He's closing on 40 but Jude Law is just as sexy now as he was years ago.

Jude-You-Sexy-Law, why don't we get to see more of you? :(

Sherlock Holmes - The Game of Shadows is really good. Just as good as the first one, if not better. Check it out if you haven't already - it keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. You'll like it...unless you didn't like the first one and you're not a fan of Guy Ritchie's style of movie-making.

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I went to Watson's Bay last weekend. It's a 30 minute ferry ride from Sydney CBD and is one of the most beautiful places I've visited so far in Australia (of which I haven't visited many yet, and I'm the worse for it because Australia is absolutely breath-takingly beautiful!). On one side of Watson's Bay are two cliffs over-looking the Tasman Sea (the picture on my blog header being one of them). You can climb right to the top and gaze out at the deep blue waters stretching to infinity infront of you.

At a short walk from these cliffs is Camp Cove beach with golden coloured sand and clear blue-green waters, and the legally nudist Lady Bay beach.

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I am so glad 2011 is behind us. Annus Horribilis. I don't know about you but I feel it was one of the crappiest years of my life. Happy to be in 2012 - it seems to be a year of hope and optimism. It even sounds so much better! Twenty-twelve...a nice round even number.

Hope you've all had a good start to the year.

My New Year Post

We're on the 4th day of 2011 (already!!!)

The year got off to a wrong start - my laptop stopped working and I've come back to so much work after my mini new year break that posting from office has been difficult. And I can see a hell lot of work coming my way this year, so my posts may be few & far between. But this is the place I come to retain my sanity, to push all the hassles of life outside my mind for some time, so I'll make sure I blog as much as I can.

How did you bring in the new year? I brought it in in a way that I think makes me old but people in my age group (30-45 years!!!!!) think is a wise thing to do on New Years' Eve - stay home surrounded by people you love.

Really, I stopped partying on New Years' Eve many years ago. What's so attractive about over-crowded parties, headache-inducing traffic jams that ensure you wish each other Happy New Year! in the car itself never mind the fat cash you paid for entry to the 'it' party in town, and massive holes in the pocket? I'll keep that cash to buy myself a new bag & shoes, and save myself that headache that would come in the way of some rocking sex later on in the night, thank you! (Just so we make sure that we get enough bags and shoes and rocking sex during the rest of the year, you see :)

I've decided not to do the introspecting-retrospecting-stock taking shit this year. Maybe the 30th year has finally brought me some wisdom! But mostly because there's nothing to take stock of...HA HA!

I casually checked my post from a year ago - my new year resolution post for 2010 - and what I realized was past shocking. It was comical. The 7kg weight loss that was supposed to happen has turned into a 5kg weight gain, fitness levels are abysmally low, spending habits have gone from bad to worse, and investments are way below the levels they should've been at.

So I've decided I'm going to be conservative in my resolutions for 2011. Here's what I plan to do - and hopefully will be successful in doing - in this brand new, shiny, new year (grammar freaks please excuse):

1. I'll stop fretting over losing weight and will instead focus on overall fitness. That means I'll eat healthy, eat 5-6 small meals every day and work out as frequently as I can. Which should do the job. Isn't that the approach that glamazons like Bipasha Basu, Kareena Kapoor and their multi-millionairess fitness consultants advise? If that doesn't work I'll try yoga, power yoga, artistic yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Thai kick boxing, kettle bell, circuit training, resistance training, calisthenics...there are plenty of options out there. And if I die while I scurry around like a headless chicken doing all of the above, I'll know whose dreams to haunt. Those glamazons'. And no Mr Reebok, I don't want your Rs 8000 ass-tone shoes.
2. I'll cut down on my expenses (swear to those luscious Aldo shoes I saw the other day, I will) and increase my savings. Mango & Promod will continue to exist without my charity. I'll make a budget every month and stick to it. I do not need new clothes every week. I do not need to eat out every other day. I have enough bags & shoes. I do not need to build a stockpile of imported shampoos & body washes in my bathroom. I do not need to stock up on imported sauces that cost the GDP of a small country and lie unused in my fridge till even the fungii refuse to colonize them. I do not need to randomly buy people gifts b/c no one buys me any gifts anyway :(
3. I'll get over my fear of driving and learn to bloody drive!!!!!
4. I'll go on 2 long vacations during the year. And at least one mini vacation. I'm reclaiming my life.
5. I'll spend more time with my parents.

That's it - short & sweet.

I tried to find a word that I can use to most aptly define the year gone by, for me. The only word I could come up with was 'MEH'. That's what 2010 was for me - meh. It was a year of status quo, personally and professionally.

The prognosis for 2011 looks bleak - an impending relocation, bigger job responsibilities, and emotional challenges that are going to be difficult to overcome. But I'm determined to sail through - by taking one day at a time, by not worrying about things that are beyond my control, by focusing on my goals for the year and blinding myself to everything else. 'Coz I've got to see you on the other side of 2011, yo.

A very Happy New Year to you :)

This Pattern Needs to Break Itself

Starting the year with visits to the doctor’s, path labs etc. is what I’m referring to. It’s been a pattern for the last few years and it’s terribly upsetting. I mean, you don’t want to be starting your year being sick and lining up for check-ups at doctors’ clinics & various tests at hospitals.

2008 started with chronic pharyngitis that took me almost the entire year to get over as the throat infection would just keep coming back. 2009 started with unbelievably rapid weight gain (2 kgs in one week!!) that sent me scurrying to the doctor and then to the hospital to check for polycystic ovaries & hypothyroidism. And 2010 has started with a stomach bug. A short trip over the New Year weekend turned out into a sick weekend that saw me mostly on the bed & on antibiotics. Which meant, no street food, no shopping, no meeting my fabulous friends who call that city home (Vinny, if you’re reading this, now you know why I didn’t get around to calling you :(

I’m hoping 2010 is GOOD and that the first few days do not set the pattern for the rest of the year. Here are the tangible things I want to be looking at by the end of this year:

1. 7 kgs weight-loss (minimum 5)
2. Better fitness levels
3. Better all-round health
4. Cutting down on my expenses by 10-15%
5. At least a few lacs sitting pretty in my bank account
6. Respectable investments
7. A more stylish wardrobe

And with all the positive influences around me (read a boy who believes being over-weight & non-stylish are the two biggest crimes on this planet, punishable by death) and the fact that I now live in a city that doesn’t force you to be counting how many pennies you have left in your bank account at the end of each month, I think the goals mentioned above should be attainable.

In my defense though, I’m not technically over-weight. According to the BMI calculator, I’m on the border of normal & over-weight. And I think I’m reasonably stylish. Just that the goddamn companies want only skinny people to wear their clothes these days, so finding an outfit that I like AND that flatters my body (that is of cow-like proportions right now) is tougher than finding a needle in a haystack. And unfortunately for me, I don't possess the patience of The Boy who can spend an entire day trying to find a pair of jeans or a t-shirt that he likes, and is still perfectly happy to not have found anything by the end of the day!!

Stock Taking : 2009

2009 hasn’t been Annus Horribilis for me, neither has it been Annus Mirabilis. It’s been an OK year. A year where you took some good with some bad. Lost some battles and won some. Improved in some areas you wanted desperately to improve on, and maintained status quo in some others.

So how am I better at the end of 2009 vs the beginning?

To begin with, I am fitter and more physically active than I was a year ago. It has involved many MANY loathed painful hours on the treadmill (I love gymming but I hate the treadmill), major cutting down on chocolates, brownies, cheesecakes and such like, a round of the GM diet, and carbohydrate-free dinners. But it has been every bit worth it. At the same time, I have come to terms with the fact that I’m a foodie, and resistance to food is futile and leads to depravation, cravings and over-indulgence. Therefore, I now eat whatever I feel like but in measured proportions. I avoid having desserts after dinner, preferring them to have sometime during the day instead if I must have them. I keep chocolates, pizzas and pasta for days when I’m really them. When eating out, I try to order healthy. For instance, I choose pasta in red sauce instead of cheese sauce. When I’m out eating Indian, I focus on the kebabs rather than the main dish. I choose brown bread over Parmesan Oregano at Subway (all bread tastes the same really!) And I’d like to believe, all this is making a difference.

I shop less and have cut down on impulse purchases significantly. I think I bought only 2 bags all of this year, no shoes that I can think of, and I’ve gone for months without buying clothes! Which, if you ask me is nothing short of miraculous. I now don’t go shopping just because I’m bored on a weekend. I’ve restricted my shopping to when I NEED to buy something or am feeling terribly low & depressed and need the kind of pick-me-up that brownies & cheesecakes can’t provide. (It helps, of course, if you become so fat that you’ve stopped fitting into clothes of any size, heels of stilettos crack under your weight, and no bags, no matter how over-sized, can help you achieve the I’m-not-fat-just-pleasantly-plump look).

And the biggest achievement of all, I have stopped using my credit card. Completely. I now spend only as much as I can fund at that moment (Serendipity, please clap for me!)

As a result of which, my savings are in better shape than they were a year ago. Yup, I’m finally learning the art of saving for a rainy day, and know what? Saving is not impossible or dreadfully difficult. It’s just a little bit challenging and can be mastered with a bit of self-control, which as we all know is a very rare and precious trait in women. So if you have a wife/girlfriend who isn’t a spendthrift, please fall at her feet RIGHT NOW.

My dressing sense has improved thanks to The Boy. Earlier, I wore clothes I liked irrespective of whether they flattered my body type. As regular readers of this blog may know, thanks to my constant cribbing about weight issues and my obsession with losing weight, I’m not reed thin. No scratch that. I’m fat as a cow….at least a piglet in any case….a potato in the least. And now I really understand my body type. I know which clothes suit me and which don’t. I know which parts of my body I should highlight and which I need to camouflage. My color palette too has moved from pink, bright yellow, bright blue and the likes to more warm and earthy colors like olive green, brown, deep purple, burnt orange, dull red, dark grey etc., with a couple of pinks & yellows thrown in occasionally.

Through 2009, I became completely indifferent towards a person I once felt tremendously wronged by. I don’t know if I’ve forgiven him entirely for what he did, or whether I will ever be able to do so, but as of now, he hardly exists for me.

I learnt a new language - Bengali!!

I have stopped comparing my life to those of others and wondering why the bad stuff happens only to me. I’ve realized that everyone has to deal with their own share of problems and I have no clue what another person’s problems are! What I AM sure about is that there’s a whole lot of misery and suffering in the world. There are millions of people whose are much worse off than I am. And I’m going to be thankful for the family, friends, opportunities, health and resources (financial & non-financial) that I’ve had and continue to have.

Still, there are number of improvements I need to bring about in my life. Since psychologists have already declared that New Year’s resolutions are doomed for failure, I abstain from calling them my resolutions for 2010.

I will visit my parents at least twice in 2010. Once a year is not what they deserve.

I’ll refrain from commenting on people and their actions until I’m sure I know them well enough. When did I lose my older non-judgmental self?

I’ll lose the remaining 5kgs, preferably 7. And then we’ll have a big fat cheesecake party…hallelujah!!

I will I will I will cut down on eating out.

I will become more regular at the gym. Regular as in 4-5 times a week, not 4-5 times a year.

I will make a budget every month and stick to it.

I’ll invest more.

I’m going to build on my patience. Right now it’s at zero.

I’ll get angry less often. I’ll try not to get angry at stupid people. I’ll try not to get angry when things don’t go my way. I’ll try not to get angry when things aren’t done the way I want them to be done.

I will walk more. A 10 minute walking distance is not reason enough to hop into a cab.

I’ll give more.

I’ll extend the understanding that I demonstrate towards my friends and acquaintances to The Boy and my parents.

I will write that goddamn book!!

I will get a better grip on my hypochondria.

I’ll take better care of my possessions rather than letting them take care of themselves - because I’m incredibly lucky to be able to afford all those things. I’ll pay better attention to my home rather than leaving everything to my maid and expecting my mom to be this angel who can foresee all my domestic problems and pre-provide a solution for them.

I’ll crib less about things that aren’t to my liking…because for everything that’s wrong in my life, there are at least ten things that are right.

I’ll love my parents, my sister & The Boy more - and show it through my actions – because they love me far more than I think they do.

So here’s looking at you 2010. Give me the courage to make that move which will start the process of me realizing two of my dreams – traveling through Europe and becoming an entrepreneur in 5 years’ time. And please help me be a better, happier and thinner person.

Bringing in 2010

I grew up in the 90s. (Actually I was born in the 80s but I feel “growing up” in the non physical sense of the word really happens once you’ve crossed the 10-year mark. Besides, I recently heard someone in his mid-thirties describe himself as a child of the 80s, so that must surely make me a child of the 90s? :)

So anyway, to compound the fact that I grew up in the 90s was that I grew up in a small town. There were no New Year’s Eve parties that you could buy passes to. Besides, mum & dad didn’t believe in staying awake for the clock to strike 12, so New Year’s Eves generally meant sitting at home and watching the crappy New Year countdown shows on television with my sister. You know the ones where they’d get Bollywood starlets to perform and you’d really look forward to them as you'd have nothing better to look forward to?

Then came the US where there was no concept of exorbitantly priced New Year’s parties. (Thankfully, some countries in the world still believe in the right of every human to enjoy life irrespective of how much $$$ he makes!)

So New Years would be ushered in with friends, alcohol and loads of laughter & hugging each other.

And then came Bombay and it's New Year party culture that could set you back by a few grand easily, for a couple of hours of what was supposed to be fun but inevitably ended up being a disaster - the organizers would run out of food way early, there’d be drunken people all around you, falling over you, stepping on your toes, even throwing up all over you if they really loved your outfit or shoes!

Within a couple of such parties I realized that private parties at friends' places, or having a house party of your own if you were up for the organizing would be a much better way to bring in the New Year. And if hosting a party was way too much, you could always call a few close friends over, order in, curl up on your couch in your pajamas and bringing in the New Year with good food, good wine (or whatever the alcoholic beverage of choice), a great DVD, and loads of laughter & hugging each other.

And guess what, as long as there are friends, food, love, laughter & hugs who cares for exclusive New Year parties!!

How are you bringing in 2010?

The Year That Was

2008 promised to be a great year when it started. It started with infinite happiness, optimism & possibilities. 2007 had ended on a very positive note. Personally, I was on cloud 9. Professionally too I had a clearer idea of where I wanted to be, in say 5 years’ time. Looking back, 2008 was:

A year of change – I quit my job of four & a half years at a company I found amazing to be part of on hindsight (don’t we always appreciate the good side of things once we’ve left them behind, or them us?)

I joined a new company which I think I was destined to join. For how else do you explain the fact that I ended up joining a company I had promised myself I would never join?!! Destiny has plans for each one of us...I can already see what it has in store for me this time!

Seven months into my new job and I still haven’t been able to become a fan of this place…I still have my moments of disterss...still struggle with my decision sometimes…but don't we all do that sometimes? Don't we all wonder whether what we chose to have is worth what we gave up? Overall I think I made a good decision professionally.

My job wasn’t the only thing that changed in 2008. I also relocated from Bombay to Calcutta. Purely for personal reasons. I wanted to be closer to my family, which is settled in the eastern part of India, closer to my sister who got married last December & moved to Calcutta. Also wanted to be closer to someone who was a very important part of my life at the start of 2007, but as luck (or life) would have it, figures nowhere in my scheme of things now, and I’m happier for it. Again, as luck would have it, my sister moved to the UK 3 months after I moved to Calcutta! Thank God my parents are east Indians who are happy living in east India and have no plans to relocate to any other part of India!!

I’ve noticed that every fifth year is a year of tumult & emotional upheaval for me. 1998…moved out of home (and my protected, sheltered, convent educated upbringing) for the first time…that too, all the way to the US where I had to fend for myself completely…right from cleaning my own bathroom to laundering my own clothes to vacuuming my house to managing my finances…terrible year it was but guess what, I learnt to swim! Woh kehte hain na, when you get thrown into the deep-end and it's a question of sinking or learning how to swim, you learn to swim!

2003…moved back to India…experienced depression for the first time in life as I’d left my life in the US behind…the comforts, the convenience of living, the not having to struggle to get small things done, the not having to deal with inefficiency, corruption & bureaucracy…left all my friends behind (as they say, the friends you make in college are the friends you have for life)

2008…moved to Calcutta…HUGE paradigm shift…this is such a different place compared to Bombay…needed to make quite a few adjustments…went through personal upheaval…

Guess I should dread 2013 now & can afford to embrace 2009 with hope, happiness & smiles :)

A year of finding love, losing it & finding hope again

A year of meeting new people – The best part about moving to Calcutta, apart from the fact that I’m much closer to my family, is that I got to meet some wonderful, fun new people!!

A year of lessons learned – Many lessons. Mostly personal. There is no concept of ‘always’ or ‘forever’, so never let go of your rationality. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Every one who says they love you does not necessarily do so. People are selfish & self-centered…everyone’s looking out for their own back…you better look out for yours!

2008 has been annus horriblis not only for me but for many people I know. I’ve had bad years before but there’s something about the start of a new year that makes me excited, hopeful & happy! Maybe it’s just the thought that with the end of the previous year, things that had gone wrong are over & done with. Maybe it’s my eternal optimism…my belief that each new day brings with it possibilities.

So, I’m hoping for a better year…a year that not only starts on a happy note but also ends on one…a year where I’m able to consolidate certain relationships...become a better human being …a year of many many more smiles than tears…but most importantly, a year of humanity, faith & hope.

Happy New Year to all of you.