Creative romantic suggestions required

August is almost over and I have posted only 4 times!! How shameful - and this is something I really like doing!!!! What a waste

Ok so now to the topic at hand... I need help.

A's birthday is round the corner - and as usual I am flummoxed. I dont know what to get for him - he is allergic to perfumes, doesnt wear a watch.. wears only certain colours of shirts (white, blue, grey and I have no interest in buying these)... I have already got him a fountain pen .. and wine + dinner at home.. and a handwritten letter... ho hum!!! As you can see I am running out of options.

I want to make this an inexpensive but memorable exercise.. so personal touches are a must :)

Suggestions guys!!!!

Onam feast at home : a bit too much

A bit too much is for all the cooking that I did on Monday!!

I was very enthu ...Monday being an off!!! My onam dishes have been progressively decreasing since the last 4 years - what started as 4-5 dishes came down to 1 last year!!! Of course as compared to the usual 10-15 dishes that true mallus usually prepare, this is but a drop in the ocean.

So this year, since I had an off and I made my husband also take an off - I was enthu - wanting to prepare the traditional mallu feast!!!

So I started on Saturday with one chutney like thing - husband spilled half the thing on the stove while cooking sunday dinner - and then I forgot to take it off the stove - so finally there was like some 2 teaspoons of the chutney there. This should have told me - something is not going right and I should stop.

But I never learn do I - So I prepared everything - thankfully not many incidents happened - it went off smoothly except for the kheer / payasam.. forgot that on the stove too.. all the milk evaporated and I was left with a congealed mass of sweet rice which hubby ate with great gusto!!!!!

I was totally exhausted at the end of it all!! And being in the kitchen for so long cooking everything- I felt everything tasted the same!!!!

So my menu for the day (besides rice)-
1) Sambaar
2) Beans toran - basically fried beans with coconut
3) Erissery - A very mild thick gravy made with red pumpkin and kidney beans / lobhiya (small ones) and coconut
4) Pachadi - Again mild thick gravy ; can be made using pumpkin or cucmber or carrot or beetroot etc..
5) Puli-inji - tamarind(puli) and ginger chutney
6) Lemon pickle - lemon and green chilly pickle (on monday tasted bitter, now tastes absolutey fine.. yum actually!!!)
7) Kheer / payasam - milk based
8) Can I say Papadam too and make it dish no 8?

Phew!!! Yes, thats a lot of stuff. No wonder am still tired.

But I am proud of myself - standing on my own 2 little feet!!!! A pat for myself on my back!!! :)

Slim, Swim, dance and everything....

My version of Eat, Pray, Love!! :)

As you can see.. what do I need to with my life -
a) Be committed to healthy lifestyle - that could be exercise or eating out less (2nd is what am doing) .. first one.. um.. ahh.. I will start.. soon!!!!
b) Swim - I have been wanting to learn how to swim since ages.. and no matter what I will.. this year!!
c) I need to fix my transport problem - either buy and learn how to ride a scooter... OR buy a car!!!! This one thing which will help me.. to be independent.. to go or do whatever i want to do!
d) Dance... why not!
e) Play - like sports!!!!
f) Travel
g) The most important - take leave from work!!!!!!

Enough things for me to target - to do things for myself!!!
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So I watched Peepli Live over the weekend. 4.5 stars from my end.
And amazing movie.. it is a satire .. villagers actually like they belong to a village instead of some made up village belles like they show in every other movie.. very real..

The story revolves around Natha who unwittingly declares that he will committ suicide.. he doesnt want to but he is talked into it! What is the funny is that this person around whom the entire story revolves - is the quietest through the movie. A very sweet cute guy - breaks into a song and a jig right in the middle of all issues, all problems on their head.. a person who is interested in the boiled eggs people are eating while his brother is begging the local politician to help them out..

So then the entire movie is about.. this piece of news which gets picked up by the national channels - the caricatures of the news anchors is ultimate - so you will see a Deepak Chaurasia and a Barkha Dutt feel alikes in this movie!!! The sensationalisation of news revealed completely !! Sample this - the hindi news channel (obviously aaj tak) comes to know that Saif Ali Khan had kissed a girl when he was 12!!! They get the teacher and the girl's interview and this news is named : 12 saal ka chumbhan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They really nailed the sensationalism part really well!!! The interview with the multiple people - whether relevant, totally irrelevant....And to top that all the politicians... the plans to introduce Natha card without funds (that ministry's job is to announce only.. who cares about funds in any case)..

We all know this happens.. and no one is a whit surprised.. It is a brilliant movie.. a must must watch!!!!! I know I havent done justice to this movie review!!! But just take my word for it - Watch IT!!!!!!
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Whats with the horrible chloromint ad ..the one with Salman Khan and many cows... how gross!!!! Yuck yuck yuck!!!!What were they thinking!!!

A letter to myself on Independence day

Who cares if you are depressed, unhappy, restless, frustrated ... friends and family care.. but they will do so only upto a point.. then they will also start steering clear of you!!! STOP CRIBBING, STOP WHINING.

Take your life in your hands .... snap out of it. You are what you choose to be.. and hopefully you will not choose to be the "forever complaining" b***h..

Do .. do not talk. After all, life is passing by... spend it enjoying, savouring moments.. rather than stewing, rotting with worry. There are things bigger than your stupid work worries that people are battling.. Get a perspective!!!

Free yourself.. This time.. the power of battling with your own thoughts.. and coming up on top.. and giving yourself freedom.. lies with you!!

Happy Independence Day everyone!! :)

From Screen 1 to Screen 2 : Aisha to Once upon a time..

So I am going to make this a quick post.. or this is what I think I will do.. will come to know at the end of this post.

First was Aisha. I liked it. It is based on a book I really like - Emma. The first half is fun.. Sonam is good - aptly irritating in her matchmaking ways .. saccharine sweet.. irritating and cloying.. living in her rosy world.. I wish I could live in such a world.. rich..going off wherever at a whim.. oh well .. siggggghhhhhhhhhhhh

Anyway, Abhay Deol is good.. I really really really like him!! How can one not! The suave.. sexy.. oh I really like him!!!

Cyrus Sahukar is a typical delhite.. and I was taken right back to the Delhi neighbourhood I grew up in.."you are mental.. dimaag kharaab ho gaya hai etc!!! You have to hear it to believe it!! I loved it.

The new boy - I dont know who he is.. whoever..Dhruv his name is in the movie.. he is dishy!! What I liked is there is no grey.. its just very regular life - he does not feel sorry for kissing another girl.. he is very matter of fact...shrugs and says hey you didnt show any interest in me..

Its reflective of regular life.. I liked it. I liked the "girl friends" too.. the rude hip Pinky Bose.. and the typical sadi dilli chic shefali!!!

However.. the second half bores you to tears!!!! And even though the movie is not very long.. you are just wondering when is it all going to end!!!!!!!!!! But I found it refreshing!! It was!!! 3/5 I think - I wished my "girl" friends were around me when watching it!!

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Once upon a time in Mumbai - I loved it. 4 stars for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ajay Devgun (gn rather.. thats how he spells it now).. the deep..intense. brooding eyes.. the flick of cigarette.. God, he has style!!!!!!!!!!! Emraan Hashmi tries to emulate him in the movie as his chela .. and rightly so..

So the movie is about the intensely charismatic Sultan Mirza.. a smuggler who draws a line at smuggling drugs /other unethical stuff.. a smuggler whose heart is in the right place.. but he is not weak.. a strong willed guy!!! Any woman would just swoooooooooooooooooooon for him!!! I did.

And then comes Emraan Hashmi.. he was good too.. a little overshadowed by Ajay Devgn.. but good. I loved the way his character builds up.. from a child to an adult.. I think the director was really able to bring out his personality right from his childhood.. his negotiation with the TT.. his need to move up in life quickly..

I think I have never said this and as a third party looking at myself wonderingly when I say this,I am surprised at myself.. Kangana Ranaut was fantastic!!!! She was awesome as Sultan Mirza's lover - the right amount of attitude - I am a star.. the thought which doesnt change even when no one is casting her...Usually, in hindi movies, the heroine becomes one slave post falling for the hero... who is trampled upon always..a rather insignificant being whose only job thereafter is to romance teh hero and sing songs.. nothing of character to the character..

But this character is not like that!!! She has her own style.. her own place in the movie and in his life and as a star.. which does not waver, thankfully. She has loads of attitude and grace as a diva. I think she was brilliant.. very different from her usual shrieking self. I am reminded of Manish Koirala in Company - she was also great as the gangsters moll- a face in the background with a forever bored expression on her face with the happenings around her.. yes, thats how I recall her!

Prachi Desai was there .. she doesnt have a very heavy role. Nothing much to talk about. She was quite ok.. nice..

And the surprise package - Randeep Hooda!!!! He was phenomenal as the no nonsense cop. He looks dashing - just right to play the role. A very very real cop...

What I also like about the movie is the absence of blood and gore - Thank god!! I think that made the movie really appealing.. at least to me.

The background music that plays whenever they show Emraan Hashmi was fantastic... I am looking to see if I can get it from somewhere!!! Sugegstions please?

I loved it - it just finished abruptly when you are least expecting it - and once it gets over, you actually marvel at the director's ability to be able do that!!!

Yes.. the movie was good...more than good in fact... I am surprised - never thought Ekta Kapoor could come up with something like this.

A must must watch - 4/5 for me.