The Cruise: Superstar Libra - Part III

Preparation:

Lets put together the two bored kids and the two bored professionals with a home maker and a doctor, mix the additives in the form of lovely weather, a beautiful and luxurious ship, funny crew & funnier co-passengers and voila! See the fun!

Beginning from the the hot morning at the Jaipur airport till the humid afternoon in Mumbai, when we disembarked from the ship; the trip was full of adventure and exaggerated emotions! Fights between the Kids (that includes anybody who is 20+ but less than 40!) kids and grown-ups and grown-ups themselves!

Getting off the aircraft, everybody re-affirmed their hatred for the Tinseltown Mumbai....

"The weather sucks!"

"Its too crowded!"

"Its dirty and soooo old!"

and

"WHAT THE FUCK! the markets are also closed today!"

chanted everybody and prayed for better times on the ship! after wasting a lot of time trying to shop for swim-suits and knick-knacks, turns taking bath, spending too much time in the bath-tub and generally messing up the beautiful bathroom in that beautiful hotel room... we headed for the Mumbai port.

Mumbai port : Unlike the ports shown in the movies which are mobbed with gangsters... this one looked like a poor cousin of an airport. People were checking in, making goofy faces while being photographed and getting awe-struck with the huge ship which they were about to embark.

Teen Deviyan (Me, P and S) were disappointed, there seemed to be nobody who looked like a hunk, seemed that 80% of the ship's population comprised of Gujjus and honey-mooners. Shanks looked bored to tears and my Mausi & Mausaji looked harassed with our tantrums.

Inside The Ship: There awaited a Las Vegas show-girl... scantily dressed, wearing plumes of feathers and a French guy with azure eyes... our hopes floated and soared the sight of cute looking oriental crew. The ship was beautiful and i dont think i need to describe how comfortable it was and what all amenities were there. From comfortable bunk beds to lofty loungers on the deck; from basketball court to the running track; from the spa to the swimming pools and jacuzzi, from the library to the top-less dancing shows; from free food made by the chefs of 'The Taj' to the horrendously expensive bars; from discotheque to casino, everything spoke of opulence and comfort. You name it and you get it (for a price of course!) So where is the fun?

Fun was not in the comfort it was the people around! the Old Uncle who danced every night in the discotheque and won almost every freaking contest, the lusty chef we befriended the first day who was always busy looking at the wrong places at the wrong time (I have a photograph to prove that!) Fun was 'ooh-aahing' for Matthew who looked amazing dressed as a man as well as a woman! Fun was flirting with the crew and sharing the photos of their family members and children. Fun was sneaking away to the deck during late nights to lie down under the star-studded sky and talk about nothing at all. Fun was trying to find signals on your phone, so that you can speak to a temporarily estranged boy-friend and waiting for his calls. fun was the banana-boat ride in the beautiful waters around the islands of Lakshadweep, swimming, looking for the loo on the deserted island, beaches of Goa, shopping and last but not the least getting into senseless quarrels with each-other...

What we did not like of course, was sea-sickness (The pills makes one sleepy, I lost an entire day because of the fucking sea-sickness pills!), getting sand in all the wrong places, getting caught doing things you're not supposed to do, first time swimming in a swimming pool full of sea water and paying the outrageous bills.

We disembarked the ship on the 4th day, happier, rejuvenated and with a skin shade which was ten thousand timer darker than our original skin! The most noteworthy accomplishment of the voyage, we were more close and at peace with each other!

The Cruise: Superstar Libra - Part II

VISUAL DELIGHTS

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The Sign: It glowed during the nights and looked absolutely awesome!


This is the ninth floor and deck of the ship during night time. The photograph has been taken from the tenth and the highest floor. This place has two swimming pools filled with saline sea water and you may not want to swim in there for too long! Best feature were two jacuzzi tubs, filled with fresh cold water. There main function was to soothe the poor human body ravaged by the effects of salt in the swimming pools. But you must agree, the place looks beautiful and pleasing to the sore eyes.


The Lobby: The main attraction was this center piece, which looked like a tropical forest, full of vibrant colors and fragrances. I frankly dont remember whether all these flowers were real or plastic. What i remember is being awed by the sheer beauty of it.


The Ship: This where the boarding and de-boarding was done, from the ship while it was on sail.Huge, isn't it?


This was our cabin. small and surprisingly very comfortable. It boasted 4 bunks, two cupboards, a vanity unit, a tiny bath room with a shower cubicle, a TV and a picturesque window out of which i saw one of the most lovely sunrises of my life... The beds were an absolute dream, soft comfy and welcoming, like a lover's embrace.

Preparation: yet to come...

The Cruise: Superstar Libra - Part I

Main Entry: 1fun
Pronunciation: 'f&n
Function: noun
Etymology: English dialect fun to hoax, perhaps alteration of Middle English fonnen, from fonne dupe
1 : what provides amusement or enjoyment; specifically : playful often boisterous action or speech
2 : a mood for finding or making amusement
3 a : AMUSEMENT, ENJOYMENT b : derisive jest : SPORT, RIDICULE
4 : violent or excited activity or argument
synonyms FUN, JEST, SPORT, GAME, PLAY.

Source: Mirriam-Webster Online Dictionary

************************************************************SUPERSTAR LIBRA

***************************************************************

RECIPE OF A FUN-FILLED VACATION
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Ingredients:

A middle- aged 'Young' couple, which likes lazing around.

One 26 yrs old girl, who tries to to act sedate for the sake of propriety; fails miserably.

One 24 yrs old girl, who is too damned serious and is looking for amusement out of her boring office. (No Offense P!)

One 17 yrs old boy, who is supposed to keep watch on his sisters, but is busy most of the times ogling girls and plotting to find a way to get an entry-pass for the 'Topless Dancing Show'.

One 13 yrs old girl, who is too feisty for her age, and is occupied with dreams of attracting cute oriental guys.

A HUGE ship full of people who have temporary amnesia, and most of them dont remember their age.

A crew,which is an eclectic mix of Indians and cute looking orientals.

A group of 'Gujju' boys just out of the school, from Mumbai.

A cellphone (with no connectivity in the middle of the sea), to keep in touch with a temporarily estranged boyfriend.

A restaurant catered by 'The Taj', to pig out.

A lustful chef.

Banana-Boat ride in Lakshadweep.

A Brand new SUV

A 'well-connected' lost brother of Michael Schumacher as driver.

Beaches and flea markets in Goa.

And last, but not the least a 'Hunky' South-Indian guy.

Seasoning: Lots of food, sun, beaches, sea and sea-sickness.


PREPARATION: to be continued........

Rinchen Tshering Yolmo

First look at the guy, and you would not know what the real man beneath the 25 yrs old body, 'garden-variety' north-eastern looks, is like.

Rinchen is the typical 'boy-next -door' types, jaunty, unassuming, cute and fun to be with. The guy can make you convulse with laughter with his antics and blithe Hindi (he seriously needs coaching in Hindi!). Five minutes with him, and you'll know what i am talking about.

But, This is not about Rinchen, 'The Jester', this about Rinchen, 'The Enigma'.

I came to know during my early days with him, that this typical 'cancerian' friend and colleague of mine has a daughter. An adopted daughter.

my dear friend has a back problem, apparently due to some mishap some years ago. The fateful accident left him with an extant pain in his lower back and a child. A girl child which was abandoned on the bed next to his in a hospital. He brought her home, his parents offered to adopt that little girl, but in vain. He had his mind all made up. He knew that he is going to be her father. Rinchen went on with the legalities of adopting a child at a tender age and made himself the child's father. He works to support his child and himself. The little girl lives with her grandparents in the beautiful state of Sikkim.

I cried the day i came to know about this... emotional fool that i am...

We all know about the sexual discrimination in our country, what we dont know is that there are people like my parents who never regretted having a son. I know people in MY FAMILY, who cry when a daughter is born to them (And i am not talking about ages ago, its pretty recent!) and i know people like Rinchen, who go forward and take care of somebody else's daughter. How many of us have guts to do so? And, I am talking about us, the normal people, not the celebrities like Sushmita Sen.

This is my ode (with no rhythm and rhyme of course!) to the Man behind 'The Jester' Rinchen Tshering Yolmo. Who is strong, unyielding, ethical and respectable. I am proud to know you.

My Best Friends

I remember the first time I read Enid Blyton. My father brought home some books for us (Me and my sister, although she was too young to read!) from his office library. I looked at those books. Most of them were hardback editions, colorful and vivid jackets, which attracted me. For a 7 year old kid the pictures of flying chairs and happy children were indeed very attractive. That was the day when I came across a world, where everything was near perfect. There were Gnomes, goblins, pixies and elves. And my own little horrors, like wicked witches! (My wild imagination: Courtesy: Ms Enid Mary Blyton) They absorbed me… or rather I absorbed them and Mollie and Peter became my ‘BESTEST’ friends.

I became a voracious reader in a short time... I remember books like 'The Russian Fables', 'Disney's Fairy Tales' 'Astrix and Obelix', 'TINTIN' (Superlative!! i still have a digitized collection of almost all Tintin Comics, thanks to my boyfriend) and 'Alice in Wonderland' they enthralled me. (Ask me now about what i read, i probably wont remember except for a few stories and pictures) My interest was well fed by my father and my Dadi (She taught me to to read) Mum was glad she had a book-worm for an offspring (little did she know that her offspring's only interest was stories not text books!)

I graduated from The Faraway Tree and The Wishing Chair in late 80’s when I found The Famous Five. George, Anne, Julian, Dick and Timmy took Mollie and Peter’s place in my life. I went on adventures with them. They went with me to my school and slept with me in my bed. I became pals with Nancy Drew and was jealous of her because of Ned Nickerson. I was in love with Frank Hardy and was chummy with his brother Joe... I lived in my own make-believe world.

In the mid-nineties, i came across a phenomena called Mills & Boon. My world changed and i was in in midst of the biggest addiction in my life. I hoarded those books (I still own some 100 odd Mills & Boon Novels, rest of them disappeared, God knows where!!) I read them day and night. Mom was finally realizing the gravity of the the situation. Most often she used to wake up in the middle of the night to notice that her teenage daughter isn't sleeping, but reading. And no sir! they were no text books, those were the mushy love stories with happy endings and sometimes 'hot' and 'steamy' love scenes. I was going maudlin, reading all those stories, turning into a sappy creature. That was when i made another discovery (It was not Danielle Steele, I hate her books!) Sidney Sheldon!! GAWD!! wish i could go back the time and stop myself from picking up that copy of 'If Tomorrow Comes'.

Times changed, and I changed with it. I kept reading, kept growing, I smiled with Archie and his gang, I cried with the Mills & Boon. Felt a rush of adrenaline while reading Irving Wallace, Sidney Sheldon and J K Rowling (Believe me you’ll get a kick out of reading about Harry Potter and his life), was horrified with Stephen King and Robin Cook. Found inspiration when I read Ayn Rand and was mystified with Victoria Holt. One thing remained constant my love affair with books. My worst dream is waking up one day and finding that all the books in the world have disappeared.

PLEASE GOD! Don’t let that happen...

The First Time....

There’s always a first time for everything. This is the first time I'm writing a Blog.

Just like everybody else, I have committed most of my ‘first times’ to my memory. They were all incidents worth remembering and they still lurk somewhere in my subconscious mind... making me the person I’m today.

But some of them are still so vivid, so fresh as if they happened just yesterday. Those are the ones which transpired to mold me, my beliefs, my values and MY LIFE. Those are the etchings on my soul...

My first book: Albeit a bit dusty….there is a strong memory of a small paperback called Chanda Mama, which had stories about kings and kingdoms, ghosts and gods etc. O.M.G.! I was vain enough to believe all of it…at that age...

My first School: Kendriya Vidyalaya, Barmer. There was only one respectable school in that small sleepy town of Rajasthan, during those times. And ‘Moi’ was important there. I reminisce about that hot day when I lost my silver necklace while playing Hop-Scotch. 6 years old little girls weren’t supposed to wear jewelry to school. But I did. That was the day I realized my father must be an important man. Because when I cried my Principal got the entire play-ground dug up and found that fragile looking piece of silver for me. God! I feel horrible about it now.

My First Audio Cassette: Aashiqui (Hope I’ve got the spelling right!) a young girl all of 11 years or so walks up to the shop-keeper and asks him for a cassette of Aashiqui, pays him Rs 18, and walks off proudly with her procurement. Mom was angry when I got home, but it was worth it. Although I’ve come a long way from listening songs of Aashiqui to listening James Blunt and INXS, but I still love those songs and I still have that cassette somewhere lying around.

My first Crush: He was the perfect specimen of male hood for me, four years my senior in school. House captain, short, fair and cute… Blah blah blah… I am so glad I regained my senses well in time! I know he lives somewhere in Australia now.

My first Boyfriend: Mohit! How can I forget those days with you? You and I on the railways tracks… in the bus… you waiting for me outside the school…you walking me to my home… that birthday gift… that Valentine ’s Day…Chachi 420… so many little things… makes me think of Arnold & Winnie. It was a perfect model of innocent love. It broke my heart the day he said he’s going to Delhi to study. I miss those days. But, life goes on so did I. We moved on, kept in touch and I am so glad we still are!

My First Day in College: I was scared. I was the only girl in the fresher batch, wearing a pair of jeans with a tee. Believe me...when I say...that it is tough being part of an all girls’ college. Women are fussy and can be pretty mean. I was endangered. I was fearful of the seniors and ragging. A group of girls approached me; I gave them a petrified glance and tried to shuffle my backside quickly to the psychology lab, for the first class of the day. I spent the day in fearful presentiment. Soon it was over. I was on my way home and could breathe again. You Bet! Next day I turned up in all the glory of a flowing Duppatta and Salwar-Kameez.

My First Job: It SUCKED!! Big Time!! I won’t wish that job upon my enemies. I was tired of dealing with angry customers who were facing some little problem with their internet connection. I knew that the company I worked for provided f**ked up internet connections. I still grinned and told everybody, “We Are the Best!!” Of all the hypocrites in the world! I am glad that company is obsolete now.

My first Love: Sad… I can’t take your name. But you know that you’re important… very important to me.

“Ouch!” that’s what I said when I snapped my nail into two and my finger started bleeding. He was the reason. If it weren’t for him, I would’ve opened the door without hurting myself. He occupied my days…and nights (we worked in the graveyard shift!), and my thoughts. I was tired of his voice droning in my ears all the time… was tired of looking at him 12 hours a day. But, there he was, in the cab, in the cafeteria, outside the office, in the training room...trying to help a group of 15 odd people. And most of these times he wore the similar brooding expression, showed animosity towards everybody and seemed very disagreeable. He was 'The Loner'.

The day I hurt myself, I was angry for letting him affect me this way. It was not fair. I found him looking at me oddly one day. I ignored him. Seven Days, that’s all I had with him. I tried to move on. I was not able to. One day he messaged. He asked me to go out with him. “Say No!” my mind said… “Okay!” I said, and this is how it started.

For next one year he was there, just somebody to hang around with, somebody to meet on the weekends. I knew I was falling in love. I also knew it was dangerous. But, WHAT THE HECK!! You only live once!

I tied to break away, but for some reason, it was always him, who came forward to pick up the pieces of my broken life. I hurt him, he hurt me. I cried, he cursed… in the end we always ended up kissing and making up.

After two long years of knowing him…I know he is special…“The One.” I don’t care if spend my entire life with him or not (Although I’d love to!) its enough that I know a person as wonderful as he is. He is my teacher, my mentor and my best friend.

(But you’re still IMPOSSIBLE!!)

My first Kiss: “(Gulp) this is it!” I thought. But no, he did not kiss me that day.

Anyways, it was raining that day. A light drizzle… very romantic, we had a fight… (As usual) and heated emotions were flying all around. I have never been an emotionally strong person. I can’t take fights very well and I always break down in the end. This is what happened that day. I cried and cried and he had to do something, to make me stop. (All that crying was driving him nuts I guess!) He did it then. It was a small peck on the cheek, but it was worth remembering. And yes, it made me stop crying!

My first Drag of The Cancer Stick: I think all my experimenting has been done in past two years. Ever since I moved to Delhi, my meaning of life has changed. In short, I GREW UP. Being with ‘Him’ I’ve learnt good and bad things. But I’m glad I let only good things pervade my life. I was intent on smoking a cigarette. So I tried one day. Fortunately or unfortunately my boyfriend is a smoker. I remember the day when I took a drag of the cigarette he held in his hand. The carton said ‘Classic–Milds’. Well, I obviously thought these are mild cigarettes so they won’t affect me much. I was in for the shock of my life! It felt as if I was choking on the smoke. My lungs were smoldering and I was coughing my life out! I did not give up I tried a clove flavored cigarette with my room mate and that one was not that bad. But luckily I never got hooked on to cigarettes. I either politely decline smoking or don’t let the smoke enter my lungs.

My first Cocktail: That day in September, I was at a birthday party. One of my oldest friends turned 26 that day. His wife handed me a glass of something which suspiciously looked like Limca, mixed with lots of mint. I gladly took the glass and gulped down the contents, after all I was thirsty. It tasted funny. I knew something was wrong. I asked Dhi, he said it has some Vodka in it. I refused to drink another drop. Alcoholism is something I feel strongly about. But then again that voice in my head said “C’mon! you only live once!!” And I drank that glass of whatever it was. Man!! For somebody who’d never touched a drop of alcohol, it was an evening to remember. I danced. And I enjoyed myself after being high on one paltry cocktail. I was dropped home and all. I went to sleep. Next day, was BAD. I promised myself again not to listen to the voices in my head.