The Voice In My Head…

Hindustan Times picked up a little something I wrote for My India Report a while back in yesterday’s paper. Click on the image if you’d like to read:

I just saw the cover of Vogue (India) with Mrs. Shah Rukh Khan (ok fine, with Gauri Khan) - and I must admit, the first thought that came to my mind was, wow, she’s really looking fabulous.

Then I read some of the comments online at Rediff, like this one:

This photo seems liked a computer generated image of Gauri khan. Lots of touch up. I have seen her in real life..she is nowhere close to what is displayed here.

& this one:

Someone said right..Gauri looked wasted in most of the pics one has seen of her in the past. Brilliant photo-editing work..

Then I looked at some older pics of Gauri online (yeah, so I had a slow work day, sue me )

And I thought, hmmmm!! It does look pretty photoshopped doesn’t it?

I started thinking - if even I photoshop all my pictures before I put them online (for those of you who haven’t seen me offline, trust me, I’m perfectly hideous), why wouldn’t Vogue do the same with their covergirls, whoever they are?

It reminded me of a line, in a song, which I really love (commonly referred to as ‘The Sunscreen Song‘)

“Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.”

and also of this video, which I had originally seen on the Oprah show & which embedded itself in my head ever since:

I believe that beauty is in fact skin deep - but still I know I’m quite a slave to it.

I hope in the coming year, I mature enough to get beyond it all. Or at least, to rise a little from my present narcissistic state.

Quite a nice conclusion to seeing Gauri on the cover of Vogue, doncha think?!

A little over half a year ago, supermodel Gisele Bundchen made this controversial statement:

“Today no one is a virgin when they get married … show me someone who’s a virgin!”

Now, almost like the Hindi movies she acts in, our very own super Sushmita Sen, makes an almost “inspired” statement:

“no Indian has chastity or virginity any more, and having a pre-marital or post-marital affair is not wrong in society nowadays.”

Gisele found her kicking up a controversy with the Catholic Church, Sushmita Sen had a PIL filed against her (for “obscenity and lewd sexual comments”) by the seemingly more vigilant (hah!) moral police in our country.

I do not agree with Sushmita’s comments, the same way I didn’t agree with Gisele - but if there are several things I admire Sush for, one of them being her courage as a single woman to adopt a child.

Coincidentally, we were discussing this at a party last night - Sush’s single mother adoption and in general, how difficult it is to adopt a baby from India, especially for NRIs. I found out that apparently our over-populated country has more people wanting to adopt and less children available for adoption. There’s also apparently a long wait list for couples wanting to adopt babies.

Then today I find out about India’s CARA (Central Adoption Resource Agency) - who are ironically the agency established to regulate adoption procedures and make sure there is no corruption - themselves embroiled in a scandal.

Perhaps it’s not that children aren’t available for adoption. Maybe, like almost everything else in our country, they’re available if you have the money?

and a whole bottle of (ozzie, naturally!) champagne I raise, since a glass doesn’t suffice for you either!

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.

“Saks, thanks for this past year, from your last birthday until now, we’ve had more good times than I can remember, a few things I’ve already (mostly ) forgotten. And my heart is truly glad”

Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.

“Thank you, for, oh SO many times, that you have proved to be a true friend. Thanks for sticking by me (almostly superglued to my hip!) Thanks for the triple H, thanks for the bajji ka bapp-ness.”

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That’s the question a lot of people seem to be asking these days, judging by my system stats of why people are landing up at my blog.

If you are one such person, let me assure you, I don’t know the answer to that question. It’s been speculated by the media before (probably due to all the ‘massages’ Rahul apparently had on his ‘honeymoon’!) but as far as I’m concerned, I honestly don’t care if the boy is gay or not.

What is despicable is the the way he was portrayed to be an innocent victim “the poor boy was framed” after the whole country was well aware of all the facts (or most of them anyway) surrounding his almost death-by-drug-overdose. (There were even rumours Rahul had even applied for sainthood). It indeed is ridiculous the way politicians in this country think they can say anything and expect everyone to blindly buy it.

That’s what I think the whole marriage was anyway, a sham attempt to “clean” up his tarnished image (being found ODed on heroine, naked in a tub with 2 men, one of whom - Moitra, was an out-of-the-closet homosexual) in the media by marrying him off. Three months into the marriage, wifey dear was trying to get out claiming physical abuse, which she later denied. I wrote a tongue-in-cheek post called “Will you marry me” to Rahul at that time. I specify it was tongue-in-cheek, because some people miss sarcasm. Hey, the only Rahul I want to marry is this one.

Back to Mahajan Junior though, now marital problems are non deniable, 15 months down the line & divorce has very much been filed by Shweta, citing “incompatibility beyond reconciliation”.

And what about the original question - is the boy gay or not? There’s no official word out on that yet (though the day is young, soon to be ex-wifey may speak out yet).

But as I said, I don’t give two hoots if the boy is gay or not - though perhaps I would have a slightly better opinion of the boy if he was gay & just admitted it, rather than continuing to keep up a facade, especially after a probably sham marriage wherein he allegedly beat up wifey - all just for the sake of his place in the political circus!

Regardless of his sexual orientation though, while I hope he ’straightens’ up his act now that wifey has indeed left, I think we’ll see controversy surrounding him in the time to come.

~ Recently been mulling over the fact that in the many different relationships I’ve had in life, I’ve switched roles in an almost karmaic (if indeed that were a word) fashion. For example, wherein one relationship I was the hurtee, in another relationship I became the hurter (in weirdly similar fashion, though completely unrelated relationships) and vice-versa with other things as well. Is it non-reincarnated but present life karma? Or is it learned behavior from people we’ve had significant relationships with? Is that why people who swear never to be like their mothers/fathers grow up and become exactly like them?

~ Am I temporally incongruous? I was called an “Anachronism” by someone really close, which made me wonder. Am I living in a modern world with old world ideas? Who decides these things? I mean, who decides who’s temporally congruous with the world and who’s not? Society? Who them be? Mass Poll? Where them be taken? Am I Scarlett O’Hara? Wasn’t she “selfish, shrewd and vain”? That doesn’t sound too complimentary now does it?

~ Why do people say “Blogs” instead of “Posts”? Why do they think I’ve made a new post when I’m saying I have a new blog? Incidentally, I’ve bought the new domain - it’s Melodylaila.com/thoughts.

Thought I’d add as an aside, though I’m shamelessly trying to promote the new blog (I so love it!). Why do people do that? Why do people put things they want to scream out loudly as asides? Don’t people know that everything is obvious to most people most of the time? Is that why people who want to shamelessly promote things say that they are shamelessly promoting things? So it seems less like shameless promotion? (btw, an aside , while I’m shameless promoting the blog, why don’t you check it out, add to your feeds & link from your blogrolls? Thx!)

~ Why do we fight with people whom we love? Why are relationships always the most difficult with people whom we love? Why do we expect more from these people? Is that why they disappoint us more?

~ Why is that I was thinking of my ideal man who I’d want to settled down with & I thought of Topher Grace? Is it because he’s one of them tall, skinny & lanky, bespectacled, suited and seemingly nerdy boys (ah, love you my Adam Brody) ? What is it about yuppy boys? Then again I also have a thing for Joeys & Jon Bon Jovis. What is it about every Bon Jovi song that make me want to sing out REAL loudly?

~ Why am I wasting time thinking of ridiculous things? Will go now.

Further to this, there’s this:

[a ps: it's on NDTV Goodtimes (the lifestyle channel) & not on NDTV (the news channel)]

Yes people! It’s that time of year again! And what better way to herald in the glorious Christmas Season than by going for a Christmas Fete? Mind you, not just your run of the mill ordinary fete, but a German festival at the Turf Club. A fun time was had by all!

Us at the German Festival!

(click on pic to enlarge)

The main reason most people went. No, not the cute chick, the German Beer!

Main reason I went (other than the Christmas Spirit, of course!); German Sausages!

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Seriously though, what is it about married friends trying to set up their single friends??? Is it really about helping them find their soul mates? OR is it some twisted ‘I’m chained so don’t you dare still enjoy your life’ attitude?

But let me start at the beginning.

My friend lost her father (may his soul rest in peace) and today was the Month’s Mind Mass (the Mass offered a month after date of death).

Naturally, I was at the Mass with my friend and after Mass, hung around with her while all those attending condoled with her & her family.

It was then time to go to her house (most close friends & family gather at the deceased person’s house after the Mass) & as I’m about to enter the car along with my friend, she goes, “Oh Mell, have you met Random Guy (henceforth referred to as RG)?”

I instantly recognize the tone of her voice & give her an “PLEASE DON’T” look, which of course, she completely ignores.

Instead she calls out to RG, loudly and most obviously. Damn.

RG comes over, quickly and seemingly quite pleased with himself, as if he’s just invented a cure for AIDS.

(It’s just about to get worse now, hold yer breath)

“RG will bring you to my house”, says friend.

“..er..”

“Absolutely”, says RG, “my bike is over here”

This is fabulous. I’m at a Month’s Mind Mass. And I’m being set up with a RG. And I’m being sent off on his bike.

“..er..”

RG seems to notice I’m not consenting (yes, he’s brilliant!). “You’re alright to sit on a bike, right?”, he asks

“Oh absolutely!”, chirps in friend, “Melody loves bike rides” (which is the truth, but not with RGs I want to add. Decency forces me to just make pleading eyes at my friend. Which of course, are completely ignored again).

“So please go on ahead,” friend insists, “We’ll take Aunty very-mac-sounding-name in your place in the car”

Now by this point, every other car had left. Since I hadn’t gone by my own car, I was faced with three options:
(a) Walk - which seriously wasn’t an option, given my heels.
(b) Go by Rick - which isn’t my preferred mode of transportation. Plus it’d mean offending both friend & RG
(c) Go with RG on bike.

(pic for representational purpose only)

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It’s a new month, before a new year & I thought I’d share with you all, my latest, brand new blog - “Simple Thoughts on how to Live Life Fabulously!”

As the About Page there says (yes, I actually wrote an About Page on time there!) the thoughts and inspirations there are not my own. Most of the thoughts have been around a long time. Also since I’m a believing Christian, some of these thoughts & inspirations are Bible based. So the new blog is basically a place where I collect these thoughts - the ones I subscribe to, the ones that inspire me and add my take on them.

All that & more, through my ‘Sunshine Girl‘ eyes

I hope the blog is a blessing to all who read it! (click on image below to go to there!)

Edit: Have booked a new domain after all It’s Melodylaila.com/thoughts ! Do blogroll, add to your feeds etc etc

Incidentally, am really happy, within a week, I have 15 feeds for the new blog, plus two mails telling me how the blog has helped! Am glad it’s helping anyone in anyway, makes it all feel so worthwhile!