Half Sweet n' Half Nuts

(my director, my producers, my co-stars, my fans, my family, my dog, my....)

Oh! well, I got tagged by Zee to come up with 8 things I'm thankful for (who picked 8!?) and even though she went on to 10 I'm going to stick to 8... at least I think I am...

So here goes -

Internet

If it wasn't for the ubiquitous World Wide Web, I think almost everyone I know would die! It has made itself an absolute essential in all our lives. I need it to stay in touch with my parents and family, my friends, my boss and colleagues. I need it to know whats going on in th world, how to to get to anywhere, downloading music/movies, where to buy, what to buy, when to buy, banking, Saturday night spots and of course blogging. You name it and I can either Google or wiki it. It just had to be the topmost on my list!

My car

My baby! My darling! My sweetheart! Ah! No reasons necessary... my Genie I am thankful for every single morning since I got her :)

My gadgets - my laptop, my cell phone and my Ipod.

Laptop, because it connects me to the above mentioned Internet. And even if there's no Internet it keeps me sane by becoming my movie theater or sound box as the need arises. Its got all my pictures (about 7GB at last count) which combined form my memories of 1.5 yrs in LA. My cell phone, because I would be completely lost without it. I'm a little paranoid about not having my cellphone with me charged and within range at all times. I like to know I'm a phone call away from help in case of any sort of trouble. Don't ask why, its just the way I am. And my Ipod for making the world dance to my tunes wherever I am :D Its one of the best birthday gifts I ever got and I'm oh! so grateful for it!

Bollywood

If anyone didn't know this about me as yet - well you do now! I love Bollywood! The good, the bad, the ugly. All of it. It keeps me sane. My roomies often said it was the panacea for all my troubles. I completely agree. I love every facet of it. The dramatic, the melodramatic, the ridiculous and the beautiful. I watch almost every movie released (I draw my line at Himess-bhai-Ressamiya movies) and I listen to every OST at least twice (some take longer than once to grow on you!).

Microwaves and packed foods

I used to love cooking at one time but that's history now. I now look for anything which will fill my stomach with minimum effort so packed foods and the microwave often save the day. Thank you for making so many dinners easy for me.

My job and my boss

I can't say this often enough. I'm so grateful I have a job that I love and a boss who isn't a pain. No guys, no one from work knows this blog exists so I'm not sucking up or anything of the sort (not that I'm above that sort of thing .. whatever works I mean, but you gotta keep your blog honest ya!). I'm so glad that I have the means of earning a living and paying bills doing something that I can do well and that doesn't sap all the life out of me. I wake up happy to go to work (not necessarily happy to wake up but then again we can't have everything!) and I don't mind staying at work for as long as it takes to get the job done. And my boss is a cool guy so phew! Thank God!

Credit cards

It is so much easier to spend on credit, though paying it back can be a bitch! But for now, what with new apartment expenses and what have you (Oh! I moved this weekend by the way!) I'm just glad I have my card :-)

People in my world

And just so that I don't sound completely materialistic, I saved the best for last - the people in my world! If I named them individually I would overrun 8 at least a million times over so lets just mention them under a single bullet. Of course I have to start with my parents and brother, they are my eternal life support system. I would of course be a goner without them. A close backup life support system would have to be those crazy knuckle-headed buffoons around the world who for some reason that completely eludes me are still my friends! Hats off to you guys! I don't know how you do it but I'm glad you still stick around. These people are spread all over the world from China to West coast USA and everything in between, going clockwise of course. Errr... and Australia... and Hawaii.... Oh! All over the world, you get the idea!

Of course, include yourselves in that list dear reader, I'm glad you're there to listen to me in all my moods and still come back for more!


So that's it. The top 8 things I'm thankful for. Of course I'm also thankful for electricity, painkillers, vending machines, ATMs, shampoo, oh! and deodorants! Oh yes! Thank god for deodorants!

And people can thank me because I'm not going to tag anyone specific with this beyond me simply because there are a handful of us who end up reading each others blogs and I already know at least 5 people who have been tagged so it will get kinda repetitive I think. But if you want to get tagged 'coz this is something you think you want to blog about - go ahead! consider yourself tagged!

So long and thanks for all the fish!

(dunno why... it just seemed like an appropriate end :P)

Happy Birthday to ... errr.. me?

No its not my birthday! You'd know if it was. Exactly one year ago I started my blog. When I started out, I wasn't quite sure what it was all about. I often questioned why people blogged. It was a chore that never got ticked off my never ending to-do list. In fact when I look back now I really wonder why I started it!

Question for you dear reader - Why did you start to blog?

Well, for me, simply put my roomie convinced me. She said it would be something I'd be good at and I would like it a lot. She was an avid blog reader at the time. Not a regular at any specific blogs but she could spend hours hitting the next random blog link. All the same, she was right about me loving it! I'll leave to my raptured audience to comment on how good I am at it :D (Yes! Of course I'm fishing for compliments!)

As corny as it sounds, this blog has helped me get by this last year. It is here that I have vented and ranted, mourned and rejoiced. Philosophized, rambled on, mused and worried. Shared secrets, dreams and fears and cried out for help. Of course I shouldn't even mention the creative outpourings! (There are too many to hyper-link to, so just put in my favorite ones.) I have made friends, whom even if I never personally meet, I know they'll be there for me.. just a comment away.

Through this blog I have gained insights into innumerable lives. I started out with friends who have since then disappeared for a while and made many more along the way. Alternate points of view, mundane realities of different lifestyles, humorous twists to inane situations. I have seen read stories, been entertained. People I don't know can make me worry for them with simple lines in their post. I have realized strangers can care for you and you're not alone in this world.

And it has been a terrific experience! So... here's raising a toast to the wonderful year that passed and to the many years that will follow!

On a side note, few more milestones for today. Genie crossed her 1000 mile mark this morning. She makes me so proud! I also signed the lease to my new apartment this morning. Looks like the next chapter of my life is all set to start now and I can barely wait to move on!

I am a person who is easily upset. I get wound up over the smallest of issues and am terrible at pretending all is okay. I also hate people asking me why I'm upset, when it should be quite obvious, so I decided I'm going to list the things that upset me most! Of course, in my infinite wisdom, I do realize this could result in a very long post, but I can only promise to try and restrain my rant :)

So here goes!

1. People who offer to help, and then don't.
As a general rule, an offer to help should never be relied upon, so, as a worst case scenario, if the promised help doesn't come through you're no worse off really. However it does upset me if someone volunteers to help, assures you of this, but then doesn't really do anything (for whatever reasons). It would be a lot better if they just didn't offer in the first place, or at least had the courtesy to say they couldn't and maybe apologize. It's worse when they don't even realize something's amiss! Knock Knock?

2. People who assume they know (anything/everything) better than you.
This is quite common of course. Everyone thinks they're better informed or better equipped when it comes to making the decisions in your life. So of course if you do proceed to take a decision on your own, they will almost always - a) be offended at not being consulted; b) insist on telling you, after you have gone ahead done what you decided to, that they would have done it differently/better.

3. People who take the slightest joke personally and puff up at you.
You're having a normal conversation, innocuous jokes, random leg pulling. And then out of the blue, at some statement that seems no more or less mundane than the ones before it, someone takes offense. Not just take offense but they then proceed to guilt trip you into having said anything at all in the last 25+ yrs of your existence. As if all you ever wanted was to hurt them and now, suddenly, from being the joker, you're the monster. Gimme a break ya! The world, at large, really isn't out to score points hurting you at random, you know? Unfortunately, a lot of things are said by a lot of people for no specific purpose and shouldn't really be over-analyzed. Take it at face value or leave it be!

4. People who don't fight fair.
I love a good argument. Give me an alternate point of view and I'd love to convince you otherwise or test my theories against yours. I hate it when people just don't let themselves get into a debate. I hate it even more when people pretend to pushovers and say "I dunno, I guess I'm just stupid" in that patronizing way which actually implies "I'm way to smart to bother having a decent conversation with a dimwit like you!". Well, if you say you're dumb, I guess I'll just have to agree with you, right? I mean I really can't argue with that statement now, can I?

5. People who get upset at you for something you have no clue about and then refuse to talk about it.
Best example that comes to mind - Phoebe refusing to talk to Ross because of something he said to her in her dream! There are so many times I completely identify with what Ross must have felt. I am an extremely vocal person (to the point of being annoying at time, I concede). As a result if something upsets me I almost always go up n tell the person in question why I'm upset. I expect the same courtesy. If I did something wrong (what can I say?! I'm human I guess!) I would, in all probability, like to make up for it. I'm a fairly decent person, I'd say. Not a monster of any sort. Just come and talk to me and we can sort it out! Its almost always as simple as that.

6. One-way expectations.
A lot of people expect you to make them a part of your life by talking to them when you need someone to talk to. They feel offended and neglected if you don't tell them about the job you got a few days ago or the car you bought last week. They want to be a part of your life. I appreciate that. They're always trying to make you feel like you can rely on them. But very few actually return the trust they expect from you. It upsets me when the above described person doesn't really bother to call/message/email me to update me on whats going on in their life but gets upset if I don't. It works both ways you know. I would always trust someone who came to me for help, rather than someone who didn't. Maybe my logic is screwy but it makes sense to me! And I'd love to debate it with anyone who's game ;)

7. People who're supposed to be there so that I can do my job, but are almost always MIA.
This one is mostly a work related rant. I hate it when I am dependent on someone else to get my job done (I believe its called team work) but that person's not there. If I have to sit around at work, stuck at a point and wait for someone to get his part done, it frustrates me and makes me very unhappy indeed! I'd suggest you stay away from me that day or I just might bite your head off!

8. Bad drivers who assume any space on the road is theirs for the taking.
Cars have indicators. Use them. If you want me to let you in front of me indicate your intent. Don't just assume that since I'm slower than you are I'm a pushover! This ones mostly because I'm a bad driver with slow reflexes and I need the people driving around me to be good! C'mon people get with the program!

9. People who write really interesting posts (in blog-land) with really bad English.
This is just heart-breaking. I see the thought behind the writing. I see how well-formed and expressive the content is. And I see how handicapped the blogger is by his/her use of the language. I'm not sure what irritates me more. The fact that the writer doesn't realize his/her mistakes or the fact that most Indian schools don't bother teaching their students the basic language constructs. I realize my English isn't exactly awe-inspiring. Maybe I should just let this one go for the moment...

10. People who get drunk and then don't have the manners to puke in the pot.
This is for all the ignorant drunks out there. Almost every place indoors which serves alcohol (including most homes I have been to) have restrooms/bathrooms, which generally come fully equipped with WC's. Thats where you should go to throw up if you need to. Not on the carpet, not in the corridor, not in the washbasin and not in the bins. The only place that has a flush and is wide enough to contain your upward flow is the WC. Use it! Of course, people outdoors or in cars are exempt, though I'm not letting a drunk anywhere near my Genie!

I think I can stop now. I'm not particularly fond of long rants either and I do bore quite easily so lets not run the risk of boring myself and my amiable readers (or at any rate, those that reached this far)!

I need a nice long cool drink! Phew!

Last week I got myself a new sweetheart who's shown me a whole new world in just a few days. Her name is "Genie".

Genie is a classic beauty - chic, stylish, and glows in the sun with an unparalleled brilliance. She's the color of a polished diamond found in a slate of graphite. She's fast, like the wind but can come to a complete halt in seconds when I need her to. She slows down when there's too much of a crowd, helping me make my way in the world. She takes the bumpy roads as smoothly as the smooth ones, cushioning my travel through life. She's big and comforting, but unfortunately, too big too hug.

She's still quite young so I can't expect her to speed up beyond a certain level. She has a good appetite but seems quite happy on a full stomach for extended periods of time. Every time I go to her, she winks at me and then growls invitingly as if encouraging me to let go of all fears and take off into the unknown. I only need to look at her to feel a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

In all honesty, I was more than a little hesitant to have her. The first day I had her I didn't even want to be with her. I thought she'd be a demonic creature, speeding up my journey (and that of those with me) to the fires of hell. I thought she'd be wild and untamed. I thought I'd have a monster on my hands. I was terrified of the responsibility.

I was wrong. She's a dream. She gives me wings to fly, yet keeps me safe from falling. I know if I take care of her, she'll take care of me. She makes the impossible come true. Thats why shes a Genie, I guess. Thats why I'm absolutely in love with her!

If you haven't figured it out already - Genie is my new car. She's a 2007 Toyota Corolla LE, approx 6 days and 400 miles old. She's a phantom gray and a real pleasure to drive. I'm Oh! So happy to have her! Yaaay!

Blogroll updated! Starting with links to two blogs that can officially be declared MIA .. all the same ... lotsa good stuff to read :)

A more exciting post coming up later this week :) Can't write more now ... alas!

Toodles!