Tag: Dating

My Hope For Gamora

And if you don’t love me now
You will never love me again
I can still hear you saying
You would never break the chain (Never break the chain)
– The Chain by Fleetwood Mac  (Remastered 2004)

Over the past few days I watched both parts of Guardians of The Galaxy, Vol. 1 & 2 I grew a deep fondness for the character of the mad titan Thanos’s adopted daughter Gamora.

Gamora’s backstory is that Thanos abducted her and destroyed her whole planet. He killed her family in front of her very own eyes and tortured her as a child- transforming her into a war machine.

She has never had any friends and has been surrounded by enemies her whole life. When she gets rescued from prison and joins the StarLord and his crew, she finally finds people she can call her own. She learns to sway and dance to beats as she is enchanted by the StarLord’s “pelvic sorcery”. She finds respite with these companions and finds a safe place she calls home.

*I fooled around and fell in love*
Plays music softly

I understand that she must’ve had a very difficult childhood. Even though she was terrified of Thanos and yearned to get away from him, she was forced to love him and care for him, call him Father, and do his bidding as well. The same person who loved her the most also was the most terrifying person in this galaxy.  As children, she was pit against her own sibling, Nebula, with whom she was expected to win every fight in order to save her own life. She lived in a constant state of terror and fear for her life that deprived her of the simple things in childhood.

When she sways with the StarLord, he is surprised to learn that she could dance. But she could dance all along. She probably just needed some help setting her heart free.

Her passion for stopping Ronan in the first movie, and Thanos later on, is completely understandable. She saw her whole planet destroyed in front of her own eyes and was a little girl then who couldn’t do anything. But now, she’s not that little helpless girl anymore and wants to stop Thanos from destroying the entire galaxy.
Maybe along the way, she could probably save herself and the little girl inside of her that was so terrified of him.

It’s also interesting to see how complicated her relationships or lack thereof have been because of Thanos’s tyranny. She seemed to have always had a very difficult relationship with her sibling Nebula. This is because of Thanos’s constant comparisons between Nebula and Gamora, him belittling of Nebula every time he called Gamora his favorite daughter as he pits them against each other. Every time Nebula lost, he’d replace a body part with a piece of machinery as punishment. And she lost every time. imagine what he must’ve done to her.  It’s certainly inhuman, but so is Thanos. Nebula and Gamora also called each other ‘sister’ but always in a sneering way, as if hating the bond that was enforced upon them. But of course, it begins to seem like they don’t actually hate each other as they watch out for each other just enough to not kill each other, which shows that under this cold-blooded sibling rivalry both of them are just two girls who were tortured by the likes of Thanos, and did not get a chance to be there for each other as most siblings do.

I think that Gamora’s relationship with the StarLord and the rest of the crew could heal her broken past a little bit. Like he had said in the 1st movie: They are all losers- people who have lost a lot in their own lives. But they found each other, and have been a family ever since. They certainly make a great team and complement each other. As for the favorite couple’s brewing romance, StarLord and Gamora do make an adorable fit. He is kind and sweet and gentle and loves her unconditionally. He had the chance to be a celestial god but gave it up to save the rest of humanity. He has many desirable traits of an honorable leader and a doting lover, he seems to choose to side with empathy instead of giving in to the more brutal ways of kingship like Thanos did.

As their lives go on, I think Gamora is now in good hands.

Here’s hoping they carry on with their marvelous adventures, now that Thanos is dead.

*Phew!*
I’m a Che-Che-Che-Cherry Bomb! (Like the song)

Because You Left!

Baby, come-a back-a, come a-back, come-a back
To the lips a wanna kiss you!
Baby, come-a back-a, come a-back, come-a back
To the heart that learned to miss you!
You never shoulda gone away,
You never shoulda gone away.

– ‘Baby Come-A Back-A’ by The Chordettes.

Have any of you seen Marvelous Mrs. Maisel?

The girl can talk and cause a road rash.

I wanna be like her.
I AM like her!
Only, in my life, there’s no half-wit secretary to steal my dumbass husband away.
My Joel, or Benjamin, or whoever is too busy wiling away aimlessly on tinder, cribbing about smart sexy funny girls being non-existential while swiping on half-wits with big tits himself.

Too much trash talk? Yeah, I’m gonna detour from the classy for a little bit.

My life completely fell apart today… When my prince charming told me he wasn’t interested in seeing me anymore.

Am I angry? Hell yes! Am I sad? of course (a little bit). But most of all, I’m hell confused!

As I re-watch Mrs. Maisel and type away angrily in my pajamas, I remember each date I’ve been through. The good, the bad and the ugly. Some boys were charming, some seemed a little sleazy, but most of them looked like they had NO IDEA what they were doing. The men I’ve met seemed to have this innate drive to chase me till I’m interested or spin the cobwebs of my brain manipulatively, hoping that I’d fall for them. If only was that dumb, maybe I’d be happier! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The issue with me, of course, is that I don’t understand today’s dating culture. Not that I understand any other age’s dating culture. In what seemed like biblical times, people used to trade cattle and land and property for support and survival through relationships. Love was a transaction. An act of convenience and financial security. I’m sure it’s still the same for a lot of people. But today’s day and age of dating is absolutely absurd. All the chummy rom-com movies have filled every young adult’s mind with a distorted version of what relationships are supposed to be. ‘Happiness is not a gem tucked under a mountain somewhere, left for you to find’, I’d told a friend once, wisely. I don’t know if he still remembers it, but I certainly seemed to have forgotten my own musings. What frustrates me most though, is that after the chase is over and their ego is validated, their interest in me seems to simmer down significantly.

I have heard all kinds of excuses such as ‘you’re too much’, ‘If only I wasn’t still hung up on my ex’, ‘If only I didn’t have a girlfriend’ (I obviously didn’t have any idea about the last one until I was told so). I’ve even heard ridiculous stuff like ‘You’re charming and amazing, but I think you’re too good for me!’. What?! Just. What?? If I’m so pretty and funny and smart and sexy and everything extraordinary under the sun, then what is the fucking problem? Is that intimidating? Does it put pressure of high standards on the other person? Is it too good to be true? But clearly, I exist. I’m not a unicorn now, am I? When two strangers meet, people seem to think that they’re supposed to magically click while cupid sticks them with heart-shaped arrows and sings love songs. But nobody thinks about what this seemingly perfect precious person is going through every time they’re turned down.

Rejection may not be my fault, but it brings out in me a deep-rooted feeling of being unloved and unaccepted. I’ve always felt like the loving and adorable person I am. I truly have. But due to certain environments, I did not receive the love and affection I deserved. And that left me feeling quite hurt and alone. It sucks to feel like the one who is more expressive in a relationship. It sucks to be so passionate and empathetic and loving, that you want to be nurturing towards everyone you love in your life. And it sucks to not receive that nurturing back. Love is not easy… I understand! But does it have to be so damn hard?!

So when prince charming told me he wasn’t interested anymore, I went into a spiral of anguish and rage. Why? I did EVERYTHING right!
I looked pretty on the date.
I cracked jokes that were funny.
We talked about intimate things that were close and personal.
I empathized with his hardships while he empathized with mine.
Not to mention, he made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
I liked him. And I SHOWED him I liked him!
There were scriptwriters from rom-com movies gushing over the adorableness of our first date. And yet, he left…

So, I demand to know! Where would silly men like these find a spectacular girl like me?

Embarrassing Short Tell Tales

*And, oops, my heart went oops
It went into a spin of loop-di-loops
You must’ve thought me kin to nincompoops
The silly way I acted* – Oops! by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong

Cute, but annoying friend at school:
“Dudeeee… Your fly is open!”
I look down, panic, and get up to run to the bathroom
“Dude! You don’t have a fly, man! :’)”
Me: *rolls eyes*

I’m sitting and  daydreaming absentmindedly in the back seat of my Uber.
New passenger crosses the road and opens the door next to me to get into the car
Me: “hey can you please sit in the…”
New Passenger: “Holy mother of god, oooo shit!”
*slams door on my open-jawed face and rushes to the front seat next to the driver*
Me: “Dude! You just yelled ooo shit at my face! Am I THAT scary to look at?”
New Passenger refuses to acknowledge my presence and does not reply.
I continue to to throw dirty looks at him through out the ride.
A girl’s gotta maintain her reputation!

Cute, but annoying friend at school:
*Taps my ponytail to toss it and annoy me*
“Stop it!” I say.
*Taps it again*
“Stoooop”
*Again*
“DID I NOT JUST TELL YOU TO…”
“You’re looking really pretty today!”
Me: *blush. slowly melts inside*

Writing retreat ends. All paticipants make their way to their respective transports.
Our group of young bloggers comes together to exchange hugs and bid goodbye.
“Stay awesome” always quirky and ecstatic participant says.
“Stay corny,” I reply as I hug him. I turn to find everyone looking at me horrified.
“Stay horny?!” another participant whispers to me amused.
“Corny! I said CORNY!!!! @*$&”
Everyone bursts out laughing as I stomp off embarrassed.

Flash back to 8th grade when Avril Lavign was all the rage.
“Hey hey you you, I want to be your girlfriend! No way no way I know its not a secret! lalallalalala…” I strum along under my breath.
“Hey hey you you I want to be your boyfriend :p” guy friend next to me whispers.
*wink* *wink* *smile* *smile*

Got my hair colored in college and went to my uncles place.
“I don’t know what to say” he mutters.
“You can say it looks good!” I chime in.
*Shakes head and walk away slowly, leaving me confused*
*burn* :/

Writers retreat happening. Everyone is chilling around and socialising.
“You know! She’s just like my wife!” he talks about me to a participant chirpingly. “The way she giggles over the silly stuff and starts dancing around awkwardly! And she’s bubbly and sweet and…” trails off as the participant looks awkwardly at me and him.
“He’s my uncle” I explain. “He’s just very doting, is all.” I peck him on the cheek ❤

“I’m so nervous! I feel like I might spill my coffee”.
Date laughs cutely as if challenging my ability.
Mid way through the date, I knock the coffee over as I animatedly try to explain something. Date looks at me startled.
“I promised. And I delivered” I smile.

Walking to the watercooler during my break in school.
Strong wind blows and and tries to lift my skirt up so that I flash people.
I dive to contain it, freaked out and cross my legs while trying to keep my skirt down. I end up having a Marilyn Monroe moment, only mine was more awkward and less cute!
Guy friend crossing by says: “Ooooh my!!” *wink* *wink*
I shy away and slowly die inside.

One of my closest friends from college is from Kenya.
As we sit in her room to study, I roll around on her floor comfortably.
“Shruti! Look out!” She yells.
I freak out and look all around me.
There’s a slimy slithery bug crawling on a dozen feet towards me.
I stand up and scream:
“Ewwwwww! Purityyyy! Look! It’s BLACK and it’s creeeeepyyyyy”
Stone cold silence follows my exclamation.
“Shruti!” she whispers. I look at her horrified realising what I’d said.
She burtsts out laughing at my horror and walks around telling everyone the racist story we now call ‘black n creepy’ B-)

Realisation dawns on my dads face as we’re sitting across each other talking.
“Your hair is red!” he exclaims.
“I know. I got it streaked in college” I calmly explain.
He looks confused and awkward, then smiles slowly and says:
“You should’ve gotten blue! You know how much I like blue. Lookin’ good though ;)”
*Pecks me on my cheek as I blush slowly and melt inside*

I rush to my collegemate’s room to get help with my wardrobe.
I decided to change in her room as someone else was using mine.
Me: *changing awkwardly*
Friend: “Hey Shruti, I had to ask you something!”
“Yeah?!” I ask spinning around innocently.
*click* she takes a pic and yells “Ooooo so hawt!!!”
I jump on top of her and punch the crap out of her till she deletes the pic.
She’s insane but I love her ;”)

Are You ‘The One’?

It starts in my soul, and I lose all control
When you kiss my nose, the feelin’ shows
‘Cause you make me smile, baby, just take your time now
Holdin’ me tight, wherever you go

– Bubbly, Colbie Caillat

All of us have grown up with the concept of the one- the one person we connect with and are meant to spend our lives with. The one person who walks into our lives like the spring we’ve been long waiting for. They send our heart fluttering and make our knees weak – every time they’re nearby the sun’s shining, the birds are chirping and we’re grinning like a fool at this miracle that has dawned upon us.

Sounds familiar?

I’d think so.

All of us have been there. Silly and stupid in love. Curled in bed with our eyes glued to our phones as we text this amazing guy or girl we met that made our toes curl ❤ That’s the fun of it, right? I love the feeling! heheheh… *butterflies*

Growing up with these expectations from romantic relationships I felt like I put a lot of pressure on them. I used to walk into a date with a checklist. I’d concentrate on the fact that he’s well read instead of his body language or how he makes me feel. I pressured my self to be the funny one- cause it’s okay if it’s disappointing that he doesn’t have a sense of humor. I can make anybody laugh! Another defense mechanism. When I met someone I liked, I’d project all my desires and fantasies on them, as if they’re a demi-god that can fulfill everything I want. It’s SO MUCH better now to be able to get to know someone and enjoy their reality as opposed to trying to live in a mirage. It’s a happier and more sustainable relationship. People are wonderful and I think it’s exciting to try to understand them better the way they are.

I’ve been so heartbroken in the past over guys that have left me even when there wasn’t enough chemistry or content because I was so in love with the idea of being loved. I was brainwashed. And I wasn’t the only one! I’ve seen friends mold their partner’s personalities around their own expectations. The idea of what their ideal partner should be like is so deeply ingrained in their minds that they’re ready to torture the one they are with to avoid leaving them. If they just accepted their differences, they could grow through the pain and finding someone who fits better. And I don’t blame them; breakups hurt. All of us are kids inside who want to be loved and appreciated. And we deserve it! I have such a loving family, I can’t even begin to fathom how the child inside me would feel without them.

As we move from date to date and jump from relationship to relationship to find the perfect fit, we are on an endless conquest of the non-existent. Have you seen the movie called Isn’t It Romantic? A chubby girl with wonder-filled eyes grows up deprived of love while hearing constant jabs about her possibilities of a romantic life; She bumps her head and stumbles into an alternate universe where New York is clean and pretty and everyone is nice to her. Also, there’s a hunky billionaire who’s head over heels in love

 

with her and is persistent in showing his affection. She tries to do everything to get out of this absurd world. Tries to dress up, fall in love with the billionaire, swing to cheesy dance songs, everything she thinks the universe wants her to do to get out of the place! Only in the end does she realize that it was herself that she was meant to fall in love with. Because she alone is enough. Don’t get me wrong! All of us need loving and nurturing relationships. But how do we love someone else when we aren’t in love with ourselves? How do we lose ourselves in someone without getting lost if we don’t know ourselves? How do we accept love if we don’t truly believe we deserve it? It’s tough.

It’s so important in this day and age of booming technology and over communication to take a few steps back and be a little old school. Take it slow. It’s important to know that there is no ‘the one’. It’s a myth. There is no perfect person or perfect relationships. People are flawed. they come with their own insecurities and baggage and that’s okay. It’s okay to be imperfect; It’s beautiful even. Cheesy as it sounds, our imperfections are a part of us and our experiences do make us unique. A little empathy for the people we love would really take us a long way in our relationship. I smile as I remember my aunt telling me that.

Maybe we shouldn’t burden ourselves with the concept of the one.

There’s someone for everyone. And of course, it’s a matter of finding them- cause they’re not going to bust down your door and barge into your place.

But maybe it’s great to just find someone who fits, you know?
With whom you have chemistry
Someone you love laughing with
Someone who makes you feel warm inside
Someone you trust

And it’s definitely possible to find someone like that! It’s possible to find MULTIPLE someones like that! Hell, there are 7 billion people on this planet! 😂

To Gay, Or Not To Gay, Is That A Question?

“So! Is He… in your class??” I said
“Yes,” said Chuddy Buddy
“Is He… from this city?” I asked
“Yes,” she said
“Does He plan on going to the same University as you??”
Chuddy buddy smiled hesitantly and said…
“She. It’s a She.”
“I! Uh. What?! Um. You should have told me earlier!” I gushed.
“I didn’t know how you’d take it” She said. “But now I do!”
We smiled.

True story!

One of my very close friends from childhood came out to me when we were in college. It was a divine moment for both of us. I’d never felt so loved and trusted to be shared such an intimate secret with. And it is a secret that I hold close to my heart with pride.
We were kids when we first met. Watching the same cartoons, reading the same books, spending weekends playing in each others house. Both of us grew up to be potter heads and had a love for arts and lust for languages.

When she confided in me, all I could think about was how incredible this news was!! I was so happy that she was gay 😂 Because gay to most people was a very distorted representation of homosexuality. And I couldn’t think of a cooler person that I knew to break that stereotype. I understand that homosexuality has been a sensitive topic to talk about, but we as a generation are better than that. In our times of information and evolution, we can choose to change these narky perceptions with a little bit of help.

tumblr_pjz0p5L3691tetqggo2_500

Being able to say “I’m not straight” is objectively one of the most terrifying experiences all not-so-straight people have. I remember my friend telling me how it would worry her sick that things would just change. Even if your friends and family are accepting of your reality, they might look at you a different way. It is also a worry that one has to carry constantly with every move they make. Every time they change a place or make new friends, they have to come out all over again. It’s tough.

Even though most people are not consciously homophobic, a lot of times we just don’t know what the best way is to react to this new information. Many friends may not be outright aggressive, but passive aggressive comments such as

“There was something in his voice… I just knew he was gay!” are pretty ridiculous.

Not to say, that stereotypes are not completely true! I’d met this charming gentleman who became a fond friend at a workshop. On finding out about his sexuality, I had mentioned that I suspected so, but did not want stereotypical mannerisms to be the basis of my assumption. He then corrected me and said, “Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason Shruti.” While some gay people do blend with behavioral stereotypes such as dressing a certain way and speaking a certain way, there are others who seem completely… “normal”. You wouldn’t know unless they tell you. Like my friend!

But here’s the catch, right? Who defined normal?

My very smart cousin often says “What is ‘NORMAL’ anyway?!” Capture
As we all hopefully know, sexuality is a spectrum.

Male Female
Masculine Feminine
Straight Gay
Men like Women, Women like Men

That’s a very binary way of looking at things. It’s very black and white. And human beings are much more complex than that. Our minds don’t understand 0s and 1s when it comes to our identities. Which is why we shouldn’t be forced to belong to this “box” that is created for us.

“The world is heteronormative”, she said. Everything is fixed. People have such fixed views of looking at things. When a teacher teases her students in the class, she always asks things like “So, girls.. what kind of a guy do you like?!” or “Guys, what would you say if you met a pretty girl”. Nobody thinks about asking a girl if she’d like to meet another pretty girl. I’m sure there are plenty of us!

Everyone is at least a little gay, is what one would think.

Due to the heteronormative norm, even those who are curious about their inclinations get stunted in their approach. It’s really hard to explore and understand yourself when there is so much stigma around. I had a bi-curious friend who confided in me that she liked an acquaintance. “Ask her out!” I said. She did. And she got shot down with a reply that said: “What would be the point of giving it a try? It’s not like there would be any future for us anyway”. People joke about moving to other western countries where gay relationships are legal. People put music videos of unrequited gay love in classrooms as a joke. It’s sad that we can only imagine acceptance and freedom in humor. I think we need to reach a point where the ‘rightness’ of homosexuality should not be a debate anymore. We should move past it.

Tons of people would benefit from this. And, tons of people would prefer to be gay as opposed to being ‘straight’ as well! I know my friend does. She likes both genders and says:
“It’s inevitable! Women are so much better than men, In terms of 0dd920c2b998ccf77c44cd8ae0691c65--lucky-quotes-gay-quoteshuman tolerability and emotional quotient. Women are treated as default as the ‘other sex’ and men as the ‘stronger sex’. It’s not necessary.  Really. Women are so much better than men. It’s sad that I have to be attracted to both. I wish I was only attracted to women.”

Talk about Happy and Gay 😀

Spread love ❤️

 

You Want To Make Fraandship???

CaptureI’m sure you guys are wondering what this post is about. No- it’s not about Kanan (the dashing stand up comedian with a creepy smile on the left). It’s about ‘Fraandship’.

Urban Dictionary – When you receive dms from south asian men for looking cute…

My definition – Fraandship is a code word that creepy guys use to get to know you. No, it doesn’t mean they want to be friends. Yes, the more ‘aaa’s they add in the fraandship, the more desperate they are for your attention.

How do I know this? Let me tell you my sob story…
I was naive, young and very polite in my first year of college. It was a social nicety to greet people, respond to them and in general entertain conversation. Little did I know, that the boy’s hostel in Warangal was swamped with ‘fraandship’ seekers who seemed to be attracted to the girl’s hostel like a moth to a flame. They would be repeatedly ignored, but as most Telugu movies teach us:

“The stronger the girl resists, the more she is secretly in love with you and the longer she wants you to pursue her”

We’re all engineers. We can break this down!

A is transitive to B
B is transitive to C

Therefore:
A is transitive to C

Makes sense right?

Given this logic, there was a young, but not-so-dashing man, who sought it well within his social boundaries to keep pinging me and ask to become frands.
He would text compliments such as:

“Hai sruti, I saw u in cls nd wz lyk wow. Cn v b frz?”

I was flattered but did not reply. It got super annoying very quickly though.

“Haii sruti, y u no reply. I m nyc boi. Jst wnt 2 b frns”

“Helo? Plz reply n let me knw if v cn b frns”

“Helo?! Y u no reply?!”

“Helo?! thr???? Helo Helo!!”

All of which was very amusing of course. My first reaction to his texts naturally was:

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Of course, I did recover and continued to ignore. Still, this chap was not able to get the hint that I’m not interested in replying to him.
Agitated, I get a text from the grammar killer one day:

“Y u so rude?!! Y u no reply?? I jst wnt to b frns. I m nyc boi only!
Jst bcuz u hv beutiful face u thnks ur gods?!!!”

WELLL. Nowww I lost it. Picked up the phone and replied:

“Thnks tht u thnk I hv beutiful face bt no, I dnt thnk I am gods(plural). I no wnt 2 b ur frnd. U may b nyc boi, but I dnt evn knw u. So plz, stp txting or I wil tell chief warden”

Problem solved. No ‘txts’ from the grammar killer anymore. I wonder if he got the sarcasm though? I’d be impressed!

Please find below amusing conversations that my female friends have had with grammar killers in their lives :’)

 

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Our male friends have always teased us about the amount of attention we get from these GKs. When asked why they don’t approach women themselves, they shrug and say ‘because.. she’ll think I’m a creep’. That’s amusing to hear because these guys are completely date-able. They have no reason to believe that any woman with reasonable taste would turn them down. But because these grammar killers have caused overwhelm… women get a little defensive around guys they don’t know.

Anyways, clearly, these GKs are noteworthy. On many occasions, when I and my friends are reminiscing our college days, bitter after a disappointing date – we find ourselves wondering how things would’ve gone with these charming men… and worrying that we missed out!!

What do you think?

Should we have given these guys a shot? 😉