Some poison in your wine, sir?

008........shaken, not stirred........

The Puja Diaries

epilogue

yes, yes, i know the pujas are over. but with the inevitable sense of letdown comes the realization that life (implies parties implies fun implies life again) does not stop. living proof of this edict? 'charlie's angels' , well, just two of us, me and at-present delhiite shoili pal, are proud to present the 'Stupendously Calorific Recipe For Good/High Living' a la chocolat. - serves two.

1. first, confirm earlier in the day where you want to meet. why's and wherefore's are extraneous if the two of you are comrades in arms. city centre, saltlake, and highland park are recommended.
2. secondly, turn up. this is all that is required to make your companion(s) happy, if you're lucky.
3. then, sit, chat, catch up on good times and old friends, gossip, scandalmonger, say obscenely improbable things whenever aatel people pass by.
4. later, walk around, browse in shop of choice, like (insert name/brand ________)then make your way to the nearest confectionery.
5. buy chocolate cake. lots of it.
6. go somewhere else. buy drinks like club soda, apple juice, 7UP, and mountain spring water (last was frickin' delicious, incidentally)
7. find a nearby park. sit down on the grass, preferably barefoot. bring extra napkins.
8. mix the drinks. taste. adjust in proportion.
9. buy every kind of junk that goes by, like jhaalmuri and spiced tea, to add bangali zing to the chocolate and club soda mix.
10. do not start with the creamy cakes first. if you're like me, you could actually get punch-drunk on the chocolate and wobble and giggle and feel lightheaded when you try to start on the serious stuff like wedge sliced chocolate cake. leave that for twenty minutes before you have to leave, then have orange juice and black spiced tea to shake it off.
11. sit there till its dark, and inevitably the parents start ringing. give them ten minutes leeway, then make for home.
12. buy something nice for your mother (like purple shimmer nailpolish, for example) to make up for leaving her alone so much.
13. come home via the bypass. don't go straight home, though. make time for your neighbourhood friends who will then want you to join the mishti and aam sorbet party hosted by your favorite parar aunty, the same jayanti aunty who brought me noodles and sympathy when i was down with the flu on my birthday.
14. come home after extended chat. do something nice for your father too, to make up for not touching a textbook since the midterms ended, like making him hot, sweet tea.
15. blog about everything in detail, so that others may benefit from the precedent set by you.
16.sign off.

we, the authors, are pleased to inform you that this method of access to the good life is tried, tested, and virtually idiotproof. precautionary warning - avoid the jhaal aka the lanka in the jhaalmuri if you're like me, allergic to having a flaming fire on your tongue.
well, enjoy yourselves in moderation, and drive safely. good night, friends, indians and party people across the world. a special shout-out to pal, for making my day.......much love, buddy! ciao.

The Puja Diaries

day two - shashthi

slept HUMUNGOUSLY late - until after noon (!!!!) and then took my time with a leisurely bath and a cup of chocolate milk, waiting for my favorite uncle-who-is-not-my-uncle (actually just a very old and very loved family friend) to turn up with his beautiful wife, his extravagant gifts, and sizeable offerings of delicious food. the aforementioned individual arrived two hours late, filled to the brim with funny quips about the Universe (as usual) and a classy white top for me, as well as assorted gifts for my parents, grandparents, cousins, and himself (i kid thee not- the man opened up a pack of chocolate he had had gift-wrapped for himself).
later, i went down to attend the para stage performances for shashthi, braving the not-so-kind and rather unfunny digs that most teenage males think it's cool to inflict on one another, and watching what was surely one of the most inefficient, boring and puerile magic shows i've endured, worse than even david blaine's freezing-himself-in-ice escapade (magician or stuntman, david?????? make up your ******* mind!!!!!), preceded by some extremely nervous toddlers charming the audience with their lisped versions of classic bangali songs and poems........
i am supposed to be hosting the telegraph-sponsored three minutes to fame contest tomorrow at 11 am with a friend. i suspect pre-stage nerves are the reason i'm up past the witching hour typing away for my blog...........
on the up side, community lunch tomorrow, followed by a date (^_^) at hiland park with (*******) so yay for that, i guess.
am still waiting on uploading the pictures, principally because the data cable's gone bonkers on me tonight. watch this space for the remainder of this festival's chronicles! g'nite, world. happy dreaming

yawningly yours

trisha

[*_*]

New worlds to conquer

They say that experiencing the good things in life translates into utopia on earth, but without the propaganda. So this is my self-indulgent and extravagant list of good things in my life.

1. karate classes start again next week. considering i'm in the best shape of my life since i was fourteen, go kiyah!
2. my exams went not half as disastrously as the maternal ancestor foretold. ergo:- when you leave your textbook near your pillow at night, you can actually study by osmosis! hence proved. in your face, mom.
3. the pujas are coming up. translation-i have a budget for shopping, new clothes, classy accessories and shoes, and of course with so many librans' birthdays coming up, TONS of parties and fun.
4. since i briefly disconnected myself from the internet, i rediscovered my creative streak for writing. i have been making massive inroads into both of my writing commitments as well as blogging.
5. i reconnected with three of my closest friends just today. boy does that make me contented.
props to ani, tito and fido.
6. pal is prolly coming coming back to kol for the vacation. good times seem to beckon.
7. have finished downloading casino royale. just watching daniel craig walk down a street gives one an education in spotting the raw power of prima alpha males. wowza!
8. i have rediscovered my liking for certain types of music. thank god for coldplay, the verve, and the script. also downloaded a certain dreamy manilow cover on mp3. sigh........
9. a new relationship is in the offing. tentative optimism....
10. i also anchored a debate on "computer games are a waste of time" for a cnbc edu channel today. boy am i exhausted. cameramen never seem to be ready on time. that or they lose their fresh batteries five minutes before when you want to go home.
11. we seem set to organize a programme in school for teacher's day, and perhaps even the prefectorial ceremony soon. throwing a party AND giving up responsibility.......hallelujah!
12. checking my passwords folder today, i discovered that i am on no less than seven networking sites. considering that some people can go up to the early twenties, i'm still pretty damn exclusive + relatively carefree. (smug smirk)
13. over a year and both my PC and cellphone are currently in good order. to all the sufferers worldwide-pray with me, brothers and sisters!
14. am on fairly good terms with my immediate family due to most of the above. translation - i can stay out all night at least one time this pujas.
15. i have become optimistic and mature enough to appreciate the good in my life and still take advice to work on the things i can change (or want to). this is the biggest point. i think it's called approaching adulthood.

responsibly yours,
trisha

[*_*]

Turning 17 Tomorrow

YOUR BIRTHDAY: 9 July (CANCER)


Your personal ruling planets are Moon and Mars.

The power of Mars and sensitivity of Moon combine to create a somewhat contradictory nature. On one hand the sensitive, caring and emotional elements will be expressed. At other times however, your strong willed sometimes aggressive nature will create head-on confrontations. In the house you are master. You need to control your immediate surroundings.

In work too, you like to take the lead, but domestically your urge to dominate, especially where children are concerned, will create continual conflict requiring a serious look at issues of power and control on your part.

Your lucky colours are red, maroon and scarlet and autumn tones.

Your lucky gems are red coral and garnet.

Your lucky days of the week are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Your lucky numbers and years of important change are 9, 18, 27, 36. 45, 54, 63, 72.

Famous people born on your birthday include Edward Heath, Tom Hanks, Kevin Nash, Courtney Love and Kelly McGillis.

Garfield

I'm sorry, but I got a message today, found a new site, and after that I couldn't resist







trisha

fave movies n books (for now)

borat, i like! need i say more?


simultaneously, im reading

Land of Lollipop Looniness

Land of Lollipop Looniness



This is something that happened today, in a parallel reality far, far removed from this grim land of Mundania.
Shoili di and I finished karate class. We walked out of school together, at the exact same time that a hazy cloud of madness swooped down upon the lamppost just outside the school gates. Consequent events bear out my (working) assumption that either some strange germ of mindfreak got rooted in our dual consciousness of happy sarcasm, or else that fatigue and a certain amount of euphoria (don't ask) got to us instead.

Anyway, we wanted to walk down a back street so we could listen to some music with the sound up and loud. So we turned left, then we turned back and turned right to get chewing gum, 'cause I can't live without. Standing in front of a tiny vendor's shop whose owner knows us from yore and is firmly convinced that we are the mad children of Satan's Cloud, I asked for a coupla bucks' worth of gum. At this point, Shoili di suddenly develops a fierce craving for lollipops and jelly and can't decide which to have. In order to compromise, I buy both. We walk a solid ten feet away from the shop before giving vent to near-hysterical sniggers of glee and hunger induced by carb-cravings.

Next thing we know, we're halfway down that lonely, badly-lit back street, and I'm propping my bags up on a car that Shoili di hit (not too hard) to make sure it doesn't have a security bleeper, fumbling for the most delicious little fingerful of litchi jelly I have ever tasted. This is after we struggled valiantly to get the wrapping off the top of the tiny cup (eventually we wound up using a pen that I extracted with great nimbleness from my pencil-box, fatally injuring the zipper of my bag in the process).

Later we also struggled to get the wrapping off the lollipop, and realized with burning shame that packaging designed and made easy to handle (I assume) for tiny children was eluding us with fiendish cunning. I think we also stopped at some point to take a picture of me giving the finger to the lollipop(!!!!!!!) in Shoili di's hand. Eventually we boarded an auto, where, for only the second time ever, we were outdone in our outrageous banter by three badly-dressed men arguing about money, who even made US go quiet for as much as five consecutive seconds. Until we realized that it took us 35 minutes to walk down a road that normally takes 5. Apparently fooling around tacks on an extra half-an-hour and some seriously memorable tastebud experiences on to that, by now legendary, walk.

Much later, on the bus home, I bought more sweets (the black, sticky, DELICIOUS kind), ate a mango candy and started on chewing gum, both of which just happened to be lying around in my bag, and mused on how having so much concentrated, fattening sugar in my body just made me feel like a better, happier, more peaceful person.

This totally makes up for the disappointment we had a couple of weeks ago, when we made up a cheeky April's Fool song and tried to gatecrash Sriparna Ma'am's elegant domicile, only to be ejected by a senile dog's wheezy "intruder" barking (I thought it would die from the vocal strain) and an alarming lady in white who told us kindly but firmly that Sriparna Ma'am' was not, in fact, at home.

In your face, Rufus Sr, your royal woofiness!!!!!!!!!


Shoili di's version:- coming soon on ________________

http://shoiliunleashinmyspirit.blogspot.com.

If this sounds crazy to you, and you would like to express your disbelief/contempt/fear/morbid curiosity/mediocrity through a comment, please refrain, you stupid !!!!@#$%^&* of a @#$%^&* whose !@#$%^&U* is nothing more than a ()*&^%$#%^&*@!#$^%&^*^, you little *(&%^$%%)^%$#Q$#..................!@#$%^&*()*&^&)_*(&$#&*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


trisha

everybody else can leave comments, email, etc, etc.....so that's like what, three, maybe four people?

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CANDY SHOP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poila Baishakh

Send Multiple Scraps to your friends



and i will now proceed to hog out on rosogolla

............ (below)

Snow

This is the book I'm reading right now.


Really amazing, insightful, sensitive, creative, goddamn PEACEFUL writer. Honestly, when the scene is a snowed-in town reeling under a bloody coup, it's like he manages to make the reader feel that that same town is the quietest, most contemplative beautiful place in the world.

I'm reading it like I sip a cool drink, slowly and happily in the summertime, savouring it fully, enjoying the gentle introspection like bubbles at the surface, drinking the emotions like the delicious top layers.

I'm yet to reach the dregs. I'm in no hurry. Eventually I know I will have this very calmimg yet invigorating book sloshing around in the hollow corners of my mind, filling up the blank spaces between Umberto Eco and Frederick Forsyth in the library catalogue of my subconscious mind. Until then ...... tesekkur ederim, Orhan Pamuk!

Trisha