Brainy Bhatt and ME

I came up with a good idea for a short story. The basic concept was very close to my heart – religion. I narrated my story to Amey. He listened to the entire thing and then accused me of plagiarism! Moi, a copycat? Preposterous!

He says the story is too much like an ancient Bollywood flick “Zakam” (It means wound or hurt) written and directed by the great Mahesh Bhatt.

Eeks, his words have left me feeling scandalized. He says I should be proud that Mahesh Uncle and I must share the same brain power and intelligence to come up with the same script.

Pshaw! My friend Nikhil had once said that if 1000 monkeys sit on 1000 typewriters for 1000 years then they can produce Shakespeare (I’m sure that’s not original).

Does that imply I’m a monkey??? I think I’ll take a tip from Symonds and cry racism in a second…

Anyway, I’m heartbroken by these cruel words. Me write a Bollywood type script? Shame on me. My heart shattered into a million pieces. But Amey’s next words made me pick up the fragments…he said the film had won a National Award!!!

Yippee! That means I can write an award winning story! ;-)

Must sue the glue company…my heart is together again, but gaps still exist between the fragments. (Wow, was that a wise line?)

I’m off to work on my projects!

P.S – Today Sudha’s coming. She says she was also ill yesterday. What an excuse to

give!

The Procrastinator

I’m pathetic, very, very (say this word infinitely) much so. I was supposed to work on that script I’ve been talking about, but I didn’t do it. Neither did I finish off any other projects.

Well I don’t think I can take all the credit for being lazy here. Must include my dear friend Sudha (curse you) in this too. She was supposed to come over to my place and help me with the project, but no. Her Majesty didn’t turn up and neither did she pick up my calls.

Since I haven’t paid my cellphone bill, they’ve disconnected me completely. Options left are my landline and my Mom’s cellphone. She guards both like the dragon guards her eggs in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

I took a leaf outta Potter’s book and used diversionary tactics. Hell, my methods were like those of Secret Service agents. I got the phone, but for what an anti-climax. Sudha didn’t receive any of my calls.

So no script work done. I’ve made up my mind to do it at 9PM, but the mind is a very vast and finicky thing. Nothing can be said for sure.

Amey has passed his mid-term exams!!!

I’m sill feeling ill –can’t seem to get rid of a severe headache and nausea… still that won’t stop me from work. I’ll finish my projects tonight and will post my success here. So just include this in your prayers, readers!

P.S – People reading my blog shouldn’t tell me that despite all my problems, life is still beautiful. I know it is and I appreciate it :-)

Wee-little Goan kitty!!!

My Mom clicked this picture with her cell phone while holidaying in Goa. I wish she could have brought this little kitten home...what do you think?

A Sunday will always remain a Sunday!

I hate going out on Sundays coz I associate this day with rest and relaxation…but hell, my course never allows it. Today I had a very busy schedule but it all came to nothing.

The shoot got cancelled coz I felt I could come up with a better script. Our cameraman will be available only on weekends so till then I plan to write the script and rehearse the lines.

I was to attend the Farewell Party (I’m about to be a graduate!!!), but I’m not feeling too good…so my Sunday will be a Sunday and I don’t need to work today. Hurray!

My old pal Val (lol) called me today! It’s been ages since we spoke to each other. She was asking me about a good hair salon. I can’t believe, me Tasha the tom-boy giving advice about hair-cuts and stuff!

Next thing you know I’ll be starting a salon myself! (Eeeeks, now that’s a real nightmare!)

Camera problems, anger, sickness, boredom...awful day!

The day began very badly. I woke up at 9AM (that's damn late) with a stiff neck. I just couldn't move my head. I thought of bunking my leacture and then decided I would go. I kept changing my decision till I finally made up my mind.

Thus I landed up for my 12 O' clock lecture at 1.30PM. Thankfully Sir came in only at 1(SAVED!!!).
After that I went to help Amey with the shooting of his short film (It's about ego). After the first two shots, the cassette began crying out for the cleaning of the Camera head. That's when I realized the cleaning cassette wasn't working. We called up Amey's friend Vipul to bring along his camera. By the time he came, the day gave in to the night...

Amey was obviously disappointed and upset. Moreover, his lead actor had disappeared. Drat! I was hungry (had no lunch), tired (walked n travelled a lot) plus was feeling sick (stiff neck). So when Amey spouted off some of his anger at me, I pretended to be very irritated.

Now I'm feeling better...but I never let on that I'm angry all day long...and I'm proud of that!

Great anger management!

Now I'm preparing the script for tomorrow's shoot which is about Goa SEZ.

Cheers!

Weird Dream...rather funny nightmare

I forgot to tell you why I didn't attend Thursday's lecture...I had just said I was feeling lousy.

Well, the reason was I had a nightmare and because of that I overslept. I mean, you always feel like completing your dreams, right?

In Mumbai a communal riot has broken out and all people are barricaded in their homes. My building security are battling with about fifty terrorists who are bombing the place. I want to go down and help them fight...but I'm mesmerized by the scene below me of bloodshed and utter destruction.

Then I see a figure dressed in black (read Zorro) jump into the crowd and brandish a sword. It turns out to be a girl from my building who wouldn't even look at a drowning man, let alone save him.

Anyways, her head is about to be cut by one terrorist when she looks into the camera (shooting ka natija) and doles outs some clever (but tacky) punchline. Turns out that she's shooting for a saas-bahu serial!

RTI Project submission

I didn't go for my lecture today either. This is getting to be a dangerous habit...anyways we had a project submission today. I had decided to begin with it 3 weeks ago, so naturally I started on it today at 8 AM.

Finished successfully at 10.30AM and then just mailed it to Rupz. But the bloody mail wouldn't go. I had to send it at least 5 times before it obliged me.

The project was on RTI and whether the Act requires the amendments recommended by the Defense force.

Anyway, I'm glad I stayed at home today coz Mom had made stew and fried rice! Plus I had chocolate ice-cream and Pineapple cake for afters. And oh, yesterday she had made one Pineapple cake, a Sultana cake and one egg less chocolate cake (for my saintly father). I didn't like the Sultana one...they're yuck! But the pineapple cake had tooti-frooti in it!

If anyone wants me to put up the recipe of any of these eatables, then jus gimme a shout and I'll do it in a jiffy!

I can put up some of my recipe's too...i.e. if you are insured.

Mummy and Yummy go hand-in-hand

Mmmmm, I had just had about 15 pieces of fresh and delicious banana fritters! Nothin beats my Mom's cookin'. She's the best!

Right now she's baking two cakes and I can hardly keep still. Whenever I get the urge, I go in the kitchen, peep in the oven and ask her how much more time it'll take...now she's kicked me out and kept a "No Entry else Forced Exit" sign put up on the door...what did I do wrong? It's praise for her, right? :-(

I think I'll have more fritters, a cuppa tea 'til its done...can't wait. My tummy's rumbling for yummy cake!

Project boo-boo...

Hey Gentle Whispers, I guess your best wishes kinda paid off.

Our Ma’am was really pissed off coz she had come all the way to college just for our presentation…and guess what? Nobody had finished the project!

She got real mad (understandable) and then said that now things would go according to her whims and fancies. You know, kinda tit for tat thingie.

I hadn’t gone to college coz I was feeling lousy, so the others in my class called me up. Ma’am said we should have called her last night and informed her about our laziness and indifference toward deadlines.

Being the C.R of the class, this was supposed to be my job, but how the hell was I supposed to know? Anyways, I called up Ma’am and apologized profusely…she said she’ll let me know when she’s free to check our projects. That is if at all she's free...

Sounded ominous.

God bless us all, though we have sinned!

Shooting, Writing and Anger

Oof! What a day I had yesterday!

For my project my team members Sheetu, Rupz, Sudha, Vikas and I had to shoot a panel discussion about SEZ in Goa.

Dammit, I never had taken an interest in either Goa (except for hols) or SEZ. Neither did I harbour any particular opinion about it.

Being the script writer in the group, I not only had to research the topic but also form an opinion for the other four.

I wrote the script the day we had to shoot and was naturally cursed for that (hey, I had other work guys!). Anyway, while the first shot was being taken, I was busy writing dialogues for the second one!


And I had to stand all day coz the panel members (the above mentioned honourable friends) used up all the chairs.

Amey, my boyfriend, was helping us with the shooting part (he plans to be a film maker) and that was the only silver tube light in those dark sets.

Still, we managed to have a good time although my legs turned leaden coz of all the standing.


Gosh, but the editing hasn't been done yet so there'll be fireworks in our lecture tomorrow! (tmrw's the submission)


Yours, (in great trouble)
Tasha.

My dog Cutie! (actually my Uncle's dog)

Before (Cutie is just 2 months old)

After (she is now 10 months old)

See how she's sitting?
A perfect lady dog (lol)

This is the watch Amey gave me!!!

I love boyish and huge watches! Perfect gift for me!

Thanks Amey!!!

Married and yet Separate --

Recently, I read a very interesting article in the paper. It was about how married couples have decided to live in their own individual houses. Married, yet living in their own homes...obviously this trend has not yet caught up with India.

This gives them enough space of their own and there's no need to adjust to another person's lifestyle habits. You only have to get used to the night style habits! ;-)

I really liked this idea...you can minimize the number of fights you have this way.

E.g. -- The woman may hate the fact that her mate throws his socks around, leaves the towel on the bathroom floor, wears shoes inside the house and many more things.

The guy may hate that fact that his woman puts a lot of flower-filled vases around the house, yells at him for dirtying the house, has tons of make up boxes and other stuff women do.

The concept of two houses or flats is a great one but it has it's obvious disadvantages...

It takes a hell lot of money to maintain two houses (complete waste in fact), it becomes a pain to travel to and fro if the houses are poles apart and the poor kids will get stranded.

But if I have the money, then I would definitely go for the option of having to apartments in the same building, same floor...side-by-side.

Then we could keep up the romance by asking the traditional, "Your place or mine?"

P.S -- Readers please comment and let me know whether you would like this kinda lifestyle or
not.

Jodhaa-Akbar

My friend Sanket (he's Sanky on my phonebook,lol) just called and said he watched Jodhaa-Akbar! Oooh, I'm so green now!

Anyways, he says the script, cinematography, direction, costumes and music is awesome, but the film is too slow. It goes on for all most four hours...

Sanket recommends watchin this film with your friends with whom you can crack jokes when the going gets slow!

Check out his blog for the review -- http://sankoobaba.blogspot.com

If you cannot see the review yet, it means lazy-bones will take more time to update :-)

Gimme my SPACE!!!

Family is blood and blood is thicker than water. Yeah, we all know that. They're always there for you and all that,

But they can also be very irritating.

I'm basically a loner although most of my friends feel I'm a social person. There's nothing more I like than sitting down with a good book in a corner. I also enjoy thinking and analyzing stuff...so I like being alone in the dark.

The problem is that the minute I start meditation, someone or the other from my family comes along..."what happened? Ru in a bad mood? Someone has hurt you?"

Endless similar questions follow that are not satisfied with the simple answer -- "I just felt like being alone."

Why can't they understand that I need some time-off too? I can't spend all my time with them, right?

I love writing short stories and poems...but ideas only come when I'm all alone, striding around in a room.

I feel like I'm stuck between the hammer and the anvil...no room to move, too frustrated to think...

Radio Ga-Ga...

I was listening to India's first radio station for women -- 104.8 FM. The show was about ways you can irritate a guy.

I also called up the radio station and gave them some ideas.

Here are what me and countless other bright women thought about ----

1) Change the channel to a saas-bahu serial (a K-serial would be brilliant) when he's watching
cricket.

2) Make excuses and block his view while watching the idiot-box. (he should be looking at u,not
at that non-living thing,na!)

3) Douse him with water when he's asleep.

4) Take him to a beach and when just getting mushy...push him hard into the water!!!

5) Make him do the dishes.

6) Hide the remote control.

7) Call him non-stop and keep messaging throughout the day (he'll definitely complain of lack of
space).

Seven is a magical number, so I guess I'll stop there. Anymore ideas girls???

Reservations for Sons of the Soil

One very respected and well-informed person told me that all States in India except ours (Maharashtra), have got 80% reservation for sons of the soil.

In that case, we should also get reservations for our sons of the soil. Either that or no other State in India should have the policy reservation.

Makes sense doesn’t it? After all, all the States in India come under the same Constitutional law.

Mind you, I’m not at all supportive of reservation…I never have believed in it. But a law or rule ought to be the same for all under that particular jurisdiction.

Raj Thackeray ARRESTED – can I say “Amchi Mumbai” now ???

I don’t know whether to rejoice or to be sad that Mr. Raj Thackeray has been arrested and now released on bail. News has just come in that due to violence in Nagpur, a “Marathi Manoos” has been killed accidentally in stone pelting. The irony is the killers also were Maharashtrians.

Buses have been set on fire and shops have been shut down. It’s Mr. Thackeray’s duty to ask his supporters maintain peace.

He wants a quota in all types of jobs for the locals. Why, aren’t they smart enough to bag jobs on their own? Or are you saying that they’re too lazy to face stiff competition which will obviously happen in an important city like Mumbai?

Stop insulting the locals. The Maharashtrians I know can get whichever job they please coz they have the right skills and talent.

Equality in opportunities is present for all people it’s up to them to grab the knocking ones.

I have never seen or lived in any other city but Mumbai, so I will proudly say “Amchi Mumbai”.

Jai Hind!

(P.S – Finally we’re all humans, man!)

For my Anniversary (which was on 7th Feb) I went to Pune to surprise my sweetheart. And boy was he surprised!

I had lied that I couldn't travel alone so far...(as if!).

Anyways, the one day I spent in Pune made me thankful that I live in Mumbai.

Unlike Mumbai, there's no thrash lying around there and not too many beggars on the street. But the distances between places are so great that you need to have a vehicle (preferably two wheeler) or lots of money in your pockets.

Hell, we had neither. I sit on bikes with only those people who have had minimum two year's experience, so that rules out Amey (he's jus learnt riding a bike).

Anyways, Amey each and every penny or rather paisa in Pune. Usually our policy is to go Dutch. I thanked my stars coz I had already spent on the train tickets and got myself a new haircut (200 bucks).

Pune is so polluted that the girls there mummify their faces with scarves. Amey said their skin gets spoilt...but nothin could spoil my skin coz I was actually shining with happiness!!!

So if you want to glow, just fall in love. No beauty parlour or spa can match the effects!

What is Love???

Yeah, I know it's an age-old discussed emotion. People have contemplated years and have yet not found a satisfactory answer that has been universally agreed upon.

Love means you're so crazy about a person that you'll do anythin (anything means anything, no restrictions) to bring a smile onto that person's face. That too without expecting anything in return.

When I give out this definition (it's not original), most reactions I get from girls are that they expect nothing in return. But they're wrong. Coz we always want something in return and I don't mean in material terms like gifts or surprises. You always expect the person you love to stand by you through thick and thin and to give you a ready shoulder to cry upon. Guys expect their girls to cook something special for them or whatever.

The point is that everyone shares a symbiotic relationship. So does that mean love does not exist?

Sure it does. Only thing is you need to be very unselfish, giving and I guess spiritual.

I follow the principle of giving without expecting in my life. But that's only with friends, strangers and my relatives.

The problem came when I found out that I can't do the same with my beloved life partner. I really was in a quandry. I try to expect as little as possible.

Best thing would be if someone could convince me that love has a better and definitely more convenient definition than this!!!

So help me out people!

One Historically wrong (hey, I don't say so!) Jodi...


Finally Jodhaa-Akbar will release this Friday! Hurray!

The song Jashn ne something something… (what the heck does it mean anyways???) has captivated my heart and soul! It goes really easy on my ears and anyway, I’m really tired of the spate of Atif Aslam type of songs that have hit the market. All about gham, judai and stuff like that. Gets on one’s nerves after a while.

The second reason I loved the song is coz I’m immersed in the beautiful emotion called love. Yeah, and it has lasted an entire year! Now with Valentine’s Day so nearby I’m overwhelmed by this aura of love.

I’ll definitely watch this new and highly controversial prem kahani. But my guy’s so movie crazy that I think he’ll rush for a first day first show all by himself!