HAPPY BIRDAY NONIEE!!!!

OYE! HAPPY HAPPY BIRDY!

Phoneless

So I went to jersey for a bar b q at Sugar's today. Sugar is my crazy goan lesbian aunt who lives in Jersey with her girlfriend Carla and Carla's sister and mother. The Bar-b-q was in honor of my brother's gf/fiance/better half leta, who was down visiting from California. Leta's sister Vidya and her bf Mark, bhai, leta, and me were the only guests - so it was a quiet chilled out thing. Vidya is a research fellow at Memorial Sloane Kettring, one of the country's largest cancer research institutes, and Mark is a bigwig in the regulatory division at Pfizer.

Sugar made her famouse guacamole (mm..I LOVE avacados) and her burgers with the special goan bonker sauce. (I have no idea what it is, but it spices them up good). So basically, it was a lot of midday drinking and binging. So of course, by the end of it, my belly was plenty full and sticking out like a 3 month pregnant woman, but it was all worth it.

On the ride back, with Vidya and Mark, who also stay in Manhattan, I fell asleep. Somewhere between Jersey and Manhattan, my phone fell out of my shorts. So when I got off and came back home, I was all panicy for a split second and sent out an email to my brother explaining the situation.

Moral of the story: I really should keep a backup of my numbers on my PC. And if there's a power surge, and my PC gets wiped out, I should keep a backup of all the important numbers on paper in an old fashioned phone book. And if it should rain, and the phone book gets all wiped out and smudged...oh, this could go on forever!!

So anyway, I'm phoneless for the night. It's bad enough I'm going to die alone - but a night without my phone...*sigh*

Columnist extraordinaire

So while I was lazing about today morning, my friend Farhad (aka Gossip Granny) from Bombay sent me an email. Farhad is a journalist and good friend of mine, who is mostly responsible for my media contribution in India. So his team, which used to work for the now uber-corrupt Times of India, has decided to switch parties and go to the future media-moguls, Dainik Bhasker, the new more powerful press instrument coming into Bombay.
In his email, he needed someone to do a New York diary for an entertainment, style and culture daily supplement accompanying the main newspaper, Daily News and Analysis (DNA), and so he asked me.

What on earth will my visiting card say? Aneesh Sheth, Pharmacist, Businessman, Writer, Columnist. It's a good thing there'll be no place for slut ;).

Summer Saturday

So, after the parents left on Friday, I was all revved up to resume my workout routine, and headed to the gym at Union Sq. However, just my luck that NYU decided to shut the gym on Memorial day weekend, so I decided to get my own workout - by touring the village - to shop.

But not without cause, I needed new shoes desperately. Walking in New York had brought me down to my last pair. So I walked all around from 14th and 4th Ave to 8th and 6th, and back, checking out prices and fashions. Finally I decided on a Sketchers pair from DSW at Union Sq.
DSW (Discount Shoe Warehouse) is in the same building as Filenes, a discount brand name store. So obviously, it was impossible for me to not go there - even though I didn't need any clothes.

While I was at Filenes, in the casual men's section, I noticed a guy cruising me. This, people, was the highlight of my day. Never in the history of the world have I ever been able to notice someone cruising me, and now, finally, I did. I was so pleased at the fact that I was being checked out that I smiled. Cruisey dude thought that I was checking him out again, and so smiled back - only I wasn't. I was just smiling. It took me half an hour to get him off me (not that he was bad looking or anything, I just wasn't in the mood.)

Spent the evening with Lot at Big Cup (the big gay coffee house in chelsea) letching at men, and being too chicken to ask them out. I could have gone to jersey to hang with bhai and leta(his gf) and her sister and bf, but I was too lazy.

My brother Nikhil

Just saw the movie. I bawled and bawled. Go see it. Why don't other filmmakers portray gay people like this? Bobby Darling, take a lesson.

Therapy

Went with Lola and Nicollette to Therapy, the hippest gay bar in hell's kitchen, on Friday night - man the drinks there are STRONG. Nic and me croaked "total eclipse of the heart" to a beat only the two of us could understand. Wedding singer Lot, however, tried to tie us down by telling us how out of key we were, but not even god can't stop true emotion.

Also, Lot and Nic don't burp. They only fart. Nicole does it silently.

Obviously, I didn't get picked up. I wonder why...?

Parent Trap

It's amazing how you can actually take a holiday in New York City, without actually leaving it.

Spent the weekend with my parents who flew in from India last week, and been gorging, watching shows, chilling out and basically enjoying the good weather.
Unfortunately, couldn't go and pick them up on Friday, because I was working, but hung out with them plenty that night. Saw this beautiful ballet - Opus Cactus - performed by this group called "Momix" at the Joyce theatre in Chelsea. And while we were having lunch across the street at better burger amidst men in tank tops, wife beaters and other overly gay apparel, my mom was busy with her burger.

A : So, chelsea is like the gay capital of New York City
M : Oh ok. So, where are all the gay men?

*Sigh* You gotta love her - even though she has a gay son and a psychiatrist for a husband, she still manages to be so naive!

Saw this Korean film Oldboy - great film - but so friggin graphic and disturbing!! Not the best film to watch in the company of your parents.

Had dinner at El Rio Grande at 38th and 3rd - got drunk on 2 margaritas, and escorted and even drunker mother home, who insisted on walking because the weather was so great. Man, you know you're getting old when you have to take your parents home.

Sunday morning had a squabble with the brother over bagels, before we went for the new broadway show "The Pillowman." The show stars Jeff Goldblum and Billy Crudup (from Almost Famous), it was definitely entertaining, although the humor was definitely dark.

Ass was on fire after dinner at home from this great Chinese place - Grand Sichuan East ( which is real chinese and not the american crap!)

Somewhere between then and yesterday managed to see Black ( I shed half a tear) , Teesri Manzil and Suspect Zero on DVD.

I wish I lived in that New York. Back at work now. Looking up hepatitis C and B therapies. *sigh* Laut aaye beete hue din (bring back the old days)

What the F*^%!!

Like one wasn't bad enough....

http://ww1.mid-day.com/hitlist/2005/may/109721.htm

In aankhon ki maut!

Dil cheez kya hai, isse dekh ke meri jaan lijiye!

http://ww1.mid-day.com/hitlist/2005/may/109345.htm

Devdas I could just about deal with, Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam stirred me up a little more, but JP Dutta doing Umrao Jaan?? KABHI NAHIIIIIIN!!!!!

One more day to infantile bliss

So Mom and Dad are coming in tomorrow...YAAY!! Although I won't be at the airport to go pick them up (will be working), will be picking them up dinner and Veneiro's cheescake (my mom's favourite desert in all of the world).

A meeting with Roche, a corporate run and Mummy-papa!

So, as expected, the work came in today. I have the first big project that I'm working on - it's a drug for Roche, one that's already in the market (called Pegasys - used in the treatment of Hep C). So I was doing a background check on the drug the whole day, seeing new places where Roche was taking it, and just brushing up on my antiviral pharmacology.
In discussing something with my boss, the CEO of the company I work at, I mentioned some of the stuff I knew about the drug. He seemed most impressed and demanded that I come with him to the presentation on June 30th. I'm so excited - my first corporate presentation - with Roche nonetheless!! Not that I'm under any pressure or anything.
And while I was taking my email checking breaks, my supervisor sent out an email saying that the company would be putting together a team for the Chase corporate 5Km run through Central Park. So, not to be outdone by my brother who just did the 42 mile manhattan bike tour, I signed up. And of course, they just happen to be giving out "Team Fission" tees. Free. (I'm such a gujju!!!)
And of course, the parentals are coming in day after tomorrow. Most excited!! I miss my mommy and daddy!! (Besides, they're getting back tons of desi food..mmm...oh how I crave those peppered banana chips..mmm)

Full Time Work

So today was my first day of full time work at my internship, Fission Education, a company which specializes in medical education. We basically create conferences, right from pitching talk ideas, generating educational materials (lectures, slides, notes, posters etc.) and getting doctors to propogate them. And the pharmaceutical companies pay us to do this. So, it's basically a form of pharmaceutical PR.

And even though today was technically my first full time day, they let me off early. My bosses were all out on a pitch to get this big anemia biotech drug from Roche (called CERA) - a project which I will be working on, should we get it. So I spent the rest of the day baking in the park, and later in the evening went for sin city with my friend Divya (Watal not Mathur), who is all set to go back home this week. The movie rocked! I think I'm probably going to see it again.

While at work today, since there was no work, I ended up reading the 'Best of' on craigslist (I think I'm on the verge of being addicted...but they're soo funny!)

a sample : http://newyork.craigslist.com/about/best/sdo/71303052.html

Friend's blogs

So, I forgot to mention Kerman started her own new blog :

sourgirl8.blogspot.com

And Lotte's :

www.xanga.com/bridgetwannabe

Nicole's:
http://www.xanga.com/NikkiNoodlez

Unfortunately, none of my other friends have blogs up yet.

(For those who read this, and you do have a blog which I haven't listed - WHY DON'T I KNOW ABOUT IT YET???!!!!)

Lotte struck lucky! But notice - he's shorter than her too.  

That's Jet with the hat (and a couple of random's in between) 

Pretty close to Mr. Freeman 

Of Stars and then some

After Avani (fellow GA at the Kimmel Student Center - where I work) had her party last night, and 2 martinis (lychee and coconut - both of which were high on the sweetness and low on the booze) I managed to get home at 3am, and then wake up at noon.
Shortly after, while I was drinking my milk and reading the bbc online, Lot messages me at 1.45 saying that they were off to a Jet Li adventure and a street fair at 2. Fat chance I was going to get out of my boxers and drink my coffee to see Jet Li. At 3, she called again to find out where I was, and was appalled that I was still at home. Morgan Freeman, she said, would be there with Jet Li to co-promote the film (called 'Unleashed'). Now, I don't get star struck - but this was Morgan Freeman - star of Shawshank Redemption and such.
By 4pm, I was with them at Jamba Juice. No arguments. Nicole ('Disco-bay-diva')'s friend Jack was a publicist for the film, and got us backstage where we actually saw Morgan Freeman and Jet li.

The actual sighting:
Man, he is old. Kerman and Lo were all swooning and star struck. I was too, I think, for a split second. But for the major part, it was alright. I've posted a picture of him above, and then one with Jet Li. That was actually taken while he was off guard - tried to get one with Morgan Freeman like that, but his bodyguard was too swift (damn him).

My first New York celebrity sighting, and I'm only quasi-excited. Is this the beggining of getting jaded?

East Village and the Single Life!

So, in order to get over the whole breaking up with Nick thing, I decided to hang with "how-small-is-your-bladder" Kerman, "babla-dabao" Lotte and half-limp, Lotte's barely surviving umbrella (which, allegedly, was "protecting" her from the 3.5 "droplets of rain!" Firangs, i tell you!!).
And while we walked around the east village on a dank New York night, the topics of conversation yo-yoed from international politics to backstabbing jews. We did get hungry, and ate at a really shitty Indian restaurant on 6th St (Sonali, I think it was called - sooooo bad - their ras malai was worse than the cement idlis at UDCT!!) and then hung out at 'The boiler room', affectionately called the 'East Village's straight man gay bar'.
2 beers down and I was flying. (Man, it doesn't take much to get me drunk!) And somewhere between talk of anal virgins and my former physics tutor Derrick Lobo (husband of Myrtle the Turtle), I noticed that there were only 10 people in the whole bar.
No dancing divas, no twinkie go go boys, no mirror afficionados - just old, balding men drinking beer and the three of us.
You know you're really having a good time when you go to a gay bar in Manhattan and check out the crowd only once - and truly not care about them!

.....

"Every night when I go to bed, I think of things that make me look forward to the next day, and I think of you."
- Nick, after I told him that I didn't think I was in the right place for a relationship at this point because I was too busy with work.


Man, I feel like shit.

Jackson Diner

So, the buffet was actually $8.95 (and not $5.95 as mentioned in the earlier post - damn those desi scoundrels!!). The lunch was alright, nothing great - went with expectations of desi chinese, but ended up eating dosa instead. *sigh* I miss eating chilli prawn dry with roti at leo's listening to Kavandaa and Shaggu yak about life.

So anyway, we did a pre and post lunch stroll around Jackson to investigate the true desi character of Jackson. My results : Falooda Kulfi ice cream at only one Subzi Mandi (out of the 5 in the 2 bock radius), a mannequin with a balding wig, overpriced DVD stores selling "Love Beats : Romantic Bollywood" type DVDs, and the distinct lack of a smell of methi. The end product : failed! Jersey is ten times more Indian and more authentic, with dirtier streets, smelly aunties, and most importantly, no dearth of 'the smell'. The next time I want a cheap imitation, I'll just go to Baluchi's!

Quote of the day :
"Have you met this guy Aneesh? Yea, he's so cute - but he's gay! So sad!! Yea, even I was surprised to know that there were actually Indian gay men - haven't you seen Bend it Like Bekham?"

- said by Finale (yup, thats her name) Patel - my pseudo stalker (She seems to know everything about me, even though I've met her probably only once).

Spring '05 accomplished

So I'm finally done with the semester...how time flies *sigh*. Why, just yesterday I was a little toddler scrounging for food on the mean streets of Bombay...Oh wait, that wasn't me. Oh well, c'est la vie!

Anyway, just got done with my toxicology final today - my last paper of the sem, and am feeling so relieved. Going to Jackson heights with Divya tomorrow to eat at the famous 'Jackson Diner' - $5.95 buffet - the largest spread ever. God bless the desis, they definitely know the meaning of the words paisa vasool!!

Library

SO I think half the goddamn world showed up in the library today! I scurried from the sixth, to the eighth to the tenth, and back to the sixth before I could get myself a spot.

Finally, I got so annoyed, I studied for about 3 hours and then came home - to find Marie (my 90 year old landlady) entertaining a bunch of gay priests. *sigh* It is not in my destiny to study about the toxins...(I have a toxicology final tomorrow)

Still on a 'break' from Nick, I told him on Friday that I was to stressed and that I think I needed a break from him till wednesday so that I could concentrate on my studying. (A fat lot of studying I've been doing, but that's besides the point)

Freebie of the day : A ten minute massage (from professionals), trashy 'enchanting spiced Indian tea', an oatmeal bar and a packet of mustard and honey pretzels. All at the OSA study break thing at Kimmel (the students center where I work).

Lotte is the blond-ish chick in blue, Sarah is the one with the hat, Kerman in black and Nick is peeking over Sarah. At Sholay April '05. 

The aviator

So today was an exciting day. I went to the library, studied some, overworked out (sprained my shoulder), and then watched the Martin Scorsese film 'The Aviator' at School (a $2 special) with my friends Divya, Sarah Jacob (of NDTV fame) and my swedish meatball Lotte.

I think it's been the first time that my hand feel asleep while I was in a vertical position.

And while Nick is still unaware of the impending doom that awaits him, my eyes have been busy checking out other things. I do feel bad for Nick, considering he does truly like me, but the fact of the matter is, that I think I've reached a point where I don't really feel anything for him anymore. I mean, it was only a month, how intense am I expected to get?

Am I just heartless, or is the ADD?

The beginning

So, 23 years ago, in a smal town of Bombay, it was pouring. Then, as a divine light shone into St. Elizabeth's nursing home...I was born.

Ok, so if you guys want to know more about my history and my upbringing and the factors that influenced my decisions - buy the autobiography when it comes out.

This is a blog : what's currently happening in my life, what's not, and the latest free stuff I managed to scam off these gora suckers!!