There's an actual group by this title on Facebook and I could help but laugh out loud at the title when I first read it and then frown immediately because I realized how true it was.

Now, I obviously knew there wouldn't be any spur of the moment song-and-dance routines (though one can always still hope, right?), but somehow the idea of how easy it was for boy to meet girl, for boy and girl to fall for each other, overcome some minor obstacle (usually being some evil villain, or disapproving father...in many cases this being the same person) and then live happily ever after. As I grew up with Bollywood movies everything in the future seemed like it would be so easy because it had a fun soundtrack to it.

Doing the traditional "hide the groom's shoes to get money from him" custom at your sister's wedding? There's a song for that.

Attempting to woo the snobby rich girl at your college? There's a song for that.

Wondering if the boy you like likes you and why love and your heart are so crazy? There's a (million) songs for that.

There's songs about rain, the sun, gardens, flowers, wanting to going from rags-to-riches, the "dupatta" (i.e. the scarf material that's draped around the shoulder's on a woman's traditional indian suit - yes, there are songs about that). You name it and likely there is a song for it. So why wouldn't life seem like a breeze?

Now you could go ahead and blame this on me, saying that I may have just simply watched too many of these movies. But, when your own parents' "love story" consisted of their parents matching curriculum vitaes, family backgrounds, then retreating to their own corners to ask their child's consent and finally going back into the ring to work out what the bride's side will give the groom along with their daughter's hand (i.e. The Dowry) - life is confusing. Especially when much of the understanding of your culture comes from these movies.

This may all very well be because I grew up in Canada and am just one more ABCD (Amercian Born Confused Desi - i.e. desi = person from India) trying to find the fine balance between the clashing worlds of South Asian and Western idealisms. But since our parents were the ones who brought home these movies, it was a very long time until I (I am NOT the only one. Don't give me that look) clued in that life is just a wee bit more difficult.

So what did I expect? That by 21 or so I would meet Le Prince Charming, who would of course come from a wealthy family, be very charismatic, may even dance a bit, and that we would meet, our parents would readily approve and life would be one big swan ride through the Eternal Love Tunnel.

Well, I'm 24 (and a quarter...!), have no real prospects, stuck in school for a couple more years to come, and am being pressured from every end that my "expiry date" is on the brink of pouncing on me. Of course, at which time, I think I'm supposed to deflate in a puddle of invisible goo. But I am happy with all this...I think.

Though the idea of LPC sounds pretty good, it may just work out better not having gone that route. Meh...I'll keep you posted...