the circle of friends

I was reading a blog yesterday, by this indian girl that lives in toronto,(a friend of mine recommended her blog as a link on his blog, so, i have also started reading hers) and she has some very interesting thoughts and comments.

her latest post was on how indian girls hate seeing other indian girls succeeding, be it in careers or their personal lives, and I am forced to agree with. Gone are the days when we would look at our friends, smile and truthfully and sincerely congratulate them on an accomplishment, No! we smile and congratulate them while we silently curse them to hell and back.

Point of note..
I recently introduced a friend of mine to my another group of friends. Now, this girl is younger than we are, has just qualified and has started a really good job. I think she is absolutely wonderful, sweet, and is a really nice person, but at the end of the evening, one of my friends commented that she found her to be "a pretentious bitch" . Now, she has no valid reason for saying this, since she hardly ssaid two words to the girl let alone asked her about anything that she does. She based her entire opinion on "sweety" becauase of the way she sat... yes, she called a "P.B" because this girl has the good sense to sit up straight, has good posture and has manners, when it comes to talking to people, so, instead of learning from her, jealousy rears its ugly head, and she stoops down to name calling and slandering... all for NO GOOD REASON... Get to know the person, speak to them and then form an opinion, dont !!! DONT judge a BOOK by its COVER...and GROW UP !!!!

It can only happen in South Africa

I saw a really strange roadsign that I'm sure cannot be found anywhere else in the world.. but before I explain, let me introduce you to my beautiful country South Africa.
The pics of the city, is the skyline of Johannesburg (where I live) and the coastal pics are of Cape Town and Durban... (places I would rather be in right now)

the story about the roadsign...
My family and I were invited to a cousin"s wedding who lives in the country. So, we set out for the two and a half hour drive early last sunday morning, driving along the quite two lane road, lined with maize-fields on either side, swaying gently in the wind, sunflowers smiling down at us as we merrily drive by. As we near a cross-road, we see a road-sign thats says " BEWARE! HIJACK SPOT 500m AHEAD"

Now, where else beside sunny, wonderful South Africa will you be priviledged enough to be warned , by a ROADSIGN, of a possibility of being hijacked?

Update on Set-up

well, it seems like I could be employed permanently as Cupid'ss helper... The two friends that I set-up "liked what they saw" and will soon be meeting up for coffee.. alone this time.. so, fingers crossed that all works out for them ...

Sexy Arjun Rampal... could'nt resist

Fresh blood for the clan of DATE-CULA

I have coined my own word for " a blind date" ... it will now officially be called a date-cula... and if you couldnt guess from the pics, the blind date in question is assumed to look like Dracula, and the person that arranged the meeting is an assistant of dracula, and the meeting spot whichever coffee shop it may be at) will henceforth be called "THE CASTLE OF DRACULA" ...

why?
Because, I have now reached the point of drawing blood from any person that even begins to mention the entire Blind date/ set-up concept to me, and to get back at all thesextremely irritating people, I have ventured out, and found new blood for this horrible clan... NEW BLOOD.. as in new people that are also single and I have now changed my position from dater to datee.. and I have organized my first official Set-up.
victims are: male- A really good friend of mine, who has had a lousy time with a girl that he has been interested in, and Female- a sister of another friend, and I am setting the two of them up... so, fingers and toes crossed that I will not be considered Dracula's assistant but Cinderella's FAIRY GODMOTHER instead. ....
will definitely post the outcome of this exciting event to take place this coming weekend!!!

Serendipity

I have lots and lots of topics that I really wanna discuss, but I don't have the time right now. And, the only time that I get these amazing insights which I want to blog, is when Im about to fall asleep at night, and then its just too tedious a task to sit and write at that time of the night, so my cellphone now has little notes saved and I will have to just refer to those ...

If anyone has taken the time to read my profile, You would have learnt that Im a sucker for any romantic movie... Especially the sweet ones that everyone has watched from years ago. On sat nite, just before I went to bed, I switched the telly on and guess what was on... SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE.. So, naturally, I couldn't go to bed, but ended up watching it again, for the 10th time now I think...

I started watching from the point where Meg was trying on her wedding gown, and the sleeve tore and she said " its a sign". I believe in signs... There are signs everywhere... Its just the know-how of which signs are important and which you shouldn't bother about that's tricky...

back to SIS... Tom is asked whether he believes if "people that have truly loved, can love again" and he says "that's hard to imagine" and he goes on to describe the first time that he met his now-deceased wife... "I touched her hand, and it was like coming home, a home that I never had, and it was just me taking her hand to help her out of a car" That bit always has me in tears and before I can recover from that emotional speech, the song "somewhere, over the rainbow " begins to play... Needless to say, my poor, romantic soul can only take so much...

The point is - people that have truly loved,and have truly been loved by another, take it for granted, not realizing what a special gift they have been given,until its too late, and everyother person in the world roams around blindly, seeking fulfillment and don't really know if they will ever find that love, the love that can last for eternity and a day!!!!

IT WORKED yay!!!!

my experiment finally worked... I know that no-one that reads this gives a shit whether my dumb experiment works or not.. but this crappy part of my thesis has been giving me sleepless nights since Nov last year, and today, ten minutes ago, it has finally FINALLY worked....

n that is why I just had to post about it... This means alot in the grand scheme of my Masters project. You see, I was supposed to have been completed with the experiments by April, and because this shitty thing hasnt worked, Im now behind with everything.. but NO-MORE... I can now go full steam ahead and hopefully get some results before the end of this month so that i can go to a conference in July ... hopefully, hopefully, every experiment here-on carries on working....

And now, I have decided to take the day off... and go and watch a movie...

Women just love being pampered!!!

I apologise for not posting for the last few days, but I have been swamped with work, and the weekend was so lovely, that I didnt get a chance to sit in front of a computer...

the highlight of my weekend was a Glaomour/Clarins workshop that I was lucky enough to attend. Let me explain: I am an avid Glamour reader, and I have to buy the mag. the day that it hits the shelves. anyway,the Feb. issue had this notice about a workshop that Glamour was running together with Clarins. Now, there were going to be only two sessions each in JHB, Cape Town, and Durban and only 30 people were allowed into each session. Thankfully, I emailed the lady in charge the instant I read this article and I was one of the first lucky ppl to get a place in this workshop. But, being the generous soul that I am, I also booked tweo extra places for my sister and my best friend.

So, we went for the afternoon session that was from 2-5 pm and boy, was it awesome. We were given full clarins facials followed by a make-up application, a really realaxing tea in the weel-maintained gardena of Clarins House and then a Beauty update by Glamour's Beauty Editor. And we got six months subscribtion to Gloamour and A hamper from Clarins. It was truly Awesome , and an excellent way to spend a saturday afternoon...

$$$$$$$$$

Don't you just hate pop-ups? They have a tendency to appear when you right in the middle of something important/ interesting on the web, and it doesn't matter if you try blocking them, they have an uncanny way of working around it, and still appearing on your screen.... But, sometimes, a pop-up of note can appear, and that's what happened today...

The Forbes Billionaires List popped up as some as I sat down today, and it got me reading all about the most wealthiest men on earth. I was personally impressed because of the ten men, that I read up on, four of them have degrees in Science, and two actually have Masters degrees in Science. Now, I know, that all science degrees are not related, but, please, let me just delude myself this once by believing that if they can do it, so can I... Who knows, this blog may one day belong to not only a
F-A-M-O-U-S person but a F-A-M-O-U-S B-I-L-L-I-O-N-A-I-R-E .... NAMELY ... ME

so, without further ado... The top Ten Billionaires
1) Bill Gates , 50 yrs old, Self made in the software industry, net worth 50 B
2) Warren Buffet, 75, Self made, Investments in well known brands like Coca cola, Dairy Queen, American Express, and Gillette amongst others, 42 B
3)Carlos Slim Helu , 66, Inherited wealth and growing, Telecommunications, 30 B I was really amazed by this guy, and he could be considered a modern day version of the Emperor Shah Jahan since he has had the Mexico City's Museo Soumaya built, which he has founded and namely after his late wife .. awwwwhhhh, isn't that so romantic....
moving on..
4) Ingvar Kamprad, 79, self-made, owns the chain of IKEA across US and Europe, 28B
5) Lakshmi Mittal , 55, Inherited and growing wealth, Owns 78% of Mittal Steel,23.5 B
6) Paul Allen , 53, self made in Software (Microsoft) , 22B
7) Bernad Arnault, 57, Self made in diversified areas, A year of celebration for the "Pope of fashion." His high-end luxury goods empire LVMH, with brands including Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Christian Dior and Mokt & Chandon, posted record sales of $16.6 billion.21.5 B
8) Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsuad, 49, Self made in investments, This nephew of the Saudi king is one of the world's wealthiest investors, with a big stake in Citigroup. Received much publicity–some of it negative–in December 2005 for the $20 million gifts he made to Harvard and Georgetown to expand their Islamic studies departments. In January 2006, with a partner, announced a $3.9 billion deal to buy Fairmont Hotel & Resorts. In February listed his hotel holdings on the Dubai stock exchange. Planning to take his main investment group, Kingdom Holdings, public on the Saudi exchange later this year.20B
9) Kenneth Thompson and family, 82, inherited and growing wealth, Media, 19.6B
and number ten on the list is
Li Ka-Shing, 77, self made, Asia's richest and most influential investor's fortune is centered on conglomerates Cheung Kong and Hutchison Whampoa. Real estate developer, cell phone provider, retailer, major supplier of electricity to Hong Kong and the world's largest operator of container terminals. In June donated $180 million to University of Hong Kong; $40 million to University of California, Berkeley. Son Victor helps father run his massive empire. 18.8B

Thats what friends are for!!!

This post could be considered as a continuation from yesterday's, since its regarding the same, god-forsaken topic... (sorry, im just really p'ed off).

I have this really awesome, cool, sweet friend that was in my Honours class with me in 2003. We have done lots of fun stuff together, as well as sitting and bitching and swearing about all our study stress and the disasterous love-lives that we had during that horrible year. Anyway, when we graduated I continued with my post-grad degrees and she went into the industry to work. So, we dont really see each other often, but meet up for coffee once in a while when our busy social schedules permit.

I called her last night to confirm if she was joining a group of us for supper on friday night, and ,we were chating along, about general stuff(and people that we know) when she suddenly says "RubY, I have a guy that I want you to meet" and I immediately, without a moments hesitation said " NO, plz, not you as well...."
so, she goes on to say: He is a really nice guy, A bit dweeby, but please just meet him...

so I ak her ... Sweety, If he is a dweeb (her exact words were " If you see him, You will think that he did IT or something in that field) (no offence to IT people) but immediately a distinct image of a guy in a white shirt, a skew pair of specs dangling off his nose and a couple of ballpoint pens in his shirt pocket flashed through my mind!!! I know, im really judgemental.... then, as if that wasnt bad enough she goes on to say "he is a really shy guy, complete introvert to you being an extrovert, but mayb he needs to meet someone like you " and " On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate you, my friend, a seven (a bit low I thought) and I'd give him a 5...
A FIVE . My friend, who thinks im extroverted, a 7/10 and knows the type of guys that I generally find attracttive, thinks that I am soooo desperate, that she wants me to meet and accountant/IT guy, who is an introverted, 5/10...

Desperate times call me desperate measures, so, I have put my thinking cap on, and I need to come up with a brilliant plan to deflect all these people that are being thrown at me, from all directions... QUICKLY, before I go insane !!! Rite now, its a seed of an idea, and when it begins to germinate, and my wonderful idea blossoms I will definitely be posting about it ( you can see, that i grow plants can't ya)

Blind dates would work if i was BLIND !!!!

I have been hunted down, and forced into meeting people that I have no interest in meeting because of two important facts:
1) I am almost 25 (considered way over the hill in Indian culture)
2) I am single
and this is not acceptable!!! Every single person that I know, has taken it upon themselves to find "a nice guy" for me since it seems that I cant find one on my own.
It would however, be okay with me, if the guys that turn up, dont make me wish that I was blind, or invisible or both.

Last year, I was subjected to 8 such "set-ups" (according to my fan-club, I cannot call them blind dates cos I had spoken to them before ) and even though its only the third month in the year, I am once again harrassed into meeeting some sad sad prospects (3 people to date, with two more up-coming sure-to-be-disasters. )

Dont get me wrong, I am not adverse to meeting someone, and hopefully taking an interest in them,(and hopefully they return all feelings involved) but, I'd like it to happen spontaneously, when I least expect it, and I want to see stars and feel my heartbeat speed up, NOT when I am forced to sit through a coffee/supper date . Okay, I now that my idea of the meeting is ridiculous but a girl can dream rite...

IN the meantime, while Prince Charming is battling his way through the peak hour traffic on the M1 , in a effort to get to me , I will just have to grin and bear the idiots, and hopefully everyone will just give up, or run out of people that "I Just have to meet!!! "

Males: a species of their own

Im always amazed at the differences between males and females, especially in the way our thought processes differ and the varied reactions to certain aspects of our lives.

Now,I may be guilty of generalizing, and I am sure that there are some men out there, that actually do behave differently, but in a matter of a week, I have heard about such astonishing incidences that it got me thinking about the differences between males and females...

Females have emotional attachment to everything that they do, and everyone that they interact with, but I have yet to be convinced that males act the same.
Now, the reason why I have been thinking about this at all, is because I have a friend/acquaintance that has is starting to become involved with a married man. He is constantly calling her, especially at odd hours of the night when he somehow gets rid of his wife and he insists on meeting her every second day. Now,the woman in question is finding it difficult to say no, because she is also attracted to this man. She however, is getting more emotionally involved with him, and is starting to believe that she is in love with him, when all he wants is a physical relationship since he is bored with his wife.

I know, that women can be the same, and also have purely physical relationships without getting involved emotionally, but I reckon that guys are programmed in some way, and are better able to place their feelings and actions into little pigeon-holes that remain untouched and unaffected by everything else that surrounds them, and are of equal importance.

Hi... this is just a pic of my favorite bollywood actor and actress.. I think that I look alot like her... n some of my friends agree with me... N the guy is just stunningly gorgeous.

When friends start to resemble old bras

i couldnt help but make this analogy when a very good freind of mine began to really get on my nerves. u see, I dont have any major problems with this girl, but sumtimes, well, most of the time actually, she has this irritating habit of saying things and commenting on things that you'd rather not receive a comment about.

An example of such a time: (yes, i know, the problems always have to be about the opposite sex, even if they are not romantically linked in the slightest)

anyway, i have this part-time friend( male, who will be referred to as Loner) and i say part-time, cos we can be the best of buddies for two months and meet up for coffee and do a movie, and then we go through a drought, where we dont call/see each other for months on end and then the cycle repeats itself...
This relationship suits us both quite fine, except he is not sumone to call, in case of an emergency since he may not answer his phone..
Nontheless, i still regard him as someone of relative importance in my life (might have something to do with him looking like the Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan)

And this is where my friend comes in.. even though she doesnt know this guy in person, she thinks that he is an idiot(for reasons of her own i guess) but she never hesitates to voice her opinion over him, and anything else that she wants to bitch about even if i dont want to hear it...

now, i met up with Loner last week while i was shopping and we got chatting, and thats when my friend phoned. When she heard whom i was with, she didnt spare me her thoughts on the guy in question... and thats when i got the analogy of the bra and im sure that girls could relate to this:
just as an underwire bra becomes old and uncomfortable at some stage, no matter how much u liked it before, U just have to get rid of it eventually... In the same way, some friendships reach a stage, when you are forced to evaluate the friendship, and by weighing the good and the bad in it, decide whether to replace the underwire or to just throw the whole thing out with the rest of the garbage....

why serendipity?

hi there

i have not decided what my blog is gonna be about as yet, but i feel that i should give an explanation of my address as the title of this blog.

okay, its not only the movie that i loved, but I have always believed that every person has a soul-mate, that one person that has been sent to this earth for u alone. I know this might sound strange to some, and as the years have passed me by, i have changed my mind-set slighty, but i still strongly hold onto the whole idea of a soul-mate except, I am now convinced that there may be more than one specific person for each person out there... i.e. many pieces of a puzzle, and the first first one that fits, is the lucky one.

And thats where serendipity comes in. The dictionary's definition of serendipity is :
"good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries" but, i think that luck has nothing to do it. My belief is that every person is meant to meet their soul mate/s at a specific point in their lives, those that do, are fortunate but they may/may not chose to spend their lives with these souls.