A silky love story

Mitali met Sharad on a hot day, in the supermarket. She was standing behind him in the check out line. He suddenly turned back and stared at her. And then he smiled. “You have beautiful hair” he said before walking off.

They met again at the supermarket and got talking. Mitali did most of the talking, all Sharad did was stare. It was creepy, pleasant even. Life went on, they met more often.

Sharad didn’t do much. He just stared at her, as if in a trance and ran his hands through her curly mane. “Your hair is beautiful, don’t ever cut it.”, he told her once.

Eventually he asked her to marry him. She agreed. This would be his fourth marriage. She didn’t mind. The marriage took place soon. “I can’t wait “Sharad had said.

One day they were watching TV together. A talent hunt was on. A magician with his assistant was contesting.

“Look at the assistant, she has red hair” Sharad said.

“She looks so silly” Mitali replied.

“I like her” said Sharad simply.

The very next day Sharad announced that he was going to Goa and wouldn’t be contactable. And then he disappeared. Mitali got no calls from him, no emails. His phone was constantly switched off. A worried Mitali moved through her days not knowing what to do.

One day she decided to clean up the storeroom. An isolated shelf stood at the entrance. When Mitali swept under it, she found a key. She tried it on the shelf and it worked. Curious now, Mitali took out a dusty diary and sat down to read.

“……I saw the perfect set of curly hair in the supermarket today. How I want those locks. I want to run my hands through them. I want them in my collection……”

Surprised, Mitali turned to another page.

“I have asked her to marry me. Now I can easily cut off her hair…”

Trembling now, Mitali turned back the pages

“Ritu is dead now. It was easy to strangle her with her own long hair. Her shiny long hair. I have cut off a very long strand…..” 

 

The diary dropped from Mitali’s hands. She went to her room in a daze.

 A Few weeks later a report came out in the newspaper

“A woman’s body was found in Vikramshila Apartment yesterday morning. Her hair was cut unevenly from several places……”

 

Quest Mall, Park Circus

On Saturday, I visited the newly opened Quest mall for the first time. It is apparently  the second largest shopping mall in Eastern India. It is also the first luxury mall of  Kolkata and also the whole of East India and the largest of its kind in India.

 While it almost gives you the feel of being in Mumbai's Phoenix it is not as spectacular as it looks like from outside. Most of the high end brands like Breitling, Emporio and Burburry are not open yet. However, the brands that are open include Lifestyle (not previously seen in Kolkata), Vera Moda, W, Wills Lifestyle, Earthwear.


Once the luxury brands are inaugurated Quest will become the hub for the elite. 

The Foodcourt has Mexican joint Chili's, which has in a very short time become a popular hang out. A slight pocket pinch is expected  ( Rs 1500 for two) which is not bad for a novelty restaurant.  Other than that the foodcourt has KFC, CCD, a chinese food counter among the usual fare. 

They have Inox, which has 6 screens. Though for me that is not really a bonus living in the south. But yes, definitely more options. 

The Spencer's  is pretty huge but they don't have an alcohol section, just yet. They may have one soon though. And I had expected them to have a few novelty sections not available at the other Spencers. 

I am not much of a mall person or much of a shopping person so having a luxury mall in Kolkata is not that big a deal for me. I would go back and hang out there if I absolutely had no place to meet up with a friend AND if I wanted to eat at Chili's. 

Kinda

Kinda funny, kinda not.

You promised but you forgot.

Kinda like a quiet blot,

which did twist the plot.

Kinda funny, kinda not.

How to do jugaad: Ways you can save money everyday

It's Monday and it's time for another How to post. I was wondering what to give my gyan without being to preachy. I was like jugaad karna padega. And so this week I am giving a step by step guide on How to do jugaad in your everyday life. 

First thing I did was google the word jugaad. And I was very surprised to find a wiki page about it. For me jugaad is about saving money instead of spending it on what I feel are over expensive items. ( I am very miserly) So here's my list  of jugaadu hacks for everyday life. 

The kitchen: Baking,  cooking and other kitchen related jugaad

Smoking vegetables: You don't need expensive equipment to smoke those capsicums. You just need a pair of wooden skewers, some coal and an earthern pot. Read my post on How to smoke vegetables here! It's pretty simple. Soon you will want to smoke everything. (Ok, maybe not your house!)

Using foil instead of expensive silicon mats to make nougat and other sugar candies: If you love working with sugar and want to experiment you don't need expensive silicon mats. You can easily make nougat and other sugar candies with foil. 

Use ziplock pouches and parchment paper as instant piping bags: I do this all the time. Though I also use proper piping bags for frosting with nozzles, when I am out of piping bags I just use washed ziplock pouches for piping. It's very easy, just fill the pouches and cut of one end like you would cut a piping back. You can wash and re-use the bags when you're done. Another alternative is washed milk packets. 

You can also use parchment paper to make instant cones for chocolate and sugar frostings. 

When short of 1 egg while baking : Don't panic if you've started baking and realise that you're short of an egg.

My very first guest post : Living the daylights by Samik Bhattacharya

Let me introduce to you a very talented guy who happens to be a very good friend of mine.  Samik Bhattacharya is a  blogger, guitarist, freelance graphic designer and photographer. You have to know him to believe it. And when I requested him to write a guest post for me he agreed instantly. That's how great he is :D

Anyway, I should stop talking and let him start now.

LIVING THE DAYLIGHTS

The other day, I read that post about a time-capsule. I had seen the concept being exercised in movies, but I never really knew what the phenomenon was called until now. When Anjee mentioned she had written a post about How to create a time capsule, my head wandered and revolved around the concept of time-machine. I know everyone has their own vices and excuses to hitch a ride in a time-machine every once in a while; maybe even have a secret stolen time-machine hidden in the attic for quick escape, and all I can say is - I am one of them.

The eventful life I've had till now (don't mistake my craving for time-travelling be related to having "regrets" because I have no any; or maybe just one), I often want to revisit, if not for anything, then only to smell the air of the past.

So, I lay on my back wondering what were the times that I would visit if I did have a time machine. And suddenly it felt like somebody had magically vanished a metaphorical dam of thoughts inside my head and every damn thing in my knowledge was rushing inside the invisible theatre to take the front seat, to force me to notice them. I was stupefied for a while. Then I took the pain of settling all of them in order before I could actually start the thinking process in a rational manner.

After they were settled down (against their will) and didn't dare make any occasional excited outbursts in the middle of my contemplation, I began to brood from the beginning of the timeline and here is pretty much what I arrived at...

1. I would go back to 1920s and see Charlie Chaplin actually direct City Lights.

2. I would spend a day with Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Picasso and Gertrude Stein like Midnight In Paris.

3. Then to 1941 and see Orson Welles play Citizen Kane.

4. Hang around the sets of Fellini and Bergman just for fun.

5. Steal the roles of Cary Grant for "An Affair to Remember" and Gregory Peck for "Roman Holiday".

6. Watch The Beatles live in Rooftop.

When Lucy spoke

I am no Lucy

But if I were

I would wait for you in my cottage

I would stand by my window

staring out,

till you came.

I would send clouds towards you

to tell you of me.

I would know that

I love you

even though I had not opened my eyes.

Lucy has always loved you

much before you realised.

I am no Lucy

but if I were

I know I would have no other

You would teach me

more than I would ever know.

You would tell me of my existence

and speak aloud my name

 I would not know passion

only know to wait.

 And I will

till you longer doubt

what would have been.

What is there is there

has been there for years.

Before you; before me; before all.

I am Lucy

and I am right here.

 ~28th November 2013

I am no Wordsworth but if I were...

We are all fragile

Today is the 13^th day of mourning of my grandfather’s death. We lost him on the 9^th. Today we have officially stopped mourning. We had a hawan, followed by lunch. His favourite dishes were cooked. It was a goodbye; a tribute.

His death reminded me that we are all so very fragile. He was not ill. He fell. He was 86 and frail. And now he’s not there.

This is not a lecture about how life is precious and how we should all live it to the fullest and blah, blah and blah. No. All I know is I’ve lost a grandparent. My mom has lost his dad. 

Things change when you lose a parent. Dynamics change. Equations change. He was after all the head of the family and now he is no longer there. It shook me, his death. I  had very stubbornly thought that he would always be there.

The day he died, I was in denial for a very long time. When he fell I was resolutely thinking that he would live through it; even though the doctors  had  declared  that his survival chances were very low. 

They say time heals. My question is where is this time that heals?

From tomorrow we get back to our old lives. We resume work. My masi who came down from Delhi will go back home. Everything will normalize. Or as normal as can be. We will move on. Because we are humans and humans need to move on.

Just another adventure Dumbledore had said. He was 86, my grandfather. He did lead a not just good; a very good life. And I am lucky I had him as my grandfather. My nanu. And I know that soon, I too will move on.

But for now all I can say is thank you. Thank you nanu.

That's my nanu, me, masi and nani

And Then Sadness Prevailed

Emptiness,

encircling gloom.

Leaves falling off,

leaving me alone.

Distress,

I deserve all this and more.

You going away,

melancholy has never been so sad before.

Darkness,

am all alone.

No one by me,

you- forever gone.

I have a  new feature on my blog called Verse Wednesdays. I will be posting my poetry on Wednesdays. Sometimes I will also have poetry from guest bloggers. 

I wrote this poem 7 years ago when my maternal grandma passed away. Last Wednesday night, my granddad passed away. I miss him loads. Thought I'll share this poem today. 

Emptiness

My granddad passed away on the 9th. So blogging is off for some time. I don't even know who I am giving this explanation to. 

How to create a time capsule: A step by step guide

This is the first of its kind post on Pigeonheadophobia. It's my first How To and it's my first post on Time capsules. 

Creating time capsules is one of the many projects I will take up this year. 

So what exactly is a time capsule?

A time capsule is a historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists Time capsules are placed with the intention that they will be , anthropologists or historians. Time capsules are sometimes created and buried during celebrations such as a World's Fair, a cornerstone laying for a building or at other events. Time capsules are placed with the intention that they will be opened or accessed at a future date. Source : Wikipedia


A time capsule can be created b anyone. I love the idea of a time capsule because I feel it's necessary for the future to know what the past was. 

How to create your own time capsule: 

A step by step guide

Sunday blogpost delayed

Today was a weird day. It started off really well. We saw a silly movie.  And  we shopped. And was fine. 

But right I am I am feeling weird. I am not exactly upset, but neither am I happy. Feeling bleh. I think I have Sunday evening blues. I have to get back to work tomorrow and I am really sleepy. I just want to lie down, quietly and not be disturbed by anyone. I just don't want to think  and I don't want to talk to anyone! 

I really don't want to talk to anyone. 

I'll probably go to sleep and post this tomorrow. I am too bored and tired to switch on my laptop. 

So bye.

( I recorded this last night on my phone and it's only fair that I post this today. I do have another post for today :D) 

Adios. Next post up soon!

I am cheating on my boyfriend but he doesn't seem to mind

It was at the age of 19 that I developed my love for cooking. I may not like the chopping part, the rest of it; I love. And I  am not exactly a foodie but  I adore feeding them. 

Cooking, collecting recipes' trying them, baking; gives me as much joy as writing does. I had never thought I would enjoy any activity as much as I enjoy writing but I do! And it amazes me!

A week ago a friend of mine told me how I can smoke vegetables easily without  using any expensive equipment. It's simple and cost effective. 

So the next day I bought some charcoal, skewers and an earthen pot and today I tried smoking half a green capsicum. 

So here's how you do it:

Ours is not a mere paragraph; a short story or novel. Ours is an infinity of words.

Did you know that

 when I share  love quotes

 with you,  I mean them?

 I may not have written them

 but I relate to every word.

 I wish you were the kind

 to get poetry, I wish you

 loved poetry.

Who would marvel over Eliot

 and Kafka and Murakami and

O’Henry and Shakespeare and

Pablo Neruda and obscure

writers who touch me with their words.

I know everyone is not

wired the same;

and there are so many things

we do have in common;

and there are so many things

I don't get about you ;

and there are so many other things

about me that you DO get.

Yet I crave for this too.

Because words, simply put;

are beautiful, in every possible way.

 And I don't know if you know

 the nuance that separates

always from "Always".

Or that gibberish also has meaning.

And that "lost in translation" is a real thing.

 And I don’t say it but wish

 you understood when I make

literature references.

Or that I refrain from making them

coz it's too difficult to explain the context.

 And that by the time I do explain,

the spontaneity of saying it gets lost.

I will always have other people

to talk poetry but

sometimes I wish I could talk about them

with you too.

Because I want to be able to

talk about everything with you.

We are not made of atoms;

 whatever science claims.

We are made of stories.

That is NOT a romantic notion.

 And I guess being practical

and not caring for romance

is a facade for the world.

I have never been a cynic.

And I still wish that flowers never die.

And I laugh when I say this

and I hate to admit

that I am, after all

a romantic.

And if you're my Fitzwilliam

and I  your Elizabeth;

we still don’t have

our very own dance yet.

And when I found you, I knew

you were my Flynn, Ron and Darcy

all rolled into one.

But I wish I could tell you that.

One day I will; and if you're listening

you will hear me whisper:

Will you be Jim to my Della?

 (and I will be hoping that you say “Always.” )

~Anjee Bhatia

27^th November 2013

Dedicated to A, my poetic license. 

How to form a habit among other things...

They say it takes a week to form a habit. Some say it takes 27 days. It's day two and I hope the 7 day habit formation is working 

This is not even a real how to. I am not going to teach you how to form a habit coz I don't know it myself. Read one of those self help books that you keep buying. 

  It has been a long day and it's almost my bedtime. Yeah, I know it's only 10.20 and I hate

to admit that I am sleeping relatively early these days. I am after all, trying to wake up early too. That's another one of my resolutions. I have been trying to lose weight/inches and also get fitter/healthier and so I need to exercise. (You can't really diet, when you're baking, can you?) So new year resolution #2 exercise for atleast 20 minutes each day. I have been exercising for a few months now, but the resolutions kind of makes it more compelling, you know. I missed it on the 1st coz you know new year's eve blah blah blah. (For the record, I was sleeping, texts, calls and fireworks woke me up.) 

So I downloaded these fun zumba videos and some basic workout thingys and I am going to exercise everyday for the next 365  363 days. And eat healthier. 

Speaking of food, I have been using Kitchenbug which is a Beta app that helps you collect all the recipes you find online. This has helped me tremendously. It gives nutritional info and the format of the recipes are print friendly. Check out their facebook page too. 



I have one more thing I want to share with you ( A little much needed self promotion here) As you may or may not know, I now own my own business Melete and I am also blogging about food, sharing recipes, and blabbering about my business at my new blog. Show it a little love. It's a newbie and needs loads of attention. 


And since I will be writing everyday *fingers crossed* and I don't want to ramble; I will be planning a few things for Pigeonheadophobia. Expect a few challenges, guest posts, How To's, loads more fiction, poetry (well, maybe). And maybe a makeover. 

It's gonna be an interesting year!
Anyway, ciao
see you all tomorrow

Resolutions, races and well it's 2014 already!

Hi!

It's the first day of the year and well after eons I've made new year resolutions (thanks to my sister). And one of the resolutions is writing a blog post everyday. I don't know how I'll manage it but a girl can be ambitious, right? 

I just randomly said that I want to like to write 365 blog posts in the next one year. Well, for the last few months maybe, I have been sort of not-so-inclined to write; in the sense that I have not gotten time to put my thoughts down to paper. I had a lot of things I could write about; probably; but never did. That's really pathetic of me. Sounds really pathetic.

Anyway, first day of the year and here I am. 2013 was amazing and I was pretty  morbid about it ending yesterday but I guess it's fine. 

Today was definitely fun. For the the first time I went to see a derby race. It was undoubtedly amazing! Half of the crowd were fashionistas waiting for cameras to click them. The other half were people like me; excited about the races. 

I have been wanting to go for a few years and Calcutta has a huge and amazing racecourse and I have always wondered about horse racing. 

I don't like horses that much, because they stink. Or I should say that the horses I  have encountered stunk. I think the well kept ones, don't. Horse are possibly one of most beautiful animals (and someone told me, one of the dumbest.) It was an amazing experience; to see those horses gallop. I wish I had gambled. though. Somehow that didn't happen. 

Even though we didn't gamble, I predicted the winner and he won. Beginners luck? I chose that horse coz the jockey was cute. He was lanky and very very thin! 


The race lasted for hardly 3 minutes. Before you realise it, it gets over! And there you have it, a winner. 

The first race was cancelled for some reason. We missed the 2nd one because  we were busy eating, and looking around and trying to find our box. We saw the next three races.

A pleasant start to the year, I hope the good things continue. That's what we all want, don't we?

It's 2014! That's gonna take a little while to sink in. I am expecting a lot of changes to happen this year. Jittery about them, excited about them. I mean, it's weird that you can be both excited AND scared about the same thing. 

But here I am. A new challenge; a new year and this will sound a bit cliche; a new beginning. New year= new beginning blah, blah, blah. 

See you tomorrow!

And yes,
A very happy new year to all!