New Year Special: Happy or Crappy?

All set for the New Year's Bash tonight? Or are you going to spend it peacefully at home because you don't believe in it (meaning those who couldn't find anybody or anyplace and those whose parents won't allow them). Personally I enjoy a good party myself. But don't you think we become too conscious when it comes to New Years? It just has to be perfect. We start planning days ago. We keep asking friends about their plans. People have this sudden need to run off to Goa (No offense!I am just jealous). Don't you think we raise our expectations too much from a single day. How many times have you actually enjoyed it? (Not how many times you have conveyed it to people that you had a BLAST!). The best new year I had was in 2006 when I went out with my brother and his friends to Phoenix Mills (Ha Ha MUMBAI!!). I had no idea what we were going to do that night. Maybe that made all the difference. Any party can be fabulous if there are these : friends, ambiance and booze (I have none right now). Somehow people need the feel to go to Concerts and Stage shows with Celina Jaitley presenting a number. (Well actually I could never afford one of those so..Hey..who said 'sour grapes'??) Point is I don't have any plans for tonight and I am hoping it'll go well (that's what happened in 2006. Damn. I'll probably end up watching Victoria's Secret Show tonight. Yeah its a New Year Special).

Happy (Crappy) New Year!! Go have a blast you Morons!!

Bad Hair Day?

We had just reached Mandu and checked into our 3-star hotel. We were on our Social Studies tour to Indore-Mandu-Maheshwar (Or was it Maheshwari? Its the riverside place which has the famous Saas-Bahu temple). This was when I was in the 9th grade. (I like to use 'grade'. Doesn't it sound better than 9th standard). So I open my stuff and Cyrus raises an eyebrow and asks me "What the heck is that?". "What? These are my hair supplies" (Hair Supplies: I got that phrase from John Stamos from 'Full House'. Cyrus smirked and continued to whatever he was doing.

What? Why can't a guy take care of his hair. So what if I had two combs(narrow teeth, broad teeth), a bottle of hair oil, anti-dandruff shampoo, brylcreem, 2 tubes of hair gel (strong hold, wet look; they didn't have hybrid type in those days) and a portable foldable comb-cum-mirror thing. I am sure everybody carries such stuff (at the same time). Don't you? So I am a little particular about my hair. But I have my reasons. Have you ever had a stupid haircut? The one your parents love to give you. And then you are mocked in school for looking like a buffoon. You can't even get rid of it. Its hair. It takes time to grow. What? I am asking you. Who said I went through this hell. (Sniff!) People come with Rs. 25 haircuts and they mock me because I paid Rs. 150 for mine. (Its a thing with engineering colleges. There's competition in almost everything). I believe in professional treatment. But bah!! What do they know?

Tip: Never apply brylcreem/oil with your palm. Always use your fingers. And never apply only to your hair. Rub it on your scalp. (I got that from John Stamos too. Believe me its effective) Who said TV is bad for kids?

Tell me your Dreams

Its a really shady room and it has a single cane chair in the centre. The door to the room is slightly ajar. I am sitting in the chair wearing a checkered shirt not sure of what I was doing there. Then suddenly someone I know enters the room looking elegant in her own way. She walks towards me closing the door behind her. She gracefully sits on my lap facing me and places a light kiss on my lips.

The next thing I remember is looking at my hostel room ceiling feeling stupid. Has it ever happened with you before? Have you had dreams about certain people and immediately felt guilty about it? As if it was a taboo. You are feeling guilty but you want to run it again and again in your head until it dies out in a few days. But why the guilt? Its not as if you have any control over your dreams. Do we? People say dreams are a direct representation of your own deep thoughts. Whats even worse is that this person tells you the same day that she dreamt about you last night. It turns out it was something about a tight slap. Talk about getting punished even if its in the subconscious. And what timing. The point is maybe there is a connection with your own thoughts and your dreams. The right interpretation is what matters the most. I personally believe the dream has something to do with my being a sour. That makes more sense doesn't it? ;) Now you tell me your dreams.

So where are you from?

This could qualify as one of the most cliche conversation starters. "So where are you from?". What suddenly you'll know everything about me once you know where I am from? So if I say I am from Punjab do people form a mental picture of me drinking Lassi and eating Paranthas with white butter (Well people will get that from my tiny paunch anyways which I intend to get rid of soon enough). Well I am usually not so judgmental about people its just that I like avoiding this question. Till a year ago my typical response would be "I am studying in Delhi but my Dad is posted in Guwahati though I have lived most of my life in Mumbai although we are originally from Punjab." Who in his right mind would expect an answer like that? Its as if I have give him a multiple choice answer from which he can chose whichever place he likes(personally I would go for Mumbai- Heard they are opening India's first Starbucks here in 2010). Thats right. I like to be called as a guy whose from Mumbai. Not that is changes who I am but because I have spent some of my most significant years here. My friends anyway deny that I could possibly or remotely be related to Punjab in anyway. Why is that hard to imagine? I have dreams of going to abroad too. And believe me I am closest to being related to Punjab now more than ever ;) So now that I have this thing cleared "Where are you from?"

Why 'The Best Ox' ?

The Best Ox? What kind of a title is that? Especially for a blog. Well it is the literal translation of my name 'Gautam' (I hope you know my name). People keep asking me what my name means. I would say well it was the name of Gautam Buddha(Most Gautams will tell you that). But then I wondered what did Gautam Buddha say when his friends or work colleagues asked him the same question? Obviously a name must have a meaning. You'll be surprised every English name also have meanings i.e. names like John and David etc.Even the surname Chau in Vietnamese means 'Pearls'. I searched the internet (where else?) for what my name meant. Believe me it wasn't easy. But I finally found it. It so happens that when you finally get to know the meaning of things, you wonder 'Why didn't I think of it?' Gautam comes from the words 'Gau' meaning 'Ox' and 'Uttam' meaning 'the best'. Yes. 'Gau' means 'Ox'. That is what was written on the website. But my friends have conveniently replaced 'Ox' with 'Cow' - the literal translation in Hindi. Now you can't do that. You can't change whats been there for a thousand years (Where did I hear this? The movie 'Wanted' I think.The one with Angelina Jolie and not Salman Khan). My friends now joke around with me being "two horny". How cheap can you get? and lame too? Anyways so when this blogger website asked me to put a title to my blog I obviously tried Gautam first (Ya I know this is more lame). When that didn't work I thought lets put the meaning there since I am mostly going to put my thoughts in words. So Welcome to my blog 'The Best Ox'.