Dream

What good is a dream,

One that doesn’t make you want to relish life a little more.

How priceless is that dream

One that you put bets on, constantly keeping score

How free is that dream

One that binds you in

How alive is that dream

One that has you wish never to wake up

No good is that dream

Over which you lose sleep, 

one that makes you feel insecure

For dreams are meant to give you hope

A second chance

A reality check

Of dreams and reality

And some in-between

Amidst truth and lies

True courage lies within

Believe in yourself

When nobody else will do

Look for good in gloom

eventually the universe will begin to believe in you too.

Redemption

take a step back and reflect on where you've come

revel in your conquests, then question some

are you happy with what you do

does it give you a good night's sleep

would you wake up with a heavy soul
or stand strong.. should your dreams fall apart
not finding your reflection in the eye that loved
can you piece together, once a broken heart

sorrow engulfs the place that holds peace

you made a deal with the devil

realizing too late its true form

yet never too late to redeem yourself

cause you're loved more than you'll ever know

even in your darkest times,
with you like your shadow

bestowing you with the gift of an unrequited love,
it's yours to embrace, to cherish, to hold

a new beginning
a wonderful blessing.. 

hoping tomorrow a change will show..

Faith

Have a bit faith in yourself little girl
& watch the universe fall at your feet
The world will seem a lot more positive
Once you get yourself to believe..

That nothing is impossible, unconquerable to you
When you've set your heart on it
Challenge the devil, give it your all
Go on, evolve. Be stupid. Stand tall.

Make promises that you can actually keep
succumb to your passion, feel each heartbeat
hold no grudges, don't keep score,
Be the one to love again
& then love yourself some more..

Travel Tales: Life Lessons YOU will learn from moving out/cities

It isn't as glamorous as it's shown in movies. The chances of that cute-boy-next-door or the 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' setup is as rare as spotting a live dinosaur.

You will never have it all figured out. You'll fail, you'll learn. Repeat

Fridge and freezer are two different things. Tea without milk tastes just as nice. and helpful cleaning fairies do not exist.

Have experiences, not regrets. Don't bum yourself out for anything that doesn't work out. In the larger scheme of things it always does. Treat yourself to some icecream and move on. 

Surprises aren't only for Birthdays. No matter how prepared you are, or however well you think you've read about the new place, there's always the curious case of the unexpected. 

You don't have to look for similar places like you loved in your old city - discover new favorites.  


Living alone is overrated. If being on your own is the reason to move out, think again. The internet has it exaggerated. 

“Turns out not where but who you’re with that really matters”. Dave Matthews. If you have good friends, any place will be fun. If you don't, it will never be. Make some. 

There are amazing people everywhere. and people are pretty much the same everywhere. You just have to find what makes it click. It takes a shockingly short amount of time to connect once you try.

Where am I?

I'm standing at a crossroad

where is that you ask?

It's where I shine, brushed against a rock

It's where I fall, only to rise higher up

It's in my head, one that is brimming with facts and myths

a kaleidoscope of ideas, thoughts and dreams

a place i think i'd like, a blurry vision, not much I can see

not sure where it'll go, convinced someday it'll form a complete sketch

just yet I have nowhere to be, lots many places to give a start

for now, this is where I’d like to be

It’s where I belong, from where I can believe.

Coz these are a few of my fav things....

STUFF THATS MAKING ME HAPPY RIGHT NOW....

Waking up to calls from fudgzy. Grumpy albeit therapeutic time with Oscar. Night out with peeps. Old monk uninterrupted. 24 hours of Banjaara on loop. Feeling the love. Midnight rendezvous with girls talking all things girls. Channeling the inner child by being silly with Battleship with Charla. Beating Sammy at UNO over icecream sundaes at Dinshaws. Return of the bear hug. Positive vibes from far and beyond. Failed experiments. Being satisfied that I know I tried. Believing there's a foolproof plan. What's app kisses. Knowing trip back home is only four days away. 

Travel tales: Things to make Moving cities a little easier

You've moved to a new city. You've said your goodbye's & you're onto starting a new chapter. The tough part is over, or so you think? The moving on is the easy bit. You still have your family & friends helping you out & being supportive to your mood swings as you tackle expenses, decisions, packing, farewells etc. Now come's the difficult bit  - the new place - adapting lifestyles, discovering, experiencing, learning - exciting, soul wrenching.. its what you make of it !

'Don't cry for me Bombay' - an ode to the city called 'Home'

Don't cry for me Bombay,
...the truth is ill never leave you.

of breaking dawn lapsing into starry nights,
a stroll along the seaside, childish glee splashing in high tide
ek cutting chai; staring into the sunset 
or working to the rickshaw sounds till sunrise
gazillion lanes abuzz with twinkling lights,
its never too late to grab those post midnight bites..

a temptress with many moods,
a guiding angel, a devil, a tease, 
seduced by you into a potent love affair 
are the many who come to the city with hopes & dreams   
to trade it to anyone who would pay them a price

only to find themselves nestling in your belly, 
grabbing a few winks under the open sky, 
soon to be camouflaged into the crowd, just another face..
fantasizing of being a winner, waking up to begin at the start line of another race..
among the crowd, i find solitary
in trouble, an extended helping hand
a polite gesture, a stolen smile, among strangers jostling for space..
myriad dreams lost in translation, in the city that never sleeps, 
insomniac with unrequited love, fueled by fiery ambition..   

 Courage is your characteristic virtue  
I continue to remain in disbelief and awe, 
you're a good city my love.. despite your flaws

you've taught me patience and to come into my own,
for me you are the synonymous to home..   
you'll always be my love, my identity, my pride
the city where I was born, the city where i hope ill say my final goodbye..

I walk hesitantly in measured steps, while the city whizzes by in rhythmic nonchalance
for now i must make peace and move on, 
to a different city where a new chapter awaits
in the hope that someday we reunite..  
as passionately as if, 
this separation never did take place. 

Coz these are a few of my fav things....

STUFF THATS MAKING ME HAPPY RIGHT NOW....

Blogging. Moving to a new city. Finding solace that its just three hours away from home.

Putting deposit on the dream rented-apartment *touchwood*. Setting realistic targets. 

Feeling optimistic. New found Lipsticks/Lipgloss obsession. Healthy work relationships. 

Cheap thrills via Instagram updates.  Karaoke-ing to William Pharell's 'HAPPieeee". 

Receiving kiss emoticons on Whatsapp/BBM from friends. Feeling Loved. 

New Girl marathons. Random voice messages from Farzana. No-agenda well-wishers.

Packing away the stack of Filmfare. Skimming & smiling thru old stuff 

while packing. bedcovers for new home. Moving away excited-anxiety attacks. 

Knowing i'll be ok anyway. 

 

Travel series: Questions to ASK when moving cities.

I have worn the proud 'Mumbaikar' tag unabashedly for as long as I've known, declaring it smugly to anyone who would care to listen. I never thought I would leave the city. Never say NEVER, lesson learnt! So here I am, sitting amidst a pile of stuff strewn across, preparing for my move over the weekend. The decision came five months late and after gazillions skype/whatsapp sessions of I can/I cannot, I genuinely enjoyed what I did a little more than I thought! Now that's another story!! But! if you like me are a virgin city mover, who has never been away from home (no! vacations don't count), there are tons of questions you should ASK YOURSELF before you stock, lock and change pin codes.

the 'pyaar con job' TOI LIT FEST - Sujoy Ghosh, Nikhil Advani, Imtiaz Ali and Ayan Mukerji speak with Filmfare editor Jitesh Pillaai

The third edition of the Annual Times of India Literary Carnival coinciding with the 175 years celebrations of the TIMES of INDIA group, took place over the earlier this month at the Mehboob Studios in Mumbai. A Literary enthusiasts delight, the 3-day festival saw an enviable line-up of Indian and International authors, writers, artistes and panelists, conducting workshops and indulging the audiences with their enlivening conversations. With this year's edition focused on the theme of love, romance and violence, the event was designed with an eclectic mix of panel discussions, book launches; live performance by Amit Trivedi, story book readings, ensuring that there was something for everyone of every age group. 

With one of the central themes of the festival being love, how could Bollywood be too far behind? Day 1 witnessed a packed studio for a session on 'The Pyaar Con Job' where filmmakers Sujoy Ghosh, Nikhil Advani, Imtiaz Ali and Ayan Mukerji spoke with Filmfare editor Jitesh Pillaai on how love gets distorted on the big screen. With a quick round of introductions by Jitesh assuring not to make it an ‘academic’ session, Imtiaz mocked that since they were talking about con jobs, and the three filmmakers have been on the Filmfare award jury, they have some experience around it.