Keep Calm and Carry On

Hello Hello!

London was awesome. Thanks for asking! Probably the last cool place I'll have traveled to for a while. :(
I'm going to boast here and tell you how in the last two years I've travelled around the East Coast of the USA, Malaysia, Singapore, Istanbul, Barcelona and the UK :). Friends only. :D

Well, when i was roaming around the beautiful Hogwarts-y streets of Cambridge, I randomly came across an interesting christmas window. Keep Calm posters all over it. 
I love the Keep Calm Poster. What a pass.

The story behind this propoganda poster is that it was released by the British government to comfort and inspire the populace in times of real crisis. The most interesting part is that it was never really released. Only made it to a few walls in a few government offices. Randomly a bookshop owner found it with some books he bought at an auction and Behold! It's everywhere.


I love the parodies more than the real thing. These are my favourites.

1) Because Violence is the Answer to EVERYTHING.

2) And Google can answer even that which is not a question.

3) Because only a Super Hero can Save the World.

4) And when the world is fine and you need saving, cupcakes cure everything.

5) Or you could just buy things.


This post was to fondly commmemmorate 99 posts for me. And to remind myself that i need to Keep Calm and Blog On.

Cosmopolitan: The Real Teacher

There are so many women in the world you look at and feel sorry for. Because they just haven't been imparted the right kind of education with respect to how to be a woman.
I mean, being a woman is so complex. There are just so many aspects to it.
Think about it.
there is-
a) Pretty clothes
They always just have to be perfect. The right colour. The right fit. Still in tune with the trend of the season. Sifting what suits you, what doesn't. And fitting it all into your budget.
b) Finding the Prefect Man
The eternal quest. Who is right for you? Does who you date have to fulfill your checklist or do you go with instinct. Can you introduce him to your friends?
c) How NOT to be a Whore
How many boyfriends is too many? How long must you date? Can a woman date and dump as much as a man? Do you let your boyfriend pay for you at all?
d) How NOT to get too fat
This is the hardest of them all especially when there's nothing as comforting as food.
e) How to deal with Bitchy Women
They are all over. You can;t live with them. You can't kill them.
f) What you really want from life
Do you want to be a Corporate power woman or a happy homemaker?
And SO much more.

And you just can't learn all this if you don't have an understanding mom or an elder sister.
So then, what do you do?
Then. You have COSMO. *applause, drumroll*
Cosmo teaches you everything.
EVERYTHING.
There is nothing you need to know in life that Cosmo cannot teach you.
And no. This isn't with respect to all women's magazines.
They just have something wrong about them.
Like FEMINA. "For all the women you are". Really? Is calling your readers schizo a good marketing ploy?
Or VOGUE. I mean, I'm poor. Don't remind me.

And so, my dear readers, this is what you learn today.
Cosmo is GOD.
It shows you "the best that you can be."

PS- no, they are not paying me to write this.

My First Award :D

When I was in school, my favourite day of the year was never my birthday like all ordinary kids. It was always Independence Day.

Ok. This is neither an essay on Patriotism or India or How-I-Am-A-Weirdo.

Independence Day was prize distribution day in my school.

And since I am a sucker for appreciation, I loved, no scratch that, LOVED getting prizes. Which I got every year because I'm just so awesome.
(I secretly get excited even when my facebook status gets multiple likes)

Dude,
 I think Blogger should TOTALLY get a 'like' button.

Ok, self praise apart.

I love my blog and everything. I love bloggers also. All these people on my blogroll, FULL RESPECT. I love dedicated bloggers. They are incredibly cool. Always have something to say to interest me, fascinate me or make me smile. Make me go back again and again. I always wanted New Lamps For Old to be that way. But, I just don't have the drive.

I never have the drive more so because it is hard to believe people keep returning to your blog like you return to theirs. But no, there is someone who thinks i have a lovely blog :D Yay!!! *does wild jungle dance*

Kanika at Sensitive Chaos has given me my first award.

Yay!!!!

See See See!!!!

Cool or WHAT?

Thanks Kanika. I'm totally going to blog regularly for a bit. For you. In spite of new boyfriend, being lovestruck, honeymoon period and all that :D

PS- You should totally stop judging me now or laughing at me. You love prizes too.

In re My-Love-for-Hindi-Cinema

Aftab ki roshni saari duniya ko roshan karti hain.
Phir Aftab ne khud takleef kyun ki?
(-Mughal E Azam)



What an EPIC pass.

Picture Abhi Baaki Hai Mere Dost...

I'm a little bit filmy.
Ok. Maybe more than a little bit filmy.
I don't know if I can be classified as Drama Queen or anything, but filmy. Yes. Definitely.
Unless you meet me and are subjected to my constant talking, you will never really understand how truly I love dialogue.
Impact hota hai boss.
And  this is of course limited to Bollywood. (With special reference to 90s Hindi Cinema)
Beautiful. Just beautiful.
This is a list of my ABSOLUTE favourites.

Exhibit A.
I actually feel for this movie.
It gives me a real adrenaline rush.
Who needs a Ferrari when you have Hindi Cineme.
Awesome. Just. Plain. Awesome.
They thought they could recreate the magic with Rok Sako to Rok Lo.
But seriously?
Why would you even try?

I <3 Juhi Chawla in this movie.

So many insane scenes.

Like the one with the egg-fight.

And hiding under the table and passing the food.

Stealing Jalebis.

And the romance. I love.

need i say anything?
Need ANYONE say anything?
What-A-Movie.
Nach Gaana Romance.
Bas.
I'll confess one thing.
There used to be a time, when i knew this movie by heart and re enacted it with my friends and cousins.

So cute. With the flashback and all.
I cried for kajol you know.
And I think I had goosebumps when little Anjali wore the white salwar kurta with the red bandhni dupatta.
Dude.
Goosebumps again.
Even thinking of it.

Aye Haye!

Even I want a Raj.

Now.

Please. Fast.

Though the train scene in the end is admittedly a little bit ridiculous, but how can a hindi film be succesful without ridiculous?

Best movie EVER.

End of Story.

And the music. OHMYGOD.

And the dancing.

and the romance.

And the dog.

And everything else. So SO SO SO beautiful/

One of the few Latesht movies i loved.
The horse riding was the ridiculous element needed.
I'm telling you.

Mere Karan Arjun aa gaye!

Mere Karan Arjun aa gaye!

Thakur to giyo.

<3

if not raj and simran,
my love life HAS to be like Geet and Aditya
Drama.
ah. what would life be without drama?


I'm going to die if i list out all.
But I must list out my honourable mentions-

Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya
Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham
Love
Hum Saath Saath Hai
Judwaa
Pyar to hona hi tha
Vivaah
Kal Ho Na Ho
Chak De! India
Taal
Hum dil de chuke sanam
The David Dhawans

Bollywood.
in the 90s.
No one did it this well.
The music, the story lines, the dancing, the craziness.
Only Dabangg comes close.

The Return of The List Maniac

Once upon a time, somebody who reads my blog commented upon my love for lists.
It has resurged.
So this is a list of things I wanted for Christmas. But obviously didn't get.

Superpowers

This is of course apart from my sarcasm.

Just imagine.

Plus, I've always wondered if you automatically get hotter when you get superpowers.

Or is it because you get superpowers?

Or is it just the movies?

A Fashion Blog

But you need to have a life for that. 

I clearly don't have one.

A THE Boy

The unending quest. I don't think they make them anymore.

Did they lie in Dil Toh Pagal Hai then?

What About The Cure's The Perfect Boy?

The Happy Ever After Girl

One Day finds The Perfect Boy.

Dude. Even cool people like me can be sappy sometimes. :P

A Life.

Law School is not the right place to get one.

Of course Elle Woods is a lie! 

Let's not even bring up the other things on the list.

Its sad and pathetic.

No wonder i stopped at FOUR.

Who stops at four things in a list?

Smart has the Brains. Stupid has the Balls. Be stupid.

This, my friends, is the best ad campaign I have seen in the longest time.
I mean, look at the ingenuity.
Just plain brilliant.
Now, my opinion of Diesel as a brand and the kind of clothes they make isn't the best. So, the first time I saw this ad campaign this scene played out in my head.
Advertising guys hired by them sitting in a room.
Guy 1: This is friggin' pissing off. What the pops is going to grab eyeballs?
Guy 2: True. Even the clothes are ugly. I mean, who wears diesel anyway? Torn overpriced clothes.
Guy 3: Stupid People.
*An 'idea-light bulb' moment*


But, what might have started as a joke has now become one of my favourite ad campaigns EVER.
Just see- Just see-

My love for this campaign may stem from my love of stupid people. But really, this should be the gospel of life.

Being stupid is being smart.

Be stupid.

When Even a Heartbreak is Beautiful: NLSMUN 2010

Principle of MUN

You know how there are some things you feel which English isn't equipped to describe?
And most of them are the kind of feelings you hate?
Like getting cranky and then just finding the right word- like frustration/indignation/annoyance etc.
The nice feelings are always simple. Pure rather.
And knowing something you waited for since right about forever has come to an end creates one such pure feeling.
Like how i felt when committee adjourned today. UNHRC at NLSMUN 2010. Pure but beautiful heartbreak. Like a job well done. Just one which you didn't want to end.

Now you'd think- why would anyone in the world like MUNs?
Vee says that it's just a bunch of grown ups playing pretend to feel a little important.
Its quite possibly true.
And its probably the reason I love MUNs so much.
Pure scams.
So easy.
So straightforward.

I <3 straightforward things. Which is exactly why i love dumb people.
Minimal functionalities. Figure out the formula and apply it.
An MUN committee is mostly like that. Figure it out. what everyone else wants. and then just articulate it for them. So simple. So Brilliant.

Like the beautiful woman- gas stove example for the Theory of Relativity. Motion to invade your national sovereignty? (Lame Joke. That's because I stole it. My jokes are always awesome)
Its cool like that.

But I also like MUN for attractive men. In suits. Yummy! ;)

Love and All That,
Niya

Barcelona.

So beautiful.
So so beautiful.
Barcelona is the kind of place you want to go to with a boyfriend/husband/partner/companion/spouse (how hard we must try with terminology nowadays to be politically correct!)
I never come back from another country having learnt nothing.
Istanbul was life changing.
And Barcelona was near-perfect.
But I think one thing that I learnt most importantly was what someone I met there told me.
If you ever want to judge a person, walk with him near water. he'll always say the truth.
I don't know how true it is but Water makes me feel just so good.
The Sea. The Sand. The Sun.
That's all I need.
Are you a sun 'n' sand person or a mountain person?

Role Play Anyone?

I'm not an ardent gamer or anything, nor am i a BOY, but there is just something about video games that I really love.
Its perfect.
Perfect when you have nothing to do.
Perfect when you're pissed.
It is an outlet for every last bit of emotion you have in you.
Seriously.
No wonder boyfriends have none left in the relationship. I can bet the clingy ones are the type who don't play any video games.
In the last 5 or 6 odd years I haven't been playing any video games at all.

But when I was a kid, I was HOOKED. Whether it was those arcade games you have in villages or the very first PS 1 or the GameBoy Colour,  I'd have it. Super Mario I think was my best friend at one point of time in my life.
 And I had real enemies in Mortal Kombat. I think the source of all my sadism in life is the way the voice used to say "Finish Him". And street fighter (which i played today, btw). The Universe ofcourse revolves around Tekken-6 today.
The MOM got me off it because it wasn't a very girly addiction. Also, I had no grades as a result :P
But, now that I'm at law school, it is a re-found passion.
And yes, of course I suck. :P

Memories anyone?

Contra

Dear Feet, Contrary to what you believe, I really do love you :)

Steve Madden Mary Janes

This post is solely dedicated to my love lust for shoes.
Because, if the world was a tuxedo, you wouldn't want to be wearing brown shoes.
It's not like i own a 100 pairs of shoes (maybe 40 odd).
But there is nothing I always want to buy like a good pair of shoes.
The problem is that I am a rational human being and i always thing along the lines of, "How can I walk all over something worth so much money!?"
Which is exactly why i insist that rationality sucks.
But all this has planted one idea in my mind.
The day I can buy a pair of Jimmy Choos without feeling any guilt whatsoever and wear them in the trashiest manner, I will know that I have made it.
*gulp*, Just look at these beauties.

Jessica Simpson

Bakers

Jimmy Choo Patent Multi Buckle Sandals

Steve Madden

There are somethings money can't buy, for everything else there's MasterCard

There are so many things in the world which are invaluable to you.
Sometimes Most of the time, you just don't notice.
Like, you never knew how MUCH you loved the sound and the smell of the sea till it was taken away from you.
Like memories of those special moments in your life which you want to remember to tell your great grandchildren.
Like the moments you create doing some things, with some people, some times.
Like public transport in Mumbai.
Like Mamma's food.
Like finishing a book but wishing there were more pages.
Like fighting with your sibling.
Like shopping like a maniac and then complaining about how things don't fit in your wardrobe.
Like being able to call some place Home.
Like Hindi and English (and not Tamil and Kannada) music on the radio.
Like the COOOOOOL invention which is the mosquito-killer raquet.
Like tasty Lip Gloss.
Like Air Conditioners.
Like Birthdays.
Like buying something from your own savings/earnings.
  
DISCLAIMER:
A lot of things on my list can be bought. I was just pointing out their awesome-ness.

FYI:
Eunuchs in Bombay now expect Rs. 50 notes in alms.
When i gave one a Rs. 10 note- he/she made a face and said "isme kya aayega. Hmmph"
Jeez!

No Law School, Baby!

INGREDIENTS FOR AN AWESOME HOLIDAY:

Home
Good Food
Good Books
Movies
Internet
Friends
bombay
Something to Show Off
Something New to Try Out

Seriously.
A good holiday needs nothing but home. And the guaranteed fact that there is no Law School factor to haunt you.
I mean, can you imagine sleeping (read:sprawling) on the bed you've grown up sleeping in. The same bed where  you know the exact spots which are super comfortable and those which just give you bad dreams? Ahh! The mother getting you breakfast and the crisp newspaper in bed.
who needs strawberries and champagne?

That, along with whatever you want to eat a phone call/room away ;)

Reading... till the words are spinning images in your mind. You aren't interpreting them in your mind anymore. feeling what the character is feeling, seeing what the writer wants to show you. Just getting lost in the world created by that book in your hands.
  
Fake DVDs. The worst and best thing that ever happened. The worst for obvious reasons and the best because you know how to catch up on the movies you just missed from the cinema halls. Those which you can't wait to watch and so won't wait till the original comes out so you can pay three times a cinema hall ticket's worth for it.<3 Popcorn and Pepsi Combos <3
that with your local cinema hall. The one where your maternal uncle can get you the best seats in just by making call. They really still make those.

Accessing the internet and using StumbleUpon. Randomly browsing blogs. Doing NOTHING productive. That's the real reason they made the internet. Thank You Gods of the Internet.

Meeting all your friends and seeing the familiar faces in your local hang out. Marvelling how the waiter has now become the restaurant manager. Checking out and disapproving of the new young ones who've started coming and sitting on YOUR table. :)

This, in the perfect setting of Bombay. With the Beach and the Bombabes :) the cutting chaiwala and the women drivers rolling their windows down and abusing the shit out of men picking on them. The rickshaws and the taxis you pay by T card. The Street food and the fancy restaurants. The heat and the Mumbai Local. C'est Parfait.

Learning to Drive (and screwing up in the process). Showing off how cool living away from home is and pretending to be more awesome and successful than the rest of them at home, knowing all along that you'd switch with them any minute if they'd ask you. Always having something to talk about and someone to talk to.

And finally
Mangoes are here!!!!


There is nothing else i need. Yes, i will go back to law school visibly fatter. But its not lard ;) Its happiness i'm full of :P [that is NOT denial]

Baarish ka hai Muasam, kar lo maza hamaare sang (ew, i know.)

So, it raining like *&^k in Bangalore.

I mean, Mumbai feels the heat and is thirsting for rain, but its pouring in bangalore.

So global warming is not a lie after all. i always wanted to believe it was just a lie you told school kids to teach them to switch off the lights so your electricity bills aren't out of the world.

hmmmmph...

Well, this post is only about my love for the rain. especially my love for singing in the rain. I mean, i never understood why i love the rains so much. Its quite an illogical phenomenon. droplets of freezing cold water falling from the sky, the resultant animal life(i mean the yucky snails and the mosquitoes breeding in the puddles) , the clothes which just don't dry (and that really sucks when you live in a hostel). But i still love it. i love the umbrellas. Pretty objects i tell you. But most of all i love getting drenched in the rain and shivering in the cold which creeps up your body through your wet, freezing feet.

and i love singing dirty rain songs. Have you evert noticed how the worst of songs seem just so fabulous when you sing them in the rain? now i'm not your aadarsh bharatiya naari. i'm quite lecherous for a girl :) whistling at random men and singing dirty songs is a favourite pass time of mine but some of these songs are actually fun to sing. trust me on that.

like for example-

a) chori chori chhora chhori chhat pe milenge

aur khelenge prem game

chhod ke saari baatein sab

romance rahega main

on the roof, in the rain

on the roof, in the rain.

I mean its no 'kabhi kabhi mere dil mein' lyrics wise.

but its CRAZY fun singing it.

Also,

b)rain is falling chhama chham chham

ladki ne aankh maari

gir gaye hum

rain is falling chhama chham chham

this one is really a classic. who would come up with the line chhama chham chham. just brrilliant.

c)tip tip barsa paani

paani ne aag lagayi.

aag lagi dil mein

toh dil ko teri yaad aayi...

this one is my absolute favourite in ghaati baarish songs. i sang it since i was little. soecially when i was having a hot water shower after getting wet in the rain.

now that i have told you the fun, lecherous ones, there are some really nice ones as well

i think the sweetest one is the one from 1942, A love story

d) Rimjhim Rimjhim

Rumjhum rumjhum

bheegi bheegi rut mein

tum hum hum tum

chalte hai....

I mean put me and my lover boy in a rainwala scene (not going to happen considering he hates the rain), play the song in the background and watch me fall in love all over again.

its great. it really is.

I'll go now, work on my projects for a change.

But you download these songs and listen to them when its raining. then you'll get my point. :)