Saturday, November 12, 2011

We'll Dream Together




“Mooooommmm”, eight year old Mickey knocked on her mother’s bedroom door, “let me in!”

“Mick, patience sweetie. Birthday girls are always supposed to be patient!”

“Really?” Mickey got all excited. “I’ll go and get the Operations game!”

“Mickey, you know that’s not what I meant”, Jaya called out through the door. “Just fifteen minutes more darling and we can go. By the time you get dressed, I’ll be downstairs, waiting near the car. Now hurry up!”

“Olwyt.. Iv yew say sow”, Mickey faked a sulk and headed to her room. She was jumping with excitement inside. It was going to a fun evening for her and mom. First going shopping and trying on 50 dresses before they select 5. Her mom clicking pictures as her darling daughter posed, much to the annoyance of the staff; then dinner at their favourite Mexican restaurant, followed by a huge birthday cake just for her and mom, that they would gobble after going back home while opening her presents. She couldn’t wait!

Jaya and Mickey made a good pair, being strong for each other. Sometimes Jaya felt that Mickey was stronger than her. She took it upon herself to make her mom smile, every day, surprising her with hugs, leaving short letters under her pillow every Thursday morning, before she left for school, their weekend ice cream walks, when Mickey would try a new flavour every time and make a face when she didn’t like it but still would finish the whole of it till the last lick. It was like silently, unknowingly, Mickey was teaching Jaya to find happiness in small things. The hilarity of eating a gross flavour of banana and rose swirl and acting like it was the most delicious flavour she had ever tasted, Mickey had the most cheerful soul. She could see her old  self in Mickey’s eyes and she was proud of it.Proud that even when she would be gone, Mickey will have these memories to keep her strong. And she would smile. Jaya worked every day for that. To make her smile, to make sure that Mickey would remain strong even after she was gone. Jaya broke her reverie, not that it would happen in another forty years or so. She had a healthy and happy life ahead with Mickey. She collected all the pages lying on her desk, glancing at the clock. Six minutes and Mickey will storm into the room this time. She finished quickly, tied the pages with a blue string and put the bundle into the red velvet folder she’d stitched. Pleased with her work, she smiled and put the folder in the drawer. Two minutes and Mickey will be here! She quickly changed her top, and rushed to the door. As she swung it open, there she was with her mouth open wide, a big frown and a hand that was held to bang at the door, almost punched her mom in her stomach. And they both burst out laughing. 

“You look so pretty, birthday lady.”

“Where is my gift?”

“Is that how you accept a compliment?”

“I didn’t accept it Mom. I’ll accept it along with my gift.”

“You know the deal, you’re supposed to wait till we get back home.”

“I hate waiting!”


“I love you!”

They jumped into the car. An eight year old with a big smile and twinkling eyes, her dark gleaming hair falling on her shoulders and a thirty two year old with short hair, petite frame, brown eyes with the same happiness in her eyes as her daughter.

“Red or green?” Jaya asked, as she started the car and moved out of the driveway. They’d invented this game on one boring Monday, where they would guess the signal just before they turned towards the main road from their house.  

“RED”, Mickey screamed as she turned on the volume of the music player and started singing along... “Ain’t no mountain high enough...”

------------------------------------------------------------
MANY YEARS LATER


“Ain’t no mountain...” The words brought her to a standstill. It had been years since she’d heard the song. 10 years to be exact, how she’d managed that was still a mystery to her. Her mind was again flooded with memories. Her eighth birthday. Mom in her pale blue top. She in her strawberry red frock. Red or green. Turn the volume down a little Mick. Her mom singing along with Marvin Gaye. Listen Baby. The signal. Red. She won. A loud horn. And... That’s all she remembered. That’s all she could remember. She moved towards the radio, staring at it as if it were a live thing. A birthday dedication. The RJ chirpily said, this song is dedicated to a very special birthday girl... she wasn’t interested in hearing the rest. She rushed to her room, threw open her cupboard. And  rummaged through her clothes. There it was, pushed at the  back of the shelf. Wrapped in white tissue. Did it still smell of her? Or was she just imagining it. She pulled it out and sat on her bed, cross legged. Slowly she removed the tissue, like she was opening her gift for the first time, the gift she had received 10 years ago. She felt a gulp in her throat as she touched the smooth red folder. The velvet faded, over the years but still soft to her touch. A smile was slowly creeping on her face as her eyes welled up. “TO THE BIRTHDAY LADY”, bright blue bold letters. And below it, a Polaroid shot, a sleepy almost 8 year old with an amazingly bright mom. Hugging her daughter tight. She opened the flap... and read the first page. 


Dreams and Memories

Happy Birthday my little lady! No I haven’t put it down as your 8th birthday, because I want you to read and look at this on every birthday. So now, even if I don’t get to gift you something new on your birthday, you’ll always have a gift with you. A gift of memories and dreams. Go ahead Mick, you have made a lot of special memories and now it’s time to dream some more. Some mothers tell their daughters what they dream for them, some tell them to do what they'd dreamt for themselves. Your mom, the loving woman she is, shares here...what she dreams to do with you. So every year, when you or rather we go through this book, we can turn back the pages and tick off the memories we've made and then turn the pages to the memories we are going to make ahead.  And remember, no matter where you are and no matter how old I get, we’ll dream together. Happy Dreaming my baby!

As Mickey turned to the next page, she burst out laughing, her mom with a scowl on her face as Mickey stuffs a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. She knew the reason of the scowl even before she saw the next picture. Her mom smiling unwillingly into the camera, her face red and swollen cause of the allergic reaction from the custard apple ice cream. Mickey forgot about the pain she was feeling in her gut few minutes back. She turned to the next page. Six year old Mickey with an evil smile on her face, as she held tight to a fat ugly noisy stinky cat. The next picture, a missing cat poster, with their neighbors address.  She turned to the last page, and took out a CD from an envelope pasted in the back cover. She got up  from the bed, inserted the CD into the player and jumped onto the bed again. 

Listen, baby

Ain't no mountain high

Ain't no vally low

Ain't no river wide enough, baby

She smiled wide and brought out a felt pen. All these years, she hadn’t been able to do it. Make memories without her mother. But today, she no more felt alone. Mom was here with her, in her memories, in her dreams. Nagging her, teasing her, loving her, scolding her. And she began scribbling notes on the pages, next to the sketches Jaya had drawn all those years back. A scrawny girl with a trophy and a big smile. She scribbled about the essay competition she won in 6th grade. A pimply girl with a scowl. She scribbled about the day she got her first period.  A tall girl, blushing cutely and holding a heart in her hand. She scribbled about her first valentine’s when she was 16. And she continued. Scribbling. Reliving all the memories with her mom. Dreaming of the future with her mom. She would never be alone. Her mom had taken care of that. 

~The End~

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Three Things





Three names I go by - 

Kay
Pooh
Bulleee

Three places I have lived - 


Jaipur
Delhi
Koriyama
Three jobs I have had in my life -

A chef for hungry friends
Shopping companion
School project adviser to my cousin



Three TV shows that I watch/ed -




The Modern Family
Gilmore Girls
HIMYM

Three places I have been -

Disneyland
Hauz Khas Village
Colaba

Three places I want to go to -


My school - to relive the old days
Goa - to live on the beach
Japan in April - for hanami

Three favourite foods - 

Mom's food
Homemade gigantic burgers
Donuts 


Three favourite drinks - 



Plum wine
Orange tang
Water

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

10/380


I was a chubby one year old when I got here. To this day, I tell everyone my house’s as old as me. I have been blessed with a not so good memory, but if I dig deep down… I can still see Mom and Dad sitting for the Griha Pravesh puja. I remember sleeping in their room and getting scared at night, that the Onida ghost will come out from under the bed. I grew up a bit and learnt he was just a silly actor. I had my own room by then, which I shared with my brother. Mom had made this seating arrangement near the window where we could sit and read. Then there were the pyjama parties, though we probably wore shorts (or knickers like we referred them), a group of brothers and me, how I learned to cry to get my way every time, how we made tents out of bed sheets and created our own mansion in the room, how we played dark room and cards (religiously), and decorated our very own Christmas trees every year and had a feast. As we grew up we moved on to more mature games, like Scrabble, Life, Scotland Yard, etc. Games changed and moods changed but the room remained the same. My brother and I soon had our own rooms when we got too snobbish to live with each other.

When all the kids got together, the room got too tiny to sleep in together… So we put mattresses in the living room or on the terrace every night. I used to love sleeping under the dark sky in the summers, though there were times I was petrified that a screeching bat would come and bite off my nose (Don’t ask me who fed me that horror tale!). The terrace was again my favourite when it rained. It was wide enough to run, skid, slip, slide and do just about everything.

My room and the terrace were the two most favourite places for me in the house. After them came my parents room, the bed was always cool enough, the pillows were always soft enough to get the most sound sleep.


Then came the garden, my parents have both been blessed with ‘green fingers’, though I do not particularly enjoy getting my hands messy in the wet mud, I felt proud of the way the garden looked. Come springtime, it used to be vibrant with colours, think of a colour and it would be there! Pink, Orange, White, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Brown, Green, and colours which I don’t even have a name for. My mom loved the garden, would toil hard to keep it pretty. Be it winters or summers, she made sure her plants were taken care of properly and Dad would love clicking pictures of the countless flowers that bloomed every spring season.





The time when I really loved the house the most was at Diwali. When I became big enough to handle a candle on my own, it was my sole responsibility to light the Diyas around the house. So come Diwali day, I would set to work when it would still be bright outside. It took me two-three hours to place the Diyas covering the entire façade of the house. Once I was done, I would call Dad to come out and click pictures and out he would come with his camera and tripod. I would ask him to click several photos from a same place, in case some got messed up. For this sole reason Diwali was, is and always will be my favourite season and for this sole reason, I wish to have a house of my own someday that has a big façade along with a garden.
When college started, I left the house, left the hometown. I never knew how the home-stay would be temporary from then on. But with college and its 101 adventures, I never really missed home much. Except when I starved for good homemade food! College soon got over and I ended up moving further away. That’s when I started missing home and every nook and corner of it.  And I still do.
Today, the house is no more a home for me, the garden is bare, the plants and pots are gone, and everything inside the house from old bundled up books to weathered boots, everything which made the house a home is not there.
After 25 years, Mom and Dad sold it for a bigger, better and quieter place. I could not come when Mom and Dad packed all our stuff and moved it out. I wasn’t there when the neighbourhood aunty came to meet Mom feeling sad that we won’t live there anymore. I wasn’t there to say goodbye to my room, my terrace and my neighbours. I wasn’t there to see the rooms bare, to see the kitchen bare, to see the façade bare. And I feel glad.
The image I have of that house in my mind is a home with a beautiful garden, with a comfortable living room with old wooden chairs, with my room the way I left it, with the kitchen smelling of Mom’s cooking. And this image will stay with me forever.
This post is my way of saying goodbye to house number 380. To look back on all the wonderful times, the not so wonderful times, the fights with my brother, the festivals, the ‘knicker-parties’, the arguments, the dressing up sessions with Mom, the all nighters with friends, the childhood games, the birthday parties, the school days, the summer vacations and thank Mom and Dad for making it the best home I could imagine.



Tuesday, August 9, 2011

What hasn’t killed me has made me stronger indeed!


The first time I wrote a post on this blog.. these were the pledges I took. Four year later.. I think it’s time for a review!

  • To keep myself active (Ahem.. Getting up at 7:30..  walking regularly.. that’s as active I’ve becomet
  • To prevent life from getting tangled every third day (Hmm.. Instead of every 3rd day.. it’s now thrice a month.. good progress I’d say!)
  • To get up early (7:30 is early enough for now!)
  • To sleep not so late (12 is no more SO late)
  • To take care of my health ( I survived 4 years without any major illnesses..)
  • To do things that make me happy (Ahh.. Eat.. Sleep.. Work.. Talk.. Shop.. keeps me happy!)
  • To study ( guess I should've put this as the first one) (HA!.. Been there.. done that. Period.)
  • to bitch a little less (I am a woman.. what more can I add here)
  • To read a little more ( I do as much as I can)
  • To stay happy come what may (I try. I succeed)
  • To keep my cool (I think I have learnt a bit how to do so)
  • To save money/electricity/water/food/everything that I can (I try my best..)
  • To take decisions on my own (that I do.. But I do need help when I can’t decide what to have for dinner :-/)
  • To stand up for my rights :D  (O yea!)
  • To stop swearing (Umm.. I learnt more in the past few years)
  • To keep pledging.... (Hmm… Later!)


Four years… So much as changed and still so much has stayed the same. People have left. New people have arrived. Memories have faded. New memories have been created. I still work constantly on myself. I understand better now, what matters and what doesn’t. Who matters and who doesn’t. I have learnt to be strong to the limit of being arrogant. I have learnt that things change. People change. Feelings change. I have learnt to enjoy company. I have learnt to enjoy being alone. I have learnt that life goes on.

Friday, July 29, 2011

JLT!





It is a horrible feeling, when the weekend is looming in front of you but the realization does not make you happy, coz like every Saturday you've got to work on this one too. Sigh. Well I AM used to working on a Saturday now (almost), but there are  five days a week a few times when I wish I didn't have to!






You'​re stuck​ on an elevator with the person you have fallen the hardest for. What happens?​
Gather up some courage for small talk. When that gets done, wait for my floor. Step out. Jump with glee.

When is the last time you were in a photo​booth​ taking pictures with friends?
Almost two years ago with my niece.

Who'​s the last person you had a sleep​over with?​
It all seems so long ago!

Have you ever seen someone you knew and purposely avoid​ed seeing them?​
Ahaa.. i have!

On average,​ what do you think​ you cry about​ the most?​
Failure.

Do you have a friend of the opposite sex that you can tell every​thing​ to?
Yes I do.

Does it matte​r to you if your boyfriend/​girlfriend​ smoke​s?​
It definitely would.

Do you think​ you have made a difference​ in anyone'​s life?​
I would like to think that I have.

Which​ of your friends is the easiest to talk to?
PJ, ST, KV.

Are you going​ anywhere next summer?​
Next summer's too far ahead to plan right now.

Are you waiting for anyone to call right​ now?
Not really.

Are you shy?
Shy no. Tongue-tied yes.

Are you talkative?​
I can blab like crazy but when I don't want to talk, it might get difficult to get a word out of me.

Do you announce when you have to pee?
Haha, yes at times I do.

Who was the last person you cried​ in front​ of?
I guess Mom.

Are you good at hiding your feelings?​
Not really. I pour it all out. 

How is life going​ for you right​ now?
Pretty decent I'd say. 

Do you trust​ people easily?​
No. It may take like forever. 

Do you give out second​ chances easily?​
I do. But then I regret doing so.

Do you smile​ a lot?
Smile not really. Laugh yes I do.

One thing​ you'​re looking forward to?
Saturday evening!

How do you feel about​ change?​
Change is temporary.

Have you ever cried​ from being​ so mad?
I cry when I get super mad with someone. But then that happens rarely

Do you get the recommended eight​ hours​ of sleep​ each night​?​
Most blessed night I do.

Are you ticklish?​
Yea, just on my feet.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

If I could..


What are you supposed to do when you write, write and write the whole day for people around the world but when it comes to writing on your blog, you go all blank, or get too lazy or too occupied :-(
It saddens me.. This is the only place where I can write for myself, as I want and how I want. So I'll strive to keep it alive. Amen.


When I was growing up, I was never sure what I wanted to be, when I was five years old, I wanted to be a doctor, and then when I grew up a bit a fashion designer, then a hair stylist, then a software programming analyst (don't ask me where I learnt that!), and then a creative designer, then an engineer and somewhere between that a writer. (Yeah, says a lot about my indecisive nature!)

And now when I have grow up (a bit), the list hasn't got any shorter, there are still so many things I want to be, if only I could! And if I could..

I'd write every little thing I experience
I'd photograph every thing that pleases my heart
I'd paint everything on big canvases
I'd give people awesome hairstyles
I'd dance in a big concert
I'd go back to school and study world history
I'd shop shop and shop and be shopping adviser ;)
I'd travel the whole world

...and get paid for all of it!!


That's all there's on my list as of now. Do you have a list of your favorite jobs too? Share with me! :)


Wednesday, June 22, 2011

I know it's not a Sunday, but here's a Meme in memory of one!

Before this blog dies another death (Not due to laziness, but due to business :P ), here's a meme to accelerate it a bit..


Lol!






What curse word do you use the most?
@#$%&*!


Do you own an iPod?
I do.


What time is your alarm clock set for?
6:00, 6:30, 7:00 ( please sympathize!)


Flip flops or sneakers?
Sneakers!


Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture?
If it's just me, I like taking pictures, but if I'm with my people... I like being in them!


What was the last movie you watched?
Ready (Ages ago!)


Do any of your friends have children?
Yes. (Now that doesn't make me old, you hear?)


Has anyone ever called you lazy?
Yep. I


Do you ever take medication to help you fall asleep faster?
Ahh.. No.


What CD is currently in your CD player?
CD??


Do you prefer regular or chocolate milk?
Regular cold milk in summers, hot chocolate in winters!


Has anyone told you a secret this week?
Haha.. I rather not answer!


Who was the last person to call you?
Dad


Do you think people talk about you behind your back?
Hmm.. I think they do.


Did you watch cartoons as a child?
Still do. Once in a while.


Are you shy around the opposite sex?
I don't think so.


What movie do you know every line to?
Kaho Na Pyaar Hai. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. 



Do you own any band t-shirts?
I am not a fan of those. Band T Shirts that is.


Do you read for fun?
I read. Period.


Do you cry a lot?
No I don't.


Who was the last person to text message you?
A friend. We msg each other crap songs lines all the time.


Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop?
Laptop.


Are you currently wanting any piercings or tattoos?
A Tattoo. I want!


What is the weather like?
Hot. Humid. Ugh.


When was the last time you slept on the floor?
Oh.. I actually do not remember :O


How many hours of sleep do you need to function?
I get 6, I would love 8.


Do you pay attention to calories on the back of packages?
Blah!


Are you picky about spelling and grammar?
I am one of those who uses full words even while texting. So now you have your answer.


Do you get along better with the same or opposite sex?
I get along with both. But then it depends.


Do you like cottage cheese?
LOVE it.


Do you sleep on your side, tummy, or back?
I sleep on my side and then my back and then roll over on my tummy.


Do you enjoy giving hugs?
I do. But to people who enjoy hugging back.


What song did you last sing out loud?
I can sing right now. You spin my head right round, right round!


Which celebrity, dead or alive, would you want to have lunch with?
Arjun Rampal. *melts away*


Last time you had butterflies in your stomach?
Think when I started my new job.


What one thing do you wish you had?
Long weekends.

Monday, June 13, 2011

My Kite Runner

I was standing on the terrace, facing west, holding the camera close to my eye and capturing the sun's rays piercing through the thick clouds. The effect was splendid, the golder rays against the pale clouds, the weather was pleasant after a heavy shower in the afternoon. A cool breeze was blowing and there a few birds soaring high in the sky and a few kites.
Suddenly I hear a voice, "Didi, didi patang kahaan hai?''
There was a tiny boy, in a white vest and dark shorts, waiting eagerly for me to answer. I look at him and point at a black kite flying in the sky. He looks up and then looks at me, ''Arre wo nahi, wo jo kat kar gayi thi wo'', he retorts after my stupid response.

Realising that I won't be of any help he starts looking around and finally finds it. He picks it up and yells, "Mil gayi!!" He then jumps over a few walls and disappears. I go back to to clicking pictures. A few minutes later, I hear the same voice again, "Didi, main bhi patang uda raha hoon!" I look towards him, and see him fervently pulling at the strings, and trying to lift off the kite in the air. Unfortunately, the winds don't seem to assist him but he keeps trying again and again. He sucks in some air, jerks at the string and forces the kite forward. And again. Minutes pass. And then suddenly, a gust of wind comes and the kite's flying high in the sky. He looks at me gleefully, his expression, asking me to capture his accomplishment. And I click.



How pleasing is a child's innocence, happiness and free spirit. There's a sense of assurance, a sense of purity and divinity that a child carries around him and within him. And when you embrace the child (through hugs or kisses or words or in my case clicking photos), you get to experience the same free spirit that livens up the young soul.

p.s. I wish I could post the pics I clicked that day, but sadly they are lying far away, thousands of miles away, in some hard drive :(

The picture you see in the post has been taken from here.


p.p.s. This incident happened long before I read The Kite Runner. It is in no way related to the novel, except for the title of the post!




Saturday, June 11, 2011

Just hanging around!

I'm out of things to post after doing such a long challenge ;) 

So here's some randomness -


I loved Salman Khan's character in Ready. I used to dislike him when I was younger, now as he's growing older, he's become so entertaining and so adorable. Only he can carry on a whole movie based on such random silliness and still make it so much fun to watch. And the title of the post is dedicated to him!





I am a NO direction-sense kind of person. I turn left when someone says take the right turn. I point to the opposite direction when people ask me a location. Oh yes, strangers ask me directions thinking I'm a sensible localite in my city and I give them wrong directions almost always. I'm sure they must be cursing me later! The few times I manage to guide someone correctly, I swell with pride. But now I feel it is safer to just apologize and say I do not know the way. But what do you do when people ask directions to your house?? And that too on the phone?!  I just handover the phone to someone else who's not so direction blind, but when I am alone, I stutter and mutter and just pray that they manage to reach without any difficulty or endless calls to me. And now after more than a year, when I was finally getting the hang of directions and whereabouts in my city, I will have to move. And start off in a new city, new turns, new places and new directions. *prays fervently*






There is this quote from the movie P.S. I Love You (which I did not like, the movie; not the quote) -

''Watch out for the signal, when life as you know it ends''

I have finally experienced that. Though for me, it is only the beginning of the change. But I can see the changes slowly unfolding. I see signs about why a certain thing occurs. I see signs about why a certain thing wasn't meant to be. It feels as if the life I am living, is moving ahead in a slow motion, so that I get to appreciate every change as it occurs. And today, I thank God for giving me the signal. 



Saturday, June 4, 2011

Realizations of a quarter-century survivor.


When you are young and you think about how life would be when you've grown up, you generally think/imagine the good stuff that's going to happen. But as they say, life has it's own course, own way of unfolding; sometimes in a way better than you had imagined and sometimes in a way worse than what you could ever imagine.

A friend and I were discussing sometime back, how old one really is? Is it the number of years we have spend on this earth or the number of years we feel in our hearts? I feel it is the latter. For me age is defined by our personality, by our aura, by our way of thinking and living. You are as old as you think you are, said Muhammad Ali. So as long as I feel young in my heart and mind, body and soul, I don't mind getting older!

Don't we all learn something new, experience something new as we reach the age, when we finally start feeling like a grown up? I definitely did and here I'll try to put down the things I've ''realized'' over the past few years, things I know happened for a reason, things I know happened for good, things which have made the person I am today. 

Realizations of a quarter-century survivor *
I know, I make it sound like it's a courageous thing ;)

  • You realize no matter how much you want to slow down, you have to keep moving forward to keep up with the world.
  • You realize not all friends are going to be there with you in the end, even those whom you expected to be.
  • You realize, in the end, it's just you. You alone can make yourself, you alone can break yourself.
  • You realize, sooner or later: Things may not always happen for a reason, but 90% things happen for good.
  • You realize the friends who do stick around, end up being a part of your family. 
  • You realize you can make friends with people of all ages. Younger. Older. Age doesn't matter in friendship. Compatibility does.
  • You realize it's high time you start taking care of your body!
  • You realize it is necessary to prioritize people in your life. Not everyone can hold the same importance always.
  • You realize yellow can actually look good on you.
  • You realize it is better to let go than to hold grudges.
  • You realize you need to tune out people at times.
  • You realize watching a movie all alone in the theater actually feels nice.
  • You realize you have a right to pamper yourself.
  • You realize your mother can be one of your closest confidantes.
  • You realize you are a good enough person, when your father reaches you for advice.
  • You realize the importance of signs.


*To be updated as and when realizations occur.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

My kind of heaven

Suddenly I am all the more obsessed with books and bookshelves!

One day when I have a house of my own, I want to make a cozy and comfortable study/library in it, with huge plush armchairs and couches (I am not a fan of bean bags!) and huge french windows (for plenty of sunshine!) and the room filled with bookshelves crammed with the most amazing books ever written. And the huge french windows would lead to a brilliant garden outside. Ahh.. Heaven!

True, ain't it?


I adore bookstores and the smell of bookstores.. how I wish I could capture that smell in a bottle and spray it around in my study! :D And I love online book stores too. It's another charm to order books through the Internet and then wait for them to arrive. And when I open the bubble wrapped slice of heaven, I get as happy as a kid opening his birthday presents!

------

So in the evening, I am waiting for the lift in the foyer of my building and my brother joins me. He's just come back from office. He reaches into his bag and handles me out a packet wrapped in bubble wrap. I scream out loud with joy. It's the birthday gift I've been waiting for!

The Book Of Awesome!
Here's my copy of the book nestled in bubble wrap :)

I am not sure if I can express exactly what this awesome book is about. This is something which every one needs to read to know how awesome it really is. It started off as blog called 1000 Awesome things by Neil Pasricha. 
As the name suggests it talks about the little things of everyday life which make us feel awesome, like
  • A really cold glass of water on a really hot day
  • Getting something with actual handwriting on it in the mail
  • High fiving babies
  • When the dentist says you have no cavities
  • Seeing someone laugh in their sleep
  • When you’re sitting in the backseat of a packed car and the driver takes a turn really fast
Awesome, ain't? ;)
Yes I do!


My slice of heaven!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Women Only!


I thank the DMRC for putting up a 'women only' coach in the metro (usually the first coach of every train). One gets saved from being touched and pinched and ogled at from the male junta. But not really. The ogling still happens. Coz the second coach is for men and so is the third, fourth, fifth and sixth. But one won't see so much crowd in the latter coaches as compared to the second coach and that too at the entrance of the second coach (more so the area where the first and second are joined). That place, between the two coaches is hogged by men. Men who stare blatantly at the female crowd. Men who stare with their mouths open (oh yes, literally!). Men who could've easily found a seat had they moved their lazy a**es to the subsequent coaches. But no they don't, they like standing and giving dead stares crammed in the small area!

I do not mean that the women only coach is filled with goody two shoes women who follow all the rules. I once saw a 45-50 year old woman, who opened her lunch box, unwrapped some aluminium foil and picked up a piece of pickled raw mango and started licking it!!! The whole coach was smelling of pickles and there she was, nibbling away her pickle to glory. 

Once after a tiring day, I was glad to find a  place to sit in the coach. It was a two seater (which means two people with average or small size derrière could fit easily) and I was happy to have it all to myself. I had just heaved a sigh of relief, and then I saw this women getting up from her seat farther away in the coach and moving towards me. She smiled at me as she got near and then next thing I know, she has plonked herself on the same seat! The process of plonking her derrière (which was neither average nor small sized) with such force, got my a** (which is average sized) push out of the seat and I gave her a mean look. She smiled again said, ''Oh, it gets so crowded during evenings!''

Apart from the few annoying incidents, traveling in a metro can be very interesting. You get to see all kinds of people ( It is one of my hobbies, people watching :] ) and one can never get bored. It is also a place, where you can compare see all kinds of clothes and shoes and make up and what not. From fashionable wear to drab wear, it's all there! Once in a crowded coach, something bright pink caught my eye. On close inspection it was a pair of baby knickers lying abandoned on the floor. Poor baby, who had to probably go on without his knickers!

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