Mehndi Torture

I wrote (or rather cribbed) about the impending wedding season but forgot to mention the most intricate part of this season for gals n women..nah its not shopping..( u guys really cant think beyond gossip and shopping wen someone mentions women na..hmph!) Its decorating ur hands with a sorta herbal tattoo by making intricate designs....we know it as applying mehndi or heena. Some women also apply it on their hair and men on their beard giving it a kinda rusty luk (wat a pathetic way to hide whites huh :P) bt dats a different matter.
The only cumbersome thing about applying mehndi is that for 2-3 hrs u r in a way without ur hands. While some take it as an opportunity to have friends and family members at ur beck-n-call der r some who find it irritating since it leaves them at others mercy for mundane tasks as drinking water and itching...urs truely no doubt comes from the 2nd school of thought.
To avoid dis i genrally opt to apply mehndi on only one palm at a time. However one of the couples getting hitched dis season was my brother as well so goin with the flow I decided to deck up both my palms and even feet (as an afterthought only)
OMG the torture I had to stand:

• It was December and mehndi is obviously cold so my hands freezed.


• I obviously cudnt eat and drink water…though I generally don’t feel hungry, dat time I was suddenly starving. And no one in the house had ‘any time’ to feed me.


• When eventually someone did feed me then it wasn’t my chice of food. Instead of what I want, I was given morsels of “what’ll be good for me” which obviously tastes pathetic. *sigh* it was either that or starve.


• Nothing beats a cup of hot ginger tea in winters...but imagine when u r offered the same with a straw!!!! Arrgh!


• Y is it that wen u know ur hands are as good as not being der at all, suddenly u feel as if ants are crawling all over you…trust me itching is the worst form of torture.


• Winters coupled wid mehndi results in u feelin cold and dis often results in nature’s call. But der is absolutely no way u can attend to it!! :O this is almost as bad as itching in terms of torture, if not worse.


• When you have to make sure that absolutely nothing and no one touches/brushes by you, you end up bumping into everything and everyone. Be it curtains or furniture (which is very much at its place and not lk in the middle of the passage) or people.


• Not to forget that comments like, “oh! Now you are no of help”, “so for next 4 hours, you are good for nothing huh” and “can u like just stay in one corner and imitate some piece of furniture!! U r blocking the way!”, “u dare stain my shirt and den u see wat happens next” (this wen I was standing at one place and not even moving!!!)

*sigh* see its sooooo tuff. So next time when you wanna really reallllllllllllly torture someone, put mehendi on der palm and feet. As forall these people..i’l see to them next time when I undergo this exercise..what? u thot I’m done wid it for a lifetime? NAH!!

Update: This is MY pic :)

How to get ready for office early!

ROFL:D Man i simply adore des guys!!
Only a supremely lazy and i-hate-gettin-up-early-morning person like me can admire and value the sheer genius of this line of thought.
*sigh*
If only it was possible!
hahahahaha

Know me

Another Tag, thnx to Adi..though she dint exactly tag me but i kinda liked it so i picked it up myself...
So brace urself as yours truely reveals some unknown until now facts about herself :P

Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it. Burn mark on the back of both my hands..i got it at age of 7yrs through an electric shock (people say dats wen I went a bit off-track..wateverr dat means)

What does your phone look like? My phone, is a Nokia 6270 and it looks bulky.

What is on the walls of your bedroom? Like I said here, absolutely nothing.

What is your current desktop picture?

Im on a nature loving trip these days.








Do you believe in gay marriage? Ummm gay as in happy…sure.gay as in GAY..never bothered to give it a thought. N neways, none of my concern dude.

What do you want more than anything right now? Ummmmm curl myself inside a blanket and sip a cup of nice hot ginger tea…sigh! Pure bliss!

Are your parents still together? Yes, and at times together against ME.

Last person who made you cry? Im the only one who can make myself cry buckets.

What is your favorite perfume/cologne? Ummm never really bothered for perfumes…but I guess anything dats nice n a bit subtle will do.

What are you listening to? Right now to him listening to constant sound of the generator and ofcourse tapping of my keyboard keys. But b4 dat I was listening to Enrique

Do you get scared of the dark? Are you kidding? I like making out shapes in dark.

Do you like pain killers? Sure..i love them..arnt they yummy….wat crap man..WHO likes pain killers huh..i never tk painkillers coz dey r addicting.

If you could eat anything right now, what would it be? Im feeling lk having a pizza..nice hot crispy yummy pizza…yummm

Who was the last person who made you mad? Myself ofcourse..nobody else is dat important.

Who was the last person who made you smile? Mr. bean

Is someone in love with you? Ofcourse..all around me. You just cant help fallin in love wid me for one reason or another...& if u say dat u dont den u r simply LYING :P

Three Things in my life I can never let go of
1. My will power
2. My stubborn attitude (snobby)
3. My ego (ya ya heard all about how bad it is n shud have ego n all bulls**t..keep it to urself)
4. My novels
5. My frnds n family (ok dis was purely for the senti touch :P)

List 5 things that you want to say to people but never will. Don't say who they are.
1. And I thought u knew me well
2. Did god forget to put some grey cells in dat big bloated head of urs
3. Y cant u just let me be
4. You think I care
5. Get this n get this straight..i NEED not tell you every single detail of my life

Five Things I’d Love To Do Before I Die
1 Learn how to whistle. Dat typical mawali whistle dat requires u to put ur fingers in ur mouth. I wanna whistle in a multiplex in the middle of a movie.
2 Dance in the rain in the middle of a busy road
3 Live in a tree house..I loved the tree house in “George of the jungle”
4 I wanna go on a pirate ship…and if the captain is as hot as jack sparrow ah well, dats a bonus ;)5 Travel randomly

Five Things I Will Not Do Even If It Kills me
1. Smoke a ciggie (though come to thnk of it…smokin kills)
2. Date a married man
Ummmmmmmmmmm cant think of anything else..watever I had in my list of things I’ll never do end up happening to me so cant say.

Five Things I Do When I’m Away From The Public
1. Talk to myself
2. Think in restrospect
3. Laugh like crazy
4. Poke my nose (ewwwww..how gross i can get :P)
5. Bath and daily ablutions

Five Fav Sentences/Quotes
1 Wateverrrrr (ppl around me are thoroughly bugged wid dis wrd)
2 What Crap!! (picked up from my ex-boss)
3 Duuuuuuuuuuuuude (accompanied wid a surprised voice and rollin eyes)
4 Ya rite!!
5 Uffffffffffffffffff!!!

Five Things I’ll Make You Wish You Didnt Do, If You Did
1. You called me a BIMBO
2. Take me for granted
3. Boss me around..im the one who’ll do that ok
4. Touch my hair...i absolutely hate it
5. Make me wait for u

Now time to tag ppl...i tag Spectator and Lazyman

QWERTY Noise

Seems like I’m leading a very noisy life. As if there wasn’t enough decibel levels generated by the National Capital Region’s vehicles and metro work, there was that band practice outside my office then there was my footgear (which I promptly got changed) and now suddenly people have started complaining about my major source of communication to the outside world..no baba, dey rnt bugged by my voice..its my PC’s keypad. My major source of communication with the world around me is primarily my computer…my blog, messenger, social networks I m part of, emails blah blah blah.
The problem is that though im mute while typing, my keyboard literally yells. And wid most of the people in my office working through laptops..anyways the sound levels are quiet low (even those band walaahs are done wid der rehersals) so the sound of my fingers hitting my keypad is exceptionally pronounced (ahem well ok so I admit dat I do punch dem a little harder but still…).
“Do u plan to completely get done with your keyboard lady?”
“OMG Relax!! You’ll make me deaf one of these days”
“U pissed?”
“Arrey wats dis sound man…who is hitting whom!”
*sigh*
See what all I have to jhelofy…good thing that none of it bothers me. As I put final touches to this post, I have people around me glaring as if I have completely lost my mind..but u know the bestest part? I SIMPLY DON’T CARE!!!
And if u r wondering the sense of this post den lemme tk u out of this misery...there isn’t any. I felt like writing and couldn’t think of something quick so I came up with this…n newayz, the female of species don’t ever need a reason or topic to ramble about;)

Burned by Agni

Frnd: You must have heard of Agni
Me: Agni…I have heard of agni missile
(not wanting to be caught unaware, I made a google search on agni)
Me: And ofcourse it’s a service provider in Bangladesh- Agni Systems. But y r u talking about it?
Frnd: I was talking about Agni- the disc @ Hotel Park. Google search is not always a nice option u know.
Me: Damn! Oh gawd can I please please disappear from the face of this earth
*sigh*

Diwali chaos

By now, u all must be quiet used to me cribbing about whatever festival or seasonal wave coming to the city (monsoons, wedding season etc.) so lemme not disappoint you all...afterall you are my darlin, precious readers :P And anyways i was feelin like posting something and had no concrete topic in my mind so here it is...my diwali ramblings.
A. Im not a festive person (seems lk im a not-many-things-person na but later about that aspect)
B. I dont like too much noise and i completely abhore smoke and pollution (dont ask me how I survive in this city...waise post CNG drive things are very controlled out here)
C. Not being very social (unless through internet:P) I dont have any social obligations so no gifting sweets and chocolates (BTW, I completely adore poeple who gift chocolates to me and never ever expect me to gift the same to them). So after the pooja and all is done (dat too isnt exactly my cup of tea) and my parents leave to fulfilll their social obligations, all that is left is me and ummmmmmm me.
Tryin to watch TV or talk on phone is an excercise in vain..with so much noise, how can u hear anyone? So its mostly SMSing friends or sending e-greetings.
SMSing reminds me this funny incident dat happened to me few yrs back. I got his really beautiful n nice diwali SMS from some number. That number was not in my phonebook but looked very familiar so I confidently called up the number. On hearing Hello in an unfamiliar voice, I realised my folly. Anyhow, since the person had send me a msg, i had every reason to ask who it was..
Me: Hi..I am Supernova. May I know whom Im talkin to?
He: Hi this is Z this side.
Me: Well I just received an SMS from ur number..Do I know you?
He: You are Supernova?
Me: Yup.
He: And you got a message from my number?
Me: Dats rite. But im not sure I know you.
He: Well I was in your college yaar..don't you remember me.
Me (totally zapped): WHAT?? You were in MY college?
He: Yaaa
Me: R u absolutely sure?
He: Haan baba..im surprised you dont rememeber me.
Me: You know dats really strange indeed. Coz I was in an all-girls college.
The silence that followed on his end was PRICELESS!!!!
He: Oh! Then you arent the one im talkin about.
hahahahahahaha
The worst problem is trying to sleep on the D-nite...The moment you are on the brink of steppin into the dreamland, BOOM and you are rudely woken up by your neighbourhood cracker enthusiast. And those cracker chains of 1000, 5000 and 10000 crackers are like pure nightmare...they go on for lk 15 minutes atleast and post that too you can hear them for atleast another 10 minutes buzzing your ears.
I was never much into crckers..just some harmless and noiseless phuljhadis for me untill i got burned a little by one of the flames and bid adieu to that too.
So overall, diwali dsnt hold much significance for me other den the holiday I get:P
This pic greeted me in the morning:
Delhi (the Connaught Circus are to be precise though Im sure things werent very different any other parts of the city) yesterday eve.

(click on the image to enlarge it) Image: Timesofindia

This bird's eye view sure will make you come up with words like festive, glittery, beautiful, enchanting and all. But im sure if we take a poll of people who were stuck in this 'picterisque moment', they'll be more then willing to enlighten me with the other side of this full of lights picture...Imagine covering a 10 minute distance in 3hrs!! Seems like the entire is city is out on the roads moving from office to home, home to markets for last minute shopping and gift distribution to friends and official contacts. And today is expected to be worse..
Anyways, dats nothing to me coz im surely not planning to move out of my house for the rest of this week (though right now im stuck in the office but then dats an entirely different story).

Have a nice time this diwali, have fun n take care of yourself and those around you :)

Working hard

You know you have been too much into corporate communication (inform of emails n tele calls) when after scrutinizing a product in a chic showroom, you tell the attendant, “Fine I have everything with me..We’ll discuss n get back to you.”
*sigh*
For the rest of the day, I dint hear the end of it.

Defending the Ostrich

Disclaimer: This post is not aimed at raising awareness about the endangered species.
Why are you in the habit of running away from facts? Y don’t you confront them? Closing your eyes wont make them go away……blah blah blah. I have lost the count of number of times I have got this gyaan in some form or another about this ostrich syndrome of mine.
While I have no trouble with listening to something good, I fail to understand this up-against-arms attitude people have towards this. First the basics: Ostrich syndrome basically refers to a state of mind where you refuse to accept a situation as real.
Your 1st reaction would be criticizing this thought process. Running away from reality after all isn’t a nice thing na..or so we preach.
My question is what if this so called reality is an impossible and terribly painful proposition? A situation or a truth that you cannot undo by any means and moreover, if you face it, it can hurt you big time. Now tell me, in such a case do u still advocate that one should face it and bear the pain it inflicts? Or simply avoid the confronting it and live in blissful ignorance.
I remember something I read in The Zahir by Paulo Coelho..It was something like If you ask yourself if you are happy is a trap..coz if the answer is no then you have to do something to make the situation better or you’ll be worse off then before (des wrnt the exact words but this is the crux of what he wrote). So in such a situation, I am not asking myself if I am happy with what I have or not coz in case I think im not, den I have to get what makes me happy and if I cannot..den Im doomedL So think what you may have to, preach what you do but for me…ostrich is a savior.

Tak tak tak tak...

What’s the similarity between a fire brigade and ME (only des days ok)? We both announce our arrival. While the former does it through a bell (or siren these days), yours truly achieves this by her sandles. The leather piece dat usually covers the heel of a sandle to muffle up the sound of tak tak came off few days back n now I walk tak tak tak tak…..Its ok laugh..no no please don’t restain urself, go ahead laugh. Everyone has been commenting on this toh y shud my humble readers be deprived of the pleasure huh.
Sample this conversation I had with a colleague.
He: Ur footgear is making too much of noise
Me: Ya I know..im trying to walk slowly so that the noise can be muffed up
He: Its not working…u sound tak tak tak
Me: Very funny. I know dat. I think we need floor carpeting
He: No but u do need a new footgear. Everytime u pass by, sounds as if a model is walking.
Now im sure he wasnt complimenting me and personally even I don’t find the comparison any more flattering.
Nevertheless this comment suddenly made me so conscious that I actually was wary of walking the distance of lk 50m to get the phone!!! Finally I took dem off and sprinted to the table and got the phone.
Come to think of it, the problem isnt my footwear..its the people who are more receptive to sounds and things happening around them den on work (dats for u dude:P)...and ofcourse the bare floor that we have in our office. *sigh* till then i 'll have to look for a cobbler to get it mended or stop wearin it to office.

Not making much sense

As I write this post, there is that live concert playing in the background (if you have a lost and clueless expression on ur face at this line, read this). They are playing a number from Himesh Reshammiya. And I find it irritating to no end. This makes me question why exactly do I hate it? His voice is a pain-in-u-know-wat but he isn’t crooning with these band wallahs na. They are simply playing his music which incidentally used to be quiet good (b4 it got repetitive). Guess we are so much into himesh hating mode that it dsnt matter if he sings or not…we’ll abuse with anything related to him in sight.

One of my collegues is really pissed coz he cudnt talk to the client with all dis noise in the background. I guess he also praying for this wedding season to get done with or maybe for some sound proofing done for our office.

Though spicy food dsnt bother me much bt rite now my mouth is on fire!!! And since its on fire, its watering. Ironical na.

Today I had to brief a new joinie about my part of work...just tell her what exactly I do and all dat. It was good..i got to play the Ms.all-too-important *smug look*. Realised that many things I had no clue about…had to save my face somehow...lolz:D

Accent seems to be my major issue these days that i am dealing with. I am talking to people in South of India and getting my point across and understanding their words is a big pain..esp when we have to exchange e-mail IDs!

Its so irritating when your internet connection starts crawling. A tiny 1Mb mail takes lk 10 mins to move its ass outta ur outlook outbox and wen that mail comes back undelivered..aaaaaaarrgh!

Height of fearing blueline travel: I come to office 45 minutes early everyday coz I get a lift with my mom. Sigh! For this stupid ride, I get up 45 minutes early, get dressed early and am sitting at my chair with the office guy doing the morning dusting and cleaning of the office furniture. But on the whole I don’t really mind it…gives me time to settle down in my work and all.

Today I got a letter from my bank effectively telling me that I need to have a minimum balance of Rs.10000 if I want to avail the ATM facility. WTF!!! As in I need to maintain this balance at all times. Imagine if u have your monthly salary of this amount- You can’t withdraw your 1st salary from any ATM!! And the very next line was some crap about good customer service. Bah!

Got this book from lazyman called 'Notes To Myself' and seriously Im hooked. Its like there are some doubts budding in your mind since long and you never discussed them, not even with yourself coz u just never had words to put them in. And then someday you hear the words giving shape to thoughts in your mind. They rnt ur words but they are your thoughts. You hear/read them and u r like, "This is wat i wanted to say but dint know it until this moment." Thats wat this book has done to me. Though I dont agree with all the answers, it gave words to my questions. Thnx dude!

I guess that's it for now. I started putting it down yesterday at the end of my day and carried it to today morning..now my day has started. Hope it goes better :)

Dikha de Signaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal

Believe it or not, dats literally what I have been singing for the past one month.. my mobile phone signal is acting up des days..dis when I shifted to supposedly ‘the best mobile service provider of the country’ (umm lets not get into names ok)!. in this fast tracked and gizmo dependant life where you talk to friends on msgr, orkut n ur cellphone more often den u actually meet them, if ur cellphone signal ditches you, its almost as good as being in solitary confinement (none of my dearest pals is net-savvy so orkut n msgr is outta question)!
U all know, what a big headache switching ones mobile number is…informing all n sundry abt ur new contact number, getting it changed in the bank n office records blah blah blah. The connection I had been using for the past 2 years was not a very good one..infact it had its share of outta-network-coverage days and anyways was notorious as common-man’s-network. After much prodding from friends and all, I shifted to this so called better network in September (80% of my frnd circle was on this network) only to realize that my cell doesn’t catch signal AT ALL from my place! And dis is when the signal tower is like 300m away from my house!! On contacting the authorities was another fite..the customer care executive flatly refused to believe that I am having signal troubles (‘maam dats impossible..theres a signal tower rite der’) Finally wen I was able to contact these ppl, I got to know that it’s the problem with ONLY MY HOUSING SOCIETY and nowhere else in that area. Talk of being special huh! *rolling eyes*
So the moment I reach home, im outta reach for the rest of the world. The signal I get is like too meek to last more den 2 minutes..worst part is when my friend is all but bursting out wid enthu to share some juicy piece of news with me and while she is talking, the line got cut..i get her call some 10 minutes later asking me at what point I lost her (apparently, in her story telling mode, she dint realize the dead line and continued till continous silence at my end made her suspicious..lolz:D). After many such repeated instances, all my friends have given up on me..now they either call me during the day time when I am busy in office or its we’ll-talk-wen-u-can-stand-the-entire-c0nversation.
And before you suggest, No I cannot change my number back to old one or some other provider. Too many people have my number now…and they are official contacts.
Last week I thought it was the end of my troubles..the day Vodafone was launched, suddenly I had perfect network signal even in the basement. Customer retention plan I thought. But dis weekend again I went outta coverage area…
To top it all on those rarest of rare days when my phone is showing full signal, it notifies my callers as switched off or out of reach. *sigh* will troubles never cease.Strange how can des ppl even afford to have such kinda customer complains unanswered esp with such close competition in the market…Maybe I will shift to another network (*this is in vain hope that someone working in a mobile service providing company will read this blog, get inspired and hunt down all such complains in his network)

Band bajega

Wedding season is round the corner ppl and im getting goose bumps just thinking about it..already there is no escaping from it for me..nowhere. At home with the continually piling up stack of wedding invites, its the never ending discussions on the dresses and outfits to be worn on different ceremonies, weekends booked for haunting the malls and markets (for the unawares, shopping isnt exactly my idea of fun).
The wedding season hounds me even in my office..no i dont work in a wedding planning firm. Couple of band walas (the ones who accompany the baraat processions) chose to make the empty ground across my office their practice ground. Morning 10Am till evening, i get to 'enjoy' this LIVE in concert performance with all the latest songs (ruined beyond recognition ofcourse). And to add to my perils, I am stationed near the window and my office isnt sound proof. The only funny part is while talking to a client, its weird to explain y he/she can hear the distinct sound of drums in the background; at times more clearly then my own voice!
I am not exactly enjoying-shaadi-n-all type. There are some things I find downrite irritating about this whole shaadi business:

• The amount of noise generated by all these bands and DJs etc. Dude, good for you that you are getting married n all but must you deprive the uninvited of their peaceful sleep!
• Traffic jams!! As if there is already any dearth in the city in this deptt..while the interior roads are jammed with baraat processions (at times 3-4 baraats in a stretch of 1 km!), main roads are blocked with hoardes of cars commuting from one venue to another. So the rush hours of 5-9PM gets extended till12. And don’t even dream of going out on a weekend…pure hell!
• Unless you are part of the up-close wedding family, for you going to a wedding is like going out for dinner (you pay in form of cash/gift etc.). And I simply hate eating at crowded places with too much of kachar-pachar.
• Have you even seen the amount of food that is wasted in shaadis!!??!! Though im not one of those think-of-the-hungry-kids-in-Somalia types, I can’t stand such blatant wastage of resources.
• The amount of money that goes down the drain giving out gifts for these newly-wed couples. And esp those bouquets..next morning all of them are found lying mercilessly on the ground:(

And many more like this..sadly very few people endorse this view of mine...and definetly none at home..so everytime someone decides to tie the knot, I am asked (no, told) to be a nice girl, dress up n be a part of the couples 'happiest moment'..so wat if I dont remember who they are to me. *sigh*.

Anyways, everyone, enjoy the wedding season...have fun!

Blogthings results

Getting bored on a Sunday with not much to do, I decided to try out these weird quizes on Blogthings. They are actually FUNNY:D Here are the results with my reactions in ummmmm some different color. There's a 28% Chance You've Been Abducted By Aliens

Even though you have a few alien abduction signs, you're almost certainly in the clear. However, if aliens ever do come to your neck of the woods... they'll probably be coming for you!

What Are the Chances that You've Been Abducted by Aliens?

Oh ok, so thats one trip I can still look forward too. BTW, I wonder if it requires a passport & VISA..

You Are the Thumb

You're unique and flexible. And you defy any category. Mentally strong and agile, you do things your own way. And you do them well. You are a natural leader... but also truly a loner. You inspire many but connect with few. You get along well with: The Middle Finger Stay away from: The Pinky

What Finger Are You?

If i remember correct, showing someone a thumb is considered an insulting gesture na..now im not so sure if this version given above is complimentary:(

You are a PC

You're practical, thrifty, and able to do almost anything. Appearances and trends aren't important to you. You just like to get the job done.

Are You a Mac or a PC?

I am a PC!!???!!! But PCs get out dated wid a new version available lk every 3 months!:(

You Were a Coyote

Brutally honest, you encourage people to show their true selves. You laugh at life - none of it can be taken too seriously.

What Animal Were You In a Past Life?

Wow!!! Dis sure sounds good, even though the coyote looks bit ugly type but wateverr..they r talking abt personality traits here:)

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Jittery Spice Trader. Where You Lived: Central Africa. How You Died: Buried alive.

Who Were You In a Past Life?

WTF!! Buried ALIVE!!!!!!!!!! Eewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

So what do we conclude: I am a spice trader Coyote from Central Africa reincarnated as a thumb PC who has about a quarter % chance of being abducted by aliens. Sounds good???

Beep beep beep beep beep.....

Whosoever conceived this idea of this electronic beep beep sound as an alarm tone signifying a error in working of a system definetely must have hated this sound like I do. it gives you goosebumps and can actually ensure u jump outta your seat n take some action.
Y dis sudden interest in this electronic torture? Coz this ruined my entire day @ work. Things were going fine and i had my day and work planned out..suddenly the silence was broken by 3 UPS screaming at the highest pitch Beep beeep beeep beep beep beep beep.............
Infact der was one goin at a constant beep beep beep beep.......punctuated by other 2 with beep...beep...beep...beep at regular intervals. OMG! What an ultimate cacophoney they created.
Turned out that due to some voltage fluctuations, 3 UPSs had gone kaput thus raising this alarm.
Anyways, a call to the concerned guy confirmed this and it was suggested that we skip the UPS and directly plug-in our computers. Simple? HA! How I wish it was. At thatvery moment, my PC's brain stopped working. as in the CPU died out on me...it just wudnt start and when it did, then it'll shut off anytime; time range varying from 10 secs to 10 minutes!!
And all this while, yours truely roamed around, tried getting the damn cursed thing to work (see how dedicated to work i am *angelic face batting eyelids*), had 4 cups of tea and did NOTHING!!! Cudnt yaar...finally i came home an hour early. But it was a wasted day..partly coz I got up in the morning after only 4 hours sleep (dont ask abt it..dats another story) to work and what did i do..nothing. I could envision my bed dat looked so very tempting at that point of time...i cud've slept for soo long or met a friend or watch a movie (I havnt watched chak de YET!!)
*sigh* talk of becoming slaves to technology huh.

Teacher's Day

Early morning as soon as I signed in my messenger, heard my friend N rant, "Yaar im feeling like going to school today."
Now I could have expected anything but this. Y school? All of a sudden after all these years! And y dis sudden urge to re-visit the bygone era?
"Y? What happened?" I asked half expecting her to mad-mouth her job and the professional life.
"What do u mean by asking Y!! You havnt forgotten its teachers day, have you?" She asked in an accusing tone.
For 2 secs, everything came to a stand still. Today is teacher's day. Today is teachers day. Today is teachers day...somehow i kept on repeating dis to myself trying to analyse what do i feel..maybe i was expecting a feeling of nostalgia or jusr a small smile of rememeberance only but definetly not what I felt at that moment: NOTHING.
Quiet a contrast to our school days when Teacher's day used to be something next to annual day & sports day in terms of excitement and preps.
We used to give hand made cards to our teachers with the best card reserved for ones fav teacher (obviously one giving max marks in tests and least homework:P).
Dance practice sessions, skits made with tongue in cheek jokes on the teachers or a poems n ballads tellin them how much they mean to us regardless of all the names we used to 'fondly' bestowed on them.
One of the highs of this day used to be playing a teacher. Wearing a saree, being a grown up and playing teacher to the classes junior to you...a license to bully them actually:P Since wearing a saree was not an everyday task, discussions used to begin weeks in advance for the kinda saree one could procure from mom (it was almost a dress rehersal for farewell parties to follow some years on).
And ofcourse it was a day of no-studies in school; something even better den a holiday:D At the end of it all, it was a day of connecting with those who played a major role in shaping our personality- Our Teachers.
And after a mere time gap of 5 years, I dint even remember the day...does dat mean that i dont care? or dat im too caught up with things happening in my life?
And incase any of my teachers happen to stumble on my blog and this post, I thank you all for giving me right direction and guidance & making me the kinda person I am today (this is a compliment ok:P)
How many of you (those who are done with your school ofcourse) remembered its teacher's day today?

Small Things

Different people think differently (some dont even bother thinking), perceive the same situation with a different angle and thus react differently. What's normal to you might be a big deal for
someone else...Problems arise when we dont understand this:
"How could he say that? He doesnt care for my feelings...Im just another person for him."
"WTF! Why is she making such an issue outta it?"
Both of you keep on defending your own stand, your own ground and before you realize you have crossed the point of no return. So what could have been an interesting and meaningful journey, you posted the sign of THE END there yourself, all the while wondering whats going on? Y is dis happening?
And what makes it so terribly worse is that its indeed not a very big issue...just some miniscule misunderstanding, some prank gone awry. All it needed was some patience, understanding and a will to save the relationship. Its not that you dont value it but just shedding a few tears and cursing god over Y-this-is-happening-to-me dsnt serve the purpose.
So engrossed we become in our own point of views that we just dont step into other person's shoes and look @ it from his/her perspective. He/She might also be right na? And its not like flipping the coin that either he is right or u r!! You both could be right at your own places...but the idea is to make a move, an effort to salvage something you value, you cherish.
Ego, hurt, shattered expectations or just that empty feeling of Its-all-over stops you from taking that extra step, that one small move that might have been all that was needed. And at times, its truely worth it:)

Am I making any sense? IDC but just felt like putting it up here.

Weird is the word

As suggested by Ancient Mariner, I tagged myself to do this Weird tag. As a sequel to this previous tag (there has been an update on this post so please check), I hereby list down a few weird things about myself. (*Though I dont find most of them weird by any standard, dats the reaction I normally get from people:D)

Weird me 1: I am very whimsical by nature. I get bored and disinterested in things very quickly. Today I am crazy about something after a week I may not even be interested in having a look at it! A case in point would be Tere Bin by Atif Aslam. Once this song could stop me dead in my track and now at times i dont even realise if its playing.

Weird me 2: I laugh at most of the things; even those which are considered sad. So incase, you happen to meet with a road accident while speeding and break a few bones chances are that I might burst into a fit of laughter...that doesn't mean that I am laughing AT you; just that im laughing at the situation.

Weird me 3: I cannot stand cigrettee smoke. So much so that I couldn't even stand seeing someone smoking!! It was a major majoooooooor wala turn-off (things are a little better now). So my freinds and all either will had to wait for me to leave or position me someway so that the smoke dsnt reach me or if nothing of this sort can work then sit a few tables away n smoke away to glory. There isnt any sad story or history behind this...its something i just developed dunno when.

Weird me 4: I am bad at taking favors. Maybe its an ego issue or some sorta superiority complex...dunno. I can help out all n sundry to the max i can do for them but somehow I'll never ask someone to help me or do me a favor. If i just have to then its indeed quiet an effort for me.

Weird me 5: I dont like red colour....anything in it. n dat includes flowers. (Personally I dont find anything funny in it but then dats the reaction I get from people around me so...)

Weird me 6: I tend to become very quiet and withdrawn all at a moments notice...at times even when I am talking to someone. Suddenly I'll wish to be left alone n just be with myself. Its kinda weird for the person I am with @ that time. He/She gets totally zapped n perplexed trying to figure out what happened to her? Did I happen to say something? lolz!!!!!:D

Weird me 7: I absolutely completely hate anyone touching my hair unless Iam at a parlor for a hair cut!!! Some people have this habit to pat u on ur head or run a hand through your hair...I somehow find it very creepy..Eewwwwww!

Weird me 8: Like I said here as well, Its tuff for me to utter this SORRY. As in, not until I really really mean it. Though just a word, I cant deliver it unless I really feel guilty. People around me consider it as I am simply not ready to accept my mistake.

The list can go on but lets put a stop here...i have a feeling its not very complimentary to me. Though I wasnt exactly tagged, I will tag the following people to complete this
Adi
Spectator
Di
Rebellion
Bakfire
n all those who read this...consider urself tagged:)

My room....Girlie??

X: Your place is good but very girlie
Y: Dude, unlike yours, my house is very neat, tidy and organised ok.
X: Exactly! Like I said, its girlie.

A neat, tidy n organised room is termed 'girlie'. Coz gals are meant to be very methodical, proper and nicey nice. So everything around them is shiny n room is spink n span. Well to all those who endorse this view whole heartedly, here is peep in my room. have a look n den lemme know if u change ur opinion.

For starters, lemme lists down things that you wont find in my room.
Pinks- There isnt anything pinky or mauve or red in my room. infact nothing even closer to it. Once had a book that was bright pink in cover but I gave it away so not even that.
A mirror- Yes! I dont have a full length mirror in my room. just a small mirror in the inner lid of a box which I use to apply kajal. I dont think i need to stand in front of a mirror to see if my kurta and jeans are a perfect match.
Flowerly curtains- I DO have curtains ofcourse but they dont give the feel of a permanant 12 month long spring season. Instead they are green- plain green in colour. keeps my room cool and dey dont look dusty.
Posters- Though I really dig on John Abraham, Richard gere n all, u wont find them hanging from the wall with a pasted smile on their face. There arnt even any quotations and dogs, kittens, horses...nothing on my walls. Just a calender and a wall clock.


Things you cant help noticing:
A mini-mandir- Dats something quiet hard to miss. its right in front of the door. A small mandir with pics of all kinda deities and few things related to it. the whole n sole reason of it being there is that there wasnt any other place left in the house for it. So I graciously agreed to house it in my humble abode (ok fine, my mom really dint gave me a choice. i was told, not asked).
Footwears- I am obsessed with footwears. Irrespective of having only one pair of feet, i believe you can never have enough footwears...and since I usually get dressed in a haste, i prefer having all my options right in front of me. So no stacking of sandles in a rack for me. So u better watch ur step while walking in my room. Rani Mujherjee rightly said in Chalte-Chalte, "You can trip over ur shoe."
A heap of clothes- It genrally occupies my bed and is shifted as it is on my table @ night. Consists of washed clothes, to-be-ironed clothes. All I need to do is pull out whatever I feel like wearing from the stack, iron it and put it on..simple na! There is also another heap of already worn clothes. In summers, it includes dirty, sweaty clothes waiting to be put into washing machine and in winters, jackets and woollens to be hanged back in the closet.
There is also a stack of books..includes novels I am reading (at imes i start up with more than one), ones i have read, one i'll read next.....u know the works:P


I, I and only I can find stuff in all this clutter so this keeps my mom away from my room. Still on those fateful days when she absolutely cant ignore it anymore and decides to take the cleaning-up-my-room matter in her hands, it takes me full 3 days to figure out what is where. Coz u see, our definition of 'right place' is pretty contradicting.

Still its not that I cannot keep my room clean. On those rarest of rare occassions when some guest turn up @ our place who is likely to roam around the house (Y do they have to??), I do clean up my room and quiet well at that. Anyone who'll see will be quiet impressed..provided you dont ask me to open the closet;)


Did anyone say my room is girlie??

Together Forever

This is something I read long time back in some newspaper and noted it down. Its B-E-A-utiful!

Life seems to lose it’s meaning with the loss of your beloved. Memories are all you have. Pain and sorrow are your sole companion…

Red roses were her favorites,
her name was also Rose.
And every year her
husband send them,
tied with pretty bows.
The year he died, the roses
were delivered to her door.
The card said “I LOVE YOU”,
like all the years before.
Each year he send roses,
and the note would always say,
I love you even more this year
than last year on this day.
My love for you will always grow
with every passing year.
She knew this was the last time
that the roses would appear.
She thought, he ordered roses in
advance before this day.
Her loving husband did not know
that he would pass away.
He always liked to do things early
way before the time.
Then, if he got too busy,
everything would work out fine.
She trimmed the stems,
and placed them in a very special vase.
Then sat the vase behind the
portrait of his smiling face.
She would sit for hours,
in her husband’s favorite chair.
While staring at his picture
And the roses sitting there.
A year went by, and it was hard
to live without her mate.
With loneliness and solitude
that had become her fate.
Then, the very hour
as on their anniversary before,
the doorbell rang and there
were roses, sitting by her door.
She brought the roses in, and
just looked at them in shock.
Then, went to get the telephone,
to call the florist shop.
The owner answered, and she
asked him, if he would explain,
Why would someone do this to her,
causing her so much pain?
“I know your husband passed away,
more than a year ago,”
the owner said, “I knew you’d call,
and you would want to know.
The flowers you received today,
were paid for in advance.
Your husband always planned
ahead; he left nothing to chance.
There is a standing order,
that I have on file down here,
and he has paid well in advance;
You will get them every year.
There is also another thing,
that I think you should know.
He wrote a special little card
…….he did this years ago.
Then, should ever I find out that
he is no longer here,
that’s the card that should be sent,
to you the following year.”
She thanked him and hung up the phone,
her tears now flowing hard.
Her fingers shaking as she
slowly reached for the card.
Inside the card, she saw
that he had written her a note.
Then, as she stared in total silence,
this is what he wrote………..
“Hello my love, I know its been
a year since I have gone.
I hope it hasn’t been too hard
for you to overcome.
I know it must be very lonely,
and the pain is very real.
For if it was the other way,
I know how I would feel.
The love we shared made
every thing so beautiful in life.
I love you more than words can say,
You were the perfect wife.
You were my friend and lover,
You fulfilled my every need.
I know it’s only been a year,
but please try not to grieve.
I want you to be happy,
even when you shed your tears.
That is why the roses will be,
sent to you for years.
When you get these roses,
think of all the happiness,
that we had together,
and how both of us were blessed.
I have always loved you,
and I know I always will.
But, my love, you must go on,
you have some living still.
Please….try to find happiness
while living out your days.
I know its not easy, but I hope
you find some ways.
The roses will come every year
and they will only stop
When your door is not answered,
when the florist stops to knock.
He’ll come five times that day,
in case you’ve gone out.
But after his last visit
He’ll know without a doubt,
to take the roses to the place
where I’ve instructed him.
And place the roses where we are,
Together once again.”

I may keep on posting few things like this time n again. u'll find them under the label- My Collection.

Feel Good Tag

Wow!!! I have been tagged by Rebellion..Mera pehla pehla tag:)
This is a Feel Good tag. I gotta list down few things in me that i am proud of (bragging...now dont i simply love dat or wat:P)
Ahem...no no bragging. I'll complete this tag very very sincerely. So here goes....

1. I rock at my work. I enjoy working and every aspect of it. the deadlines, the work pressures. so much so that i hate absolutely hate sitting @ home.

2. I choose my friends very carefully. Though have many acquaintances, very few are considered my friends. And I am very proud of my them. *This is a hint for you ppl NOT to contradict what I write here*

3. I am perfect Agony Aunt. Pour out your troubles, your problems and just about anything you want to blurt out, i am here listening to you attentively.

4. This usually happens in continuation with point 3. I give good and practical advice. And it usually works.

5. I am a bit upfront (people call it blunt too at times). Esp when asked my opinions about something. If I dont like it, i'll say its crap. I don't try to disguise it in any way.

6. Well, its kinda unusual in gals but i don't gossip (Its true! Stop shaking your head in disbelief ok!). Though the flip side of this is in case i am sitting with a group of gals, I usually scumb to the self assigned role of a listener. (But dats ok, i am a good listener)

7. Though at times I do get a little scared and pessimist (like it was here and here), I end up being my optimistic best. "Kuch na kuch toh ho hi jayega." dats my last line to everything.

8. Ok i have been criticized for this at times but still.....I dont say SORRY. As in, not until I really really mean it. Though just a word, I cant deliver it unless I really feel guilty. So in case u ever happen to hear this from me, its for REAL.

Oops I forgot to add this one...how cud I!!
9. I am a punctuality freak. Partly coz I hate waiting for someone so I dont even make anyone wait for me. (In case anyone is reading who has ever had to wait for me, den it was purely an exception.)

mmmmmm dats it for now. Ofcourse u r free to add on a few things if I missed out on them.
As for tagging, mmmm I tag Adi, Spectator and..........dats it.

Nighmarish disease

People generate awareness for diseases like AIDS, there are researches to find cure for cancer and many other fatal diseases. One disease that is heavily under-rated but vast vaaaast vaaaaaaaaaaastly spread is....aaaa aaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkccccchhhuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

Excuse me all. *sniff* *sniff*

What was I saying...haan, vastly spread is cough and cold. I have never ever come across anyone who hasnt faced this dragon.

Ur head feels as heavy as lead, ur throat feels clawed, u cant utter a single sentence without punctuating it with *sniff* sniffing and often accompanied with fever:(

I am not prone to illness. Infact, i rarely fall ill (unless i need a leave:P). And even if i fall ill, i cant just lie and rest. But this *sniff* cough and cold, this like completely drains me out. All my senses take leave...my eyes get teary, I cant see. My ears start buzzing, I cant hear and loud noise gives me a headache. And my nose...Ah well! It is sooo busy sniffing, sense of smell is toh completely non-existant. And for some reason, when I cant smell food, I cant make out its taste too!! So u see:(:(

The worst part about this is that even though it torments the patient, its not considered a disease at all!! U cant take a leave from school/office citing heavy cold as a reason! No sympathies, no TLC, no get well soon messages!!

Sigh..dats just not fair u know.
aaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkccccchhhuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
*sniff*
Cant write anymore:(

Idiot box and me- A decade back

Alone at home, with nothing to do (or lets say, dint feel like doing anything:P) I switched on my Idiot box for some time pass. Like most of the people, i hardly watch TV and even when I do, its more of channel surfing avoiding adverts and repeat telecasts of the teary soap- operas.
I guess I heard while constantly pressing the NEXT on the remote control... "Jungle jungle baat chali hai.." What was dat? I came down on the channel list looking for the source of this long forgotten melody. And there it was on one of the channels- Jungle Book. After more than a decade, I got reunited with Moogli, bagira, bhalu, nag and the oh-so-evil Sher khan. This and next day when I read dis post, took me down the memory lane remembering my rendezvous with the TV in my childhood. Those were the times before cables channels turned up (at least at my place)
Other then, jungle book there was disney hour- mickey mouse, donald duck (I just cudnt understand a word he said bt it sounded funny. many a times i tried to imitate his voice bt so far...no luck) and later on series lk ducktales, talespin and alladin (my fav character in dis was the wickedly funny yakoob- the parrot).
There were morning shows hosted by Tabassum- lady with a very charming and loving persona and someone i was actually in awe of coz she cud talk like Donald Duck. Used to be glued to the screen listening to all kind of fables and stories- about a man who tried to steel bringles from his neighbor's backyard, about a girl who got rewarded for her selflessness, kind and unassuming nature and many others.
In between programs, there were fillers of Chitrahaar- a back-to-back songs program and list of Missing people telecasted by Gumshuda talash kendra.
And ofcourse at the end of the day @9PM, dad used to watch prime time news. Too young to bother about matters of the country and nation, i used to sit with dad noticing everything other than the news while waiting for the telecast to get over. Recorded against a plain pale blue background with a screen appearing at the right-topmost corner whenever the news was accompanied by a video footage. The news readers were people in their late 30s (atleast that wat they looked like). There used to be one particular news reader who used to wear a flower in her hair. It used to be of exact colour as her saree. How she alwayz managed to find the right shade always remained a mystery to me. (When was the last time i saw anyone wearing a flower in hair?)
On sundays there was Rangoli- a musical countdown show hosted by Hema Malini on air every Sunday @ 7AM (wow! i even remember the time). Dat was the only time i used to get up willingly so early. Then after 2 hours there used to be slew of mythological shows accompanying us at breakfast.
Weekends were special coz of Saturday and Sunday night movies. Done with the food before 9PM so that mom can peacefully watch the movie. Of course i never got to watch the entire sunday movie- school next day:(
'Weird how things have changed now...so many channels, so many shows. I sit in front of the TV for like 3 hours and still end up watching nothing. Whats of point of all dis. such a waste?' I think all this while continually surfing the channels.

Happy Friendship Day

A friend is somebody

Who knows you and likes you

Exactly the way that you are...

Someone who's special

And so close in thought

That no distance can ever seem far.

A friend understands you without any words,

Stands by you when nothing goes right...

And willingly talks over problems with you

Till they somehow just vanish from sight.

And whether you're neighbors or live miles apart,

A word from a friend gives a lift

To your heart and spirit that shows you once more

Why friendship is life's dearest gift!

A very very happy friendship's day to everyone:)

PS: This is NOT my composition.

Just a thought

"Expecting the world to treat you fairly b'coz you are a good person is a little like expecting the lion not to attack you b'coz you are a vegetarian."


This is the kinda stuff you post when you really dont have time to write anything but somehow feel like putting up something on the blog;)

Saying it loud...

• Sitting alone doesn't mean that I am lonely n sad n depressed or anything equally negative ok. It simply means that I am with myself n its PERFECTLY normal.
• Accept it: I am not a chatter box ok...I don't talk much. so while talking to me, the onus of steering conversation lies on YOU. Dont gimme des, "Aur sunao?, and whats up? , Kya hai teri kahaani? Y are you so quiet?"
• If I am sitting with 4 people talking and I am quiet, it does not mean that I am getting bored or left out. Im simply listening and perfectly at ease:)
• Next time when you think I'm looking ill, chances are that Im not wearing my kajal. Dats it!
• Dont seek my opinion if you are expecting to hear only Wow, awsome, its soo good..... If I dont like it, I'll tell you that. Be ready to face it.
• I dont alwayz bother to form an opinion about everything. So when I say "Its ok", I am NOT being shy and I am not lying. Im simply indifferent to it. So need not ask me again and again.
• I dont blush at a compliment and I dont mind a comment. Chances are your opinion doesnt matter.
• I dont gossip with everyone. So dont expect me to tell you all about my life and my friend's friend's life coz I wont.
• Stop complaining that I dont call up. You are not the only person on this earth whom i know and I cant possibly call up everyone. If its dat important, try writing me e-mails. I always reply to them.
• Dont ask me to swear on X, Y or Z thing everytime you think I am lying. I dont swear...If you want to believe me, you can do it without swearing on anything (unless as a slang).
• Stop saying,"You are hardly a girl OR You are not like other girls!!!" Im sick n tired of hearing it and now its kinda bugging. You said it once, I heard it.
  
• Stop asking, "So are you dating anyone? Im sure you are." I mean C'mon man, are you asking me or telling me! And why is it so important to know?
  
• Telling you about a problem does not mean that I am asking for a solution. When I want a solution, I'll simply ask your opinion or a course of action. If I don't, then just shut up and listen.
• Don't ask me too many questions about me. If I say leave it, den plz do.
• Don't get into the 'analysing me' mode. I don't need you to tell me what I am. I already know it. I am not a Martian or some rare species that you get down to analyze.
  

IN CASE U HAPPEN TO READ THIS POST, DONT BOTHER TO ENQUIRE IF THEY REFER TO YOU. IF YOU THINK THEY DO, THATS ENUFF!

Note: This post is open for updates so keep coming back to it. There is just might be something more to it.

Blueline @ 10PM

Last summers around the same time, I was working for a company in Noida in the evening shifts. My shift was till 9:30PM and we had cabs to drop us home. On dat fateful day, I happened to miss my cab (ONLY on dat day, the driver decided to leave at exactly 9:45PM. Y me!!!!). And so it was 9:50 and I was standing outside my office fuming at the cab driver, transport deptt, my boss who had to schedule a meeting at 9PM, fate, god while at the same time trying to figure out how to reach back home.
I thought of asking my dad to pick me up or asking one of my collegues to drop me home (my place was at drive of only 20 min away from office so it wasnt much of an issue). And then i saw a bus goin towards my place and all sane n logicals ideas flew outta my mind. "Why bother calling dad at all? Its just 20 min. By the time he'll reach office I'll be back home. I'll take a bus only." And so before any fear or terror could stop me, I crossed the road and boarded the first bus that came my way (obviously the one going to my place). I took the first stair, looked at the driver, then looked at the crowd in the bus and 1st thing that came to my mind, "AA-OH!" Reason: There was only person who seemed sane and sober in that bus and dat was ME. And that includes the driver! It was stinking of liquor. The thought of getting off this bus and dare-devilry flew out as soon as it came coz the bus started moving ahead.
I went in the bus and took a seat next to a window. I could feel around 20 pairs of eyes on me (later on i realised that I was the only gal in the bus) but I kept a firm grip on my nerves (wasnt easy!). I was suddenly mesmerized by Noida with my gaze unblinkingly fixed out of the window. Few people were getting on the bus and were 'trying to' navigate their way in the passage for the empty seats at the end of the bus. A guy sitting next to me though dint seem drunk definitely wasnt sane. Atleast 5 times he asked me the time; not that i bothered to tell him even once. Never ever had a 20 minutes ride had been this long.
Finally I got off the bus and dashed off to home (Phew!). Fortunately I had reached home around the same time as I would have with a cab so my mom dint really doubt anything and I obviously dint tell her anything.
Till date I wonder, what was I thinking? Or was I thinking at all?

Bus Torture

The other day I was having a discussion with a friend on these bus rides and dat reminded me of a bus journey I had early April on my way back from Vaishno Devi Yatra. We hadnt booked seats for our return journey since we wernt sure how long it'll take us to trek down. As it turned out, we were back in Katra after darshan all in 19 hours!
Since it was April summer, we were looking for an AC coach to take us back to Delhi on an over night journey. After much looking around, we finally got an AC coach heading for delhi and we booked 4 seats in that ( I was with my family).
Now although it was a VOLVO AC coach, it did look kinda worn out with a huge crack in one of the glasses (looked like a bullet mark to me!). Also it was not at all cleaned up with lotta dust and empty mineral water bottles and soft drink pet bottles all lying in between the seats. But since there wasnt any other option so we decided to just let it be. Anywayz, we were soo tired that nothing else mattered as long as bus kept on moving and we were secure from the heat by AC.
Soon after we started a group of people asked the bus incharge to put on a movie. Apparently these ppl were not sleepy at all. They were told that they have a TV set but NO CD player so basically that TV set was just there. dats it!
Wats next best to movie? Music! But they dint even have a music player!! "Our CD player and music player recently got stolen."
Anywayz though it was all highly unacceptable It dint really bother me all that much. I was super-tired with every muscle in my body crying out loud. All I wanted was to sleep so I was kinda glad that der isnt any music or TV to disturb me.
But I wish dat was all
There was increasing heat in the bus (an it was an AC coach!) almost to the level of such an increased humidity that it became unbearable. As it turned out, the engine was heating up. So we made a stop and put some water in the engine.
After barely 20 kms, a woman in a car passing by screamed that there is smoke coming out of OUR bus's engine!! (*the engine of this bus was at the back) Now this obviously raised alarm and all of us rushed down within seconds os bus stopping. After howling at the driver a bunch of guyz decided that this bus was not safe enough to get into any longer (there was another group of 2-3 guyz who thot it was simply making a mountain outta molehill. There isnt anything wrong with the bus other than engine heating up. But we cudnt cum to a decision for a good 1 hour and we were marooned at 1AM in the morning in the middle of nowhere. After making calls to the booking agent asking him to send us a backup bus (which he obviously dint have), we finally decided to move ahead cautiously till we find water, put it in the coolant jar of the bus and den go on our way. Luckily we found a handpump nearby. Tens of empty bisleri bottles were used (it was a bus so we obviously needed many litres of water)
And so off we went. We were still a good 400km away from Delhi, bus wasnt moving at more than 60kmph (and dats a bus which can easily touch 100kmph!), the AC wasnt working (and since it was SUPPOSED to work, the glasses of the bus were sealed so no outside air coming in) and to top it all the utter heat & humidity of the bus invited lots of mosquitoes and flies in the bus!!! By the time we reached delhi which was around 4PM (we had started at 8PM last evening!), we were crawling @ 25kmph. I had never been so happy to see the shining blue sign of "Delhi Welcomes You".
As it turned out the bus in question was a scrap of the Uttranchal transport bus srvice and had been plying for 4 years on the Delhi-Dehradoon route. An agency got it in a worn out condition at a discount and had sent it to the workshop for repairs. But due to the heavy rush for delhi buses in katra, the bus owner saw an opportunity to earn some bucks and gave his bus for a trip to delhi without the repair work completed...Ridiculous but i wonder how many of others must have done the same. Wateverrr but we reached home at last and it was a journey to last me a lifetime.
Jai mata di:)

Stressed Who?

While writing Stressed Out, I found dis pic on internet. Funny na:)

Ouch! That hurts:(

Why should I care what he/she thinks what I can do? How does it matter huh? People who have been with me must have heard me say this at some time or the other. And its true for me. How can any body's opinion be of any importance to me.
Until...
I don't think you can handle this. Fine it was your choice and Im not saying you are right or wrong. All Im saying is that its too big for you so better be very careful and focus on it.
And
Do I have any reason to believe in you?
Ouch! That hurts. No reason to believe in me! This coming from someone who has been so very important to me. One of those verrrry few people whose opinion I sought and admired! Fine so I did let him down once but was that big enough to wipe out all his trust in me? Was it soo brittle? This makes me doubt my own self. Maybe he is right. Maybe I cant do this. I cudnt do it last time, den how can I do this now?
Or....I can do it this time. Y? Well coz I cudnt last time. Yesss!
And so I'll carry on. But still....it hurts:(

Worst PJ ever!

You know there should be law against people like this guy. Picture this...you had a very busy day (and dat too after a long time). Imagine roaming around in the city in the temperature of 34 degree, sun draining out your energy and patience..u got the picture na. So after such a day you come back home and you login on Gtalk to catch up with some friends.
And you came across this fella who completely drains you out by PJs!
Sample this conversation I had with spectator (referred to here as S). My thoughts are in italics:
S: 4 elephants sitting on a tree branch. one of them falls off. Why?
Me: Dunno
S: There wasnt space enuff for him.
Me: Kya bakwaas!
S: Another elephant falls down. Now tell me why?
This time i tried to play along. I tried my hand at it and it was best by my standards.
Me: To accompany the earlier one
S: No! First elephant had caught on to his leg so he also got carried down.
Me: ????????????
S: Ok now one more of them falls down. Guess why?
Me: No clue
S: No! He thought its a jumping competition.
Me: I gotta go to market.
S: Arrey wait na. Achcha the last one also falls down. Y?
Me: to accompany others?
S: No baba. The tree pushed him. Then the tree also fell down.
Me: Beyond me to guess.
S: Coz tree thought he is also an elephant.
Aaarrrrgggghhhhh! What can i loose if I kill this guy? I think I can plead not-guilty on grounds of self-defence! Any lawyers out there?
So Spectator, I admit when it comes to cracking PJs, you take the cake, oven, bakery and baker!!!! But for christ sake, Spare me!!!!!!!

Going back to forwards

Empty mind is a devil's workshop. But my mind has become a time machine taking me on nostalgic trips down the memory lane.
Its been a good 6-7 years since I opened my 1st e-mail account on Rediff (I wasn't much of a computer addict back than and dis e-mail account also I opened coz one of my friends was going outta Delhi..so it was more of a 'have to' thing for me). But later on I got kinda addicted to it. That excitement of composing e-mails and more than writing, reading e-mails. A new way of doing things. Funny coz dat time I dint really get any mails of significance (not dat i get them now even but..wateverrr) still that anticipation while opening the inbox of ur mail ID and reading 'you have x new/unread mails'...priceless! And since there wasn't anything of significance sent to me, what i looked forward to were the Forwards. Yup those non-personal mails dat u get telling you some story, joke and mostly some sorta funny animation, often with a trail of previously forwarded IDs.
Now there are many who find them irritating, impersonal (Someone send some crappy joke to 100 people and he/she clicked on your name too..big deal! just makes you part of the crowd) and complete junk eating into the storage space of your mail account..blah blah blah.
But heylo.....they are not meant as someone-is-thinking-about-you token! And they are not crappy alwayz.. u get quiet interesting pics and links through forwards. Though i admit those chain mails are indeed a pain in u-know-what. Curse of the evil tweety (how can such a cute bird be termed evil!), God's eye (an image clicked by space station..talk of superstition and science going hand in hand) and Virgin Mary's boon...you name it. These will come with a condition that send it to 10 friends in next 1 hour or you'll be cursed for the next 10 years blah blah blah. That really bugs no end.
I don't forward them ahead but so far i havnt been haunted by any evil spirit (I guess so!)
Other than that, I dont have any issues with forwards. Too bad i dont get them anymore what wid all my friends buzy wid office and all. But still when i am on nostalgic trips like these, I go through some of my old mails...feels good:)

Facing a wrong choice

"Life is all about the choices you make"
This is something i have alwayz lived by. There is nothing like pre-defined course of life. You, your actions and your choices have the power to shape your life and decide its course.
But what you do when you make a wrong choice? (To err is human, you cant alwayz be right na.) You made a choice that seemed like just the right path infact almost tailor made for you but as you progressed along, you realize its the wrong way! Forget the right it doesn't even lead to wrong way...it leads to a dead end. No where to go from there. And you have come a long way...too far to turn and change course. Now what- Stop rite there? or continue walking till you reach the end? And then wat?
In times like these, I wish oh-how-much-i-wish to play the blame game..if there was some way to shift the blame to someone else..maybe god, maybe destiny or just anything dammit!! I dint know it was wrong path..it seemed rite dat time. y will i choose something so bad for myself! But like someone told me last evening, maybe it was my delusion which made me see it as right course..i saw what i wanted to see and moved on.
Oh well, whom am i kidding. I made a choice and now i gotta stick to it, come what may.
And maybe its not an end after all. I guess I need to look at it closely, i might find a way out. Yaaaa..dats the way to look at it:)

Kinda messed up so took it all out here.

Wrong Number

Seems like this is season for Flash back trips for me. Got reminded of this wrong number call I got a few years back. I was having my final year exams. Next day was my paper for an exceptionally tedious and boring paper and I was at my wit's end.
TRING TRING
Me: Hello?
He: Hello..how are you?
Me: aaaa Hi, who is this?
He: Achcha, so now you don't even recognize me huh

Me: mmmmmmm Im sorry bt i really am not able to place you.
He: Ok tell me dis evening's plan is confirmed or u want to cancle it again?
Me: Huh? Sorry. Wrong number.

TRING TRING
Me: Hello
He: So you are still angry?
Me: Listen its a wrong number!
He: Ok baba. Im sorry for what happened ok. Ab theek hai?
Me: Listen, you have dialled wrong number ok.

TRING TRING
Me:
He: Dekho pushpa, ye jo tumahra attitude hai na, ye bahut galat hai. Arrey every time u do the same thing. I wont tolerate it anymore!!
Me: huh??? You check the number you have dialled ok. Stop pushing the re-dial button!!

Finally I had to switch off the phone. If I hadn't been so pre-occupied with my exam, It would be have been fun playing around but the timing was wrong:(
Hope dat Mr. who-so-ever-he-was was able to contact who-so-ever-he-wanted-to. Poor thing sounded completely exhausted.lolz!

Office Vocabulary

Essential vocabulary additions for the workplace (and elsewhere)!!! How many of these have you come across;)

1. BLAMESTORMING:Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.
2. SEAGULL MANAGER: A manager, who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves.
3. ASSMOSIS: The process by which some people seem to absorb success and advancement by kissing up to the boss rather than working hard .
4. SALMON DAY: The experience of spending an entire day swimming upstream only to get screwed and die in the end.
5. CUBE FARM: An office filled with cubicles.
6. PRAIRIE DOGGING: When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on.
7. MOUSE POTATO: The on-line, wired generation's answer to the couch potato.
8. SITCOMs: Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage. What Yuppies get into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home with the kids.
9. STRESS PUPPY:A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and whiny.
10. SWIPEOUT: An ATM or credit card that has been rendered useless because magnetic strip is worn away from extensive use.
11. XEROX SUBSIDY: Euphemism for swiping free photocopies from one's workplace.
12. IRRITAINMENT: Entertainment and media spectacles that are Annoying but you find yourself unable to stop watching them.
13. PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE: The fine art of whacking the crap out of an electronic device to get it to work again.
14. ADMINISPHERE:The rarefied organizational layers beginning just above the rank and file. Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.
15. 404: Someone who's clueless. From the World Wide Web error Message "404 Not Found," meaning that the requested site could not be located.
16. GENERICA: Features of the American landscape that are exactly the same no matter where one is, such as fast food joints, strip malls, and subdivisions.
17. OHNOSECOND:That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you've just made a BIG mistake. (Like after hitting send on an email by mistake).
18. WOOFS: Well-Off Older Folks.
19. CROP DUSTING:Surreptitiously passing gas while passing through a Cube Farm.

Penning down...

Last evening my mom's request to copy a few pages from some book for her brought me face to face with my friend from bygone era..My pen. I picked it up and sat down to complete the chore set down by my mom. What once was enjoyable seemed a struggle to me. "dats strange" I thought.
I picked up my pen close. We saw each other; as one sees a long lost friend. I think i had a smile of recognition on my face (cudnt see it obviously), I saw a smile of hurt.
"Hey, how r u? Long time huh?" I said starting up a conversation.
"Long time? make that 2 years and dunno how many months. Is dats how u keep in touch?" There was complain in that voice.
"Well I started with my office and there i was buzy with things. Just dint have time to get back to old hobbies. Its not i forgot you people..I couldn't spend a day without you two yaar, dont u know it!" I retorted at this complain, refusing to be held guilty.
"Hmph...if you can spend 2 years away from your friends then they are no longer part of your everyday life for sure. And you know it very well. The past tense in your words says it all sweetie."
"Ofcourse not!"I reverted back but defied conviction in my own words. I knew I had let them down.
Things had changed and how. From times when I couldn't get 2 straight lines outta my head without a pen held in between my fingers to today when I can't think without the feel of electronic keys positioned beneath my finger tips. After my final year exam for graduation 2 years back, I don't remember writing words for even half a page...It never went farther then a few lines.
Technology wat else!
"Are you writing it or again stuck to your phone?" My mom inquired.
I continued my struggle to copy down the words in a handwriting i could barely recognize..and read.

Talk Talk Nonstop

TRAI says Indians talk the most on mobile phones after their counterparts in US. Well so we do.
Its interesting to note how people talk on phone. If he/she is on the move as in walking, they stop in their way to talk while there are others who if sitting will starting walking (mostly in to-n-fro motion).
They'll whisper while talking to someone sitting across them in a restaurant but give them a call and they'll scream at the top of their voice.
And the most interesting one is when someone receives a call while in a noisy place like a bus. "Hello. Im in bus rite now n its too noisy. cant hear you properly. Will talk to u later ok...haan bolo...achcha? toh usko bolo ki kal aayega...nahi aaj its not possible. baad mien baat karta hun ok...haan...kal? kitne baje? see if u can arrange for the tickets...ok..haan...." and it goes on getting regularly punctuated with talk-to-you-later!
And man the stuff people talk about. You can find housewives discussing some recipies, latest twist in daily soap, maid trouble, kids-dont-listen-to-me, where to buy what from and ofcourse the latest purchase...ofcourse list dosnt end here.
Shopkeepers and vendors require cell phone to take orders for home delivery of vegetables, fruits n grocery items. "Madam, aap hamara number le lijiye. phone karke bata dijiye kina samaan chahiye. hum pahucha denge"
Maids (who des days are almost as imp in running the house as lady of the house) need to keep track of all the houses they need to go to. "Hello madam, haan main aa rahi hun. Abhi 506 mein hun. Aadhe ghante mein aa jaungi. Arrey nahi madam main chutti pe nahi hun"
And ofcourse there is another segment of people like yours truely for whom mobile is a means to overcome boredom, occasional bouts of insomnia when i call up my friends @ 2AM in the nite only to ask 'Wassup? Sleeping kya?'. (hahahahaha..im sure one of des dayz, i'll be murdered for this.)
Besides boredom, keeping in touch with your friends, bitching, gossiping (dats true only for gals...maybe), cribbing blah blah blah. So many things you need this phone for.
My dad sayz phone is a added hassle which people have made out as a necessity..world functioned perfectly fine 2 decades back.
Well dad. i dunno how people lived in dos times (i was too small) but 2day, I dont think we can and..oh 1 sec..i got a call.

Also read Talkative Indians

I Wish...

Remember the fable where a man was granted 3 wishes? Well sometimes I too long for such an opportunity. Only problem would be how to accommodate my wish list in just 3?
I wish it snowed in Delhi..in JUNE!
I wish I could fly n go anywhere...at least i'll be spared the traffic jams.
I wish I could eat eat n eat without putting on even an ounce of weight (not that it bothers me even now.)
I wish no one smoked on this earth (for details, read this)
I wish my mom would stop asking me to clean up my room:(
I surely wish I can remember the names of people i meet with their faces. Imagine when I come across someone in a mall or multiplex greeted with a big Hiiiiiiii, a hug, smile n all that. n all this while im staring blankly at the fella wondering, " I know i have seen this fella somewhere. I know him. but what the devil is his name?"
I wish to be able to get movie tickets for any movie, any time, any where. Even if i try to get tickets for a Prime Time show of a so called block buster at like 5 minutes before the show begins.
I wish my friend (lemme not name her) stops giving me a piece of her mind everytime i tell her about some acquaintance i made online.
I wish people would stop asking me n my mom about my shaadi. Its not gonna be for atleast another 5 years ok. n how the devil is it anymore concern to you!?!
I wish I could clear out memory of any bad words i said to someone dear (unknowingly) or any bad decisions i made (wow...dat was senti type)

They say, If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
Im glad it's true. coz u see..i don't know riding:P

Experienced Serendipity?

Watched this movie few dayz back. Fine so it was released in 2001 but i watched it a few years later..big deal! For the unawares, Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely. in short, accidental good fortune.
Though im not one for the mushy mushy fairy tale romance, i kinda liked the movie not to mention cute John Cusack;) but this is not about the movie.

It reminded me of a few incidences in my own life when I found something
while looking for something completely different (Though as things happen with me, i NEVER NEVER NEVER find the thing im lookin for @ the time im lookin for it but...whateverrrrrr!). Like when I was looking for a mag (some stupid stuff for
pass time), came across Alchemist by Paulo Coelho n bought it purely outta impulse.
Or when I was about to leave my job but had a chat wid my newly appointed boss n decided to stay.Met great people & learned a lot in those few months.
Or when during my annual room-tidying-up, I found my notebook with my music notes (Ahem, i was into singing once). I wrote it when i was in class 7- dats lk 10 yrs back!! I thought i had lost it somewhere.
I got to know about one of my very good friends after a gap of 8 years through his neighbour who happened to be my classmate. It was wonderful reliving through all those moments again while talking.
Went to watch Vivah (Ok...spare me the raised eyebrows n exclaimations!), dint get the tickets (reached late dats y) ended up watching Guru n simply loved it.
And many such incidences...they arnt big by any means. They dont effect the way you think, the way you react or even your outlook towards life..No way! But in your mundane life running after things when the only good fortune you expect is possibly lesser traffic n stoppage time @ the traffic lights, when you come across something like this, it makes you stop for a second and simply SMILE!!

So have a Smiling day:)


PS: Come to think of it, y did i include the movie? mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Whateverrrrrr!