Posted on by Zarine Mohideen · 4 Comments

Weekend update is too late.

Since my daily life is so glamorous I decided to document what I did every weekend. So the weekend came and went, Monday came and went, Tuesday came and went, Wednesday came and went. Now its Thursday. I think we’ve now established that I am the queen of procrastination.

Anyways, I spent the weekend cooking some really terrible tasting lemon and shrimp pasta. Never going to attempt making pasta with shrimp ever again. Never buying frozen shrimp out of laziness ever again.

Also watched X-Men on sunday. I slept halfway in to the movie and I never do that. So now I know I’m getting old.

I also met a lady this week who said I have a great personality. Should have made her tell that to my mom.

If the procrastination bug doesn’t bite me I will be back next week.

‘Ta.

Posted on by Zarine Mohideen · 2 Comments

Liebster!

Thanks to PrincessButter for nominating me for the Liebster award.

Here are the answers to your questions :

 

1) What is the significance behind your blog name/title?

I wanted to name my blog to represent ‘me’. So cheesy. I love Madras and I miss it every day. So I named my blog Maybe in Madras, because who knows, one day I might move back.

2) What inspired you to start blogging?

I used to stalk a lot of blogs back in the old days. One day I decided okay, I have something to say too. And so it begun.

3) In your list of pictures, how many selfies?

Almost every day I send no less than three selfies to my friends back home. Not glamourous, pouty lipped selfies but wake up in the morning, bed head selfies. We keep it real.

I also do a selfie movie. Like each picture represents one scene in the movie I am showing my friend. Just last night I did a horror movie selfie series.

4) Name a place in India and one abroad you really want to visit.

I desperately want to visit Mumbai. I’ve been only once and I’d love to go again. And abroad it would be – Mykonos, Greece. Never been but always wanted to visit.

5) What is your daytime job when you are not moonlighting as a ‘city vigilante’, err, or a blogger? (Sorry, just saw Spiderman2)

My daytime job is full time graduate student and wife.

6) What is the most amazing thing and the most annoying thing about yourself?

The most amazing thing about myself.. I can watch Netflix 24/7. Annoying thing, ask Jay. He has a big list. But what annoys me is my procrastination. It is a struggle.

7) What is the most amazing thing and the most annoying thing about the opposite sex?

Amazing thing is that when they’re nice, they are genuinely nice. Annoying thing is sometimes they just don’t listen.

8) Everyone asks about love. I want to know how important do you think lust is in a relationship?

I’d say not too much. A relationship is more than just lust.

9)What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

Right now, Desperate Housewives.

10) How much time do you take to get ready for work?

If I have classes I take about twenty minutes. Else it takes me about half an hour.

11)Last but not the least, where and how do you see yourself in ten years from now?

I see myself happy, successful and content with my life, God willing.

 

Now I’d love to pass on the tag to other bloggers but PrincessButter has already tagged them! So if any of you want to do this tag then go ahead! You’re all winners! Also, thanks girl!

 

liebster-award

Posted on by Zarine Mohideen

Boy 1 : I need to pull an all nighter today.

Tracy : The only time I’ve ever pulled an all nighter was till 4 AM. It happened when I was Italy. (excited) So its

really late in the night and we’re returning from a club and I was chased down the street by a bunch of these

Italian guys! I am not kidding! And I was like, running.. actually for the first time in my life, sprinting down

the streets! It was so weird! Italy sucks.

 

***

I swear I’m not making this up. These are real conversations I overhear on campus.

Posted on by Zarine Mohideen · 13 Comments

I lost my grandfather over the weekend. It was the kind of thing I knew would happen sometime but wasn’t ready to accept. It still is a hard for me to really grasp the reality of it but I guess I never will.

I realize that God puts us through these situations for us to come to terms with the magnitude of our living. For every beginning there is an end. To dust do we belong and to that shall we return. But what we do within the time that is given to us is important. I feel that time is flying by and I need to stop, make myself useful, do good things and not wish for my purpose to be sent to me but to make a purpose out of myself.

This world is like a fistful of sand. The more we try to hold on to it, the more it slips away from us.

Posted on by Zarine Mohideen

Day 8 – Howl

“If you could only see the beast you’ve made of me

I held it in but now it seems you’ve set it running free

Screaming in the dark, I howl when we’re apart

Drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart”

I might have been living under a rock for so long ’cause I’ve only recently discovered Florence + The Machine. I love how amazing she is. She might be high most of the time but I love how wild, crazy and so full of energy she is. And her clothes and flaming red hair, I WANT.

Posted on by Zarine Mohideen · 4 Comments

Day 5

The sudden stop of the plane jolted her awake. She craned her neck to look out the plane window, past the man with the greasy hair. It was still early. She could see the golden rays of the sun inching slowly through the clouds. Clouds – fluffy – white- vanilla – ice cream – Ian’s – Asl— her mind immediately made the connection. She shook her head hoping that it would empty itself of the memories.

It was half an hour before she could collect her bags. The descent from the aircraft had been uneventful. After being away for so long she expected small things to give her that spark of excitement, but no. She saw a girl who had the word fear tattooed across her arm in Italian.

“Exactly what I needed”, she whispered under her breath.

Finally, she saw the polka dotted ribbon of her suitcase. She collected her things and pushed the trolley towards the exit. The butterflies were going crazy in her stomach, a mixture of excitement and fear, of the unknown.

“Just remember its not going to be the same, Hana. Remember you can change everything about you.”

With this chorus in her heart and a prayer on her mouth she stepped out on to the busy streets of New York. It was a mixture of people and taxi cabs. Everyone was heading somewhere. Everyone had a purpose. But she was stuck to the pavement. There it was, bang opposite the airport exit – Ian’s Ice Cream Parlor written in a cheery red color. The moment she saw that, all the memories came flooding back and it took all the strength she had to move forward.

“I can make it through one day without thinking about him.” T

his was just one of the many lies she told herself to get through the day.

Posted on by Zarine Mohideen

Last week I took a seventeen hour flight from San Francisco to Dubai and another five hour flight from Dubai to Madras. In the first leg of my journey I sat with two boisterous Afghan women, one whose hair rivalled Cruella De Vil.

The Economy class gives one no option but to befriend your fellow passenger, and considering its seventeen hours you’d almost become BFFs. But isn’t that the most basic of human tendencies? The ability to friend a stranger? Growing up my mother always warned me about strangers. She would drill the Little Red Riding Hood story in to my head and would remind me about the wolf every time I walked alone to my bus stop.

But growing up I’ve realised that not all strangers are bad. In fact the wolves could be people you meet every day.

***
My theory that urine and phenol is the first smell that hits you when you land in Madras has been verified yet again. Honestly speaking though, I missed the smell of phenol. I always associated it with cleanliness.

***
Seeing foreign returned Uncles and Aunties at the airport is a nice time pass while waiting in line for immigration. The clothes they come up with are mind boggling. I saw an uncle wearing grey satin pants carrying a leather backpack. Go ahead, imagine.
Aunties wearing silk sarees and sneakers is the norm.

***
Madras seems a little different, like it’s lost its old world charm. I’ve only been away a year so maybe I’ve lost mine.

Posted on by Zarine Mohideen · 6 Comments

We bought a new coffee machine this week. It’s safe to say I am permanently on a coffee high. I have about three cups of coffee a day. Two, if I’m feeling guilty. I want to cut down to one but the smell of freshly brewed coffee is such a beautiful thing. So if my hands are twitching or if I’m being crazier than normal, you know why.