[boo]

Moulin Rouge

[boo]

YUM!

Sushi?

[boo]

@**scarface** wrote:

its 93 days…. 90…. 3 whole days and nightssss….. I am lying here in total darkness, listening to an insect *think its a cricket* watching ths space on the ceiling… Am thinking…which is rare for me these days coz i busy myself with everything i could possibly find so that my mind doesnt have to deal with u going away… Am thinking… I dnt really care much for marriage anymore, it used to be a hidden desire to settle down with a partner who understands me and loves me more…i dnt want kids anymore, even though its been my outspoken wish to have at least a soccer team of em’ running around and keeping me busy, i dnt care for my job much, even though its the only thng keeping me from going insane right now, i dont care for love, even though its in my dna ..a part of who i am…l o v e…. Its wat i have lived for…i dnt care for much right now, nothing in fact… I dnt care for life, my life at this time, whats the use of me bothering when u are not here with me? I wish i could have repeat heart breaks and all the awful experiences possible than to have to go through this… I cant write much, everytime i think of putting my feelings down into words, i end upstaring at a blank page/screen for hours…i cant pray…much apart from asking for the safety of my loved ones…whats the use, god ignored my most sincere, heartfelt prayer wer u are concerned… U just left… I dont undrrstand anythng anymore… I dnt know what to say or how to be or even feel..the minute i let my gaurd down, i can feel myself on the verge of an explosion..hw do i do this ??? I need you?? Just u. Everything is an illusion….. Am sooooo tired… I find myself reaching out for the phone to call u coz dats wat i do …then it hits me, u wont answer my calls anymore.. U left? Why? I cant do this anymore… The fight is over.. I feel defeated.. I love u… I love u more than i love me,or anythng/one else…i begged u not to gooo…..i dnt understand anythng anymore…. I need u now..am so confused and hurt…i love u…..i dont knw how i have gone through 93 days without u….its eating me up…ur my only thought when i allow myself to think…….. I love u 🙁

This one always comforts me Alie. I find the best way to keep someone with us at all times is to keep them in our very existence. The little things. The little actions or thoughts or words that are shared only between you and that person – no matter where they are. Keep their dignity shining in the way you live.

For you, a couple of quotes. The first one I have found comforting many, many a time. And I will always look back on it for comfort. The second one is a recent discovery, and it struck an immediate chord with me. Especially in thinking about this forum.

Once again I felt myself frozen by the sense of something irreparable. And I knew that I could not bear the thought of never hearing that laughter any more. For me, it was like a spring of fresh water in the desert.

“Little man,” I said, “I want to hear you laugh again.”

But he said to me:

“Tonight, it will be a year . . . My star, then, can be found right above the place where I came to the Earth, a year ago . . .”

“Little man,” I said, “tell me that it is only a bad dream–this affair of the snake, and the meeting-place, and the star . . .”

But he did not answer my plea. He said to me, instead:

“The thing that is important is the thing that is not seen . . .”

“Yes, I know . . .”

“It is just as it is with the flower. If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers . . .”

“Yes, I know . . .”

“It is just as it is with the water. Because of the pulley, and the rope, what you gave me to drink was like music. You remember–how good it was.”

“Yes, I know . . .”

“And at night you will look up at the stars. Where I live everything is so small that I cannot show you where my star is to be found. It is better, like that. My star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all the stars in the heavens . . . they will all be your friends. And, besides, I am going to make you a present . . .”

He laughed again.

“Ah, little prince, dear little prince! I love to hear that laughter!”

“That is my present. Just that. It will be as it was when we drank the water . . .”

“What are you trying to say?”

“All men have the stars,” he answered, “but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems. For my businessman they were wealth. But all these stars are silent. You–you alone–will have the stars as no one else has them–“

“What are you trying to say?”

“In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night . . . You–only you–will have stars that can laugh!”

And he laughed again.

“And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me. You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure . . . And your friends will be properly astonished to see you laughing as you look up at the sky! Then you will say to them, ‘Yes, the stars always make me laugh!’ And they will think you are crazy. It will be a very shabby trick that I shall have played on you . . .”

And he laughed again.

“It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh . . .”

And he laughed again.
— The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery. God, it is so painful to just read that… but it is true and so beautiful.

I pulled a bottle of whisky from my pack and cracked the seal. It was another ritual, another promise to a friend in New Zealand, a girl who’d asked me to have a drink and think of her if I managed to smuggle myself safely into India with my false passport. The little rituals – the smoke and the drink of whisky – were important to me. I was sure that I’d lost those friends, just as I’d lost my family, and every friend I’d ever known, when I’d escaped from prison. I was sure, somehow, that I would never see them again. I was alone in the world, with no hope of return, and my whole life was held in memories, talismans, and pledges of love.
— can you guess this one 🙂 Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts. The moment I read this, I felt a strange connection to it. I guess that’s when I first knew I was going to love this book. But anyway, yes, I think you will appreciate the quote. 🙂

*hug*

[boo]

I agree there have been no good Bolly films lately. I actually *shudder* at the IHLS-BKB-etc phase. But yea, BKB was decent. Entertaining enough to watch once. Maybe twice on a laaaaaaazy Sunday.

But GUYS GUYS GUYS… go watch Dhobi Ghat!! NOT your typically Bollywood masala so don’t expect that – but it is REALLY good. Very artsy and intense and poetic in its own way. Loved it. Alie, somehow in the light of the whole Shantaram being awesome discovery, I think you will really enjoy it. Beautiful.

[boo]

…… or: You know you’re obsessed with BWL when…

1. The first thought you have, the moment after you wake up, is, “Let me check the forum…”
2. The word “chaddi” makes you grin and sigh with nostalgia
3. You buy/want Oreo cookies just because they are Oreo cookies
4. You get excited when you see Oreo cookies in a shop, and you take a picture of the ‘Oreo’ logo with your camera phone and store it as your phone background
5. You go into an internet café/library/computer room in the middle of your shopping/class to check the latest posts on the forum
6. Private Messages are your life
7. You’ve been given a pimpified nickname by Nessa
8. You see Khushi chasing after you with a belan
9. You’ve starred in a BWL film poster
10. You have volunteered to be a part of a BWL film at least once, but none of the films ever managed to be completed
11. Logging on to the forum and smiling despite the chaos in your life is one of the best feelings in the world
12. You’ve written your fair share of feelings in the ‘Let your feelings out’ thread
13. The spelling in your posts has been corrected at least once by Boo’s Red Pen
14. Thoughts on how the old members are doing pop randomly into your head
15. You’ve mastered the art of stifling laughter when you’re in a room with others and you’re on the forum (…… or so you say)
16. You’ve had to open an online dictionary/check in the thesaurus feature on Word when you’re reading Senor’s posts
17. “Tu jahan, main wahan, sang sang yun chaloon tere, jaise tera aasman” makes you smile and think of Khushi……. 🙂
18. You’ve warned the newbies about The Three Musketeers (Serio, Nitz and Baqz) and smile to yourself when they think they will be alright…
19. You’ve tried to work out who Boo is
20. You’ve called Boo ‘Mystery Woman’ at least once
21. You wanted to run away to a far away land with the girls
22. You wish you could surprise Senor by arriving on his doorstep
23. You spend ages planning out all the tricks you would play on him, in front of his own eyes on the forum
24. You’ve discussed the other members’ accents in great detail
25. You’ve ignored Tayba’s protests and agreed that Tayba has a posh British accent
26. You think nothing of receiving SMSes/text messages from people (forum members) halfway across the world at odd times of the day (usually 3.00 a.m…)
27. You suffer withdrawal symptoms when the forum stops working for a day
28. You managed to read and understand Aman (Bolly_Lover) and Shereena’s fob language……. 😉
29. George Orwell’s ‘1984’ reminds you of the forum
30. You have posted – er, sung – a lot of songs, according to your mood
31. You’ve decorated the song lyrics in ‘Sing according to ur mood!’ with various fonts/colours/bold/italics/underline/all of the above
32. You’ve written a birthday message for Rani
33. You’ve sighed and grinned at the fact that Rani knew about the card before she’s received it, and think it made the memory all the more crazy and special
34. “3th September” makes you smile
35. You’ve groaned at Boo supporting Deutschland in the FIFA World Cup
36. You had fun posting shouts of delight/sobs of sorrow when the team you’re supporting has won/lost a match (in the World Cup, obviously…)
37. An insomniac night always sees you signing in to the forum
38. You’ve thanked Mukesh a thousand times for creating the forum
39. You try to attach Bollywood actors and actresses to the forum members
40. You grin to yourself and think of Senor every time you go to a coffee shop, especially if it is Starbucks…
41. Thinking about lakes and moonlit nights makes you blush and grin and sigh and roll your eyes all at once
42. You’ve helped organise a surprise party for Boo on the forum
43. The word “faltoo” means “spends too much time on BWL” to you
44. Madhuji’s “aap bhee na” is forever etched in your brain
45. You’ve had lengthy discussions about all sorts of topics under the sun, and afterwards, you’ve thought to yourself, “Only in BWL can this happen…. :)”…. 😀
46. You miss the old green forum and the old members
47. The colour green is very special to you. Very.
48. You’ve been taken on a trip down Memory Lane, thanks to Boo
49. Rani is a Hobbit. End of story.
50. Ninja’s thought-provoking posts always leave you feeling refreshed

Big Smile

OK say “faltoo”… and you are dead. Indifferent ………. Stick out tongue

Ahhh there are so many more I can think of… but I am too lazy to write them down right now… add yours!

[boo]

@vchenoah wrote:

*warm smile*

w0rd

: )

[boo]

Hey Alie how are you? You do not seem good, hope the sun shines in your heart soon again. 🙂

Yes I am currently reading Shantaram and noticed in the posts above that you recommended it too. I simply simply simply LOVE his writing. And the philosophy in it. I’ve even folded the corners of pages I especially liked. 🙂

Never read any Harlan Coben books, I really should someday! 🙂

Not too good with what’s new unfortunately, although if you get a chance to – read Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat. This is the book that the film 3 Idiots is based on. I bought it for aeroplane reading – NOT a good idea as I was HOWLING with laughter and everyone on the plane, in the waiting rooms, wherever, kept staring at me. OOOOPS. Hilarious book though, nicely written. It’s a short book too – perfect for plane journeys. 🙂

[boo]

Aw! Poor baby! <3 Get better soon!

And LMBO ur too quick for me.

But I finished my chocolate. 😥 I want MORE! 😥

[boo]

Can anyone think of movie names that we can have as the things under our usernames instead of ‘Loyal User’ ‘Regular User’ etc? I was reading through the suggestions forum and Mukesh suggested what about film names which I think is kinda neat. Like ‘Sabse Bada Khiladi’ for the equivalent of platinum member etc.

I like Don, Badshah, Loafer, Ajnabee…

[boo]

Don’t just sit there and wave! :@ Give me some chocolate! Oh God I am craving chocolate like mad right now *looks for chocolate in handbag* Do you know I always keep some chocolate or the other in my handbag. A girl’s gotta have what a girl’s gotta have!

How are you my sweet? <3

[boo]

Ooops sorry. The pictures got cropped out on the right!

[boo]

Rani – your pictures are GORGEOUS. 😯 < cannot stop staring!

Nessa – ma’am your wish is my command. And while I’m at it, I thought I’d share some other pictures too. Now my pictures are all over the place and the only ones I can get hold of are the ones on my camera phone, so apologies for the crappy quality!

The graffiti one. So random! Makes me smile 🙂

LMBO my old caaar! In the sunrise! How I miss her! She has a name too – Basanti. 😆 <3 <3 Gotta get a Sholay reference in there. 8) (Yes, I actually stopped to photograph my baby posing in the sunrise. LOL.)

RAINBOW! Um, cos it’s pretty? Again, another adventure on Basanti – I saw the rainbow from my window and RAN like hell outside, took this photo, got into my car and drove like a lunatic to a place upon a hill, where I had the whole view of the town, then clicked some more pics as quickly as I could. 😉

More pictures of where Basanti was posing.

Aaaand another one!

Yet another sunrise. I love this one.

Same sunrise as before.

And finally…

Where I am actually sitting right now! 🙂 🙂 But there’s no tea and no soft lighting. 🙁

[boo]

LOL Nessa incidentally, I saw – oh so beautifully random! – graffiti on a wall today. It’s new because I have never seen it before and that wall definitely has no other graffiti on it. And all it had was, in white: LOVE

Awesome no, I took a picture and sent it to Unique and she was like, “Um. You probably did that. “

[boo]

Guys, I am SEEING all these spam posts and I am deleting them as much as I can, please please report them if you see them (exclamation mark at the right top hand corner of post) and I’ll sort it out ASAP. Kind of upsetting to see our home with such filth. 😐 lol. Anyhow, yes. Thanks. 🙂

[boo]

I was going through the ‘Your Comments and Suggestions’ thread where there were a hell lot of Nitz’s posts. I miss the total pain-in-the-you-know-where!

You know the funny thing? Nitzah spent pages and pages of that thread arguing why we DIDN’T need moderators, and how they would kill the fun… and the funny thing is, we have mods for the forum now and not one of his arguments held true! *touchwood* And FYI, I don’t think mods ‘killed the fun’. I’m still not sure what killed the fun but anyhow. 🙂 Just wanted to say, it’s kind of interesting looking back on blasts from the past and seeing how the future shapes itself.

And I was reading through Madhu’s ever-calm, ever-long posts LOL Ah, I completely miss her! She was always the voice of reason on this forum and she always indulged in the antics of the ‘Gruesome Trio’, with her own style of responses and wit. And as Nitz said, “Madhu always comes in with a word (or 200).” ROFLOL.

I remember once, very very long back. It was possibly the winter of 2003 or 2004, that kind of long back. I remember reading one of Madhu’s usual essay-length posts, about a tradition of hers she’d set up. I hate that time keeps stretching between that memory and the moment I am breathing in, because it fades the picture and faded pictures always piss me off. Especially where BWL is concerned because I don’t want ANY faded pictures. She was saying something about how the local (Indian? Hindu?) kids, because their families did not participate in Christmas, did not really get the Christmas experience (yes yes I KNOW presents aren’t everything. But hey! To a kid with no particular worldly knowledge/awareness, they probably are… along with snow, and baking, and the tree, and the Christmas carols, and… oh! I digress!)… or something to that effect. I would so much love it if Madhu was ever reading this, to come correct me and refresh my memory. And so every year, she would host the dinner party, and every year, she would ask the guests to each bring one present in, so that each of the kids can get a little something for Christmas. And she wrote of how the kids would always look forward to their yearly Madhu aunty’s parties, and the presents that awaited them. And I am sure I remember her writing about how it is not that much of a hassle for each family to wrap up a present (or two, if you’re adding two of your mongrels to the mix…), and how it will make all the children happy.

I’m not even sure if I have the story correct, so you totally shouldn’t judge the story on this, but the emotions you can certainly feel, I’m sure. I did not know Madhu well (this was before the days of PMs, mind you… and all we did on the forum in those days was lazy bashing of one another) but it seems to me like such a Madhu thing to do. I remember reading it and being really touched by it. I remember thinking, what a lovely Christmas tradition/gesture. I remember thinking, I want to be able to do something like this someday. Maybe I will, and maybe I will give it my own, Boo twist. But I really remember being inspired and wanting to ‘carry on Madhu’s tradition’.

I am also partial to this idea because we had something similar too. I am pretty sure it came roundabout the same time I saw Madhu’s post. Or maybe a couple of years before that. The timescale is terribly fuzzy in my head. And I had such, such wonderful memories as a child, though it fizzled out (this was a different community) after a record of two consecutive years or so. I remember we all had to earn our gifts, we all had to perform something or the other. And ours was slightly different as each family got a present for everyone, so we had several presents by the end of the day (but we DID wow them with our Oscar-worthy/Emmy-worthy stage skills so hey, fair deal, right?!), but I still remember really looking forward to it and loving it. One of the dads even dressed up as a Santa Claus and did the whole ‘ho ho ho’ speak too. And I remember the second year, it was my own father’s turn to do it. Haha! 🙂

And believe you me – no seriously – I don’t think one Christmas has gone by since reading Madhu’s post that I don’t think of Madhu and Her Present-Giving Christmas Party. But all I can do now is sigh at the state of affairs life has come to (at least, in my own society as that is all I can really moderately reasonably speak of). People are too busy for a wholehearted Christmas gathering. I include myself in this category, isn’t that sad. I guess the only consolation is I am not being hypocritical, at least. Kids are getting every godforsaken gadget and gizmo they want as Christmas presents (or disguised as, if not in the right religion… or maybe not even disguised cos hell, Christmas is one big secular party anyway!), and the simple joys of eagerly waiting for a present, seeing it wrapped, not knowing what it inside it, and being happy with that one present that you got from That Christmas Party with Madhu Aunty seem to be gone.

It seems like such a frustrating shame. I am particularly fond of, and attached to, this story because it is one of the few times I got a glimpse into Madhu’s life. And as I mentioned before, I was innocently, instantly touched and motivated by her post. And that makes it all the more frustrating that kids seem too into their luxurious lifestyles to really feel that excitement. Or maybe they do feel that excitement, who knows (and who am I to judge, hey)… it just seems like such a pity. Kids at that age – forgive me for sounding prehistoric already! – should not be joining Facebook and Bebo and MySpace and the such and playing computer games and texting on their phones, they should be enjoying the earthier joys of life.

But anyhow, it is not my role to complain farther than a disgruntled granny sigh, especially when I am not doing anything about it. Maybe next year, I will host Madhu Aunty’s Christmas Party, a la Boo. Or maybe I will ‘keep traditions’ (like I was ever a part of her traditions.. ha ha!) and just do a classic Madhu Aunty’s Christmas Party instead. *touchwood* I don’t know. I have once toyed with – and moderately successfully hosted, along with the rest of my family – a charity dinner where the guests had to pay for everything we were to cook for them, and we would cook it fresh for them (from a fixed menu), and the proceeds all went to charity. Kind of like a restaurant, but on a more personal, dinner party level, with all money being given donated towards a good cause. I say moderately successful because that plan kind of failed and we did end up cooking our fixed menu, but instead of ordering and eating, we had a semi-casual sit-down-and-eat dinner and everyone just paid a stock amount of money for the whole thing. Oh well. The money still came through, so I am counting it as a success. And I also like the idea of everyone invited bringing a present, but us sending it to a poorer country in need instead (we have a local charity that did ‘Aid Boxes’ or some such thing, I’m sure they’re still running… hmm). Maybe even getting the kids to pick out a present they think the kids would like. See what I mean by a Boo twist (hah, you were all expecting a Bollywood twist weren’t you? WEREN’T YOU? lol)?

I don’t know. There are a lot of maybes in the future, and it is sad and frustrating that the human life and memory is such that even the story of the past is riddled with maybes. But for my part, I hope I never forget this magical moment of reading someone else’s act of kindness and being inspired to create some Christmas magic of my own, and I hope I can carry this forward, because you never know where you can get inspiration from. And I just wanted to thank Madhu, and let her know (somehow) that someone, somewhere, a stranger to her, is appreciating and is touched by what she has done.

Ah, I love Christmas!

[boo]

Hi Mukesh,

The avatar sizes seem far too small – any way to make them bigger please? 🙂

PS: Oh the memories this thread brings back…!

[boo]

When BWL is at the top of the bookmarks list you’ve saved on your phone AND you’re using your phone to type this message… 🙄

… no clue what number we be on!

[boo]

😮 get yourself to a cinema ASAP and watch HP7:1!! It is totally the best HP by far. In fact, it’s the only HP film I actually like. lol. Definitely worth it!

Well, I still have not seen Band Baaja Baarat, I really really want to! Guess since the DVD is out soon, I will get the DVD as I have heard enough good things about this movie. Been AGES since we had a wholesome, ‘decent’ family entertainer! 😀

Really, REALLY looking forward to No One Killed Jessica. Seeing Rani on the big screen again reminds me of our Rani LOL. Has anyone seen it? How is it? So looking forward to my Rani! <3

Patiala House I am looking forward to, I didn’t realise it came with Anuskha Sharma (is that her name? oops). I am also interested in Yamla Pagla Deewana. I have a feeling it may be a kinda… average movie, so I shall have to wait and see.

And OMG OMG Dhobi Ghat!!!!! SO looking forward to that. I still think the best Mumbai-representing film is Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay (yes, not Slumdog Millionnaire!). So I am looking forward to seeing this movie so much. The trailers look good. It’s directed by Aamir’s wife, yes?

Hollywood-wise.. oh boy I have a LOT to catch up on!! Currently from my online DVD rental, I have No Country For Old Men, which I am yet to watch. I want to watch The Social Network. There are so many more but I’ve forgotten.

I cannot think that far back, but I guess the last movie I watched was The Hangover… what a HIGH-larious movie!!! Just loved it – the crude jokes/dialogues, the storyline, everything! I was cracking up laughing. It’s so good to watch a no-holds-barred comedy once in a while, really refreshes your mind. 😀

[boo]

Wow BL, I just realised – WHERE’D YOUR FOBSPEAK GO?! 😯

Hehe. I am so looking forward to Patiala House!! Sounds like an interesting movie…

[boo]

@Bolly_Lover wrote:

Where did these four years go? I guess time flies when you’re having fun, but eventually reality sets in.. Nevertheless, gotta make the best of every situation, remain optimistic for the future and hope for the best. Not concerned.. just a bit sad.

– totally random post; need to write something I’m having trouble verbalizing.

And things have a way of working out.. they will.

🙂 All the best, hunny, with whatever it is. Things do have a way or working out, don’t they. I have been trying to tell myself that for the past week but all I end up doing is getting major stressed and panicky and freaking out and then plunging into a long depression about what a failure I am in life. Then I eat chocolate and get back to my happier, ‘big picture’ thoughts. lol.

[Author]

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