Diwali Dhamaka!!

Wish you many happy returns of the festive season, and may your days ahead be filled with joy, prosperity, love and laughter!!

I love the Cadbury Celebrations ad that they air on TV and radio. They’re mighty senti ads, trust me, and the first time I see one, I almost always have tears in my eyes. Like the one where Sahil (from Sarabhai vs Sarabhai) visits his old neighbour and hands him a box of chocolates to apologize for his pranks as a kid. Or the one on radio, where a mellow, sincere voice appeals to us to wish family and relatives personally rather than just calling them on the telephone. Hats off to these guys… Great script – simple yet touching, and excellent characters – visual or audio. Cheers, fellas!

I was about to say that Diwali this year seemed a little subdued and controlled as far as rowdiness is concerned... But I stand corrected... I was wondering that people were bursting fewer crackers than usual, and then I heard terrifying crackers at the crack of dawn and late into the dusk. I myself enjoy the gorgeous, voiceless anar and chakris more than the noisy bombs, but I do know how excited young and old folks get about the firework trails, and I don’t mind. It’s Diwali, after all! Sweets, shopping, gifts, diyas and making merry – bring it on!!

Talking about "making merry", most people think its a good sign to drink and gamble on Diwali eve. Whoever created that ritual? Is it one at all? Or is it just another excuse for bewdas to hit the bottle? I'm not sure, but I sure don't appreciate it. I'd rather spend time with the family in a sober state than be inebriated and worry about money lost / won in gambling... But for those who enjoy this part of the festival, cheers!!

I noticed that there are a lot more Chinese (or Japanese) style lanterns in the market now than the traditional ones. And they’re beautiful. There’s something very sophisticated about these akash-kandils that the Indian ones fall short of capturing. The one that I wanted to get for our house - a bright crimson fiery hued ball with folds like a rose - was unavailable when I went shopping. Missed it :-( So didn't get one at all in protest...

(Yeah I know that sounds silly... When did I ever say I was smart and sensible all the time?!!)

By the way, did I tell you our home is getting renovated? We’re majorly doing up the living room, trendy furniture and all, and the rest of the house will be painted. The family’s thrilled; there’s not been any mammoth change in the house since the time we (my dad, to be precise) purchased it back in 1987. Of course, we can’t do much about the ample stairs (we stay on the top floor), and the poor parking space (it’s an old construction). But we’re doing all that we can. I’m sure the results will be stunning. And ya, you’re invited :-)

There have been quite a few interesting purchases this year. The number of electronic goods and gadgets we’ve bought is not funny. I got myself a new Samsung Champ (it’s an AWESOME phone) at a terrific price, and we got a new cell phone for mum, too. Both my bro and I got new laptops (both Dell Inspiron, by chance!) and we also bought a new LCD TV and mixer-grinder in February. A refrigerator and washing machine are still on the agenda, and I won’t be surprised if we buy them (and a new microwave and music / DVD player) in the coming few months. Keep watching this space for more…!!!

I’ve been living a hectic 3 weeks – the IBM certification training is still on, and I’ve hardly caught a couple a hours sleep every night. I wake up groggy and drowsy, and I am in a constant frenzy of activity – be it anxiety and targets at work, or social and family commitments to catch up on. I’ve missed so many films, I can’t even begin to tell you. I still regret being unable to catch Robot. However, I’m far from depressed, considering that movies are not aired on TV within 2 months of being released. Also need to catch up on my reading… The bookmarks in Piccadilly Jim and BPO Sutra are fraying at the edges. Grumble.

Pardon my cribbing. It's not like it's been all work and no play. I've had a fantabulous weekend hogging on exotic satays and tempuras at Malaka Spice all for free! Plus I thoroughly enjoyed the not so amazing movie Jhoota Hi Sahi starring John Abraham and the silly, ugly Pakhi (or whatever her name is). And of course, Action Replay (however its spellt - with the multiple N's and Y's). Especially the song Zor ka Jhatka hayy Zoro se lagaaaa... Akshay, as usual is adorable, but the show-stealer this time was the young man who plays his son - Aditya Kapoor if I'm not mistaken (baal ki dukaan). And I also saw Due Date, with the stunning Robert Downey Jr... Droooooooll... Ditto review: decent movie, but not something that you just cannot miss...

Apart from that, I've been playing and fooling around with my darling nephew who seems to be growing more handsome, ill-tempered and cute by the day. He's made me act like a fool and sing all day long, and I'm not complaining. What are Bua's for?!! :-)

On that note, here’s an interesting thought that struck me the other day while I was travelling to office…

Life is a cobweb, I agree… The question is: Are you the fly or the spider?

Profound, eh?

Another one…

Life is all about choices… Or is it?

Sometimes isn’t it better to have the choices made for us? And I’m not just talking about instances where you’re between the devil and the deep sea. I’m hinting at those circumstances when everything is perfect and you have to opt for one of the two (or more) marvellous choices. A predicament that I’m facing right now. For the last few weeks actually. This is one dilemma that I definitely would like to stay clear of… The amount of confusion and strain is staggering… and frustrating.

I’m going to leave you with that food for thought.

Have a great new year!!

- Princess