Four Hands Massage experience

There is always a case to try something new and Dubai is one place where you actually get to do things you haven't done before.
After some hectic weeks in office,I opted for the exotic “Four Hands Massage” it sounded highly indulgent and I hoped it was going to be worth it.

After a short wait, the massage therapist ushered me upstairs to a very smart treatment room and instructed me replace my clothes with the large towel on the table and that she would be back shortly with the second therapist. I asked if they had the disposable underwear, the answer was met with a giggle and a point at the towel. So I sat on the treatment table wearing only a large towel which does puts thoughts in your mind.

A gentle knock on the door and the two therapists appeared. They asked me to lie down on my front and without fuss I was positioned for treatment. Then there was an interesting sensation when the large towel I was wearing was replaced with something that felt about the size of a face cloth. This was then folded in three which “I think” just about covered my posterior.

Any thought of embarrassment was instantly dismissed as the therapists set to work. Almost in perfect sync each therapist took one half of my body and administered an intense massage the full length of my body. With liberal amount of oil and increasing pressure it was hard to tell how many hands were actually on me – but it felt to be just the right amount.

When it was time to turn over – again my modesty was expertly protected. Though I was not sure how I felt about the comment “Would sir, like a larger towel?” would it have been bragging to say yes?

The front side massage continued in the same vein, I was totally relaxed and continued to enjoy the treatment. The positioning of the small towel was good over the crown jewels – though I was slightly perturbed at the “tucking” that was certainly needed to protect everyone’s dignity, but it did catch me off guard with the first “tuck”.

All too soon the hour was over. I was asked if I would like to shower, based on the amount of oil on me it was a sensible choice. I was left feeling revitalized and having gone to the gym earlier that day it was a fab reward for the morning’s effort.

A Short Story Part 1

With my face buried in the pillow, I cried quietly, hoping not to wake my housemates.

I turned the lock, pushed against the frame carefully, and stepped to the side. He was there, waiting for me. I took his hand in mine and squeezed tightly. Together, we fell onto the bed, hand in hand.

He was different than the other boys. He was different than everybody. We were best friends, and one day I hoped he would ask me to be his girlfriend.

We silently laid on our backs holding hands for some time. I stared up at the glow in the dark stars on my ceiling until I gathered the courage to speak. When I finally developed the nerve, I turned my head to the side. He did the same.

“Do you want to be my boyfriend?” I asked.

He shook his head. “not yet.”

I rolled my head to the side and gazed up at the ceiling,feeling foolish for having asked.

“But I will be your best friend forever.” He said.

“You promise? I asked. I did the same and we swore.

Dressed in board shorts and an old tee shirt, at first glance he resembled a handsome hunk. His skin was deep bronze in color and he had the muscular structure of an athlete. With his handsome looks and a tasteful sleeve of tattoos down to one wrist, he could have had a career as a model if he chose to. Instead, he spent his time surfing on facebook and chatting with whoever he deemed worthy of his time and effort.

I wasn’t here yesterday. He cleared his throat and pushed the refrigerator closed.

As he turned around, his hair fell into his face. He lived a life of solitude and kept to himself. I had been in and out of many relationships, none worth the time I devoted to them, and not a single one produced a fraction of the satisfaction my friendship with Rony did.

Outsiders viewed him as antisocial, withdrawn and unfriendly, but they didn’t know him the way I did. I understood whey he was the way he was, and further knew him as being none of those things. Rony was kind, caring,funny and wanted nothing more than to be allowed to live life in the manner he was comfortable with.

Scrubbing my mind of the lingering sexual desires that seemed to be so freely inhabiting my mind was much more of something that I had hoped for, I lay in the bed on the side, next to him.
He admired by sense of fashion. Shorts, flats and a tasteful turquoise tank were a simple choice but seeing my arms exposed satisfied him greatly. He was everything to me, he had been my best and only friend since we were in fourth grade. I didnt need to be friends with everyone, but I certainly needed to be friends with someone. Rony became that someone.

I knew him so well, I actually could make out what exactly he was thinking at that very moment, we were so close. Yet, there was
something which I felt was incomplete in me.

Gen X Love or something like it - On Skype!!

It had been a week on skype chat. They got to know each other through facebook. Rahul had added Sonia and she had accepted his request. Photos were exchanged and they started speaking to each other. She was in delhi and he was in london. Rahul and sonia had formed a connection. Even when they had not met in person yet.


Excerpts from their chat (in chat lingo)
---------

"I like you" she said. Why you say so?,he asks.

I mean u try to sought out thngs fr me
In jus soo less time u make me feel spcl in ur own ways.
Rahul -
Love is not wanting,Its giving.
Sonia- Hmmm true,But hard to do

Sonia- Im glad ive come across u

Sonia: So thts wat i fear.. Wen i get close to ppl.. Any frnd or anyone.. N i feel connected.. Sumthng happens n i feel heart broken

Rahul: ok, i hav nt told u many things
Sonia: Like wat

Rahul: But its rite that ur scared,even I am.
Coz am also investing my feelings and all.
Its vry hard to start frm scratch
But hav left it to god

Sonia: U knw wat
I seriously jus felt like talking to u tuday.. Thrughout the day i waited kab raat hogi n ill talk to u

Rahul: Oh thanks thats a romantic thing to say- a compliment 😘

Sonia: Did i make u smile?

Rahul: Yes

Sonia: Uve been making me smile since ive spoken to u
The othr day even i dint realise we spoke fr 2 hrs

Rahul: yes,time flies with you.

Sonia: Lets promise to each other
V will always b honest.. No matter wat happens

Rahul: But few thngs i can tell whn we meet only
So i told u that already whn time comes i will tell

Sonia: Im glad v will meet soon

Rahul: Luv ur eyes,And ur simplicity

Sonia: Its simple with u
I dont hv to pretend

I am d way i am, and i like that.
Mad.. Dumb.. Thts me at times

Rahul: Gud,I like that.

sonia- abb mai sweet swweeet baate kar rahi hu n aapko answer nai karna


Rahul: Abhi kuch meetha ho jaye

Rahul: Mujhe gift aaj raat ko chahiye

Sonia- Kuch toh hoga choclate or sweets
Sonia: Aaj raat ko?? Kaise

Rahul: Skype pe sab hota hai
Rahul: U can send Love

Sonia: 20 days to goo.. U can see me live


RAHUL: Drream impossible

RAHUL: Wat were yOU dreaming last nght

SONIA- Feel like hugging u n sleeping😍😍

RAHUL: Come now

Cant wait to hold u
Biggggg hug

SONIA: So u plan to hug me wen v meet
RAHUL: Yes
Pecks on cheeks also is custom HERE
SONIA: Hahahahahahah

Acha yeh nai pata tha mujhe

RAHUL- Good bahut cheze pata chalengi


SONIA:
Pehle ek bigg huggie

N den ..Eyes nose cheeks
Acha abb plz soo jao

Rahul: Ok darling

SONIA: Gn sweetheart

RAHUL: 😍😘😘😘😘😘😘😘miss u
SONIA: Mee too

Meetup.com - a great way to make new friends

Wondered what to do in dubai when you are new. Well, look no further. Meetup is here. Yes, your one stop place to finding new friends outside the internet. Yes, real people and real conversations up close and personal. Whether you are looking for socialising, find a job, investor or doing some yoga. Meetup.com will help you find the meetup of your interest and voila. You will get whatever you are looking for in a couple of meetups.

The number of people joining Meetups is spiking right now, you just enter your area code and it suggests you the meetups happening close by. You can find one that interest you from
dining out, yoga,kick boxing,camping,entrepreneurship among others.

I attended one such meetup - Coffee ,fun,friends meetup by organiser Bambi from Pakistan. It was a big group that turned up at the Tim Hortons at Sheikh Zayed Road and it was an interesting experience for me. I like to observe people and in this meetup I met people from different walks of life.

There was an Air force pilot who had been on war duty in his home country and was sharing his experiences. There was a school teacher from Dubai who taught chemistry to students. A nurse who worked in hospital in Dubai, an arabic national who was the organiser of another meetup group for backpackers and road trips. It was a great mix of people from different walks of life.

With a vast amount of experience and with different ideas. The organiser started the event informing us about the meetup and requesting all to introduce ourselves one by one. All of the people who introduced themselves also mentioned an interesting fact about themselves. This made the introduction all the more interesting. Then the table was open for people to speak to each other, change their places and try and speak to more people.


I had a conversation with mostly all of the 20 odd people who came to the event, most of them were interested to know about my experience as a writer and how I am able to pursue my hobbies given the limited amount of time we have from our demanding work hours. One of them was a pakistani origin but born and brought up in Europe but wanted to visit India, and somehow wasnt able to get the visa. Another one was a nurse, and had no time for herself with the hectic schedule and demanding job. A meetup was the perfect stress buster for her. Some of the people were there for networking, some for promoting their products/company. Some were plain fun people looking to make more friends. It was a great two hour exchange without the usual mobile and whatsapp chats that most people get into while having their coffee. I must say that I made new friends and look forward to attending more such meetups in the future. Three cheers to Bambi!

The Deepak Puri Collection - Legacy of Photojournalism opens in Delhi at Exhibit 320

28th October, 2015 to 15th November at Delhi , Ladoo Sarai






Produced as part of Tasveer’s 10th anniversary celebrations, this exhibition includes a selection of works from thirty photographers, including internationally acclaimed seminal photojournalists such as James Nachtwey, Sebastião Salgado and Raghu Rai, to name but a few. Enabled by Deepak Puri’s generous donation to the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP, Bangalore), of one of the most important archives of 20th century journalism in the country, this exhibition will make the collection available to public view for the first time.

Representing the heart of Time Asia for a whole host of people, Deepak Puri, its iconic photo-editor for many years, was a wizard who made the impossible real, and ensured that the world saw the work of many photographic geniuses. His collection of photographs that includes the work of some of the best practitioners of the documentary aesthetic, is a sign of both friendship and gratitude to a true legend who enabled their work and touched their lives.

Bringing together a range of images made historically momentous not only by their content, but also their style, this exhibition not only re-emphasises the role of photographs as socio-historical documents, but also revisits the power of the still image and its affinity for story-telling — that cornerstone of the best of photojournalism.

Legacy of Photojournalism: The Deepak Puri Collection is a collateral event at the Delhi Photo Festival 2015. Its opening in Delhi will be accompanied by the simultaneous launch of The Tasveer Journal: Publication & Exhibition, also at Exhibit 320.

Movie Review - 'The Intern'

I recently moved to my new apartment in dubai. Let me tell you it feels good to be independent. The fun thing is that you do everything on your own. From laundry to cleaning to washing dishes, your place really keeps you motivated and happy. You get a lot of confidence and are in a more happy space. The last time, I stayed alone all by myself was in college and the experience living on your own in a country like US was so great that I ended up writing a book on it. I hope shifting here helps me finish my second novel too. Dubai has been a good experience till now. The people, the place and the life here is good. The place is a food haven for foodies like me.

My regular schedule is waking up at 6am, having my alone time doing the fun things that I like, eating healthy breakfast and then getting ready to go to office. Weekdays are hectic at work so I tend to do my things on weekends. Watching movies, meeting friends and hitting the beach keeps me busy then. Last weekend was long one due to Muharram holiday and we had a blast. Festival time is when you really miss being in India. My Cousin has just relocated from India to a job in Dubai and we went to Marina was a walk on the beach and to watch a great movie 'Intern'.



The plot is unassuming. Robert De Niro, a senior citizen, aged 70 applies for a job in a leading startup in retail and he gets the part. The movie is about his journey being assistant to the founder played by Anne Hathaway.
He's respectful, he dresses in a tie, he makes sure not to leave the office until the boss leaves, and he basically does everything better than everybody else. Meanwhile, they teach him about Facebook and fist-bumps.
He's chivalrous, he’s better organized, he's observant and sympathetic, and he knows Brooklyn way better than they do. But it mostly works because the director, Meyers uses De Niro well.

It tells you that although the new generation is really cool and has a very different approach to life at work and home. Basically, It's more practical and technologically advanced. However, there are certain old school principles and ideologies that are still relevant in the modern day world. Relationships, going by your gut, and being nice to your peers helps in being a great leader.
To be a good leader, you have to get the best from your team and if you are not clear about your goals then it will be difficult for your team to follow.

All in all, the movie was emotional and taught us that in this fast paced new generation life of the 21st century, its always good to pause, reflect a little and then take advice from your elder's on how to balance and pace yourself towards great success in life.

#100 days Happy Challenge

I know I probably should have written this post sooner but I was overworked, in a new place and feeling too lazy to write.

Yesterday, I almost felt like I had another fracture to add to my 'fractures I get because of the stupid things I do' list but luckily it was a false alarm and the pain has slowly subsided. And I can't believe that I haven't written anything on my blog for last few months. So well, here it goes.

After having gone through a Deepika Padukone type depression mode after a long relationship. I have decided that I will mention the good things and bad things that have happened to me. And be in a happy space from now- and take a #100 days Happy Challenge.
I will now start writing, feeling happy and loving myself more. Thank god last 6 months or more in depression have helped me loose oodles of weight and I hope it continues. I now want to stay happy, live independently and now that am fitter, am more self conscious and am loving my new self. I will also start doing more things myself and the one thing that I have learnt in this past year is that you have to love yourself and not be dependent on anyone at all.
I believe my parents are my gods, and if they are not happy then there is certainly something wrong that is happening.
So I take this HAPPY CHALLENGE and hope that it changes me much more than the 6 mths have. And you guys, keep an eye on the regular
posts that come up now to update you all.

Haule Haule!