Hmpf!!

Lately I have been at my lethargic best. I had a post called Keeping busy.
Now I should have titled this post as Being Lazy - but then I try to avoid a pattern, hence this title.
I have ABSOLUTELY no work in office and thanks to the lenient policies of my company, I am always available on all the messengers. I keep reading a lot, but then again, I am not much into the online reading - so I don't savor the reading so much :(
And since I don't have much work, I am game for accompanying any co-worker for tea, coffee, snacks as many times as I am called. Seeing this trend, I have not stepped on the weighing machine for quite some time. I am also all smiles when I get an offer to escort some one to get couriers done, print outs taken, withdrawing money from the ATM and sundry tasks. Some how, strangely, the less I work, the more tired I feel.
There was a time when I used to be up at 6:30, go for the swim, come back, sit for a quick breakfast with the newspaper, then rush to office. Office demanded undivided attention. After 9-10 hours of brain numbing, eye straining and finger aching work, I used to rush back home. Some hours spent with friends and catching up with family, and then I used to sit for an hour at least preparing for the CAT.
And now I have become such a wastrel.
I wake up like an over weight dinosaur at 7:30. Then I go for the swim(this is the only activity I do which burns any calories. You will see this as you read on) Active swimming is for the normal 30 minutes only, after which I fool around(since a flat mate of mine is learning, I get ample opportunity for morale crushing *Evil* ) and waste some more time. Then I stride back home and have breakfast like I got all the time in the world.
In office after wasting 6 hours ( though I am officially supposed to waste 9 ) I walk out with a flat mate of mine(who works in the same firm ) through the fire exit.
Once I get home, I don't have an ounce of regret as I sit and brutally, methodically murder time by chatting with the flat mate and watching mindless tv( I get bored of this activity soon though).
By the time the clock strikes 10, I have my eye lids drooping. When any one calls me at that hour, my conversation is laced with ample portions of yaaaaaaaaawn, sniff sniff.

Hmm... Finally today I took the bull by the horns, and have one achievement for the day. This blog :D
Since I seem to be at my active best, I might as well complete the tag from Abhishek(This also I am taking on my own volition - no pressure no pleading )
So what I need to do is state 5 random blatant facts about me or anything around.
1. When I am angry I show it on other things. For example, one day I was having a divine bout of sinus headache. And in a fit of rage, I threw the homeo medicines I was taking which were supposed to cure me of the same. I remember as a child, during the good old days when buffet had not got a stronghold in Indian wedding receptions and the food was served to the guests, in case there was a significant delay in me taking my seat and the arrival of food, I used to get utterly vexed. As a consequence, I used to take huge helpings of the food, but waste them all. My idea of anger management.
2. Even if I not angry, I can show anger. I can just like that raise decibel levels to show I am angry. Once a smart Alec auto rickshaw driver all of a sudden said that the petrol in his vehicle was over. I am sure he realized all of a sudden that going to my area would not be so lucrative further on. I raised my voice and said, "Dude if you don't drop me at the place for which I have taken this auto and drop me mid way, I am not gonna pay you a single penny. I then happened to remember there was a filling station near by and asked him to get the petrol there. Then he was like "No no Maam, I just thought it was over, its enough to go till your home."
A friend of mine travelling with me was dumb struck and said "Cool Amrita Cool. Don't be so angry." I smiled and said "Who is ;) "
3. Music can cheer me up any time. It works most of its wonders when I am sad after a trip home, or had a fight with K, or I am generally irritated with the state of affairs around.
4. I love chemicals. I love chemicals of many different forms - like Shampoos, Conditioners, Perfumes, Body lotions, Body washes, Sun Screen, Moisturizer and the list goes on. Some how be it in any mall, I am unable to resist one trip to the cosmetics section. I buy or not is a completely different issue - but I am sure to make a visit to the aisle having the wonderfully packaged chemicals.
5. I am a stickler to cleanliness. If cleanliness is next to Godliness then I believe I am as close to God as possible :D Generally any thing lying askew, peeves me big time. A stray towel on the bed, the shoes not in their proper position in the rack, the cup board in a mess - all these can set me off into a frenzy.
So any one who reads this post do take up the tag :)

V Day

He: Hey I got the cake. It was good. But the one sent by your friend for our wedding was better.
She: Oh! It costed double the amount but was nt that good. Thats bad.
He: Anyways. I liked this cake too.
She:Btw H was telling me to book the cake from Country Oven itself. I only got it done from the online site. Guess I should have gone and booked it at the bakery only.
He: Who H?
She: (Sullen tone) H my friend who sent us the cake on wedding day.
He:Errrr... Who?
She:My colleague. With whom I go for lunch every day.
He: Oh! She! Ok. Ok.
She: Hmm...
He: Anything wrong?
She: No nothing
He:Come on. Tell me.
She: Hmm no nothing s wrong. Just having a small headache.
He: Something is bothering you. Tell me. You expect me to ask 10 times before you tell me?
She: See you don t even remember her name. She takes all the pain to send us a beautiful cake for our wedding and you don t even remember her name!
He: Who? Oh H!?
PAIN! I can t understand what pain she undertook to get the cake ordered. Did she get hurt or something?
She: Thats what you do every time. Trivialize everything. Some one has that much concern so he/she goes out of her way to do something. And you don t even give a scant regard for that.
He: Hey come on. Don t make a big issue of this ok. Shes your friend and closer to you so maybe you remember what she did. Why are you dragging me into it.
She: What your friend my friend? She did something for us right? She made our wedding day special by sending us that cake, did nt she?
I remember each of your friends names. And you won t even make the effort to remember mine. It all depends on your mood. If you are in the mood to give some importance to a person you will remember else you just don t care.
He: Hey don t say I don t remember any of your friends names. I remember A, Sa, Sw,Sh. And I don t expect you to remember each of my friends names. If you forget big deal. I will tell their name again and again.
She: But I dont forget right? Thats cos I make the effort to remember the names of your friends who are close to you and who make you happy.
He:Thats very good. But one thing I can assure you now. I won t forget your friend H. Thats for sure. Cos of all days today we are having a fight because of her.
She: Come on. Don t be unfair. She is a good friend of mine. Don t blame her for this fight.
He:Then what else? I don t think her husband would remember you. But there you go fighting with me cos I don t remember her.
She: I am sure her husband remembers me.
He: So be it. I can t remember people. I try. I am not able to.
She: Thats the difference baby. You just add a personal touch if you remember people.
And my friends are nearly like my family. You remember my sister s name and face I am 90% happy. Similarly you remember my friend's name and face I am 80% happy.
Any ways all this started in the first place cos you asked me if something was wrong and I went ahead telling the whole thing. From today I think I should just shut up and handle things my self.
Unnecessarily I get worked up and say things I should not say. See of all days today I fought with you.
He: You only told once that I am ignorant. So now I choose to ignore this stupid crappy remark that you made.
The only reason why you ordered this cake and I asked you again and again if something was wrong or bothering you was because you love me and I too love you a lot.
She: Yea. I know.
He: Thats whats most important. Life goes on.
She: I love you.
He: I love you too. Now give me a Muah and keep the phone.
She: Muah. Good night.
He: Muah. Good night.
She:*Smiles*

Changes - If any

The question I am constantly asked after marriage is - Has life changed after marriage? And how?
This weekend K had come over to my city.
And I could not help thinking of the past instances when we had made trips to visit each other.
The first had been made by K in 2006 after 1 year of our consenting to the relationship. We had nt seen each other for a pretty long time and were very eager for the first tryst with "being together". I had planned his entire 4 day stay at Kolkatta, out of which 2 days my parents were to be in town to meet us.
The flight which K had to take from Chennai to Kolkatta turned out to be a good 2 hours late. And the whole time I was at my impatient and anxious best at the airport. When he finally landed, there was a weird awkwardness in both of us. I could see him from the reception lounge, taking hurried steps with a huge suitcase in tow. When he came up to me, we were initially feeling a bit weird to even hold hands. We walked to the parking lot with the suitcase between us. In side the taxi, we had Manhar Udhas crooning to "Hum tumhe chahte hain aise.. " It seemed such a situational song for both of us, meeting after so many days - then K finally held my hand and said - I missed you.
Those days, we had such an urgency to be with each other. Mornings our first thoughts would be to see each other. All the time we were together, we some how had this chain running at the back of our minds, that the days should pass as slowly as possible. At saying goodbyes at night was the toughest thing to do. We missed each other and wondered God knows after how many more days and months we would be with each other again - for good.
Cut to 2008 -
The first and the most important change is - the eradication of uncertainty. We now dont think, when might we meet each other, we dont have to break our heads to search for a hotel which will be comfortable as well as close. We dont have to feel conscious if we are sitting in the same room. I can up to just any place with K without feeling the slightest hesitation.

We don’t have to convince our parents to go and meet each other. :-) We literally have to just inform them. Before marriage we needed to be ready with the whole barrage of logic and reasoning as to why we wanted to go over and meet each other. We had to give the details of the costs involved, the accommodation and all and sundry. But now, our parents are ok with either of us eking out 5k odd for just a weekend together.

Well seems like a hell of a lot of positive changes. But there exists the flip side also. On one hand it feels good to be with the person you love for all of the 24 hours of a day and on the other, its irritating to have K sleep on till late morning while I have to get on with setting the house right. Small small idiosyncrasies in the other person irk us. I hate to see him throw the wet towel on the bed and his prescribed medications to me. (He is yet to accept the fact that I live with near perennial cold and sinus. Every morning he pesters me either to pop a Cetrizine or Crocin Cold and Flu or some other medicine. ) He is equally irritated by my cleansing toning moisturizing routine and cant understand why I have to apply sun screen. And as per him I take way too long in to take bath!

In the state of irritation, often we have a war of words. But then all it takes is a quick sorry, a little hug and a big smile to close the matter. Seriously many fights are much easier to handle face to face rather than over the phone :-)

Hmm.. Some things have changed and things will change further on also. This blog gonna keep track of them all :-)

Married and back

I was off from blogging for a good three weeks. And I have spent the last 3 hours reading blogs. And boy! Aint I tired. And I am itching to write my own.

The three week long vacation for my wedding went at its own pace, and had me traveling a lot.

The D day passed. And before I knew it it was all over.

We had our share of miscalculations and goof ups in the arrangements.

But what I remember more of the whole affair is the small small arrangements that mom sis and I had to make in the last week to the D day.

I had to visit loads of relatives, do quite a lot of last minute shopping, make arrangements for pick ups drops etc.

Now that its all over, I miss the run up.

I vividly remember, the hectic and near lunatic shopping we did. We had started shopping some 4 months prior to wedding still we had so many last minute purchases. We used to be for solid 7-8 hours on our feet going from one shop to the other and making the purchases. The long drawn discussions with all the relatives being roped in. Dad would be furious at the burgeoning telephone bills. But with 3 women in the house, he had little say over them.

Now it all seems to have gone in a black hole. All the frantic preparations, the sweat and the toil, all for one day which is over.

Ironical right.

Some days prior to my wedding I had read a piece in the Times of India stating the importance of the journey rather than the destination.

And the words of that article seem to have stayed on with me. Seriously, we spend so much time preparing for an important event, for an exam, for an occasion, and 8- 10 hours decide on all the labor put in for days on end. We should make it a point to enjoy the journey, cos thats most important.

Post marriage there was absolutely no change in me or K. It struck me as weird to see my sis in law and her husband behaving like lovey dovey couples and holding hands even after a year an a half of marriage. But K and I were behaving just ordinary. One of my uncles remarked, look at the both of you, you are walking around as if you don't know each other. I am not sure whether it is because both of us are absolute duds at being romantic or we both are very very averse to any kind of Public Display of Affection.

Today on the flight back to Hyds, and I came face to face with one of the changes. The ticket said Mrs. Amrita. Really feels a heavy tag to wear.

And when I am talking to some one and they refer to K as "your husband" it takes some time for me to realize our relationship status has changed.

And in office, one of my female married colleagues asked me how did I feel in my new home. (Btw I am back at Hyd while K s gonna continue at Chn) I told, did not get the feel so much. But I am missing home for sure.

Then she was like thats the predicament dear. Till now I miss my mom though I have been married for 3 years. Though I stay with my husband, my heart yearns for my mom and dad.

:( Sad

Serliously some how, Next birth I would love to be a guy. Some things never change for a girl I guess. Well there are quite a few things that are unsettled as of now. And the sense of being "married" is yet to sink in.

I hope and pray things don't change and most importantly I never change.

One of my friends had said, being married is the true test of ones friendship.

That one relationship brings so many changes that all past relations fade out.And till now I have never given up on a friend. I hope the marriage does not change it. The trait of K that endeared him to me most was his acceptance of my other friends without an iota of jealousy. I hope I remain as reachable and approachable to alllllllll my friends as I have been till date and dont go into some other "orbit" (as a friend of mine has predicted).

As of now I am back to normal self. Status Quo Prevails.

PS: And thats the man I got married to.