why i will always love india
Ok. I'm a native and all that. But that's not it. I love india because she can make me laugh or smile when i need it the most. And, take me by surprise. Pleasantly.
good friends with 'benefits'
This came up during a conversation with my pal, anil. He egged me to write about it. Ergo...We meet a fair number of women, my pals and I. And, because we're single, there's always an angle. Mostly obtuse. Of late, the women we've been meeting and/or superficially dating(I'll explain that some other time) have been rather keen on one kind of relationship. Yes, you've read the title, I know. But, before you get excited about this rather alarming trend (alarming for statisticians, brilliant for men), I'll have you know the benefits do not include carnal acts. Yeah. No soup for us!!These women seem to seek this comfort zone that they get into when they're in a romantic relationship, without any of the baggage. Or physical proximity. Good friends by day. Sweet-nothing-whisperers by night. Good, great friends, the best!! Love? Lust? Huh?Frankly, its driving me up the wall. We're simple people. 'Man'kind, that is. First, there was the complication of dating/relationship/breakup/marriage/divorce. And now this new state. This in-between state where we haven't the slightest clue if we're in or out. And if we're in; how deep? Q: Hey. How've you beenA: Good. You?Q: Great. How's that chick you've been talking too. You guys an item now?A: She's good. I guess. Item? Dunno. Just good friends. I guess. Or maybe not. I'm confused. Q: Bye dude! See what i mean?I have a theory. I think this goes much deeper that it seems. I get the feeling these women are ganging up. They're forming these cults, where they're confusing the shit out of men and laugh about their experiences at weekly meetings.Sue: Hi. I'm Sue and I'm a 'good friend'.Group: Hi Sue.Sue: You won't believe what I made this guy do this week......{much laughter follows}Is it time for men to ask the one question we most dreaded? Where's this going, honey?
actor, writer, producer, director, singer, actor..ooh aah aah aah..
When i was ten years old there was just one thing that 'diva' meant. It was a rail-station on the train route from mumbai to pune. I think the sequence of stations was kalwa-mumbra-diva-kalyan. Then i was introduced to music. Over the years, I listened to Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, The Supremes, Cher, even Celina Dion(though I hate to admit it). They were divas, alright.In the late-sixties, Elton John emerged. And, as he sold more albums,he blossomed(figuratively speaking, only, i hope), and his persona became a precursor of the 'modern-day-DIVA'. Its amazing that he now endorses MAC's line of cosmetics by the same name. In recent past , however, I've heard the word used more often, and out of context, that one would deem acceptable. And i'm sick of it. You can't call anyone who throws tantrums a diva. Most gay men are instantly termed divas. In India, the term is used loosely on movie stars, even starlets who can't even hold a tune, forget about singing arias. I know a cat by the same name. The cat, i still understand. Please tell me we aren't going to start calling strong, hunky men 'baritone'.
p.s. The dictionary says:
di·va [dee-vuh, -vah] a distinguished female singer; prima donna.
gender-bender on fender-benders
Let me get straight to the point. I hate rash driving. And recently i have been witness to an increasing number of young women behind the wheel of badly-driven cars. Why would girls want to step into this silliest-of-all male-bastions? I'm not sexist. Far from it. I strongly agree with my friend, Vijen, who says, "Why would women want equality. They started out the superior race. It's men who are forever catching up". I personally feel post-modernist feminists are more radically sexist. But, I digress.Men have always ridiculed women for their driving skills. But lets get some facts straight. Women drivers are safer. I have never sat in a car, with a woman driving, and feared for my life. Maybe its because it comes a little more naturally to some men. So all of them think its like breathing. So natural. Maybe they haven't heard of asthma.So won't the real slim-shady please drive slow, please drive slow.
