"You Don't Understand... I Love You" (aka: The Will Smith Story)

When one of my coworkers/friends recently Facebook friended me, her first comment was "I didn't know you'd met Will Smith!" to which I replied with "Umm... how did you find that out?"

Now, I don't really know why I questioned how she figured it out (as if I were trying to keep it some kind of secret... HA). I mean, come on. I can still recant that story (every. intricate. detail) of meeting Will on the set of Hitch (remember? When he flashes back to his college days when he was super awkward with girls... HA- as if THAT could ever be the case.) as if it happened yesterday. Rather than going into the (kind of long) story about how I met Will Smith, I simply just forwarded along the email that I'd sent to a small group of my friends about ten minutes after that moment in the sun occurred. I mean... if that email doesn't speak for itself, I just don't know what does.

After forwarding along the email, I actually took a few moments to reread it myself... relive the moment if you will. And... not gonna lie- my heart still picked up the pace (and/or my knee started jiggling... and/or I started experiencing slight shortness of breath... well, you get the idea) as I was rereading it.

This is all very pathetic, yes, I know. But whatever.

Needless to say, I can safely say that July 2, 2004 was the happiest day of my life to-date.

As such, I figured... what better way to spread the excitement than by... simply copy/pasting the email (complete with all the typos, since I clearly couldn't type straight, given how flustered I still was) for all the world to read (okay, one little part was cut out since it's not exactly the most appropriate for broader audiences, but that's it!).

All I have to say is... enjoy.

And GOD, if Will Smith is out there reading this... dare. I. dream.

The Email... from July 2, 2004

happy summer everyone!!

i was just writing this email because i definitely have some necessary emotion to be released at this point in time and i dont have many daytime minutes so the one time i actually WNAT to be on the phone, i cant.  however, i just need to share:

first off, i love columbia and ny. because of this program and the wonderful people i have met? eh not so much although its an alright program but ive mostly just been antisocial and scurrying across town to meet up with the osu contingent of nyu. however, this week has been amazing. why? Last tuesday or monday or so, who was sitting outside of one of our buildings reading a book but RIDER STRONG! high five. i love him. and for you true disney channel fans and simply pouty guy lips heartthrobs out there, its shawn from boy meets world, one of the best shows ever. two of my friends and i went up to him and i (just like a typical fan) asked him to take a picture. he was so nice about it. i like him a whole lot more now :) but I would just like to share that the picture is wonderful: he has his arm around me and my other friend but his head is totally tilted in my direction. i LOVE it. lol

secondly, and for the REAL reason for this email. rider strong high five right/ that made the highlight of my week earlier. but then today, Friday july 2nd, we noticed all these random cameras and whatnot and we were walking to this office that we had to do some work in. we didnt really  think twice right? then we're working for like an hour or so and this girl from our program rushes in and shes like (shes so cute shes from spain) "you know uh will? smith? you like him?" and of course literally no joke my mouth drops open and i start having a bit of trouble breathing. nothing serious but it was funny cause i had heard that he was going ot be on trl today and i was so wanting to go to the mtv studio but i couldnt cause of my office work. however then she shares this and i was freaking out like oh my goodness hes just visiting for an hour and im stuck here??? she was like "hes right outside!!! here you want to see pictures? i even took a little video" so there i am (along with a few others who are much calmer just to paint a mental picture) watching her little video clip but not really  paying attentino because im trying to figure out how to get out of office work but theyre pretty strict about actually, oh i dont know, STAYING on the job? So literally for like 45 mins i was just standing there because i got done with my stuff (cause lets face it, when i heard will smith, i was frantically sorting through my files and shoving them into place... this one girl i was working with was just looking at me in amazement and cracking up) but i was so scared i would miss him! so then they wouldnt even let us leave the office cause we were waiting for everyone to get done. i was getting VERY annoyed... will was so close yet so far. so anyway, then it got really chaotic and whatnot so i just left. i wa slike screw this i am not missing will for this unorganization. (my logic i know :)) however, they had just finished doing a scene so will was on a little break and he was talking to a bunch of people so i scurried on down the columbia steps and was literally five feet away from him. (it turns out i wouldnt have missed him anyways cause he would be there for an hour or two more) i was snapping my camera away in simple awe. he was talking to a theater group from phillyl so we werent allowed to get any closer. still it was good enough right? then the directing people kept on yelling at people to clear out cause they were going to start another scene for his new movie (first and last kiss or somethign) it takes place in the 80s. me being the clueless one that i am start chatting with this asian lady that was sitting in the grass just watching everything happen. then the directing lady starts cuing everyone off to the sides whos not in the movie and figuring the asian lady is off set i settled down next to her. then the directing lady starts going across the walk and is like "youre in this scene youre in this scene etc" because there were so many extras... then she comes to me and I really had no clue that i could have been in the scene until she stopped  and was like "youre not in this scene" and i just was like "what? oh this is for the movie? im so sorry!" and she was really nice and was like "oh its not a problem you could be in it but its set in the 80s and your clothes dont  look 80s enoguh" really nice about it seriously! but what the heck?? i was  almost an extra in will smiths movie! so you think thats all, right? oh no no no... because i definitely wait aroudn and watch the scene being shot. it was pretty cool... then everyone (all the fans and whatnot) started leaving casue they got bored but not me the faithful will supporter that i am. i was just watching and watching and then it started to rain a little bit... just sprinkling. so of course they called the scene off and i was at such a far distance but i could see will just talking to people and then i saw pepoepl scurrying towards him to get a picture/autograph so i start walking towards him. but there are a few people and a couple of girsl wanted their picture with him so i was like "i can take it for you if you would like" and of coruse they let me so i took it. and then i wanted to get in a picture but I wasnt with anyone so who would take it? so of coruse i was just less than a foot away from will and he is adorable. and then all these other girsl start swarming in to take a picture so i was kind of like hwat the heck? all this for nothing? 

so then the directing lady starts shooing us off and was like "sorry we have to keep the crowd moving" and my face literally dropped and since i was in the front he saw that and he knew who i was since i had offered to take the other girls' pictures. so he knew i was a relatively nice person i guess? lol i liek to think taht at least. but listen to this: so he sees my face drop and all these other people had started backing away per the director's orders but i was just stockstill for a second and he just looked at me and i was seriously nearly in tears, my voice was shaking and I just said "you dont understand... i love you" lol lol lol.

seriously TOTAL teenybopper. but whatever. and he was like "aw thanks" (with his beautiful eyes and smile that has his eyes crinkle and his lips droop down....  aughhH!:) ) and he came up to me and was like (to me) "just one more, baby, just one more" with his typical fresh prince charm. i love him. love him. so what did he do? not a normal pose and have someone else take it cause there was no one else to take it. he definitely took my camera, put his arm aroudn me and held the camera out and took the picture.

I was in literal heaven.

seriously. hands were shaking voice shaking everything. not only did i see will smith... not only did i take pictures of him. but our FACES WERE TOUCHING. he had his ARM around me! who does that happen to?? the girl with the computer wallpaper collage of will smith, the girl whos watched every fresh prince multiple times. I [EXPLETIVE] LOVE him. the nicest guy ever.

LOVE. oh im swooning im swooning. LOVE.

and that my friends, are the adventures of the celebs thus far. i could die and i would be perfectly happy. i LOVE will. and I love you guys. thanks for listening to this tale.

love
christie :)

Please note: Cheeks. Are. Touching.

That is all.

It's an Indian Wedding Weekend EXTRAVAGANZA!

Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone! I spent my long weekend being immersed in all things Indian wedding festivities. It seriously was one of the most fun weekends/weddings... well, ever.

So much fun, in fact, that I couldn't just cram all the festivities into one mere blog post. You better believe that I've devoted a mini-blog series to the one and only Neha and Eashwar's wedding festivities. Honestly, Indian weddings are the way to GO. It's literally three days of gluttonous happiness... endless GORGEOUS INDIAN OUTFITS (!!), endless FOOD, endless open BAR, endless dancing, endless FUN!

As much crazy fun as this wedding weekend was, I also want to point out that Neha and Eashwar's wedding is among one of the most memorable weddings I've been to thus far. They are seriously two of the kindest, most respectable people that anyone will ever meet and I can't emphasize enough the TREMENDOUS amount of respect I have for the two of them. Sooo... as light as I tend to make of a lot of the wedding weekend festivities, I just want to make sure it's clear just how meaningful the ceremonies/rituals were for me to experience as part of their (humongous) audience. At the risk of sounding completely cheesy, it was nothing short of a privilege to be part of this wedding experience.

Deep, I know. So, to bring it back to the normal lack of depth that IS the Maliyacular... without further ado, I'd like to introduce to you...

Neha and Eashwar's Wedding Extravaganza Mini-Series

Day One: Open Bar Happiness
Details the festivities of the first night's Sangeet, a celebratory night of dance performances put on by Neha and Eashwar's family and friends in honor of the lovely couple

Day Two: Henna, A Bus and a Resort Complex
Details the festivities of the second night's Mehendi- a night typically reserved for just females (Neha and Eashwar opened this to both males and females) that focuses on decorating the hands and feet with various henna tattoos. Traditionally, the bride has to "find" her groom's name in the intricate detailing of her Mehendi (henna tattoo)... it's not as easy as it sounds! This stuff gets INTRICATE.

Day Three: Neha and Eashwar's Big Day
Details the big day itself! This day included a Bharat (where the groom rides in on a horse, to the energetic dancing of his family and friends), a Sikh ceremony, a Hindu ceremony and... of course, a reception to end all receptions (let's be honest here).

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!

Neha and Eashwar's Big Day

Weeeeee!!!!!! THE BIG DAY WAS FINALLY HERE!!!!!! Neha and Eashwar's WEDDING DAY!!!!!!

The big day was going to be filled with two ceremonies (a Hindu ceremony and a Sikh ceremony) as well as the grand finale... excuse me, I mean the reception. With so much activity being crammed into one day, you better believe that Sunday started off bright and early. The guests were instructed to head down to the main lobby by 9 AM sharp, in order to be in time to watch the Bharat, which is where the groom rides a horse amongst throngs of his friends and family dancing around him to the main entrance of the hotel.

I have to say, the Bharat is one of my favorite events at Indian weddings. It's just so FESTIVE and I simply LOVE watching the groom's family and friends dancing their hearts out...it's so clear everyone is just so darn EXCITED for the big day ahead.

So, right at 9 AM, you better believe I was jaunting downstairs to make sure I was able to watch every single moment of the festivities... but I quickly got distracted because... well, I guess with 600 people at a wedding (with like half the guests from Cincinnati itself, since that's where the groom is from), I was bound to run into an unexpectedly familiar face or two. But still... that thought didn't remotely temper my excitement levels when the familiar face that I ran into was...

Now, I know this may look like just another Indian aunty to the rest of you. But this aunty just happens to be one of my FAVORITE aunties in all the land. This is actually my college roommate (for all four years!)'s MOM!! Trust me... I could NOT CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT. It had been so long since I'd seen her, and quite frankly, she makes me the happiest thing ever (especially when she calls me "Giggly"... SIGH, HAPPINESS!!!).

After literally attacking her with a hug (good thing she doesn't scare easily...), I quickly made my way outside and down the sidewalk where I was able to find my friends (thank goodness! Knowing very few people in a crowd of 600+ can get kind of overwhelming, not gonna lie!).

Despite the 90+ degree heat and humidity of the morning, the excitement was in FULL FORCE. I'm not exaggerating, "throngs of people" is an understatement of the sight to be seen outside of that hotel and lining the city block. Since shamelessness is kind of my "thing", I scooched my way to the front of the crowd in order to snag at least ONE picture of the guest of honor...

Surprisingly enough, the Bharat actually started relatively on time. Eashwar, decked OUT in his traditional Indian attire, began riding that horse down the city street to the main entrance to the hotel... all to the blasting Indian music and exuberant family and friends dancing away...

Once he'd made it safely inside the hotel, the family and friends gathered in the hotel lobby to begin some of the traditional rituals. To be honest, I couldn't exactly understand what was going on down there, but it was definitely a moving, touching moment.

Shortly thereafter, we ended up wandering up to the second floor of the hotel, where the Sikh ceremony was going to take place first. During this ceremony, everyone had to make sure that their heads were covered as they entered the sacred place, ladies sat on the left while males sat on the right, and everyone was sitting on the floor (sans shoes, which had to be left outside the big hall).

It was actually VERY interesting for me, since it was my very first Sikh ceremony. Sure, the bread pudding-y type of treat they gave us at the end of the Sikh ceremony certainly helped things along.

Even though it may not look like much in that picture, that treat was LE-GIT deliciousness. Not gonna lie... I certainly did help myself to seconds :)

Alright, so after the Sikh ceremony, we all exited the hall so that it could be revamped for the second ceremony of the day- the Hindu ceremony. After a more-than-light snack in the interim (oh, if there's one thing that can be said about this ENTIRE weekend, it's that you NEVER went hungry, that is for darn sure), we headed back up to the same hall... to a whole new world ready for the Hindu ceremony. The mandap (it's kind of like the "stage" for the bride and groom) was revamped, there were now chairs in place of where we'd been sitting on the floor, new flowers were decorating the aisles... it's amazing how much can change in the course of like 45 minutes.

I just loved the Hindu ceremony. There was even an Indian uncle who was kind of narrating each and every ritual during the Hindu ceremony, so people could truly understand what was going on. And of course... I mean, look at the happy couple. They just make me so HAPPY.

Immediately following this ceremony was... of course, lunch. Ah food... how it does epitomize all things Indian. Because I didn't want to look like a complete freak (I mean, how many aunties and uncles would really understand the concept of blogging?), I refrained from taking all too many pictures of food (it took some serious self-restraint though).

After lunch? NAPTIME!! We had a couple of hours free in the afternoon before we had to start getting ready for the grand reception and you better BELIEVE I took full advantage. I take my naps VERY seriously and it had been kind of an exhausting weekend already (I can't even imagine how Neha and Eashwar were feeling!), so I fully embraced my naptime.

Well, naptime came and went and then it was time to... get ready for the reception. The reception was the only event where I was going to be wearing a sari, since it was the "fanciest" night of the whole weekend. A couple of my other friends were also going to be wearing saris, so you better believe we had to flag down an aunty earlier on in the afternoon, so she could help us put these things on. I don't think I will ever understand how one singular piece of fabric can be so complicated to put on.

But it is. So until the day comes where there are no more aunties in all the land, you better believe I'll be latching on to any and every one of them, when it comes to helping me tie a sari.

A few of us headed down to the lobby around 7 PM- just in time for... cocktail hour!! Wahoo!!

Aren't those drinks so FUN?? I swear, me and that Lychee Martini became like BFF throughout the night... it was the epitome of tasty deliciousness.

As cocktail hour started winding down, the grand doors to the reception hall were opened and... well, so much for keeping my jaw off the floor. I can safely say it was one of the most majestic reception halls I'd seen to-date... everything was just so well DONE. I mean, just look at the flower arrangements.

And that's just the beginning of it. Unfortunately, my phone camera isn't exactly behaving itself, so the quality of these pictures could have been a little better but whatever. All I have to say about the reception is... it was one of the most emotionally taxing receptions I've ever attended. Honestly, I have to say it's in the top three wedding receptions I've been to (and, if you know me at all, you know I've been to my more than fair share of weddings over recent years), primarily because of the speeches/sentiments that were made. I couldn't stop crying! (And, to be fair, there were more than few of us who couldn't stop crying.)


At the end of it all, though, it's a wedding reception. And, God, what a wedding reception it was. And best of all- we actually got to talk with the bride for a fair amount of time!! (Seriously, trying to catch Neha this weekend was like trying to catch a celebrity!)

I know I've said this before, but I have to say it again... GOD, do Indian people know how to party. The music couldn't have been better and the dancing couldn't have been more spirited happiness.

All in all, I have to say that this wedding weekend was one of the absolute best that I've ever been to. And I know I've been making light of a lot of the weekend what with all the open bar-ing and the spectacle that only busloads of Indian aunties and uncles can provide, but in all seriousness, this wedding was one of the most touching ones that I've had the privilege of experiencing. I'm so grateful to have been able to participate in this extra-special weekend for Neha and Eashwar and it's definitely one of the weddings that will stick out for me for a long time to come.