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.

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. 

 

Moment

she wished she could freeze this moment right here

and lock it in an hourglass

and turn it around and round again

and when the dizziness would stop, she'd finally pause...

only to be able to stare at it, threaten for it to never leave

it gives her comfort, solace this phase

a memoir to carry along to a parallel universe....

but somewhere, along the way, it doesn't feel enough

there's a void, an unexplained melancholy, a chaos in their minds

it doesn't fit its place in my life, he says

'midst bouts of unrequited love and insecurities

guess she'd just have to find someone else, who'd let her memories be.....

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

STUFF THATS MAKING ME HAPPY RIGHT NOW....

Rain. Project X :) (GOOGLE IT!). Weekend outings. making some more new friends. new-found love. leaving 16hr work days with a smile. Saturday nights working in virtually with Stacey. Return of the nail-paint. Losing and then finding stuff. 6am random watsapp with Fudge. receiving and sharing the HUGO love.  sunday cards plans. bringing a smile to a street kid with very expensive Pink roses. IT filing bang on time. Still counting days to winter. LOL & sharing the laughs. being at the receiving end of lots of TLC. Blogging, LOTS of it. :)

Un certain Sourire (A certain smile)

You're in a tight embrace, lips locked in sweet seduction. You nudge her onto the bed and in that one second, she looks up at you and she smiles.

It could turn into a laugh. a feminist this one. carefree, lustful. cherishing the few moments of desire, not too worried about the snuggle or the talk after. unabashed,  a woman confident in her own skin, it's just about her and probably that's all there will be...

It could be a shy curve of the lips, a mystifying smile this one. She'll stare deep into your eyes and hope to see the love reflect, the love for which she gave her heart away.

It may well be a Cheshire cat grin. a naughty smirk at that. reading your thoughts, knowing what you've planned out, counting the minutes, playing along. true care fueled by deep passion, teasing lightly. like she knows well where to lead it to or lead you into finding it out.

Or it could be the restrained giggle. a joyful chuckle camouflaged. layers of pain, of betrayal and agony. she likes you but will hold her back. a stolen kiss. a concupiscent embrace. she holds you to belief that it's all she's got to give, but there's more. She reads the honesty in you and laughs in joy. She recognizes pretension and laughs in relief. she laughs in comfort, in surprise, in remorse. 

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

STUFF THATS MAKING ME HAPPY RIGHT NOW....

Rain. Planned weekends. Weekend outing plans in the making. reminiscing old times with friends. KSHAY. meeting new people. Random amusing BBM convos across 7 seas. working from home. People who miss me & say so. Singing. Horoscopes that hint good week at work and travel. Pedicures. Hot chocolate at work. Turquoise. Return of discovering new eateries with Husain. Late night conversations. Sharing the GNGM love. Counting days to winter. Spreading the faith. Happy Endings.

The Single Girl's Vocabulary A - Z

So here we are again! Another night with the girls, Another celebration, some more drinks, some other musings......

A is for the superbly Aah-mah-ZING ATTENTION you get!
B is for Being Independent. Knowing that you're fabulous just being on your own (plus you learn a lot! even how to fix the car)
C is for CHIVALRY you get to enjoy which surprisingly disappears once you've got that ring on..
D is for selfish DECISIONS you get to make without hurting anyone. Takeout or that extravagant splurge weekend, who cares?
E is for EXCUSES, making up any at your whims & fancies, not having to do stuff just because you have to.
F is for all the FABULOUS FRIENDS who'll see you thru....
G is for the guilt free harmless flirtations
H is for no HEARTBURNS, running mascaras or sleepless nights....
I is for all the inquisitive looks you get whenever you mention someone new.
J is for "Just Friends" reference to be used and re-used and then some more...
K is for the first KISS....
L is for LOVEeeee, a feeling everyone's in love with, the most abused term of our gen!
M is for MOODS you swing by, anytime, anywhere w/o having to deal with awkward uncalled qs on PMS!
N is for the nonchalance you can throw around without anyone expecting you to be perfect... 
O is for ONE small step at a time, no rush, no haste..
P is for endless POSSIBILITIES, waking up and not having life laid out, not knowing where its headed...
Q is for those miserable QUESTIONS you don't have to stress about - why hasn't he called/texted/BBM'd? Should I kiss him? Is this real? Will we get married?
R is for all other special RELATIONSHIPS that somehow take a back-seat otherwise
S is for those special SHOES to make the 'single walk' extra special
T is for the free me-TIME for hobbies, passions, goals, ambitions, learning Italian?
U is for the UNREQUITED love that can be sooo mysteriously delicious
V is for the VODKA binges to keep you company on those long nights !
W is for being WORRY-free about being cheated, dumped or ditched for...
X is for ex'es, extras and excesses (in whichever contexts)
Y is for 'YOU'. The most honest relationship you can ever have with anyone.
Z is for the 'Zsa Zsa Zsu' (In the words of the great Carrie Bradshaw that tingling feeling when meeting someone new)

so now you know ur A-B-C's, why dont you come join & sing with me?
xx

Ready to mingle --------------- But still single?

I bumped into an old colleague last night. She had quit work to pursue a hobby, which (from the looks of it) had done her good! Financially independent, loving what she did, she made a novel cover picture of great achievers. I was thrilled for her. And then we came to the awkward moment where we spoke about relationship statuses and quite uncomfortably she mumbled the usual response. Single. Ready to Mingle.
(& then predictably proceeded to bitch about how tough it is to find a nice (?!!?) guy!)

This has to be the most abused term of our generation. I know some great people - secure, intelligent sociable, the works. Then where do they go wrong? In retrospect, some are single because they've got other priorities, don't have time for a relationship, which IMO is fine. To each really his own. My grudge is towards the people who pretend to be wanting to be in a relationship but secretly conspire every trick in the book to run in the opposite direction of it. So it got me thinking, what is it about these great people that makes it difficult for them to sustain or atleast click with the right person? 

If you're happy & you know..

Ok, so our lives might not be perfect. & time & again we might be whining about heartbreaks to nagging spouses to crappy pays to evil bosses. but if you think back, there have been incredible moments and if you live it right they can be yours forever.

Before you read ahead, i want you to know, this isn't a piece of fiction. These are true instances which i have heard, seen or been in, courtesy ppl who make up my life.. so read on at your own leisure and then let me know abt your thought or two -

You know LIFE IS GREAT when,

. You sip a cup of coffee whilst enjoying the sunrise or sunset or maybe..both,

. Your parents don't frown when u demand icecream for breakfast. They know you've been working hard.

. You wake up to atleast 3 msg's wishing you a good day.

. You work 3 days a week, get paid for 7. no-one on either sides is complaining.

. Six figure isn't just on paper, its in your bank account as well.

. Companies are filing for bankruptcy, everyone's screaming recession, yet you get dividend just when your next bill is due. (god is truly listening!!)

. Your bank is swept clean, but you have over-eager friends prancing around to bail you.

. Blackberry is ur new phone.(for everyone else in ur circle, its still a fruit) **jealous**

. You ditch your best friend's plan for a date. She's thrilled to hear from you the next day.

. When you say "small gathering" for ur bday, its more like a packed theatre. & they aren't there for the free booze but bcoz they truly luv u.

. You're on bed rest with minor sprain, but ur family+friends barge in with food, flowers & ideas to keep you entertained.

. You're all messed up! ur friend hauls you for a fab haircut. U walk out feeling like a diva.

. Your friend's ranting about her horrific day, but you're gushing abt ur date last nite. She doesnt mind. she is more happy for u.

. You moan bitterly abt ur daily commute to work..few days later ur office has a new address - 5 mins down ur road.

. Your sister books you on an all-paid holiday (without parents!!!). you didnt hav to beg for it, its not even ur bdayy!!!
. Its past midnite, hell of a day. Car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Your friends dont run off, rather join u in appalling singing whilst waiting for backup.

. You break glasses, spill wine..but the restaurant staff isn't fuming. You're their regular.

. To you - Breakfast in bed means snuggling with ur loved one & gorging on continental food, not sipping your maid's paani-cum chai because you're down with temperature.

. Your friend is in love with an amazing guy from work, they thank you for playing cupid.
. You have money to splurge on that gorgeous D&G bag, on a whim, without recalculating budget
. You're friends are having horrid nightmares having had to listen to you for months rant about ur bad luck, forces being against you, everyone hating you, etc etc..but you can be sure, when you dial them at any hr, you will hear a concerned voice.  "Life truly is great".