* An authentic Fuchka and Jhal Muri stand downtown (not bloody Danforth), thats hip, spicy, yummy and will revolutionize the snack culture of Toronto, replacing Jalapino poppers of *gag* Burger self-proclaimed King

* Adult size swings in all parks/patches of green so that we can park our bums on a broad wide surface and swing away, trying to reach the sky

* More Tim Hortons with large seating areas, books and (this is almost genius level) internet surfing options

* Outlaw Starbucks- they are overpriced, American and frankly their coffee sucks

* Personalized gyms without any glass walls facing the streets so that skinny girls with their pelvic bones sticking out of scarily low and tight jeans cannot oggle. TVs playing non-stop reruns of Friends

* All pigeons - packed off to Africa where they might be better utilized as -dinner

* Public making-out banned in all fast food joints and libraries

* The free paper 24 confiscated and their 'reporters' sent to America where they can feed the public frenzy of 'terror alert'

Lastly, prevalance of cute guys who just happen to be Bengali, like to read in public and are eager to chat about issues other than their cars/workout regime/finance (unlikely but one can only hope)






Me :)




Read an article on the Metro recently about a latest addition to Girl Power. Apparently there is a big demand for T-shirts with labels such as 'Boys are Stupid-poke their eye out', for tweens/teens (girls).

Is this what 'Woman's Rights Movement' has brought about? Humour in abusing boys/men? Will it have been equally funny if the T-shirts read 'Girls are dumb-kick them'? Nope, there would be an outcry!
Have the tides of power turned around so much that we have began to misuse it in the same way that men did decades ago?
Can we not reach equality on our own without subjugating the men? Army Pfc Lynndie England (Iraq), Karla Homolka (Canada)- why are they treated/viewed differently from their men partners?- 'England wouldn't even harm a dog',says her family; 'I was forced to help him', says Homolka. When will the world see them as they are- hardened criminals.

I have began to detest the word 'Feminist'.I can only think of my brother watching a girl wearing this T-shirt, and faces of millions of babies whose killing have been upheld by women using the excuse of 'rights'.




Alright, time to be true to oneself, face the music, admit defeat : I love weddings.
Regardless of my views about marriages, I love the traditions/ceremonies/organizations/preparations/gossip/laughs/bright clothes/ sweets/music/and most of all the crafts of weddings. I have have been at my friend Sham's Holud/Henna ceremony that started at 3pm and ran till 2 am, and I'm still pumped!

Weddings bring out the best(ceremonies,arts,music) and sometimes worst(tardiness,fights,bad food) of our culture. Romance of the union of two people is there, but at south-asian weddings it tends to take back seat. Though Sham was really cute and romantic when he showed up at his bride's Mehdi from the night before with a rose and walked up to the stage to give it to her and then took off.
Turns out I AM a wedding planner at heart but who also loves to sit around with friends and laugh at the tacky clothes,funny aunties checking you out,inside jokes and general nuisance of things. I'm tireless, happy and at my prime at weddings - other people's ofcourse :D

PS: Must lose weight though to stop looking like an aunty :P




Finished watching 'The English Patient'. Tis is the great love story that everyone seems to be harping on?! A cheating wife (on Colin Firth too....nooooooo how could you? you you Kristin Scott Thomas-woman with no boobs!) and a moment of passion with an exotic man in the midst of war? This is Love?
Gawd I'm must be so disillusioned.

BOOOHOO. poor Colin Firth *sniff* and with Ralph Fiennes! UGH UGH. Woman do you not have any taste?




I'm dogsitting for someone for the next few days while they are away at their son's wedding. As their car pulls away this morning, Stanley- the high spirited one, paws away at the door and whines and cries. I try to distract him with a squeaky hedgehog (their wet smelly ball), only his half brother, Willis is persuaded. It takes me two hours, a few treats and a lot of talking (I don't want to know what the neighbours thought of my baby talks out on the patio) to get them to forget their misery and accept me as the surrogate mother for the next two days. There were real tears in Stanley's eyes.

PS: Am I in charge of watering their forest? (hope not, I have a black thumb)




Had a long winded conversation with my boss about the virtues of working out(him) and different excuses against it (me). Easy for him to go to the gym regularly at the age of 50, esp since he used to be in the army! Not for an anti-sweat activist such as me, who can only manage one and half crunches.
But it was quite cute how he worried about what kind of workout I might enjoy, after I mentioned how I DETEST it, always have, even as a kid. I happen to mention I like swimming and walking. And his face lit up until I added how swimming in chlorine water ruins my hair (hair which is far more important than a perfect body) and can't walk now coz I'm wearing high heels :D

So finally we decided (well he did) that I could go for a walk in the morning with my running shoes on for 20 minutes. Welllll, I do hv a nice park in front of my house, I own a pair of comfortable shoes that makes me look like a hobbit :P and I DO wake up early - sooo I momentarily shut up and thought about it. THEN, he says I could take the CAT for a walk :D and I was sold! Tush would look so cute in a leash. *Day dreaming of us taking long walks in the early mornings, him chasing butterflies and me looking smug and thin*





Apparently new research(!) is showing that 'the low-carb diets work the same as any low-fat diet such as At-(yuk)-kins, and wont work long-term.'
Oh great, why can't they just leave the myths be. Alternatively, does anything work? Not that I can give up carbs, love my fried rice too much, but still!! I would have thought about it. I'm feeling like a Kumropotash today. *moan*. Wonder if there is a way to lose weight by sitting in front of a computer and staring at the monitor, blinking ofcourse. Or maybe the excess baggage will be gone by prodding a skinny person, osmosis baby :D

(If you are wondering what Kumropotash is,
Picture Link
read Shukumar Roy's Aboltabol kobita titled Kumropotash Kobita Link, and you'll know what I'm talking about.
Oh only if you can read Bangla, otherwise forget it, the picture should give you hints though)




Beginning to agree with something I read on the internet somewhere about how people should stop making silly romantic movies. It has messed us up. Created this vision of what love should be and guys should be- that is simply not true. Our mothers, our married friends saw/see it when they say 'you get used to him' or that 'you will just have to compromise'. We kept thinking no no thats not it. But it has to end. We just have to start living in the real world where no guy will ever 'love me just the way I am', or 'compare me to the moon', to launch a hundred army on my behalf. There is no love; people just convince themselves they are in love, which usually means either they are in lust, or that they want to make babies, or want to move out of their parent's control. I will move into that world now as well. I'm not being cyncal, just realistic. At 26, I'm growing up.




At the bust stop, a middleaged-bigmomma-black woman, in all black, waits with a pink, powerpuffgirls tote. click.
In the bus, a two and half year old blond boy blows a kiss to a smartly dressed 20 yr old Indian guy who shyly smiles back. click.
Me with an iced cuppa with chocolate milk from Timmys. Perfect.

Life seems worth living again.




Leaving work at 4pm hopefully.
Will it still be sunny outside?

I have gunk in my hair- how bad would it be if I chopped it all off?






....there was a windowless office where lived a bored twentysomething who dreamt of cool breeze,warm sun,crashing waves and a good book.
She got none.
So she waited and waited and waited some more.
Then she realized she only had words to keep her company till her dreams come true.
Can words be enough to capture it all?