New Resolution: To eat healthy. Lunch: Two chapattis and a sad cabbage oil-free subzi. Mood: Rained upon owing to the extreme sultry plus rainy feelings in Mumbai. Pet Peeve: Traveling in Mumbai Trains. Real Age: 26. Mental Age: 65. Looking to: Change my moodiness into something more productive.

You know you’re old when:

1. High Heels begin to annoy the fuck out of you when you’re dancing anytime after 2 pm. Ah, at one point, decades ago when I was in College, it was mandatory I wore heels and jumped till 6 am at the local disco. They were definitely good three-inchers and they neither pinched or bruised my feet or my ego. But yeah, now I will seriously claw someone’s face. But wedges, wedges that I bought recently from Nine West (pretty Mary Jane pink wedges) do make a good style statement and are also good for an all-nighter.
2. Conversations take over Loud Music while you’re trying out a new dinner place. Seriously! One of the best places I visited this week was this new small italian-village type place called Delitalia next to Mocha at Juhu Chowpatty. Excellent, Excellent stuff. The place is a picture perfect Italian joint with peachy-coral walls, old cotton Spanish grandma-type table cloths embossed in bright prints, cute bar, nice cocktail list, super cool old Italian pictures framed up on the walls and oh, nothing on the menu exceeds 350 bucks except the plate of assorted cold cuts. And the one single best thing I loved about the place? The background music that allowed you to talk. And you must try their Green Apple Martini, Tenderloin Steak with Porcini Potatoes, Sausage Risotto and their super yummy – Pannacotta with wild warm berries. If you’re not a chocolate person, and more of a cheesecake person, this is your best bet.
3. Going to late night parties is no longer as exciting as a nice Wong-kar-Wai picture your husband has gotten from Palador. It’s true. We have a deal, my husband and I. We want to watch one movie each everyday. Thankfully we are blessed with good friends in the movie business and other movie freaks who give us nice DVDs. So this week’s fare is Chinatown – hailed as the most amazing screenplay ever. Also, Dark Knight was watched with much enthusiasm and Heath Ledger simply rocks. Which brings back to me the sad fact of averages that only death can make you a big star. Ditto Shakespeare, Milton and all the Rennaissance Artists.
4. Drinking like a fish is replaced by Dinner at 7 p.m and fresh fruits at 9 pm. I heart eating healthy. Though this week has been an amalgamation of Red Box ( a nice little restaurant with the best chocolate brownies and beef steak and the loudest music), TGIF ( Cheese balls with fancy stuff called Dynabites and Happy Hour Beer), Appams and Chicken Curry at Rice Boat ( Mallu food, yummmm) with some Pazham Pori ( Banana Fritters, which I learnt to make this week), Dr.Oetzer’s Chocolate Mousse that can be made at home ( instant yummy dessert available at any supermarket). So the little time I got off from these, I ate healthy. Apples, Slim Milk, Soya Chips from Jain Biscuit Centre at Andheri Station (They have the best yummm soya chips in the land) and cabbage curry and soups.
5. You start betting on the word, classic. In terms of clothes, I had always been a bohemian or bling person. My style is totally bling type fashion and very quirky stuff which explains why I altogether ran away from anything classy and sophisticated. I am not, the demure little dame who wears pearls and dresses herself in black and virgin white. But now, with regard to the number of high-fashion dos I am attending and some more in the line, I am opting to go more classic. I know friends from school and college will do some extreme somersaults. This prelude is to let you know ladies and gentleman that I have finally invested in a classic piece called the tulip skirt from Forever New, a very very super cool new haunt of mine at Pheonix Mills. An add on: Raspberry Lip balm I bought at The Body Shop. God save me from going broke. I am the new desi Becky Bloomwood.
6. When parties full of booze and gossip and meeting new people begin at 8:30 pm. All my parties in Bangalore or Chennai when I was in my prime ( say 23) had invites stating clearly the time as post 12 midnight. And now, everyone’s making panic calls at 7:45 and talking about how everyone has to leave early on a week day. I get nostalgic about the times we had late night aprties and after parties and near-dawn parties. Everyone’s smoking up and I am passively inhaling the dope, cigarette smell on my hair from a certain date, lots of vodka shots, half-filled plates of food and midnight rides around the fields. Yesterday’s party was good booze, good companionship, steamy hot momos- in Mumbai, dominoes pizza, Pear Vodka, Wine and more Wine, Gulab Jamoon with Mango ice cream.

Life’s right now on a slow road when it comes to work. Certain personal family obligations are also trying to remove all kinds of sanity from me. There are heaps of of things to do and so little time. I guess fashion can't shield you from it all. :)

I THINK AM A VICTIM OF HAVING TOO MUCH

We all promise ourselves fairy tales. I got mine carefully wrapped up in musical notes, retro posters, scrabble nights and a handsome grin. But what after that? Riding into the moonlight and sunset etc are all fine, but what next I say?

Life is going on. With multiple work projects, an occasional night-out when we’re not really THAT tired, meetings with long-lost friends when they come down on office work, partying on weekends and guzzling up beers by the crate and checking out that new restaurant that opened on Link Road - there seems to be a monotony I can’t seem to shake right off me. There seem to be obligations from parents, the usual drunken conversation with friends and a late night HBO thriller. I need more than that. And I don’t know what that elusive something is. And oh, indulging in mind-blowing sex isn’t what I am talking about; I’m getting more than just that, thank you very much. It’s just ‘something’ and ‘nothing’, all bundled up in one strong shot, like an espresso!

For the sake of my beautiful memory, I shall put down things that made me happy this month. My little espresso shots:

1. Watched Blood Diamond finally. No, I don’t hate diamonds. I still want diamonds since De Beers did acknowledge that they won't work with 'conflict diamonds' but I think Leonardo Di Caprio simply made me sit up and take notice. I remember the time I had a big poster of his in my room, that stupid one with his arms stretched on Titanic I bought from Archies. I remember that night I brought and taped it carefully in my little hostel room and everyone from every room came to see and admire and give their two bits. I remember how all of us wore lipstick and kissed his pink lips. I remember how it felt to go watch that dreaded Titanic with classmates and hearing chaste Tamil sneers in the packed hall. Anyways, long way mister Di Caprio. Much appreciated and much grown-up – thanks for losing the stereotype of a loser drowning on ice.

2. Sammy Sosas – My new Mexican dinner place near Oshiwara Link Road, Malad, with its spicy salsa and yummy enchiladas. My pick: Try the Fisherman’s Catch. One restaurant in Mumbai that makes me go yummmmmmm. Ever since I came to Mumbai, I missed good ol’ Delhi food like anything. If there ever was versatility, Delhi had it with its yummlicious khana. Heck, it even has Andhra Bhavan. But yeah, I loved every city I lived in, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi but I think Delhi has the best food. But in terms of memories, I’ll stick to Chennai. But this is not to bitch Mumbai entirely out. You too have your perks darling.

3. Theobroma – Cupcakes, cupcakes and more cupcakes. Though am trying to lose a little weight a la working in a fashion magazine, I can devour these really cute cupcakes by a dozen. They’re irresistible and very popular, If you’re in colaba, you know where you need to go for nirvana then. If you’re into the usual orgasms, try the millionaire brownie, if you’re experimentative, opt for the Mango Tart with thin slices of Mango woven into the custard, and if you’re on the predictable side, chomp on the Raisin Bread and Chocolate Tart. If you’re looking for cheap love, bite into an orange slice.

4. Shine-a-light, a music documentary on The Rolling Stones by Martin Scorcese at The Blue Frog was an event I attended just because my husband was a part of it. Can’t say I enjoyed it because long periods of watching bands play does get me bored. Am an action type person, I constantly need to do things, not sit and watch bands play. Also in other news I must admit I found Mick Jagger rather hot (which I never did) with his sinewy muscles, Keith Richards with his stoned talk and that singer of White Stripes with funny teeth. The documentary at places sounded like a well-shot live show but yes, in places it was inspiring. For example: For example: A reporter asks Mick in 1970s if he will see himself still being on stage at 60, and Mick says yes without even flinching. Now how cool is that!

5. Shopping on Colaba Causeway: There’s a lone t-shirt guy on the causeway who has these excellent t-shirts that look like Top Shop rip-offs. Also has little tops for 100-150 bucks which emulate Pucci at its best with the busiest colourful prints. That apart, I love Colaba. The smells, the moods and the colours. The sights are simply amazing. An occasional firang getting ripped off, the sly smiles of an anklet seller while saying his price in dollars, the excellent short skimpy shorts I bought for 100 bucks that make my legs look like Crawford etc etc.

6. Going partying to Firangi Paani after looking for good drinking plus partying places in Mumbai. My husband and me are quite the opposites and no place better showcases this difference than a pub. My drink style is dancing all the time, moving hips and legs and singing loudly to every girlie song. My husband’s modus operandi is holding his beer and just merging into the background and occasionally surfacing when classic rock plays. And yes, I love him for that. Finally after a bit of jumping like a Duracell bunny, I went with girlfriends to the disco dance floor and started squealing to Madonna’s Like a Prayer. It was commercial retro night. I absolutely love it. Firangi Paani is definitely an upper when it comes to being in a trendy space in Andheri. Good food, reasonable booze, a lot of space to jump and celebrity value if you like Tanushree Dutta and a host of other hindi television actors.

7. Never been a foundation person ever. My makeup routine consists of eyeliner, blush, an occasional eyeshadow ( I love my Anna Sui Lime Green one that a good friend got me from Japan) and loads and loads of lip gloss. But this time I attended the Mickey Contractor for MAC new foundations review and I was so bowled. MAC came up with these new colour co-ordinated foundations made specially for olive and Indian skins. Simply amazing. When Mickey put the stuff on my face it coursed into my skin, into the pores and it was so light and not cakey or greasy at all. My ideal shade was 44.5 and I must tell you, foundation here I come!

On that note, I’ll say I did have a good time. Maybe its just the adage that if everything goes right there’s something wrong with it. And I’m suffering from the “too good to be true” or the “just because I get my way, it’s not exciting” syndrome.

I’ll get better by and by.

Directory:

Sammy Sosas, Shop No 18 Meera Co Operative Housing Society, Near Mega Mall, Oshiwara Link Road, Andheri W; Tel: 67307830

Theobroma, Shop No 24 Cusrow Baug, Colaba Causeway, opp Central Bank Of India, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Apollo Bunder; Tel: 67305363

T-shirt guy who sells on the pavement but you can easily make out his haven by the colourful display of tops, shorts etc right next to Bata on Colaba Causeway.

Firangi Paani The Pub, Fun Republic, Andheri West; Tel: 26735154 / 26744144

M.A.C, Kemp’s Corner, Melange, 33, Altamount Roadi; Tel: 2352 1836.
Dynamix Mall, Shoppers Stop, JVPD Scheme, Next To Chandan Cinema, St Dyaneshwar Marg, Juhu; Tel: 32549803