All India Bewakoof?!

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So like millions of others, I laughed at the AIB Knockout Roast of Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh ... and might I add Karan Johar. Not only did I think the roast was good (for a first time effort) but I also applauded the efforts of AIB in trying to introduce the concept of 'roasting' (first started in New York) to India. Progressive India? Yes. Youth centered India? Yes. Offensive India? Huh.

 

The good thing about blogging is that I can pen down my opinion. I can execute my fundamental right to freedom of speech and speak my heart out. I won't force you to read it. It is up to you to click on my blog article if you deem it interesting. It is up to you to continue reading my article if you deem it further interesting. That is you exercising your freedom of choice.

 

So essentially I would assume that the same is true for AIB. This is a group that works purely on YouTube. What better way  for everyone to exercise their own version of discretion than YouTube? Was the AIB roast launched live on National Television? Were viewers forced to watch it on a prime time channel? Were they taken by surprise? Was your right to discretion violated? I think not! So if I get this straight - folks made a conscious effort to go to YouTube, watch the roast in its entirety, and then comment out loud that this was offensive? To whom? Definitely not to the folks that were being laughed at. They took everything in their stride in an exceptionally good spirit. So this offended you - the viewer that made a conscious choice to go online and watch it?! Interesting.

 

What irks me the most is that AIB has since then removed the roasting knockout video amid mounting pressures and propagandas for its removal. So much for freedom of speech. So much for progressive India. So much for having a sense of humor. Actually, what do we really expect?! If someone like Aamir Khan who has produced movies like Delhi Belly (which I also loved BTW) and television wonders like Satyamev Jayate can come out with words of disdain for this, then there sure isn't much hope for the rest of us.

 

So to summarize, here's essentially what India, a country of 1.3 billion, finds offensive and not -

 

Delhi Belly - Not offensive. ("Oh it was such a laugh riot")

Certain Saas-Bahu serials - Not offensive. ("Oh its just entertainment")

Bigg Boss - Not offensive. ("Oh we love BB")

AIB Roast - Super offensive. ("Take this down now or we come at you with pitchforks")

 

'Nuff said.

Why I love Tana French...

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I like reading. I like going through a (self-imposed) meticulous process of finding and researching just the right book for any occasion - be it a long flight, a vacation, or just reading at home. There is a book for all moods. I would also like to mention here that my devil’s advocate in this is this phenomenal app called Goodreads. If you are an ardent book reader and you haven't heard of this app, you are honestly truly missing out. I do not think there is any book, any volume, any series, that I will pick up without checking its rating on Goodreads. (The ratings are user defined and are extremely accurate - so any book with a rating over four is bound to be incredible - by all standards etc.) Anywho, I digress - lets return to Tana French.

 

So I first heard about Tana French from Goodreads (big surprise there :p). She is a Dublin based author who won the 2008 Edgar Award for Best First Novel ('In the Woods') and a series of other awards. And her books have constantly received top accolades from all across the globe. So it goes without saying that I was intrigued enought to put in that request to get her book from my local library. And boy was I hooked!

 

To start with 'In the Woods' is truly one of the best psychological thrillers I've read in a while. (It was so intriguing that I couldn't stop myself from googling for days on end reading spark notes about the story etc.). Tana French has currently written four books all revolving around the chronicles of the Dublin Murder Squad. Let this whole book series thing not phase you out. This isn't about cheesy sequels and continuing love sagas and the rest of the shenanigans that follow most series books. Each of her books is a first person narrative of each of the characters - which brings me to the next point. The characters!

 

To say that she has done a good job with the characters would be an understatement. She has massaged each character, their quirks, traits, and nuances within the fabric of the readers mind. So you'll love Cassey, you'll be constantly amazed by Frank, you'll adore Sam, and Rob - let’s just not say much about him :p Very few authors have such a knack for embedding fictional characters in a readers mind. You cry for their strife, you feel for their pain, you laugh at their triumphs, you get frustrated at their helplessness. Simply beautiful.

 

My second Tana French accolade would go to her writing. Its rare to come across such absolutely beautiful prose - such poetic writing even. She has a way of swirling words and placing them just right so that they come out beautifully and written in a way with such references as one can never imagine. Very hard to describe but if you pick up one of her books, you'll get what I mean.

 

And my third and final tribute goes out to her stories. Simply put, they are wow with a capital W. I am still to comprehend how she came up with the story for The Likeness (her second book). And not only did she churn up an incredible story, but she churned up incredible characters and incredible story writing to accompany that. Talented, much?!

 

So here I am - an eternal Tana French fan - down with her first two books and currently on her third. Already awaiting starting her fourth and have never been more pleased. Hope this motivates some of you readers out there to pick up one of her copies, you will not be disappointed ;)

Ten things that I learned from Sex & the City!

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Today it's been 16 years since Sex and the City first premiered on HBO. The show that forever changed the way we perceive New York and Fashion. The show that made Manolo's and Cosmopolitans a household name. It is also rumored that for a while, all anyone in New York could talk about was what happened on this show. So, as a small tribute to this wonderful wonderful show, I have compiled a list of the top ten things that I learned from Sex & the City ;) This was fun, so here goes, in no particular order -

 

#1 It is better to starve than be deprived of a Vogue.

 

#2 Manolo's are not shoes but an outfit.

 

#3 Brunch is an affair between four girls and gossip.

 

#4  You cannot stay in New York and not go to Fashion Week.

 

#5 Your closet should have at least one Cavalli.

 

#6 A night out is never complete without a Cosmo.

 

#7 Once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker.

 

#8 Everyone needs a best friend like Stanford Blatch.

 

#9 Summer in New York = Hamptons.

 

#10 Wearing your name around your neck is sorta cool.

 

And here's a bonus one #11: It's well worth waiting for your Mr. Big.

 

So I think that's all that I had. Feel free to chime in with things that I surely and certainly might have missed ;)

 

Xoxo

 

 

 

 

Unplugging to Reconnect...

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I have lately started developing an acute sense of being a slave to technology. And what's even worse is that this sense of feeling arises not just from me, but from most folks around me as well. Be it strangers on a bus or folks at a party, individuals waiting for a train or dining at a restaurant, almost everywhere I turn, individuals are hooked to their devices - be it a cellphone or a smart pad.

 

For a while now, I have been considering breaking this barrier, starting with myself. Don't get me wrong - I do understand and appreciate the enormous power of having technology at our fingertips - the massive advantage of having all this information available to us, the unparalleled happiness of connecting with friends on a real time basis, no matter the distance and so on and so forth.

 

But somehow somewhere down the lane, I have started witnessing, within me, a profound sense of losing out on the 'real' things. I almost feel as though life is passing me by, all while my eyes are glued to some 5 by 2 screen.

 

I almost think that, for me, the straw that broke the camel's back, came in the form of a photo I recently saw on Facebook (big surprise there :p). The photo depicted some individuals in San Francisco attending a party in a breathtaking setting. The event venue had been converted into a Bali themed absolutely incredible open spaced area. And what could I see the folks in this mind blowing setting doing? - you guessed it, each one of them was glued to their cellphone. If we cannot communicate face to face even given such an incredible ambience, then something definitely is not right.

 

No more. I vow to not let life pass me by. So here's my conscious decision to indulge in...

 

...Less Whats App, more Whats up around me
...Less Texts, more Talks
...Less Email Subscriptions, more subscribing to life events
...Less Checkin's, more places to check out
...Less Status Updates, more updating my personal experiences
...Less Browsing, more Seeing
...Less phone conversations, more in-person meetings
...Less LOL's, more laugh out louds
...Less Tweets, more Speech

...Less Facebook, more noticing new faces around me
...Less a Slave to Technology, more a Master of my Life

 

Unplugging to reconnect. Wish me luck.

Barre me over!

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I went to my very first Barre class last week. And was completely blown away. It was nothing short of a spiritual experience and so how can I not write something about it? So here goes...

 

First things first, what is Barre? (pronounced 'Bar') Other than being the newest trend and something touted to give you a dancer's body, Barre is basically something that uses Pilates + Yoga + Ballet moves to give you a toned body. It's terribly difficult slow concentrated motions that target everything from your arms to your toes and give your body a complete workout. Basically, lengthen & strengthen your muscles. Also, have you ever seen a fat ballerina?

 

A lot of things went through my mind during my first Barre class. Here is my compilation of some of them ;) I am not shy to workout routines, running etc. but this was a whole new ball game.

 

 

So that's it folks. I can tout this form of exercise all that I want but you really truly have to try it out to believe what it can do for you. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. 

I want to believe...

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I want to believe that we are capable of kindness...
That chivalry is not lost...
That doing a nice thing for someone is not viewed with suspicion...
That sometimes there really is no ulterior motive
I want to believe that folks have a good heart...
That friendship is not just for give & take
I want to believe that scruples are not lost...
That conscience is not dead...
That it's not always about me...
Sometimes it could be about something bigger than you and me...
I want to believe there are angels among us...
To guide us on our path, to help us distinguish right from wrong...
I want to believe that positivity exists...
Not just superficially but really truly honestly
I want to believe a smile is not just a camouflage
For the dark lurking within someone...
I want to believe a hug is meant when it's meant...
And that promises are meant to be kept
I want to believe kindness is not just for display...
And that folks mean what they say and say what they mean
I want to believe genuine niceness is still required...
And that respect cannot be bought nor can dignity be bartered

I want to believe in a good world...don't you?

International Women's Day

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March 8 was International Women's Day. So I thought I'd take this opportunity to list out the top 5 women who's strength and determination continue to inspire me on a daily basis. These are women who's careers I truly follow, who's positiveness and achievements are what I strive to emulate. So here goes...

#1 Ruchi Sanghvi

Ruchi Sanghvi started her career as the first female engineer at Facebook. She since then quit Facebook to start her own startup called Cove. Cove was later acquired by Dropbox. She is currently Vice President of Operations at Dropbox. She is also a vocal advocate for immigration reform in the US.


#2 Indra Nooyi
Indra Nooyi, born in Tamil Nadu, India and studied at Yale. CEO of PepsiCo and fourth on the list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women. She was also named CEO of the Year in 2009. Such an inspiration!

#3 Marissa Mayer

She is as smart as she is pretty! Marissa Mayer, current president and CEO of Yahoo! She was also one of the key persons in charge of shaping Google. All this and only 38 years old. Remarkable.

#4 Hilary Clinton

Does she really need an introduction? I would really like to watch her become the first woman president of the United States. Women power!

#5 All the wonderful women in my life
So this here is a shout out to all the incredible women in my life. You are a constant source of love and inspiration to me and I would be so lost without you. This list comprises of my mom and my mother-in-law who really illustrate the true strength of a woman to me, my wonderful sisters-in-law (and other women of my extended family) for making me aware of the genuine kindness and niceness that women are capable of, and for my female friends for proving to me time and again that friends truly can be a second family.

So here's to all you wonderful women out there - there's really no one quite like us - so stay strong & stay fabulous!