I Prefer White!

We just started our first dream home search in Navi Mumbai thinking we can get a bigger space and more affordable options in this area. So while our only concern was if travelling would be really difficult in the far-off sectors, the harsh reality presented itself - Black is in!

We were shocked the way brokers / estate agents openly asked us, "Black kitna kar sakte ho!" (How much can you pay in black.). 

No there wasn't the slightest hesitation in asking for black money. In fact, we were looked down upon once we told that we will only pay in white! Guess what, each estate agent we met until now has only 1-2 all-white flats and several in the black-n-white mode. While we insisted to know why the hell we must pay in black, the answer was unanimous - arre builder ko bhi toh khilana padta hai na, woh kidhar se paise layega! As if we are being inconsiderate by refusing to pay in black!

But like builders we too are adamant. We are gonna discriminate and favour the white in this case! 

Do diwaane shaher mein
Raat aur dopahar mein
Aabodaana dhoondte hain
WHITE aashiyana dhoondte hain

Here's a tip: If you haven't bought a house in the recent years and you do not want to deal in cash, be prepared to be super patient in your home search. Give yourself a window of 8 months to find yourself a WHITE HOUSE. I am sure we will, and even you will find the one sooner or later.

Book Review: I'm Not Twenty Four

Book: I'm Not Twenty Four... I've been nineteen for five years

Author: Sachin Garg

Pages:  224
Price: INR 100

About the book:
A story written from a girl's perspective,  I'm Not Twenty Four is Sachin Garg's first book. 

The story is set in Toranagallu, a village in Karnataka. It's about Saumya, a Delhi girl who due to her unisex name lands up in a job typically meant for men and in place she has never heard of. The challenges involved in the job are nothing like what you would expect an MBA student to face. 

Saumya juggles between her thoughts - to continue with her 
emotionally taxing profile or to be a quitter which seems like a practical decision in this case. After all, seeing horrific deaths day after day and informing the concerned families is not an easy task. And then when you are probably the reason for the 'accidents', would you continue? 

But then comes a mysterious hippie who has something about him. Will he help her decide to move out with his move-on theory? Or will stay back with her? 


Book review:
The first half of the story goes very slow. A couple of times I did feel like picking up some other book, but then I went on to read as the author promised that the story will take me to a world I never knew existed. Was it worth it? Well, it did pick up pace and become quite interesting in the fourth (last) part. 

The main characters are:

• Saumya's B-School roommate and friend Vartika
• Her batchmate Amit who hgets place in the same company - Lala Steel, Toranagallu
• Malappa, a fun-to-be-with person and smart guy, who joins Lala Steel along with Saumya and Amit
• Shubhrodeep Shyamchaudhary aka Shubhro, an interesting guy with an interesting story

During the induction meet, Saumya and gang meet Shubhro (in Hampi) who knows all about the interesting places in the isolated area. Shubhro's story is very interesting - he basically stays in various places across the world for exactly ninety days each. On the ninety first day, he moves on to another city! 

Saumya ends up being a part of the Safety Department and her boss Ashish Rao tells her that she will have to work with him in the Reaction Team of the department. This essentially means she will have to rush to the scene in case of untoward incidents, take the necessary steps and worst, inform the mothers/sisters that they have lost their sons/brothers in a gruesome accident! Who wants a job like this? Malappa and Amit's profiles are obviously less tougher than hers! Hence, it's but logical that she intends to quit sooner or later.


During her tenure, Saumya visits Malappa in the Blast Furnace area, but her visit proves fatal for him! The description is gruesome, but it seems necessary.

She eventually decides to leave for good but then Shubhro lands up in Toranagallu. Attraction takes over and she is left confused again. Now will Shubhro extend his 90-day plan he always sticks to or will he stay back for her? Or should she go away with him? The way Shubhro's disappearance and his explanation for it is handled is pretty interesting. 

Sachin's hand-written note on the first page of the book compelled me to read it through. It was a very nice gesture too! Except for the first half, it was an overall interesting read. Shubhro's story actually is very unique and makes one think at least once to try out his lifestyle. The last blog part looked a bit stretched.


The writing style is simple and you do not need Thesaurus at any point. However, the spelling, typo and punctuation errors could have been avoided. How can you misspell the main place in the story, the place that is the base of the story? The first mention of the place is Torangallu and from thereon it is Toranagallu! 


Still, you can go for this book. The price is justified. And so are the number of pages.


My rating for I'm Not Twenty Four... I've been nineteen for five years: 6.5/10

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This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program by blogadda.com.

There’s always something good about something bad

See the good!

There’s always something good about something bad
Getting diagnosed with a terrible disease
at a young age for instance

You know early on how important is life
and its smallest joys that you never acknowledged
You know early on why health means everything
and that earning wealth is not everything
You know early on that the health is wealth proverb
you ignored all these years has a lot deeper meaning

See, there’s always something good about something bad 
Getting diagnosed with a terrible disease 
at a young age for instance 

You discover that some of your family and friends
aren’t quite the ones who would be there with you in tough times
You also discover that those who were remote acquaintances
are the ones who give you strength and support
Those friends from the past or the recent social networking sites
are the ones who give you the will to survive

See, there’s always something good about something bad 
Getting diagnosed with a terrible disease 
at a young age for instance 

You become wiser like you never thought
and eventually stop worrying about what the world would say
You don’t unnecessarily bother about those so-called near ones
and feel happy that you have identified the real dear ones
You learn that life as you know is the life around
the people who define you, the people who really matter

See, there’s always something good about something bad 
Getting diagnosed with a terrible disease 
has its own hidden meaning 

Image courtesy: office.microsoft.com

The Hair and the Tortoise

Windy Weather! Should have used a scarf!

It took me several years to slowly and steadily realise the importance of good hair and hair care. 

As a kid, I used to have really nice, long and full hair. The only time I had No Hair during my childhood was when I had to become taklu for the mundan ceremony. The rest of the days included proper oiling (thanks to my mother and grandmother), use of Shikakai (since shampoos weren't that popular back then) and lovely hair styles courtesy my mother. What did they call it? Oh yes, Sadar Choti!

I grew from the flowerpot style pony to the lots-of-colourful-clips/bands style to the French bun to the multiple braids and what not! Hair fall was a term I did not understand. Of course, I must admit that while in school I  did have the lice trouble a couple of times but it was taken care of soon with a specific solution meant for the purpose. Dandruff? I learnt what it was only much after I started working.

I remember a Wow Moment! One fine day, two girls from my building came over to my place to seek my mother's permission for something - they wanted me to accompany them as they had joined a hairdressing class. Nah, they did not want me to join them in the training, they wanted me to be their model!!! For as per them, I had the best hair to help them try several styles! Since I was okay with it (actually overjoyed), my mother allowed me to go with them. Ah the praises I got from the girls there! I was flying in the air and I was just in my early teens!

Now, as I reflect back, I think I started taking my hair too casually. Then came college life which I thought was busy. Then came work life which made me think college life was easier. And then came married life which made me think... sorry, which left me with little time to even think ;)

After experiencing dandruff a couple of times and hairfall that is strangely more during rainfall, I decided to get serious about my hair. That one wow moment of my teenage years made me remember how really good my hair used to be. And what have I done (or not done) with it with years of busy life and stress.

Would you rather use a wig?

Now, like some New Year resolutions, I was not quite able to keep the self-promise to take good care of my hair. The better days were when there were some functions, meets, festivals, interviews, my marriage preparations, parties, etc. The rest 300+ days, my hair care regime took rest!

Now with my bad health and strong medications since over an year now, I know my hair's losing its sheen faster. And I have seriously started taking care of it for two reasons:

1. I know when I take good care of my hair, they make me look good. And I feel happier which is good for my health.
2. If I won't, who will?

There are several rules I follow to ensure I treat my hair well. Following is the list of 12 little things you too must do to take care of hair (I suggest you try these too and don't delay / go as slowly as the tortoise):

1. Oil your hair. It can be boring but it does help.
2. Treat yourself to a hair spa once in a while. Your hair deserves it. After all, it adds meaning to your face!
3. Shampoo at least 2 times a week. Use a good shampoo followed by a good conditioner.
4. Apply the right kind and amount of serum. You can use it daily too, but choose a good brand.
5. Intense damage treatment hair mask (I have tried Dove) is a bliss! 
6. Use a scarf / dupatta while travelling in open air / when you have to be in the Sun for long. Use an umbrella to keep your head and hair cool when the heat is scorching.
7. Do not use too much of hair spray. Avoid it as much as possible. It ruined my hair on my wedding day!
8. Avoid using too many chemicals (especially alcohol based) on your hair. You are not a chemistry lab platform, are you?
9. If your are planning to take a dip in the pool, wet your hair first. 
10. Do not use hair dryer frequently, towel / natural drying is the best. If you have to use, go for the cool mode.
11. Eat healthy. Yes, good food nourishes hair too! Fruits, green veggies, cucumbers, onions... Google it and you'll be surprised!
12. Sleep well.

I am sure, you too have your set of tips to enhance those tresses. Do feel free to add to the list and let's all flaunt gorgeous hair.

Rules can be boring, but more often then not, they are meant for something good.
So, baal ki khaal mat nikalo, baal ka khayaal rakho aur baal baal bacho! 
Love is a two-way street: Love your hair and it will love you back!

Liked this post? Do vote for it here if you feel it deserves a vote. Or "Like"  it on the Facebook link out there. Didn't like the post, I am open to positive criticism!
Submitting this post as an entry to the Indiblogger - Dove contest.

 
Thanking the readers, IndiBlogger Team and Dove Team for making this a winning entry!

Colours of Nine Days of Navrati

Ever got out of your house during Navrati festival and noticed most of the people are wearing the same colour? Well, it's a custom or rather a trend to wear clothes of a particular colour on a particular day of Navrati, especially in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Now, the nine colours are known to represent the nine avatars of Goddess Durga. And a colour is fixed in advance for each day of the festival.

The Colours of Nine Days of Navrati 2011 are as follows:

Colour for Pratipada on September 28: Blue 

Colour for Dvitiya & Tritiya on September 29: Yellow
Colour for Chaturthi on September 30: Green
Colour for Panchami on October 1: Grey
Colour for Shashti on October 2: Orange
Colour for Saptami on October 3: White
Colour for Asthami on October 4: Red
Colour for Navami on October 5: Purple

Colour for Vijayadashami on October 6: Pink

And Google enters its teenage years!

As Google turns 13, will we be subjected to more experimentation as teenagers want to try something new every time? So what can we expect? Google x1, Google Fizz, Google Capsule, Google Remix, Google Roads... Let's see! For now, Google's greatest fan wishes it a very Happy Birthday!

My latest puns

Someone somewhere is maid for you!
- Dedicated to my househelp without whom I can't imagine a day

I forgot I had poor memory!

Why we should be Happy about Teachers' Day

My language proficiency helps me earn my livelihood. Thanks to Meera Kamath and Mohana teacher (English), Krishnan sir (English), Bajaj teacher (Hindi), Rukmini teacher (Hindi) and Shubhangi teacher and Rekha Patil (Marathi).

My Maths helps me count my earnings. Thanks to Selvin sir and Lata madam.

My discipline helps me stay focused thanks to Lata madam (Principal).

I realise I can be more fit thanks to Pishal sir (PT).

I understand colours and forms thanks to D'Mello teacher (Drawing).

I know much about the food I eat, the plants I grow, the electronics I use, the medicines I take, the air I breathe... thanks to my Science teachers - Somali Ghosh teacher, Sudha teacher and Yadav sir.

I know about my rights and duties thanks to Meera Kamath teacher (Civics).

From the smallest things in our life to our biggest decisions, what our teachers taught us has a major contribution.

When we count the notes correctly before handing them over to a cabwallah, when we fight against corruption / negligence / potholes / wrongdoers, when we pay our taxes, when we earn a promotion, when we help somebody, when we spend hours on Facebook / Gaming and then realise we have wasted a lot of time, when we do engineergiri to make our remote / mobile handset / laptop work, when we say "I have" and "He has" (and not "I has" and "He have") in our daily bakbak, when we manage to be polite with someone even when we don't want to be... we are using the knowledge our teachers have imparted us during the foundation years of our life.

We might have done masti during some lectures, we might have poked fun at some teachers, we might have been scared of some teachers... but in some hidden corner of our heart we know how much these teachers meant to us. We all should be grateful that they were there when we didn't even know that we need them. We all should be happy about Teachers' Day!

I love you Mummy!

I am because you are

I am what I am because you are what you are

I never give up hope because you believe in me

I am proud of all I do because you are proud of me

I have accomplished a lot because you sacrificed a lot

I can stand every test of time because you are sure I can

I can never feel helpless because you are always there for me

I love you Mummy!

Happy Birthday!

"Oh, so you are a housewife!"

It’s a shame that someone actually has to write on the subject to prove that being a housewife is actually a tough managerial task. Ever since I started working as a freelancer and took up a part-time job, I heard the term ‘housewife’ in a way I never expected to.

I realised that many people think that the job profile of a housewife is the simplest in the world. For some strange reason, they assume that a housewife is always free, lazy and all she does throughout the day is sleep and watch the television. And when you are a housewife who is highly educated and has been ‘working’ earlier... God bless you!

A housewife has too many chores to be a kaamchor!

You might say ignore such people. But seriously, these people need to be told that they work much lesser than any Indian housewife... if work is what should define a person’s importance in the world!
When a married woman starts working from home, the actual work she ends up doing multiplies like how! It’s not just restricted to cooking, cleaning and picking groceries. It’s not just restricted to working on paid-projects from home, going for meetings and following up with the clients to receive the payments. If one sits down to elaborate all the tasks she takes up, you’ll end up reading a super long list. I must mention at this point that I don’t have kids yet and hence I am not accounting the mammoth amount of work that a mother of young kids has to take care of.

I presume that people who use the term housewife in a rather undignified way can only understand certain tasks when we categorise them as per the typical work departments. So here you go:

HR and Admin: Ever realised how the plate you have your food served on is so clean? How the clothes you wear to work are neat, ironed and available to wear at any given point? The housewife has recruited the best possible house-help and dhobi after negotiating the payment terms. Trust me it’s a tough task!

You never run out of toothpaste, soap, shaving gel, etc. There’s always drinking water in the bottles, food in the refrigerator, cereal, biscuits, veggies... everything is sufficiently stocked up to ensure that there’s no shortage and no wastage.

Accounts and Finance: So when was the last time you heard a work-from-home housewife saying that there’s no money for the last three days of the month? She manages the budget effectively to minimise expenses and maximise savings. The much-hyped shopping during SALE is her attempt to spend the least on the necessities. How many times have you noticed a woman picking up something at a mall, looking at the price tag and keeping it back? How many times have you seen men looking at price tags?

She does refuse to go on an expensive trip, purchase of a new car or a bigger house her husband might suggest occasionally. She tries her best to serve homemade food so that money is not spent at expensive restaurants. She doesn’t get extra time / appreciation for managing the finance of the house, she does it coz she knows she must. At the same time she struggles to add to the household income by taking up more projects.

A work-from-home woman is also a work-at-home housewife.

Cafeteria or Kitchen + Dining Table: Your office might start at 9 am but she reaches her kitchen before you start brushing your teeth in the morning. Preparing tea might look like a task that doesn’t even deserve a mention but boiling milk, managing breakfast and tiffin in time so that her husband and family members don’t get late for ‘work’ is a great task. In the midst of all the morning chores while the ‘working’ men finish their breakfast, who asks if her tea went cold? Did she have her breakfast? Did you notice she keeps the softest rotis in your dabba while the improper ones for herself? That when the quantity of food turns our lesser after cooking, she manages with bread and butter for her lunch?

By the time people leave for work, it’s time for her to start the washing machine and her paid-work-projects.

Her entire day is spent managing time in and out of kitchen. Coz at around 6-8 pm when office goers complete their work for the day, it’s time for her to enter the kitchen and prepare dinner. Then when everyone at house is done with the dinner, she enters the kitchen again to clean and arrange stuff.

There’s a reason why the term is Housewife and not just Wife.

Field work: In addition to all the above mentioned tasks, she has to step out from home for several things. Grocery and vegetable shopping, client meetings, bill payments, bank visits... few make time for hitting the gym as well. Returning home tired after all the stuff does not mean the end of chores... she needs to get back to the kitchen and her computer as well.

The ‘work’ work: Oh the tasks that fit the traditional ‘work’ category! A client calls up when she is making rotis and asks her to check the file he just sent. Unlike the office goers, she can’t say she’s in a meeting (with the gas stove, pan and dough), she has to find a way out. Just after she’s started the washing machine after two days of heavy rains and collection of a huge pile of clothes that need washing, she gets a call for an urgent meeting! Oh or there is this huge project with tough deadline and the household chores need her attention and time too. She somehow manages and ends up with lack of sleep and stress. Weekends are never an off!

Additional work: Watering the plants, performing the daily puja, booking the cooking gas in time, doctor visits, drying the clothes and arranging the wardrobe, ensuring that the house-help is doing her job well, staying in touch with the relatives, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera!

One can never match the amount of work (unpaid) a housewife does, especially the one who also tries to earn some money by freelancing / working from home. I wonder why Housewife is not in the dropdown menu in Occupation category in forms!

The least you can do is the next time you call someone a housewife, you rather sound like, “Wow... you are a housewife!”

PS - I am glad my husband is supportive and helps me out a lot!

Real beauty is real peace

Real beauty is what brings a smile to your face before you know it. Something that makes your heart skip a beat or beat faster. And then you feel at peace.

Wondering where can real beauty be found? Well, just at two places:
1. Where we never expect to find it.
2. Where we know most definitely that it exists.

Wow... isn’t it just everywhere!

Expect the unexpected.
You travel back home after a long day’s work. Seated in a crowded train you just want the time to travel faster than light so that you reach home in no time. The wrinkles on your forehead are suddenly overpowered by a smile when you notice a little child in his mom’s arms smiling and wanting to play with you. You find beauty right there as the tiny hands reach out to touch your face!

That reminds me of yesterday’s dragonfly visit. It rained for a while and a dragonfly came fluttering into my house. At first, I was a bit shocked. But in no time it settled on the floor and happily posed for the camera. That half-a-centimetre face was so adorable, so beautiful... I wouldn’t have noticed it had I not captured the moment in a camera.

Truly beautiful
Real beauty also exists where we know for sure it does. Like the sunrise and the sunset. The first clouds that float in the sky and announce the arrival of monsoon.

The full moon in all its glory. The pretty girl or the handsome young man that walks past us. Real beauty exists when our beloved pops the question or says yes when we ask. It’s out there in the pages of an old photo album that for some reason look way beautiful than the images we have on our phones.


To me, real beauty in its truest sense is what it makes us feel like... at the sight or realisation of which we forget everything else - stress, deadlines, pain and sorrow. We don’t actually realise or admit it but those few moments of experiencing real beauty are those when we feel really peaceful!


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This is my entry for Yahoo! India and Dove's Real Beauty contest - What does real beauty mean to you?

Like my idea of real beauty? Do vote for me / FB like / Tweet via Indivine.

Don't forget to visit:


Yahoo! Real Beauty.

Train takes Grant Road for granted

Next time you are late to work, instead of giving an excuse that the train was late, you can simply say that the train never came!!!
Grant Road taken for granted as train misses station! | Mumbai local train: A world of its own

May there be no more Osamas in the world

I switched on the television and was rather surprised to see the news flashing across all the channels - Osama is dead!

Why surprised? Well, after all in the recent past, I didn't come across any news regarding Osama Bin Laden. So waking up in the morning to hear this was something really unexpected right now.

Coming back to the news, US forces traced and killed Al-Qaeda founder and leader Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan. He was killed 200 km from Islamabad in a place called Abbottabad.

US President Barack Obama said that it was a historic day for the world, that Justice has been done.

True, justice is done. But one should not get carried away by this achievement. The real achievement would be when no more terror attacks happen in the world.... when 'terror attack' becomes something like an extinct phrase. All it requires is two things:

1. Human beings should be more humane.
2. We all should stay alert and have some presence of mind so that the inhuman-beings don't give us any more grief.

Here's hoping that there's no more terrorism and the entire world becomes a beautiful place to be!

Now what about Kasab? Why is Kasab still surviving 26/11???

You may also like to read 10 Ideas For Osama Bin Laden Movie Names

When I was home alone...

I was home alone when she walked in. As I continued with my work in another room, I could hear the sound of kitchen cabinet doors being opened and closed umpteen times... pretty unusual. I decided to concentrate on my work, but how could I? I could hear someone moving the furniture in the living room. It had been almost an hour since she came in and there was yet no sight of her in my room. She never takes that long. 

I eventually walked out of the room and couldn’t believe my eyes. My house-help was caught unawares when I entered the living room. 

She was carefully scrubbing the floor, every nook and corner of the room with detergent and all. She remembered I had requested her to do so a couple of weeks ago after we shifted to this new place. She had complained of knee pain at that time so I had asked her to do the major cleaning whenever she felt better. Today, she surprised me pleasantly... made my day :)

 

Now I believe - Good house-helps do exist!

Why didn’t I mention her name yet? Well, I’d prefer to be selfish here and won’t give away the details of my God-sent angel!

Hamaare Pass World Cup Hai!!!

India has finally won the World Cup after 28 years! It's 2nd of April 2011 and I wish to write a similar post after 4 years as well :)

Woh phaataakon ki awaaz, woh family aur friends ke phone calls, woh fb aur twitter pe hazaaron wishes ... it's Diwali in April!!!

No words can describe our joy... the tears that came rolling down as Dhoni hit the winning six said it all. The phone calls that did not stop after then, the fleet of bikers that took over the Navi Mumbai roads screaming "India Jeet Gaya, India Jeet Gaya...", the fireworks... said it all.

I have just one thing to say to those who kept saying that tha match is fixed... justify the emotions of the team!

We should be proud of Dhoni who performed so well today... the pressure is really high for the captain of the team who plays the finals in home town. Of Yuvraj for winning the man of the tournament!

Congratulations to the entire Indian cricket team!

7 Ways How Rajnikanth Can Help Indian Team

Just noticed Rajnikanth at the Wankhede stadium where India and Sri Lanka are struggling for the World Cup.

Now with all the sayings about Rajnikanth, I think the superstar's presence at the stadium can help our team in the following ways:

1. As Dhoni hits the ball, Rajnikanth can clone it into 10 so that we get 10 boundaries at one go.
2. Rajni has the power to convert all the betting numbers into batting scores
3. Rajni can fast forward running between the wickets
4. Rajnikanth is the fifth umpire
5. As we all know Rajnikanth beat Newton long back, now he controls gravity and when the ball hits the ground
6. When a Sri Lankan player drops a catch, it is actually Rajni effect. Rajnikanth stares at the ball so hard that the forceful vision makes the ball slip through the fielders hand
7. Rajni also controls inertia of motion... so when a SL fielder actually runs to stop a ball and reaches in time, he just can't stop himself to pick it up

You may also like:
Live and funny quotes for India vs Sri Lanka World Cup Final

My quotes and tweets for India vs Sri Lanka WC Final

Aah the WC 2011 final between India and Sri Lanka live. And with the wifi connection in place now, I am all tempted to tweet and comment and criticize and cheer!

Here are my observations as the match continues:Aailaa Sachin ko atthara pe khatra!!!

1. Kuch toh log kahenge... India jeeta toh match fixed... haara toh khelna nahi aata!
2. Rajnikant is here to cheer, so India can or India can't?
3. Indian team is back with its Four-play!
   

Read more - Sport & Spirit: Live and funny quotes for India vs Sri Lanka World Cup Final

Why I love Google - Gmail Motion BETA

Google has always exceeded our expectations. While Wonderwhweel and Recipes won my heart, Google's latest - the launch of Gmail Motion is something that makes us go - Why didn't I think about this? Check it out here.

India is sick today!

Today, the roads are empty, the trains aren’t crowded and offices and colleges have very poor attendance. Why? Because most Indians are ‘sick’ today (read - they are gonna watch the India Pakistan World Cup 2011 semi-finals!). 

Thank God, this once, for the huge range and possibilities of medical problems that can be used as excuses to take a day off from work and colleges. 

Some of the common medical excuses that can be used are:

1. Viral fever / flu... You have been coming to work all these days with fever, but today it has crossed the 103 degrees mark
2. Bad cold... you can’t afford to be at office / college and spread the cold
3. Headache / migraine / sinus... blame it on the work / study pressure
4. Stomach upset... you were working late last night and had to order food from a local restaurant
5. Toothache... you have to get your root canal done today
6. Excessive dehydration... it’s the heat
7. Muscle sprain... you had to push your wardrobe to find an important document
8. Conjunctivitis... it spreads fast, doesn’t it?

Well, the can be really long but I’d rather concentrate on the match right now!

5 Excuses To Skip Office & Watch India Pakistan Match

We all are looking forward to watch the India-Pakistan World Cup 2011 Match. Some call it unnecessary hype, others speak diplomatically, but the fact is we all enjoy Ind-Pak cricket matches more than anything else (ask your heart!).

Oh, but India will take on Pakistan on a Wednesday, March 30 2011... a weekday when we can’t think of taking a day off. Or maybe we can by using any of these 5 creative excuses to take leave from office and watch the match comfortably:

1.       There was a break-in at my house and the thief took away the main door. Can’t lock my house, can’t come to work.
2.       I was using Fevikwik... par chutki hi chipak gayi. Tried separating the thumb and index finger but now all my fingers and toes are stuck together. Can’t move, can’t make it to work today.
3.       Broke my glasses, can’t find my contact lenses, can’t see a thing. How will I reach office?
4.       I just realised I was to get married today. With the extreme work pressure at office, I completely forgot about it.
5.       I have been kidnapped. They want you, my boss, to pay the ransom (your boss will hang up before you continue).

NOTE: Try these excuses at your own risk. Loss of job and kidnapping issues aren’t my responsibility. I am just trying to help here... there’s a huge screen at my office for the match ;) Hey don’t turn green now!