Dev D is a sensuous feast.

Super chic visuals, stylish characters, escapisms that you can almost relate to, locations you have been to, clothes you want to be seen in, pretty colours, riveting music and a happy ending... What's not to love?

Really, there's nothing about Dev D that I didn't like. And if you are all for offbeat, Dev D has loads of it. The cast is perfect, very unrestrained, very believable. Abhay Deol is delectable, I wanted him to keep having a good time and just keep seeing him. But, how can this guy be related to Bobby 'Bicchu' Deol or Sunny 'No if no but sirf jatt' Deol', however Abhay Deol as Dev D will redeem your faith in Bollywood actors. The two women in the film, are great finds too, both good actors and utterly refreshing. One is well nourished while other, genuinely thin, not south beach thin, not power yoga thin but the high-metabolic rate thin. Oh yeah, the love scenes... I loved them, very stylized yet real. Brazen yes, but will you cringe? no.

Moments of discontent? None. Unless, you have a problem with
being manipulated into wanting Dev to be with Chandramukhi,
Dev not being in enough pain or pinning enough for Paro,
Dev living happily ever after.

Not me, I liked what I saw, everything. And I want to see more of Abhay Deol, Kalki, Mahi Gill and Anurag Kashyap. Nice.

Chopras, Johars, ... shoo!

Today's fortune: Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.

A harmless orkut break during work and I spot this on my homepage - 'Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.' I am scared, scared like hell; Oh my God, is that a sign? Is it trying to tell me something. Is it sending a message? Where 'it' could be God/the Orkut fortune teller/my inner self/something spooky. Whatever, with deadlines a little away I indulge in some deep thinking.

Am I living someone else's life? Am I? Yes, I do try to be a better copywriter at work, the loving daughter during my twice a day phone calls to my parents, the caring and no cribbing missus to my man, the always-there-for-you-to crib-about-your-husbands to my friends, etcetera.

But, if I don't try to be any of these then what would I try? I certainly can't imagine being a hippie, nor can I imagine leaving all Moh Maya and heading someplace high. Nopes. This is the only life I know. But now that I am thinking some more, here's what I want to try -

I want to try leaving it all ( the world of copy check, typos and everything) and pursue size zero with utmost seriousness.
I want to try stop worrying about the downturn and thus stop working like a woman possessed.
I want to to try working out like a woman possessed.
I want to try not caring enough about anything.

P.S. Today's fortune: The guy who reads your fortune lost his psychic powers (and his job). We hope you are feeling lucky.
Huh?

Yep, the times are tough.

I am working harder than ever.
And grumbling lesser,
I see sleepy shopkeepers.
And apologetic shoppers.
I decide on 'some place small' for my anniversary dinner.
Gifts or gifting don't feature however.
Queues in the ATMs get shorter.
And those in the bus stops get longer.
Everyone I know has some sad office story.
Yeah...things everywhere are getting pretty awry.

n.b.- “It’s really scary about the economy right now. So the way I’m playing my part in helping is doing a lot of shopping wherever I go.”
- Paris Hilton

Perceptive.

How I wish I had played a little.

“God it's killing me.” That's what Roger Federer said minutes after losing to Nadal in that memorable Australian Open final yesterday.

Nadal gets to the podium, hugs him, and says, "Sorry for today, I know how you're feeling right now. It's really tough. But remember you are a great champion, you are one of the best in history and you're going to improve the 14 of Sampras.”
What a match. And what incredible men. Sigh.

I have never played a sport seriously, unless you count lock n key, hide n seek and that odd game of badminton once in a while; jogging, walking and cycling were the only outdoorsy activities I've ever done. Yet, for a brief moment yesterday, I wished I had pursued some form of sport. I should have played something. Not to win, or to learn to lose gracefully, just to get that attitude towards life that only sports can get you. Heard Shahrukh Khan say this – sports teaches you how not to be a loser, winning or losing notwithstanding. Yeah, right. And the fact that it ups metabolism rate, that's good too. I should have played something.

And as Nadal kissed his trophy, I got off the couch, wore my sneakers, dashed out, let the elevator pass, hopped down the stairs and ran a little.

A seaside vacation, 3 days of mindless eating and a few realizations

'SALE' and not the sun's orange loveliness at sunset brings me happiness.
A room with a view is good, but the room should be really good, view often ceases to matter.
There's something called too much seafood.
There's nothing called travelling light.
I am very good at haggling. Anywhere.
Malls and multiplexes are a very important part of my life.
So is a television.
I gazed at the sea and rued missing Benetton's end of season sale back home. Do I need help?

The clouds parted, angels sang, and a golden beam of sunlight was cast...
Maybe I am not too fond of the sea after all. Maybe, Orkut & Facebook albums aren't the best reasons to go on a vacation. And maybe there's really no place like home.

On Mondays, I often think of becoming a full-time cook, a smalltime author, an expert on Andy Warhol, a professional kitsch collector, etcetera.

Mondays are plain sad. And I always thought Archies over hyped their 'Monday Blues' section. But isn't their effort so pointless? They haven't got the demographics right, I can't think of any working adult, who would feel better receiving a witty card on a Monday morning. A piece of chocolate cake? maybe, a movie ticket? yes, Shoppers Stop gift coupons? most certainly; but a witty card? No way.

Yeah... It's just another manic Monday.

Bored or stuck? I know the feeling.

And how do you differentiate between the two? How long do you have to be bored to realize that you are stuck and need to get out? How long?
And on that very note, I began my this year's list of must dos and don'ts. I am bored of myself. My reasons, my alibis, my delusional mind, and some of my ideas. I could do with some change; it's going to be less comfortable maybe, but I do need some change.

Somehow not having that fancy 'New Year's Resolution' heading to my list makes it that much more believable and doable. 'New' tops my list this year; which may include something as frivolous as trying a new haircut to something a tad more serious, like a new attitude perhaps. An attitude that teaches me to not cringe at the mere mention of paper work and investing. An attitude that tells me that hard work is meant to be hard. An attitude that helps me realize that even the guy who creates Nike ads, needs to copy check. An attitude that tells me airbrushing is a fact of life. An attitude that tells me to just get moving and not worry about looking silly. An attitude that assures me that another 5 minutes on the treadmill won't kill me. An attitude that tells me to care but not care too much. An attitude that makes me go about all that I want to go about. And finally an attitude that drills my head and says that I got to decide everything myself, be it trivial or significant; I've got to decide it all and stop looking for a punch bag (more on this later).

What's on your list?