Month: March 2013

Drunken outburst

Posted on by Nirav Thakker
A few hours into the night after Suman got home, her phone started ringing incessantly. She tried ignoring it but it would not go away or stop. Finally she got out of the bed and picked up her phone. It was Sneha. There was no point ignoring it. She would not stop. She picked up the call. With a drunk Sneha on the other side, she knew she had a long night ahead. Sneha had been out of the country for nearly a week now. This was the first time she had called from there. The first thing she blurted out was that she was in love! From there on it was only down hill. Being a motor mouth, she started rattling off.
Sneha said she met Danny soon after she reached Maldives! He was her perfect match. He so very resembled the Greek Gods! He looked so much like Hercules! He was really strong also. She said he could bring her the stars if she asked for them! They had gone swimming together, they had even gone surfing! Oh what a wonderful time the two had had together. Sneha started overwhelming Suman with all kinds of details. Even intimate ones.
Suman picked up a bottle of Black Dog and poured herself a large peg. She needed better company. She went about reminiscing all the things about Rishi. She kept pouring herself pegs upon pegs. She did not realize when she got as drunk as Sneha. She realized she had drunk too much once she had finished one too many a bottle.
Sneha went on to say how she and Danny had gone out on a date. Danny had gone so out of the way to book the entire restaurant for just the two of them. Then there was a band playing the most romantic songs! The entire restaurant was lit with candles! Oh how romantic! The icing on the cake was that he found out that she loved Black Dog Quintessence and found one specially for the night from all of Maldives! He gifted it to her while the band was playing Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”. It so very reminded her of Titanic! She felt like she and Danny were Rose and Jack! His gift of Black Dog so very reminded her of the sketch that Jack had gifted Rose!
Sneha went on with a lot of details after that, but Suman heard none of them. She had fallen asleep, dreaming of Rishi.

Dinner Date

Posted on by Nirav Thakker
Rishi and Suman left the party feeling fairly giggly. They had had a little too much of wine already. Since there was nothing much planned, hunger took priority and they decided on having dinner. Now all that was left was deciding on whose place the date was supposed to happen! Both agreed to go down to Rishi’s place.
Rishi was not one of those regular bachelors who tend to have a fairly badly maintained house. His house was spic and span and smelt fresh with freshly changed Orchids and Roses. Suman looked around his house with wonder. She had never seen such a marvellous house. Good that she did not take him to her house. He would have thought so wrongly about her.
Rishi started his cooking. He knew she ate all kinds of cuisines. He had a stock of fresh chicken and some herbs at home. He decided to make the Kashmiri Chicken. He knew it would go really well with the Black Dog deluxe. He had prepared himself well. He knew it would not take him too long to prepare. But what he wondered was how comfortable Suman was feeling. He decided he had to make her feel at home. He offered her a few books to read, but she was not interested. She offered to help him in the kitchen instead. He did not know whether he had to be elated or scared. His previous experience had been with his mom and that had not been good. She had scared the day lights out of him!
Rishi got into the extensive process of preparing the chicken. He preferred to have his chicken marinated and drunk well in the sauces. He asked her if she was willing to have a Black Dog until they waited. It gave him an opportunity to show off his Bar and its collection. She was impressed. He showed off his extensive collection of all kinds of liquor. He saved the best for the last. His collection of all kinds of Black Dog Scotches!
Their chicken now appeared marinated. Rishi quickly finished off the rest of the cooking. They spoke about their life’s ambitions until then. Suman definitely had a lot of dreams. However, Rishi never told her that he was an undercover private detective. This was one thing he could never ever afford to divulge. He told her he had his father’s business that he looked after and beyond that he made a good deal of money from his stock market investments. Suman was not impressed. She thought he was living off his father’s money!
They moved the dinner to the table. Suman quickly set up the table and Rishi poured out Black Dog Deluxe for both of them. Suman took her first bite and she was impressed. Rishi definitely was a great cook. The pair of Scotch and Chicken worked great too! Rishi obviously had a lot more planned. His fridge was stocked with chocolate and cheese. He had planned for that as a dessert. It wasn’t too late in the evening. So a few more pegs would do no harm, he was sure.
After dinner and dessert when they were sitting back and discussing the party earlier, Suman got a call from her parents. This brought her back to reality. She decided to call it a day. But Rishi had not had enough. They barely knew each other enough that they could be jumping into the bed and feeling each other’s bodies all over. It was too early for that. He was not even sure if he could ask for a good night kiss. He decided he would drop her back home. Suman declined. She said she stayed at a distance of 10 minutes from Rishi’s home.
Rishi persisted. Suman finally gave in and she agreed to walk down to her home.

Out Investigating

Posted on by Nirav Thakker
Rishi had no option but to leave early that afternoon to be at the Mayor’s party. He had managed to arrange himself an entry in there through the back door. He had paid his way through the team that was providing the catering service. Once in, he changed into his tuxedo and blended in with everyone.
Rishi next placed his ear pieces in nearly all corners of the party hall as possible. He even managed to slip one right into the Mayor’s pocket. Thankfully he did not realize it. He had one receiver in his ear that he could use to listen to all the ear pieces one at a time. His subject was not in yet. He knew he had to be patient. He had this urgent urge to pull out his smartphone and start playing Donkey Kong or Pacman. That was the only thing he thought that could liven up the party. But he just pulled out his smartphone to check the time and his mails. He had been waiting and dying to meet Suman. It was a double D-Day for him today.
Just as he was checking his mails, a short tap on his shoulder disturbed him and pulled him back to the party. He turned around to see who it was. He was shocked out of his wits. It was Suman. She was here with the elites. After all, she was a Page 3 butterfly too. He had known it the first time he met her at the bar. She was as excited to see him as he was shocked to see her. He had half expected her here. At this point, though she was being a distraction, he could not tell that to her on the face.
In the background, Kenny G took the centre stage and was welcomed by the Mayor. The party soon started to get interesting. He belted out his best numbers with is Sax and trumpet. Rishi’s subject walked in just then. He was impeccably dressed for the occasion. Suman buzzed into his ear that he was the most sought after socialite in the town. He was also known to be very philanthropic. Just the last week he gave away about forty – fifty lakhs at a fund raiser. Rishi now knew what the money exchange would look like. The Mayor and his subject would both mask it to look like a philanthropic activity. He needed to find a way to get through the artificial cover.
He decided to scan his earpieces starting from the one in the Mayor’s pocket. He got nothing worthwhile. Next he shifted to the one he had placed at his subject’s table. Nothing here either. No choice but to scan the other earpieces when he chanced upon a private discussion. It was between the two private secretaries. He should not have forgotten this angle. The conversation was a complete give away. In the garb of Black Dog’s Kenny G performance, the Mayor was doing the only thing that he was not supposed to. But that was not his concern. He now had all the details that he wanted about the new road contract, details about how the money would be handled et al. He now had his new man. He had had an easy evening, that with living in style!

Wondering how to progress

Posted on by Nirav Thakker
While sleep was elusive and Rishi was savouring his Black Dog, he kept wondering how he would progress further in his love life with Suman. Neither had professed love, nor had they denied it. But it was too early to say anything. Neither knew each any better than a coin knowing its flipside. With this he started tossing a coin. He was never a believer of chance. He always liked to have his way. What if she loved somebody else? What if he popped the question too early? What if he delayed it too much? Ugh…
His mind drifted back to the days when he was working as a software engineer. He had fallen madly, deeply in love with one girl. He had seen her for the first time in a lift. He had barely managed to read her name. He did not even know if she sat in the same building as him. He was lost, without any direction. His friends tried to draw him away from the girl, but then he could not. Finally he saw her again. She was seated in the same floor as him, the very same building, but another wing. He was happy. He finally had a breakthrough.
Few days later, when he was stuck with some code of his, he desperately needed help. He dropped a mail to all the people working on the same technology as him. Late afternoon, he got a reply. It was from the same girl. He was elated. She worked on the same technology as him. He could try and get the friendship closer. But he did not pay him much heed. His colleague on the same project as him decided to move ahead, he wanted a change in the project. Another change in life. Tough part teaching the new person coming into the project. The replacement was a girl. Ok. She wasn’t as great looking as the other girls he knew. Ok. But then came the surprise package. The girl he loved and this new girl were very good friends! They even went out for tea together.
Five months he fielded for her. Five months he went for tea every evening with them. Then came the big day. His company was celebrating 25 years of being in existence. He was high. High on love. He searched for her. He searched everywhere. He searched with his friends. He searched with her friends. Nobody had any clue. He decided to call her up. She did not answer his call. There was a big singer who had been called. She was planning to come over in a limo. He was excited. He was one of the volunteers from the organizing committee.
Finally she answered his call. Her family had comedown from her hometown. She was with them. For the first time he came to know she had a twin, a bother. She did not want to speak to him. He was bursting out of excitement. He could contain himself no longer. He burst out. He told her how much he loved her. She cut the call. She did not pick up his calls after that. He was happy he had told it to her.
Madonna arrived in her limo. There was Black Dog on the house. Public went crazy. He went crazy. At forty plus, she still looked so desirable. She still looked so HOT! His heart skipped several beats. None of them were allowed anywhere near her though. But still… they were happy even looking at her. The evening was a resounding hit. Madge belted songs upon songs. She even sang some of her unreleased numbers. They had all called it Black Dog Easy Evening! He had gone back home happy. Things never worked out between the two is another story. He wanted to make this story work. He wanted this story to work. He wanted someone he could come back home to.


Back at Home

Posted on by Nirav Thakker
Rishi got back home later than everyday that evening. He tried falling asleep but then sleep was not coming easily to him. He tried counting the sheep, he tried counting the clouds as well. Nothing seemed to help. He seemed to be continuously thinking of Suman. Her smell was still intoxicating his senses. He did not know what to do. He got up and decided to take a walk in his balcony. May be tiring himself would do him some good.
He spent the better part of the hour walking around and trying to tire himself out. It did not work out either. Finally he headed to his minibar. It was built a few years ago when he bought the house as per his specifications. He had seen a similar bar else where. He did not remember now where that was; but it had stayed ingrained. His bar was built into his wall. All that he had to do was press a button on his smart phone and his smart home responded back instantly. He could turn the lights on or off, he could turn the TV on or off, change channels, schedule the lights to power on on a schedule etc..
His bar was his personal interest. It was stocked with the best he could have ever found around the world. He had the best Wines one could find, he had the best Tequilas, but his bar would have been incomplete if he did not have his favourite Black Dog. If he could pay so much attention to his stock of liquor, how could he not pay attention to the other accessories?
He had hand picked his accessories from all his previous travels around the world. Unlike the bars elsewhere where he was forced to take Ice made of water in his Scotch, he had the Whiskey Stones at home. He hated having water in his Scotch.
  11
And if he was having special guests at home, he made sure he used the Eternal Ice Drop. It always proved a lasting impression on the guest. But all this was of no use if he did not have his special glassware. It was perfect for the lasting impression. And for his those guests who had Wine or Champagne, he had his special Brass Knuckle corkscrew! He always knew he wanted to live in style!
  
Images sourced from here. Thank You The Cool List for allowing me reuse your images. 🙂

Shopping on mobile is here to stay!

Posted on by Nirav Thakker

Ø Available on iOS and Android 4.0

Ø Comes packed with unique features – Live HomeShop18 TV channel and inbuilt QR code scanner

Ø Users can now shop easily while on the go

Ø HS18.com app is already trending as the top lifestyle app at the iTunes store

Bangalore, 05 March 2013: HomeShop18, India’s leading virtual retailer, is giving a new meaning to mobile shopping by taking a big leap in M-commerce. Soon after launching Scan N Shop, India’s first virtual shopping wall at T3 Terminal of Indira Gandhi International Airport, the virtual pioneer now launches mobile shopping application for iPhone and Android 4.0 phones. HomeShop18 customers can now stay connected 24×7 to HomeShop18, wherever they go. To download they just need to search HS18 on the app stores of their smart phones. Besides an amazing shopping experience and a great user interface, the unique app comes packed with first of its kind features like Live TV streaming and an inbuilt QR code scanner.

With the new apps, HomeShop18 empowers shoppers to ‘Shop Unwired’. Now, they have the freedom to shop for apparels, accessories, gadgets, fashion and lifestyle products etc. through their mobile devices while on the go. At present, smart phone market is growing at 80% per year and as per Nielsen data, smart phones contribute to 17% of total mobile phones sold in India. If all this is an indication, it’s indeed a logical step for HomeShop18 to extend their shopping experience on mobile.

Sundeep Malhotra, CEO and Founder Homeshop18.com and Homeshop18 TV said, “The launch of HomeShop18’s m-commerce initiative is another testimony to our unique multi screen strategy. We are committed to providing our consumers convenient shopping alternatives from their homes, work places and now on-the-move. Our applications are ahead of the times in terms of both the technology and user experience we offer.”

Sundeep added, “Online shopping in India is going through a transformative phase driven by technology and changing lifestyles. With 30 million (and growing) smart phone users and the increasing usage of smart phones, we believe ‘shopping on mobile’ is here to stay. It’s inevitable to bring shopping on the mobile screens of this smart phone generation. Internationally, popular e-commerce brands are already generating around 10% of their transactions through mobile phones; we can expect a similar trend in India in the coming years.”

With the launch of HomeShop18 apps, shopping will never be the same. One can now just browse through 12 million+ products and get them delivered at their doorstep. It also integrates multiple shopping channels offered by HomeShop18. Additionally, the simplified checkout process will enable users to enjoy a great shopping experience through their mobile devices. User can instantly view details of a product with just a click. Order can also be placed by calling up the call centre.

Benefits that come packed in HS18 App are:

· Shopping Unwired.

· Easy sign in to your HomeShop18 account.

· Users can easily synchronize their personal shopping cart with the website.

· Browse products by category / sub-category or search products by keyword.

· Enjoy live stream of HomeShop18 TV channel.

· The app comes with a pre installed QR scanner for user’s convenience.

· Users can also order with a click to call option on product page

· Cash-On-Delivery option on all products to ensure ease and

· View your Order status anytime you want through the app

· The iPhone app can be downloaded from the below link:

o https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hs18.com/id593437970?ls=1&mt=8

About Homeshop18:

HomeShop18 is India’s first comprehensive virtual retail business, selling credible brands to customers nationally, operating in a multimedia environment including Internet, TV and via mobile.

Started in 2011, HomeShop18.com is the e-commerce arm which is setting a benchmark in the ecommerce industry by offering innovative, differentiated and demonstrative retail experiences on the Internet.  With the introduction of M-Commerce in a unique format,  HomeShop18 has redefined the way Indians shop using mobile phones. HomeShop18.com has emerged as the largest e-retailer in India with a monthly reach of over 5.3 million unique visitors (ComScore Data, Jan 2013) a 156.2 % increase year on year.

As a pioneering player in the space, HomeShop18 changed the way Indians shop by launching India’s first 24 hour Home Shopping TV channel in 2008. Today, HomeShop18 reaches a strong loyal customer base of 100 million+ consumers and 20 million+ households in a week with an impressive portfolio of over 11 million products across multiple categories and a logistical reach of over 3000 locations across India. HomeShop18 strives to provide high quality products at exceptional value to consumers through innovative, differentiated and demonstrative retail experiences on Internet, TV and mobile. From the stage of product selection, to placing the order & all the way to the final delivery at your doorstep – an experience that you can depend upon! Great products & established brands, multiple payment options and time bound delivery – HomeShop18 is committed to building a credible proposition for both the consumer & its partners.

For details on HomeShop18 shows and its various products, customers can call 1800-1800-918 or they can log on to www.homeshop18.com and check exciting offers.

LifeSize Delivers Industry-Leading Multiparty Calling Experience through Its Enhanced Software-Based Bridge

Posted on by Nirav Thakker

The new LifeSize UVC Multipoint Enterprise Edition delivers the quality of a hardware-based MCU with the flexibility, scale and affordability of software, as well as interoperability with Microsoft Lync

New Delhi, Feb. 20, 2013 ̶ LifeSize, a division of Logitech (NASDAQ: LOGI) (SIX: LOGN) today announced the enterprise edition of LifeSize UVC Multipoint, available on the software-based LifeSize UVC Platform. The enterprise edition of this multiparty video calling solution offers quality upgrades that make the user experience comparable to most hardware-based MCUs, but with the flexibility of software and the ability to scale one port at a time. These features allow organizations of all sizes to experience high-quality video collaboration and to flexibly adapt their video environment as needs change.

LifeSize UVC Multipoint was designed to make multiparty calling accessible to all users of standards-based video systems, from room systems to mobile devices. Today, with the introduction of the new enterprise edition, Microsoft Lync users can also join the multiparty conversation with other standards-based systems, and view up to 49 participants on screen to facilitate more productive collaboration. This new enterprise edition also offers 1080p30 resolution, scheduling and a dedicated encoder per participant, which delivers the best quality experience for every user.

“As with the standard edition, companies can purchase and scale LifeSize UVC Multipoint Enterprise Edition one port at a time,” said Simon Claringbold, general manager and vice president of LifeSize Asia Pacific. “This makes it not only affordable for new customers just beginning to deploy video conferencing, but also for growing enterprises that need to incrementally scale geographically and serve an ever-increasingly mobile workforce. Our goal is to make multiparty calling less complicated and accessible to all: work groups, sales teams, customers, vendors and even Microsoft Lync customers. We believe LifeSize UVC Multipoint Enterprise Edition accomplishes that goal by enabling better collaboration and stronger connected relationships.”

Additionally, LifeSize UVC Multipoint Enterprise Edition and the entire LifeSize UVC Platform are available as virtual machine software or hardware. For the increasing numbers of companies moving to virtualized data centers, the platform is optimized for both VMware® and Microsoft® Hyper-V®. Alternatively, organizations that prefer hardware can get LifeSize UVC Multipoint and the rest of the software-based LifeSize UVC Platform applications pre-installed on LifeSize UVC hardware.

With the ability to be deployed on any server and to scale incrementally as needed, LifeSize UVC Multipoint Enterprise Edition gives organizations unmatched flexibility to affordably grow their video conferencing capabilities.

Features of LifeSize UVC Multipoint Enterprise Edition include:

• Quality enhancements with dedicated encoder per participant

o Each participant receives the best-possible video quality, even when callers with lower quality video join the call

o Eliminate self-view

o Select your own layout

• 1080p30 full-screen resolution

• Built-in meeting scheduler

• 49-way multiparty view

Pricing and Availability

LifeSize UVC Multipoint Enterprise Edition is globally available today, and starts at $2,999 U.S. MSRP for one flex port.

Additional Resources

· LifeSize UVC Multipoint Enterprise Edition datasheet

· LifeSize blog

About LifeSize

LifeSize is a pioneer and world leader in high-definition video collaboration. Designed to make video conferencing truly universal, our full range of open standards-based systems offer enterprise-class, IT-friendly technologies that enable genuine human interaction over any distance. Founded in 2003 and acquired by Logitech in 2009, LifeSize, with its commitment to relentless innovation, continues to extend the highest-quality video conferencing capabilities to anyone, anywhere. For more information, visit http://www.lifesize.com.

LifeSize, the LifeSize logo, Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are trademarks of Logitech and may be registered. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

LifeSize Announces Microsoft Lync Room System

Posted on by Nirav Thakker

New Delhi Feb. 20, 2013 — LifeSize, a division of Logitech (NASDAQ: LOGI) (SIX: LOGN) today announced a deeper collaboration with Microsoft through its product development of a Microsoft® Lync® Room System. The joint effort with Microsoft enables LifeSize to deliver a video and collaboration solution that brings the familiar Lync unified communication experience to the meeting room.

LifeSize is one of four video collaboration vendors participating in the Microsoft Lync Room Systems program, aimed at developing a new product category designed around Lync 2013. Today the company introduced its LifeSize® LRS1000™ for Microsoft® Lync®, a meeting room collaboration solution that natively runs Microsoft Lync 2013 software optimized for meeting rooms. By including all of the superior quality components needed for more productive meetings, LifeSize LRS1000 for Microsoft Lync provides the familiar Lync user experience and group collaboration capabilities to conference rooms, enabling more productive meetings.

“LifeSize has been a proud collaborator with Microsoft since 2011, and we strive to continue to work closely with them to deliver products that seamlessly interoperate with Microsoft’s unified communication platform,” said Matt Collier, senior vice president of corporate development at LifeSize. “With this announcement of our new LifeSize LRS1000 for Microsoft Lync, we are making good on our promise to deliver the best-possible communications experience by extending Lync’s simple, user-friendly interface beyond PCs and mobile devices to meeting rooms of all sizes.”

LifeSize LRS1000 for Microsoft Lync allows Lync 2013 users to collaborate more effectively across distances with customers, partners and peers anywhere. The familiar Lync user interface is supported in this meeting-room based solution, enabling an enhanced collaboration experience that includes content sharing, voice and video calling. LifeSize LRS1000 for Microsoft Lync supports voice and video calling on Lync 2013 and Lync 2010 with a touch-screen control console that showcases a user directory, calendar and presence information, an HD camera, stereo microphone and support for up to two touch-displays for digital white boarding.

“Microsoft’s relationship and joint product development with LifeSize is of great value in our efforts to maximize adoption of unified communications video and collaboration solutions by everyone.” said Giovanni Mezgec, general manager for Lync product marketing at Microsoft. “Customers who are seeking a room-based video and collaboration system that runs Lync 2013 will be pleased with the seamless, intuitive experience that LifeSize has developed.”

Pricing and Availability

· LifeSize LRS1000 for Microsoft Lync will be available to order in the second quarter of the 2013 calendar year.

Additional Resources

· LifeSize LRS1000 for Microsoft Lync product information

· LifeSize blog

About LifeSize

LifeSize is a pioneer and world leader in high-definition video collaboration. Designed to make video conferencing truly universal, our full range of open standards-based systems offer enterprise-class, IT-friendly technologies that enable genuine human interaction over any distance. Founded in 2003 and acquired by Logitech in 2009, LifeSize, with its commitment to relentless innovation, continues to extend the highest-quality video conferencing capabilities to anyone, anywhere. For more information, visit http://www.lifesize.com.

LifeSize, the LifeSize logo, Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are trademarks of Logitech and may be registered. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Case progress

Posted on by Nirav Thakker
After Suman left, Rishi looked at the missed calls he had. There were literally hundreds of them. All from the same person in the last two hours alone. Sunny. He knew had to come up with an excuse fast for not picking up the calls. He could not tell him he was messing around with two girls. Sunny hated it when he even messed around with one girl! If he said he was drinking, he would be punished with words even worse! What would be the best excuse? Just then, like manna from heaven, his subject walked in to the bar. He was saved.
He called Sunny back. Sunny literally barked his mouth off! Rishi’s ears were ringing hard! He waited for the storm to pass. Then when Sunny was finished, he asked him the progress of the case. This was Rishi’s chance to gain some solid ground. If he wanted Sunny to apologise, he had to do it now. He told Sunny he did not have too much time to small talk. He was busy on the case and had just arrived at the Kama Sutra Bar tailing the subject. His continuous calling was putting him off his guard.
In any case, he told Sunny that Sunday may be a big day because the subject was to visit a party at the Mayor’s house. They were planning to discuss a few deals about the latest road work contract that was going to be out. He was also expecting some currency to change hands. The entire of the last week the subject had been meeting all kinds of people to get them to invest in his venture. He even went ahead and visited a top CEO of a well known country to get him to invest. The CEO had agreed and the deal had been struck. The money had changed hands already and was lying with the subject in his quarters.
With the call disconnected, Rishi went back to looking at what his subject was doing. He was in the pool. Rishi wanted the relaxation himself after the harrowing time he had had with Sneha and Suman. He ordered for his Black Dog Quintessence to be brought in a while at the pool side while he himself went for a shower and a change. His mind was at peace now. All that he could think of was Suman. She had agreed to go out with him finally. They had agreed to meet this Sunday evening. Thank goodness she had said the Sunday evening. He would have had to give the chance a miss if she had asked him to meet in the morning. All that happens, happens for good. This was all that came to his mind. He wanted his tonight to be his Black Dog Easy Evening!
He wound up the evening relaxing on the poolside sipping his Black Dog and tapping away on his cell phone. He was checking his mails. He had a lot of mails that needed to be answered. He was in no mood to do just that. He wanted the world to wait for him. Recognise that he lived by his own terms. Recognise that he lived in style. He ordered for another large portion of Scotch. He shifted to using his tab. He had long come out of the pool. His daily dose of day’s news’ catching up had to be done. His favourite music pumped away into his ears! He had just bought the latest iPod! The deal had not come sweet in terms of money, but the pleasure of it turned out to be the deal sweetener. He was in love. With music and a lady!

Today, At the Bar

Posted on by Nirav Thakker
Rishi was spell bound at the sight of this girl. She was all that he had ever dreamt of. She had the same eyes that dogged him in his dreams every night. He sat mesmerised on his bar stool wondering what way he could strike up a conversation with her. This was not his nature. He was supposed to be an outspoken extrovert. Girls were like toys to him, ones whom he had dancing on his fingers. On one end, his heart wanted to go out strike up a conversation with her and on the other, his playboy image did not permit it. He was torn apart by his own personalities.
Alex was watching Rishi and following his eyes. He knew exactly what Rishi was looking at and what he wanted. He offered Rishi his help. He said he knew the girl as a regular at the bar. Rishi agreed. He saw no option. He thought of the best pick up line that he thought would work. He put it down on a tissue paper and sent it across. The answer that came back was something that Rishi had expected. A resounding slap. After all, this was real life and not a movie where if the hero sent across a cheesy pick up line to the heroine she would fall for it and then the two would be singing a romantic duet the next minute. But what came next was not what he had imagined. The girl told him that if he wanted to talk to her, he had to be a man! He had to walk up to her and talk to her. Saying so she turned around and walked away clicking her heels behind her.
This definitely was not an easy catch to be. He had expected some retaliation but not this kind. His senses were now alert. He took the girl’s advice and walked down to her table and politely requested if he could join the two girls. Suman was about to say something when Sneha’s heel struck her hard on her foot and she shut up. Sneha twirled her hair and said “Of course!” Rishi saw an empty table and asked the girls if the would have something. Once again Sneha replied, “Sure, we would have something, but then what would that something be?” Rishi signalled for the menu and deferred with the girls if they would like Sushi. The girls agreed. He was not sure what the girls would like to drink. He deferred to them again. They did not reply. He decided to let go of it. He ordered a Black Dog for himself. The girls were not sure if the choice was good but they decided to try it none the less. They added that they would like a Scotch as well.
All this while Suman kept trying to avoid the gaze. This was the very opportunity she had been waiting for. But how could she let him have it so easily. She wanted to play a little hard to get as well. After all, Rishi had not been easy himself! She said she would also like Salmon with Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Brussels Sprout Leaves, and Fingerling Potatoes. She wanted to know how deep Rishi’s pockets would go. She wanted to know if he knew how to live in style!
Rishi introduced himself as a businessman. The girls introduced themselves as well. Sneha was particularly curious about the pairing of the Scotch with food. After all Scotch was supposed to be had as an after food accompaniment. Somewhat like a dessert. Rishi cleared the air of doubt. He went on to explain how Scotch could be paired with many different kinds of food items including Dark Chocolate. he even explained that Suman’s choice of Salmon with Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Brussels Sprout Leaves, and Fingerling Potatoes was indeed a great combination since it paired the Scotch with a food item from it’s place of native origin! Just then Rishi’s phone rang. He let it ring. He could let the world wait while he wooed his woman of dreams!