Better Late than Never

A really, really, really (Ok I shall stop now) long time back, the very sweet lostworld passed on The Honest Scrap award to me. The process for “accepting the award” required the winners to disclose 10 honest things about themselves. On a self-imposed hiatus that I was (was = am) on, this post took a lot of time.

So ladies and gentlemen, before you munch on my 10 juicy truths, let’s get over and done with the boring part first (what to do? It’s necessary. Sulk!).

The rules to rightfully claim this award are:
1. I must thank the person who gave me the award and list their blog and link it --- My dear lostworld, thank you!
2. I must list 10 honest things about myself --- 10 (gulp!) kuch zyaada nai hai?
3. I must put a copy of Honest Scrap logo on my blog --- If only it had been a bit more visually appealing (Ok I shall not rant)
4. I must select at least 7, 8 other worthy bloggers and list their links --- Tough, tough, tough. Mere jaise log hai kahan aaj kal?
5. I must notify the bloggers of the award and hopefully they will follow the above three requirements also --- Hopefully? They better!

There, we are done and we are happy again. Sunshine, sunshine everywhere :)
So people, put on your seat belts, ‘coz here we go:

1. I CAN’T dance. In a family full of dancers (a young cousin can even make Shakira run for her money), I find myself hiding under beds, inside almirahs and faking fever to escape the “come, let’s dance” public humiliation. I might even be some long-lost relative of Dharmendra. But hey, that’s not my secret. The secret is that when we listen to music, we close our eyes, and voila! We imagine ourselves dancing like a ballerina! And I swear, some moves I make there in my imagination, can put any ballerina to shame. Talk about “mind over matter”!!

2. I can’t see any woman in pain. Friend, family, stranger—doesn’t matter. My blood starts boiling and I feel like killing the man responsible for her pain (No, am not anti-men). But this is something I can’t explain. Maybe the feeling stems from the fact that I belong to a family which has some very strong women. Take, for instance, my nani. She only studied till class 7. Married to an Air Force officer (my nana), she had to hear taunts about her “not knowing English” all the time. One fine day, at the ripe old age of 60, she picked up a notebook, a pencil and a dictionary, and started teaching herself the Queen’s language. As things stand today, in an average sentence of hers, 7 out of 10 words are English!

3. I do not like fair men (with the sole exception of Rahul Gandhi). I mean why can’t they get some tan? Who wants to live with a male Barbie? Bah!!

4. I suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Bottles, books, papers etc. etc. have to be neatly stacked, with the labels showing in the front. All things, at all times have to be at the “perfect angles”. Nothing lopsided, falling out, or coming in the way.

5. I LOVE the idiot box. And I watch most reality shows on television. Yes, even the ones that suck (read Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, in which I take crude interest watching Rahul Mahajan, looking like a rapist chote thakur, eyeing the wannabe girls chorusing “We love you Rahul”. And yes, the girls suck too. Big-time). And I especially love those reality shows in which contestants fight with each other. Seeing people make a fool of themselves—sheer pleasure!

6. For a major part of my life, I thought I looked like Jennifer Lopez (yes, I know stupid me!). When my darling, my sweetest mother first saw me watching a J.Lo music video in school, she looked at her and said, “Arre beta, J.Lo looks like you” (Note. Not “you look like her”, but “she looks like you”). Mothers! I tell you.
These days she thinks Rani Mukherjee resembles me.

7. Lately, I have turned very superstitious. Especially, the “nazar-lagna” thingy. There was a time, when I laughed at people who bothered about such things. Little did I know, that one day, I would be joining their ranks.
Now, you will find me not wearing black on important days, not repeating a piece of cloth, that proved to be unlucky before, wearing my “lucky” clothes and trinkets for interviews, special occasions etc etc.

8. I like observing random women, more than I like looking at guys (and no, I am not a lesbian). It’s just that there is so much to see and observe in a woman—what’s she wearing, how she’s styled her hair, her handbag, her shoes, her jewellery—Need I go on?

9. Generally, out of 10 random people I meet or interact with, on any given day, I end up disliking 9. I find something or the other to not like in most people. But hey! I am not all bad. I like that 1 person, don’t I?

10. I have NEVER been able to watch a full love-making scene on television (both English and Hindi films), without an elder walking in suddenly, and me jumping up and hurriedly changing the channel. Of course, by the time the person leaves, and I switch back to the channel, the hero and heroine are over with their business and calmly sipping tea in their drawing room.

PHEW! That was long and tiring. Now, let me quickly list my favourite “honest” people on Blogsville.

With Malice: I don’t think I have ever read better original Hindi poetry before this. Meri do chamach waali Maggi is just plain genius. He reminds me of a certain Mr Gulzar.

Let Me Be Me: She is short, sweet and mostly to-the-point. I find myself eagerly clicking the link whenever she updates her blog.

Tamanna: Honest and in-your-face. Lately though, there has been no activity on the blog. One wonders why…Hopefully, this award will change things!

Ek cup coffee: My first blogger friend, who continues to write from her heart!

BlossomBlue: She is poetic, she is sentimental and she is straight-from-the-heart.

From my corner: She sometimes reminds me of me. Nice blog!

Mood: Happy
Music I am listening to: Dhan-Te-Nan