Rashee, Rashee, Which Rashee Do You Choose?

So, it had been ages since I had paid a visit to a movie theater for reasons such as lack of time, money and good movies of course. The long weekend that went by was.. well.. long, so, a very bored me and a very bored friend decided to catch a movie at Inox. We didn't particularly care which movie we wanted to go to, just as long as it could kill time. And kill time it did! All THREE AND A HALF HOURS of it. As fate would have it we got our hands on the tickets for What's Your Rashee at the very last moment and we gleefully walked into the trap of Ashutosh Gowatrikar.
To begin with, he has plainly insulted the intelligence of the viewers. Yes, the concept of the movie is sure very novel and all, but when executed it has turned out to be one long rigmarole of songs, dances and Priyanka. The poor guy Harman, I almost feel bad for him in a movie so totally dominated by her. I also want him to join acting classes, his expressions and actions in the movie are robotic to say the least. His voice.. God, my ears. Need I say more? Priyanka looks stunning as Sanjana, Hansa and the Saggi girl (Can't remember the name), she has essayed the 12 roles in earnest. The movie would have been less torturous if the focus was more on the characteristics of each zodiac than wasting time on banal songs with forgettable tunes and lyrics. The funniest part of the movie is that Harman likes every girl he meets, obviously, they all look the same, DUH! The story doesn't give any logical reason behind the resemblance of all 12 girls, so you can leave all logic and reasoning in the freezer back home. Watch the movie only if you are thoroughly jobless and game for an overdose of Priyanka Chopra.

Singled Out

Name - Mariya Mubarak
Age - 23
Marital Status - Single
My single status has come under much criticism of late. Why? Because everybody believes it is high time I got hitched. My parents are on a mission, very determined they are. I have nothing against the idea of getting married but it is mystifying how much it seems to affect others perception about me. At any social gathering or family get together, the topic of me getting married invariably comes up. I am asked by at least one person "So, are you engaged?" to which I say with gritted teeth and a brad smile "NO" And then that person gives me stiff smile and I can almost read their thoughts which would probably be ranging from - "Ah! Something is wrong with the girl" "OH! She must be having an "affair" with a guy outside the community" "My God, the girls these days.." so on and so forth.
My mother, when I'm having the most general of conversations with her, she skillfully steers the talk to youknowhat. And, I with equal skill make an escape.
Yes, I will get married..sooner or later. I have even met prospective grooms and even genuinely liked one, BUT, just liking isn't enough isn't it? Or.. Is it? How does it work in an arranged marriage scenario? How come it seems so effortless in other people's case and not so in mine? There's got to be some spark, trigger, chemistry, or even the teeniest of signs right?
I hate to see my parents under so much pressure from family and society. Outside the social setup we are in, they wouldn't be in the same panic mode no? I have a truckload of questions, the answers to which elude me.

Humiliating

Each time I'm heading somewhere in the city via Mount Road, I can't help but cringe at the sight right under the Gemini Flyover. It is greatly embarrassing to see smartly-dressed, highly educated people, young and old alike, standing in a snaking queue. And why you may ask. Well, to get their visa to the Big Apple. Seriously, is it worth the humiliation of standing in the sweltering heat right out there on the main road? I find it utterly disgraceful that we are made to do this just for a trip to the U.S. I don't know how it works in the other consulates, but in the U.S consulate, they have hit the lowest form of mistreatment.
I wonder, how people actually comply to do this? I hope to God I never have to visit Uncle Sam ever in my life. That's why I've limited my dreams of going abroad to Greece, Spain, UAE and Singapore. :)

Whats up with me

So.. finally sneaked some time off my crazy schedule, trust me when I say crazy. Its like I'm this machine who is on auto-pilot. I just barely have enough time to sleep, which is broken and disturbed as well. But, I've never felt so hugely satisfied and worthwhile in my life. Yes, I have a job! A job that I love with my heart, soul and pancreas. I'm still coming to grips with the new schedule in my life. Actually I think its gonna be taxing on me just for a couple of days more, because Ramzan is at its fag end, and order and semblance shall be regained in my life.
My current schedule is gruelling to say the least. I'm up at 4, to begin my fast ( details here ). Start for work at 7:30. Leave from work at 5:45. Streak home in my brand new Scooty Streak. Have near hits and misses with other maniacal drivers on the road. I almost always reach much after the fast-breaking time. I gobble whatever left-over food I find around. Again get dressed in break neck speed to go to mosque. Back from mosque at 9. p.m. By then, I'm too exhausted to even keep my eyes open. Nah I'm not complaining one bit hehe. So this is not a rant if you think so. Oh the only thing I need to complain about is my memory. My twitter update will tell you that I forgot my way to office this morning. *sheepish grin* Ugh.. age is catching up with me. :p

Road Rage

Whoever said that, you don't really learn to swear until you learn to drive, couldn't have made a truer statement. As a teenager I had a fascination with riding a bike, as an adult it's my worst dream come true. I do love my city, warts and all, but maneuvering a vehicle through the roads is a horror story. What's worse? Being a woman who is handling the bike. The men on the other modes of transport derive perverse pleasure in making our lives miserable by coming precariously close to us. We are so not amused. You can shove your MCP-ness where the sun don't shine.
Right from the cyclists, motorists, share autos, cabbies and even bus drivers, they think the whole god damned roads is their ancestrial property and driving like possessed souls is their birth right. Get a life people!
Its not funny when you do your stunts on the bikes for godaloneknows what reason. The urge to beat the crap out of these people is irrepressible, trust us we are completely capable of bashing the living daylights out of you.
And what in the name of God are the cops doing on the road? Playing audience to some maniacal road show? They simply watch on with a nonchalant look on their face and all they can ever do right is take "gifts" from traffic offenders to release them and feed their already bursting pot bellies. I could really go on and on with the ranting, but I'm feeling a little calmer now. Watch out men... Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!

My Experiments with Jhooth

Pardon the bad pun in the title, you see, I'm good with bad puns and other mokkai. Anyhoo, coming straight to the point, how many of us can say with conviction that we've never lied, never had to make up stories just so that you could save your sorry ass. Not many out there are they?
Parents lie to their children to protect them from reality, friends lie to each other so that they can remain friends, lovers lie (again, no pun intended :p) just so that they don't end up flinging hard objects at one another, corporations lie to employees so that their "employee retention"  level stays high., politicians make a career out of lying and I lie so that I don't end up in a soup. I don't see why honesty is the best policy. It certainly doesn't do any wonders for me. If it was, then, the Jaswant Singh would not have paid so dearly for being forthcoming in his opinion. I digress. So, as I was saying, fibbing through my teeth has saved me more times than I can even count. I'm so good at it that, sometimes, I even end up lying to myself. I fool myself into believing whatever tricks my mind plays on me. I can imagine what thoughts would run in your mind the next time you are speaking to me.. Gotcha! ha ha...