Tuesday 14 February 2012

The V-day Bug!

In the run up to the Red Letter Day, I had punched in an hour of impulsive shopping at a mall. Nothing much, I assure you. It was just the usual love for colors, that often gets translated into buying eye-shadows and nail-paints that may or may not be needed :-P . Well, in a retail space like a mall, I can't get down and start painting the walls any shade I like, can I? So I did what I did and thanks to what I did, I got a freebie with it.....I was quite happy to know about the free gift but my toothy smile waned at the sight of it. It was nothing but a cliched mug with hearts on it! I usually like to joke about this day, poke fun at it, maybe even indulge a bit in it reluctantly but can't ignore it. The marketing buzz that surrounds this day is crazy! Red becomes a hated color for a 2nd reason that's not even violent, infact the opposite of it. Flowers become 10 times more expensive. For the V-Day freaks, romantic expectations rise 100 times higher and so does their expression. Sweet to the extent of being bitter, this day gets blown out of proportion, no matter what and the pseudo-fundamentalists get a mindless job to do!

I laughed at the mug, took it back home and presented it with a fake serenade to Deepak (now keep guessing who that is)! Just as he took it and acted out a romantic 'Thank you' ....mid-way through that, I took it back, saying 'You wont like to use a mug that looks like this, so I'll keep it instead!' :-D

No matter how much one ridicules this day, one is forced to think of it! I am amazed at the number of people who take it seriously though. But even non believers like me, like to ask someone ..a particular question on this day, i.e. 'Will you be my Valentine?', and without waiting for an answer, laugh endlessly after that; probably even say, 'Cheers to you, my Beloved Ballentine' ....Heh!

Come 14th Feb and everything takes the shape of the heart and gets colored in red! I just realized how I have contradicted myself by choosing the background theme that you can see on this blog!!.....Quite ironical, isn't it? Nothing to worry. I'll be quick to add that I have been thinking of a new design for the blog :-P

So, try and run wherever you want to, you can't run far enough from V-Day. The bug is out to get us. It is a 15th century concept apparently, but the face that's now been given to it has completely redefined the very concept itself. The word 'expensive' has got prefixed to it and if you read in between the lines 'superficial' too. I would seriously skip this excess and rather stick to laughing about it, not necessarily with loved ones, but strangers alike. There are other dates that are more personal and hence, more precious than the "14th". In any case, the most priceless expressions of love can be witnessed during the worst of times and that's the time we celebrate it without the glitz. I raise my hearty coffee mug to that!

All said and done, celebration really needs no reason.....any day suits. So why leave out this day? To take off the pressure from it and witness hopelessly lovey-dovey sights around, I might go out for dinner too. And to those who are too lazy to fix their dinner and plan to order pizzas instead, you know what shape you'll get them in. :-)

Tuesday 3 January 2012

A new year wish...

Yet again we start anew,
yet another chance we stumble upon
The umpteenth new world we enter into,
as this day breaks into a brand new dawn.

With this sunrise our spirits rise ...once more.
We toast and boast of things to come
predicting yet again, the fulfilment of
our ambitions that lie in ambush.

Our soaring hopes build glass palaces
as we succeed in fooling ourselves...this time too.
With abundant optimism, we raise our chalices
to a sense of deja vu that they call new.

Wish good health, happiness, love, success and cheer,
for family and friends, they are way too dear !
I also hope to come into my own
and tread into that 'desired unknown'
I pray the new moonlight, shines on bright
and makes my destination crystal clear.