Of Taj Mahal Dreams and Chocolates

Seems like 'tis the season of V day posts, humne bhi likh di apne dil ki baat ;)

The root of the trouble AND The height of being cliched

Just yesterday, while browsing through Time magazine, I came across an ad from Incredible India. A black and white picture of Taj Mahal was in the background and the text read: "And to think that these days men get away with giving chocolates and flowers."

Samjhe? If you are really a fan of tube lights, let me explain the profound meaning of this punch-line (*Complete Honesty and Digress Alert- As proud as I am for my agile brain, it shuts down rather mercilessly after midnight and at such challenging times, it is a struggle to decipher witty one-liners. This realization came one night when as a teenager, I was stuck forever on a particular paragraph from a really interesting Mills & Boons novel (ahem) and even this fluff refused to enter my tiny brain* Alert over)

So, for those of you out there who share this personality trait, let me elucidate. This ad simply conveys that these days men get away with just gifting flowers and chocolates to their lady love while in the good old days, the Mughal Emperor- Shahjahan, poor guy, had to build a monument to prove his love for his girl.

This ad really got me thinking. Ab maante hai ki my beauty cannot be compared to that of Mumtaz mahal. Neither am I hoping for a Shahjahan like dude to construct a Taj Mahal for me (Shheeeshh Yaar, Taj Mahal usne apni GF/wife ke marne par banaya tha!).

I just feel that love is such a deep feeling and every woman is so unique, then why give the same gift to all the ladies in this world? And, I really like to think that just like every woman, I have a right to receiving a thoughtful gift from the man who proclaims, 'Tum to meri zindagi ho'.

Anyway, leave the Taj Mahal khwab aside, but, chocolates and flowers to express love to the most important woman in your world? It's very cliched, more like cliched raised to the power of lots of power.

Now, don't get me wrong guys and please don't sulk. I am not an Ehsaan Faraamosh kinda girl. And I love, noo LOVE, noooooo lurveeeeee chocolates. And I do appreciate when guys try hard enough. But, chocolates and flowers? Dude, you really need to take a class on 'The use of creativity in romantic expression 101'.

Maybe something that is less expensive than the chocolates+flowers+card put together will do the trick. Maybe it won't. But it has to be something really reallllllly customized---something that just screams 'YOU are the one' to the woman who is THE one for you. Something that is one of a kind, just like the woman that you love. Something that is just perfect---for her.

Work at it guys, it's definitely easier than building a Taj Mahal and you will be rewarded.

And gals, badi khush ho ke baithi ho sab ki sab. There is something that you all have to do also. What? Arre get ready yaar, wear your best smile and your sexy dress---your man is going to ring the door bell very soon. And hey, don't rush to empty the vase, he's not getting you flowers this time ;)

Music: We Have All the Time in the World - Louis Armstrong AND Chupke Chupke - Ghulam Ali (playing one after the other continously, quite a concoction it's created in my head)
Mood: Optimistic

Weird me? Find out for yourself

Sakshi tagged me and on a magnificent day like today when spring has made a cute cameo appearence in the movie called winter, nothing feels better than talking about yourself. Narcissism ki jai ho!! So here goes:

Three things that scare me:
1. Pessimism
2. Unrealistic expectations
3. Natural calamities

Three people who make me laugh:
1. My brother
2. Chandler Bing on F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
3. My weird + highly lovable friend S

Three things I love:
1. Music
2. Dance
3. Fragrant flowers

Three things I hate:
1. Lying/Liars
2. Peeling garlic pods (really it is ewwwww)
3. Waking up early

Three things I don’t understand:
1. People who kill in the name of religion
2. People who expect the world from you only to give you nothing in return
3. Why we don't have a half working day on Friday

Three things on my desk:
1. My bottle of water
2. A Kathak CD that someone gifted me last weekend
3. My laptop

Three things I’m doing right now:
1. Thinking about my grandpa and grandma
2. Looking for a decent pic of me to upload to the work directory--am drawing a blank and it's been an hour that I've been searching. Ufff yaar, how difficult it is to find a pic that has the right amount of attitute and a professional smile (yes, there is something like that).
3. Listening to Asha singing Tum se mein juda nahi from Hum Dono and thinking how someone could sound so innocent and mature at the same time. Also wondering how great a music director Jaidev was and why he didn't give music in too many movies. Here's a hard kick on the ass of all those directors who didn't give him a chance. Also making a mental note to listen to one of my fav song from Gharaonda next, that has music by Jaidev also.

Three things I want to do before I die:
1. Experience unconditional love from someone other than my parents and brother.
2. Spend an entire night talking to someone about everything under the sun.
3. Fly a plane and/or Fly something that get's invented that goes much faster than a plane and is lighter than a plane.

Three things I can do:
1. Dance hysterically/suggestively - depending on the company I have at that point in time ;)
2. Laugh at myself
3. Be truthful--- almost always

Three things you should listen to:
1. The sound of water-- flowing gently in a creek or roaring wildly in the ocean -- IMO its the most relaxing sound in the whole world second only to my parents soothing voice over the phone!
2. My constant blabber-- if you are someone who knows and talks to me
3. Zakir Hussain's tabla-- why? suno to jaano :)

Three things you should never listen to:
1. Music from musicians who don't tune their instruments before performing.
2. Adnan Sami-- at any point in time he sounds constipated and it is awful to listen to a constipated fat man.
3. People who tell you to stop trying coz you don't have it in you. They lie. If you want it badly, you always have it in you--not only to succeed but also to excel.

Three things I’d like to learn:
1. Belly Dancing and Trapeze
2. Ice-Skating
3. A couple of exotic foreign languages

Three favourite foods:
1. Chocolate cake made by mom
2. Death by chocolate - chocolate cake at my fav restaurant
3. Cadbury's fruit and nut chocolate from back home

Three beverages I drink regularly:
1. Lassi
2. Lemon juice
3. Chocolate milk

Three TV shows/Books I watched/read as a kid:
1. Mahabharat and Mowgli on Doordarshan
2. Spiderman comics
3. Enid Blyton- Famous five and Secret seven books

Three people I would like to tag:
Art Navy, Strider, Sudipta

Music: Do Deewane Shaher Mein from Gharaonda
Mood: Happy