'2011'...The year that was...

Rocking!!! Sometimes I rocked life and sometimes ‘Life’ rocked me! Another year gone and a New Year awaits. But when I look back at the year 2011, I see moments turning into memories now. Just like all the years, this year too had its own share of ups and downs, joys and sorrows, challenges and changes, friendships and fantasies, lessons taught and learned, new friendships revealed and some old ones re-lived…and all this amidst loads of fun and frolic. Here are few things that I would like to remember 2011 for…..

The year started with a stylish makeover to the self with ‘straightening’, which eventually made mom keep a straight face with me for next few months.  Now the only thing that remains straight is me and not my hair anymore, things are curling back to form. 

One regular inclusion in my list of New Year resolutions is ‘to lose weight’ and it has now become a ritual to include this every year just to break it and never follow. (I know Meenu you are gonna kill me for writing this here). But this time I will seriously follow it (I think so :P)

This year was also special as I saw most of my pals getting hooked (yaay!!! I am still safe and single :D). The year began with two of my best buddies Usha and Jith getting married (Happy tears!!!) and me ending the year as a proud ‘single’ defeating all my mom’s efforts to get me hooked (Happy tears again!!!). 

Single but steady. Oh yeah, finally able to stick to one place and profession. This year I completed my one year with Cedilla as a Copywriter. (Roses and applause follows…)Thank you…Thank you…!!! :D

Also it’s been a year now that I am staying alone and away from my dad with my mom here. Feel more responsible and…. yes responsible too :(

My Granny, who will forever remain in my childhood memories and bedtime stories, passed away this year leaving behind her inheritance with me. My curls and creativity are just some of them. :)

Talking about creativity (whatever little I possess), this year I went back to my long lost hobby of painting and finally made my first painting on canvas after a gap of 7 long years (the last one was in the year 2003). 

God can’t be everywhere so He created Mothers. And Angels can’t be everywhere so He created Best Friends. Meenaxi & Ajay- My two best buddies in Chennai. The reason why I am still in love with myself and the city. Chennai is not special for its beauty, for me it’s the presence of beautiful people like you that makes Chennai so special and will always be (I know I have now left both of you curious to know about each other more) ;)

Meenaxi aka Meenu, I love you darling! I don’t know what to write here about you and I know it’s not needed. But this year could not be special without mentioning you, and I wish so does all the coming years of my life. Thanks for being there with me every time when I needed you, thanks for your scolding and suggestions and all the wonderful moments we witnessed this year together. 

AJ aka Ajay, the Devil with an Angelic heart! And an alcoholic liver :P ok just kidding dude…you know how horrible you are anyways! You are the laziest and craziest bum on planet Earth!!! You are something like a ‘Limited Edition’, just one of a kind…and that makes you very special and myself lucky to posses this unique Angel! 

And last but not the least, this year I managed to cut and share more slices of my life with you than the previous year as this year I have shared more posts than any other year so far. Cheers to you guys!

It all seems like yesterday that we greeted 2011. So soon time flew away and it’s yet another New Year again. 

                         Wishing all you dearies a Very Happy New Year 2012!!!

                              Keep rocking and smiling, for now and forever!!! :)

कल, आज और कल...

जी ले इस पल को तू आज खुलके
रख दे सिरहाने सपने वो बीते कल के
जो ये पल है, वो है बेहद खास
छिपी है इनमें एक सुन्हेरे कल की आस

जो पल बीता, वो बीत गया
जो आयेगा वो होगा एक कल नया
बीतें कल की यादों को तू भूल जा 
जो आज है तू उसे अपना

क्या होगा और क्या नहीं, तू इस सोच मैं न पड़
बढ़ा है जो हाथ तेरी और तू उसको पकड़
जो ज़ख़्म है तेरा वो भर जाएगा
जो ना भी भरा तो भी क्या, एक दोस्त तो तुझे मिल ही जाएगा...

I love to lie…I am paid for it!!!

Yeah and that is what we call ‘Advertising’. The art of telling lies to persuade people. Yes I am a liar. Lying is my profession. Nope I am not very proud of my lies, but of my profession, yes very much. To succeed professionally I have to polish my art of lying and sound more appealing and attractive to fool others. Perhaps the day I get my increment, I would assume I have accomplished myself as a liar, convincing enough.

We all have lied in our lives, either by the compulsion of the situation or compulsion of one’s nature or just for covering up some guilt or make someone happy saying a sole satisfactory statement to convince ourselves that “as long as my lies don’t harm anyone, it’s ok!”. But even this statement doesn’t apply here in my case. I know my lies might affect people. It might cause an incurable damage to them for a lifetime and make them feel so cheated and fooled. And I also know that I am as helpless as they themselves are. Still somewhere deep down inside I feel guilty. Guilty of my trade. Guilty of the fake and empty promises I make everyday. Guilty of that old retired middle class fellow who would buy that ‘Dream Home’ losing all his saving of a lifetime from that so not to be trusted builder based on the Fake Testimonials I wrote today! Guilty of that young professional for whom buying a home is certainly a dream cherished over the years come true. Oh yeah, btw that’s the reason of all this confession here!

Wrote 50 fake testimonials for a client as the real and truthful ones were all negative. Was too much of a sin for me in a single day, so am here for the reconciliation. Guilty as charged!!! 

For The 'Beautiful' You...

Brighter you in just 7 days!!! Flawless fairness…!!! Get a slimmer tummy in just 15 days!!! Get silky, shiny hair in just one wash!!! Younger looking skin in just 7 days!!! Miracles do happen!!! No more dark circles or fine lines!!! Guaranteed results!!! No more grays…only beautiful hair!!! Fragrance so alluring, even angels can’t resist it!!! Phew…Advertising causes a sense of insecurity in the minds of the audience and then creates urgency to force the buyer to purchase those so called ‘life changing and miraculous” products in the name of “Smart Buyers”.  Really funny!!! But can beauty really be bought? Beauty of the skin? May be yes. But beauty of the soul? Never. The amount of money, time and peace of mind we waste on our chase for that ‘flawless’ skin, ‘perfect’ body and ‘shining’ hair, not even an  iota of the same we devote towards the thought of beautification of the soul. 

Ok leave it. I am not here to talk about whether these products deliver what they claim or whether we should purify the soul before the skin or whether advertising i.e. my bread and butter is a boon or bane to the society. I would rather talk about the perception of beauty and happiness that has been seeded within us for ages through Advertising. Or rather we have seeded it inside us.

Is physical beauty equals to a happy and satisfied life? Most of you would say “No”. But then why are we so insecure about ourselves? We all know we are beautiful in our own ways then why do we chase after that screen image of beauty? We, the intelligent, educated, independent and yes, beautiful smart buyers! 

A very good friend of mine once told me that it is her dark skin tone that she thinks is the reason behind her breakup. 6 months later I found her ex ditch the fairer girl too, for whom he had ditched my dark complexioned ‘beautiful’ friend. All my life I thought it is my fat self that keeps guys away from me. But then I see girls double and triple my size sporting handsome boyfriends. (ok here I might sound a lil desperate but just to make it clear, I am Not!!! :P) 

As they say beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and yes colours and odors too. I say it’s all in your mind. And by ‘Beauty’, I don’t just mean women but men as well. Just coz Gillette says girls like clean shaved guys, it doesn’t mean you have to be clean shaved! Gillette never asked me my opinion!!! And my dear Axe,  dunno about the angels but your smell just makes me run away than fall for you!!! Buddy Garnier, I have no desire of my man to be Light. L’oreal, darling puhlease stop bothering about my grays, I would love to age gracefully and flaunt those shades of aging. Sorry Fair & Lovely, I got this job coz of my skills and not for my skin tone!!! And all you slimming jellies , powders, creams and capsules, if someone has to love, he has to love me this way else I will tell him the very same word that I am gonna tell you….GET LOST!!!

Let your beauty free from the cage of the bottles and find its true glory in the eyes of its beholder. And let the beholder be ‘You’, coz only ‘You’ are worth it!

P.S. Grooming is good as long as it doesn’t get into your head! Stay beautiful! :)

Monsoon Magic!!! :P

Nature's artwork at the Creative Director's cabin! :)

Looks so creepy.........................

Anything that looks creepy is certainly a good crowd puller....!!! So here our Cedillites....wondering at the leaking roof that caused this Nature's wonder! ;)

Hamesha Forever!!! :)

 

As much I crib about my travelling everyday, I must confess it also gives me a glimpse of many sweet and funny incidences of life that I get to share with you all here. One such thing that I came across today was an elderly couple walking in front of me. Both seem to be returning back from work and yes very much in love with each other. While it is a very common site to see young couples walking hand in hand and laughing at each and every word of their conversation irrespective of it making any sense or not, when it comes to the little elderly ones the conversation mostly occurs without any verbal mode of communication and seldom it contains any display of affection whether public or private. But that wasn’t the case with this couple. They were enjoying each other’s company just like a teenager would do with his/her first love. Wow….it really feels good to see people still keeping their love in its freshest form even after having spent so many long years with each other. The only thing that I have for them is…God bless!

SMUDGED!!!

Like a rising smoke

Like a fading stroke

It's smudged….

Like a moving train

Like an old stain

It's smudged….

Like the darkness of the day

Like memories drifting away

It’s smudged…

Yes it is...