Do it NOW!

Alright, all you men out there, who have *never* got their hair shampooed and blow dried at a salon, raise your hands.

Let me count how many hands are raised. I can see atleast 5. Now, go do it. Yes, go get your hair shampooed and blow dried at a salon convenient to you. You need to know how it feels.

I just got it done and I feel lighter than air and pampered to the core! Ah! What a relaxed feeling it is.

Singapore.... Yea.... whatever!

Sigh! The vacation got over so soon! I wanted to be in Bali for some more time. Its such a beautiful and charming place.

I am definitely going there again! And this time I am gonna spend more time there and see as much as possible.

Bali.. Yeeeeeeeeeah!!

Am off to Bali for a much needed vacation. Will be back soon!

I promise to blog about the trip. Incase, I don't, please feel free to kick my ass!

A Simple Equation

Healthy dinner at Subway + Peach flavoured frozen yoghurt with fresh mango topping + aimless walking along the exotic aisles of Cold storage = One happy boy :D :D :D

Cold Storage is a fantasy land for me!! I will get lost and drift to my happy place when I am there. The rest of the world ceases to exist! Infact, my ex had gotten quite jealous that I seemed more excited at cold storage than on our dates. LOL!!

A sure shot way to make me happy (especially if I am angry with you) - Drop me of at Cold Storage and come and pick me up after a couple of hours :D Importantly, pay for whatever I purchase there.

The nicknames

Recently I started thinking about the different nicknames that are usually associated with me. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I have so many nicknames. In an effort that I don't forget them (and that I need to update my blog more regularly), here they are and the story behind them.

1. Pizzadude - My online name. I didn't come up with this name actually. Instead, it was coined by a close friend of mine, after he discovered my LOVE for pizzas. I don't think he even remembers that he coined this name. Pills, thanks so much for inspiring my online identity.

2. Chinnu - My family calls me by this name. Soon my friends caught on to this and I am now frequently referred by this name.

3. Chinoto - Coined by Sri, my ex-flatmate. He saw the name on the drinks menu at Pasta Fresca and became obsessed with it and started referring to me that way. Now, the other ex-flatmate also refers to me by this name.

4. Thai-chi - Again coined by Sri, after he discovered my unconditional love for Thai food!

5. Aloo Bhujia Controller Confiscator Dude (ABCD) - Coined by Shub. Story here.

6. Aloobun Dude - Coined by Shub after I made here jealous by eating aloo bun (got by ex-flatmate from Bangalore) and not giving it to her.

7. Thames - Coined by Sumanthe, after noticing my supposedly angrezi behaviour/mannerisms.

8. Thudson - Coined by Viv. During dinner one day, my friends were referring to me as Thames as usual. I opined that since I prefer US to UK, I should be called as Hudson. This prompted Viv to refer to me as Thud-son, with a resounding thud on my back!

9. Joey - Coined by Sash, after the character of Joey Tribbiani from F.R.I.E.N.D.S., when she found out about my love for pizzas and food and for typical Joey like behaviour.

10. Veshtiman - Story here.

TWO

I am wondering what to write in this post. A post which marks my completion of 2 years in Singapore. 2 years of living by myself. Being at a loss of words made me take a look at the post I wrote 1 year ago.

Yes, I am still very happy about all the things that I have mentioned in that post. Each time I travel on the Benjamin Sheares Bridge, from where I can view the entire Marina Bay area, it fills me with a sense of pride that I live here. And every single time, I still gawk at the skyscrapers and the view like I haven't seen it before in my life.

It feels like the past one year has flown by so fast. Maybe because a lot has happened in my life in the past one year - Traveling, friends, shifting homes, the beach, hour long commutes to work, taking a big decision, surprise birthday parties, getting into a relationship, getting out of a relationship, etc. I am glad about every thing that has happened - the good ones and the not so good ones. It gives me the feeling and the high of living my life on my own terms and being responsible for it.

Cheesecakes on the house to all the readers. Its time for some celebration! And a biiiiiig and tiiiight hug to a big bunch of people. You know who you are.

Well....

Pizzadude decides to go for a swim in the evening.

Pizzadude feels very sleepy through the course of the day.

Pizzadude thinks of canceling the swimming plans and heading back home and going to bed early.

Pizzadude says "Yeah right! As if he will sleep early".

Pizzadude overcomes laziness and decides to stick to his swimming plans.

Pizzadude goes swimming at a pool near his office.

Pizzadude doesn't like the pool. He is used to the usual pool near his house.

Pizzadude swims for about 45 mins.

Pizzadude is tired and very thirsty.

Pizzadude is happy with the workout and all the extra-calories he burned (which he had accumulated by eating cookies and chocolate cake in the morning).

Pizzadude decides to treat himself to a nice and healthy dinner at Subway.

Pizzadude goes to the nearest mall.

Pizzadude gets distracted by all the restaurants.

Pizzadude almost walks into a Japanese restaurant, but then decides against it when he realizes that they don't have any vegetarian food.

Pizzadude decides to check out the Kopitiam (local food court).

Pizzadude is amazed at the variety and wonders why he never came here before.

Pizzadude spots a vegetarian stall and almost jumps up and down in joy. He then realizes that doing so does not go well with his sophisticated and dignified image and is not good on his knees. So, he just sports an angelic smile.

Pizzadude spots noodle soup on their menu. Its called Lor Mee.

Pizzadude is all excited and places an order for it.

Pizzadude waits eagerly for the dish to arrive. Filmfare magazine and some eye-candy nearby gives him company.

Pizzadude is not very impressed with the way it looks.

Pizzadude realizes to his horror that it is laden with oil and soy sauce.

Pizzadude does not like the taste so much.

Pizzadude manages to almost finish the dish as he does not like to waste food.

Pizzadude realizes that he just undid the effects of his evening swim.

Pizzadude feels bloated and fat.

Pizzadude thunks head against the table.

Pizzadude resolves to head to the nearest Subway outlet after his swim from next time.

It all started when I first heard this song and saw its trailer on youtube.



Pretty soon, I was addicted to it. The song just wouldn't get out of my head. It was driving me nuts and nothing seemed to be working. So, I tweeted about it asking for help. He promptly suggested that I listen to this song.



That was it! I was addicted again and how! It was driving me nuts even more. I was standing at the bus stop and going "Gee gee gee gee baby baby baby". I was doing some serious coding and the next thing I know, I am humming "Gee gee gee gee baby baby baby". It was worse then the previous one!

So, I had to get re-addicted to the first song to get over my addiction to the this song. Whew!

I am ok now :)

Ek jaam, dosti ke naam

A close friend of mine emailed me recently saying -

Hellooo! When are u updating ur blog magga? I know u are too busy dating around and sleeping around, but there's life beyond that too :D

After recovering from the trauma of being referred to as 'magga' *GASP* (will save that for another post), I remembered that the proper reaction to such an email would be to say - Jeeeeeeeeeeez!

*GULP*

Yes, my dear friend, its been a while since I blogged. The lack of inclination/interest has made me neglect my blog for so long. But, now that you have emailed me and asking me why I haven't blogged, here I am, blogging. This one's for you.

Dear V,

I had never thought that you and I would end up as such good friends, considering the scenario we met in. But, now that we are, I couldn't be happier. Its been a great 3 years knowing you.

I cherish all the wonderful moments that we have spent together. Eating out, talking nonsense, gossiping, shameless leg pulling, exchanging gyaan, shopping, confiding in and speaking direct dil se. Thanks for being there when I needed your support and I will be there when you need mine.

Being the F.R.I.E.N.D.S fanatic that I am, I cannot help but recall this song at this moment -



Here's to a great friendship
*clink*

Cheers,
PizzaDude.

Eastward bound

Have you ever had the feeling where you set your eyes on something for the first time and fell in love then and there? I had the exact same feeling when I first saw this area of Singapore. That was more than a year ago. During the course of the year, this love and fascination was strengthened considerably due to my frequent visits to this area. Somehow or the other, I would end up going there almost every weekend. The fact that I used to reside on the opposite end of the country didn't deter me at all.

Ever since I confessed my fascination to the place, she has been telling me to move there at every single oppourtunity which presented itself. Given the fact that the area has an abundance of restaurants, it is of no wonder that I would gush about it whenever I went there. The best part of the place was its proximity to the beach. Just a short 15 min walk away. I have always loved the beach and can spend the whole day next to it. Staying in a place like that where I can wake up early on a sunday morning(Stop that eye rolling! I can get up early if I want to!!!), take a brisk walk to the beach, spend some time sitting next to the shore and head back home after breakfast (Yes, I wholeheartedly believe than an outing is not complete until I eat outside) has always been a dream.

So, a couple of months back, we started searching for a house in this area (which is in the east). Looking through classifieds, calling up agents, viewing houses kept us kind of busy is the last one month (and that is NOT the reason I have blogged less. I was just plain lazy). And then the whole "love at first sight" happened again when we saw a lovely apartment. We decided to rent out the place almost immediately and were doing bhangra or to be more specific, we were going Tanah Merah Tanah Merah (my friends had become more obsessed about it than I was, Buhahahaha!!) in our heads. But the owner decided to think about our offer and told us that he would tell us the outcome by noon the next day. We were a bundle of nerves by noon next day and were literally jumping with anticipation each time the phone rang or a message was received. Finally, after many such 'false jumpings', we finally got the good news. It was such a relief. We couldn't wait to move in.

The much awaited day came and we moved in amidst much excitement. It took a couple of days to sink in that we live in the east now. Now that it has, here is a list of things which explains why the new house rocks and why we are so head-over-heels in love with it.

1. The beach is just a 20 min walk
2. The whole set of restaurants that I spoke about earlier is just a short 5 min bus ride away.
3. Changi airport is just a 10 min taxi ride away. Yipeeee!!! No more of the hour long journeys to receive/drop friends/family at the airport.
4. The new house is clearly the best house compared to all the ones that I have stayed in all my life.
5. It is huge with plently of light and air.
6. My room had got huge windows. The absence of building next to ours ensures that we don't peep into other houses and vice-versa
7. From the dining room and my room windows, I can see flights approach a landing. Just a couple of days back, I saw the A380 approach a landing. Wow!
8. The lady at the western stall in the food court nearby asked me if I wanted "Veggie burger" when I ordered a "Chicken Burger without the chicken patty but with a hash brown". I think I almost cried!
9. There is an Indian shop nearby who sells fresh coriander amongst other Indian items. This came as a very pleasant surprise. I don't have to frequent trips to Mustafa Centre.
10. We finally made this a reality.

Whacked out!

There is a MRT station in Singapore called Tanah Merah. Whenever I hear that name, I feel like putting both my hands up in the air and rotating my palms like I am screwing a light bulb into place. No, seriously!

Am a total whacko! I know.

Yet another holiday...

I am of to Vietnam and Cambodia for a long pending holiday! Yipeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! I have been :D :D :D since the past couple of days. Will be back in a week. Till then, all you children behave ok? ok.

Tagged!!!

Urv has tagged me with the Unspectacular Quirk tag. Here are the rules of the tag followed by my quirks.

Rules -

1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
   
3. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
   
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them
   
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers' blog, letting them know that they have been tagged.

Quirks -

1. I get royally bugged when I see e-mails/text messages which start with the word "hai". Its "Hi" for godsake!! Aaargh! Don't ever expect me to reply, if I ever get a message starting with that non-word.
2. When ever I keep money in my wallet, all the notes have to arranged from the highest to the lowest value and kept with the front facing upwards and upright. Also, the notes cannot be folded over the edges. Else, I don't get sleep at night.
3. When I wear lenses, I have to first put the lenses on for the left eye and then followed by the lens for the right eye. I never wear otherwise.
4. I hate it when I see travel bags with airplane baggage tags still on even after a couple of moths of undergoing the journey. YOU, yes YOU, remove that SQ airline tag from your bag. I know it is still there.
5. I just cannot work on the PC with more than 5-6 windows in the task bar. I get very disoriented.
6. Whenever I go to a restaurant, I always study the menu and take my own sweet time for that. Once I am done, I am very confused on what I want to eat.
   

There, I am all done :D

I have no idea whom to tag as the people whom I would have probably tagged have already done this tag.

Thank God for Thai Food

YUM!!!


Period.

Just Wondering

Of late I have started to wonder, if we get along great with a friend of ours and have similar tastes and interests, should we start considering this person as someone more than a friend ? You know, like a possibility of having a romantic relationship with them. At least this is what certain friends of mine have conveyed to me. While many have been teasing me about it, one of them actually sat me down and asked me to seriously consider the girl in question as a prospective life partner.

I don't understand one thing. Just because we get along quite well and have similar tastes and interests, why should we immediately start thinking about starting a romantic relationship with other? I mean, come-on isn't there something called as being good friends? Can't two people of opposite sex who have similar tastes and interests, be just good friends and remain as that? Why should every great non-romantic friendship be thought up as a romantic relationship down the line? It invariably happens that way. It makes me wonder - Don't we want to have friends who like to do the same things as us? Just because the said friend is of an opposite sex, why should they be considered as prospective date?

Neither Bollywood or Hollywood seems to believe so :)

The Big Bang

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!! Off to Bangkok! :D

Regularly Spoken

1. Oh my god! :O
2. Holy cow!
3. Yaaay!!!
4. What the .. ???
5. Holy cow!!
6. Hees :D
7. :)
8. Holy cow!!!
9. Shit!
10. Dudes...
11. I'm so bored.
12. I am hungry.
13. Holy cow!
14. Chalo, lets go.
15. Awesome!

Bollywood Calling

Ever since I came to Singapore, I have realized that I have become totally crazy about Bollywood. I was a big fan when I was in India too, but had not realized that I was so crazy. I seem to know so much trivia about it that it totally amazed me :O Add to it the number of hindi movies that I have seen ever since I came here. Im sure I would not have seen so many movies had I been in India. I wonder why this is so ? Maybe its my way of missing India. Could be.

BOLLYWOOD ZINDABAD!!

My Life in Singapore

It is just the way I had hoped it would be. I am so glad I took up the oppourtunity and came here. Staying by myself, experimenting with cooking, exploring the city during weekends, jogging and staying fit and travelling around are some of the things that keep me occupied (apart from my job ofcourse). I am just enjoying every moment of it.

This is the first time in my life that I am staying so far away from family. I am sure this is going to be one heck of an experience. There are definitely lots of things that I will discover about myself, which inturn leads to a better understanding of myself and people in general.

Things that I am currently in awe of -

1) The National Library. The buildings are so swanky and elegant looking, it is hard to believe that it is a public library. You actually would want to go and spend the whole day there reading. Adding to it is the lovely cafe attached. Just perfect for a rainy weekend afternoon.

2) The Roads.

3) The huge supermarkets and the variety of stuff available. I generally end up spending more time and money than intended when I go there. :))

4) The amazing variety of fancy looking restaurants here serving up some lovely fare.

Things that I miss most from back home -

1) Family and close friends

2) Chaat. *drool*

3) Not being bombarded with Bollywood information. I have to make an effort to look up for it on the internet :( I have absolutely no idea what Abhi-Ash have been upto lately. Not that I was very concerned about it, but being continously bombarded with their whereabouts while in India it feels like there is a void, now that I am not being bombarded :))

One more thing that has made my life much easier over here is the presence of some good friends. Thanks to her (and also her), loafing around the country has never been so much fun. I just cannot wait to try out all the food places which are begging for our attention.

Err...

I recently got this forward which has two pictures of complicated looking electrical wire connections and asking the readers to apply KCL and KVL to the seemingly very complicated network. These were the pictures of the entangled wires.

Err.. Is it wierd that I know how to solve it ? Actually, it is not as complicated as it looks. It is quite straight forward actually.

I am such a geek.