Popagandhi / 654 posts / 5,845 comments / feed / comments feed / flickr feed
On the Verge of
a. many exciting things b. breaking down c. overdosing on nicotine/ dying of starvation d. tearing my hair out e. all of the above. So. Since I can’t talk about the things I want to talk about, I won’t; and since I can’t write without sounding like I’m whining, I won’t either. Back in two weeks. Then gone for five [...]
A Word for Everything
I love new words. New words like, boobiesexuals (credit where it is due: coined by this podcaster). In other news, I have been incredibly busy. Yep.
Some Stats
Number of Mumbai-based travel agents called: 25 Number of Mumbai-based travel agents that picked up: 2 Amount of time spent on hold on IDD: can’t bear to think about it Cost of one way ticket BOM-SIN on Jet Airways/Indian Airlines: 10300 rupees Cost of one way ticket BOM-SIN on Singapore Airlines: 10800 rupees (S$394) Guess which flight I’m hopping [...]
Parents, Kids and Webcams
Oh dear. This sounds exactly like what my dad and I might do, if he hadn’t given up on the idea that “tidy” and “my room” can go together. “An exasperated father has discovered to his cost that cyberspace is not the ideal arena for family feuds. Two weeks ago Steve Williams became so fed up [...]
In Transit
I’m in a kurta top and Indian sandals and I’m sitting next to a monk in a SBS bus. My top is from Bombay. My bag is from Chiang Mai. On my wrist there’s a bracelet from Tibetan Curios (Laden La Road, Darjeeling), with a Buddhist prayer on it. My cellphone’s “last dialled numbers” include the [...]
Some Signs That Say
You’re Going Back To India Registering at other websites, you find it odd that the marital status dropdown list does not offer “Married” and “Unmarried”. You easily navigate the IRCTC website without problems. You even know what Tatkal and RAC means. More on trains: you refer to station names by their codes. Without doing a search, [...]
Identity Issues
Z: “So. Yes. I have a lifetime Tupperware membership.” Me: “How come you never told me that? Are you also a Phoon Huat member?” Z: “Yes..” Me: “Did you just say you felt cheated that, contrary to expectations, I turned out to be this cheena korpet, munjen ah-pek instead of the sophisticated young lady I was pretending to [...]
Why I Am Still A Feminist
I am still a feminist because I am no longer ashamed of saying I am one. I have grown tired for apologizing for so many of the things I am: for being liberal, lesbian, anti-Bush and anti-war, a Christian that hates the fundamentalists. Anymore to apologize for, and I may have to apologize for being [...]
Separated At Birth
Some people apparently have facial features resembling Ayumi Hamasaki and Adriana Lima; other people don’t have as much luck. I ran my pictures through the celebrity database at MyHeritage Face Recognition and repeatedly got: Aung San Suu Kyi, Jay Chou, Andy Lau, Tony Jaa, Anita Mui. At some points, Marlon Brando, Steven Gerrard and Joi [...]
Rough City
At dusk, a layer of reddish brown dust hovers above and around the Oberoi. It settles nicely into a strata of that which had already existed before and that which was only beginning to take form. For just one second, you admire Calcutta. The Oberoi, with all its dignified curves and marbled excesses, like its cousin [...]