Inked!

 

Permanently! Yes! :-D

And as my friend A puts it, I am now The Girl with the Music Tattoo! :-)

I finally mustered the guts, got over the initial cold feet (little did I know what real cold feet mean! More on that later!) and went to the next most famous tattoo studio in Hyderabad (Hakim’s Aalim) and spoke to the artist there about getting this tattoo. I spoke to him about the design, location, the price he’d charge, and the safety measures he would take, and thought about it for 5 full minutes, standing right there, in his studio. I figured out I was confused about the location, and did not want to do this in a hurry. I told him I’d get back to in exactly two days, and came back home, thinking all the while if I can do it at all.

I SMSed/Mailed all my girl-friends asking them what they thought of a tattoo. Some said they hated it, some said they have always wanted to get one done, and some said its not worth the pain. I then threw the option of me getting it done, and like true friends (thanks girls!:-)), they supported me telling its a cool thing to do.

The design was something I had decided on a zillion years ago, but the location was what I was not sure about.

Ankle was the first choice, but this tattoo was certainly not for the ankle.
Wrist was considered next, but I had to consider the orthodox mindset in the family, and conservative social set-up at work and outside, which means I will forever have to conceal it with a big watch or too many bangles, both of which were not attractive options. Moreover, the more I discussed this with friends after I came back from the studio (Thanks, J!) the more this option fell out of favour.
Neck, back and tummy were totally out of question.
I knew upper arm was kinda overdone, with almost every second person who has a tattoo having it there, but that looked like the most practical option. I could conceal it when I wanted to, which would be most of the times, and could show it off when I could, without really having to strip (;-)). We (J & I) zero-ed on getting this in the front side of the upper arm, someplace where you would see it if you were to look at me straight. And that was settled!

So on the morning of 28th June, I called up the studio to confirm my appointment. And that was the last peaceful moment of the day. I experienced a mix of excitement, cannot-wait-for-the-moment-feeling, fear and a real chill in the spine and drying up of throat. Honestly, the feeling was something I have experienced never before, even when I was getting married. And coming from a commitment-phobe like me, that is a lot!

In all the nervousness, I ran low on body sugar and had to stop the car to buy a packet of biscuits to ensure I don’t faint while driving. And when I finally got within walking distance to the studio, I jumped the red signal, yet again because of the nervousness, got caught by the cop, had a nice long chat with him, appreciated him for all the good work the traffic guys do , paid the fine he levied on me fair and square, requested for the receipt and left (God alone knows how I did all this with trembling hands, and a nervous voice. The cop must’ve been thinking its him! :))

At the studio, the artist, Daniel pleasantly surprised me by doing his fair share of homework on the design. He did some good add-ons to the original design I thought of, and jazz-ed it up to make it look extra cool, which it did. But then, my mind was hung up on this design, for various reasons, and so upon my insistence, he began his work on this design. We discussed a bit on the location, and he gave me very valid inputs on what he thought of my original choice, and gave me enough time to think about it. At the end, I agreed to his point, and slightly shifted the location, to the left, so it can be seen when seen from my left.  He made a neat stencil and stuck it at the right place, let me check it out myself in the mirror, and then started on.

No, it doesn’t pain as much as we think it will. It does pain a bit, and as women, we are used to the pain caused when we get a wax or a threading done anyways. Its more or less similar. What’s worse is the train of thoughts on your head – Will it turn out alright? What if I don’t like it when its done? What if it is slightly in a different position? What if I want to get rid of it? Honestly, keeping yourself calm when all these questions arise is a big thing in itself! And that added to the commitment-phobia I had been experiencing, I was a bunch of nerves. Only when I got up to see how the outline looked did I calm up a bit. I had begun to love it. And by the time he was done after patiently incorporating all my suggestions, I was in love. With the tattoo! And the design! And what it means to me! :-D

Here it is … presenting the Treble-Clef on myself ! :-)

When I came back, I emailed the pics of the tattoo to all my friends, and all of them seemed to love it. :-)

Well, I always thought I’d have atleast two tattooes on me, but going by what it takes mentally to get one done, and what I went through, I don’t think the next one is coming anytime soon. Or may be never. Doesn’t matter, coz I have The One forever! :-D

25K!

They say registering for a run is half the job done. I sincerely hope so! Coz, I’ve decided to train for the Bangalore Ultra Marathon, and to the 25KM run in it!
Partly because I badly need to lose those few (or not really few!) extra kilos off myself, and partly to self-discipline myself. Training for a 25K would mean that I have to wake up early in the morning, sleep early at night and in general be watchful of what I eat, and how I run.
Another major reason is to self-justify those extra-expensive running Sketchers I got for myself last month! :)
Assuming that the race would be in mid-Nov, I still have ~18 weeks for the 25K run. And going by what majority of the fitness websites tell me, a sincere 10 weeks should be enough to do a half-marathon. But since I have never run before, I will mostly certainly need atleast 16 weeks.
Let us see how I sustain, I certainly intend to blog about my weekly routine. And please pray that I don’t drop off this in the middle and thus disgust myself forever!

Girl-friends!

 

As far as friends are concerned, this has to be the best period in my life.

Actually, I'll reword this sentence. This feels like the best period of my life, contrary to what I always thought - about life coming to a standstill once you are 30.

No, trust me, it doesn't.
I know I sound like one of those zillion women who tell you that age is just a number, and they feel no different before and after 30.

Well, it is, and it isn't.
It still pinches when I have to check a different box in application forms, or read articles like 'Life gets better after 30' or when I spot a new grey hair or two.
But its a different feeling now. I feel much more liberated, much more at ease with everything around, so much more at peace with myself. May be it all comes from accepting things as they are, or atleast the trial to do so.

Back to the friends topic, the last time I met anyone new or had great friends was in college. And that was a long time ago. Barring for one or two people who have become really close friends over these years, I kept on wondering if I had lost the ability to make friends at all. Or to trust people and to have fun in general.
Yes, I have ~400 friends on FB, all of whom I have known and met in real life. But when I see the number, I question myself if I really know so many people at all, and if FB isn't inflating the number just for my sake (yeah, I think of myself as that important :-P)

And believe me, any number of friends you have, and any amount of fun you have with them, its never the same as hanging out with a bunch of girls. The fun you can have with a bunch of girl-friends cannot be compared with anything else!

Oh, now when I take a stock of friends in life -  the number of friends I have, the amount of fun I have with each of them, yes, this has to be the best period in almost a decade!

There is this bunch of girls with whom I’ve been friends for over 5 yrs now, and though most of us have still not met each other, its like we are sisters. Yes, that close, and that important to me!

Then there are these women I met online, and then in person, and then pleasantly surprised to realize that we have so much more in common with each other…

Some women I met at work, who have ceased to be work friends and much more… The way they understand me, and get me… awesome!

Some friends of friends, who have become good friends now, with whom I can talk about literally anything, for any amount of length!

I know its hard to find friends within the family, but then I’ve been lucky that way too… :-)

Evenings , dinner or lunch, the comment exchange I have with them on FB or even a simple chat conversation  - Each one of these is so much fun, and I can’t help being thankful for their presence! :)

Ladies, if you are reading this, you know it is about you, and for the first and the last time , Thanks for being there in my life!  :-)

What we all do… :)

Link to the original comic.

Dreams!

Yes. And hence the blog. But still with a pseudonym! ;-)

Murphy’s favourite day!

 

Oh yes, if Murphy had to pick one day in my life that is his favourite, he would pick today! Totally! I would even go a step further and say he planned it so he can have a good laugh :)

Nothing else can explain today’s events…

As the guys were changing the flat tyre of a colleague’s car this afternoon when we returned from lunch, I stood there wondering what I would do if I were to have a flat tyre.

I knew all the stuff about changing the tyre and putting a new one , but only in theory.
But then if I were to have a flat tyre this very day, I would literally be stranded, because I had forgotten my phone at home, and the husband is not in town too.
Oh, I did not even know how to recognize a flat tyre or how it feels if you drive with one for a while.
Oops,  I did not even have the backup tyre in the car.

To assure myself that I can still do good if I were to be in a situation like that, I asked the colleague how I would identify a flat tyre, and he explained how different the driving experience would be. Thinking I got it all, again in theory, I nodded my head, taking mental notes on when I should get down the car if I were to be in a similar situation.

And it happened! All the above, at the same time! :)
Oh, and there was an icing on the whole cake, the unexpected rain, and the fact that I did not have an umbrella.
Of course, it had to happen, because today is Murphy’s favourite day, remember? And I hate getting wet in the rain!

Some realizations through the 90 minutes I spent on the road all by myself, driving for a good 2km before realizing that I had a flat tyre, getting wet in the rain, without a phone to call a friend, looking for an auto for a ride to the nearest tyre shop, talking to the auto-wala and the tyre repair shop guys…

Gentlemen are not the ones who wear those ties and formal shoes and look all dumb. The real gentlemen today were the guys I met at the tyre repair shop and the auto-wala. And yes, I did see/meet a pig or two on the road!

I have taken the words ‘Don’t Panic’ way too seriously.

‘The Secret’ funda actually works. :|

Never get out of the house without as much as a 100/- on you! This is the only place where Murphy did not have his full laugh, coz for once, I had some cash on me! :)

If you always look for an adventure/story/experience/learning in everything that happens around you, you bloody well will get it! :)

So there, with the wisdom halo all bright and sharp after this evening’s experience, I feel one step closer to Murphy! :P

One down!

 

So that’s one item off the bucket list! Yeah, putting an item as silly as this on The List is downright silly, I agree. But it still means a lot, for someone who grew up in a small town and could not step out of the house without male company. (Most times it was my brother and we thoroughly enjoyed that short time off from studies, but then Dad once sent his watchman along with me and my friends to the movie, he was plain scared that some harm would befall his precious daughter, you see!)

And the item was – Watching a movie alone.

And yes, I did it today! :D

Well, I watched a movie all by myself quite a while before , during my stay in Hong Kong, but then, that was HK, and I literally went every place by myself (blame the ever-busy-not-today-I-have-a-call-why-don’t-you-go-by-yourself-here-take-a-100-HKD husband!). So one afternoon I get out of the apartment to walk two blocks to the nearest movie hall showing, guess which movie – Twilight New Moon (Twilight is my only literary guilty pleasure, please forgive me!). Turns out it wasn’t just me watching the movie by myself, I was also the only one in the entire movie hall watching the movie, if you can ignore the presence of two necking teenagers in one corner of the hall, and then, they weren’t really watching the movie, right? I digress, the point of the matter is – Yes, I watched a movie all by myself, albeit in a different country.

That was when the doubt struck my head, would I be able to do a similar feat in India? With stories abuzz about how men misbehave with women if they find them alone (*touchwood* never ever happened with me) , I wanted to see how the whole experience would be. Like many other things that I wanted to do, this one also went into The Never Ending List Of Things I Would Do Someday But Will Never Do!

With the husband not being in town, and with me getting plenty of much-wanted-anticipated me-time which I am thoroughly enjoying (oh don’t ask what I’ve been doing – amidst all the work, I still found time to listen to all my pending music, watch mind-numbing TV shows, read a book or two and oh, sit pointlessly in the balcony wondering about Life, Universe and Everything, and the Answer, of course!), and with the weather today being absolutely fantastic, I decided today is the day I would watch a movie by myself, and who else by Captain Jack Sparrow it should be!

Oh, who am I kidding. I knew that the husband would never watch this one with me, and with most of my friends having watched it already, and my love for the Captain beckoning me, I had to watch this one myself!

Now, even this one did not come without its share of challenges. First, there was work, tonnes of it, which I had to finish today. And then, the damned BookMyShow site does not allow any internet bookings for movie halls in Hyd which means I was never sure if I would get the tickets at all, and the last of all, I have never stood in the movie ticket queue to buy a ticket. Yes. Never. I had a deprived childhood and teenage. (For this, blame the Dad and the Internet!)

I finally overcome all these challenges and the temptation to eat an ice cream to which I succumbed by treating myself to an Oreo Shot (just a fancy name to a whole load of vanilla ice cream with Oreos and fudge but which tasted exceptionally awesome!) and get to the movie hall, only to find that my seat was surrounded by a bunch of men, no boys - All college boys, who wondered what this single woman was doing there at all. It was certainly not what I wanted/expected out of the evening. After the movie started, I got up to see if there were vacant seats in the hall, I found that more than half the movie hall was empty (ah, the perks of movie-watching-on-weekdays! Must remember for next time)
That’s it, I found myself one solitary corner, put on my 3D glasses and enjoyed the movie - giggling to myself at Jack’s jokes and hugging myself when the objects on the screen flew towards me. And boy, what fun it was! And this is just the beginning, am gonna watch many movies like this by myself! :D

And now am back, typing this as a reminder to how I felt when I did something for the first time, and getting ready for a night full of work!

XKCD Love

Hehehhee… How I love this one! My ever-fave!

Image Source – XKCD

What is it with me!

 

Recycling an old post – I wrote this back in 2008 when I was going through a phase, and words just flowed. I’ve written quite some stuff after this , but this somehow still remains close to my heart…

Sometimes I sit & wonder
what's with the grass on the yonder!
Does my heart just crave
Or is it just another wave!

Great my life looks from a different eye
But whats wrong with my rye!
What do I want, will I ever realize?
Till then, will I let the boredom capsize?
Filled with the never-ending apprehension
Will I let my life taken over by depression!

Thoughts like this make me feel strange
Never ever had I seen in this range!
What’s wrong in my life is the question?
Bored, Depressed, Blues have crept into my diction
Thoughts like this make me feel sad!
Not knowing what it is makes me feel bad!

Love makes me feel great
But even that doesn’t let the down-feeling abate
Life is not just about love
Without you knowing, it throws you into a stove
Do I need satisfaction at the job?
Even that does not make my heart throb

This brain of mine wants to learn
But for time I yearn
Guitar, Tai-Chi or French
But then I am never able to cross the trench!

It wants to travel the countries
People are ready to dance by my whimsies
Want to visit Shanghai
Singapore or be it Sinai!
I go about the roaming
But when back, the heart again starts aching

Is this just mid-life crisis?
Or am I going into an endless abyss?

A new start…

Its going to be 6 years that I started blogging. Mostly casual blogging, I have had my ups and downs, bloggers blocks, and many many blogs. Each of the blog urls and blogger nicknames would be based on what the flavour in my life was, at that point. So I have had blogs as juvenile as having the word ‘Smiling’ in them, to as weird as ‘Chocolate’ and also some related to Ayn Rand!

All of them were personal blogs, I’ve written about various aspects of my life, about various stages I was going through then and about all the people I’ve come across during those phases. And they were not for public consumption :)

After all these years, I’ve felt the need to have an open blog, where I could/would write about what I love that day , the song of the season, the crushes I am having and in general the different moods. Like a expanded version of my FaceBook wall :)

And here it is…