2009-02-13T09:59:00.004-05:00

Trends come and go and so the new trend on Facebook is to fill out 25 Random Facts about yourself and tag ppl to the "note". Clearly people have a lot more time than before...and we can thank the Economic Crisis for that...So when I got tagged by umpteen number of ppl to their lists of "25 Random Things", I figure what the hey, why not me too?? But I will spare everyone with the tagging and post it on my blog...SO HERE GOES....

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, make a list of twenty-five random facts, habits or goals about yourself. Then, choose twenty-five people to tag. You have to tag the person who tagged you.

1. I have new found love for the color YELLOW

2. When I was in kindergarten, a fellow classmate friend at the time asked me to marry him. I pushed him off by ardently saying no then but now I secretly wish that I hadn't.

3. I love Arabic food and can have endless shawarmas and kanafe

4. I want to leave Facebook but too lazy to do so.

5. I am a Michael Kors Whore

6. I want to throw up on all Shahrukh Khan fans and on those who actually find him good looking...Seriously Mental Institution!

7. I want to be one of the girls on Millionaire Matchmaker just to meet the chick from hell..

8. I'm not ashamed to admit that one of my favourite books is a chick lit titled "Milkrun" by Sarah Mlynowski

9. Jamoca Almond Fudge ice cream from Baskin Robbins is the most underrated ice cream on the planet and there is nothing like it. Cold Stone's Coffee Lovers Only comes close but not that close!

10. As I walk around town, I give mini makeovers to people in my mind

11. I have a soft corner for tall, well-groomed men with light facial hair and a deep voice

12. I have always wanted to travel to Greece, Russia and South Africa

13. I am good at bargaining and always make sure I get great deals

14. I get traumatized every time I have to clean a chicken but subsequently forget about it when it is time to eat it.

15. I am a closet singer. I love to sing and have trained for a short while but have a serious case of stage fright!

17. I really really "don't" know you!! No matter how much you claim that you know me!

18. I still have my class notes from Middle and High School.

19. I can't stand a person who forces on a fake accent, have terrible table manners or bite their nails in public.

20. I still crack up when Sherihan says the word Wedding in an Indian accent

21. I will say yes to the guy who proposes to me by giving me the ring in a You've Got Mail DVD disc case while singing Chaudvin ka Chand and I don't know why!?!

22. I'm a new Brothers and Sisters Addict

23. I have sporadic OCD and Anal Retentive issues about life and can get quite stubborn about them

24. The sight and smell of Papayas make me hurl.

25. I think making this list of 25 Random Thing About Me was a total waste and I love it!

Fall TV Returns!!!!

2008-11-08T23:35:00.000-05:00

FINALLY....FALL TV IS BACK...

All this time it was semi-back with all the political stuff going on, but now that we know who our next US PRESIDENT is going to be (WOOHOO PRESIDENT ELECT OBAMA), we in which I mean by MY DVR AND I, can resume to watching TV!!!!

The shows I'm hooked on to this fall are:

Dancing with the Stars
Samantha Who?
Two and a Half Men
Eli Stone
Private Practice
Top Chef
Ugly Betty
Grey's Anatomy
Project Runway
Random Bravo TV Reality shows (i.e. Flipping Out, Kathy Griffin on the D-List, Millionaire Matchmaker)

sad to say goodbye to the following shows:-

Cashmere Mafia
Big Shots
Notes from the Underbelly

What are you guys on???

I know I never caught on the House, Madmen, Brothers and Sisters, 24, or Lost....i will one day... what can I say I'm an ABC and Bravo TV Junkie...

Though I do like My Boys on TBS...but then again that's Summer TV

Maybe I'll let you convince me but I think I watch enough TV already now...Don't you think?

The Unheard Voices Tour Hits NEW YORK!

2008-10-08T13:14:00.004-04:00

Sorry guys for not blogging sooner. With Eid passing us (Eid Mubarak By the way!!!) I've been genuinely tied up with something VERY EXCITING...and I'm even more excited to share "the goods" with you...

This is what I have been working on...Dont know why the color is distorted

Drishtipat, a human rights organization for Bangladesh, partners with highly acclaimed Musical Maestro Arnob and his band friends for a worldwide concert to raise funds for its humanitarian projects.

Sponsored by the NEW YORK chapter of DRISHTIPAT, please come and be mesmerized by the talents of:

- ARNOB
- DHRUBO
- NAZRUL
- JIBON
- ANDREW
- NAZIA

and Opening Act by RUPOM (Brothers In Madness) and UPOL!

When: Saturday 25th October, 2008
Time: 8pm
Where: Peter Norton Symphony Space at 95th Street
2537 Broadway, New York NY

Tickets: $ 25 (general admission); $ 20 (students).

TICKETS ARE OFFICIALLY ON SALE!!! THEY ARE AVAILABLE AT

http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/2744

OR
Symphony Space Box Office: 212.864.5400
Jackson Heights: Disco Recording 718.639.8217
Jamaica: Somoy Boi Bichitra 917.603.8966

For group sales and any further information, Send us an email:
info@newyork.drishtipat.org

For details about this multi-city tour, please visit:
http://www.drishtipat.org/concert2008/

Official Site: http://www.drishtipat.org/concert2008/

less

No Questions Asked! I want you all there showing your support!!!!

To Donate:http://drishtipat.org/newyork/

Our Concert Promo!

Hardcore Omnivore Prowls!

2008-09-14T22:15:00.003-04:00

So a friend of mine has decided that she is going to be a vegetarian for a month. Just to test it out and understand the concept of being a vegetarian. Not for any political reasons or anything....and all I can say is hats off to her! She is 10 days till the end of the month and have slipped twice! Not bad I say. If I were around her, I'd surely run after her with a steak in a fork. I mean come on! What are friends for?

So as you know Ramadan started about 2 weeks ago and honestly I've always noticed that not only I but everyone gains more weight during Ramadan than other times. I guess its the daytime starvation that leads to sundown gorging! So in my efforts to maintain the level of pounds and more so lose some, I went on the gm diet. A diet that guarantees 10-17 lbs of weight loss in 7 days. Not bad!

So day 1 was all fruits. Woke up for sehri and had a bowl of watermelon. for iftar i had more watermelon and strawberries.

Day 2 was all about vegetables, starting off with a baked potato. fine went quite well.

Day 3 was all about fruits and vegetables but no potato nor any bananas. at this point i had already lost 7 lbs...VERY HAPPY!!!!

Come day 4 it was all about bananas and milk and mind you in addition to this diet i decided that i was strong enough to fast as well...

so during iftar i had my bananas and milk and kept on thinking i cant wait for day 5 and its my EID!!! Day 5 is MEAT DAY and all you can eat MEAT!!!!! WOOOHOOO....it was only during sehri while chatting with family that i realized what a meatitarian i was....Not only did i eat the meat i probably devoured an entire farm of cows and chickens....Okay I'm OVER EXAGGERATING. but it sure felt like it....i could not get over the taste of it!!!

so this led me to think, how on earth is my fellow friend (also a meatitarian) is doing this challenge? i can't even last 4 days and she's doing this for a month!?!?! She's Nuts! Correction...All vegetarians are nuts! So the theories of being a vegetarian, apart from the group who are due to religion, you know the ones who don't eat meat because animals have feelings or its inhuman is total bull...

Think about it, when a crocodile, tiger, lion, shark rip you apart for dinner, do you think they stop to think that hmmm eating you is going to hurt your feelings!! It's part of a food chain dammit!!! circle of life. whatever it's called!!!

So to all you vegetarians out there...YOU'RE really missing out!!! Hey i love my veggies... Brussels Sprouts are mmmm good!!! but so are all the other meats.

P.S.- if i ever were to be a vegetarian, I'm sure I'd probably die on day 2 but to think what would be the last meat i would give up then it would surely be Chicken and fish would probably the first to go! I know...some Bengali I am!

2008-09-14T18:04:00.002-04:00

You're walking down the street, minding your own business. Wind blowing in to your hair (or not) and you stop to cross the street anxiously waiting to see the green man that will let you walk because you are running late for yet another meeting (business or pleasure). The walk sign turns on you start crossing the street and right then and there you spot someone and luck has it, they have spotted you too. You both smile walking towards each other while in your mind, you have already shared passionate kisses, married the person, had their kids, and have grown old together. In that split second you have lived an entire lifetime. You come back to reality and although you both have checked each other out and smiled, you walk passed each other, you smile even more and think...Right, wake up! This incident has made you smile for let's say another 10 mins and then you go back to your life still rushing.

Apparently cats have the most of 9 lives....Who said, I just lived my 1057th and some lives....

A Jihad for Love by Parvez Sharma

2008-09-02T16:50:00.006-04:00

Earlier Today, I received an email about a movie screening in DC. Initially, I disregarded it because it was showing in dc and I live in NY. but in the back of my mind, I felt like I had heard something about this movie and well the title was interesting so I clicked on the email anyway instead of sending it straight to the trash.

Intrigue was the first thing on my mind. Finally someone who has the courage to produce a film about homosexuality and Islam. Islam teaches us that all are equals and we are all brothers and sisters. So then why do we disregard homosexuals? Just because I am straight shouldn't mean that I'm a better person and that I deserve more respect. All should be equal. And besides shouldn't religion be to one its own?

I really have much more to say but if I decide to perfectly articulate myself and then post this post then it's just going to take forever!!! So as I get my words together, please check out the trailer and an interview with the director. And let's start a dialogue about how we can bring justice to all and actually mean it.

A Jihad For Love Trailer

Interview with the Director

Ramadan Kareem!

2008-09-02T13:38:00.002-04:00

The years go by so fast that it's simply scary! I can't believe that Ramadan is here already! Didn't we just celebrate Eid a little while ago? Anyway, now that it is back, Here's to wishing all of you Ramadan Kareem and May the blessings of Allah shower on you and your family on this auspicious and holy month!!

"The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong)." (Al-Baqarah 2:185)

"O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)" (Al-Baqarah 2:183)

Carded at 27!

2008-08-27T15:10:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, I was attending yet another family trip and this time we went to Atlantic City. Can I just say that AC is one of the ugliest towns in the US. I seriously felt like I was going to be gambling in the projects. Couple of streets down from the casinos were probably the projects....You know, the ones beyond the ultimate gamblers' last resort of "We buy Gold for Cash" Stores....So anyway, we got there drove around, picked Caesar's Palace as our parking lot and set out to walk towards the boardwalk. Came out of the lot and were of course lost and was trying to figure out which way was the ocean. Atlantic Ocean. Of course, the first person we asked turned out to be a Bengali, because we are freakin' EVERYWHERE! And the next person we asked turned out to be an Arab. So pretty much we covered both home countries and managed to finally to see the Atlantic Ocean, walk along the Boardwalk, and come to our final destination for the time being, Trump Palace where we were going to play and lose all our money in the cheap slot machines.

Long story short, after playing an entire hour and a half and asking hotel officials numerous times different questions, right as we were about to leave, I was stopped. Why? Can I see your id? The guy had a walkie-talkie and goes, we have a possible minor on the floor! WHATT??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I could not stop laughing my ass off, and for some reason he didn't think it was funny! Come on! How can you not????

I whipped out my id and said,"I'll gladly give you my id" he looked at me twice..."WHAT?? you're 27? I'm sorry, Miss. We have a strict policy of not allowing anyone under the age of 21." Signalled his walkie-talkie and says,"It's a negative" and appologizes and walks away!

So after losing the 20 dollars i gambled which at one point brought it up to 50 but didn't react to, I was carded!!! Woohoo....I look under 21!

Mr Trump Palace Officer, You made my day and the trip of course!

The Unavailable Stalker

2008-08-27T14:29:00.002-04:00

Religiously, EVERYDAY, roughly around noonish and again around 8ish, I've been getting a call from an unavailable number where the phone rings for the first 2 rings and sends it to my phone as a missed call...The person in question, whoever is ringing me, has yet to leave me a voice message or a txt, or just a plain call from a regular number. Now as much as I enjoy screening calls (NOT), I need to know who this moron is that makes me run to my phone only to be a blank call...So whoever you are, will you just bother to leave me a msg or better yet, wait for me to answer the damn phone?

Thanks!

Rumors of upcoming Dancing With the Stars Season Line Up!

2008-08-25T18:46:00.003-04:00

Here's the full list:

• Former 'N Syncer Lance Bass; pro partner Lacey Schwimmer

• Keeping Up With the Kardashians star and socialite/boutique owner Kim Kardashian; pro partner Mark Ballas

• Grammy winner Toni Braxton, who just cut her Vegas show short due to heart problems; pro partner Alec Mazo

• Retired NFL defensive lineman Warren Sapp; pro partner Kym Johnson

• Toast of Beijing and one-half of Team USA's two-time Olympic gold medalist beach volleyball team, Misty May-Treanor; pro partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy

• All My Children's resident daytime diva Susan Lucci; pro partner Tony Dovolani

• Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito; pro partner Karina Smirnoff

• Rock Star host and onetime E! personality Brooke Burke; pro partner Derek Hough

• Gold medalist sprinter for Team USA in the Athens and Sydney Olympics Maurice Greene; pro partner Cheryl Burke

• Up-and-coming Disney tween heartthrob and Hannah Montana costar Cody Linley; pro partner Julianne Hough

• Sitcom utility player Ted McGinley (Hope & Faith, Sports Night, Married…With Children); pro partner Inna Brayer

• Veteran Oscar-winning actress and recent Roast of Bob Saget scene-stealer Cloris Leachman; pro partner Corky Ballas

• Comedian Jeffrey Ross, this year's heir apparent to Adam Carolla's entertaining yet uncoordinated mantle; pro partner Edyta Sliwinska Kardashian has already handicapped herself, calling in to Good Morning America today to confirm that she was rushed to a New York emergency room Sunday night after slicing her foot open on a broken mirror in her hotel room. But she will go on with the show.

or so they say....Let's see what happens...Stay Tuned!

2008-08-20T01:00:00.002-04:00

Today, for a brief moment I felt really happy. I was talking to my pasty white friend from one of the boondocks of the Midwest and I was sharing with him how recently I've been listening to a lot romantic music. Romantic Hindi songs to be in particular. As he diligently listened to me yap about how Urdu poetry is above and beyond because honestly speaking, a. I'm probably the only sheer entertainment he gets other than the local bar and b. doesn't have much clue about the rest of the world let alone what happens in New York City. (How did I manage to be his friend? We both wonder from time to time!) So as I was explaining to him, the song Man ki Lagan from the movie Paap came played on my Itunes. My heart and mouth stopped...I know...quite the difficult task.

Instantly, I felt relaxed and he asked if everything was ok...I told him about the song how it calms me and moments later, I shared the song with him. The dimwit of course seconds later after hearing said the song wasn't in English...Quel suprise! As I translated the song to him, he commented on how truly deep this song was and even he started to like it and that probably there aren't that many English songs that share the poetic level. This reaction led me to send a few more tunes that were soon to be appreciated by a non desi. Although this whole incident may seem minuscule or insignificant to many others but right then there I felt a pang of satisfaction where I taught someone something about our regional culture. And of course, I couldn't help but share this moment with you...

Other songs that i shared were

Teri Ore - Singh Is Kinng
O Re Piya - Aaja Nachle
Jiya Dhadak - Kalyug
Aaoge Jab - Jab We Met
Baahon Ke Darmiyaan - Khamoshi
Kate Nahi Raat - 99.9FM
Jaan Meri Jaa Rahi - Lucky

Here is a taste of the song (i did try to find the best recording i could)

"The Unforgettable" Concert

2008-08-17T18:39:00.016-04:00

It all began one night when I was surfing through crap TV. The screen went black and I wondered if something happened to my satellite and nanoseconds later, the Unforgettable Tour sign came on...
Earlier that day, I heard some rumors that there was going to be a concert soon but I didn't think much of it because the summer time is big around that. Deep down, I was curious so watched along and lo and behold, it was THE AMITABH BACHCHAN! He was coming to NEW YORK! of course along with him was his clan, son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwariya - the new buy one get second one 50% off and third free deal, but who cares!! AMITABH was coming! Immediately the phones started ringing the instant messages started flourishing-call it the Barso Re Megha style. Within seconds 9 of us had been set to go to the show! Sulekha.com and Mr. Bharat Jotwani himself helped us get the seats we wanted and WE WERE SET TO SEE THE MAN on the 15th of August 2008!

Weeks came by, and the gossipy dialogue amongst friends were exchanged...You know, what we were going to wear yaddi yaddi yada.. Friends from Maryland and Boston were coming so apart from the show, what we will be doing for the rest of the weekend and the whole shebang. The planning was on full shebang!

The day finally arrived, one batch arrived at 130, the next at 4pm (after battling 2 hrs of traffic), one friend was meeting us straight at Nassau Coliseum, and the final leg, my loving father were to arrive at 6pm where we would pick him from the station. And that's when it all began!

Few moments before we were going to get my father from the train station, another friend called out of concern that there was a tornado watch warning for Westchester. We were soo consumed in getting ready that neither of us noticed what was going on beyond our windows. But nonetheless without thinking anything my mother and aunt left to pick up my father at 6 on the dot. 6:15 rolled by and still no sign of my mother, aunt or my father. I called to find out what was going on because the train is only a 4-min drive from my house. Apparently, he hadn't arrived as of yet. Call Waiting Blinking! I clicked on and it was my father...The storm had smacked a tree on to train tracks and the train is waiting to the tree to be moved. Doesn't know which train station they are near. So subsequently I called my mother to let her know to just come home because it's going to be a while, which it sure was. Finally dad reached home at 6:45 and was summoned to hurry up, change, eat something so we could still leave by 7 as planned. Little did we know what we had ahead of us!

So finally we all packed in the car at 7:05pm (great timing considering we aimed to leave by 7) and off we were to Hutchinson River Parkway South. We drove about 2 miles towards where the road splits, one going towards Queens and Long Island, where we needed to go, and the other to New Jersey and Manhattan and lo and behold, there is back to back traffic on every effing highway out of Scarsdale due to Bronx River overflowing hence blocked all roads. Here I had my friend waiting for us at the concert and we were no where near the theater... We kept on going back and forth trying different routes...but everything was closed. after 2 hrs of trying hard we almost gave up of not going to the concert but for some reason we decided to try one last time... Yes watching Abhishekh dance with his dad on stage was still in the cards for us. We barely made the show at 1030pm, two and a half hours later but just on time for Amitabh to make his presence for the very first time on stage that night..

What a man!!!!! Seriously there is no actor in today's time that can even come close to him to be at par with him...Maybe Aamir can be somewhat close but not really. Shahrukh can keep on trying but he will never be as amazing as AMITABH BACHCHAN. The moment he started dancing to Jahan Teri Ye Nazar Hai, the whole crowd was dancing along with him. Every person whether it be the Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles reliving their newlywed years or us kids who would dance with our parents on their toes to these dance numbers!!! Even kids today were on their toes dancing with the 64+ year old man! It was the best...

What was even better was when he read the monologue from Agneepath remembering his mother...it was one moment when everyone was dancing and the next moment crying along with him as he read the lines...Fabulous!!!

Abhishekh, Aishwariya, Preity and Ritiesh equally did a great job and were quite enjoyable but it was all of a sudden when you could literally hear everyone's heart pumping...in anticipation...it was the moment when none other than Madhuri came on stage. What a beauty...Being a straight woman, even I fell in love with her....Not only can the woman dance but she looks awesome!!! Even today. I remember seeing her on stage when i was a kid in Dubai but when I saw her that night...it was a different ball game all together...

They say Aishwariya is gorgeous..and she is no doubt but in all honesty, no one can even come near Madhuri's beauty and simplicity... I'm sorry all Ash fans! This concert made a point that old is gold and will never be unforgettable!!!

So after all these heart pumping numbers that not only reminded me of my childhood, we all came home starving yet fully satisfied with whomever we went to see the concert for, regardless of all the things we had to go through just to get there....

Excercising My First Right as an American

2008-08-14T11:11:00.002-04:00

Khauwar Dol - The Food Blog

2008-07-21T15:45:00.003-04:00

So my friends and I have started a food/recipe blog where we focus on food basically. Recipes galore and have plans of posting Restaurant Reviews et bla bla bla...
check it out and give us some feedback!

http://khauwardol.blogspot.com

Hope you enjoy it! Till my next post, which will be later TONIGHT!!!

The Grass is always greener on the other side..

2008-06-27T11:43:00.003-04:00

I was just thinking the other day why this saying is soo true? When you walk around long enough, there are some of the things you usually get to overhear....

"Their lawn is better looking than ours...."

"I wish I was married.." vs. "I wish I was single again.."

"I wish I had bigger boobs.." vs. "I wish I had smaller boobs, I can't wear a lot of the clothes you can!!" (I actually overheard this very conversation when I was on the train going into the city to meet a few friends...but you know...these aren't uncommon wishes)

"Why can't I find someone?" (Again on the train (not the same train ride though), but the interesting part was that a few moments before a not soo cute but decent guy was trying to hit on her and she said NO WAY IN HELL....ok maybe not those exact words but it was the basic gist) I think I may have written a post about this very incident before...seems familiar yet very vague.

But seriously, why is it that we are never happy with what we have....What is it with the constant craving for having what others have. Why is it that we always fall for the societal pressure of looking good, or at least what we think the society accepts?

This may sound slightly far fetched or maybe not, but is it because the whole world suffers from some form of lack of confidence which can be molded into a form of fear of failure? If I don't have the best looking ____(fill in the blanks)_______, then I'm a failure?

In a way, I can see how certain standards can be effective such that it gives you guidance in life but who has the right to set those standards? What's with this "I'm better than you" syndrome? I'm probably rambling and not making in sense, but it's something that's been on my mind for a while and just thought I would just point it out.
You're probably just as confused as to what I'm talking about but deep down I feel that you know what I mean. Dammit!!! Why is the grass greener on the other side!!!?!!?!

any thoughts or ideas?

The Move

2008-06-15T13:07:00.003-04:00

It's been almost over 2 years that I have been telling my friends that I will be moving to UAE at the end of year. But of course due to certain circumstances, I've have had to postpone my move and it's come to a point that I've changed my moving dates soo many times that it's almost become a joke. But now that it is official that I am moving in September, I've been going through soo many mixed emotions that I don't know what to even say. Of course, I am excited to the T that I'm going back home and going to be amongst all my childhood friends. I can't wait to relive my old lifestyle which is going to be heightened because i will be earning now and well will have far more liberties than I did then. Will no longer have to sneak to the mall when our parents were off to the Dubai which at most had a few clothing stores and an arcade store...haha....we were such innocent little goons. if only we had mobile phones then.

But as I write this post, I figured I should tribute this one to all the things I'm going to miss about New York.
(1) The friends, of course....after living here for a good 14 years, I've developed some great friendships that i will cherish till the end.
(2) Random singing hangout sessions till the wee hours of the morning. Although, I'm sure a few of my UAE friends are musically talented, but I'm truly going to miss the jamming sessions with actual musicians who are quite well known in the scene and not only that but who are really passionate about their music. What can I say...it's just a different feeling all together..
(3) High-Speed Internet...do I even need to explain this further??? lol actually...its not just high speed Internet. I would also include the ability to visit any site i want. Last time i was there, they freakin' blocked something as random as Naseeb. Like what's soo inappropriate about that site, besides it being where all a bunch a hypocrites mingle-the so-called religious freaks but have affairs behind their spouses' backs.....
(4) MY HOUSE.....(MY HOUSE IS A VERY VERY FINE HOUSE..) I'm not going to say much because my house deserves a post in itself and I don't want to start pouring out tears...Not ready yet...
(5) Being able to get everywhere by the subway, especially when there is too much traffic.
(6) The quintessential New Yorkers that are only found in New York. I swear there is that eccentric breed that can't be found anywhere....not even in another US State....

There are soo many other things I'm going to miss about New York but right now, for some reason, I can't continue. I'm not really choking up....just the fact about thinking about the move is making me all overwhelmed.....(the packing...the change....u know....dream coming to reality...the whole shebang)

Anyways.....so here's to a new life ahead filled with new challenges and excitement.

Hello Bloggers!

2008-06-03T14:05:00.004-04:00

Aaah it feels soo good to blog again!! Where did I disappear to really???Anyway, as you can see that even though I'm back, I've written about bollywood, which sort of is a half-assed attempt of coming back to blogging.. but hey something is better than nothing right?

anyway just to let u know that even though it is slightly related to bollywood, it would be nice for you guys to know that a few of my family members, ( family according to my dearest mother) have started blogging as well..

Aamir Khan's Blog is at http://www.aamirkhan.com/blog.htm

Amitabh Bachchan's Blog is at http://blogs.bigadda.com/ab/

The Love of my life, Salman Khan's Blog is at http://duskadum.blogspot.com/

Please check those out as I slowly return in the full blogswing!

The Kids of K.A.P.P.S.T.H.

2008-06-03T11:06:00.016-04:00

I don't know if it's my maternal instincts that are coming out, but the kids on the Indian version of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" titled "Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?", are absolutely adorable!!!

Girls, NO, I'm not talking about Shahrukh Khan being the kid who is cute! For those of you who don't know, he is the host of the show that airs on Star Plus. The actual 5th graders of the show are just absolutely adorable.

My fave is Dheirya Sorecha. (on your right) He is like a mini archie character...Every single time I see him on TV giggling away while sitting down and his scrawny little legs unable to reach the floor makes me want to hug him and tickle him even more...I don't know how to correctly translate this in English but every time I see this kid, 'amar atoo maaya laagey, je pichita ki asholey kichu parbe?!!" The translation will probably come to me later...so until then all my bangali friends can help me/you out.

Another cutie-patootie is this one...Sriporna Ghoshal! Her soundless laugh is just too cute and hilarious. She is very bubbly and is a complete chatterbox. The way she just runs up to the podium and smiles you want to just squeeze her cheeks!

The other three are equally adorable. We have Shreya Sharma, who is probably the smartest of the lot. When you see her, she looks like a polite little cute girl. And those of you who have seen the movie Makdee or Iqbal she looks a lot like the girl in those movies. Can't remember her name. Oh Right, Shweta Prasad..(Don't you just love Google...heehee!)

Anubhav Motilal!...Every time I see this kid, i instantly get the instinct that is the naughtiest of the lot! literally! every time he dances on stage with full force and vigor it's just too cute! Look at his pic... doesn't he look like he planning some notorious pranks on ppl!?! If there ever is a Hindi version of Home Alone, he would definitely be the ideal candidate!

Last but definitely not least!!! The most innocent child of crew is Milanjeet Singh Bhatti! He is innocent and naive that whenever he is picked he says the cutest things ever! It's not that he is dumb or anything he just get confused in his own confusion and makes the cutest mistakes!

So here are the adorable kids of Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain! 5 cutie-patooties of Indian silver screen. Some of them are going to be featured in upcoming movies so when you see them definitely cheer them on. But if you ever get a chance, do check them out on Star Plus at 9pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and see why i think they are absolute gems!

You can find out more about them on the Paanchvi Pass site

TaaRe ZaMeeN PaR

2008-01-11T17:07:00.006-05:00

This year, yes part of me is still in 2007, we aka Bollywood lovers were lucky enough to see "creative" work by every Khan. Shahrukh with Om Shanti Om and Chakde India, Salman with Partner, Salaam-E-Ishq, Marigold, Saawariya, Saif with Tara Rum Pum, Eklavya, Nehle Pe Dehla and then all three of them together in Om Shanti Om. Wait, wait, wait....Don't worry, I haven't forgotten one of the bigger Khans. I don't mean bigger physically but bigger as in with talent. Yes! It is none other than our near and dear Aamir Khan. As many of us are addicted to his films not only because they are entertaining but because they are always DIFFERENT, shall we be politically correct and use the proper term; HATKE!"....literally. From Rang De Basanti, Lagaan, Mangal Pandey. Dil Chahta Hai , Sarfarosh, even as old as Andaaz Apna Apna, he is now back with a bang called
Taare Zameen Par!

Boys and Girls!!! THIS IS A MUST SEE MOVIE..NO Questions asked! A total tearjerker! It is a movie that wakes our South Asian parents up who constantly like to live in the world of denial! It's been forever that a majority of our South Asian parents like to ignore the fact that maybe their child may have a problem. Maybe because it shows a shortcoming on themselves that the child has this "problem" because they may suffer from it or the way they are nurturing their child is wrong...Who likes to be at wrong? Anybody? Of course NOT! All this while as they battle it themselves, they forget that it is the child that needs the help and attention. This has been a cycle for generations now. I see it in my own surroundings. I don't know if I feel sad about it or actually pity them but it surely does make me angry that the child is getting "ignored and not letting them to their potential". Oh well, Apart from that let's get to reviewing this fab movie!

The Story... If you think of it, it is quite simple. In a nutshell, it is about a child who suffers from a learning disability, Dyslexia, and how he is able to overcome this struggle of being considered "not normal" via the help of a teacher who himself experienced the same hurdle. The movie starts beautifully depicting how an average person, whether if it is a parent or a teacher, who is not familiar with such things as "learning disabilities", call it ignorance if you must, ill-treat the child and believe that the child is pulling a tantrum of not wanting to learn and not considering a mere possibility that their child may be retarded. Confusing learning disabilities to being mentally challenged is one of the biggest misconceptions I think there is out there. First and foremost, it is not the same thing. A child with a learning disability does not mean that they are not intelligent. There are many people who suffer from a learning disability are far intelligent than an average person, Albert Einstein being one of them.

Now I'm not saying that all parents are like that. There are some amazing parents out there that really take a step forward to accepting what their children have to offer to the world, which is the world in itself! However, it is about time that parents acknowledge that instead of worrying about the societal pressures or norms, accept the fact that your child needs help and that you need to give it to him or her. The movie aesthetically shows how a teacher, who suffered from the same disabilities help the child, slowly but surely overcome and succeed!!!

The Music...Brilliance to the T! Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy have really done it this time! The songs of the year definitely has to go to Maa and the title track Taare Zameen Par both written by Prasoon Joshi and sung by Shankar Mahadevan himself. The lyrics and the melody of these songs are perfect marriages that every time you hear them, they just touch your heart and force you to cry. The others are equally entertaining but probably not as memorable as these two are!

The Directorial Debut of Aamir Khan...People may think I may be over exaggerating but in reality i don't really care because Aamir, YOU ARE A GENIUS! Not only have you been able to extract the perfect emotions from every character, the execution of every aspect of this movie has been brill! literally...Even though, TZP is his first film as a director, the entire movie clearly shows that he is one person who truly knows his craft! I truly would bow down and continuously clap for such a fantastic movie!
Darsheel Safary...Anything I say to praise this kid will not be enough. His innocence and sincerity to the role made him be the character, almost to the point that you couldn't decipher if he was acting or he actually is the kid in the film. He truly deserves an award for this film...and i cant wait for his future films.

Updated Note: Although this movie has been out for a long time and it has taken me this long to post, it still is a fab movie and all of you who still haven't seen it must go watch it!

Happy New Year

2008-01-11T16:34:00.000-05:00

Wishing all my readers a very happy new year! May the new year bring you more joy than the previous years.

As a new year's resolution, I plan to write more for you guys. Fingers crossed, hoping to keep my resolutions this year!

With lots of love
Dazzlingsitar!!!

Om Shanti Om vs Saawariya

2007-11-27T01:22:00.000-05:00

The Battle is finally over.... They were both scheduled to release on the same day November 9th and they did...but which one is better? Or shall I say, which one is WORSE....

Before I THOROUGHLY trash both the movies, let's go back a little from day one- the start of the hype.

How a person decides to watch a Hindi movie at the theaters vs at home on DVD or worse on regular cable.

1. The Promos... You eagerly wait for your favorite show to come on air and just as it is about to start, you see the promo of a lifetime. Your favorite actor or a a new hottie or your fave director's movie is releasing soon with something like....BOOM BOOM...GUESS WHO IS BACK IN TOWN...BOOM BOOM...YES HE'S BACK WITH A VENGEANCE BOOM BOOM...and you get all excited to see who's back...its your star and there starts the promo and as soon as it ends you call your friend and say we have to watch this movie.... That's how it started with Om Shanti Om and Saawariya....look at the promos...tell me the moment you saw it you weren't dying to see the movie....or at least I was...

Om Shanti Om

Saawariyaa

2. Actors/Actresses...You looked at the promos and then you see the actor/actresses line-up. Credibility/likability vs the no name. In OSO, you have king khan, new hottie Deepika, Arjun Rampal and Shreyas Talpade...Great actors OK maybe not as much for Deepika since it's her first film and all and well Arjun either...most girls will kill me but Arjun is just good to look at and hear his voice...beyond that, there hasn't been a single role of his that I would say is fantastic...Actually, if you really want my opinion, I think Shahrukh Khan is an equally bad actor...I know actors tend to follow a certain style. in which his is how do I badly imitate Amitabh Bachchan now which always backfires and makes me look like a jackass. I'm sorry mister so-called King Khan...Big B is a class of his own and he has more talent in his pinkie than u have in your entire body and some....To me it's sad that I'd rather see newcomers like Ranbir and Sonam Kapoors than see you. Speaking of the new stars of Saawariya, of course they are going to attract people...they are offsprings of FABULOUS actors...Ranbir Kapoor, son of Rishi and Neetu Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor, daughter of Anil Kapoor... No they are all not related. This movie has 2 credible actors too--Rani Mukherjee and my lover boy Salman Khan...(no I'm not biased here) So both movies have quite the heavy duty star cast but which did better?

3. Story/Music... Although i will say that story isn't that important at times because there have been plenty of times that I have completely stupid movies just because of the star cast but nowadays, both story and music do play a huge role. If you look at the promos both the movies seem interesting...I personally liked Saawariya as a story more because it had the chance to show something new whereas you kind of figure out that OSO is just a spoof and that there would be no story and just pure laughter...little do u know what is in store for you....Music of course tremendously important, but usually there is always one song in the movie that you didn't hear earlier will get stuck in your mind once you come out of the movie.

4. Director...Last but not the least the director....sometimes there are some fluke directors who have their one hit wonders or a bad past story seems interesting enough to spend the time, energy and money on but besides that who has the money to waste on useless directors...so you look at the credibility of the directors here...Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Farah Khan...SLB has fantastic record of Black, Khamoshi, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. I'm not mentioning Devdas because I didn't really like his opulent version of the original story. Farah Khan being an amazing choreographer for the longest time and also super duper hit director of Main Hoon Naa...so here the expectations are high.....

so based on these credentials, how did the movies fare/fair?

Both films were quite disappointing..and here is why...

OM SHANTI OM...

1) SRK you can't act and your hyped up 6-pack abs instead of turning me on, churned my stomach and made my chanachur not settle well in my stomach.

2) There was absolute no story...yes I was aware that there would be no story, I got it from Main Hoon Naa and I did read the directions prior to watching this movie but even then, throughout the movie I kept on waiting for something funnier and by that time the movie ended...where is the masala that everyone was talking about...Khalid Mohammed, you owe me 20 bucks. I mean even in Main Hoon Naa there were some amazingly funny moments and made the movie worthwhile...this movie had nothing....

3) When I initially started writing this post (when the movies came out) I was somewhat disappointed with the music. Though the songs Ajab Si and Main Agar Kahoon really clicked with me. These two songs truly touches one's heart. At first, Deewangi Deewangi didn't really make much of an impression on me but now that it has grown on me the song really makes you want to dance with all the 31+ stars. The visual of SRK's so called body and Dard-E-Disco just doesn't do it for me...even then and now! I'm sure all you SRK lovers are going to coming knocking on my door waiting to pound me but seriously!?! Forget Salman Khan because everyone knows I'm biased towards him, look at even Saif Ali Khan or even lanky Kunal Kapoor... even though either of them aren't all muscularly chiseled, both look quite YUMMY!

4) Besides Shreyas Talpade who I truly think stole the show, everyone's acting wasn't upto the par or hype if you may call it. Kirron Kher had her moments and well Arjun Rampal was again lost in the crowd. It's funny how Deepika, the new stunning beauty of Tinseltown, would thank Farah and Srk for giving her a break etc....what break? did she even have much of a role?? It was yet again all about SRK!

5) Farah! Farah! Farah! What were you thinking? Ok, no I give it to you the concept was fun...but really?There are soo many other movies that attempted this and did a better job.I seriously don't know what to tell you! I'm just dumbfounded as to WHY?!?!....Before I say anything I will regret, I'll just move on.

Ok Ok Ok!! I get it will stop the bashing...well for this movie...Yes every movie has its moments and good points. And here they are!

1. Thank you for introducing Deepika Padukone to us! She is a stunner!
2. Music...Vishal-Shekhar...love love love Ajab Si
3. The Special Appearances by various actors and actresses....Abhishek ROCKED!

Ok I can't think of anymore...so let me move on to SAAWARIYA...

no I mean... Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawaaariyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Richa Sharma, you can sing it as long and loud as you want, it just won't change the fate of the film!

Ok Relatively if i were to compare the two movies, i definitely liked Saawariya more because it was different. Those of you who read the original story, White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky should know that the book is a depressing book. So those who walked in thinking it's going to be a hungama masaledar movie then, I have nothing to say.

Many ppl were asking where is this place located, which is weird because in the beginning of the movie, if ppl carefully listened, clearly Rani had mentioned that the place is in her imagination. Ok I will stop validating for this movie because everyone has a right to their own opinion. Just like i hated OSO, ppl are allowed to hate Saawariya...

But here is my take on the Film....

The PROS...

1. First and foremost everyone must agree that the music of this film is quote-on-quote "MIND BLOWING". Every number truly hits another level of good notes. Whether if it's Saawariya's title track or Jab Se Tere Naina or even Thode Badmaash. Every song brings out the listener's emotions. Shail, Shaan and Shreya (huh, I never realized the singers' names all start with the same letter as the movie oh and the director! Coincidence?)

2. Of course Salman and Rani were the best in the film, even though their roles were small.

3. I actually liked the story as it was slightly different from your regular masaledar films.

4. The cinematography was interesting...something different and it does seem to fit the context however it may have been over done at times.

The Cons

1. The biggest con of the film is it's script. I truly believe that had it been a better script, this movie would have done much better at the box office.

2. The newcomers' acting. Clearly this movie shows that these two newborn stars are newcomers and have a long long long way to go. Even though Sonam Kapoor is more bearable, Ranbir looked more like a comical clown than a "happy-go-lucky" kinda guy who is pining away for a girl who has no clue about him. You can look and be playful and not look like a dork which Ranbir managed to do.

3. The sound quality of the movie was bad as if it was done in the backseat of a car, unless if it was just my version, however when the songs played it sounded great! so who knows. It definitely affected my movie experience.

The final verdict on the movies? OSO was a sure super duper flop whereas Saawariya although was a better film, it didn't really leave much of an impression... Didn't meet up to the hyped expectations...
Both movies get a half a star. ok i will give Saawariya one more star.

Let's Hope and PRAY Taaren Zameen Par fairs well and regains faith in Indian cinema.

Chapped Lips??

2007-11-09T01:09:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder why chapped lips hurt or irritate so much? Especially when you have that flu that gets every bit out of you? So I've come up with a few theories which probably, if not definitely, are childish and stupid. At first, I thought, like any normal person would, it is probably because of the weather. It is kinda chilly so that should be it. But then again, with me having the flu (aka bacterial infection or walking pneumonia---yeah don't ask) I haven't really stepped out of my pad. God I love the Internet and the ability to do almost EVERYTHING online... Ok That Theory is out...Next Theory....Dehydration...but with the amount of water I'm drinking, I'm sure my bladder alone can support an entire drought. So that's out...So to Humor myself I came up with a ridiculous theory, which is:...My Lips haven't been getting much action lately so it's a sign that I need to up my game... As I crack up at this theory because part of me could be stupid enough to actually believe it, my lips hurt even more and seriously chapstick, you aren't working quite well right now so I might have to fire you...But before I do that, I decided to take a stroll on good ole Google to find other remedies...so this is what I found. (FYI..the comments in purple are my thoughts)

Here's what you can do to keep your lips soft and moist:
Don't lick your lips. It may make your lips feel better temporarily, but you'll be making matters worse. Licking your lips has the same drying effect as constantly washing your hands; the repeated exposure to water actually robs moisture from the skin, causing it to become dry.
Seriously....isn't that the first thing you think of doing... ????And I'm still doing it!

Use a lip balm. Numerous products are available over the counter. Pick one that you like so you'll use it frequently. Most lip balms are waxy or greasy and work by sealing in moisture with a protective barrier. Plain old petroleum jelly works just fine, too.
Petroleum jelly huh...I guess coz the damn chapstick is just not working!!! no matter how much I slather it on, it's not going...

Screen out the sun. The sun's ultraviolet rays can damage and dry the sensitive skin on your lips in the same way they can harm the skin on other parts of your body. Indeed, the lips are a common site for skin cancer, since they don't contain melanin, a pigment (coloring) that helps protect skin from ultraviolet rays. Certain skin cancers that appear on the lips may be more serious and more likely to spread, too, so if you'll be out in the sun, use a lip balm that contains sunscreen. Choose a product that has an SPF (sun protection factor) of 15 or higher.
Check...i haven't been going out so I'm covered...though my chapstick does come with SPF 15 and still taste like vanilla mint.

Wear lipstick. OK, this advice may apply only to female readers. But dermatologists say older women are less likely than older men to have skin damage on their kissers, especially on the lower lips, and lipstick may be the reason. Lipstick appears to offer moderately effective protection against the sun's ultraviolet rays, and these days you can purchase lipstick that includes sunscreen, for even greater protection. Lipstick acts as a moisturizer, too.
I'm home...who's gonna see my lips...but I guess it makes a difference when I prove my ridiculous theory wrong... hehe

Check out your toothpaste. You might want to consider whether an allergy to your toothpaste or mouthwash could be to blame for the rough, red skin on your lips. Try switching brands of toothpaste and skipping the mouthwash for a few days to see if the problem clears. Also, rinse well after brushing.
Ok this is not an overnight remedy... hmmpf...I'm more of an instant remedy kind of girl...but you can be allergic to toothpaste..I thought they all contained the same stuff...

Watch what passes between them. When lips are chapped, they're more sensitive, and certain foods can irritate them. Hold off on pepper, mustard, barbecue sauce, orange juice, and alcoholic beverages to give your lips a break as they heal.
Hold off on PEPPER!!!! Are you Nuts!?! That's like telling an idiot in Bangladesh that hes not getting any Yaba TONIGHT! Mustard, BBQ sauce, OJ and even alcoholic beverages i can deal with but seriously? Peppers...I think I'm going to have to rethink this.

"Remembering these home remedies will keep you smiling about how your lips look."

So this is how the article ends...well it has credits and all which I'm not posting here only because I'm linking the article down below...But the only thing that I can think of is my BLOODY CHAPSTICK IS NOT WORKING AND I NEED SMOOTH LIPS RIGHT AWAY!!!

Read The Article on Home Remedies for Chapped Lips

America, Where in the World Are You?

2007-10-24T14:00:00.000-04:00

The other day, I was at my electrolysis appointment and I was talking to the lady, who single handedly has the ability and the clearance to give me pain by the nanosecond, about my future plans....The one that everyone knows about...ME MOVE TO DUBAI and what not and not to my surprise she didn't know where Dubai was located. Yes, I've gone through this since I first moved to the United States but it kind of made me slightly worried that even with recent developments in the news she would at least know where the middle east is. What scared me even more was that she didn't even know that it was in the Asian continent! To her the Asian continent meant China, Japan...basically the far east. I was mortified when she didn't even know that Israel, her country of origin, was in Asia too!!! Are you kidding me?

I remember when I was a kid, by grade 4 we had to memorize the map and here a grown nearing 40 yr old woman didn't even know Israel was in Asia? When I first saw Dan Nainan's comedic act (video is down below) regarding Americans not being able to recognize a world map, ofcourse I laughed my head off but deep down thought, it can't be that bad....Well buddy smell the coffee...it's worse. I just don't seem to understand why Americans are soo uneducated about the world. Now I wont say that all are dumb but majority of them are! and its truly very sad.

Long time ago, a friend of mine had told me that one of the questions she had to answer for her immigration test was to answer who the current president of the USA was and ofcourse she answered and that was that. The correct granted her american citizenship but that was the only question...and you would think now thats an easy one. but no...apparentmy many americans cant even answer that question (look at my previous posts- funny videos). Another case of american stupidity was an answer that miss tean america pageant contestant - miss tean south carolina had given to the question of why a percentage of americans can not locate the United States of America in a world map. Watch this...

Unbelievable right???? But its true!!! So what do we do about this? A breath of fresh air was when my aunt and cousin had visited me for thanksgiving and basically told me that she was making our cousin memorize the map so he had general knowledge of the world. and to make him even more motivated, he is competing in different geography competitions. so as a game him and I played this quiz online where it tests your knowledge about the world. its really interesting....

I know rambled quite a bit and i probably should come back and edit this post but as for now it is what it is ....

Want to see how intelligent you are? check out the quiz sites that my cousin and I went through...

National Geographic's GeoBee Quiz

Fun Trivia

ENJOY! Oh and also enjoy the Dan Nainan video....he's hilliarious!

A Bangladesh Biman Experience...

2007-10-24T11:13:00.000-04:00

Too Funny to Not Share

Funny Videos 10.18.07

2007-10-18T12:38:00.000-04:00

Funny Videos that cracked me up in the last couple of days....

Nouvelle Star

Death Star

Laughing Exercises

Papa CJ

Whateverrrr!!!!

Italian Who Went to Malta

Eric O' Shea - TV Commercials

Americans are NOT STUPID - With Subtitles

Afghani Fart Man

Comments From Facebook
Akkas Al-Ali (London) wrote
at 2:18pm on October 18th, 2007
Americans are such fucking fuckwit morons. Britain should revoke America's independence and then hand it over to the Cubans as a special Christmas present.

END OF FLASHBACK AND BACK TO TIME: NOW!

2007-10-09T23:03:00.000-04:00

Phewww...that was the last of the old posts. so for those of u who are confused... my last post on my trip to Bangladesh was written and took place last year...

But i do have quite a lot of blog ideas stored for you guys to read. Now that I'm all inspired to write i should continue with the flow and start one.

5 MINS...TEA BREAK

The Age of Innocence

2007-10-09T13:33:00.001-04:00

Today was one of those days where I just was not in the mood to do much. Although, I had meetings all day and in all over the city, most of my time was spent commuting. My last meeting had finished earlier than I had expected and since I was meeting a friend for a catch-up dinner, I had to find something to do. At first, I thought as any girl would, I could do some shopping. I looked around and found myself in the furniture district. Well, not really--I only called it that because i was surrounded by furniture stores. Since I am not in that stage of my life where i would go to do designer furniture shopping, I had to refrain myself to just window shopping. Well I sort of take that back, even if i was in that stage, why would i get a brand name table for 10+ grand when i can get its replica made in Dhaka for quarter the price? Don't get me wrong here, I'd pay for designer clothes because you do see a difference in quality, but a table at the end of the day is a table. Ok, I'm going off tangent here.

So as i was window shopping, it started to rain so hard that it seemed like it was going to give Manhattan a power wash cleaning. And thank God to my timing, well pace, I found a cute cafe for shelter. I ordered my cappuccino, relaxed on the couch and figured that since i still had 40 mins to kill (Yes i know i got out early!) i should be slightly productive and work on my client proposals. As I "worked on the proposals", the Bangal that I am, I couldn't help but eavesdrop. Actually, it's not just by being a bangal but also my training from New York Life that has made more attentive than I normally seem.

Sitting next to me was a mother and daughter chatting away about their lives. Their conversation really surprised me because here was a mother telling her at most 10 year old daughter about her work issues that related to office politics and office dating. And what shocked me even more what that this 10 year old was actually listening and giving her SOUND advice. Of course at first I was thoroughly impressed but what kinda bothered me was that where is the innocence that a 10 yr old child should have? I remember when i was 10 years old, Rainbow Bright and the Smurfs made my day and the only decision I was making whether I should do my homework now or after dinner. Forget about giving sound advice to my parents.

Look at children today, my cousins who aren't even 7 or 8 already have boyfriends and they know about sex!?! Like what the hell? Why are our children losing their innocence. So when it is time for me to have kids, they would be born with such knowledge? Does that even make sense? CERTAINLY NOT TO ME!!!

HMPHF!!!

The Flight To Bangladesh

2007-10-09T13:30:00.000-04:00

As the days for my trip to Bangladesh get closer, I can feel myself becoming more anxious, nervous, excited and in denial all at the same time. I don't know what it is that makes me feel all these mixed emotions. I guess my mind is used to this pattern. My urge to go and the fact that I miss the country I was born in, makes me yearn for it but as soon as I land, I'm already ready to come back. It has always been that way; even when I lived in Abu Dhabi for the umpteenth years. Throughout the entire flight, I question myself, "Am I really going? No! Really?" Even while I'm at either Heathrow or Dubai Int'l Airport waiting for my connecting flight, instead of browsing thru Duty-Free feelings of in denial rush through my brain. It's interesting to me as to why I feel that way...and it’s only when I travel to Bangladesh. No other place. Bangladesh is the only one country that make me go through this denial process...

So once I’m on the plane, the only way I know that I’m on my way to the motherland is when I encounter ppl who each are more bizarre than the other. When I tell these stories to my relatives (while I tell them how my flight was), they literally don't believe me and they think I make these things up; and I tell them, even I don’t have that much creativity. Once, this lady sat next to me, I was on the window seat and she on the aisle (in business class mind you), she tells me, "Apa, iktu plane'r bua ta ke bolben jalna ta bondho korey ditey, bairer batashey thanda lagchey!" And at this point I don’t know what to do or say...oh the translation...the translation is...sister, can u tell the plane's servant to shut the windows...the air from outside is making me feel cold! I mean what do you say then. Do you laugh? (In my mind of course I did.) do u oblige quietly and just continue let them be ignorant and possibly look like a fool later. Another incident was this guy was in the bathroom for a long long time and was feeling dirty... (Oh lord was he smelling too) and then after a few mins we see the bathroom was leaking...How is that possible? The dude took a plastic glass and was smart enough to attempt to take a shower inside the bathroom. One glass of water on his head. The worst is when it clearly says it’s a NON-SMOKING flight and there are guys who cover their cigarette and pretend that no one can see them or think that SMOKE TRAVELS!

Honestly, after incidents like these I won’t even talk about Babies crying. As much as the fact that babies are cute and all...but as soon as I hear the tonsils flaring and the whole waterworks, I’m ready to do the following,

(1) punch the crap out of the kids and/or parents
(2) take an injection out to sedate...which I think should be required....ok maybe not even an injection...how about Brufen, Fenargen...Nothing happened to us!
(3) Kill me now?!?!?!?!
(4) Forget sedating the kids, sedate me! When will there ever be any solutions....ok how about a sound proof section in the flight for all children and their parents. Oh and SNORERS too! I think I’m on to something here....What do you guys think!

PS. This blog was written at the Dubai Airport, Marhaba Lounge, AWESOME PLACE!

At July 20, 2006 11:47 AM, Shirin said...

Thats exactly why I do not travel international. I have a hard time traveling domestic with kids who cant stop crying and adults who become big babies. Thank God for my IPOD, or I would have shot myself in the plane. I remember going to Pakistan 6 years back and I had the most miserable time traveling. Kids were annoying, the food sucked, I couldnt sleep and people were just plain morons. It was a bad experience for sure. I went to Paris 3 years back and that wasnt too bad cause I had all 3 seats to myself and was able to sleep through out the flight :) and most of the plane was empty coming back as well.

I had another interesting experience traveling to Paris. I ran into a child hood friend of mine that I knew back in Pakistan. I hadnt seen him for 16 years and I did recognize him :) Isnt that weird? I knew he was living in NYC because his parents are good friends with my folks but we never met until my flight to Paris....

I have had other good experiences as well for example, I was bumped up to first class and was sitting next to a hottie that I still keep in touch with ;)

Have fun in Dhaka! keep us posted..love ya

At July 30, 2006 2:21 AM, Sherihan said...

nice blog..loving the posts! but just so you know, u arent the only one who has wierd experiences while travelling to bangladesh. a woman once bit me on the arm while we were fighting for the suitcase trolley!! thank god i was wearing a jacket or else i would have needed to get sum serious check up on the diseases she might have tranfered! hehe, dont u just luv/hate bangladesh? its so different!

Song Lyrics

2007-10-09T13:29:00.000-04:00

Have you guys ever noticed the fact that the songs that have the most obscene lyrics have the best beat?

Check this out

Next - Too Close : http://www.lyricsfreak.com/n/next/too+close_20099989.html

Shaggy - It wasn't me http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/shaggy/itwasntme.html

Ying Yang Twins - Shake : http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/yingyangtwins/shake.html

Poe - Hey Pretty : http://www.lyricsdepot.com/poe/hey-pretty.html

There are many more...But the most recent.

Pussycat Dolls - Buttons : http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/pussycatdolls/buttons.html

Whats funnier is when we girls are on the dance floor busting our sexiest moves and singing these lyrics out loud...But what really makes me think is that are we soo deprived that we must listen to sex-driven songs...what happened to good poetry and actual meanings in songs....?

At July 20, 2006 11:33 AM, Shirin said...

You are absolutely right. So many people just dance to this music and have no idea about the lyrics. In my case, I dont listen to rap, hip hop or r&b. I listen to a lot of trance which barely has any lyrics; its all electronic music.

Get this, one day, I was watching my friend's daughters who are about 8 and 10 years old. They both started to sing the song, "Its getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes" etc. and I was shocked that these little girls listen to this kind of music. I, myself, didnt even know the song. So yeah this kind of music can make an impact...

I know I am keeping my kids away from that kind of music..lol..

The Hunch

2007-10-09T13:28:00.000-04:00

After 2 long years, I'm finally going to Bangladesh to visit my family. I haven't seen my grandmother in such a long time that I can't wait. Especially to beat her at a game of "Aat guti LUDU" (Ludo for those of you who don't know) after the numerous accusations of cheating that come her way. Her response to it all is "Shuno, ami tomar nanu, ami churi kori na!" (Translation: "Listen, I'm your grandmother, I do not cheat!") Yeah right is all we think of...

I can finally play carrom with the cousins, go on long drives at night while listening to the latest mix my cousin made, or go to old town at 3am just to have glass of fresh milk or hard boiled egg. And then come back with Chicken Biryani for the rest. Good Times...

I know I sound very enthusiastic and excited, but there is part of me that is apprehensive about this whole trip. And it's all because of the things my friends and family are telling me. Basically the gist of the story is that everyone and their mothers have this hunch that on this trip back home, I'm going to find the man of my dreams and get married. Now I know in my previous blogs, I've mentioned the fact that I'm ready to settle down but seriously am i really? Maybe part of me is getting cold feet of the whole idea or possibly the fact that I'm not ready to really face the reality of life. Now that most of my friends are getting married or are looking to getting married, are we in that phase where we no longer get Naptime? I mean when and how did we get here? Wasn't it just yesterday we were playing catch in the dorm hallways.

The other night when i was talking to my aunt and she was telling me about her hunch, i asked her what makes her think that...All she said was she wasn't sure and that its just a good feeling about it. And when i asked my friends as to why they thought the same, they had the same reason. Is this a sign? Is something really going to happen in Dhaka? Something as drastic as me coming back engaged or married....Isn't that too soon? How come im not getting these good feelings!!! I mean I'm only going for a month....Who knows...I guess, I just have to hope for the best and just accept reality and what comes my way. Oh well...Dhaka here i come!

At July 20, 2006 2:48 AM, Anonymous said...

If you are ready then you are ready...though many of us try to believe in little superstitions like these. For example the whole butterfly concept. i heard that if a butterfly or a big bumble bee flies around you or even lands on you, you get married quite soon after. Has that happened to you?? I know its a wierd superstition but it did come true for a cousin of mine... Coincidence? Who knows!

Unwanted Attention

2007-10-09T13:26:00.000-04:00

Yet another weekend goes by and yet another night of painting the town red is exercised. Unlimited swigs of BLEEP, crazy dancing on tables, long bathroom lines of partly smashed women, and a heaping number of blackmailing photographs! Did I forget to mention the unprecedented amount of winks, Howdys (ok we're not in Texas), and pick up lines that seriously don't work!?!
Naturally, we all women and men too, love attention from anyone and everyone; It's just human nature to like that stuff. But really, is it appreciated at all times?!!? HELL NO! I swear if i hear one more guy screaming at the top of his lungs while I'm crossing the street, "Hey beautiful, Come to Papi" I'm gonna scream. Don't guys ever figure it out that its not attractive? It's such a major turn off!
What's worse is when the broke both wannabe and real thugs do it. One day i will tell them that dude, you already have a disadvantage, don't ruin it for yourself completely! And if a girl doesn't respond the first time, chances that in some parallel universe things will turn over and make her desire u now is highly unlikely. I know i sound like a snob right now but hey...BITE ME!

So boys, those of you who follow this route, if you honestly wanna score, go home take a shower,brush your teeth, get a haircut, groom yourself completely, get an education that pays u money, read a couple of self help books on how to approach a woman decently and then come back. I can guarantee you 100% success!

i know this last post was a complete ramble but i just had to spit it out now before i forgot.

Online Yappings!

2007-10-09T13:24:00.000-04:00

With the recent boom of online "social" networks, such as Friendster, Facebook, Myspace, Hi5, Zorpia or even something as specific as Naseeb.com, online dating has been the "IN" thing to do. Before, people would shy away from saying that, "Yes, I met my significant other online." Now, it's what I hear from every other couple getting married. "Congratulations! So how did you two meet?"..."Oh! Believe it or not, we met online!" I mean what happened to the good ol' "I picked her up at a bar one night and I knew right then, she was the one!" stories. Ok maybe I've never heard that, actually no my dad's colleague (Much junior to him of course) met his wife at one of the hippest lounges. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! that was one in a million.

So one day, I was talking to a friend, while we were procrastinating at work, about single hood and how the parents are hunting. All of a sudden, she mentions, "Are you online?" and here, our conversation as follows,

Me: Um yeah! how am I talking to you retard?
(We were chatting on AIM)
She: No not that online! Are you online like on a website, a social network!?!
(Of course, I laughed at that...)
Me: Social Network! What the hell is that? WAKE UP CALL...We already have a lot of friends. Remember Saturday's Party? A lot of people!
(Now, of course, I'm seen as the retard...)
She: No bozo, it’s an online community where you can make friends, meet people for either friendship or even dating...
Me: Oh you mean something like IRC?
She: Damn you are still in the ice age! (Haha she didn’t say that, I was just making the conversation a little funnier that it actually was--If I can't laugh at myself, who else will...OK Don't answer that!) No it’s where you participate in a discussion board, exchange emails with people and then maybe meet in person.
(Still Baffled...)
Me: And we don’t do that now? why do we have to do it online?
She: Well, it's another avenue to meet people. Who knows, you might meet your Salman Bald Khan online!
Me: He's not bald! He's Balding! And he’s getting it fixed!
She: Whatever...so yeah...I've joined this website called Naseeb.com you should check it out.
Me: Naseeb as in Destiny?
She: Haha...yeah
Me: It's not a matrimonial site is it?
Me: It's an online social MUSLIM network? Sweetie, since when was the last time you saw me pray?
She: Never...but most of the people there aren’t that religious...it’s just a front...
Me: hmm...ok I’ll think about it...I have to get back to work before my boss shoves a poll up my ass for not working....haha
She: ONLY YOU CAN SAY SOMETHING AS VILE AS THAT! love ya!
Me: heehee... l8r
(20 mins go by.....)
Me: So I just joined Naseeb...what do I do now?
She: Heeeheee I knew it you couldn’t resist. Just be there and you will see...Oh let me add you and then write a testimonial for you.
Me: Ok Me too...
(Another 20 mins go by)
Me: Oh look I have a new email.... from _____________ (Sorry I had to edit this out)
Subject: Hi
You look really cute! Would you like to make frandship with me?
Hope to hear from you soon
____________
Me: So this is what you got me into???????????? frandship with me? and how the hell does he know that I'm cute? I don't even have a picture besides that stupid icon....

And my naseeb life starts...and in that process I joined friendster because a friend that I met on naseeb after a very long time said I should join friendster...Reason? People are less weird.
ok..... (and yes it’s true...friendstarians are less weird!)

So the observations I’ve made whilst being "online"
1. Men, as soon as they hear you are single, immediately the pouncing starts...meaning, they want to date you. You automatically change from an online friend to a potential significant other (or potential fuck buddy for some). regardless if you've chatted for only 2 mins or more.
2. If one sends a private message, it for some reason, automatically means that they like you and want to date you and possibly have your kids! (People!....IT'S A TOTAL MYTH! I don’t want to date you...Well not most of you. I just want to see if you have a brain and a laughing chromosome in your body; and if I do want to date you, we've probably already met in person more than 5 times and i'm willing to spend more time with you)
3. Most people are LIARS...aka Insecure to the T.
4. If you don’t have a picture, you are not considered a person of substance. Which kinda make sense but then again what about those people who put up pictures of their fave celebrity, or worse, their hot cousin!

Am I missing something here? I’m sure there are a few more observations that I can pen down but at this point, this post is getting way too long and i’m getting bored. Time for me to do something else...until then keep reading mes amis!

At July 06, 2006 7:19 PM, Ehsan said...

Men always look for single woman regardless of the reason. The moment you log on to any social network you become part of the game. You will encounter good and bad, but generalizing all man with your sour experience is foolish. Look at the word “Private Message” carefully. It does not say “Public Message” , the rest should be clear. Let’s agree with Dazz for once, they are all perverts, idiots and liars out there. So don’t you think this is good enough reason not to post your picture. I think Dazz is contradicting herself here, blaming both ends. I saw someone post a negative of a picture, what do you think of that?

Flirting...Yes? No? Maybe?

2007-10-09T13:22:00.000-04:00

A few nights back, I was talking to a friend and we were chatting about all the aspects of flirting. And we came to the conclusion that when a person is single, flirting is a necessity for mental survival and that every person should be given a crash course on it especially if the person still has not mastered this art! But when attached, should it be accepted? Yes, No? Why? Why not? It was interesting to see that we both had different perspectives. When reading ahead, note the fact that I am female and my friend is male. But before I share our views, here is an article I read while surfing through the net.

Is it Bad to Flirt?

Q: Is flirting good for a relationship? I am in a committed relationship and love my girlfriend dearly. But, sometimes I like to flirt with other women because it makes me feel good about myself. Is this a bad thing?

A: Flirting is never a bad thing when it’s done with your partner. However, when it’s done with someone outside of the relationship, it may lead to damaging results: hurting your partner’s feelings, creating mistrust, generating feelings of guilt and, especially, affairs! Although flirting may feel harmless, it has a way of igniting flames of passion between people that eventually need to be acted out physically. This is one behavior that is better left alone if you value your relationship. A question you should be asking yourself is this: Why do you need to flirt in order to make yourself feel good about yourself. Sure, it’s nice to be acknowledged by other women who find you appealing, but it’s also a sign of insecurity. For the safety of your relationship, you need to look for more constructive ways of boosting your ego.
So now that you have read the article, what are your thoughts? Well here are ours...
My friend(s)' thought Flirting should stop as soon as person is attached. Well flirting should be with only significant other. Reason: "I wouldn't [appreciate] it.", "why?", " Just because...Plus its not healthy. It could lead to infidelity even though I'd trust my girl but not the guy she is flirting with."

My thoughts and Response to my friends thought?

I think its ridiculous! Basically it boils down to the fact that whether you trust your significant other (or maybe yourself, if you are approached with the situation) or not. If you do, mere flirting wont hurt because you'll know that he/she was only joking; especially if its once in a blue moon. Honestly, chances are if your significant other is flirting with someone else in front of you KNOWS you're right there...at most he or she is just riling you up to turn you on.

"It could lead to infidelity even though I'd trust my girl but not the guy she is flirting with."

That just screams major INSECURITY to me. Because if you trust your significant other, I can assure you the person he or she is flirting with won't get anything. I mean seriously...Lets use this for an example:

2 couples at a party. Couples are mingling separately. Girl of Couple one jokingly flirts with Guy of couple 2. Guy of couple 2 makes a pass. if that happens, most likely girl of couple 1 will just leave (as rude as it looks) and will join her significant other and will remain with him the entire time. Now if guy of couple 2, gets a hold of her number then girl of couple 1 will inform girl of couple 2. The End right there! How hard can that be?

Honestly, flirting to me is harmless, only because I am a very loyal person. I don't believe in cheating. If a person even thinks twice about cheating...you know right then that, HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!!!

PS: For those who are single and don't know how to flirt, read this article:

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1175/is_1_32/ai_53479121

At June 28, 2006 6:05 PM, Ehsan said...

You can not teach anyone to flirt. Everyone has their own style. Flirting takes different forms depending on your intentions. You only flirt because you are unsatisfied or flirting to score. Flirting with someone you know or someone you don’t know. I don’t flirt with known woman; I mean I don’t want to sleep with my friend’s wife. Flirting can be visual or verbal. Well in my case its always visual leading to verbal (Provided I am lucky). I also flirt for fun (even though intentions are same being a man), I will look in her eyes, than pay attention to her bust and butt. I am sure most girls get a kick out when a guy is checking out her assets. And if her movements become erratic giving you better views you know both you having fun. Flirting is like a spark,It might or might not ignite a fire. I disagree with Dazz. Flirt only if you are single or if you wana score.

At July 04, 2006 4:09 PM, Hamzeena said...

As a bisexual non-op transsexual (born male, taking female hormones and living as a woman, but will not have a sex-change operation), i have flirted four ways: dressed as a man interacting with men or with women, and dressed as a woman in encounters with women or men.

I sink zee women may be loyal, but zee men can easily be manipulated. As such, I agree with Mr. Nashe.

At July 04, 2006 4:43 PM, Dazzlingsitar said...

Hamzeena...i never knew you were such the imposter! Nice to know after all this time...

Ehsan: There is such a thing as informal flirting my friends and i do it all the time especially in the end of the day when we both know we mean nothing by it!

At July 05, 2006 4:25 PM, Krishnokoli said...

I don't think flirting is harmless, especially after one has had experiences of flirting leading to something, and hence you know "what you can get". It can be tempting, and I dont believe in taking life as a challenge when it comes to relationships.

No one is THAT strong - flirting opens up avenues to cheat and therefore, ifyou are in a relationship, I personally think its insincere to flirt.

I wouldn't like my significant other to flirt unless its ABSOLUTELY innocent, in which case it's kidding around and not flirting.

FLirting has a sexual connotation - you are increasing intimacy, sharing some sort of 'not so visible to others' attraction....

However, everyone has their own understanding of what they expect from relationships so if your significant other doesn't care, then it's fine I guess.

Speed Dating

2007-10-09T13:20:00.000-04:00

An interesting read....

Our Reporter Gives It A Try...With Some Reservations

By: Zinnia Faruque
Source: Herald News
Link: http://www.flirteve.com/frames.html

When I told my guy friend that I was attending a speed-dating event for single South Asian professionals, he asked if I had my pitch down pat. "What pitch?" I asked. "This isn't a job conference!"

But, really, it made sense. There would be 20 guys and 20 women. You have three minutes to make a lasting impression before the buzzer goes off and leaves you starting all over again with the next potential soul mate.

Then my girlfriend asked an even more unsettling question: "What if no one puts us down on their scoreboard?"

I didn't know what she meant. All I knew about speed-dating was what I'd seen on "Sex and the City." But a scoreboard seemed vaguely ominous.

If you're young, single and looking for love in the metropolitan area, you may already be date-weary. But add to the mix that you are a South Asian seeking other South Asians, and the playing field gets that much smaller.

Most of my group of twenty-something girlfriends are single urbanites working at our first full-time jobs. We like to party, dance and trade stories about our latest hook-ups or misadventures over mimosas at brunch. Most of us have had at least one serious relationship. Not that we're necessarily looking to marry the next person we date, but in these post-college years, we're less willing to date just for dating's sake.

So it makes sense that speed-dating appeals to target ethnic markets, like us. Speed-dating, of course, isn't new. It started in Los Angeles in 1998 - courtesy of Aish HaTorah, a Jewish educational network - as a matchmaking method for Jewish singles.

Like many veteran urban daters, some of my South Asian girlfriends are tired of meaningless bar encounters. In high school, we may have scoffed at being introduced to a "nice South Asian boy," but the idea no longer seem so ludicrous.

It has been six months since I broke up with an ex-boyfriend of three years, and I can't remember when my last "real" date was. So when the speed-dating - an event sponsored by Flirteve.com, a South-Asian-geared Web site - was broached by some friends, I thought: Well, it couldn't hurt.

We speed-daters gathered, one recent Tuesday, for after-work cocktails at Pop, a hip, dimly-lit lounge near Union Square. Okay, I told myself, I will try to be open-minded. I sat down alone at the coffee-sized table assigned to me, armed with pen, notepad and a box of Tic Tacs. Rahul Shah, one of the organizers, stepped forward and explained how the scoreboard worked. You had to mark yes or no after meeting each prospective mate. If both of you wrote yes, you had a match, and you would be sent each other's e-mail addresses in a few days.

"Okay, girls, so all you have to do is sit tight, and let the guys come to you." Said Shah. "Sort of the way it is in real life."

As it turned out, I didn't need a pitch. The guys came prepared with their pitches, just like they do in bars. The first guy, Kunal, sounded almost a little too rehearsed. But he lived in Jersey City, which is where I moved to a month ago. And he seemed like a nice-enough guy. What the hell, I thought, I'll put him down as a yes.

The next guy, Sanjay, was too thin and wiry for my taste. I tuned out what he was saying - until he told me he had spent much of his life in the Philippines and had studied in Manchester, England. Not your typical South Asian guy from Edison, N.J. He seemed cultured and well-traveled. He was going down as a yes.

Then there was Vivek, about 6 feet tall, black hair slicked with gel, wearing a black blazer over jeans. He was finishing his fourth year of residency at NYU med school. Great, I thought, after tonight's roster of engineers, businessmen and doctors, tell me something I don't know. Vivek must have read my mind, because he said he was interested in researching children's public health in developing countries. A socially conscious South Asian guy? I leaned forward with interest.

A few days later, after a bit of paranoia that no one had considered me a yes, I received an e-mail from Flirteve: three matches. My friend Purvi e-mailed me. She had three matches, too, and, luckily, not the same three.

I don't think I found my soul mates. But I was forced to talk to guys I normally would never have approached, and I had been pleasantly surprised. Will I go out with any if they call? Well, I guess it couldn't hurt...

For Full Transcript Email: info@flirteve.com
______________________________________________

After having read this, would any of you try speed dating?

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 22, 2006 at 6/22/2006 10:48:00 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.

2 comments:
At June 25, 2006 3:48 PM, Anonymous said...

It's a very interesting read....are you thinking of going on speedy dates!

At July 07, 2006 5:08 PM, sana said...

I'm always up for adventures, LOL, especially where I can have stories to tell!

Life As A Desi Singleton

2007-10-09T13:17:00.000-04:00

Hi! I am Dazzlingsitar, 25 years old, female, living in New York, with my parents ofcourse because god forbid if I had my own apartment where I could get corrupted by getting too much freedom or worse by boys, looking for a new job and S-I-N-G-L-E. Not Engaged, nor attached. Just good ol' Singleton! Basically in desi lingo well moreso in the words of society and my mother, "You're Old! 25! No spring chicken! Beti, it's time for you to find a nice boy, get married and get out of my house." (like as if it was that easy--getting out of the house that is, heehee, sarcasm, gotta love it) I know she sounds harsh, doesn't she? Well, she probably didn't mean it to be so harsh but I doubt that she meant it any less.

Actually, God has blessed me with a set of very progressive-minded parents compared to the many my friends have. I've been able to get a good education, explore different fashions (damn 80s), countries on my own and most importantly was allowed to "party" and date, boys ofcourse. I know, many, who are reading this are probably thinking, is this girl weird? What's the big deal about partying and dating? Well thing is, when you come from a des(h)i family, many of these things that I've mentioned above are considered as taboo and if any girl is seen doing any of these things, well, gets labeled as "corrupted by the rash western influences" hence social outcast. But luckily this stigma is slowly dying...well I hope it is! Because I don't hear that many girls hiding behind their parents back anymore...or maybe because I'm not 16 anymore, but that's besides the point. The fact that my parents don't care is kinda cool.

But those who are des(h)is, have you noticed that in our community, (regardless of where you are) everybody has a say and is forced to comment on your life regardless if they know you or not? It's truly fascinating to me how all of these people have such insights about my life more than myself. The other day I had gone to yet another family friend's gathering and an aunty-jee comes up to me acting as if she's known me since I was in my mother's womb (ofcourse i didn't know her! Hadn't met her even once in my 25-years and counting of life-but who cares right?) and says, "You should really oil your hair more often, well atleast twice a week so your hair wont be so frizzy frizzy!" Being the polite one that I am, I just smiled and pretended that I actually took that advice as if I knew nothing of these techniques and really thought, " YOU MORON, DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF HUMIDITY!?!"

I honestly believe that in a weird dimensional (dellusional if you will) world, they might actually believe that it was an icebreaker because soon after, a series of questions follow, "Have you decided or thought of marriage, Are you seeing anyone? Do you want me set you up with my nephew? You know the time is ticking!"
Immediately, a major rush of thoughts come to my mind. (a) Who are you? (b) Who's and what for is this time ticking? (c) Do you think I'm blind? (ok I didn't really think that but I thought it was funny anyways, (d) Your nephew? hmm and (e) Do I have a neon sign on my forehead that says I'm a single girl here who needs immediate attention to find a good no decent desi boy from a good family and settle down? AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, (f) WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!

In honesty, it wouldn't be such a bad idea, GETTING MARRIED, et all but what's the rush. What's wrong in waiting around while becoming professionally successful, educated and well-traveled? And ofcourse, most importantly, finding THE ONE! I personally feel that one should not get married only because (a) parents said so, or (b)I'm getting old. Such reasons could start off with a weak base for a marriage and hence head to doom. One should really get settled financially and mentally. Financially for obvious reasons...I'm sorry but seriously to all the romantics of this world, "Love" is just not enough. Mentally, well I would think its obvious but I don't mind delving into it.

Mentally, if you feel you should still be single, BE SINGLE! It's only fair to the other person because this rules out the questions of infidelity, lack of trust and communication and etc...Marriage I feel is a union not only between a man and woman, (or man and a man or woman and a woman) but really a union between two families; a concept that I've grown up with. (This in itself can be a blog so I wont get into it now--but I'm sure you guys understand). But seriously, one should be mentally prepared when getting into a marriage and be ready to take on another person as an entity that plays a factor for decision-making.

My married friends tell me, when you're ready you'll know and when you meet him, you will know. It will be an instant recognition. Honestly, I thought I recognized my future husband when I first saw him at age 10. But till Today, I'm ridiculed for being in love with SALMAN KHAN. Hey he is human too...He's not some God that i cant reach. Granted he's 16 yrs older to me but age is just a number right? :D

Oh well, i guess i have to stop dreaming about Salman Khan and come back to reality and start soul searching (Possibly find Salman's replica) because all jokes apart, i think i have finally come in to terms that i feel its time for me to settle down only because I'm done and tired of the dating scene and would love to find someone i can spend a lifetime with and not for just a few free meals and movie dates here and there.

At June 15, 2006 3:23 AM, nusrat said...

Don't worry girl, after the age of 25 you'll be deemed as a hopeless case and they'll stop harassing you. Instead they'll all sit around in groups and shake their heads when you walk by.

At June 15, 2006 11:28 AM, NAB said...

i wouldn't mind getting married already. at least it'd stop all the talks (preemptively) and just allow ME to finally think about things that DON'T have to do with red saris and rings. egh.

and plus, i believe the idea is then that my hubby is going to have to foot my med school tuition fees =) hehehe!

At June 15, 2006 12:19 PM, Dazzlingsitar said...

hahaha....nowal, oh the dreams we dream!

and nus, well i havent felt that much of a burn yet as im hardly home...weekends i here some...im scared when i go back to bdesh in the summer... i think i will hear the fat ladies singing then...

At June 15, 2006 3:25 PM, Bushra said...

Seems to me like you're staying true to yourself,relishing every moment of singledom!

and yes Salman has the hottest body in Bollywood ;) Although,Shah Rukh is the man for me...sigh!currently Rahul Bose also gets me drooling :P

At June 16, 2006 10:33 AM, Ehsan said...

In school I had crush on this particular chick. I could hold a snake by its tail but I did not have guts to tell her I fancy her. I went to college a place where we waste the most valuable time of our lives. Was not that lucky either, dated here and there little bit. Final I got engaged with this pretty girl. The night I was putting the ring on her I looked into her eyes I knew something is wrong. I was engaged for 3 months life was good. One fine morning we split. I don’t know where she is but I am good friends with her mom and dad now. Than I looked at society and got married, lasted three months we are separated and sure to be divorced. I am confident I will get married again next year (at least that’s what my guru jee tells me), hoping this will last.

I align with all four (Nusrat, Busra, Nowal, Dazzlingsitar) of you. I am about to complete the whole cycle (Crush-Date-Love-Engaged-Married-Separated-Divorced-Remarry). The idea is:
"Fill the years with life not to fill the life with years"

At June 17, 2006 8:24 AM, gr8gatsby said...

Isn't Salman a deer-killing homo? I always thought he was. Hmmm. I hate families too. I'm des(h)i. I have a progressive family. But I still hate all the shite that comes with it.

At June 19, 2006 5:24 PM, Shirin said...

Girl, you are just hilarious..
Love your blogs! Keep them coming..
BTW, I still get harrased about not being married..oh well!! Old is gold..lol

At June 19, 2006 5:27 PM, Dazzlingsitar said...

Bushra: Yeah for some reason srk doesnt go for me...but i do agree with Rahul Bose...he's got that je ne sais quoi thing going on for him...

Ehsan: You've got a pretty intersting life there...I guess in the words of Mama Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get!" It's really the life experiences that get you to where you are today. Do you ever wonder what would have happened had you ever had the courage to tell your crush that you had a crush on her? Would life been any different? hmm..By the way, im curious...how did u get to my blog?

At June 19, 2006 5:29 PM, Dazzlingsitar said...

Moose!! Just because he flaunts his boobs in every movie doesnt make him a homo...I'll give u "Deer-killing" but not a homo!!!

But seriously dude...you gotta love family for it...

At June 19, 2006 5:31 PM, Dazzlingsitar said...

Shirin: Thanks!! Yeah old is gold, diamonds are forever...what other sayings are there...

At June 20, 2006 7:31 PM, Anonymous said...

"..Marriage I feel is a union not only between a man and woman, (or man and a man or woman and a woman) but really a union between two families; a concept that I've grown up with. (This in itself can be a blog so I wont get into it now--but I'm sure you guys understand). But seriously, one should be mentally prepared when getting into a marriage and be ready to take on another person as an entity that plays a factor for decision-making."

'nuff said.

At June 20, 2006 8:32 PM, Dazzlingsitar said...

anonymous poster....do u agree or disagree??

At June 22, 2006 12:38 PM, Ehsan said...

Dazz -

I wonder the same. may be life wouldd be different if I said so. I think i found you on Naseeb.

"Aunty Jee, Can I Bum A Ciggie From You, Please?"

2007-10-09T13:15:00.000-04:00

Yes, You read the title and NO, I'm not on Crack, nor am I a smoker! In the past couple of years, I've had the pleasure of meeting quite the "interesting characters". Other people could define them as hypocrites, but I, honestly, would like to be PC for once. Yeah, forget the fact that I am writing about them but oh well - if it weren't for them would I really have a blog today?!? But don't worry, I wont bore you with every single hypocrite I've met. Atleast not all on one day/blog...haha

In lieu of the movie, Thank You For Not Smoking, (not that i've watched this satirical comedy), today's blog is about smokers. Well more specifically, its about all those pious/religious ppl who preach to everyone to be something like Mother Mary but instead hide in a corner and take a swig of alcohol or smoke ciggies. Where am I going with this? Read on...

So being in New York, we have the pleasure of hosting plenty of visitors from out of town, state, and country. This one time (at band camp-sorry I couldnt resist!), we had an out-of-country visitor (I'm not naming any names just to protect them--I dont know why but oh well, it's the least i could do) and i was just telling her that I get premonitions and that when my grandfather passed away I had actually seen it happen 3 or 4 months prior to it happening. And occassionally here and there I see him in my dreams... This is when she asks me whether if I pray regularly or if I read the Qu'ran as a mean for prayers for the dead. And I said no, and this is when I got the lecture of my life how I should pray more often not for my sake but for my grandfather that it's his way of trying to communicate with me that he needs prayers etc... ok so seriously, I was moved and I thought that I really should, for my grandfather at least. After all this she had gone to the patio to join and chit chat with the folks. (yes if you havent guessed already, its about yet another aunty-jee making a difference in my life!) And i just sit for a few moments thinking this alone. And Then decide to join the 'rents...and look at what i see!!!

I see my aunty-jee smoking away with my father, her husband making fun of her as to why she hides and smokes and that she should do it in front of everyone! I swear...i didnt know what to say...whether I should laugh or be mad. ofcourse I just cracked up in my mind thinking, i'll be damned! Ok all the lecture you just gave me have no meaning and value now. how can u preach the religion when you yourself are going against it. Am I missing something? It was a blast listening to my uncle make fun of her ways and I just left it at that thinking...People...you gotta love 'em for being great entertainment when you least expect it!

At June 01, 2006 11:19 AM, Ehsan said...

Smoking is bad for health but it is not against our religion (assuming your faith is Islam). Preaching is favored in Islam but not mandatory. Auntie did not preach against smoking so can not really call her a hypocrite, hoping she prays for the dead souls herself.
I always enjoy the company of hypocrites. They always entertain me and I avoid making there mistakes. Its always how you look at them.

“Life is a comedy to those who think and a tragedy to those who feel.” I am the earlier one guess you fall in the later category.

At June 01, 2006 7:40 PM, Hamza said...

You have a great writing style! However, I disagree with your conclusion that you should discard her advice simply bc she doesn't practice what she preaches. Although it is a natural reaction, I dont find it to be logical. Truth should stand for itself. If she told you something that was good and true and you were moved by it, then that was good of her. If she then hid her smoking so that her air of piety would be maintained in front of others, then that was bad of her. They are two separate events. I agree that her bad behavior would put her good behavior in question, and you would be justified to be skeptical as to whether what she told you was even true. But if it moved you, you should take the trouble to find out if it is indeed true, and if it is, you should embrace the truth regardless of the character of the person who first pointed you towards it. In other words ... don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Just my two cents. :)

At June 10, 2006 3:37 PM, gr8gatsby said...

Don't think too much. But follow what you honestly believe is correct. (I say correct and not true.)

Hope you drop by my blog!

My very first blog entry - WELCOME TO MY BLOG

2007-10-09T13:05:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my Blog!
Yes! I have finally decided to jump on the wagon and start "BLOGGING". But honestly what's with this new obsession about blogging? Isn't that the same thing as writing to a personal diary. I mean, yeah, granted a diary is something you write for yourself and and maybe for some, ur nosey mother who wants to know about your life, and that this is a medium that is somewhat similar. Instead of your nosey mother, its for your friends and others to keep up and hear your views...?

Am I the only one who notices the fact that there is no significant difference here? ok I'm rambling and I've already lost my audience. and possibly a few loyal friends. haha! I just decided to use this as an introduction to my BLOG! And using this entry as a slight warning to my fellow readers that this blog will consist of complete randomness (if that's even a word)

The past couple of months has allowed me to experience many different things that i have so much to write about that I'm not even sure where to begin. so let me leave you to this for now and i will get back to you ASAP! Sometime this weekend? Well will keep u posted of course! (pun was intended!)

At April 13, 2006 5:01 PM, Ahmed said...

Yay, I'm your first comment! Unless someone else is at it right now...hmm...

I don't think its quite a personal diary. Because the difference in how you may write your personal thoughts for your own reflection. And writing the personal thoughts you wish to share with others is quite substantial.

There are things you leave out, things you change, and sometimes you don't write for yourself but for your audience. So I think its quite different.

At April 13, 2006 5:05 PM, Dazzlingsitar said...

well not necessarily shouldn't u be writing to ur friends like you would to yourself?

At April 13, 2006 5:09 PM, Shirin said...

what a beginning...
you rock sista!!
Cant wait to read more of your blogs...keep it real!!

At April 13, 2006 5:13 PM, Ahmed said...

The way I think about things to myself is not always how I talk to others.

Thats not to say I'm two-faced. But rather, its
a) A different style
b) somethings are meant to be private

At April 26, 2006 11:58 AM, Krishnokoli said...

honey the whole point of a blog is that you have to update it.

At May 30, 2006 3:15 PM, Ehsan said...

You write a diary to hide yourself and you blog to reveal yourself. Either way you express your self. Question is how well you will do it.

I don’t write, I read and I will come back.

At June 01, 2006 12:20 AM, Dazzlingsitar said...

i know i have to update but question is when...but i have now!

At June 10, 2006 3:35 PM, gr8gatsby said...

Hello Dazzlingsitar

Welcome to the blogosphere. It's great fun! I've been blogging for over a year now.

At June 15, 2006 2:38 PM, Bushra said...

I am like you..enjoy random blogging. am always blogging everything but really about nothing.

At June 22, 2006 11:38 AM, Dazzlingsitar said...

thanks guys for the support...hope you guys enjoy my blogs! there are many more to come!

My Old Blog is BACK!!!!

2007-10-09T12:58:00.000-04:00

Blogger finally heard me! my old blog is back. But the question of the day is... Do I transport everything here to there, or bring everything from there to here? I do like that template more but I kinda like this one too...ok so I'm just going to post everything here and once I decide to switch templates i will just do it. let's see.. In the mean time...enjoy reading my old posts...For Nostalgia? or for the first time for those who didn't get the opportunity before.

Well anyway..this is my Eid GIFT TO YOU...MY FELLOW READERS....AND YES IM BACKKK!!!!!!

Iranian University Chancellors Ask Bollinger 10 Questions

2007-10-09T11:58:00.000-04:00

an email i received today that needed to be posted!! my own written work will be back soon. i promise

From: Ann & Ahmad Shirazi
Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2007 15:48:06 -0400
Subject: [codepinknewyork] Iran chancellors' letter to Bollinger

Iranian University Chancellors Ask Bollinger 10 Questions

TEHRAN - Seven chancellors and presidents of
Iranian universities and research centers, in a
letter addressed to their counterpart in the US
Colombia University, denounced Lee Bollinger's
insulting words against the Iranian nation and
president and invited him to provide responses
for 10 questions of the Iranian academicians and intellectuals.

The following is the full text of the letter.

* * * *

Mr. Lee Bollinger
Columbia University President

We, the professors and heads of universities and
research institutions in Tehran , hereby announce
our displeasure and protest at your impolite
remarks prior to Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad's recent speech at Columbia University.

We would like to inform you that President
Ahmadinejad was elected directly by the Iranian
people through an enthusiastic two-round poll in
which almost all of the country's political
parties and groups participated. To assess the
quality and nature of these elections you may
refer to US news reports on the poll dated June 2005.

Your insult, in a scholarly atmosphere, to the
president of a country with a population of 72
million and a recorded history of 7,000 years of
civilization and culture is deeply shameful.

Your comments, filled with hate and disgust, may
well have been influenced by extreme pressure
from the media, but it is regrettable that media
policy-makers can determine the stance a
university president adopts in his speech.

Your remarks about our country included
unsubstantiated accusations that were the product
of guesswork as well as media propaganda. Some of
your claims result from misunderstandings that
can be clarified through dialogue and further research.

During his speech, Mr. Ahmadinejad answered a
number of your questions and those of students.
We are prepared to answer any remaining questions
in a scientific, open and direct debate.

You asked the president approximately ten
questions. Allow us to ask you ten of our own
questions in the hope that your response will
help clear the atmosphere of misunderstanding and
distrust between our two countries and reveal the truth.

Why did the US media put you under so much
pressure to prevent Mr. Ahmadinejad from
delivering his speech at Columbia University? And
why have American TV networks been broadcasting
hours of news reports insulting our president
while refusing to allow him the opportunity to
respond? Is this not against the principle of freedom of speech?

Why, in 1953, did the US administration overthrow
the Iran's national government under Dr Mohammad
Mosaddegh and go on to support the Shah's dictatorship?

Why did the US support the blood-thirsty dictator
Saddam Hussein during the 1980-88 Iraqi-imposed
war on Iran, considering his reckless use of
chemical weapons against Iranian soldiers
defending their land and even against his own people?

Why is the US putting pressure on the government
elected by the majority of Palestinians in Gaza
instead of officially recognizing it? And why
does it oppose Iran 's proposal to resolve the
60-year-old Palestinian issue through a general referendum?

Why has the US military failed to find Al-Qaeda
leader Osama Bin Laden even with all its advanced
equipment? How do you justify the old friendship
between the Bush and Bin Laden families and their
cooperation on oil deals? How can you justify the
Bush administration's efforts to disrupt
investigations concerning the September 11 attacks?

Why does the US administration support the
Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) despite the
fact that the group has officially and openly
accepted the responsibility for numerous deadly
bombings and massacres in Iran and Iraq? Why does
the US refuse to allow Iran 's current government
to act against the MKO's main base in Iraq?

Was the US invasion of Iraq based on
international consensus and did international
institutions support it? What was the real
purpose behind the invasion which has claimed
hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives? Where are
the weapons of mass destruction that the US
claimed were being stockpiled in Iraq?

Why do America's closest allies in the Middle
East come from extremely undemocratic governments
with absolutist monarchical regimes?

Why did the US oppose the plan for a Middle East
free of unconventional weapons in the recent
session of the International Atomic Energy Agency
Board of Governors despite the fact the move won
the support of all members other than Israel?

Why is the US displeased with Iran's agreement
with the IAEA and why does it openly oppose any
progress in talks between Iran and the agency to
resolve the nuclear issue under international law?

Finally, we would like to express our readiness
to invite you and other scientific delegations to
our country. A trip to Iran would allow you and
your colleagues to speak directly with Iranians
from all walks of life including intellectuals
and university scholars. You could then assess
the realities of Iranian society without media
censorship before making judgments about the Iranian nation and government.

You can be assured that Iranians are very polite
and hospitable toward their guests.

(c) 2007 Fars News Agency