The ART of CHILLING! ;)

Step 1: Be a blogger. Its free!

Step 2: Be a friend of Vineet Rajan. Its free! (Or say, destinee)

Step 3: Get invited to the Foster's Art of Chilling Parteeee!! Its free!

Step 4: Drink Fosters beer! All that you want! Its FREEE!!

:D

Need I elaborate further? Please allow me some rather satisfied end-of-drunken-day smirking while I go over the happy hours that I got to be part of today.

I reached Jaymahal Palace along with a friend (much to Vinni's chagrin, he insisted that I go alone, sorry Vinni ;)) at around 1.30 pm. Anwin of Indiblogger was there to greet us at the entrance of where the dhinchak was emanating from. He introduced us to another fellow blogger Harish. The three of us then trodded in, and found the place just warming up. The DJ, however, was in great form already.

The weather was just warm enough and we headed straight past the food to the bar to get our can of chilled Fosters. Plenty of music to go with the taste.


Oh and not to miss the naariyal paani for the teetotallers.
The barbecue by the poolside was tempting as well but we held out for a while till the place started filling out a bit. I tried the vegetarian stuff which was soothing to my empty stomach. The rest of the food looked great as well, but ahem ahem, I stayed off, since I'm off chicken!! (Mumble mumble, 3 days to go, but who's counting ;) )


Adding life to the party was a group of Australians (I'd wager) who really came prepared to have fun. Even as we entered they had feet tapping to the music. It wasn't long before they plunged into the pool and started playing around. It was so much fun just to watch them I was half-tempted to jump in with as is. They were the the first ones to start the homage dance around the DJ 's shrine ;)


Everyone was at their relaxed best, lying by the poolside, glugging beer, moving to the music, munching on the great food.

Pleass to note, that in all this while, i shied not from consuming more and more of Fosters beer :)

I even ventured my hand at some graffiti (you know with all those spray cans) and ended up with this preposterous attempt at the Foster's Art of Chilling logo :D

Thanks Fosters and Indiblogger!! Had a great time!!

Rakhi, ab kya reh gaya baaki?

You've got to hand it to her:

She never fails to come up with something to top her previous whatchamacallit. She was once some barely clothed item girl. Sometime later she started appearing in tiny forgettable roles in just-as-forgettable movies. Then the nation saw her hysterics on the popular reality show Big Boss (is there a bb or a gg somewhere in that?). This was the place where producers watching realised how much potential she had to bring up TV show ratings. This was where she declared her love for some wannabe model when someone else ridiculed her.

And then life was all cosy. And rosy. She and her beau appeared together in more reality TV shows, won some, lost some, but they were together and happy. The couple who made it from scratch. Together forever. She even had her own chat show!

Or not. Then the nation had to survive Mika's kissing hullabaloo and another news-channel-worthy Boyfriend-slapping episode. And she had to survive hearbreak.

Cut to today. Rakhi mourns the lack of love in her life. And then decides to do something about it.

And how! First, she cashes in on tradition. She not only commercialised the whole business of arranged marriages, making money out of the whole affair, but ends up becoming Princess Rakhi with her very own swayamwar!

In a nation where men and their families are still visiting potential brides to 'see' them, asking them to display their 'talents' and valuing them on how well they sing, cook or dance, or better, how much richer they could make them, she, the RAKHI SAWANT, makes the men dance and sing and woo her with love letters, while the nation watches. Some in shock, some out of curiosity of this whole new process, and the rest for the pure entertainment that comes out of watching people proclaim their love to Rakhi Sawant.

If you haven't seen the show, these are just some of the gems you missed ;)

1. Rakhi's ocassional pearls of wisdom (main apne pati ko humesha khush rakhoongi, kabhi bhi aisa nahi sochungi ki ab to mera ho gaya, ab kya karna),
2. Rakhi's laments (mujhe kisi ne nahi sikhaya ki pyaar kya hota hai, 'date' kya hota hai)
3. Ram Kapoor, in his unconvincing, if anything, role as Rakhi's friend and confidante.
4. her falling in love with some of her suitors (Manmohan ji ne to mera mann moh liya),
   
5. the attempt to show the simple girl Rakhi beneath the glamourous getup (oh the shock when she was offered a drink - Bacardi *beep*),
   
6. fluttering eyelids as she swoons to almost everyone saying a sweet word to her,
7. suitors ranging from the romantically poetic to the obnoxiously absurd
   

And...
COMING UP:

How much can you do for Rakhi?
Do you really love her?
Will you tattoo her name on your hands?? (Suspense music, shocked faces)
STAY TUNED ;)

With regard to food..

..my other almost-love. Unfortunately, this one manifests itself in some of the most unseemly ways. And then of course, there's all this thing about testing one's self-will.

So, dear handful of readers, I'll tell you all about my vow off all meat for a month.

Why? How? I was sitting in a not-so-fancy fast food joint one day with my two very vegetarian friends, and discussing what stops them from trying out meat. While we spoke about their conscious choice and the environment they grew up in, it struck me that when I go out to eat, I never consciously pick out anything vegetarian. The realization that I was so hooked on to chicken descended in all its glory. And didn't sit too well.

And so I imposed on my self, a month without chicken and other such meat. I figured one month would be just enough to see how I do. And how much further I would be able to. It started last monday, that 22nd day of June, which means its been about 10 days, and I've not missed it much. Considering I still allow myself egg, I haven't been too tough on myself.

Which should make me feel all elated and all, but as if to show a downside to everything, I've discovered the pleasures of unhealthy vegetarian food, especially if its fried, or served with butter or cheese :)

Also I fell sick on the 8th day, as though my body was trying to prove a point. But it shall not be allowed to rebel so. I still have another 20 days to go. And I have plans for the 30 days after. Further foody updates to come :)