Kiss and let kiss

Have been planning to write this since I was in my early 20's as could never understand what the outrage was all about.

I have no idea when or why kissing in public became an offense. Maybe at some point it was made a criminal act to help with population control as the authorities must have thought that if people kiss in public next logical step will be them tearing of  their clothes and start making out in public with no self control. Nobody tried to figure out how the countries which are not as modest as us keep their lusty hormones on check in public.

I mean if some poor firangi decided the have a destination wedding in India with the priest saying you may kiss the bride. The next thing would be apna havaldar walking up the aisle and asking for fine or threatening to put the newly weds in jail.

I live in a city like Mumbai where people dont have enough space to breathe and if these space starved couples find sea link to be a good backdrop to express their love...what's the harm. Dont most us have touristy public kiss selfies from the effiel tower. What's acceptable in Paris should not be a crime in india.

In fact I think all moms who stress about their children getting married should lobby to allow public kissing. Simple logic is that their errant and unwilling to settle down kids will start feeling left out in all the PDA and try to sort their love lives out. I can personally vouch on the effectiveness of this point.

Honestly today we as a society are acknowledging the third gender and fighting for gay rights. Compared to that kissing in public is a old story and I say let the poor couples be.

Kiss and let Kiss!!!!!

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'FILLING' AA JAAYEGI! with Aloo Baba

Few kilometers away from Pushkar, on a random road, resides Aloo Baba. The sadhu who eats only aloos and nothing else…he came highly recommended by our hotel manager Narendra Singh, who in his style said “sir ek baar Aloo Baba ko dekh ke aao…filling aa jaayegi”…I tried correcting him once…but then Narendra continued selling many other spots around Pushkar that have a lot of ‘fillings’. So I decided to shut up.

Anyways…after gazing at bored camels and hungry horses for more than 2 days Aloo Baba sounded tempting. So without thinking much, we hired a scooter (that won't pick up pace) and a motorcycle (that won't ride straight), and the four of us went ahead to meet to our god man.

Riding in the middle of Aravalis, half eaten by stone companies and half spared for later, we reached a white regular looking temple that had a strange and big Aloo Baba graffiti on top!...and I thought…oh god it’s a set up!...aloo baba is a gimmick to keep bored tourists interested in pushkar…he will be another fraud, who is doing this for money and not for finding the greater truth and shit like that…I feel like kicking narendra’s ‘fillings’...in fact i’m gonna… before my cynical thoughts could get any more violent, Richa interrupted with a shriek… “oh Aaloo baba!”…I looked at what she was looking at and found a frail, not-so-old man with long hair staring back at us.

He looked a little shocked. Obviously who wouldn't after hearing his name in such a shriek voice….but still “aao aao” he said welcomingly. He opened the gates and walked back inside the temple complex. Within seconds he laid out a mat for us to sit on and asked us to go in the kitchen and prepare tea if we felt like “apna hi kitchen hain…chai peene ka man hain toh bana lo”.

‘Kitchen!’ this word means a lot to Shivali, my wife, she just loves 'the kitchen', in whatever travels we have done so far, she has been in almost every kitchen that would not throw her out…it wouldn't matter if it is a hotel or a restaurant or a camp or a homestay and now a-feather-in-her-cap!...a temple too!....so straight she went into the kitchen to make tea…

But what happened after the tea came…was a wonderful experience that I cannot write about…because we just smoked {not marijuana (but you can if you carry it along)} and sipped and spoke with Aloo Baba, and so would you when you go….cause he is a chiller and in Narendar's words 'filling aa jaayegi'. 

Jai ho Aloo Baba!

The main entrance to the temple

Aloo Baba - Mr. Sweet love himself

Nowhere else would you see Kaali like this in a temple

This is the actual Hanuman mandir where devotees pray and do pooja

Richa & Shivali making the 'tea' that started it all

Rajat 'filling' it with Aloo Baba

Richa & Shivali 'filling' it on the top of the temple

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For Men: First Impressions @ First Dates

 

 

I was once told that men look for beauty and women look for substance when they go on a first date with someone new. Must be true loooooong back but now we live in a shallow shallow world and even women go by appearances - atleast where the first impressions are concerned.

 

He/She can be the most interesting person you come across but the sad reality is that if the person comes in shabby packaging then you will never reach the 'getting to know each other better' part. At some point in the future I would like to test this theory extensively though a social experiment but for now lets be superficial :P

 

Surabhi just came back from Milan and couldn’t stop ooh-aahing about this superlatively hot European colleague she saw at the Fashion Week. Though she put a disclaimer to the gushing by saying that thank god she did not speak to him or would have been disappointed - as she suspected that he was not that interesting. But it was his appearance that is still bringing smiles to her face.

 

So we decided to put down a short 5 point guide for men on how they can improve the appearances on the first date…especially if it is one of those blind dates that are an output of kindhearted friends or relatives or matrimonial sites.

 

1.       Don’t wear Jewelry – It’s a women’s arsenal and let her have it. Big chunky gold chains and rings might impress ammas looking for rich grooms for their daughters but they only put off the younger women. I believe that the only accessory a woman notices on a first date and feels impressed with is the right watch. Pull out your best branded watch and let it do the talking.

 

2.       Sun does not equal Sunglasses – Women like to look into your eyes and try and figure out what you are thinking. Their conclusions might be all wrong but they still like looking at your face without the distraction of sunglasses perched on your nose or head. In case you didn’t know, only women look good using sunglasses as hair bands. The only way you can get away with sunglasses on a date is that it's a beach or you are Salman Khan.

 

3.       The right car – A friend went out on a date with a guy who owned multiple cars and some of them were seriously fancy, but he came to meet her in an Innova which stinked a little. She would have let it pass but he also was wearing shorts with socks rolled up halfway to his knees. You can’t fault a woman for wanting to be picked up in a nice car and in case you don’t have one, there is always Uber.

 

4.    Don't get Flowers - yes we know we are debunking the usual 'fail safe' mechanism that men turn to. But please Flowers!!! Everyone knows that you didn't have enough time to give it a thought, and you put all women in one big cliché - hence flowers. Do some research and figure something more personal but not intrusive. We are not suggesting Lingerie but something on the lines of a good Book.

5.    Lets not get too casual or too formal - I am going with the assumption that you want to go all out and impress a woman on the first date and hence you will pick a nice place to take her out - and why shouldn't you... it's probably your only shot with her :) It is also safe to assume that she will put a lot of thought in what to wear especially as you are taking her to a nice place. So don't land up at the date in your shorts, tee and flip flops. It just gives the impression that you don't want to make the effort. On the flip side, do not land up at the date in your best suit afterall its not your wedding reception and you don't want to look like a 'gift wrap'. I would suggest pick a nice pair of fitted denims and club it with a smart tee and a casual blazer. That outfit will pass all the tests and not make you feel out of place anywhere.
 

If all else fails - my humble suggestion is to stick to classics. An indigo denim and white shirt  is my all time favorite date wardrobe suggestion for the guys - (switch to black if you are - let's just say - not in your best shape). This combination never fails to make you look effortlessly fashionable. I have done enough dipsticks and can confidently say that its a favorite look with all single women. 

 

Well after the appearances and superficiality of the date is evaluated and appreciated, the real tests begin where we try to figure interest levels, sense of humor, chivalry, compatibility, ability to have a nice conversation etc etc etc....some even say that the list is never ending and I just want to add 'on both sides' to it. 

 

 

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Asked out?? – List of things NOT to do

It took me a while to figure out what would interest me as the next blog post topic. You know that feeling when on a usual day you will have like a thousand post ideas, all making for awesome and fun read but when you actually come down to it - You reject them all...
So that's what happened to me... But then this one came up unexpectedly... And as the Nth time I goofed up… I realized if I cannot learn from my mistakes then maybe others could.
For people who know me, it’s not a shocker when I say that I have a history of mismanaging the few times I have been asked out so far. Hence I have compiled a list of Don'ts (which is my forte), and hope to someday compile a list of do’s ....

	1.     Don’t play Hide and Seek: I did this in Post Grad College! Abandoned my hostel room for a month trying to hide from a friend who happened to like me. There is no redemption. It’s undoubtedly the most childish thing anyone can do. But if you are as averse to confrontation and giving bad news as me, this is probably the most instinctive reaction. Please be warned it doesn't end well and kills all chances of the guy having any respect for you afterwards :)
	2.     Never say ‘Yes’ when you mean to say ‘No’: You have been single for too long and someone who you enjoy spending time with asks you out. You don’t think it’s the right move, but then think – “What the hell, let’s give it a shot! It might just work”… It does work… but IN MOVIES!!! You will not earn any brownie points by breaking his heart slowly. Please grow a spine and pull the bandage off as quickly as possible.
	3.     Never weedle a proposal: Let him take his own sweet time. Its Darwin’s Survival of the fittest, the ones most intent will finally own up. Hastening the process never does anyone any good. As a perpetual attention seeker, and a very curious one at that, I just cannot wait. What’s worse, I cannot wait to hear it even when I know that my answer is going to be NO!! My only explanation: It feels great to actually hear those words from a man. But my most discerning readers, YOU should not egg him on just for your victory lap, proving yourself right and subconsciously keeping a score.
	4.     Do not get your best friend to say no on your behalf: Absolutely disrespectful and cowardly, but probably also the easiest. I always want to play Good cop, and I am blessed with these sweethearts who are easily bullied or emotionally blackmailed to sometimes do my dirty work. Against their better judgment, I may add. I have been on a date where I forced my friend to tag along as the - ‘walking talking rejection’.  She tried her best to be subtle, while casually suggesting how she will be surprised if this will ever work out. The man got the hint, but was also pissed!
	5.     Never accept and forget about it in a week: Okay, in my defense I never did this one. But have atleast one friend guilty of pulling this sort of shenanigan. You don’t need an explanation on why this sort of thing is bad.. Very bad… Though it can happen when you are in two minds and in-between too many people asking you out... Problem of plenty J
	6.     Never accept gifts if you have to say “No”: Another one of my ‘not so proud’ moments... In my defense I love chocolates! And was thinking, they are edible things and will get spoilt if I don’t eat them, right?? I should know weaknesses can be manipulated. Well unfortunately my sweet tooth is well advertised in college, work place, at home, everywhere… Moral of the story do not be the quintessential Eve, and reason that it’s only a small gift. Resist the temptation because it makes you owe him one...

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Yours truly, Khushboo and Surabhi

In all the haste to put up cool posts (wishful thinkers, aren’t we? :P ) we completely forgot to introduce ourselves.

Surabhi likes to be driven around in style

While most of you would know us - not because we are famous or anything, but because if you are following our blog in its infancy days, chances are that either:

1. We emotionally blackmailed  you to like/read it or
2. We bullied you to like it or
3. You are one of our DEFAULT likes (what that means is fodder for another post so we will leave it at that for now).

But for those who don’t know us: We are Surabhi and Khushboo and some have called us Siamese twins in past. Not because we look anything alike but cause we are too often caught in each other's company.

Actually we are diametrically different people on the outside. Surabhi can squeeze into XS if she tries hard whereas I did not fit into small even when I was a baby.

Surabhi has a very pleasant and happy personality and can have long conversations with pretty much anyone. Me on the other hand, has been addressed as ‘Acid Aunty’ in the morning and if god forbid I am an extra dose of nice to my friends, even they start wondering what’s wrong with me.

One of Surabhi's designated drivers

The cheapest brand in Surabhi's wardrobe maybe Zara, whereas it’s the most expensive one in mine. Even though we are both shopaholics and work in the fashion industry, we spend our money very differently. Whenever I see something and think who will pay so much money for it...Surabhi is there with her credit cards

But that’s all superficial. At the core we are quite similar. For example, we can sell our soul for lifetime of freebies...if we were born with silver spoons: we would have never worked. Just travelled the world! Something we are both intent on doing nevertheless.

We feel scared of any kind of commitments and have seriously low boredom thresholds. We both think vampires are hot and maybe we wouldn’t mind being turned into immortals, especially if we get own personal Damon Salvatores.

This blog is our way to break free from the mundaneness of our life and try a hand at writing.

Hell! Everyone’s allowed to give it a shot, don’t they? J

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The untold story of my wanderlust

I watched Queen recently…lovely movie and as 'single girl travelling the world with a backpack' is totally my thing, lot of people had messaged to tell me that the movie reminded them of me.

Well i am also a Queen in my own head and except making gol gappas to prove my Indianness, I have pretty much have had all the experiences that Kangana’s character has in the movie…but wanted to jot down a real picture of what happens on a soul searching trip

Lets start with the basics…wen I take off on a trip, my communication with family is limited to messages which say ‘ I have reached safely’ and ‘ok I am taking the return flight now and someone needs to pick me up from the airport’. Any communication beyond this classifies as emergency and worries my mom.

In Europe, the chances are that you would visit way more churches than parties. At some point after the 10^th church you can paint your own version of mother and child.

Also wen a homeless guy follows you and u feel scared, don’t fight, give up the bag but like a good gujju negotiate to keep the passport and cab fare. Or like me find a french man walking his dog and get him to drop u to ur hotel.

If you meet anyone Indian on the trip, trust me 80% probability is that they would be gujjus and you would be offered theplas. All they will do is give me a 'homely' feeling which is not a good thing.

If you take a mixed room at a Hostel, there is 99% probability that no one hot would be staying there and even if they are gorgeous, the shared bathroom will make you look at all the hot men in your room in a very different and extremely poor light. Also all the guys who stay in hostels are on a shoestring budget and are not going to buy you drinks.

If you manage to get on a bar to dance, trust me you will get your Italian hottie there itself and he is going to come up to you say ‘beautiful’ and will expect you to make out with him on the basis of that singular uttered word. Depending on his hotness levels we have to decide to be or not to be…but whatever happens, we are not going to remember anything next day thanks to a horrible hangover.

Lastly avoid swiping credit cards whose alerts go to your parents as forget sex shops, any basic shopping alerts also will lead to a through questioning on all ur spends wen u r back.

All these thoughts aside, after Queen i cant wait to take off to Paris and Amsterdam

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