Random Ramblings

Ok People, I have a confession. I`m just too lazy to take up tags because it makes me think! :) But this particular one was too interesting to pass up. For once, its a COMPLETELY HONEST unveiling of self, on a public forum. So here goes :

DeeplyDip, Amrita, Serendipity
Have tagged me on this.The rules for this tag states that you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged.I havent chosen anyone because almost everyone has already done it. If you are reading this and you havent, please go ahead and do it. Its awesome fun!

Here are 25 random things about me:

1. I am judgmental of others. Hence, I believe others to be judgmental of me.

2.I cannot sit still at one place for more than a few minutes! That is so not me. I get restless and fidgety if I have to sit still for long - no matter where I am...!! Could be at a coffee shop or at someone`s place. Or even during a 4-hours long test!

3.I hate to experiment. I like to stick to the usual! Be it a meal,a hairstyle,a grocery store, an icecream flavour or a pair of jeans.

4.I worry to pathological proportions, when I have to travel. I want to reach the airport 3 hours in advance, so I`m there when the previous flight is boarding! Standing in long lines at security check, cursing the traffic and wondering if I`m going to make it, is so not my deal!

5. I cant hold onto one train of thought for long. I switch between topics in a conversation and most people dont follow the track.

6. Which explains why I`m a bad listener. I`m always waiting for my turn to speak.I never listen carefully enough.

7. I never say no to dessert. Never ever! (Nancy, are you reading this?!)

8.I was nicknamed 'Gubba'(short for gubbara,read balloon!) in college. Nope, that`s not the weird part. The weird part is that I still continue to sulk about it!

9. I love Enid Blyton books. All of them. I read and reread them even now.(Nancy???!!)

10. I have read 'Anne of Green Gables' almost 50 times! And I still love it.

11. I own a total of three pairs of shoes,two bags(one of which is a very trendy backpack!) and one lipstick. I dont like strappy or heeled sandals. I`m totally a sneakers person. I dont ever do make-up.
* the reason it crossed my mind to include this, is because,going by the different blogs I`ve come across,I`ve realized I`m an ectopic character in this regard!*

12. It takes me a maximum of 5 minutes to get dressed. Formal parties/interviews/baseball games or a movie - No Exception. Five minutes is all I`m willing to invest!

13. I look like a typical Bengali Auntyji - sindoor, 'shakha pola' et al! This is another of those things I`m scared to experiment with! :)
*white bangles made from conch shells and red ones made from acrylic — Married bengali women are 'required by tradition' to wear it as a symbol for marriage, though many dont anymore*

13. I detest physical exercise of any kind. I dont like eating healthy.(Sunshine Gal??)

14. I hate long,random chats on the telephone. No, no, you probably dont get it. I really hate to talk on the telephone,unless its urgent. The only person I ever call up on my own,is my sister(and The G when I am away!). Other than that, I`m bad at taking calls and returning them.

15. I have never had a professional manicure done.

16. I am a music person. I`ve grown up on music. I`ve learnt music for more than 12 years. But I cant remember lyrics. Never ever. Neither do I remember the artists or the albums(Lets call me A??!!)

17. I feel that people who wear glasses are the cool,intellectual kinds!(lets Call Me A???)
Incidentally/Co-incidentally both me and The G wear glasses!

18. The one thing I`m most proud of is that my Dad had a band of his own in college. They still get together on weekends for jam sessions.

19.The G is the only one who knows how insecure a person I am. I am mortally scared of rejection. I am scared to meet and interact with people. When I was in Kolkata this time, I had the oppurtunity to meet up with a few blogger friends,but I let it pass. I was scared of what they might think of me if they see me.

20. I have a fiery temperament at home. Mom, Dad, Sis and The G are the only ones who`ve seen it.

21. I am a racist at heart. "Religious/Social/Nationality-wise" Racist.

22.In the second year of Med School(Pathology viva), I learnt that You can get by on charm for about 15 minutes. After that, you'd better know something.

23. I seriously believe that I suffer from a Histrionic Personality Disorder(Sunshine Gal??). I still throw tantrums at home, which I believe, is a pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking, including an excessive need for approval.

24.After I met The G, I learnt that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different. And I have known that to be a beautiful experience.

25. And finally, I`m scared to be me. I hide behind a veneer of arrogance and pride. Very few people in the world actually like me.

“Action speaks louder than 'thoughts', but not nearly as often” - Mark Twain

I judge myself by what I think I am capable of doing.
While Others have always judged me by what I have done.
Logically speaking,this should make perfect sense, shouldnt it?
What doesnt, is that the two continue to remain startlingly and immutably disjunctive. No matter how hard I try, I cant seem to coalesce the two.
I have never ever in my life, performed the way I think I am capable of performing.
And therein lies the biggest irony of my life. Many a time,I desperately needed to ace a particular test or atleast do reasonably well(I`m talking of a test, but it could be anything really),and I have been confident enough to know that I can and I will. But lo and behold! I have let myself down. Always and Everytime!
Does that happen to any of you? Or is it only me?

Happy Valentine`s Day, People! We did it! :)

Ok Guys, I really should be studying for tomorrow`s test. But then again, Its Valentine`s Day! I need to raise a toast now, more than ever(even if its only 4 in the afternoon!)!!
Here`s Why:
For days I have been reading various debates about the efficacy of the Pink Chaddi Campaign. I am very excited about it, just like scores of women from all across the globe. However,there have been times when I confess, I have doubted the efficacy of such a campaign.
But today, when I heard the news on NPR on my way to The U, I knew for certain what a perfect thing this was.
We succeeded!
We, The Women of India, have managed to reduce The Moron(Pink Moron should I say?) to an object of ridicule GLOBALLY!!
I`m glad people didnt waste their precious time trying to think of more 'appropriate' ways to react to unscrupulous SOBs like Mr. Muthalik. I`m glad they retaliated in the language the SOBs would understand.
The following, I believe, define the true success of the campaign:

1. Mr. Muthalik has been reduced to an object of utter ridicule. Henceforth people across the world will know him as Mr. Pink Muthalik.

2. Other major religious fundamentalist groups have backed off. They`ve washed their hands off the Ram Sena, seeing the public outrage.

3. The campaign has managed to unite Thousands of men and women across the globe under one common cause. Liberty for All.
I do believe this is the biggest success of all.
(Since the last thousands of years,injustice to women has often been meted out at various levels. Some in more subtle forms than others. The reason why fighting against it is a herculean task is because its impossible to unite people on a common ground, before one can start fighting the war. Now that this job is done, I think we should make efforts to take this one step further. What do we next? Do we wait for a repetition of the Mangalore incident, to take our next step forward? Or do we plan to start making a difference now?

Anyway, here`s a link of all the news channels in the USA talking about the campaign.
I believe this to be the true marker of success.

1. BBC News
2. NPR
3. Fox News
4. NewYork Times

And before I raise a toast, here the clincher YOU MUST READ!

5. CNN IBN

Happy Valentine`s Day, India! We are the Change we have been waiting for! :)
Here`s to Indian Women all over the World!
We rock, dont we?
*Piper flings the jacket on the bed and shoes in the air, while she does an excited jig around the room, shouting "We Did It! We Really Did It!!*

STOP Moral Policing. Liberty For All.

There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one.
There are people dying
And it's time to lend a hand to life,
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on
Pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of
God's great big family
And the truth, you know love is all we need

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me


For a very long time, I have been a mute spectator to the horror that continues to unfold in front of us. But I realized that keeping quiet about it probably gives encouragement to the defaulters.
So here it is today - a petition to the President of India.
Do go over it and please,please sign it.
I dont know if it`s going to be of any help. But that uncertainty cannot prevent us from NOT voicing our opinions and dissent.
Staying so far away from home, this is the least we can do.

SO, PLEASE GO AHEAD AND SIGN IT HERE.

Married or just happy? :-))

A few days back, The G and I saw 'Revolutionary Road'. I wont spoil it for you guys by giving away too much, though I dont really think its worth a watch.
The movie`s dark. It left us both with ambivalent feelings.Depressed. Grateful to have each other(so far!). And scared.
Of late, I have been watching too many movies on suburban lives and it comes as a surprising revelation - they all portray the average suburban wife as oppressed under the drudgery of routine and dying to break free.
I am a suburban wife. Do I ever see myself in that light?
Well, to be very honest, sometimes. It can get pretty depressing when one has to sit at home all day - because one doesnt have a permit to go to work. More so if the one in question was a working, independant woman all her life and suddenly finds herself wholly dependant on another human being. Financially. And in every other way thinkable.
But would that be sufficient reason to drive one into the arms of any random bloke who offers a reasonable alternative?
Apparantly, going by these movies, Yes!
What,then, are the reasons that working men have, for flinging themselves at the 20-something chicks, who roam around naked, as if clothing is out of fashion?
I`m wondering here, if a decaying relationship is all it takes.
If that be so, how then, would one explain such acts of indiscretion, by people who are in seemingly loving relationships?
I know of a friend whose 6 years of marriage broke down because she found herself crazily attracted to a younger guy at work. All this while, I thought they had the perfect marriage. They did.
I have been thinking about this. Why is it considered a sacrilege for anyone to be in multiple relationships? What is so wrong? Why is it considered aberrant behaviour for one to go elsewhere in search of love, physical or intellectual stimulation of sorts, if one is not satisfied with one`s partner?
For centuries now, man has been conditioned to think of the institution of marriage as a sacrament,rather than a contract between two interested parties(though I personally believe that to be the reverse).If I were to go back in history and see where it all begun, I would know that if man was to be given a free reign, the fabric of society would fall apart. The institution of marriage was needed to create a system of rules to handle the granting of property and other rights and the protection of bloodlines.
But now, the times, they are changing.And yet,the sanctity of marriage still holds true. We continue to see it as a supreme institution, in spite of a whole lot of corrupt practices creeping in(but that`s for another post).Why?
Is it because, we as human beings have conditioned ourselves to stick to a certain set of moral values.And a breach of those would constitute aberrant behaviour on our parts? Is it because, as human beings with a functional(and overtly so!) brain, we realize that it is 'wrong' to violate the trust of another human being? In that case, what exactly is wrong and what is right? Who decides these rules for us? And why exactly?
What do you think,would happen if the institution of marriage was to be dissolved once and for all? What is the purpose of marriage?
Or do you think that it is important to honour the age-old practices(No questions asked), to stand in line, to follow, to conform, without pausing to think why?
On a different note, do you think that being in multiple relationships, married or not, is for people of a different league? That 'such' people have some inherently different qualities in them, that pushes them across the moral line? No, I`m not talking of different circumstances under which such affairs happen - Just the inherent natures of people it happens to - because then again, would it not be an inherent quality of man to choose the way he would react to Life`s circumstances?
I, for one, think that I am capable of falling in love with someone outside of the relationship I share with The G, IF my life`s circumstances were to change. My inherent nature is such.
Shocking?
Not that I will. Not that I think I ever will go elsewhere in search of love.
But I think I`m capable of it.
Some would not be. Are you?

p.s - Revolutionary Road wasnt about extra marital affairs, in case anyone`s wondering :-))