Lapses of lingy…

Had the yummiest fare at Fresh Catch, a tiny little joint in Mahim. Mussels, prawns and promfret. Mmm…

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On Saturday evening, as part of Meera’s B’day itinerary, we attended a vintage car rally at Khalaghoda. We saw the most regal looking Buicks and the cutest looking Beetles, all beaming in a row. Suddenly a miniature vinatge car appeared out of nowhere with an able-looking 4-year-old manning the steering wheel. An elderly man barged onto the scene demanding to see her license. She ignored him and went about her business, as usual.

The next part of the plan: we visited the TIFR colony —  all for the love of pizza. Though a breath-taking colony equipped with lawns, patios, trees and buildings with long, spacious aisles, the place had a desolatory air of sadness about it.

We had dinner at Sizzling China, a cosy little Chinese (but of course) joint in Colaba and we abstained from chicken. We had lots of Chinese seafood dishes, which were pretty alright.

But the icing on the cake was a dessert we had at this place called Theobrama — vodka and chilly cheesecake.  I’ve been there about three times and everything I had was in Simon Walker’s very own words – forgettable.

However this one was a real find — it had a creamy texture and a sweet-spicy flavour. Now every morsel of THAT was divine. 

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The cutest little gal popped over to visit me in office today. She is in Class XII ( cho chhuweet!) and wants to write about social causes and all that.

Unfortunately most editorial teams in the country either don’t do anything that vaguely relates to social causes, or else they have their own teams who do the deeds under the banner of ‘human interest’ stories.

I so felt like telling the baby to do her own thing. But alas, the cause of commerce forbade me.

So now she shall write on more mundane things like studying abroad, education etc.

American Idol was fantastic all over again. And Simon is the best, though an absolute snob. In yesterday’s episode, there was this cherubic 16-year-old who sings like a nightingale. He was written off by Paula initially, though I always thought he had an ethereal voice.

And there was this 29-year-old chap who was written off by Simon. But then he was up there amongst the last 24, crooning like a dude.

It doesn’t pay to underestimate anyone.

I think American Idol is so much more earthy than the Indian Idol, which tends to be full of gimmicks and unnecessary suspense.

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Today I attended a press conference for the Lakme Fashion Week.

Ever since the divorce between Lakme and the Fashion Council of India, there’s been a lot of anticipation about which fashion week will make more waves.

However, from what I perceive, the Lakme event might prove to be more experimental and possibly, more commercial.

I spoke to a bevy of fashion designers, who sounded a little…boring. After a point they all sound so repetitive, and you can’t blame them with the media all posing precisely the same amateurish questions.

Chatting with Bandana Tiwari was refreshing. She seems real. I quite like her show Simply Style on Zee Cafe, which covers trends, fashion history, fashion personalities and more. The good thing is that they don’t sensationalise things. Her hubby, Ravi Krishnan is very suave too. They make a very smart couple.

Wendell Rodricks was there. When I said he was from Rediff, he got all excited.

” You are the person I wanted to meet,” he quipped.

“Er…why?”

“Because my Rediff mail id is dysfunctional!”, he said.

So, I promised to do something about it.

Also, bumped into Shahzad Kalim, who looked a lot thinner than I envisioned. he thinks Donatella Versace is …sweet. After all, she picked him at the Lakme Fashion House.

Anyways, dashing off home now to watch American Idol. I really love that show.

Even though Paula Abdul and Randy, pip in with suggestions, the real critique comes from Simon. What Simon says, rocks.

Sometimes, i wonder…what if I participated in American Idol, what would the man with the difficult-to-mimic Brit accent say?

That was absolutely appauling. I hope not!

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Friday night, Meera, Ankur, Chandra and myself were all set to eat seafood at a non-descript place called Ruchira at Cuffe Parade on Friday night. But when they got there, it was shut. My fish fantasies came to a screeching halt.

Next, we headed to Starlit Cafe, a terrace restaurant at the Strand Hotel in Colaba. Apparently they are open all night, so you can head there if you feel ravenous after a night of partying. The food isn’t that hot, but the open-air restuarant-by-the-sea ambience is very enchanting. It was teeming with people who showed no signs of leaving.

So, we went to another old pub called The Tavern, at the Fariyas hotel, which plays lots of classic rock. There’s a huge screen which plays rock videos too. The DJ is a dream come true — he plays almost all your requests.

Then we went to Theobrama’s a dessert place in Colaba, which for so some unfathomable reason is a favourite dessert destination for many. The stuff is very so-so, though the ambience is very cosy. Wood, warm lighting and an appetising display along one wall.

Among my favourite dessert places in Mumbai is the dessert counter at Out of The Blue, a very cosy but slightly pricey restaurant in Bandra. I like the way they garnish the dessert with all kinds of treats.

Then there’s the dessert counter at Pot Pourri, Bandra. The Lava lava at Cafe Mocha which is molten chocolote that simply melts in your mouth, is a favourite.

Candies is very overrated for its food and desserts. 

Yesterday, we went to Biona and guess what? No one was eating chicken. We also had some veg stuff which was pretty good. They plan to introduce mutton and fish snacks on the menu from today.

Am in a mood to meander, now.

If you can’t go to the salon, let the salon come to you. Yup, have a new, hip hairdresser who is coming home to style me up. Interestingly, I am paying her less that I would at the salon. So, that’s a good deal. Fingers crossed.

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That’s me in the middle!

The weekend was absolutely charming. Went on a big fat office ’excursion’ to a place called Karjat, a two and a half hour drive from Mumbai.

We stayed at Rivergate Resort, which isn’t really all that spectacular. It’s a rather typical sort of place with a swimming pool, health club etc But a little away from the main resort area, there is a sight to behold.

More than a dozen stark white tents pitched in the middle of nowhere (well almost) with a river flowing furiously just a stone’s throw away.

Each tent has a double bed, a cupboard, a mirror, a table and a fan. I know it’s posh for a tent but very aesthetically done nevertheless. The view from the bed is lovely. The inside of the tent is draped with sheer materials in a two-toned beige and green.

The bathroom was even lovelier. A comode, a white basin in the shape of a hemisphere, with all your toiletries neatly stacked next to it and a bath area.

The night was cool and I had the best sleep ever. I feel asleep listening to the sounds of the river. 

A tuk-tuk, which is a 6-seater rickshaw transports you from the tents to the main areas, unless of course you choose to walk.

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This little mouse-like cherub is Mark Christie Araujo, my cousin Sandeep’s little un’.

At parties, he gets shuttled around like a parcel. And they take him everywhere. Me thinks he’ll be a party animal when he grows up.

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Ankur met up with Shantaram the other day and has a meeting, schdeuled with him tomorrow at Leo’s. Meera, Sana and some more Shantaram fans are tagging along.

Drat! I have work

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Rang De Basanti is awesome!

It has a great concept, something you don’t see too much in a Hindi films, today. The performances are great. The dialogues are wicked.

You might find it a wee bit idealistic. But since I am an idealist, I related to it completely.

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On Saturday night we played at a wedding at The Resort. It’s a pretty neat venue for that sort of thing. Open air, lots of greenery, the perfect setting for romantic interludes.

Anyways, the best part was when the groom came up and jammed with us to Road House Blues. He sang and played the lead guitar. It was awesome. He used to be in band called The New Generation, and now plays for the Sharjah Police or something to that effect. Cool!

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