Tipsy Topsy's Triumphs 'N Tears

Oh My God!

2011-05-20T00:33:00.000+05:30

I found the user id and password for my blog!

The only blog that ever felt like home. :)

More Lessons

2005-07-04T02:22:00.000+05:30

Apparently the day had more than one lesson in store for me.

Goodbye :)

Lesson Of The Day

2005-07-03T22:58:00.000+05:30

Someone said to me: Emotions are the treasure of life...spend them carefully, not on trivial events and stupid people.

Point noted.

Angreji Mujic

2005-06-29T16:06:00.000+05:30

I hardly need to emphasize how close-knit a family I belong to. This results in strange side-effects. One very prominent one happens to be my lack of interest in English music. I never needed it as a medium where teenagers usually find a vent for their emotions or peace or an identity (in saying they love what everyone else loves?!). I was never alone. I didn't have too many friends. I didn't have cable TV.

In a world governed by stereotypes, my ignorance in this sphere has often proved to be a handicap. I cannot blame other people. The extent of my ignorance can be quite appalling. For instance, till recently I thought that Pink Floyd was an individual and not a band..err..or is it vice versa? (just lost most of my blog readers. sigh)

I have made attempts at familiarizing myself with the different genres and the popular artists. I quite enjoy listening to Marc Anthony. I even bought a collection of Bryan Adams' songs. And this purchase led to a startling discovery. Rock music puts me to sleep.

Millions of people believe that the best days of their life were back in the Summer of '69 (even though they weren't born then! previous janmas?). And they jump and shout and scream the fact. However, listening to Bryan Adams singing this song and more importantly songs like Everything I do or let's make a night to remember has consistently led me to nights of blissful slumber. Nights I remember nothing about, thankfully!

Last night I couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning in my bed, I wondered at what I could possibly do which would help. I tried eating something thinking about the dinner I had eaten very little of. Logged on to the internet. But who has ever felt sleepy while surfing?! Fearing my parents catching me using the comp, I went back into bed. Listening to the radio on my walkman I hoped to hear some soothing hindi oldies. Unfortunately, all channels seemed to be catering to the truck driver listeners at that hour.

And then it happened. One channel was playing English music. The RJ , not a very professional one, was talking in a sweet calm voice. He obviously believed that nobody was listening to him. Sample this: "This song is dedicated to my fun friend who means a lot to me, with whom I have shared a lot of fun moments, who has cried on my shoulder more often than I have cried on hers, with whom I have fought a lot but who is a great friend" Well..something to this effect! And then he played a song. I have no clue who the singer was and I cannot recall the lyrics. All I know is that it had the most calming effect on me and I fell asleep soon after!!!

[Kind people have enquired about my mother's wellness and that of the gadgets in my house. The washing machine is working fine. However, the water level indicator (which tells us how much water is present in the tank on the ground floor and how much in the overhead tank) has conked off. While I was writing this post, she was shouting at the engineer on the phone asking him to send a more competent fellow. Please pray for us.]

Everyday Scenes

2005-06-24T20:31:00.000+05:30

Scene 1: Four people gobbling down their lunch in five minutes to be able to catch the 2 p.m. show of Parineeta on the day it was released. A few weeks later, three of them rushing to catch the first day first show of Paheli

Scene 2: Four people playing Dumb Charades till midnight because there is no electricity.

Scene 3: Four people out on a morning walk deciding impromptu to head for a two-day vacation. Bags packed and out of the house in one hour flat.

Scene 4: Four people trying to fit on one bed and in the process, making such a ruckus that concerned neighbours ring the doorbell to enquire if everything is alright.

That's my family. I love them.

Why My Mother Might Get Murdered

2005-06-19T12:16:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer: Dear God, this is meant to be a joke so PLEASE shut Your Holy eyes and ears .

The past couple of months have been rough for my mom. A lot of things in the house stopped functioning: A tap in the loo, the washing machine, the sewing machine, the water pump, a bad drycleaning job, a misbehaving electrician, cheating painters and carpenters. Co-operation from family members was also on a low. Dad and I have never been of much help and when my sweet sister decided to move back into the house, she came home yellow. Cherry on the cake: Our maid went off to her village for a month. You get the picture.

To get the things fixed was no mean task. For instance, to fix the tap, we needed to contact the company which has given a lifetime guarantee. The numbers we had did not work. So, mom and I ended up calling approximately 50 bathroom fittings dealers trying to locate one which had the company's new numbers. We eventually discovered that the numbers we had were correct but could only be reached when dialed from a mobile phone.

The drycleaners was another disaster. The clothes which were returned to us looked dirtier than they had originally been. Though we doubt whether someone ever cleaned them, they had definitely been ironed. This we know because the clothes had been burnt and hence were shining at different places. Mom was compelled to make some very nasty phonecalls to the shop which included references about how she had been their customer for years and how she was very disappointed and how nobody who cheats can ever succeed. Yesterday while taking a u-turn near our home, mom spotted the drycleaner's rickshaw. She tells dad, "Yeh to XYZ Drycleaner ki gaadi hai. Isko to neeche de do."

The biggest pain was the washing machine. Infact it was Kirthi's post on her problems with her mom and the washing machine that prompted me to post this. Our machine is ten years old. It stopped working and mom called in the repair guy. He changed the bearings and convinced mom to sign the annual maintenance contract. She agreed. However, the machine did not work. Since it was now under the AMC, all spare parts could be changed free of cost. Mom called and an engineer arrived. He wasn't the same guy who had come earlier. Mom wasn't too happy with the fact as a single person handling the issue would have made more sense. Anyway, he came, examined the machine and said that the drum would have to be replaced. Few days passed before a drum became available. A new engineer arrived with the drum. Fixed it. He said we will need to buy a new trolley which he will get the next time. In the meantime, we were to use the machine and see if it was working alright. The machine still refused to work. He came with the trolley and rechecked the machine. Diagnosis: the motor will have to be changed. That did it. Mom was furious with the incompetence of the engineers and false assurance from the service centre. The engineers always came at around 3 p.m. which is nap time for mom. A lot of phone calls had already happened at each stage. A final threatening call was made. They promised to send a senior engineer.
A guy came. He was late and was not carrying the motor. The moment he entered, he must have sensed the tension. He didn't know he was supposed to get a motor. He proceeded to examine the machine while mom protested how useless it was to do it and how he will also not be able to fix it and how she had been duped to take the AMC.
Mom (muttering under her breath): They said they will send a senior engineer
The guy: They have sent the right guy, ma'am.
Mom: oh!

He checked the machine and declared that three parts will have to changed. Mom wasn't too pleased. She kept expressing her lack of faith in those people. She asked him his name. His reply, "Yogesh". Mom said, "And how are we to know you are speaking the truth. Who knows, maybe Yogesh is not your name!"

In the end, the machine is finally working. It seems Yogesh was Yogesh, a senior engineer, who could fix the machine.

Chatting at the dining table, sis and I warned mom, "You speak so rudely to these guys. One of them will get pissed and murder you one day! It is happening all over the city!" Mom replied, "I ensure that doesn't happen. I keep feeding them cool beverages to keep their heads cool." When we expressed how insufficient that was, she said, "In any case, you are not using an original dialogue. I used to say the same thing to my mom."

An Hour A Day

2005-06-11T10:01:00.000+05:30

After I quit my job, I had 24 hours a day and nothing to do in them. A blank page to be filled. One of the things that was decided by powers that be was a daily visit to the gym. The person who as a child who used to run barefoot on rooftops after kites and not feel her day to be complete until she had done her daily dose of skipping, couldn't see her child sitting in front of the computer or the television, or lying and reading books all day. Mom (why do I mention her in almost every post? I don't know. Don't you also do it sis?) decided that I accompany dad to the gym daily. It's been almost four months now and I am keeping up the routine.

The gym I visit is different from the usual idea that prevails in the minds of most people. It is not an airconditioned place with loads of mirrors and swanky equipment with young people working out in trendy gym wear. My gym is part of the physiotherapy department of a hospital. A corner of the huge hall has been segregated using curtains and that serves as the fitness centre. This makes visiting the gym a very unique experience.

Around me every alternate person is on a wheelchair. There are some patients lying on their stomachs on the stretcher. As I pass the cafeteria, there are worried relatives huddled around tables discussing, pondering over X-rays and reports. There are the men sweeping the floors all day. Dad, who has been visiting the gym for a year, always makes it a point to apologize to them if we ever happen to walk across a freshly mopped floor. They always acknowledge my dad when he passes by. In the evenings, some of the patients are out in the garden or driveway with their family members. The eyes that must have stared at the hospital ceiling all day fill themselves with the sight of the blue open sky.

The timings of the gym are such that they do not coincide with the time when most patients are present for physiotherapy. However,the past couple of times my father and I happened to visit the gym a little earlier than usual. I saw things that prompted me to write this post.

A five year old child pushing his father's wheelchair around the ward for fun while his father smiled and laughed. This is not the kind of game the father must have thought of playing with his son. Shouldn't it have been the father pushing the son's swing?

A man on the treadmill being helped by three others to take each painful step. The treadmill I so easily walk or jog on. His leg had to be lifted every single time. The pain writ large on his face.

While using the stepper, I saw another face filled with pain on the other side of the curtain. A patch on one of the eyes. A collar around the neck. The person had been strapped on a bed and the bed had been lifted to bring him to the vertical position. We looked at each other. As they lowered the bed, he cried out with pain. I could no longer look into his eyes and lowered my gaze.

I walk through this scene everyday. Unmoved and untouched. It doesn't make me fall on my knees and thank the lord for saving me from such pain. I don't do anything that could make the suffering of these people more bearable. I live in my own world.

Ah, That's Sujata!

2005-06-05T15:47:00.000+05:30

Last Saturday evening saw a unique get together at my place. My mother's school reunion. Four batch mates who completed school with mom in 1973 were the guests along with their spouses. One of them infact got married (yes, for the first time!) a few weeks ago. This gentleman is credited with being the only person who used to score higher than mom in school. She tried very hard to surpass his scores and win the trophy for the "First Prize" which was bigger than the "Second Prize" she used to get. In the last year, she actually did manage to score better. Unfortunately, that year the school authorities decided to make the trophy smaller. Quite a tragedy.

It was touching to see these people remember the various incidents and people, recreating in their minds the familiar images that were their school days. Grown ups metamorphosising into school kids. The school lane, the small shop near the gate, the strict principal, the brilliant History teacher whose lessons they still haven't forgotten, the shuffling of sections, the cheating in exams...everything was discussed with great excitement. Pregnant silence followed each of these discussions as all of them got lost in their own memories.

Since all the four alumni present were guys (men?), the most happening women in school were also talked about. Their memories were sharpest when it came to recalling their names. Mom had a few pictures from school days and some of these ladies were present in them. It was an amusing sight when balding , pot-bellied men took out their reading glasses to look at the pictures closely. Ah, that's Sujata!

My own images of my school days are beginning to fade. However, seeing mom and her friends recollect happenings from over two decades ago has made me determined to try and organise a reunion of my own schoolmates. Let's hope it happens soon!

My E-Mail Female

2005-06-01T14:49:00.000+05:30

Stumbled on this song called 'my email female' by Garret Swayne on TDH's blog : Handsome's Journal(?!?!)
Enjoy the video and do read the corresponding entry in his blog! Quite funny.

Bound and Tagged

2005-05-28T20:34:00.000+05:30

Some people have tagged me, someone sent a meme...But, my mom has TAMED me. She has threatened to marry me off if I do not reduce the time I spend online. The same punishment would be carried out if I miss the deadline for submission of forms for my Masters degree. I do not like this new weapon she has discovered and what I hate more is the fact that it works on me. Hence, I shall try my best to cut down on blogging and sit and study like the nice child I ain't. Wish me luck!

Will be back next time with the tag and meme replies...

Till then, please read this absolutely amazing entry:

Then, Now, and a While Later....

by GratisGab.

Very amusing and touching.

Girl Meets World

2005-05-26T10:54:00.000+05:30

As promised in the previous post, this one is about 'what a girl who has been in a girls' school and college feels when suddenly thrown into a work environment which has specimens of the opposite sex.' What prompted me to write about this is the weekend I spent with ex-colleagues and now buddies from office.

I have had a peculiar kind of upbringing. One where I was devoid of any interaction with boys my age. Girls' school and college happens to a lot of people. In addition to these skewed institutions of society, I have no brothers or male cousins with whom I interacted on a regular basis. My friends in the neighborhood always happened to be girls. As a family, our social circle is practically non-existent. There is just one family that visits us once a month.

My first interaction was when I joined the mandatory tuition classes in tenth standard. However, there was hardly any mixing that happened and usually people hung around with others of the same sex. During classes, I found most boys to be far dumber than me and that further prevented me from trying to interact with them. (Probably just a coincidence, so don't scream guys)

Then, I got a job and stepped into the real world. The singular principle behind my approach was to not treat the guys any different from the girls. It worked and I felt absolutely no discomfort while interacting with guys.

So, why am I writing this post? It is because the environment still baffled me. It wasn't just the guys. It was the kind of talk and humor that prevailed when members of both the sex were prevalent in the same space: something I observed while hanging out with my friends, specially last weekend. Suddenly, you are not just human beings. You are a guy or a girl. Two people talking to each other must be passionately in love- irrespective of gender. So, everybody gets ragged about being homosexual. Guys proclaim to be subscribers of Glam. A guy talking to a girl must be flirting with her. Some guys think so too and hence, whenever they talk to you they must flirt (even though everybody knows that they have a girlfriend back home). Sexual connotations can be derived from absolutely anything in this world and watching movies like Kya Kool Hain Hum and reading Cosmopolitan at night doesn't help the case.

These jokes are funny but there is always just too much of this kind of humor. I do not understand why this happens. When I ask them, I am informed that this is how young people are. When I try to challenge the fact that girls from my kind of background are accused of being obsessed with guys, I am told of unspeakable things that happen in girls' colleges and that I am just an exception.

Still trying to figure out this world!

***

As some of you might have noticed, Haloscan is gone. It was deleting my earlier comments and not displaying the ones that were there in the account. Hence, I took this drastic step. Sorry for the inconvenience that Blogger comments might pose!

Can't Think of A Title, Sorry!

2005-05-22T21:53:00.000+05:30

Saw my first "horror movie in a theatre" on Saturday. Naina. A gang of eleven people occupying a whole row of seats. No number less than this would have convinced me to go for a horror flick. I am actually one of those rare people who are NOT WAITING for Ring 2.

On my right sat a senior from office who upon hearing my fears on watching a horror movie for the first time in a dark hall, assured me that she had plenty of experience and I should not get scared. Comforted by the thought, I sat ready for the movie to start. GROSS is the first thing everybody exclaimed as needless blood and gore met our eyes. But, the initial scenes prepared us for the rest to follow and I am glad they came up before we had really settled and become engrossed in the movie.

When eleven crazy people go for a movie with half of them feeling ready to pee in their pants even before the movie has begun, PJs are cracked aplenty. People sitting in the row behind us cribbed and shouted "How irritating" while girls in the row in front joined in with their own jokes! Friends drooled over Anuj Sawhney calling him perfect eye candy. I said, "Low IQ" .

In case you are wondering how I fared, I have good news. Other than an occasional closing of eyes, I did not scream or shout or jump in my seat. In the most scary parts, I was laughing uncontrollably as my experienced senior on the right happened to get really scared and jumped in her seat, shouting, "Mummy! Mummy!" .

***

I saw Urmila Matondkar in person. She had come for the premier to one of the malls and was leaving when we saw her. She is GORGEOUS.

***

Slept at 3:30 in the night and got up at 7:45 to attend a Bhagavad Gita class. While I unsuccessfully tried to stifle my yawns, one guy was actually sleeping in the class. I guess his Saturday night had rocked more than mine.

That's about it for now. Too sleepy. Coming next will be a post on what a girl who has been in a girls school and college feels when suddenly thrown into a work environment which has specimens of the opposite sex.

BTW, instead of Publish Post it would be fun to have a button called Post Post.

The Stage and Me : Part 2

2005-05-18T10:50:00.000+05:30

I shared my experiences as a tribal woman on stage in a previous post. Incidentally, the fresher's party given by my department in my first year at college also had a tribal theme. A bit of rolling up of pants, draping of a dupatta,wearing junk jewelry, using talcum powder and tying up my ever faithful tribal hair on top of my head helped me win the best dressed fresher. They gave me the title of a Bushwoman. I am still called "Bushy" by a few people.

Another encounter with the stage that I recall is a role in a One Act Play. Independence day celebrations at school. I can think of only two reasons why I was selected to be a part of the play: I was the creature that I was (and still am) and not many had volunteered.

Since I am not a great actor, I was to play one of the tiny roles. The play was about Chandrashekhar Azad and had a court trial in it. I was the firangi judge. I was required to say approximately five lines, which included mundane things like asking him his name and his father's name, etc. I believe he gave some smartass (patriotic) replies to these innocent questions which led to my most dramatic dialogue, "What impudence! I sentence you to.." Something to the effect of him being whipped x number of times. This was followed by his getting whipped. The appropriate sound effects were provided by our enthusiastic teacher beating a cushion with a stick in the mic offstage. Azad shouted Vande Mataram while he was being whipped.

I had to speak very little but I suffer from an inability to suitably modulate my voice. A handicap that has led me to deliver my occasional speeches and prayers in morning assembly in a very unenthusiastic and monotonous tone. My mother was an ace debater and used to participate in sanskrit elocution (they actually speak in sanskrit there!!!). Dad participated in plays including one with Shakti Kapoor. I am a useless daughter. My sister says that when I speak it sounds like I am saying "Wov wov wov". In other words, I sound like I am speaking with a full mouth. The point of telling all this is that during practices the teachers had to actually teach me how to speak my simple lines ! All this affected me so much that when I took up a job and was required to record a voicemail message, I never did it. Hence, whenever someone called for me and I wasn't in office, they reached the voicemail of a certain "Yogesh Babbar" (the guy who had my extension before he left office). I recently recorded a complaint in MTNL and it played back my message. I don't sound that bad. Next time I have to, I will definitely record a voicemail message.

Getting back to the play, my costume was a very authentic one (something which was not very common in our school). A judge's wig had been rented. I had borrowed the lawyer's coat and collar from my distant cousin who is an advocate. Black trousers and a white school shirt completed the attire.

As had happened when I participated in the fancy dress competition, my entry on the stage was followed with whispering of my name amongst the audience. The play went off peacefully. Much better than the others. Specially one in which one of the freedom fighters forgot his dialogue and said "Shit" full volume in the mic. We won the first prize. Lucky, ain't I?

Friendly Banter

2005-05-16T16:42:00.000+05:30

Time: Past midnight.
Venue: Friend's house

Friend 1 is speaking about the problems she is facing with her fiance who stays in a different city while friend 2, who has a boyfriend in a different city, offers advice. I simply listen pitching in with an occasional remark. After a lot of dialogues, there is some contemplative silence.

Then, F1 turns to me and says, "So. You have never gone out with a guy, eh?"
I smile and shake my head to indicate the negative.
F2, "Look at how pleased she looks !"
F1, "Yeah!"

Hmmm.

***
Time: Noon
Venue: Same Place

Friend 3 joins us. She is unattached but... err... very much in demand. {don't kill me if you read this ;)}
The discussion is revolving around who she should be choosing amongst her many suitors. I suggest the guy who has already proposed marriage to her, Suitor 1. F1 is ignorant about it. F2 enlightens her: 6 feet tall, fair, good looking, has a job with XYZ and is crazily in love with her. F1 doesn't see what F3's problem is with S1. F3 explains.

F3, "He treats me like I am his private property"
F2, "How?"
F3, "He messages me during my exams and expects me to reply!"

F3 is shouted upon by everybody and told that it does not amount to treating her as his private property. She raises some other valid objections and others agree to them and S1 is rejected.
In the latest developments, a certain someone from IIM-A (which is HUGE apparently, *rolling my eyes*) has shown interest in our beloved F3. She is encouraged to meet him and know more. At another point of time, F3 expresses her disgust for Delhi men and says that none of them are trustworthy. To support her point, she cites the examples of two friends, one whose ex-boyfriend slept with THREE other women while they were dating and one whose boyfriend just doesn't call!

Hmmmmm.

***

So what is the point of the above post? Telling you about the silly happenings in my life. Yes. But also showing you how confused the world of relaionships looks when I look at my peers. :)

Disclaimer:

Firstly, F3 never encouraged S1 or any of her other suitors, so dont form a poor opinion about her. She just rocks!!

Secondly, we do discuss other things in life. Really we do. We bitch about office, for instance..and discuss who is seeing whom :P

We also discussed economics. Let's see if you know,

What kind of unemployment still exists when the economy is said to be at full employment level?

Sleep Talk

2005-05-14T19:44:00.000+05:30

At 9:30 p.m. one night, I smsed a 'Good Night' to a friend. In the morning I woke up to recall that I had received a call from this person (verified by the call register in my phone) and had also later read an sms sent by him. Unfortunately, I had no clue as to what had been the content of either of these! I looked up the sms and it was just a harmless one which made a dig at me.

I called him up. He just laughed and refused to tell me what we had talked about on the phone. I smsed him saying he was horrible and mean. He replied saying that he was mean and "boy! u sure say shocking things in your sleep!"

In the evening I fell unwell and he took pity on my condition and told me what had transpired. This is what had happened:

He had replied to my sms with a witty sms at 10:30. He later felt that what he had written might have offended me and called to apologise.

He: Hello.
Me: (in a very very sleepy voice) Hellllloh
He: Sorry if the sms I sent was rude.
Me: Gooood Nighhhht
He: Huh?
Me: Gooood Nighhhht

According to him, I said good night another couple of times .

It was hilarious to hear him imitate me and he chided me for trying so hard to put him to sleep. Now he ends every conversation with me with a good night.

If the person concerned leaves a comment which suggests that this is NOT what had actually happened, he will be DEAD even before he can say 'good night'! :P

In Nainital

2005-05-11T22:51:00.000+05:30

After spending most of Thursday sleeping, our tourist activities began on Friday. Nainital holds a special place in our family history. Yes, mom and dad went to Nainital for their honeymoon. So, there were special stories attached to a lot of places, restaurants and the lake itself. Since our hotel overlooked the jheel or lake, our first choice had to be boating.

The first boat we hired was boat no. 52 and the boatman's name was Trilok. It was called the Sony Deluxe. It had cute red colour cushions with yellow flowers.

Dad knows how to row a boat and he was very keen at trying his hands at it again after a long time. A minute into the lake, dad took over the oars. He was then reminded of the Rajesh Khanna song from Kati Patang, "Jis gali mein tera ghar na ho saajna" which had been picturised on this lake. He called up mom to sing the song to her who was unfortunately (or fortunately) sleeping at that time.

As he rowed, I had plenty of time to absorb the view. On one side of the lake is the mall road. It has the shops and hotels that are a necessary feature of all mall roads in popular hill stations. On the opposite side is a hill full of trees that has very little construction. Its rocks are unfit to support buildings. It has a road running by the side of the lake and is dotted with temples. The third side has the Naini temple and the fourth had more hotels including mine. The lake according to Trilok Bhaiyya was 100 meters deep (another boatman later pronounced it to be 100 to 120 feet deep which is the correct depth) .

Trilok bhaiyya was the source of much information on places to visit, road directions, High Court legislations, suicide attempts by people, boat accidents, vegetation, boat construction and operation, etc. Nice fella he was.

Now for the fun part. I decided to learn how to row the boat myself. After swapping places with dad, which involved a lot of walking in the middle of the boat with the boat wobbling, I sat down and took up the oars. Boats used in Nainital are scientifically designed and are supposedly easier to row than the rowing boats found in other places. Positioning my feet against the bar, I gripped the oars and tried to row. As is to be expected, I started rowing in the opposite direction. I was then explained the principle behind it and Trilok bhaiyya held the oars with me demonstrating the movements. Valuable lesson: one hand goes a lil ahead of the other else you end up banging the two together. After some time and a lot of encouragement from dad and Trilok ji, I managed to row decently and on my own. The co-ordination wasn't very good even till the last day which meant that the boat never went straight and I kept moving towards the side of the lake.

It was a great experience to row the boat on my own. I rowed for approx three hours in total during the entire trip! Mornings, evenings, against the breeze, with the breeze, when the sun was shining, when it was cloudy...all kinds of different settings. Since the tourist season hadn't begun yet, there were few people around. I drew curious stares from them as no one else was rowing on their own! A child in a boat which was behind me saw me rowing and shouted, "Woh dekho aurat chala rahi hai boat!" I was not amused at being called "aurat" and was assured by my dad that she had only seen me from back. Later I heard her calling me Didi and was pacified by that.

More happenings in Nainital will be put up next..whether you like it or not!

On my way to Nainital

2005-05-09T12:07:00.000+05:30

Packing my bags, loading them into the car and zipping off to the hills with dad. This wasn't the first time I did this and I hope there will be many more trips in the future.

The destination this time was Nainital. I last visited the place years ago. Memories included a lot of walking, some fighting in the hotel room, spicy food, the smell of Iodex, a photo session in a beautiful park(A picture of sis and me from the session was enlarged and put up in our house for quite a few years. People have often pointed at me in the picture and asked mom about her "son"). The most beautiful memory, however, was of the sun rays glistening on the surface of the lake. And to see that sight was what I was looking forward to the most.

We began our journey from home early Thursday morning. Unfortunately, when I go for such long car journeys and start early in the morning, I tend to fall asleep in the car. When it's just dad and me, it results in a sleeping front seat passenger: something that is a big no-no for both mom and dad. Despite pinching myself to keep awake (tea doesn't work on me and at that time I didn't drink coffee) , I occasionally slumbered off while dad drove on. Highway driving is quite fascinating. It looks (can't say feels since I have never driven myself) like one of those car race video games we used to play and still do on the much less exciting cellphone. You MUST overtake all the cars in front of you. But, there are a few differences : the jerks on the rough patches of the roads make the food that you have had threaten to come out, there is traffic coming from the front and the fact that no one sticks to their lanes and there is no divider ...you get the picture!

The scenes outside were beautiful. The huts, the fields, the trees planted in neat rows...the sight of fields full of sunflower !

Riding uphill or downhill can be quite tedious. But these journeys are always a pleasure with dad driving. The race ends and the slow and steady drive gives plenty of time to enjoy the sights and sounds of the place. As fate would have it, we met with a hailstorm on our way up Nainital. Driving becomes difficult as the visibility is poor. However, we reached safe and sound and yes, wet! The hotel reception and the parking were separated by some thirty steps and that resulted in us getting drenched. The storm had reduced to a drizzle, thankfully!

My dad prefers the government tourist bungalows for accommodation. Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam's Hotel Sarovar at Tallital was where we had booked. It may not have all the modern facilities but the cleanliness of the place and the warmth of the people is guaranteed.

Tired after the long journey, we slept. Coming soon is an account of some of the fun things I did in Nainital! (which is what this post should have been about...but, whatever!)

Quick News

2005-05-08T22:26:00.000+05:30

You looking your worst and three cute guys sitting in the seat next to you in a restaurant. Life sucks sometimes.

But sometimes, it totally rocks. Had a great trip in Nainital and sis is back home (mom's "attention" will be divided. yay!)

Adventures in Nainital coming up soon.....

Wazzup Wid Me

2005-05-03T20:58:00.000+05:30

The internet was down for a couple of days. It's back now. I am off to Nainital on 5th. Catch you guys later!

The Stage and Me -Part 1

2005-04-27T17:10:00.000+05:30

A friend asked me if I had participated in theatre activities and this reminded me of the brushes I have had with performing on the stage. Being a victim of stage fright, these brushes have been very few.

My first distinct memory of putting up an act on the stage was in a fancy dress competition on Teacher's Day. I was about 12 years old and in the sixth standard.

The chosen attire: tribal-wear. My dress designer happened to be my sister who cut up a HUGE skirt and made the complete dress for me. Strips of the cloth were tied on my head, arms and legs. She and a close friend of hers took hold of some water colours and let their imagination lose... colouring up my face and arms and legs. Talcum powder was used to create suitable effects. My hair didn't need to be worked upon. On any given day it would have put a tribal to shame. Accessory: a multicolour feathered cleaning brush

The competition required us to put up an act too. Choreographed by my sister, I had to do the following:
Jump onto the stage from the sidewings. Look left and right with a very grim expression on my face. Jump my way to the mic, continuing this looking about routine. On reaching the mic, dance a tribal dance while saying things like hoo-la-la-hoo. On my House Captain's suggestion, I added the line "Hello teachers! How about joining me for a dance after the party?" Dance a bit more. And exit from the other side of the stage.

The performance went as planned. I was scared shit, obviously. My sister who was part of the audience didn't see my act because she was too nervous to look. (Love you sis) When I jumped onto the stage i could hear my classmates whispering my name in the silent auditorium. As I danced and said the nonsense, people laughed. When I extended my dance invitation, they laughed even more.
I shared the first prize with another person.

More experiences in the next post........

Dining Table Issues

2005-04-22T20:28:00.000+05:30

During lunch, dad received mail from LIC Mutual Fund promoting a particular scheme using the following priceless line:

“Do not lose this opportunity to repent later”

It hurts when you laugh with a full tummy.

***

Confessions:

While eating a pizza, I end up with ketchup on my cheeks
While eating food that is even moderately spicy, my nose starts running

These result in an abnormal number of used paper napkins. I will soon be sued by environmentalists!

Must Watch

2005-04-17T11:45:00.000+05:30

NSD Repertory Co. presents EINSTEIN -The story till 1905.
Written and Directed by Mohan Maharishi.

Performance Dates: 19th April to 24th April 2005 at 6:30 p.m.
Additional Shows: 23rd and 24th April 2005 at 3.00 p.m.
Venue: Abhimanch Auditorium, Bhagwandas Lane, Bahawalpur House, N.Delhi. (near Mandi House, for the uninitiated)

Tickets: Rs. 100/-, 50/-, 25/- and 10/- only

Advance Booking: between 11.00 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on working days and one hour before the show.

MOHAN MAHARISHI is a well-known name in Indian theatre. Having trained at the National School of Drama, he has been working in the theatre for close to 50 years, directing more than 100 productions so far and penning to this day some outstanding plays like "Einstein", "Raja Ki Rasoi", "Joseph Ka Mukadma", "Deewar Mein Khidki Rehti Thi" and "Ho Rahega Kuch Na Kuch"

Incidentally, a few years ago, E. Alkazhi, the doyen of theatre, while summing up the theatre scene in India, said: "Mohan Maharishi's `Einstein' is one of the most remarkable productions that I have seen. If the production has taken place in London or New York, it would have been an international event."

Catch it people!

***

Summer Theatre Festival of 18 Plays begins from 14th May 2005.

Yay!!!!!

Seekho Na!

2005-04-13T22:38:00.000+05:30

On the way to a library today, my dad asked me if I had remembered to bring the library card. I answered a very tired yes thinking, "obviously!" He then asked me if I was carrying a scribbling pad and a pen to take notes. I just looked at him and smiled thinking, "Please! I am 21 years old!" A few minutes later I realized that I had forgotten to carry a tissue or a handkerchief. So much for having grown up!

***

I went to Mussoorie (a hill station) recently. Lessons learnt:

It's fun to walk on dry leaves. It is irritating when someone else does it
Do not possess a passion for shopping AND for walking else you end up carrying ALL that you have purchased for quite a few kilometers
If you stand in the shade and wave at your dad while he is concentrating on the mountain road, he will NOT spot you and you will have to run after your car
Do not desert your mother on the mall without a penny on her
Do not ask the price of something you have already bought from some other shop

***

Eating an ice-lolly is like kissing a snowman

Double Dose

2005-04-03T11:49:00.000+05:30

A film festival of Dev Anand's movies is on at Siri Fort this weekend. On Saturday, I watched the two movies that were being played: Hum Dono and Tere Ghar Ke Saamne. As is usually the case with me, I went with no expectations: neither good nor bad. I enjoyed both the movies.

Hum Dono is the story of a poor man in love with a rich girl who joins the army and meets a Major who looks exactly like him and the events that follow this happy/unhappy coincidence. The movie makes you laugh, cry, think and sing along with the Dev Anands and their respective love interests and mothers. Some of the questions raised by the movie were: why does a man join the army and go to war? What does his family go through? What is true affection?

Tere Ghar Ke Saamne is the story of a young architect who falls in love with a client's daughter, only to discover that the client is his own father's biggest enemy. To make matters worse, he is expected to design the houses of the client and his own father which are on adjacent plots with both of them trying to make houses better than the other. As luck (and the script writer) would have it, they end up choosing the same design. The movie is hilarious and the audience was laughing their heads off! It carried the message of rising above one's ego and spreading love.

The movies belonged to the early 1960s. Yet, one could easily relate to the situations. Special mention of the portrayal of the parent-child relationship in both the movies which had me and my mother exchanging glances on more than one occasion.

The music was excellent. Though the songs were a little too frequent in Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, they were very enjoyable. People were singing along. Immortal songs.

About the man himself, these movies showed a young Dev Anand whose unique mannerisms charm you. In his later movies, he looks too old to carry off that style and the mannerisms tend to look exaggerated. I guess I finally understood why I had his poster up in my room when I was a kid!

Experiences

2005-03-31T23:20:00.000+05:30

Hearing the unadulterated laughter of a child
Sharing a walkman with mom while walking in the evening
Crying while reading a book and not knowing why
Not being able to put down a book until you have finished it
Studying and enjoying it
Running an extra minute or raising your legs an extra inch while exercising
Reading a long mail from a friend

***

Some issues have been sorted. There is more peace and order. :)

Pause

2005-03-14T12:56:00.000+05:30

As I go on a short journey to discover myself, set my priorities right and just figure out some important questions...I pause my ramblings here for some time.

Hope to be back in action soon. Till then, ciao!

Catching Up

2005-03-10T12:53:00.000+05:30

I met three friends from my college gang of five yesterday. One of them had come down from Bangalore and that had initiated this reunion. The other two stay in Delhi itself and yet I was meeting one of them after a year!

I was the last to arrive (maid cleaning home, noone else to supervise, so couldn't leave on time). We met at McDonald's in South Ex. My turn to create a scene. Hence, my Bangalore friend and I did a bollywood ishtyle slow motion run towards each other and hugged. :D

The college I studied in creates a strange compulsion in its (her?) students. Everyone must within two sentences of their greetings remark how you have lost weight since they last saw you (even if you met them just yesterday OR have gained four kgs since you last met them, as was my case). And remarks on the size of your ass are considered absolutely natural and part of the conversation. So I was also asked to turn around and oblige them so that they could decide if I had indeed gained weight. Not sure of their conclusion.

Had a nice time catching up with them. But if you are imagining scenes of four nostalgic women remembering idle times spent in a college cafeteria bunking classes, I would say....Nah. Not too many emotions. Not too many memories infact. Maybe its because it has just been a year. Maybe its because we just aren't a typical college gang.

As one of them put it, the reason we all are friends is because we respect each other’s need for distance. None of us could have possibly belonged to any other group. We are all individuals who are different from the crowd, in good and bad ways, and it is this difference that is our common thread.

Parting lines:
Bangalore friend: " I will see if I can spend a night at your place...just too many people and too few nights you see :) "
Delhi friend 1 (met her few months back): "I will try and meet you before I leave (for her MBA degree to Pune/Ahmedabad which will start sometime July I guess)"
Delhi friend 2 (met her after a year): " See you next year!"

I hope we stay friends for a long long time.

***

Background music when I started running on the treadmill at the gym this morning,

"Arre ruk jaa re bandeh, arre tham jaa re bandeh, ke kudrat hans padegi..."

CAUTION

2005-03-09T09:44:00.000+05:30

Instruction no. 3 printed on the treadmill in my gym:

When not in use, remove safety plug and store out of children

An Eventful Meal

2005-03-03T18:30:00.000+05:30

Day: 3rd March 2005
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Place: McDonald's (I hate people calling it McD's), Green Park, N.Delhi

Two very tired individuals: my mother and I entered McDonald's. The day had been spent doing random jobs like posting a certain letter at the Gole Daak Khaana, Exchanging the cream dhoti bought two months back for Guruji for a white one at Co-Optex, eating Ice-Cream at Janpath, enquiring about the price and availability of a memory stick/pen drive in CP and the likes. While mom had managed a meal somewhere, me had not had a bite since breakfast. And it has become HOT in Delhi. Very very hot. Walking on the roads leaves you panting like a dog. And soon I will be seen walking around with a cap on my head. But the flowers are in full bloom and the roundabouts make for a very pretty sight.

Getting back to the story, Ma and I entered. I ordered a Veg Surprise Burger ("just quit my job, so can't afford better things" was my reply when my mother asked me why I hadn't ordered a normal vegetable burger. She, of course, gave me a "you are mad" look), Ice Tea (Ma is on an anti soft-drinks drive these days) and a small french fries (I had to indulge somewhere!). Balancing the tray and the packets in my hand, I somehow managed to climb the stairs up to the seating area. Decided to go wash my hands, specially because I had scribbled with my finger the number of my car on a dirty windshield when enquiring from the deaf and dumb parking attendant in Janpath about the location of the car where dad had parked it. I blindly walked towards the place where the loo had always been. Two employees blocked my way at the door. Too tired to speak, I just moved my hands to indicate to them that i need to go inside the loo to wash my hands. "Ladies Loo Upstairs, Ma'am". an "Oh!" was accompanied by an embarrassed smile and I quietly retreated. Apparently they had shifted the loo and I was too blind to notice!

When I finally sat down to eat, the surroundings caught my attention. In the row on my right, on three tables sat three different couples. The first sat on either side of the table. The second sat on the same side facing each other, barely touching but appearing close and comfy nonetheless. The third were the coziest of them all. Holding hands, hugging and all that. On my left sat another couple. A bouquet of purple flowers was lying on the table. The guy wore a grotesque tie. Before I get reprimanded for gawking at these people, I would like to clarify that all this was absorbed in one quick glance around the room. Surrounded by so much coochy-cooing, I decided to concentrate on my food and enjoy it.

When I had finished eating, mom decided to pay a visit to the loo which was located on the floor above the one we were sitting on. Moments after she went, I heard the sound of balloons bursting. I had seen the balloons when I went to wash my hands. Mom claimed to be innocent.

While I waited for my mom to return, the couple sitting on my left decided they were bored of playing knots and crosses and should play Antakshari instead. Yes. Two people. In a restaurant (If I can call McDonald's that). Full Volume. They started singing songs. Everybody turned to look. Most smiled, muttered something to their partners, exchanged glances. Some gave them a thumb's up. I just tried to control my laughter. Though I must admit it takes some guts to be singing in public like that specially when you are not very gifted at the art of singing.

After the eventful meal, mom and I had gol guppas (also known as paani poori or puchkas) at Evergreen outside. Highly Recommended.

And then we returned home.

One Week Escapade

2005-03-01T20:32:00.000+05:30

A week in God's Own Country. IMHO it should be called God's Own Coconut Country. The singularity in vegetation on the one hand makes the state picturesque while on the other, it makes it boring! Traveling hundreds of kilometers by road and seeing the same kind of trees can get to you. But God couldn't have chosen a better tree to bless His country with. Every part of the tree is of economic use. Makes for great commerce!

My itenarary was Munnar-Kumarakom-Kovalam-KanyaKumari- Alleppy-Cochin. Highlights from each place:

Munnar: Sunrise at 5:30 in the morning, clouds over the lake. Tea Gardens. A 15 min cruise in a speedboat. Pineapple. Avial.
Kumarakom: Lying in the hammock and reading Charlotte Bronte unravel the idiosyncrasies of her characters in The Professor. Sitting on the cabin roof of a motorboat, feeling the breeze on my face while the boat moves through narrow backwaters.
Kovalam: Going into the sea in a catamaran (a boat made of logs of lashed wood, very very narrow and tiny!). Fun at the beach. Sand in clothes. LOSING MY CELLPHONE.
KanyaKumari: Breeze. The kid who sold key-chains: "one set for seven, two for fifteen"
Alleppy: Driving the motorboat in the backwaters.
Cochin: Meeting Joker. Kaashi Art Cafe. Graffiti on the sand on the beach. Sunset at Fort Cochin. A sleepless afternoon. Bike rides. Rainbow Bridge. Fish Fillet. Impossible task of packing all that Joker gave us.

updaTTe

2005-02-17T21:45:00.000+05:30

Quit my job. Going for a week long vacation to Kerala. No clue what I am going to do in the coming months.

LIFE ROCKS!!!!

The comment that turned into a post

2005-02-09T21:42:00.000+05:30

Before the movie:
Rushing in a rickshaw from office to the nearby multiplex with the guy pedaling super fast. Getting calls from office colleagues who also want to watch the movie. "Buy one for me." "Buy one for her also". Drizzle. Reaching on time and finding that the tickets are available. Discovering that I have only eighty bucks in my wallet and the guy won't accept a debit card because the machine is broken down. Making him issue the tickets and standing at the counter till family or friends arrive. Relief at the sight of sis (or money?) arriving. Discovering friends haven't left office yet. Waiting for them as the show time approaches. Their arrival just before the show starts.

The movie:
Staring at the screen open-mouthed. Looking for the handkerchief in my pocket. Tears streaming down the face. Looking at my sister cry on the right and my friend cry on the left. Seeing a child artist perform better than a reputed actress. BIG bag of popcorn.

Yes BLACK was awesome. Touched a chord. Different from the usual Bollywood stuff. Blah Blah.
But this is one example of where a joke could prove disastrous. In the interviews, AB kidded that Rani would come after every shot, see the scene that had been filmed and praise herself about how well she had acted. Somehow, while watching Rani perform that thought lingered in my head. I could see Rani being conscious of trying to do a good job. The actress and the character did not merge completely for me. Damn the television.

In case you are wondering about the title, I was trying to comment on this
post by Just Me (liked your original name dude, kuch naya soch ke bana yaar! and don't say "look who's talking" :P). Realised I had so much to say that it would be better if I write a post on it instead!

Minding the Mind

2005-02-05T19:30:00.000+05:30

The mind has the ability to come up with excuses for the vilest acts and thoughts. One can fight the whole world, break all contact with people who we think can have bad influence on us. But, Satan resides within us. How does one battle one's own mind?

Doodh thanda ho gaya aur usmein malai bhi aa gayi. Damn.

Whazzup

2005-02-01T19:57:00.000+05:30

How does one answer the question "Whazzup?" or "Whats up with you?"

Nonsense

2005-02-01T01:40:00.000+05:30

SS,JS,AB,PP and then ID....
Excuse me Please!!!!

Over and Out

Kisse Kahaniyan

2005-01-26T17:04:00.000+05:30

A blank page stares at me as I begin to write this post. Ideas race through my head. Have just completed going through the blogs I read regularly. A lot of them have very long posts. Posts you get lost in. Posts you think about after having read them. Thanks guys for writing so wonderfully! It is a pleasure to read your blogs :)

Unlike you, I haven't read an amazing book, cleaned my room after ages, written a new story, seen two movies in a day, been on a great college trip, enjoyed a college festival, wondered on whether or not to disclose my feelings to the one I love, seen a tennis match, written poetry, cleaned my bike or enjoyed Mumbai.(the list is not comprehensive) But life is definitely not dull!

Inspired by Amon, I also visited Qutub Minar eventually. I see the monument almost every time I go somewhere other than office. However, I had never visited it. Inspired by Srini and Shub, I took my camera along and tried my hand at photography. The pics have just come in. No match to the ones they take and definitely not worth posting, but a decent effort nonetheless! The day I visited QM I also went boating to Purana Qila and enjoyed riding the Delhi Metro. Lived in this city all my life but I felt like a tourist that day. A guided tour of Delhi definitely on the list of Things to Do. Have heard of people who organize walks in places like Mehrauli and Chandni Chowk. Must try that out and will hopefully have company for that.

Attended a four day residential training meant to enhance research skills. Had a great time.The training was very interesting and all of us together had a lot of fun. Two women from the Taiwanese office of The Firm had joined us for the training. Hilarious incidents happened as the guys alternated between flirting with the beautiful dames and (mis)informing them about everything Indian. Hindi songs were played and translated, even 'bheege honth tere'. Their comment on hearing that one, "Indians are very bold!" Hehe.
The pub in the resort we were staying in was booked for us on one night. The DJ was...umm..not suited to the crowd. But when there are so many crazy souls, one ends up having fun. One of the challenges in the training was working in teams. Our work is usually done independently but the case studies in the training had to be attempted in teams. Trying to achieve something with such diverse people is quite tough. The first team I was part of had couple of members who needed to be repeatedly told, "Get to the point". Nearly pulled my hair out. The second team had hostilities that were not even hidden under the veil of politeness. I have no clue how we survived without any murders and managed to complete our work! Also, I personally think that the output was the best amongst all the teams :D

Yesterday we almost coerced a senior into treating all of us. Imagine eleven people let lose in a food court. I had, amongst other things, chocolate excess with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Bliss.

On a serious note, the next week brings a mini tornado in my life. Very major decisions have been made and its time to live them. More on it next time. Meanwhile, pray for me :)

College to Office

2005-01-15T20:41:00.000+05:30

Got an sms this morning from one of my college teachers. “you want and you get that is luck. You want and you wait that is time. you want but you compromise that is life.. you want and you wait and you don’t compromise that is success.”

My reply, “you want, you wait, you don’t compromise and then you get it. And then you regret it.”

This particular lady is someone I really look up to. She is slim, has short curly hair, wears purple nail paint on her toes, dresses in ordinary khadi kurtas even though she is very rich (something which one of her colleagues scolded her for!), has a monkey in her key chain , used to have Tweety bird sun shades in her car, drives a big black swanky car and of course, smses her students. The real reason she is an inspiration is because she is an awesome teacher and she talks sense. Every head in the room follows her as she moves around the room. One voluntarily picks up the book and studies. Backbenchers volunteer to answer. And in matters other than academic, she offers a sensible advice.

Hope to be someone like her one day.

***

Why does work not end? Why is it that when I go and sit at my comp at 7 a.m. (yes!! THAT early) I don't get up till its lunch time at 1? Does everyone do that?

New Beginnings

2005-01-04T14:00:00.000+05:30

New Year. Same old us. Then what is there to cheer about?

I have heard a lot of cynicism about celebrating what is essentially just a change of date. Nothing changes. Nothing extraordinary or exceptional happens. Our problems remain just as they were earlier. Then why do so many people go crazy at the stroke of midnight? All the parties, the exchange of greetings, the merriment. Why?

Personally, the new year for me represents a new beginning. An opportunity to look at things afresh. To take a look at what happened and plan for the days ahead.

The past year was one of great joy and learning. There were occasional sorrows but nothing major.
And this new year holds a lot of promise. I hope to get back to studying. To move out of my house and live on my own. To learn how to drive. To travel and explore more places. Cannot call these resolutions. Some of them are inevitables, some plans.

It is this new beginning which I think each one of us should celebrate because it isn't always that one pauses and thinks and plans for the future!

What are you looking forward to in 2005?

Things that have happened...

2004-12-31T09:18:00.000+05:30

There is absolutely no end. Every moment brings in its wake something new or atleast the opportunity to do something new. Some moments stand out. Things that have happened in the past few days...

The tsunami disaster. Death. Disruption. Noise hand in hand with disturbing silence. Heroes. Villains.

MBTI training. A natural preference sorter that tells you what type you are amongst the 16 alternatives. I am an ESFJ. Extraverted Sensing Feeling Judging. Conveying the news to my sis I wrote "I was told I am a very planned, organized, emotional person with no creativity. Can you think of a profession for me?!". She replied, "Top Management". Couldn't help laughing out REAL loud. Led to colleagues sitting around me ask what the big joke was. Had to share it with them. Being the non-hierarchical organisation that The Firm is, quite a few of them qualified as management. They were quite amused and I am still employed.

Today, 31 December, is a historical day in my working life. There is NO WORK. It happens only once a year.

***

Today is New Year's Eve. I want to go to some place with loud music, let my hair down and dance! I will be spending the evening at home watching television with my parents. But this is also a new moment, one that brings with it an opportunity to do something new and to be happy.
Plans: I hope to buy a few gifts for my folks. Probably pick up a VCD to watch. Decorations for home. Snacks to gorge on. Subject to my being able to make a trip to the malls near office.

***

To all of you, Happy New Year. Hope you are able to exploit every moment, every opportunity that 2005 brings with it. Keep Smiling.

Bharatpur

2004-12-25T22:45:00.000+05:30

Mom has gone out of town leaving my dad and me to fend for ourselves. Since the idea of four days of looking after the home on my own sounded like a Herculean task; I along with dad planned this lil escapade. The destination chosen was Bharatpur. Yes Handa. The decision to go there was entirely because you were there. However, it wasn’t a trip to meet you. We were looking for a getaway; and Bharatpur seemed like the right place –the quiet and solitude of nature along with the opportunity to meet someone who has been, whether I may like it or not, a big influence (sometimes too much, right Srini?) and an integral part of my life in the past few months.

The first thought when I saw Handa was that he doesn’t look as “awaara” (for want of a better word) as I had imagined. His behaviour in the time we spent together just substantiated the first impression. He sure can be well-behaved if he wants to!

Bharatpur has the beautiful Keoladeo National Park – a bird sanctuary. Visited the Park twice- once on Thursday afternoon at 2:46 p.m. and the second time on Friday morning at 10:15 a.m. (found the ticket..it was in my jacket pocket!). The time in the sanctuary was spent walking and looking at birds, without binoculars unfortunately.

While the walk and the quiet of the park was just amazing for the city person fed up with noise that I am, Handa who inhabits the wild environs of Kharagpur was bored to death! He seems to prefer bird watching of the other variety ;-) Not to mention the fact that I spoiled his plans of total relaxation in holidays by making him walk for 8 kms each day. And I scolded him all the time, he later told me grudgingly. I, of course, was blissfully unaware of the fact that I was scolding him. Telling him he is lazy, wasting his time, can do much more in life, should have had the sense to bring chocolates, NOT to litter or smoke: that’s hardly scolding…ummm..or mebbe it is. Sorry dude! No wonder you didn’t have the words to describe meeting “ “someone whom you like a lot” or thought that you did until you actually met her”.

Overall, I had a great time. Can’t say the same for Handa who was made to walk till his legs ached; starved and scolded. Or did he? Back to you Handa

Laal Batti

2004-12-21T16:32:00.000+05:30

In pre-school I was taught that the different lights in the traffic signal had the following meaning:

Red: Stop
Yellow: Get Ready to Go
Green: Go

As far as I can understand the yellow (Amber) light stands for slowing down as the signal is soon going to turn red. The questions that bother me: Why was I taught the wrong significance as a kid? Or was it that I learnt my lesson wrong? Has the meaning of the lights changed in the past few years? Do I actually understand the lights correctly?

***
Traffic signal is the place where:

One stops dancing to the music playing in the car because others can see inside your car
One watches cute guys in big cars
One buys the white flower gajra/beni to decorate even the not so beautiful hair simbly because they smell so good and feel so cool (not kewl, cool.)
One is reminded of the extreme poverty present amongst us
One waves and smiles at cute kids

What do you do when stopped at a red light? Any interesting experiences?

Pajama Party: Follow Up

2004-12-10T13:49:00.000+05:30

Three months after the first pajama party, it was time to finish what was left in the tequila bottle. And the overworked MNC employees decided to have another get-together. This time, however, there was no gender discrimination and the guys not only joined in for dinner but also stayed for drinks.

Dinner was a birthday treat from three gals. The guys realized it was a treat only when they were told to stop fishing in their pockets for money.

Ice creams and waffle sandwiches somehow found space in our already full tummies. Was close to midnight before we landed at the house that is shared by 3 of my colleagues and is always the venue for all our get-togethers. And then started a non-stop talk-athon for 6 hours!

The jokes were unending. Pity a lot of them were aimed at me :-( . An issue of Cosmopolitan led to quite some embarrassment for the guys. The “man-manual” in the magazine provided clues on figuring out a guy’s behavior in bed based on the way he eats his ice cream. What would women do without such crucial knowledge!

The way my friends have tequila is hardly visually appealing. They have it in steel glasses..small quantities but steel glasses?!!..bah And the sad part of the whole exercise is that no one ever gets drunk. Of course, they act drunk and accuse each other of having lost it. One of the guys was requested to sing and dance for general amusement. He chose to sing “zarra sa jhoom loon mein…” and unfortunately, he sang it for me :-|

Slept in the morning and got up to catch the afternoon show of Hulchul. Had a great time. Another get-together this weekend. Can hardly wait! (Nah…no guys this time)

To be or not to be

2004-11-29T20:01:00.001+05:30

I had the opportunity of attending a couple of plays at the Prithvi Theatre Festival that was held in my city last week. It was an interesting experience. Something that led to a mixture of emotions: awe, amusement, bewilderment, boredom, constipation (ok..i couldn’t think of anything from c ..sorry).

The first evening had two short plays in Chattisgarhi. They were held at the epicenter of culture in my city. And the intellectual-looking crowd was out in full force. The kurta clad men, the kohl-eyed women- all that is so integral to such an evening. The setting for the festival was perfect. The exhibition on Habib Tanvir’s Naya Theatre group- its members over the years and the various plays they have performed. The amphitheatre decorated with orange lamps. Everything seemed to belong. In the midst of this sat Shashi Kapoor- looking very much at home.
The plays, however, were a different story. They were rural. Meant to be performed in the midst of much less opulence. Under the sun, probably. I am not suggesting that they were not appreciated. They were applauded wholeheartedly. It just seemed as if the setting demanded a play of a different kind, the play demanded a different setting.

The second evening again had the very beautiful orange lamps. The masks. The posters. The crowd. This time it was another venue. A place that is filled with memories for my parents of cultural events they attended when they were physically young (at heart they are younger than I am). A cultural hub of the past. It was a lawn and minus the elegant architecture of the previous venue, a much better setting for the play which was semi-urban. But being a lawn there was no elevation. Hence, except for the first ten rows, no one could see a thing!!!! A lot of people left during the interval.

Inappropriate plays and a callous choice of venue. If Prithvi Theatre is about enjoying the experience that watching theatre is to so many of us, then I am afraid its short visit to my city was a disappointment.

Chaos

2004-11-21T21:27:00.000+05:30

There is a voice screaming inside me. Questioning my actions. Asking me to stop. Change. But the mind is beyond my control. It comes up with the most believable explanations and kills all reason. I am falling. It is making me suffer. Yet there seems no way out.

Have always believed I know what I want to do in life. But suddenly I am not sure. All kinds of questions are cropping up. Is that what I really want to do? Am I good enough? Am I prepared for the sacrifices it entails? Do I have an option?

I have made new "friends". People who "care". People for whom I believe I "care". Do they? Do I ?

I hate looking in the mirror. I hate myself.

There is a baraat passing under my house's window right now. My feet are tapping. My head is bursting. I have tears in my eyes.

Kiddo

2004-11-14T20:59:00.000+05:30

A week ago I was to attend an office party which required me to dress in shiny- shimmery clothes. Since none of the clothes in my wardrobe suited that description, I ventured into a relatively posh market to find some shiny-shimmery party clothes. And I did get something to wear. When I finally put it on and was looking in the mirror, the lady who owned the shop asks me "Aapke school mein function hai?" ??????!!!

Celebrated Diwali with my sister who has moved to a new city. Burst crackers with her neighbour who is about four years elder to me. She kept pushing me forward and giving me the first chance to do everything and saying "Pehle chote bache"

I am becoming retarded full speed. Someone help!

Strange Crazy Things...

2004-11-02T15:45:00.000+05:30

A post on my river-rafting trip is due. Unfortunately it is still W-I-P, not because I am writing something excpetional (yeah yeah..i cannot) but simply because I have been too lazy to complete it. Just thought of scribbling some crazy things I have done in the past few days and those that have happened to me.

River-Rafting: Definitely crazy. Never thought I would be sitting on the edge of that rubber boat, rowing furiously with arms not used to much exercise while the waves around me kept tossing the boat around mercislessly and drenching me from head to toe. Too much fun! Spectacles with wipers just might make sense...
Jump off a 20 feet high cliff into the water with only a life jacket to protect me. I don't know swimming. CRAZYYY. It felt as if my heart was sinking inside me. But once I did it, the thrill was overwhelming
The first birthday greeting I get on my birthday be from a group of guys (colleagues) sitting around a bon-fire with the river flowing nearby and they singing "Happy Brirthday to you..", a mouth organ providing the background music. Have been in a girls school and college. Have never had guy friends. This was a different experience!
Meet my parents and sis on my birthday for the first time only at 11:30 in the night!
Suffer poor service at two restaurants consecutively!!! A half baked pizza at PH and late service at McDonalds coupled with yucky burgers (yuckier than they already are)
Hear my mom say "That was a great meal" when she comes out of PH (another visit, not the one described above). She usually has a great time but rarely enjoys the food there!
Not even an email from someone who claimed to care a lot till a month back! Wah re duniya!
Shop for more clothes when I already have almost ten untouched items of clothing already in my wardrobe and then pack them all away because the weather has changed
Go for three trips within a month. Yep! another one coming along...you guys have every right to be jealous :P

Also, Happy Birthday Shah Rukh!!! Mom (a die-hard, first-day-first-show fan) has been getting calls all day ..hehe. She plans to celebrate Diwali evening in a cinema hall watching Veer-Zaara. CRAZY

Random Thoughts 2

2004-10-22T17:00:00.000+05:30

Leaving for an office trip tonight. My first experience with an adventure sport. Am sooper-dooper excited.

Will be away from my family for the first time on my birthday! And amongst people I cannot categorise as friends. Just colleagues. Am used to being PAMPERED on my birthdays. But I know that the thoughts of family and friends will be with me. They better be!

Night shifts are horrible. Two more weeks to go :( ( Not in a call centre, I repeat and with complete respect for call centers)

Got awesome birthday gifts and greetings from family and new friends. Holiday from sis, exorbitantly priced Nike track pants from mom and dad (my choice, don't blame them!), my life's first music card from Srini, and priceless stuff from a dear friend (the gifts are just too many to list out!)

I have grown up, rather changed over the past one year. The last birthday doesn't seem like yesterday. From a responsible college student to a carefree working girl. ;) This doesn't sound like growing up!!!! I guess the responsibilities have reduced..or changed!

Changed the name of my blog. Got questioned on the choice of the word Tumultuous. I think it is my present state of mind. And as HoH said "we can change it anytime"!

Enough rambling! Will be back with my experiences from the trip. Till then, Bubye :)

Birthday Gift from Sis

2004-10-18T16:26:00.000+05:30

An all expense paid 4 days-3 nights trip to Mussoorie: my birthday gift from my sister. Thanks behan.

Highlights from the trip:

Train journey from Delhi to Dehradun had sis and me surrounded with distinguished people. An author (not sure who) occupied a seat behind us, owner of Book-Café on our right, Vasu, an adorable kid, in the front seat and a little resident mouse in the window on the left. The kid was so cute that half an hour into the journey I had the kid in my lap and was trying to feed biscuits to him. Well, the book shop owner obviously was looking for some peace and two girls in the next seat gushing over the kiddo didn’t go with his plan. He changed his seat. Hehe.. Very soon we were looking for the same peace. But mister author decided to speak non-stop. The six hour journey had us listening to him hold a most boring conversation with a young aspiring author. One of the invaluable pieces had our young man tell the author that when he writes his book he will not use any complicated words. He immediately added that it isn’t that he couldn’t use them, just that he will not. Referring to books which have complex words he said, “to read them you need to refer to another book- the Dictionary” Wow. How profound! Grrrr
The taxi ride from Dehradun to Mussoorie was in an ancient ambassador car. In the one hour, I managed to move the window glass up a full two inches!!!! I commented that the car was going slow and hence we were saved from feeling queasy on the ride up the hill. Sis said, “He isn’t Schumacher but then she is no Ferrari either!” A sample of my sister’s witty remarks that kept me entertained through the trip
Walking. Walked about 12 kms daily for two days. Trips to Landour bazaar which is almost on the other end of Mussoorie when compared to our hotel. On the first day it was for silver jewellery from a curio shop we had heard about. Bought a few earrings. The second day was dedicated to a special mission. Sis noticed that the bells that the cows and goats were wearing were different from the usual ones. So we decided to buy one for ourselves. However, there was just one shop that sells these and it was in Landour Bazaar. So we had to walk all the way again asking for directions to Devi Chand Khem Chand’s shop. Eventually found it and bought a cowbell each
Looking at snow clad peaks and walking through clouds.
Eating yummy food and enjoying it even more thanks to the maddening hunger after long walks. Ice cream in the sun.
Reading books while in bed under a warm quilt. I read four books this week: 5 Point Someone, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy –Part one of the Trilogy of Five, Daddy Long Legs and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The last one being the one I liked the most

There were loads of other things but I guess I will talk about them some other day. Now it is back to the grind….but only till next weekend when I am off to another exciting trip. Yay!!

Virtual meets Real

2004-10-10T21:29:00.000+05:30

Met Srini today. The first blog/net friend I have ever met. (My father met Joker in March…but that’s another story). And the experience was most enjoyable. The suspicion that a person will not turn out to be what he/she appears to be always remains when you know someone only through the net. However, Srini turned out to be just what I had imagined him to be and more.

Incessant rain almost cancelled the program. Rain causes auto rickshaws to collapse in no time and they are the only means of transport since I do not drive. However, rain gods had mercy and the rain stopped. We met at 4:15 at Café Coffee Day. I am amazingly bad at recognising people and I was dead sure that I would not be able to recognise him. But I guess the face that smiles at us everytime we visit his blog made the task much easier.

Sat and talked and talked and talked. I guess it comes naturally to both of us. May sound clichéd but it is true that not once did I feel that I had never met him earlier in life.

Suhail had told me that Srini is a kid. Well, in some ways I guess he was right :-) There were quite a few things I discovered about him. He doesn’t like Chinese food and would like to eat pizza not more than once in six months!!! (Of course he ends up eating it more often thanks to his pizza- loving colleagues) He has a collection of almost all James Bond movies which he prefers watching over Masoom ( :P to Srini).

He has a blog which he vaguely remembers writing and rediscovered it by accident. Also he hears sounds of babies crying when there aren’t any around!!!! Spooky…

Srini, it was great meeting you. Thanks for the lovely birthday greetings (my first this year and the first musical card of my life!). Hope to meet you again the next time you visit this place (provided you also enjoyed the evening as much as I did).

Also met RS. The second time I saw her and the first time I talked to her. Missed meeting a few other enthu bloggers. Hope to catch you guys next time!

For those who were worried, I am still employed inspite of the previous post!!

They and Us

2004-10-08T19:24:00.000+05:30

Are certain people made of different stuff? We often see people, successful people and think that She/He is who I wish I could be. Maybe not as an ideal but you wish you were in that other persons shoes.

The Firm I work for is neatly divided into two parts.

The lesser mortals (phrase courtesy handa) like me who sit on the computer all day doing what is politely described as “transactional” work. It can range from financial analysis (We actually get to calculate CAGRs sometimes..yay!) to something as mundane as finding prices of DVDs from three websites for 600 movie titles. Was lesser mortals too mild a word? Bottom Dwellers..Maybe…

Then there are the GODS. The ones who mete out this work to us. They come from the best business schools. Not only should they have done their post graduation from these schools, they should also be engineers from the most prestigious engineering colleges.

A lot of lesser mortals wish to cross over to the territory of the Gods. Seeing them dreaming of it, asking the representatives of Gods that preside over us on how to make the move..I wonder..Can’t they see that the Gods are made of something totally different from us? Or are they?.............

PS: I love the firm I work for and love the work I do…

Triple Training

2004-10-02T22:35:00.000+05:30

Trainings are an integral part of a job in the corporate world. They are the source of bread and butter for a huge lot of people (Read H.R.). Thankfully they provide a rather interesting break from work to the bored employees.

In my five months of work experience at the Firm, I have undergone training thrice: a two-week long one, a one-week long refresher and a three-hour one. All of them have interesting memories associated with them

The first training was the induction training. It introduced us to our work and the various tools we were going to use. (Night shifts and this description of training might make you think I am in a call center. Nothing wrong with them. But to set records straight, I am not). It was a two-week long torture. 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. No wonder they organized a special party at a pub after the training ended! And no wonder all of us danced like crazy!!

The second training was a week-long refresher. More tools were introduced. It was easier (though I don’t think I remember a single thing from it!) The unforgettable part of the training was the scolding we got on the penultimate day by one of our trainers. We were accused of not being serious about the training. Since we had already been working for a couple of months, the people were used to us sharing the workload. With us in training, there were capacity problems happening. As the trainer said “You should see what is happening! The floor is on fire!”
The training was concluded with a pizza party.

The third training happened a few days back. While the previous two related to the work, this was related to our personal professional growth. We were made to play an interesting game. Sheets of paper were provided and we were asked to make different 3-D objects with it. Ah! A room full of formal-clothes-wearing grown-ups transformed into kids. Everybody scratching their heads trying to recall how to make the boat, the cap, the plane…not always being successful at the effort!
At the end of half-an-hour, the participants bore a satisfied grin and the tables were full of curious objects. I came up with a boat, a house, a lollipop, a bangle, a bowl, a cone, a cap and a few other things. Some people came up with very imaginative things. The one that was most appreciated was a September 11 memorial. There were two paper buildings with a plane crashing into one of them.

Overall, an enjoyable experience.

Just reminded of the song “woh kaagaz ki kashti, who baarish ka paani…” It is raining too! Maybe I will go play with my paper boat…..

Ps: If anyone from work is reading this, I do remember what was taught in the second training. [ ;-)]

***

“Live to learn and you will learn to live” Hmmm……

Happiness Within

2004-09-27T16:57:00.000+05:30

A favourite quote of mine goes "It is difficult to find happiness within us, it is impossible to find it anywhere else"

Countless times we are told by wiser people and by books that happiness lies within us. That the material things of the world, the selfish relations, the “props” that we use for enjoyment..nothing can give us happiness. Life itself reminds us of this principle time and again.

We crave and cry for a particular thing and when we eventually get it, it doesn’t give us the joy we had envisaged. Yet, we again and again fix our sights on something or someone and say, “Only if that was mine, I would be happy!”

Why is it that even though we know this and somewhere agree with this principle, we still do not apply it in our life? The reason according to some wiser people is that we only know this, we do not truly understand this. An oft cited example is that of a glass of water that contains cyanide. If u know that the water is poisoned, you will not drink it because you understand it will kill you. But when it comes to happiness, we just know the principle and not truly understand it.

Life would be so much simpler if we were not chasing things or people. But the desire for them seems to be unconquerable. Then what is it that we can do? The wiser people say the solution lies in inculcating desires for something higher. If you cannot control your desire for junk food, inculcate a desire for health. If your desire for health becomes strong, the way most desires eventually do, your desire for junk food will automatically lose power.

Sigh! If only it was that simple ………

I got a lot of reminders that my post was overdue. The reason behind this being that I was doing night shifts during the week and my weekends were being spent attending Vedanta discourses with my mother (the effect of which is obvious above). Before any of you groan and symapathise with me, I would like to tell you that the lectures in themselves were very interesting. Infact I would recommend them to you also. You can find out about them here. Needless to say, this is not an advertisement of any kind, just something I enjoyed and thought some of you might want to check out. No yogas, breathing exercises or talk of strange auras surrounding you. Just plain logic told in a most interesting and relevant way.

ROTFL

2004-09-22T08:18:00.000+05:30

In case you have not read this amazing entry on Suhail's blog, I urge you to check it out and have the time of your life ..laughing!

Walking...

2004-09-19T16:05:00.000+05:30

“Walking with the Lord, we are walking in the sunshine,
Lift up your hearts for you’re walking with God”
- a hymn I used to song in school

A typical conversation:

X : What plans for the evening?
Me: Will be going for a walk.
X : That’s nice! With whom?
Me: Alone
X : ALONE????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It may not be surprising for some of you, but a lot of people find it very astonishing that I walk alone. Including those who see me walking alone.

An immature face on a tall body in crazy clothes. Lips constantly moving. Obviously talking to herself. Occasionally smiling. Often grinning. Walking ALONE.

Walking has been not only a way of exercising but also an outlet for me. A time in the day when I am alone with my thoughts. I have taken so many decisions, made so many plans, thought so many thoughts…..all on the same road I walk on regularly.

Seasons change. Flowers come and go. Kids grow up. Time moves on. While I walk along, a spectator talking to myself, singing and smiling.

Troubled Relations

2004-09-12T19:58:00.000+05:30

A friend read the previous post and asked what “Troubled Relations” was going to be about. I said, “about my relationship with my parents these days”. He said, “troubled?! But I thought you were very close to them!”

Precisely. Ours is a family where we are very close to each other. At times, suffocating-ly close.

Mom says I am very agitated these days. I always talk back. She blames it on my being on the Internet for too long. I am also for the first time being told: Don’t do this, Don’t go there.

I am confused. What do young people my age do? I am 20. Finished my graduation this year. Am working for a year before I start my post graduation which is not going to be an MBA. My colleagues spend weekends either preparing for CAT or hanging out at the malls, usually the latter. When I express desire to go for movies, shopping, etc. I am reminded that I am becoming too dependent on all this. I am told “Don’t do this. It is not good for you” I know this isn’t the best thing to do..Duh?! But what else do I do? Read books, listen to music, develop hobbies, work for charity…..Acceptable alternatives. But my heart doesn’t agree….It seems to run away from all this….

I am lost. I know what I am doing is not right. But no attractive alternative seems to be appearing. And in this confusion, I have ended up spoiling relations with my parents, specially my mom. The person I am closest to. The person who genuinely cares for me. Thanks mom for tolerating me. Hope I find my way soon…

Coming Up...

2004-09-12T18:52:00.000+05:30

Things I am going to blog about....

Troubled Relations
Walking...
Happiness Within

None of them may sound exciting...but they are all things that are relevant to me today and ones which I need to vent my feelings about. Hope to have you come back to read more....

Random Thoughts....

2004-09-09T06:57:00.000+05:30

Mom’s spiritual Guru to her, " You know what your problem is? You have no problem!"
He went on to tell her how angelic her children are :-D. I love him!
***
Went for a walk with a friend on Monday. She threatened to kill me the next time I jumped and yelled, "tomorrow is a holiday!"
***
Ended up talking non-stop to a colleague I have never interacted with before. I guess clothes is something women can always talk about!
***
The name of Coca Cola Company’s CEO is Douglas N. Daft !?!
***
I have always seen those stuffed toys that carry messages like "I Love You", "I Miss You", etc and wondered why would someone waste precious money on something like this?! I bought two stuffed dolls. They say "Friends Forever". I bought them for the two girls who were closest to me throughout college. When I looked at the dolls I just knew I wanted to buy them for these two friends. I guess one just knows when one has to buy those silly things!
***
I gave a gmail invite to a colleague for two Cadbury Temptations and an Asterix comic book. I have 6 more gmail invites with me. Any takers? :-D

Almost all my jottings ended with an exclamation! Oops, there I go again….

Journey to a Destination

2004-09-04T15:00:00.000+05:30

Excerpt from Notes to Myself by Hugh Prather

“Today I want to do things to be doing them, not to be doing something else. I don’t want to drive to get there, make love to have climaxes, or study to “keep abreast.”

I don’t want to do things to sell myself on myself. I don’t want to do nice things for people so that I will be “nice.” I don’t want to work to make money, I want to work to work.

Today I don’t want to live for, I want to live.”

A friend told me the other day that he worked towards a goal, achieved it and even before he could enjoy it he started his pursuit for the next goal. This same story is experienced by a lot of young people today. School, college, MBA, from one job to another- the journey is endless. The key, I guess, lies in enjoying the journey and not waiting to find the happiness in the goal.

Hope all of us are able to do that!

A Busy Sunday

2004-08-31T17:56:00.000+05:30

Last weekend was full of activity. After the Pyjama/Pajama party Saturday night, I was off to meet a college friend for lunch at Pizza Hut on Sunday. Have already mentioned the bhangra. Rang the bell nevertheless (you will know if you have been to a PH). Cause I did have fun!

Called my sister just before leaving. She was watching Phir Milenge at a theatre nearby (“good movie, but depressing.. u watch it on c.d.”). An excited voice replied from the other end: “X company called. I have an interview at 4 at H hotel (big 5 star hotel). Will you accompany me?” My reply “sure!” So what if I had slept only for four hours at night and was ready to crash. This was big didi asking for something. And I just can’t say no. :-D ( yeah yeah, didn’t wanna go home and face parents who were still wondering what I did all night)

After a lot of miscommunication and to and fro traveling on my part, we finally met. Next stop: cyber café ‘cause she needed a print of her resume. Racking our brains, we finally zeroed in on a market feeling sure we would find one there. And we did. I just wish we hadn’t. Have never been to a seedier place. Tiny room full of cabins. Stinky. SLOW computers and paperless printers. Bored unresponsive guy in-charge. The walls of the cabins were full of graffiti. I will let your imagination run wild here. Every obscene word possible was up there!

Armed with the resume we headed to the H Hotel. Sis went in to write the test. I sat in the lobby. Waiting. Oh! I hadn’t thought of this! How will I kill time?! Hmmm. Did the predictable thing. Took out my cellphone. Inbox and Outbox cleaning time. This was followed by message to Joker. I am bored. The darling that he is, he called back. Chatted with him for a while.

Fished into sister’s bag. Found a book called “Symbolism of Hindu Gods and Rituals”. Something is better than nothing.

Sis finally emerged from the test. A person came to take her interview. They were so short of space that they had to take the interview in the lobby. And since there weren’t any empty seats in the lobby, I was asked to get up. Uff!

To cut a long story short, after three hours of waiting sis got the job. She didn’t accept it. That’s a different story.

This was Rakhi for me. We have no brothers. Every year sis and I tie rakhis to each other and exchange gifts. But it is these moments of standing by each other that really celebrate a relationship. Thanks sis for always being there!

Pajama/Pyjama Party

2004-08-30T18:02:00.000+05:30

On a boring Friday afternoon, amongst the many boring mails that keep finding the way to the mailbox, came a surprise invitation. Subject: Dinner Party.

Since most of my colleagues stay near the office and I stay away, I have never been able to make it to these weekend get-togethers. This time however, there was a change. Another colleague who, like me, put up not-so-near the office, was driving down for the party and had offered to bring along others. This was reason enough for me to join in.

But, there was more. The mail (not in the standardized format I previously wrote about) clearly encouraged sexual discrimination. It read :

Guys: Dinner
Gals: Dinner followed by Pajama Party and Booze

Yay! Glad to be a gal …yoo hoo!

I know I sound like a talli. The truth is I don’t drink and going by the past record, I was sure there would be hardly any takers for booze. Even if there were, breezers is how far they would go. Come on. We are the same people who when order pizzas, vegetarian orders exceed non-vegetarian ones!!!

All enthused, I joined my lift-giving colleague. First destination: Booze Shop.
Me to myself “ ok ok.. they must be buying the breezers”

Girl 1 to Booze shop guy: Tequila and Vodka please.
Me: *gulp* These ladies are serious!

After buying the Tequila (1800 bucks!) and Vodka, we headed to the house of our gracious hostess. She had just returned from the shop and proudly held two really really yellow lemons. Ah! The stage was set!

There were seven of us. All girls. The guys got offended when they realized that they will not be allowed to join in the pajama and booze party. They even offered to wear floral pajamas. When still denied entry, they decided to boycott dinner.

All of us then headed for dinner. Vegetarian food, mostly. :-)

Dinner was followed by a game of truth or dare. After harassing quite a few people with our dares and most of us itching to get into pajamas, we rushed back to the venue for our parteeee.

After changing into pajamas/ shorts and making all arrangements, four of them perched on the bed encircling the booze and the glasses. I was reminded of what a friend had remarked when I told him I was going for the party “ Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, a girls’ pajama party. That only happens in my dreams!” This, dude, was reality.

Two others gave me company (one out of choice, the other by compulsion as this is a sacred month in her religion) and we sat around cheering them.

Didn’t quite get the point of gulping down a drink and sucking at lemons furiously after that?! And they didn’t even get high…:-(

We watched Notting Hill. Everybody almost fell asleep by the time half of it was over. Obviously Hugh Grant’s charms were not working. So, everybody took the next logical step. We did what all pajama parties must have. Sat in a group and talked about our respective romantic relationships- past and present.

Not going to bore you with the details ..;-) ..hehehe

What I did realize however was that I was sitting amongst a group of modern women: intelligent, ambitious, attractive, successful. But they all seemed to have their values in place. Virginity is still important. Parental approval did matter. Sorry to sound clichéd .I know these may be outdated ideas for some people. But to these girls and to me, they still hold a place of importance.

Slept at 4:30 in the morning. Got up at 9:30. Had lunch with a college friend at Pizza Hut when the waiters suddenly broke into bhangra! Not good. Then talked to my sister who dragged me to…..well that is for next time, if there is one!

Copy Paste and Spell Check

2004-08-28T15:28:00.000+05:30

I work in a firm famous for it's exceptional communication skills. Every possible form of communication is standardised and drilled into the people when they join.

A victim of this practice is the innocent mail through which the output of our efforts is communicated. Analysed in so great a detail, a lot of people tend to get fanatical about it. The rest of us follow the blissful solution: copy paste.

This has led to various problems. Letters meant for Mikes have been sent addressed to Johns.

Bloopers in mails create hilarious situations. Couple of real instances-

Instead of "I will be sending you the information in five to six hours" the mail read "I will be sending you the information in five to six years"!!!

"Hope you are doing well" got replaced by "Hope you are doping well" :-))

Some errors even the trusted spell check can't detect!

2004-08-28T14:38:00.000+05:30

As I embark on this journey, I solemnly resolve not to blog on the following-

Depression
Poems that have anything to do with love
Calvin, Garfield or Tom and Jerry

If any of my blog friends read this, they will hate me. My heartfelt apologies.