Dressed to kill..For what? (Part 2)

After reading my earlier blog, “Dressed to kill…Whom is the question?” an interesting discussion broke out-Why do women go through all the pain (or is it?:) to groom themselves, to doll up… to look good???

This led me to create this poll that I’ve been meaning to do for a long time…So go on and vote….

lets see if we can together find the answer to the million…make that zillion dollar question:

Poll: Why do women dress to kill?

A jolly good train ride in the Mumbai Locals

I’m a pretty ardent patron of the Mumbai local trains- that also happens to be the lifeline of countless(6.1 million to quote a figure) other Mumbaikars living in this hyper city…God forbid, an event occurs that causes the railways to close, the entire city feels almost handicapped… for those of you alien to this Indian city, a ride in this commuting system will leave you memories to last a life time (better or worse..well, i’ll leave you to be the judge of that)

A single step on to the station and you feel the very air around you charged up with energy..Its hard to freeze time at the station,there’s so much happening, all around you are people..rushing..some to catch a train, others rushing back home.

After an endless wait in one of the many queues to buy a ticket, you rush to the monitor to check the train schedules. On finding the right platform, you join the already gathered crowd ..all waiting..as if to greet a very important person.

When the train approaches the platform, you see people around you prepare themselves to ‘charge’ into the train..just like maybe..soldiers bracing themselves to attack on an unsuspecting enemy. Your heart starts to pound wildly inside your chest and gritting your teeth, you brace yourself.

And even before the train comes to a halt, people jump into the entrances…and if you’re not ready, you can be sure you’ll be knocked down with the charging crowd…the passengers battle into through the narrow passageways toclaim their reward- a seat in the cramped up compartments..and within seconds there’s not an empty space in the compartment save the ceilings..all around you, you see a blur of different coloured clothes, bags, faces sweaty with the heat.

A single bench that ideally was meant for three passengers now fits three and a half of them. The alley way in the compartment has people stuffed like sardines, some standing on single foot…not because it’s a yoga technique..but because there simply isn’t any space.Through all the chaos of people chatting , laughing, arguing, babies crying, you will see a hawker squeezing his/her way through the people trying to get Rs5-Rs10 for the little trinkets they try to sell.

You watch the stations go by..and hope that with every station, the crowd will lessen. On the contrary, the train seems to get even more packed..and you can feel some one almost sitting on your lap.

Counting the stations in your mind, you fight your way back to the doorway, even if your destination is two stops away, because that’s the only way you’ll manage to squeeze your way out in time…And once your station arrives…you can see a sea of faces waiting on the platform ..braced to charge into the train as it slows to a stop…Your heart starts pounding wildly again and you brace yourself..and when the time comes, you find yourself fighting your way out against the wave of people rushing to enter..and before you know it, you’re out…you heave a sigh of relief and whisper a small ‘thank you’ to God.

You then join the rush of people heading towards the nearest exit.

Another train journey comes to an end, your heart resumes its normal beat…for now..and you know that you’ll be back again…soon

Dressed to Kill..Whom is the question (Part 1)

I went shopping the other day with an aunt, looking for a nice comfortable pair of jeans, when this attendant walks up to me and offers me this kiddie’s jeans pair.  I sweetly replied, “thanks but my little sister doesn’t need any more clothes.” Little startled the attendant replied, “Ma’am this is your size”. Whoa! That pair could have easily been three sizes smaller than mine. I would only try and get myself into that if I wanted to…. maybe…try out a suffocation stunt…but as I politely smiled and looked around..sure enough, all around me were girls trying to stuff themselves into..what looked to me as kid’s clothes..and right besides me was my aunt clucking her tongue, the disapproving look on her face…

Oh Boy! And then it started..what I called the ‘Old Mothers Tale’ that usually starts with “Now-a-days these girls have no shame…..” and well the end is never really predictable..

Ever heard of the saying -”Fashion is all about eventually becoming naked”..that kinda sounds scary..Are we seriously going back to the ‘Garden of Eden’..Adams and Eves prancing about happily.

But what shocked the living daylights outta me was this ‘dress to kill’ thingy might as well have been literal. 

Take the 16th century era in Venice! Only then women stuffed themselves in horrifying steel cages armed with hooks and hinges, worthy for chastening criminals….more commonly known as corsets.

Or the consider the time of footbinding where a five-year old girl’s feet was wrapped with binding  so tight that it would bend the toes under, break the bones and force the back of the foot together. And the purpose of this torture? to produce a tiny foot, the “golden lotus” that is three inches long and considered to be exquisite and enhanting. This trend emerged from a legend that is believed to have taken place in 920 A.D.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!

If that’s what the past held and considering the present, I really prefer the eventually naked bit to the torturous past!And I’m sure I’ll have all the backing of my fellow womenfolk..including my ‘Old Mother Tale’ Aunt

It’s raining Frogs, halleluiah

Imagine stepping out of your house walking across the street and suddenly, the sky above you darkens..and you think..hey its not the monsoons yet!! and before you can even blink, you’re bombarded with ..frogs!! (yuck!! ewwww)

 Don’t worry, I’m not narrating a scene from some weird flick, but the citizens of Odzaci,Serbia were left stunned when they experienced  an unforecasted, sudden f(r)oggy shower….actually stopping traffic and sending people scrambling for shelter.

Another ‘global warming’ side effect? Apparently Not. So what caused this freaky incident? Climatology expert Slavisa Ignjatovic soothed everyone saying that it was a mere whirlwind that sucked up the frogs from a near by pond and released them in Odzaci.

Please note the expert also claimed that such an occurance is a familiar scientific phenomenon.

For those of you who aren’t aware, such an incident is also recorded in the Bible when God sent a plague to punish the Egyptians when they refused to release the slaves Israelite they had tortured for many generations.

I guess the only obvious solution is..Do Not leave your house without an umbrella!! You never no if the phrase ‘raining cats and dogs’ might actually eventualize! 

Meet the ‘sweet smelling’ Law Enforcers!

The Policemen in Gujarat, India sure have been working lately, working on their delectable side that is. No longer will you find the haggard, gruff, sweaty cop patrolling about becasue more than 8000 of  these uniformed guys are out to beat the heat in their new snazzy ‘scented’ uniforms.. The ingenious, au courant creations are specially designed by India’s National Institute of Design (NID) and are expected to be put to use by the end of the year(not really summer time then)

So the next time you get stopped for speeding, don’t be surprised if your senses are tickled with fresh whiffs of rose or lemon or maybe jasmine…well, look on the bright side, atleast now being asked to pull over or getting a ticket will become a more pleasant experience!!   

“I Spy” with a Fly?!?!

 Even James Bond would be thrilled to know that a new beagle bug (literally!) has been created that actually has miniscule cameras fitted into teeny weeny machine bugs (courtesy Pentagon).

These little babies weigh just up to 10 gms and sport wings measuring just 7.5 cms! With proportions like that, there’s  no nook or corner that can’t accomodate this mini spy.  Amusingly, it is programmed to mimic a fly (minus the bugging buzzz sound) but the designers think that modeling it like a bee would give it a faster wing stroke of 275 beats per second. Its trial flight is scheduled sometime mid 2008, where? that’s not disclosed, atleast not yet..it wouldn’t be much of a spy then would it?

Are we safe anymore,? It was bad enough being wary about suspicious folks, now it’s time to be on the look out for suspicious bugs as well!

Whoa!! watch out people, no pest control is gonna stop this ‘bug’ ger!!