Dec 18, 2009

Its that time of the year again....



... The jingle of the bells ...


...The flickering yellow lights of candles...



... Socks hung out for Santa ...


... The smell of pine in the air ...


... Waking upto gifts wrapped in shiny gold paper ...


...and CANDIES!!! ...


... and the CHOCOLATES!!!!...

... And the sweet sound of Christmas Carols ... :)

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

...And Christmas is just round' the corner!!!! :)

Dec 13, 2009

You never came





My eyes have lost their sleep in watching
Yet if I do not meet thee
Still it is sweet to watch ..

My heart sits in the shadow of the rains
Waiting for thy love
If she is deprived still it is sweet to hope

They walk away in different paths
Leaving me behind
If Im alone still it is sweet to listen to thy footsteps

The wistful face of the earth weaving its autumn mists
Wakens longing in my heart
If it is in vain, still it is sweet to feel the pain of longing....

-Tagore.

P.S: I wish you knew just how much it hurts when you do something like that.

Dec 10, 2009

THANKS!!!! :)

I wrote and rewrote and yet again rewrote my Birthday Post... trying to describe how my day was.. And as you can see I didnt manage to get it quite so right :) But well thats.. er.. me :P I want to say so many things to so many people... But then words just wont be enough. So Im going to make this as to the point as possible. This is a "Thank You" to all the wonderful people who make me wonder how in the world did I end up having one of my bestest birthdays!!!! :)

First, Thanks to Arnab who was the first person to call me and give me a sign that my sad birthday wasnt going to be sad after all!!! :P And you sang!!!!!! how AWWWWW is thatttt!!!! I cant wait to meet you and hear a live performance :P

Thanks to 'The Jerk' :P You know why. I reaaallllyyy wished you would have called me by my most favorite name in the whole world.. but oh well!!! NO thanks for the 'please!!!' during the movie. Thanks for confirming that IITians are geeks (I always knew that!) NO Thanks for making fun of my kitty-teddy *whack* and Thanks for the Rocher :) You are one of the awesomest friend I have ever had and I am so so happy that our friendship is so kickass strong! :)

Thanks to Abha & Ketki, my bestest most oldest friends. It was so wonderful meeting up with you, like it always is.. The place has quickly turned into one of my favorite places of recent times to hang out at.. I love you guys for all the years of friendship we have had.. You made my birthday truly complete :)

Thanks to Karan. I cant express just how happy he made me! It was the second time I was meeting him and he was just amazing!!! The tradition of getting a cake for my Birthday continues (I was almost convinced it was going to stop with my 21st one) I cant believe you actually got me Koki!!! (a sindhi dish that I absolutely LOVE!) Awwww!!!!..Thanks for driving from all the way across town to get me my most awesome cake, my most awesome suprise and the most awesome message :) :) :)... which brings me to my next thanks..

Thanks to Isha. omg omg omg!!!! :P I love you! *whack to Karan for sniggering as I know he is!* I cant believe how close we have become over the last months, and how awesome talking to you is.. You are truly my soul sister.. MWAH! :) and I just cant wait to meet you too.... *HUGS*

Thanks to Nik for coming home and devouring half of my leftover birthday cake! :P Thanks for the "belated" birthday party that began at 12.00 6th of Dec.. and lasted for 2 hours where we watched Tevez make the most spectaculor goal, had hookah like there was no tomorrow and drove around in the chilly dead of the night... :P Thanks!! :)

Thanks finally to the couple that has been my favourite lately - Binu and Varu :) Love you guys for the gift and love you guys to make the time to meet me (Though you guys could have cut short the 'romantic walk' that resulted in you guys showing up half an hour late!! :P)

and last but not the least...

Thanks to Nikhil... For the gift!!!! OMG OMG OMG!!!! You are crazy seriously!!! I cant believe you did that!!!! Awwwwwww.... Thanks for everything. I hope you know you are one of the awesomest guys I know here on Blogsville and one of the very few people who know and accept me the way I am.. for which I am so so grateful :) Meoooowwwwwww!!! :)

So as it turns out, out of 'the list' I didnt get flowers or my bada wala teddy or the goodnight kiss... I didnt get the watch or the Apple Macbook AIR :P... But I got some really warm hugs and some really awesome suprises (one of the best of em' was Ishani calling me up and asking me Guess Who??!!! :P).. I didnt get my flawless complexion but I did get a extremely uncomfortable (because I was glaring) 'nice hair' :P I had a lot of laughs and the most wonderful friends... I didnt get the icecream.. I got a sizzling brownie instead :) I got my good movie (Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure :P (If you dont know who is Tinkerbell... refer my FB display pic)).. I got my good book ("The girl with the dragon tattoo").... I missed the beach but I think the drive in the cold made the perfect ending.. :)

But NOTHING beat the feeling of having my bestest friends around me (in some strange way not even literally 'around' me but still so so close!).. NOTHING beat the feeling of.. feeling so loved. :)

Annie.
P.S: I just CANT believe how lucky I am! :) Thanks all you guys!!!!!!

Nov 28, 2009

Birthday Wishlist...

7th Day from now.... wow so close!!! :) :) :)


Someone singing me happy bday in a veryyyy buttery voice at 12 in the night :)
Beautiful red roses...
Teddy bear -- badaaaa wala :)...
A pleasant suprise...
Warm Hugs...
Someone to hold my hand out of the blue...
A new Fasttrack watch...
YET another bottle of Davidoff :P...
Jewellery...
A new cam...
Ok since this is MY list and I can dream as much as I want ... Apple Macbook AIR :P
Lots of laughter...NO tears!!! *I hav had really bad last few bdays* :(
A good movie... (n NO I DONT want to see Paa which is releasing the day before!)
A good book...
Clothes!!!!...
A sexy new bag...
Shoes.. :P *I can never have enuf of these :P*
Someone telling me I look very pretty...
Flawless complexion on that day atleast :P
Lots of smiles.. for no reason :)
Watching the sun go down at the beachside and hearing the waves as they come by.. *sighhhh!!*
Chocolate Chip Icecream... :)
A good night kiss that leaves me breathless...



I know none of the things I really really want for my bday will actually come true. I know that my 22nd bday is going to be just another day... just like my 21st bday. My best friends are away or busy, my crush is an idiot :P, and basically it will be over even before I realise it... and as much as I hate the sound of that I cannot do anything about it :(

But what the heck?! :P
Whats life without impossible dreams nai? :)

~ Annie

Nov 26, 2009

To the bravest daughter I have ever known,

I know you miss your Dad more than anything else in this whole world. I know you miss him everyday, and the fact that you are in an alien city so so far away from home.. from Mumbai makes it ten times more worse. I know that everyday not having him around makes you sad but I also know that knowing him better than anyone else, makes you so incredibly proud to be called the daughter of such an amazing man.

I know its been an year and there is no use trying to hide facts behind fake makeup, I know nothing has been done to the man who killed your father. You must be bitter about the fact that its taking so long, and people are actually trying to prove the bastards innocence(?). It makes my blood boil when I see that. It makes me disgusted to know that even losing their best couldnt open their eyes. It makes me sad that the best one to go was so close to us all.

Sometimes its almost like the bloodiest, scariest night didnt happen at all. The way people have moved on with their lives and how the 'city that never sleeps' is back to the everyday chaos. I remember sitting at Riddhis birthday a year ago when it all happened, and having the shock of my life seeing the scenes that unfolded before me. I remember going home when Ketkis mom dad, scared out of their wits, came to pick up us girls. I remember being shook of my sleep, waken up by my mom at 5 in the morning when all the news channels broadcasted the same news - the news of your fathers death. I can not even imagine what you must have gone through.

Most of all I remember meeting you, after years, and yet nothing seemed changed.. and seeing how strong you were through the nightmare. I saw how you held your emotions, how you never once cried, and how proud you were of your father. I saw your father in you.

Its been a year, and I know it might not seem like it with the city returning back to the noone-waits-for-anyone-here pace, but every single person in this city, not just this one, but everyone who has seen what happened, respects and salutes your father for the sacrifice he made just so all of us could be safe. I am proud to have known such a man, and Im prouder to have known such a brave daughter. I salute you Diu.

London is far, but no matter how far, remember we all always have and will always love you to bits. Miss you, come back soon.

~ Annie.
P.S: We shall never forget... and we will never ever forgive.

Nov 22, 2009

In the dead of the night...


Look. Hear. Think. Feel. Touch.
Laugh. Smile. Breathe. Dream.
Cry. Give Up. Let Go.
Hold On Tight.
Forgive. Remember. Cherish. Learn.
Make Peace.
Love. And Love Again.


Nov 18, 2009

The Crazy Ending.

Last time I talked about the beginning of my 10 day long last trip with the wizards. This time Im going to talk about our amazing end to the trip. If Im boring you with all this you can skip this and come back later :) This means sweet nostalgia for all those who were a part of these incidents.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
11th June 2009'.
Location: Dining room of our hotel, Khurpatal. Breakfast time.


The CC's (Comps Chics') are sitting around at the breakfast table, having shaken of some guys after great difficulty :P (Plz! we need GIRLS ONLY timeouts) We sat there discussing WHAT is it with North Indians and Paneer, eating YET another paneer dish and also wondering how come people just dont sleep after eating a breakfast this heavy. I mean our breakfast comprises of Bournvita and Apple slices, maximum some toast, while here we were eating chole bature :P


Me: (glumly poking at my omelet) What yaar guys, the trip is coming to an end.. We didnt do anything fun..
Mona: (firing up) Oh shut up Ta!!! this IS fun!!! (narrowed eyes)
(Mona is extremely touchy about the fact that we all kept comparing the Nainital trip to the previous years Shimla trip which was like WOOOOHOOOO fun!!! She had missed it because she was down with typhoid :( so bad luck)
Me: (retracting) Ufff Na, I mean, we didnt have gossip sessions save the one that happened on the first day. We should plan something.
Mona: (still glowering a little) Like what?
Me: Lets get drunk!!!!! (enthusiastic)
Zai, Varu, Shilpa : Awesomee!!!! great idea!!! so how do we do it!!!
Zai: Didnt xyz (name changed to protect identity :P) have beer last night? Lets go ask him.
Varu : HA HA HA HA!!! lets US go ask HIM? are u mad? :P
Shilpa: (nodding) Lets get drunk.
Mona: Maybe we can ask pqr (xyz'z partner in crime) Hes floored by Zai anyway :P
Zai: HA HA very funny :
Me: Ok so done - Zai get the address of the daaru ki dukaan, in the meantime well decide the plan of action.
Shilpa: (still nodding) Yes Lets get drunk!
Rest of us: Shhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!


*everyone puts head together while Zai successfully gets the daaru ki dukaan ka address. After 10 minutes of deciding all of us wear identical evil grins. :P*



We have formulated this plan - Me and Zai, will slip away from the group while everyone is shopping later that day, and go buy the vodka. Varu, Shilpa, Mona have divided amongst themselves the task of distracting the others and getting the orange juice. When asked by anyone about our absense, me and Zai have gone to buy Cheeries :P

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours later. Mall Road, Nainital.


Team meet . Imagine Mission Impossible music in the background.
Zai: (whispers) Should we go now?
Me: (whispers back) No its too soon now. They will notice us gone.
Karan: (Loudly) Where are you guys going?
Mona: (smoothly) To buy Cheeries.
(We beam at each other, the guys are totally confused)
Varu and Shilpa giggle and wreck the moment :P

It has been decided that we will go boating on the Nainital Lake now.We crib a lot about being in the same duck (they had duck shaped boats) and then ultimately end up in the boats as thus : Me n Mona, Varu n Shilpa, Zai n Karan. And we also decide to hold hands and make our 3 2-seater boats into one 6 seater boat... Conviniently our boats are colored orange white and green :P Soon all people on the lake start taking pictures while we scream and yell and throw water on each other, try to shoot at Anoop (CH - Comps Hunk - SELF Christened :P though we dont disagree :P) and gang with imaginary guns :P I had the distinct feeling that we were going to make it into the headlines of the local news :D

We end up having so much fun on the lake that we almost forget the mission. Its not until, people start breaking away to go buy stuff like show peices and candles (what hello? you go to a place like Nainital and buy CANDLES??!!! I simply fail to get it!) Zai and me are least interested, so we are all set to disappear.

Zai: (whispers) Should we slip away now?
Me: (whispers back) Yes about time. Where are the rest of the girls? They need to cover for us...
(looks around here and there for Mona, Varu and Shilpa.. Spots Mona a few spaces ahead, surronded by CH and his gang, Shilpa and Varu can be heard bargaining for candles (sold 20 a peice :) and shawls from like 10 blocks away :P )

Zai and me depart.
(While 'slipping away') Me: Psssttt... Na! We are goin.. to buy cherries.
Anoop: (loudly) Hey get some for me too!
*imagine glass breaking music in the background. So far this has been anything but secret :P*
Me: (grumbling) GREAT now we will actually have to buy the damned cherries!!

Me and Zai walk around Mall road and finally take a left turn that leads us to a gurudwara and a long lane full of accessories. As expected I stop at everey stall to check out stuff while Zai taps her feet impatiently..

Me: Yeh kitne ka hai Bhaiya.
Bhaiya: 100 ka hai memsaab. Aapke liye 95 mein de dunga.
Me: Kya SHOT de rahe ho! ha! 100 mein aisa 4 aa jayenge!!!
Bhaiya: (wondering what on earth does "shot" mean)
Zai: (tapping feet impatiently while trying to scan the horizon for daaru ki dukaan)

After 10 similiar instances I realise the following things :
-- Shopkeepers in Nainital should be taken to Fashion Street/ Colaba Causeway and taught MANNERS! Hmmmpphh!
-- Eitherways Im great at bargaining :P :D got 4 bracelets for 50 bucks! Yayyy! :P
-- We are LOST! :O

Finally Zai decides to ask a shopkeeper for the right directions.

Shopekeeper: (eagerly recieving us into his pinecones-showpeices dukaan) Madam aapko kya chahiye?
Zai: Yaha pe alcohol kaha pe milta hai?
Shopkeeper: Eh?Kya?
Me: Daaru? Sharaab? Kaha milti hai?
(Shopkeeper looks like he is stuck by lightening. Me and Zai shrug and give each other a look that says "wtf- who-knows-us-here-anyway?!" :P)
Shopkeeper: Aaapko kaunse type ki chahiye? Whiskey chahiye toh yaha pe mil jayegi.
Zai: (business like voice) Humko Vodka chahiye.
Shopkeeper looks tonguetied for a moment and then points us in the right direction.

Me and Zai start walking in the right direction half wondering if at all we ARE in the right direction.

Zai: (exclaiming) Oh this is it! I overheard (xyz) telling someone about this Antiquity signboard.

We turn at the corner and find ourself facing a shady daaru ki dukaan.This place has grills with LOTS of daaru on one side, 2 men inside who look like they have practised selling daaru all their life, and a CRAZY HORDE of men on this side where we stand.

Me: Errm.. Zai .. precisely HOW do we plan on getting in there?
Zai: (drawing money from the bag) You keep a lookout. Ill go buy.

(Imagine MI2 Music.)
After like 30 seconds I get bored of keeping a lookout and decide to go have a look.
The men magically clear the path for me and look at me like I have just crashlanded from Mars.

Zai: (busy arguing with the shopkeeper) Yeh 160 ka kyu hai? Aaapke paas Absolut kitne ka hai? Smirnoff ka bada bottle kitne ka hai?
Me: Buy the big bottle!!
Zai: No! You people will get all drunk and act crazy!
Me: (rolls eyes) You DO know I have had vodka before right? And so has Mona and you *snigger*
Zai: Shilpa and Varu havent so we are buying just one.
Me: Take two!!! pleaseeee!!!!

(Men have a look like their wildest dreams have come true.)

Shopkeeper: (putting out the bigger bottle) This is very cheap madam. And very good also madam.
Zai: (firmly. leaving no room for further discussion) Ek Smirnoff dedo. (a second later) Aapke paas flavoured vodka hai kya?

Men and Shopkeeper : (EH expression) ??!!

Zai: (mutters to herself) Dont even bother.
Me: (does a jig in her head)
Zai: And now we actually go buy cherries

(Calling Mona up)
Me: Where are you? We got the "stuff"
Mona: Oh yayyyyyy!!!!!!!! Errr...We are still at the same place (like 7 kms away :) We are buying candles..
Me: WHAT??!!! YOU ppl are still THERE! Ok come fast. We are like in the middle of nowhere!
Mona: Ya ya we will be there soon!
Zai: (taking the phone) Come fast. We are going to buy cherries now. Meet us here the High Court wala turning. SOON!
Mona: ya ya.. well be there soon.

Me and Zai begin the walk uphill, looking for cherries (which we did get) Orange juice (which we got after a LOT of searching) and Soda.

I stop to recharge, and make an ISD call that finishes off all my balance. Im grinning as I walk towards the spot we were going to wait. And realise people are looking at us in a weird manner. It is SHIT cold and getting wet in the Nainital lake is making me freeze double bad. It doesnt help that the lamp overhead isnt working, people practically STARING at us, even stopping on the other side of the road, and Zai happens to dislike navycut.

Finally Zai calls up Ron and Anoop in a frantic voice demanding they come and rescue us. After a long wait of almost half an hour we see the two hunks come jogging uphill and the rest of the idiots folllowing them from behind. They come and like nice guys take off their windshis and give to us and shoo away all the rowdy people who had accumulated there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back in the hotel room.
Around 12.00 AM.


Everyones nicely dressed in warm cozy clothes after having taken a hot water bath which feels like heaven, I shoo the people out of the room for a while and have my own timeout, Varu comes in just as I was resting idly switching channels between MTV and VTV. Lying beside me she says 'Lets rest for a while and then we will get drunk'. I agree and close my eyes.

The next thing I know is that Im opeing my eyes to our last day in Nainital. I wake up and realise yesterday night everyone was too exhausted to touch all the maal we got!!! :P

I walk over to the bathroom grinning as the others are just waking up to me singing 'I love you.. Im not gonna crack...' :D (Thats Lithium - Nirvana incase you didnt know :P)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-Annie.
P.S: We are probably the only girls for whom the process of BUYING alcohol was more fun than actually having it (which we did the next night! :D).

P.P.S: Thresholds of getting drunk :
Zai is drunk if she is throwing down JOKERS while playing RUMMY :P
Mona is drunk if she is dancing like mad, jumping up and down on the bed, to "Kyaaaa huaaaa joooo Larrrriiiii chooootiiiii..."
Varu is drunk if she is screeching "Theres something in my haiiirrrrr!!!!"
Shilpa is drunk if she is demanding more shots in high pitched voice.
AND...
Annie is drunk if she is pointing to everyone present and saying 'youuuu areeee drunkkkk!!!! I ammmm nottttt drunkkkk'!
(in my defence this is the rest of the CC's description of me. I DONT get drunk even with 7 neat shots down and I have people who will vouch for that! HA! :P)