Overheard conversations. Mostly involving me...Overheard by me.

Phew, has this year gone by fast or what?

I thought about doing a recollection of everything important that happened to me this year, but I think I'll forgo that mostly because
1) I'm assuming you've been faithfully reading my posts to know what's happened.
2) I'm too lazy to do it. Now, now. Don't chastise me. Look at my blog's title. That should've given you a fair bit of warning.

So let's instead indulge in a bit of easy chit-chat..okay more like I'll tell you of a few interesting conversations and you read and nod and say "Aye..aye..been there. I feel you sistah!" and other such nice things.


Mink - Mahi, you're such a fussy vegetarian.
Mahi - I know! I've been told that so many times. Are you a fussy vegetarian too?
Mink - I don't know..am I?
Mahi - Okay...Eggplant?
Mink - Ohmigod I LOVE eggplant
Mahi - I hate it...Lady's finger?
Mink - I LOVE lady's finger!
Mahi - Yuck. Too slimy. Pumpkin?
Mink - I'm not too fond of it actually
Mahi - Oh pumpkin is okay when it's in pumpkin soup...Potato?
Mink - I love potato!
Mahi - Me too!! Yaaayy!!
Mink - Yaaaay!!
-Mahi and Mink actually flutter fingers together-
Mahi - Okay, okay what abouuuut tomato?
Mink - I like it!
Mahi - Oo I don't mind it but not when it's chunky
Mink - Mahi you don't like authentic Chinese food anymore right?
Mahi - Yea I'm a bit turned off by it. I developed a sort of taste aversion to it after puking once
Mink - What about tofu?
Mahi - Omg I love tofu!
Mink - Reeeally???
Mahi - Yes! Especially black pepper tofu! What about yoghurt?
Mink - I love yoghurt! I could eat a whole tub of it!
Mahi - Nyehh..I'm okay with yoghurt..just a 2 or 3 tablespoons...no no wait maybe 5 tablespoons....

At this point we here a thunk and we turn to see Kunal (Arpu's brother, who happened to be sitting at the dinner table with us) thumping his fist on the table and then holding his head in his hands and laughing. But I think he was laughing not coz he was tickled but because our conversation was driving him nuts.
"Jesus. You guys would have gone on and on and on. What's wrong with the two of you?"
Arpu was just shaking her head. I think she was wondering why exactly she had called us over. No scratch that, I think she was wondering how we even managed to reach her house in one piece.

Mahi - Mink, is today Tuesday?
Mink - Wait, tomorrow is...Wednesday..so..-calculates- Yes! Today is Tuesday!
Mahi - Yaaaayy!!

In our defence, Tuesdays is when we get half-priced waffles and icecream from Gelares. You have to be VERY SURE it's a Tuesday in order to actually not pay wayyy too much for waffles and icecream. You would be very careful about calculating what day it was if you were in my place, right?
Right?
..........Right?


Mink - -while listening to the radio- Mahi, why isn't Usher releasing any new songs??
Mahi - -sarcastically- Should I call up his manager and find out?
Mink - -sarcastically back- Why don't you just call up Usher himself?
-Silent moment as Mahi realises that this is an unprecedented event. Mink rarely screws Mahi over and if she does, it's not a very good attempt-
Mahi - Awwwww Mink you screwed me over! I'm so proud of you!!!
Mink - Me too!!!!!
-Mahi and Mink do fluttery hands thingie-

Arpu found this stomach-clutchingly hilarious when this happened..after she got out of the car, Mink and I looked at each other. "What a loser." "It wasn't even that funny." "Yea."
We're such juveniles. Who woulda thunk that Mink is gonna graduate with a major in Mathematics, me with major in psychology and Arpu a major in biochemistry (or something like that..I'm still not sure what her degree is..Arpu what the hell is it that you do anyway?)


Sharul and I were having a conversation on men.
Sharul - Mahi, there are going to be some pretty hot guys at this club you know..
Mahi - I know..problem is the minute they open their mouths to talk, you just want to kill yourself.
Sharul - You should just tape up his mouth and rape him then.
-Mahi and Rishi, who's incidentally Sharul's boyfriend, just stare at her for a long time, in stunned silence-
Mahi - What the hell have you two been doing together?
Rishi - Honest to God, I have no idea where that came from.

All of us were just a bit disturbed that night :P

We were all invited to Roohi's one night for dinner
Roohi - You guuuuys! I made the dinner! Every single dish! I hope you guys love it!

Upon arriving we were astounded to see a spread of dishes....and a salad consisting of chopped up lettuce and carrots.
Mahi - Wow Roohi, this stuff tastes amazing! How on earth did you manage to make all of this?
Roohi - - smiles delightedly and ignores question- Have some salad!
Roohi's Mom - Haha! She didn't make all this...I did! She made that -points to the salad that no one had touched yet-
-Roohi stops smiling and everyone tries their best to stifle their laughter-
Nirav (who incidentally is Roohi's boyfriend) - -slowly reaches out a takes a leaf of cabbage and munches encouragingly- Well.........the cabbage tastes....great..
Mahi - Hehehehehehe
Roohi - Bitch.


Ahhhhh God bless my friends, I love em all I know I don't say that as often as I should.
However I have one bone to pick with them.
Will you assholes (my gang..not you lovely dear readers) please stop going out on couple dates so much and REMEMBER your sole single friend every now and then??!?
I swear to God, I think I'm gonna end up a sad angry spinster who spends too much time baking and lives in a house with too many dogs.

Nah I'm kidding. Of course I won't be mad. After all, I'll make sure I have gorgeous young toy boys spending lotsa quality time with me.

:D

Happy New Year Everyone!
Don't forget to break that New Year's Resolution that you just made ;)

Meeerrrryy Christmas! 'Ho Ho Ho' and 'Balle Balle'

Merry Christmas all!
Hope you're having a lovely, fun-filled, present-filled and love-filled Christmas! (And if you're not, then cheer up and have some Christmas Pudding..'tis the season to indulge baby.)

Anyway, my Christmas eve was nice enough... I went out for a Bhangra Night
(For those of you who have no idea what it is, a whole bunch of remixed bhangra and bollywood tracks are played at a club..so where you'd normally have pop, hip-hop, R&B playing- you'd now have remixed hindi/punjabi music playing..it TOTALLY burns off those calories man, its such a workout)
SO yea I spent Christmas eve dancing away to Punjabi music...you totally saw that one coming right :P
Ho Ho Ho!

I didn't really want to go when some of my friends gently suggested that perhaps I'm becoming a bit of a recluse. The last time I had been out properly, to drink and dance was a good 10 months back.
Yup. A Recluse I had become.

The Crowd was slightly different than I remember. Less rowdy, better smelling, a good mix of old and young instead of the usual barely-legal-ers trying to act all gwowned up and spending the better part of their night puking their guts out by the sidewalk.
The music had improved too. None of that 'I-can't-dance-to-this-crap' kinda music. You know? The sort thats from some flop movie/album that no one saw/heard.

Last year, I had gone for a bhangra night and in the midst of the dancing I turned to my right and saw a guy dancing a few metres away. The intoxicating song coupled with the strobing lights made for quite a heady scene. And then our eyes met and we smiled.
It wasn't a naughty sort of thing..
You know how sometimes 2 complete strangers can share something in a brief few seconds, without uttering a word? (No, I'm not talking STD's) It was some sort of acknowledgement? I don't know.
I saw him last night again, after almost a year. He didn't have that playful twinkle in his eye, the one that made me smile. He looked older, more matured, but a lot less happy.
We passed by each other as I entered and he left. We looked each other in the eye, saw a brief hint of recognition and then we went our seperate ways.
C'est la vie. I love such encounters.

It seems that in a matter of moments, time sped up from being 1 am to 4 am...uh-oh way past my curfew. Mom called to voice her grievances (that's putting it mildly). I got into a cab with Roohi and Nirav and I said "Oh shit. I'm screwed. Where did the time go? My parents are hopping mad. Goddamit. I'm going to be 23. You'd think they'd ease up by now."
The cabbie chuckled and said "Ahh such things happen..you're young and parents will always worry..my own mother still calls and asks me when I'm coming home. She does this everytime I work overtime."
I sighed "Parents."
All of us kept quiet..and then he said "You should appreciate it though. They're showing you how much they care..when they're not around, you'll miss it.."
Silence..
"Ah crap. Now I can't be angry at them for being angry with me."
Seriously. I felt so robbed of my right to be indignantly annoyed.

When I reached my house, the cabbie suggested that I act drunk and lost track of time.
"Are you nuts? My parents think when I go clubbing I have the standard free drink that comes with the ticket, and even that they're not too happy about, and you want me to act drunk?!"
Cue a few more suggestions.
"Uncle. Why don't you just come to my house and explain the situation?"
All said tongue-in-cheek of course.
The cabbie giggled like a little school boy. Bless his heart.

So yes..I stealthily entered the house at 5 am (fucking windchimes..such a bloody nuisance.) Thankfully the parents decided to cut me some slack and they remained pretendedly asleep in their room.

My feet hurt, I feel slightly hungover, my hair smells of smoke and my mom is still slightly miffed at me.


But it was all worth it because for a few hours I danced like a maniac... and loved every minute of it
:)

Be good guys.
Have fun but don't drink and drive.

About Time.

Dear Time,
Hey there, it's me, Mahima. I'm the one who's always dumbstruck at how fast you seem to move? Yep. That one.

So anyway I've been thinking. It's going to be 2007 already. I remember thinking back in 1997, when I was *counts* 12 years old, I remember thinking what life would be in the much-fantasised-about 2000's. I even made a list of things that could, nay, MUST happen in 10 years time-
1) There would be flying cars.
2) There would be no more homework.
3) People would be able to teleport
4) I would be married (Yes. I thought I'd get married by the time I was 23. Come to think of it, there's still a few more months left...don't underestimate how efficient and resourceful Indian mothers/aunties/relatives can be.)
5) If I was not married, I'd have a really AWESOME boyfriend, because you know..everyone started having boyfriends back then, but I was just the funny tall weird Indian girl who didn't have a chance in hell to get lucky, but I would be damned if I didn't have a really awesome boyfriend in 10 years time.
6) I would morph into a bombshell. Everyone else would grow just as tall as me, the pimples would disappear, the glasses would disappear and God Help Me, my hair would either magically turn really nice and manageable or I'd be bald.

So yes. That was basically my list of priorities. Let's see what has happened and what has not.

1) Nope. No flying cars. Note to self: Must make some important scientific guy turn my plan about building magnetic roads and magnetic cars into reality. (Like poles repel..hence the cars will fly/levitate/float...geddit? I still need to work out the details.)
2) There is still too much goddamned homework.
3) I think they've got the technology sorted out but these bastards aren't letting us in on the whole truth.
4) I am not married. Forget that, in the past year my whole view on it has changed. I am seriously reconsidering this whole marriage thing. My sociology teacher said "When you marry someone, you're essentially officialising the fact that your time is now theirs too." It is not even funny how freaked out I got by hearing that. Picture Mahi with deer antlers (or not since female deers don't have antlers....) getting caught in the headlights.
5) 10 years on, I'm single. Not that I'm crying or anything and I'm not even bitter. I'd like to think I've reached a point in my life where I realise that the fact that I'm single has got nothing to do with my looks or personality or whatever, and hence has no impact on my self esteem. I've still got an ego the size of a blue whale. I'm single by choice, it's just the way things are. It's all good.
6) The pimples have gone, my eyesight magically corrected itself, my hair has become pretty decent and I'm still taller than almost everyone here.

Well, 1 outta 6 ain't too bad, eh?

I just got back from a really lovely marathon movie session (okay well we saw 2 movies!) with Sidra and Ju, who've been my dear friends since secondary school. We don't meet up often enough but its amazing because when I'm with them, You seem to stand still, as if to allow us to relish the moments of joy and laughter we have.
After 10 years we find that in each others' company, we're just the same old girls that we used to be, pigging out, giggling, gossiping, reliving old memories, enjoying the innocence but occaisionally surprising each other by how beautifully we've all grown up.

SO anyway, Time, most people have a humungous bone to pick with You, but you know what? We're cool. I like You. I've come to realise the more I butt heads with You, the less cooperative You are. Not really like quicksand, but You get the idea.
I've learnt to take it easy in general. And I think I like the relationship we're forming.

Carry on doing what You're doing, Time.
Here's to Time flying
-clink-

Regards,
Mahi

Plant Killers and other general stuff of no great importance

Remember I told you about my neighbour's grandkids? The Ones who kept pulling the leaves off my moms plants?
Well, they're back.
I checked on my little daisy seedling and I found the ones in the smaller pot pulled out!!! Systematically! Cruelly! Coldly! One by One! (I planted them in two pots..just to be safe..y'know 'don't put all your eggs in one basket' sorta thing)

Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Stupid Kids.
-Fumes-

***
I started hunting for my camera to take pictures of new sketches and panicked when I couldnt find it.
Then - "Ohhhhh"
I remembered. Last weekend my friends and I had gone karaoke-ing and of course like any good karaoke session, there had to be booze and where there was booze there had to be a camera.
PS- Nirav, please stick to dancing.
- Rishi, you stick to dancing too.
- Sharul and Taj, you guys are ok.

SO yea anyway by the time I got home I was too happily drunk to care about bringing my camera home so its now currently in Rishi's car, whom I find, has left for a weekend trip to Bali.. Dude, for your sake, I hope you kept it in a cool shady area in your car.

PS- As much as people force you, never EVER agree to have vodka shots with tobasco sauce in it.
NEVER.
PS- Also, why is it that the female toilets in clubs are so much more filthier than the male toilets? I had to resort to sneaking into the male toilet!
Let's not even discuss the weird looks I got when I came out of the cubicle.

***
Arpu's back! -Mahi does the happy dance-
Siigh. When Arpu's back, I feel like everything is allll right in the world again
:)
***

Myehh. Nothing else. I'm sleepy now. Things are slow. My laptop is still spoit. Stupid Laptop.

I know I'm going to regret this but here goes - "I can't wait for uni to start."

A lot of aggro, some motherly pride, some sadness and more aggro.

-Stands-
Hi, I'm Mahima and I think I may have anger management issues.

Seriously.
I've been finding that the tiniest, yet most godawfully annoying things are pissing me off and I'm talking pissing-offing of Hulk-like proportions. (I think I'm even starting to look a little green.)

Just last night my laptop refused to charge. After 45 minutes of checking the power outlet, checking the battery pack, checking the plug thingie at the back of the laptop, what did I do?

I punched the wall and then started bawling like a baby.

Not.very.smart.
My left hand hurts like a bitch.
Yea I used my writing and generally-doing-everything-hand.
Like I said - not.very.smart.
(After ALL of that you'd think my laptop would charge, but noooooo.)

I- The Generally Very Zen and Calm yet Approachable- Mahima.
I- The One that People come to for Advice and Generally Uplifting Conversation- Mahima.
I- The One who preaches about Controlling One's Emotions and not letting them Get the Better of you- Mahima.
I- The One who pours her Heart and Soul into creating lovely pieces of Art (that NO ONE is BUYING) and baking deeeeelicious Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce- Mahima.

What the hell is wrong with me?
(If you must know 1) No it is NOT that time of the month. 2) The pudding turned out delish and was very well accepted..maybe it's the art. Buy my art or I'll punch you, dammit! And you know I will! Grr!)

Anyway this made me realise a few things.
Not a lot of us are capable of realising what we can do and what results is often a very very unpleasant surprise. So many of us (and I'm not neccessarily referring to me) have our inner demons that we're not even aware of, or maybe are, but instead choose to ignore them.
We spend such a long time building layer upon layer to project what we seem to think is what would make everyone happy and at ease. We spend so much of our lives doing this that we pretty much forget who we really are underneath it all.
Maybe we need to stop trying to cover up and change who we are and just revel in the fact that yea...we do have anger management/commitment/eating/drinking/emotional issues and other such issues that in general make us human.

Chew on that people.

The next time I glibly tell someone I'm not that easy to piss off, I'm going to think back on this episode and instead warn the person that Oh yes I will INDEEDY punch him/her in the kissah and he/she shouldn't doubt it for a second because I have INDEEDY punched a wall before (I wont say 'indeedy' coz that kinda ruins the effect)

Anyway punching someone in the face can't possibly be more painful than punching a concrete wall.
***

On another note, my little daisy plants are growing!
-Mahi does the happy dance-
This morning my mom called me out to take a look and OH JOY! There they were! about 20-30 of them poking out of the soil with their little green stem and 2 leaves each.
It's amazing how the site of tiny green saplings/seedlings/whateveryoucallthem can have such a calming effect on you.
Woohoo I can't wait for the next 20 weeks!
***

On a more somber note..Jay of isorule.blogspot.com is hanging up his blogging hat.
His blogs was one of the funniest I've ever read. You'll be missed buddy.
*hug*

There've been so many times when I've thought of quitting blogging before, but I remind myself why I started it in the first place.
As much as I love reading comments and knowing that people visit this site, it's not really about you guys. It's about me.

I started this blog so many years down the road, I could always visit something from my past (unless evil evil aliens take over this world and COMPLETELY DESTROY THE INTERNET. -blood curdling scream- ) Something that could tell me how much I've changed as a person.
Of course reading how people respond to those thoughts is also immensely gratifying, coz come on if it wasn't I'd just be writing in a tiny padlocked diary. One that my brother can't pick. I hate him. I think I'll punch him tonight.

Anyway fact is..I think I could tie this back up to the previous point - we start something for a right reason and then dress it up and by doing so we carry on doing it for the wrong reasons (if we're using the example of blogging, maybe we start blogging to just see our thoughts on cyber space but then we find ourselves doing it more and more for the comments and visits, this is just a narrow context specific view, of course) and when we find that the comments and visits just don't do it for you anymore- thats when we start losing interest in it.

Sometimes all we need to do is remind ourselves WHY we started something in the first place.

(And please, don't for one second think that I'm talking about Jay. He quit for his own reasons.)
***

Sigh. The Weather is dark and so is my mood.

I think I'm really getting into this punching thing. It's like the floodgates have been opened.
Haha.

Mahi, Mahi quite contraari, how does your garden grow?

I'm done, done, DONE with my exams!
Say it with me now people - "Woohoooooooooo!"

How did I celebrate, you ask?
I'll tell ya how I celebrated it..


I came home and gardened.

Yep.
'Putting- seeds- in- soil- in- a- pot' sorta gardened.
My friend's reaction - "Are you on drugs?"

Let me explain..it's not that I don't have a life...its just..don't you sometimes just want to come home and GARDEN?
Is it that so absurd an idea?


I felt like a CSI when I put on my plastic gloves and hauled two pots over onto some newspaper, and then proceeded to enjoyably dig my hands through the soil, dump it in the pot and daintily pat it down (but not too much patting coz I worried that the young seedlings/saplings/whatever-lings might not have enough strength to push thru the patted down soil). I then scattered the seeds with a flourish and sang "Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow"
(To the tune of "Let It Snow"...in case you missed that.)

I felt like JD on Scrubs, when all the while I was gardening, I had an inner monologue running through my head. I think up some pretty funny shit in my head sometimes, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was I thought up then. But I think it might have involved drinking. I'm thinking way too much about drinking now that I don't have to worry about studying with a hangover. I also indulged in a nice relaxed conversation with Kelso, who sat there perplexed at what I was doing.

I felt quite powerful as I held seeds as tiny as grains of sand (they were daisy seeds but by God, if they turn out to be just grains of sand I will be SOOO pissed off. I want to see daisies in 20 weeks, dammit!) each seed, holding the potential for new life..each holding the potential to bring that much more colour into the world. I felt powerful, indeedy. And then I peered closely and noticed how much they looked like poppy seeds. And for a brief minute, I was struck by panic- What if they WERE poppy seeds, and the cops found out and arrested me for growing something that could turn in cocaine!?
Naaah. What are the odds of that happening, eh?

And finally I felt pretty stupid when I realised the stupid cheap ass gloves I wore, didn't stop didley from entering in. I found dirt and water and other soil bits under my nails and then I had to CUT them.
I bet the CSI's never had this problem.

It was immensely relaxing and gratifying. When those flowers bloom, I shall behold them in all their blooming glory and think to myself "Ahhh..my love and dedication- in a pot." like a proud mother. -Cue chorus and halo effect and fuzzy camera shot-
Of course if those flowers don't bloom I'll be pissed as hell and then I can be PUH-RETTY sure that they were in fact just grains of sand.

And before I leave you, here's a pearl of wisdom. Only one pearl coz after this I don't think you'd wanna hear more-
"The most gratifying thing in the world? A good dump, Mahima. A good dump."
-Rishi

Wise words, my friend. Wise words.

Get Thee Away From Me, O Wretched Exams!

Okay, okay so my exams aren't over yet but I just can't go that long without venting.
Oh lucky you :P

Things I've Learnt This Semester:

1. The lecturers who look like dear, old, sweet grandma's are the ones who'll screw you over the most and give you a D+ for the ONE essay you worked your butt off for (D+..oh wow the '+' made SUCH A HUGE DIFFERENCE, YOU STUPID COW.)
   
2. Hot professors are such motivation to not only attend all lectures, but also to study. All this so you don't end up looking stupid. Ahhh they don't teach you THIS stuff in psychology class ;) ..or do they? Maybe I was too busy gawking to actually listen..*cough* moving on..
   
3. Cappuccino's and hot mochas at my uni rock. Alas, I discovered this NOW. Since the past two years I've been killing myself drinking banana mochas..which according to my friend taste like a laxative. Don't ask how she knew. I work on a 'Don't-ask-don't-tell' policy.
   
4. The people working at the cafe are awesome. They put extra chocolate in my hot mocha. And they act like they really do care when I moan about my yucky 8 am classes.
   
5. Studying for exams helps when you have to er...do the exams.
   
6. People are amazed when I tell them I lived in Africa for the first ten years of my life. They look at me like I'm amazing (not that I'm NOT amazing otherwise..). Their faces inevitably fall when I tell them that I infact DID NOT live in a mud hut/roamed with lions/drank water from ostrich eggs.
   
7. Given the choice between watching Season 6 of Star Trek: The Next Generation and studying for my exams, guess which one I always choose? Go on..guess.
   
8. I LOVE taking the hour long bus ride to and from uni...and no I'm not even being sarcastic! Its my way of meditating, and by 'meditating' I mean listening to music and sleeping. Yup I've become one of those people..you know the ones who fall asleep and their heads loll back and then quickly snap up? I used to make FUN of those people. Ah how the mighty fall sleep.

So yes. That's what I've learnt..and yea I learnt some stuff about psychology, sociology and the universe too.

Now be a good Mahi-lover and buy my art, like how Nal did (or tried...the website screwed up on logisitics. Bastards. )