Abi:original - If you aren't original, what are you?

A lot of people think freelancing means you are 'free' to do anything for them, for free! They'd like to believe you have hours of unoccupied time and they are doing you a favour by giving you work...I have news for you, HELL NO! If I am working on a particular assignment, I do expect to get paid for it! Manic deadlines, racing against the clock, weekend plans, bills -- I have them too, the only difference is that I'm not tied to a corporate office like most people. But make no mistake, I take my work very seriously. So do me a favour, don't give me your resume for 'free rewriting' and don't ask me for help with letters to bank managers or senior associates. I hate, no, I loathe writing them as much as you do. But I'd never ask my neighbour to write them just because they know how to spell. And hate to burst the bubble, that is not what I do for a living. If you want to risk sending me work, with a 'please help me this one time,' go ahead. Ch...

Cooking has suddenly become my new obsession. The healthier the better actually. From merely collecting loads of recipes, I've finally started creating my own dishes. Baked bacon pasta, bean and cauliflower casserole...The helpless tasters being the husband and son, most often like what they consume. But they may be suspected to be partial to the cook -- their only food provider. Blame it on the cooking channel but I've now realised that cooking is really all about presentation. I'm not just talking about Nigella Lawson. Of course a good looking chef can make or break a tv show, but I think a neatly presented salmon bake is just as important as a well prepared slice of the same fish. Of course I have miles to go before I can reach the cooking standards of my mother and some of my aunts and uncles. I'm not even going there! For now I'm happy to try a new dish every other day and hope that the effort isn't in vain. Like most busy mothers, I have no time for labori...

You are probably sick of the unending trivia that has somehow emerged from June 25. You've probably had too much information about MJ's life, his untimely death and perhaps his after life. Oddly, though its hard to admit, I can't seem to get enough. The closet fan in me found it hard to wipe away the tears while watching his memorial last night. Now I never wore a sequined glove or moonwalked. I never even bought an MJ record in my life. But heck, I remember most of his songs and have probably a decent recollection of every music video in the past 15 years. Perhaps that is why I felt I had to be a part of the memorial. Not an invited guest but one that watched from the comfort of my home. As the tributes flowed from one person to the next. One personality to another, I'm sure there were few dry eyes all around. Queen Latifah was right, he did make us feel like he was someone we knew. Someone dancing just for us. Will this be my last mention of MJ? That is something I do...

If you get a chance to watch 'Raaki ka *Swayamvar' on NDTV Imagine, during the week, don't miss it. It is definitely a roll-over-the-floor-and-die-laughing-tv show. A bunch of so-called eligible boys (and they do seem like boys and hardly husband material), lovingly referred to as 'heroes' all wooing Rakhi Sawant for her mighty hand in marriage. I'm so grateful for reality TV's ability of sinking to even lower depths because it ensures a daily hour of non stop giggles. On one of the episodes a contestant proudly states that he skipped his sister's wedding to take part in the show. One wonders if his sister would ever take kindly to RS if she does elect the brother as her prized suitor! Perhaps the sister might give the wedding a...'skip' as well. Another 'hero' is a police officer who has kept his first wedding and three kids a secret till now! What excitement! In keeping with the times, of course, the show has a dedicated page on F...

One week later the tributes keep pouring in from all over the world. The music continues to play, questions continue to be raised and some of these jaw dropping lyrics take on a life of their own. MJ sang this song in tribute to a young boy named Ryan White who died of AIDS but managed to fight the disease in more ways than one. The song later featured on the sound track of a special tribute to Lady Diana by various international artists and it has rather sadly become another MJ anthem today. Gone too soon Music by Larry Grossman. Lyrics by Buz Kohan Produced by Michael Jackson Like A Comet Blazing 'Cross The Evening Sky Gone Too Soon Like A Rainbow Fading In The Twinkling Of An Eye Gone Too Soon Shiny And Sparkly And Splendidly Bright Here One Day Gone One Night Like The Loss Of Sunlight On A Cloudy Afternoon Gone Too Soon Like A Castle Built Upon A Sandy Beach Gone Too Soon Like A Perfect Flower That Is Just Beyond Your Reach Gone Too Soon Born To Amuse, To Inspire, To Delight He...