Svenleia

I've always believed in signs, astrology, lucky numbers and god-knows-what. But then there are always gonna be sluts, whores and bitches to bring you down. So what do you do, really? I guess there's no answer really. You can talk to people, sort it out yourself or just wallow in your sorrowful pity... yes, don't bother asking - I blame the overflowing sea that is my mind. I really have been such a fool of sorts. But whatever I'm on the Road To Perdition whatever that means. I mean, I'm sure it means something good or they wouldn't have made it into a movie.

Okay, I must really stop seeing signs everywhere. It's fricking insane and completely scary! How the hell is this happening? Does one sees signs that they're meant to or are they just normal things that you make out to be signs? It just can't be happening. I saw three today. Two grave-markers with Leia's name on them (why is that strange, you might ask? Well, I came in early for mass and I went to the graveyard thinking that I'd pray over a random poor soul so I stopped at a marker that read 'Matthew Fernandes' and said a little prayer. While I did, my eyes looked up and automatically fell on a shelf-grave that had Leia's name. Then I called up Serena to tell her, she, of course didn't think much of it and by then I was walking around the church over the graves and I hung up the phone and yes, I looked down and I was standing on another grave that bore Leia's name on it)! Then her name crops up on a random bench I decided to sit on. #Weird! I didn't even see the name there up until halfway into mass.

So what, what, what is all this??? There is a fourth sign but I can't write about it here for fear of infiltration by the Nazis. But what do you think all this means? Must I make too much of any of it? Must I?

I am such a weird little kook. I must stop this insanity. You know what I love? Swimming pools, water bodies... right now, I'm thinking of an ocean. The Pacific. I'm sitting on the sand, alone, the wind is whipping my hair. There's sand strewn across my clothes and grits of it in my hair. It's late at night and no one cares to know where I am :-) I just sit there, hugging my knees across my chest and feel wonderful to just be alive... And yeah, on a completely unrelated level, I really wish you were here (just like the song by Incubus)!

Midnight Blue

I feel like I'm lost in space, again. In a completely good way, I really can't explain it or put it in words. Like I am part of the other Universe. The real kind. Like I feel like a celestial body. I have always been random, I'll never be able to explain it to anybody nor do I want to. It's rare that you find people that already understand the way you work, how you function, who you are without questioning...anything. It's the best kind of relationship to have with anybody or is it because I, a lone operator, seem to think that you arrive alone and thus you leave alone? I think the best way to discover awesomeness of your being is to lose yourself time and again. Lose yourself within yourself. It's the best kind of healing. It's as therapeutic as sitting on your bed leaning against the corner with your knees curled up to your chest and imagining a cold, black and dark lake. A lake that has a midnight blue surface; it ripples with a sheen of glistening diamonds. You break the surface and put your hand in as you stop rowing the canoe. Your reflection flickers. You see a pair of haunted eyes, they suck you in and you feel strange. Unreal. A soul out of your body.

I'm not sure what I meant here... but I love the feeling I'm feeling right this second. Let's end with these words, shall we?

I'm smoking Life. Try it, it's like Angel Dust. - ©Roanna Fernandes

279 Words

I thought this would be a good recluse but how can it because even as I write, I need to think? Scheisse. It's the devil and the deep blue sea. Thinking is a bad thing. My friend, Africa* once told me that over-thinking is a gift. Yeah, right and I'm President Obama. I've got to quit worrying man. Just focus on the happiness, I mean, honestly I don't think I've been this happy in a long while so I should probably use Daisy's advice and focus on that core happiness that is keeping me going!

Work-wise, things at burrp! seem to be picking up and how. Two new team-mates: George and Isha, Ruma left, A is leaving too. :( We got used to having them around here!

But yeah, other than that, work is picking up the pace, there are newer challenges, fun responsibilities, the promise of new designations, new ideas and yes, higher salaries! MUHAHA, but of course. We've been busy with loads of establishment and movie reviews; I love that part - it keeps us sane and always out there. Right now, we're having a contest at work - Menu Marathon - which is fun. Admittedly, some two days back, I thought it was the lamest excuse ever but it's acually kind of exciting.

Leia is just the best thing in my life right now! She just keeps me going. May be it's her way of transpiring goodwill to the world and inspiring people. Kind of like Nandini Velho. Not that there can ever be a replacement for her, I'm just saying. :)

I think I'll end with these happy thoughts. It's rare that I do! Night-night.

Do I sound like Alanis Morisette?

I once read this poem, it had these lines, 'What is this life, if full of care? We have no time to stand and stare.' I don't know, it just randomly came back to me right this very moment. Strange, huh? Well, I am strange. I sometimes think of distant memories and wish I could go back to it. I've become this girl. I used to be that girl. You know, I hated that girl sometimes. But I'm here! This is it. It's real. It's scary but it's as real as real goes. I want to travel. A lot. I thought it would happen this year. But, ah there's a travel fare to every place and well, let's face it, money takes you places. I've wanted so bad this past year to live in Paris for a bit, study art and make it all on my very own once again. I need change. Change is good. They say that nothing is more permanent than change. Am I rambling? Perhaps. This must be the closest to what I'm feeling in person that I've blogged about in a long time. Of late, it's just been projections and metaphors of what I've been feeling. I always think that I'd live in New York too, sometimes, for a brief while. Don't get me wrong, Bombay is great, I just need to do all that over again. Setting off to a new place, re-learning things, experiences, moreso. I need that. It's something that Nandini helped me discover about myself. I love being so disconnected sometimes, my friends sure as hell don't get it, but I like figuring it out. Doing it my own way. It's the only way I love being. What am I saying? I don't know. I thought I'd write a little metaphorical poem but creativity eludes me just as the one thing in my life that I've never had yet. But whatever, c'est la vie! I'll just roll with the punches and suck it up. Nothing like it. Fresh Air. Breathe it in...

Night!

For when you're hungry...

We all know that like an idle mind, an empty tummy is the devil's workshop too! So when you're at home and hungry, here are some quick recipes that you can use to make some yummy snacks and satisfy your cravings:

• Mmmm...Maggi

The best part about a pack of Maggi noodles is that you can tear it open and use just two minutes to cook it in boiling water. But just to make it a little more interesting, we'd suggest that you add some veggies to it. Sautée some chopped up tomatoes, green chillies, onions and garlic in a little bit of oil. Stir this for about 3 minutes and then add your cooked Maggi to the pan. Throw in a dash of salt, pepper, chilli powder and the Maggi seasoning. The Maggi Masala flavour goes best with this recipe. Voilà, you have yourself a tasty meal!
TIP: If you like, you could sprinkle some cheese of your choice onto the steaming noodles.


• Mushroom Toast

We're making snacks but they don't necessarily have to be unhealthy. So in this case, we can very well use brown bread. Now, to make yourself this mushroom toast, sautée some tomatoes, mushrooms (you can buy them from your local vendor), garlic and onions with a pinch of chilli powder, pepper and salt. The tomato lends a tangy flavour to this dressing. Once you've cooked it around for a bit, add the dressing to a slice of brown bread and add some mozzarella cheese to it; cover this with another slice of brown bread and pop it in your toaster. The end-result is a double toasted mushroom sandwich! The cheese will have of course, melted on the inside. Yummy, huh?


• Tangy Salad

For this sweet and sour salad, you will need: tomatoes, onions, green chillies, cucumbers, garlic and boiled corn. For the dressing, you'll need to have the following in your kitchen: salt, pepper, sugar, chaat masala, Tabasco sauce, olive oil and lime juice. In a bowl, add a chopped onion, tomato, cucumber and a green chilly. Add a dash of Tabasco (depends on how hot you want it to be), a pinch of salt and pepper, half a tsp of sugar and a tbsp of lime juice. Add 3 tbsp of olive oil and a little water; now for the garlic, the trick is to chop it sideways whilst mixed with a little salt, this helps release the juices. Add the chopped garlic to your salad and finally, sprinkle some chaat masala and mix it all up. You'll have your lips smacking for more!


• Pancake Toast (Courtesy of Emily)

It only seemed right that after a bunch of yummy and tongue-tingling snacks, we suggest a recipe that is sweet. To make Pancake Toast, you need: an egg, 2 tbsp of butter, 3 tbsp of sugar, 3 tbsp of milk, 4 tbsp of refined flour, 1 tsp of vanilla essence and ½ tsp of baking powder. Mix the above ingredients in a bowl. Once that's done, heat some oil in a pan (just enough to ensure that the pancake-toast doesn't stick to the surface), dip whole a slice of bread (you can use white bread for this recipe) into the batter and then fry it on both sides. Once a little golden you can remove it. The batter should last you for about 8 more slices of bread. When the pancake-toasty breads are ready, serve them with a little maple syrup and cinnamon powder on top. TIP: Add a scoop of your favourite ice-cream to the stack of toasts and gobble on!

Tell me when you've tried out these yummilicious recipes and sampled them with your friends; I wanna know what you think of them. Happy Eating!

Split-Second

You know that moment when you realize that some stupid things are just not that important enough? That's now. It's when you miss what's been right in front of your eyes all along but you were too busy being selfish to notice or care. That's when you start to feel bad, really bad and you feel like turning back time. Because how could this happen? It could be you or me. But the worst part is, you got saved. Your friend wasn't too lucky. That's what hurts even more. Like an insane pain filling up your senses and clouding up your mind. You can't tell your friend not to cry because you can't help but feel horrible yourself. If the world could survive on good karma and wishes, there's nothing like it. But this is life, it just freaks you out insanely but the truth is that we can't change or control what will be. It all comes full circle. You arrive alone, you leave alone. Don't cry, I wish I could assure you that it would be okay.

Morphine

You entered my system like a drug
You were in in my bloodstream
You threw my immunity away
I got sucked into you like a beautiful dream

Your taste was sweet, refreshing, different
I'm attached to you, like oxygen
I felt complete with you and;
Even as it hurt me, you got under my skin

You scare me
Because if I cut you off me
I'll lay open in a pool of blood...
And there'll be nothing to see.

They say time heals wounds
But the scars remain.
And as I leave you,
My heart breaks with the pain.

Time-pass

So you enter the theatre with a cynical attitude thinking that this movie will be another bubble-gum romance... It is! But it surprises too, so load up on the popcorn and enjoy this rom-com.

Movie: I Hate Luv Storys
Cast: Imran Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Sammir Dattani, Samir Soni, Kavin Dave, Bruna Abdullah
Director: Punit Malhotra

Starting on a mild note, IHLS seems to have the perfect ingredients for (no prizes for guessing this) romance! Jay (Imran Khan) and Simran (Sonam Kapoor) are two different people who when they meet seem to repel one another.

Working as an assistant director to Veer (Samir Soni), Jay is your typical love-cynic who meets Simran, a romantic set designer, randomly at a movie. Forced to work together as part of Veer's way of teaching Jay what goes into a successful romance film, Jay and Simran are at loggerheads about everything. With Simran being a firm believer in roses and romance, Jay is realistic and averse to all the things she likes.

So when Jay tries to change the Simran he knows; the girl with a dreamy job, the perfect boyfriend - Raj (yes, just like DDLJ and they wear colour-coordinated clothes too!) and with her head in love-clouds, something that he didn't bargain for happens. Their 'collision-meeting of sorts' turns into much more when Simran begins to contemplate her perfect romance with Raj as she finds herself falling for the stereotypically wrong Jay.

Not a bad film, as it steers itself from a predictable base and every time you try guessing what happens next, the opposite happens. The background score is not bad and most of the songs are okay to listen to on your iPod. Samir Soni as the romantic film-maker is completely commendable and is pleasing to watch. Imran Khan as usual, charms you with more than just his chocolate boy looks. Sonam Kapoor, on another note, falls flat on her face even after being a couple of films old. She's undoubtedly pretty but still needs to prove her worth; her performance comes off as stiff and boring.

Notably, Imran's sidekick and best friend in the film, Kunal (Kavin Dave), is quite adorable with his constant best-friend banter and charming wit. Take back home the awesome music and some great performances by Imran Khan, Samir Soni and Kavin Dave. With a lead pair that has chemistry for sure; this film is good but could've been tons better if it weren't for Ms. Kapoor. All in all, it's a funny movie and if you must, watch it for Imran Khan.