The best half term ever

 I remember writing this ages ago! It was my very first term break with Chiyaa and tiny Pumpki. Now both are in school, Chiyaa in high school! And I just enjoyed my February half term with them. I must confess it was my best half term everrrrrrr!! 

With Chiyaa in high school, our wake up times have moved to an earlier time since she needs to be out of the door somewhere around 740. Pumpki still has an 40 more mins before her school start. So while I need to wake up around 0630 on a school day, with the school holidays I could wake up at 0800. It was full 90 minutes of extra sleep! OMG that itself is enough to close the case as the best half term ever ever ever. 

I let the girls be by themselves for the first 3 days. Since they are at an age where they have similar interests, they get along well - well most of the time. Their plan was lego for this time. So though the living room was an utter mess, there was some solid play time invested there. It was wonderful to see them creatively weave their way around the different creations of theirs. After some lunch it was time for another shared interest of theirs - video games. Pumpki doesnt quite have the dexterity to play some of the tougher games, but she does a swell job watching Chiyaa play and cheering her on. It was amazing to see them enjoy those sessions as well. I mandated some time for reading and practicing their musical instruments. Those boxes ticked, with an intermittent reminder to drink water and have some fruits - that was pretty much my job done for taking care of them 😂

3 days flew and the next 2 days I was on leave. Thursday we went to the city centre. The idea was to meet K and have a quick meal some where. But we chanced to meet a family friend as well and she joined us! More the merrier! We had some amazing pizza and then said our good byes. We went to shop for some mats for the girl's new room and a couple of plant pots as well. That done, we trekked to visit my sister who lives in city centre. The idea was to surprise her, but it ended up being a flop since she was not at home and we had to ring to find where she was and how long she might take 😝 The kids love visiting their aunty anytime and they had a good time stretching their legs. My sis had to get on with her work and we bid our second set of good byes before making our way back home 😊 It was a lovely day but the next day our plans were even bigger.

As a treat for Chiyaa's birthday I had booked in a nails pamper session with the girls. We had some manicure and pedicure done and our nails painted as well. It was the first for the girls and they hugely enjoyed it! By the time we were out, we were starving and rushed to the nearest cafe to get some food. We got some flowers and some grocery cos why not and marched home. The girls just loved showing off their newly painted nails. 

On Sunday I had to visit another town to see off a friend. She was my room mate in Hyderabad in India. She had been in the UK for the past 5 years. And if one stays in a place for 5 years, one tends to accumulate stuff. Some stuff one doesn't feel like throwing away. She had tried to get rid of most of her belongings that she couldn't carry, sell or donate locally. But some she wanted me to take for safe keeping. Either she would make a trip back and collect them God willing, or she rather I use it instead of someone else. Since she has a 16 months old baby, my kids really enjoy going to her place. It was an amazing day with her kids and helping her wrap up stuff. It was an emotional experience saying that good bye for sure because one has no idea where life will take us and where we might meet again. We have somehow managed to meet once every 5-6 years by the twists and turns of fate which is not true for so many lovely people who have come through in my life 😕 It also made me nostalgic of all the house moves we had done in the UK. Approximately 5 in 7. years before we finally settled in this house. I remembered us leaving Ipswich where we were quite unplanned and had to leave a ton of stuff with a family friend. It has been 7 years since we saw them *sigh* One day ours paths will cross again, till then we have Whatsapp 😌

Since we had this trip on Sunday, and the next day was the start of the new school session, we were more or less sorted ahead of schedule. Chiyaa and Pumpki took their time in the evening for some more uninhibited telly time before hitting the bed for the next school session on Monday. I must say it was the most amazing half term I have ever had. It was full of so much activity, so many emotions and so many experiences that it was the most whole some block of days. Touchwood, heres to many more 🙏

Step 7: another weekend

A long weekend awaited us after the whirlwind week. Sam had met me over the madness of the weekend. We didn't get a chance to have a proper chat. She decided to avail her optional holiday on Friday and come over. There was a ton of food that we had ordered that morning, from close to 8 different places :)  Sam could sample all the food when she came in around lunch time. Then it was time for us to get chatting! We spoke about myriad things and time flew till Sam had to call it a day and go back home. 

The Saturday was planned for my friend B's house. Since her place was quite far, we were habouring the idea of going over on Friday night itself. We would save ourselves from the mental traffic which seems to materialise out of nowhere in Bangalore. Her house was an eternity away. But it was an oasis once we entered. It was brilliant being in the huge bungalow. Kids went along to play, adults got chatting as we got a tour of her massive house :) Post dinner, around 2230, her hubby suggested a drive to get some tea from a nearby vendor. I have never done such a thing in my life. To be honest, I am extremely boring. I plan to outings to start at a certain time and I expect myself and all I know to be back by 2000. Impromptu trips, middle of the night plans are something I have never done. But it was super exciting to be part of such a plan. 7 of us fitted ourselves into the car and off we went for tea and ice cream. We made it around 2300 when the tea shop was closed. The ice cream place was wrapping up as well and we somehow managed to get one ice cream to go from the very reluctant staff who just wanted to go home. 

Back home, the kids had ice cream around mid night and finally hit the bed. B and I then sat down in the living room for a good old chat. We spoke about a gazillion things under the sun, till around 2 in the morning, when she felt hungry and we decided that we should goto bed :D 

In the middle of the night, I had a nightmare. Not the dreams kind, but a real one. I woke to use the toilet and in the middle of my business, I saw a lizard on the door. I shrieked! The lizard shrieked ( I hope) and plopped onto the floor. I screamed again and the lizard ran out from under the gap in the door. I somehow summoned my courage and ran out chanting the names of all the Gods I know. Took some time for my heart beat to return to normal, but then all was well :) 

B was somehow up at 7 in the morning preparing a delicious egg sandwiches and dosas. (My family is still in love with the sandwiches and asks for it every now and then) And she did mention hearing a scream at night and asked if everything was ok ;) She had planned get together with R's family and another college mate. Once everyone was assembled, there was gorgeous food and again wholesome conversations. Kids got along like wildfire and adults were having a lovely time till it was the call to wrap up. It was awful telling the goodbyes, but I couldnt be thankful enough to dearest B for being the wonderful hostess that she was. 

We came back home around 1800 in the evening and were still reeling from the wonderful time we had had. 

Step 5: foot off the accelerator

 After the adrenaline subsided, on Sunday morning the body was hit by reality. I had a high fever. I would have loved to lie in, but then there is nothing a hot beverage can't fix 😀 So armed with a cup of coffee I got on with getting ready for the day. Sam had planned a lunch with a bunch of friends who were congregating from different parts of Bangalore. Evening a quick trip to her mom's and then the night was still up in the air. Since my girls had been bored out of their brains with majority of adult interactions the previous day, they voted to stay at my sis-in-laws house. My niece was also around so there would be some good cousin time. 

I whipped something up for the kids, since the measurement of spices they were used to was quite hard to fathom by others. And off we went. I had given K the option to stay back as well. Since I was 'phoneless' and Bangalore was new and different, he opted to come in. We met up at a Thai restaurant and had a blast chatting. We were getting stares from other patrons who were probably getting disturbed by us. But do little girls care 😛After lunch we rested at Sam's house and got on with some more chatting. K was a gem just minding himself. I love that guy 😀

We visisted Sam's mom in the evening. It was surreal meeting them after 26 years. It is easy to be triggered by people from the past. Aunty was emotional to see us all. She had made some amazing food. It took me back to the years in Rourkela where having aunty's food was a norm. Sam used to bring the tastiest lunch boxes. And along with it, I had many sleep overs at hers. Her birthday parties were a hoot too. Having the food at Bangalore took me back to the school days and and especially her out of the world katori chaat. 

A trip down memory lane  done, it was time to navigate the absolutely horrendous traffic of the city to get home. I would have loved to stay over at Sam 's a true homage to school days, but I was feeling a bit under the weather and was also a bit worried for the kids. So good byes done, it was a wrap over the weekend. 

Step 4: reset and restart

 Bengaluru was a new destination within the span of 2 days. We were putting up at my sister in law's place. The girls loved exploring their new set up. Since my sis in law has a teenage daughter, her home was filled with things that my kids loved - books, art equipments, board games. They had too many choices to begin with. They went away and busied themselves while K and Amma managed a nap and I chatted with my sis in law. It was very nice to see everyone drift off and be comfortable. Once my niece was back from school, it was time for the cousins to have some fun.The girls were meeting up after a long time and they do not have a lot in common. But it was endearing to see them bond over food, school, TV shows and complaints about their moms! 

In the evening my sis-in-law and my niece sat down to watch the IPL match. I have never watched a single IPL match in my life. But their enthusiasm was contagious for sure. K and I and to some extent the kids got down to watching the match. We have truly been bitten by the bug, so much so, we continue to follow the matches back here in the UK :)

The weekend was to be a roller coaster. We started off in the morning to meet my two besties, Ashu and Sam. Ashu had made the effort to come all the way from Pune to Bengaluru. It was a horrendous ride full of traffic, but we eventually made it. It was amazing to meet them. There is something about people outside your family who have known you over decades! It an unmissable feeling of being loved, by people who just walked into your life by pure coincidence! We all had lunch together and then chatted away. I could feel some of the contextual conversations were beyond my understanding. I did not get the real estate market, the financial market, the job situations and a few others since those are different in the UK. It was interesting to listen and lovely to see how well people are doing. 

The evening was a trip to another college friends house. R was hosting B who had made a trip from Odisha to see us - just for one day. Again, seeing these amazing bunch of people - that is what nirvana must feel like. Just utter peace - no questions asked. We chatted along, K and R's hubby also had no seeming awkwardness for folks meeting for the first time. While the best part was R's kids and mine. Being more or less the same age group, they just made their own little group and started playing as if they had known each other from before! 

We made a trip to a restaurant to have dinner. The purported aim which was having  some good food was futile. But the entire duration was definitely filled with lots and lots of laughter and giggles, as if we were school girls :D 

All good things come to an end, and we had to bid good night and good bye to dearest B. As I hugged her, someone remarked that this was like us leaving our hostel for the last and final time back in college. And as B hugged me, she just whispered take care. And till date I miss her. Next time, I am making a trip just for her! 

That was one hellova Saturday. It was just the beginning! 

Long weekend with R

We had a long Easter weekend last week. Coming back from a gorgeous holiday onto a short work week is the stuff of dreams! To top it I had my room-mate from graduation, R visiting me. She is on a work trip to UK. Though she is posted real far from where we live, she took the effort to come and visit us. We met each other after 15 years! And it was just something. I do not live in the past, I do not attach a lot of importance to nostalgia. But spending close to 4 formative years interacting with a set of people can form some bonds. In all honesty we were not that close during our student years. After finishing graduation, life and work took us on different paths. Except keeping tab on each other’s developments via social media and the one off birthday messages on WhatsApp, our interaction was few and far between. But ever since she came to the UK we had been talking. And the 2 days spent with her did renew a lot of bonds. It was great revisiting common memories, talking about common people, discussing common places, retelling common experiences. It was good to realise there is a lot in common between the two of us. She went off to visit another friend of hers in a nearby town, so I missed on spending all the 4 days with her. Which I now wish I had.

We live more or less in isolation. The 4 of us form a close knit unit. The reason we try to frequent the visit of grandparents is so that the children form more connections. Also grandparents can stay longer thus strengthening those connections. In this any additional human interaction, especially with people we have known before is really heartening and what we long for. It was amazing to see the kids interact so well with R. She has two daughters too, so she was reliving her life. Chiyaa could not have enough of aunty and kept talking to her. One morning in fact she went and lay in her bed, messing with her phone and talking random stuff. When R went to her friend’s place, Chiyaa kept enquiring when she would be back. When I said she would be back the Monday morning, and she wasn’t, Chiyaa was visibly upset. But then kids being kids, recover fast too. Pumpki is the quiet one, but she would drag aunty and make her sit and do puzzles. They had no stranger anxiety or inhibition in being with her. Which was great. I hope we get more chances to catch up!

We made a day trip with her to the beach. It was really fun spending  a day with her. The entire duration was amazing. We just reconnected and went talking about anything and everything. Work, in-laws, family, kids, career, India, UK, finance – you name it! The 3 nights she stayed with me, it was wonderful to talk to her late into the night. She is not a late sleeper, so I must say she did real well staying up J When she went back, both she and I were left with lots of emotions. She said she was going back with a lot of memories and I hope they were all good ones J

Fare thee well till we meet again

Friends are some of the dearest gifts in life. I am blessed to have some real darlings in my life. 

It was a chance trip to  Wales that ended up in me being friends with B. It started off with small talk, but slowly the boundaries and the hesitations were lost as we forged a new friendship. Our mutual interest for walks was a facet that bonded us. It started off evening walks and step up sessions. We then hit upon another common interest - cooking. So there ensued swapping of recipes, dishes, sites with recipes and the whole nine yards. She was wonderful company for shopping and we spend quite a bit of time strolling the streets. I am not into shopping but with her it was fun somehow. Her vivaciousness was contagious. I will forever remember those chats in coffee shops and the frenzy with which she used to take photographs. She never missed a moment and lived each to the hilt. There were many evenings over the weekends later once we moved houses, when even if we were not hanging out together, we spent long hours chatting over the internet. 

I will always remember the long weekend of Easter last year, where we spent every single day doing something fun.We in fact even spent a day studying! Ironically it was fun doing so with someone whose company you enjoyed. She was major help bringing me dishes I craved for during my pregnancy days. She was also a dear to load my iPod with good devotional music so that I did nt end up listening to only the catchy numbers I am generally hooked to :D She always reached out to me for advise and I always felt like an elder sister to her. I was at many times brutal in my advise to her. If I felt she was wrong, I did not hold it back at all. I hope she appreciated it :)I hope :)

The news of her travel back to India came as a surprise to me for sure. Somehow I felt as if someone who was as close as family was leaving. We spent a lot of time in the evenings towards the end. It was real fun chatting and discussing stuff. And she was an angel to cook  dinner for us while I took care of the munchkin. I was very glad that she chose to spend the last night in Leeds at our home. Though I was not able to spend a lot of time with her and chat till the wee hours, which I would have so loved - it felt nice that she was around. 

The morning of her travel came as any other. I was filled with a bitter-sweet emotion as I bid her goodbye. I know we will surely meet each other back in India. I know she would be with her parents and siblings in 24 hours time and would so so so love it. I know many better things would come her way with this movement. But then I was going to miss her terribly. 

Good luck dear friend! 

Enough adventure for a day - Hampi Day1 Episode 2

We started screaming and scooting towards the parked ferry. The ferry driver acknowledged our pleas and did say something in return. But still we were not sure if what he said was "Ok I am waiting for you guys. Thank God K is blessed with long legs :) He was able to cover a lot of ground quickly and make it to the ferry first. He was followed by Sam. Wearing a pair of slippers which were breathing their last, I was the last one to be scurrying towards the shores. A little before the ferry was parked, was 3 metres of sludge and mud. K was totally in touch with the elements and gleefully waded through it. In fact seeing him from a distance, I never gauged, the mud was so slippery and well .. so muddy :) I was also fine, just concerned about my track pants which were getting dirty ( We had shoe string supply of clothes :) ) But the funniest sight was poor Sam whose precious Lee Coopers were getting a savage treatment.

Somehow we reached the ferry (the ordeal of those 3 metres seemed NEVER ending to me honestly) Once there, I blissfully remarked "Phew! Enough adventure for a day I think"

Once we reached the banks of the river, we got an auto and asked him to take us to any of the guest houses there. We had heard of Rahul guest house being a decent one and decided to check that out first. It ended up being fully occupied. We checked out a couple more and the good ones were taken (always happens be it guest houses or men :D ). Guest houses in Hampi have a strange way of working. Mostly they are houses with some of the rooms being converted to guest rooms. Most of the common space might even be shared with the original inmates of the house. All of these guest houses are located within a close circumference of the river banks. Since the guest houses were not so palatable for us, we asked the auto rickshaw driver to take us to some hotel. He said the hotel there was a government recognised hotel. We travelled nearly 8 kms to reach hote Mayura Bhubaneswari which looked more like a ruin in itself. The front desk person was a typical goverment memsaab. When asked if there were any rooms free, she first vehemently denied. When we urged her if there is ANYthing at all, any sort of room, she showed us a 4 seater. I felt pretty suffocated in there. There was absolutely no ventilation and since there was no electricity as well, it seemed more like a dungeon. We went up to the lady and said, the room was not good enough. Then she said, the presidential suite was there - 5600 bucks!! K was so worn out with the whole affair of searching for a hotel room, that he was game for taking it up. Seeing his enthusiasm, Sam and I were also inching towards taking it up. Then we asked, if we could be shown that room. And that room was a wow!! It was toooo plush. It was very very tempting. But 2 things hit us back - it was exhorbitantly priced - the acco charge was not even what we had spent entirely on the trip till now - and, there would be power cuts in that room also. Come on if we were paying that kind of money, the least we could expect was electricity. So we left the whole idea and went up to the auto driver and asked him to take us to some other hotel.

And wonder of wonders, he said that was the only hotel!! Sam was getting ballistic by this time and was very edgy. She insisted to the auto driver to take us to a nice guest house, which would be having electricity supply. The auto driver promised he would take us to a good place. Driving the entire 8 kms back, we came to the same guest house zone. There the auto driver took us through the most dingy by lanes and brought us to a guest house. The owner here seemed very very snobbish. We had a hell of a lot of heckling to do to get a room with one extra mattress. It was already 1900 by then. He was insistent that we check out at 0900 the next morning. ( This is a standard norm in Hampi. All the hotels and guest houses insist on checking out at 9 in the morning) Paying 1k for a stay of hardly a night was not something we were not willing to buy. But beggars cannot be choosers so reluctantly we agreed. As we were settling in the room, suddenly he came up with the form. The form kinda had a declaration of what all we were possessing and that we would take responsibility of whatever was with us. Till then it was fine, the next thing the hotel owner stated that we had to get the declaration signed at the nearest police station. Now that made us loose it. We were simply not ready to go to the police station of all the places. We started yelling at the hotel owner( God only knows what all we yelled in which language :) ) Then we stomped out of the place and threateningly requested the auto rickshaw driver to take us to a 'decent' place. I don't know why we were venting it all on him, poor thing, he did not have the divine responsibility to take care of us. But then the poor man brought us out from the dingy lanes where he had initially placed us. Once out in broader roads, we happened to see yet another guest house. We decided might as well check this out.

The owner of this guest house happened to be a very courteous man. He was also insistent on the check out at 0900hours timing and getting the declaration stuff signed at the police station, but he said that with a smile, with humility and with hospitality which was endearing. We agreed to his conditions (strangely I think he completely missed getting the declaration signed from us.) and ended up paying for 2 days stay. But we were happy with the place. It was a strange place to be honest. Pity I do not have any pictures of the place. It was located some 50 meters from the river banks and had a pleasant wind wafting through it. The room we took was the very first room of the guest house, it was just 4 steps away from the street. As an afterthought Sam and I felt, how accessible it was to an outsider if the good for nothing grill gates were not closed. But since it was so close to the street the room had the lion's share of the wind. The room was very cornily painted in a strawberry pink color and had some clumsy stuffed toys and a broken clay parrot for decoration :D There were shops selling funky wares around it and there were quite a few coffee joints and eateries around.

Once we had our luggage nicely parked, we went went ahead in search of dinner. We placed ourselves at the dinner lounge at 1930hours and trust me we came out at 2230hours. Yep, thats true, 3 solid hours. Thats the pace at which things proceed in Hampi. The problem what I felt was the cuisine is too exotic for any preparations to be made ahead of time. One may have absolutely no idea what the customer might order when the menu hosts things from pasta to pancakes to parathas to puddings to pizza and plethora of things. It ranges from continental to oriental to mexican and american. All of the items are available at all the times and the restaurants are grossly understaffed at times. Hence things are bound to take a verrrry slow pace. But while we had 3 hours, we chatted a lot. It was nice to see Sam and K bonding. They are both a number 7 (born on the 7th day of a month) and somehow I had felt, their innate similarity had repelled them from each other initially. Never had they been able to establish a rapport with each other. During this trip somehow, the time they had, gave them a chance to see beyond the initial judgmental attitude to delve into how alike they were from a point. Neither of them is a person who can make another comfortable in their company easily. So with time, they grew comfortable with each other. I was a mere listener to their conversations and thoroughly enjoyed their increasing friendship.

As soon as we reached our rooms, we retired, since we had opted for an early morning tour in the same auto rickshaw driver who had droven us around.

The kickoff - Project Hampi

I am alive and kicking :) And Renu, it was immensely sweet of you to come up to my blog and ask how come I had gone invisible. Thank you so very much :) That was a very warm gesture.

Now that I am back, I am going to mow down my readers with some very very long posts (*evil laugh*). Yep, and this is going to be a part by part post - the current one being part1 :)

September is a real sweet month this year. It comes with 2 extended weekends back to back. First a holiday on 21st for Eid, the next on 28th for Dussera and then October joins forces to give 2nd October as a holiday. K and I were looking forward to a vacation during one of these extended weekends. But for some reason or the other, the plans always used to go kaput. Then one afternoon during a casual call my friend Sam said she was going to Hampi on a 3 day trip. She was generally cribbing about one of her friends having ditched her, which would compel her to travel alone from Bangalore to Hospet - and Hospet not being a very bright place, she was a bit jittery about making the trip alone. At Hospet she would have been joined by another friend of hers from Hyderabad.

When I heard the plan itself, something kicked in me to ask K to join in as well. We had been making and breaking vacation plans, cancelling and redoing train tickets and were in a whole lot of mess when it was coming to travelling. I was having my reservations when I went ahead and asked K if we could plan on a trip to Hampi. But I was amazed to get a whole hearted thumbs up from him! Now first hurdle crossed, we had to check tickets! Cos the due date was just 2 weeks away and that being a holiday time, people would be flocking like crazy to the place. And we had a big set of tickets to be made yet again - Chennai->Bangalore, Bangalore->Hospet(closest station to Hampi), Hospet->Bangalore, Bangalore->Chennai. Now if God unwilling any thing went awry, it would need 8 tickets to be cancelled. Still, we thought, lets give it a shot.

As I had said in one of my previous posts, 2 weeks is a long enough time for many things to change. And in this case too they did. The other friend of Sam's who was supposed to come had to cancel her tickets since she had some emergency and Sam decided to return with us rather than staying an extra day as was her initial intention. For her it would have been a trip that would nt have happened if K and I had nt booked our tickets. Its strange the way providence ties people up :)

Strangely the day before the trip both Sam and I were pretty restless. Sam has been my oldest friend- one since school. She and I connect very easily. And we both having the same feeling on a day prior to the travel was pretty uncanny. We tried to reason as to why we were feeling that way. Maybe it was because, it was a very impromptu trip for which neither of us was 100% prepared, or maybe it was because we were a bit bothered by the fact that we would be away from work for 4 days, or it was because she had a different perception of how the trip was going to be and with K and I coming into the picture, it might be a paradigm change or maybe it was because I who always loves to plan out every bit of a vacation was not able to gather much info before the travel was feeling a bit less prepared. We were not sure if it was a bit of all these feelings or any thing else which we were not able to figure out at all. None the less, we tried to keep the pace of normal work and some how tide over that one day before 4 days of vacation began.

The journey to Bangalore was good but once I hit the bed at Sam's place, I realised how exhausted I was - cos I slept 3 hours straight. I could have slept more if Sam and K had not kicked me out of the bed. Though we had planned to shop and eat out and God knows what not, we ended up spending most of the day inside the house, generally talking, finishing some chores, last minute packings and arrangements. Pronto at 2000hrs we ventured towards the station. The entire crowd in the train seemed to be going to Hampi. There were so many people with RAC tickets who were travelling. All the while Sam was praying that we should get a proper place to stay( Yep inspite of Sam and I both being finicky about planning and being meticulous to the core, neither of us had been able to get any reservations done!!) The optimistic me kept reassuring her that things would be fine and the ultra pessimistic her kept wondering what if things were not fine :) K being K chose to doze off and let the ladies do the thinking :D. As happens whenever old friends meet, Sam and I were talking till 0100 at night and hit the bed pretty reluctantly.

The train was supposed to reach Hospet at 0745 hours. At 0645 K woke me and asked if we had arrived, but I said there was still an hour to go. We decided to snatch some more winks. All of a sudden a lady came and said "You going to Hampi na?" We jolted YESSSS. She said "Its Hospet station get down get down, just take your luggage and get down". Maa kasam, aisa mere saath pehle kabhi nehi hua!! I freaked out, took one of the backpacks and scrammed. K and Sam were in deeper sleep I suppose, cos they took some more time. I was like hurry hurry come fast all the while. We jostled out of the train and stepped into the glaring sun of Hospet.

We were giggling silly at our stupidness. And we thought, wow quite an adventurous start!!

Scarce did we know - the adventure had just began!

Mixed emotions

The last couple of days have been full of ups and downs. Literally they been like a wave diagram as it used to be in the class VIII Physics text books.

Last Friday, the 27th of Feb, I was all agog to venture on my trip home. Thursday was a bit of a spoiler cos mil had to go sil s place, since she was needed there. I was a bit worried since the duration of her stay out there was unsure, and I was a bit concerned for K, cos without any one to give him his daily grub, he would get very very negligent of his food. And that was the last thing I wanted keeping his busy schedule in mind. But then I was reassured by K again and again, that he would take care of himself and I would do good to take a chill pill and stop worrying about him.

After that lengthy sermon from him, I was rest assured. And I was back in my pepped up spirits on Friday. But then, I happened to loose my cell phone on the way back from the gym. The Sony Ericsson W580i which I loved to hate - that phone worth 10K + , that phone which was nearly indispensable for me slipped somewhere and I lost it. I sobbed my heart out and I was more shaken because I was travelling that very day. I had to coordinate stuff with so many folks, the call taxi, a friend I was planning to meet up that day, the folks I intended to catch up with when I was at Hyd, etc etc. I got on with work as soon as I reached home, got searching signatures of people in emails and took down their numbers and called as many as possible from the landline. I even went and registered a complaint at the local police station, boy I summoned some amount of guts for that.

The onward journey to Hyderbad was very pleasurable since the co passengers of mine were very friendly. One happened to be from Mumbai, one from Gujrat, one from Bihar, one passenger from Haryana, another person from Kerala, I was from Orissa and finally there was a couple from Andhra Pradesh who seemed more like conjoined twins to me ;) So this band of Bharatwasis were on analysing every place of India, lifestyles of different parts, culture, food, politics and anything else that we could think of. After a really long time, I had a pleasurable trip in the train, where we actually were so pally. I will always remember this train trip as one of my most pleasurable ones. And finally Sh hugging me as soon as I alighted at the Secunderabad Railway station made me feel - I have reached the place which I connect with.

That day we did not venture out much, thanks to the enervating heat and I not being able to contact most folks. The day was spent leisurely, making gobi parathas and ginger tea, chatting about home and work, playing agony aunty and my friends being all questions about my new life. It was really humbling to learn, how even after close to a year, my friends still talk about me and kinda miss me. When Sh said, "Amrita has come here but I feel at home now " nearly brought tears in my eyes. And A as usual bore the brunt of Sh and my jokes in her usual sportive self. God bless you both sweethearts and hope your troubles go away Sh. And you both owe me a trip to Chennai.


The next day had my mom and I making a trip to the Chilkur Balaji temple, and preparation of a wholesome Oriya meal for lunch and then off to the airport for the onward trip to Bhubaneswar. Reaching Bhubaneswar, I was happy on one hand to see my folks, but then I was missing Hyd and my friends and was also feeling a bit anxious for K. A whole topsy turvy trip full of mixed emotions :S

Bangalore Express

I like Bangalore a lot. That's the place I got some real sweet and sad and warm and tingly memories associated with. And with my best friend A being there, it makes the city all the more welcoming.

Last weekend we made a short trip to the place. And it was a trip full of sweet nothings.

Friday evening was remarkable enough, when all of a sudden, dark clouds gathered and it started raining. And some rain it was, with blinding lightening and ferocious winds. I was all prepared and agog to scoot home soon so that we could be off to catch the train with lots of time to spare and I had promised A some snacks and savories, but seeing the downpour I felt dejected - it was gonna be a close call yet again :( with no time for purchases.

Then all of a sudden, I spotted a girl. Seemed to be a faintly familiar face, someone I had met while traveling in share autos to office. I gave her a buck tooth smile, but she never returned it. Ahem! Wrong number mebbe. Then after sometime she came up and said, did we meet before in a share auto or something? I was like Ya Lady! She was pretty petrified by the way the downpour was shaping up and tentatively asked me - shall we try to get home in this rain? I told, if you have an umbrella to get us till the main gates without soaking like rats, I think I am brave enough to face this rain. So off we went with a flimsy umbrella... and that poor thing was twisted beyond redemption thanks to the winds :(

We managed to get autos and reach till the penultimate stop for me. It was a pretty interesting ride too where I got to hear her love story, wedding plans and future programs. Once I reached the stop, my cell phone was ringing and guess who was it?! Hubby Gubby! He was close to the terminus.

So we met with the music of La la la la la la la la la la ( music of Sagar movie fame) :D We had tea and bread pakodas at a tea stall..... Hmmmmmm mild drizzle, K for company, warm tea in one hand and bread pakoda in the other ........ hmmmm heaven was close :)

Grub done, we ventured ahead. Caught the bus which would take us home in the nick of time, so much so that, we stepped into the bus at the same time and were stuck for a few seconds at the door :D Making a fool of oneself and still smiling at it - I am excelling in this talent I feel.

Journey itself was a little bit painful since all of a sudden I was having a headache - maybe a sinus prone person like me could blame the rains for it.

Sat morn as soon as we reached Bangy, the ever food loving K escorted me to a restaurant near the railway station. We shared a plate of uttapam while the most lilting songs wafted. The song that made it all the more special was Dhaage tod laao from Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. A personal fav.

Reached the destination and woke up dear darling A. And got on with the usual chatter chatter yak yak. A apart from sharing many of my opinions and tastes, also shares a penchant for getting the cold virus. Achoo Achoo Achoo she went hitting sixers and boundaries till noon. Thats when we decided to have a low key day. 3 of us generally lazed around in front of the TV, chatted and dozed intermittently, ordered and had some delectable sandwiches and noodles. Finally at 2000 we stepped out of the house to have death by chocolate - a lovely sundae at a nearby shop, which is a major hit with K since it was the very first dish I had shared with him. Once back, we guzzled generous portions of awesome ginger tea and emptied quite a few containers of snacks and savories :)

Time passed just like that, chatting,surfing the net, seeing pics of each others friends on Orkut, that A and I scarcely realised it was close to 0300 by the time we hit the bed.

Sunday started late, cos obviously we woke up late, were super lazy and there was some or the other thing on TV which was making us sit in front of it. Finally at 1400 we set forth. Again rains played spoilt sport. But inspite of it, we managed to make quite a few purchases. With her wedding coming up, A had quite a bit to do. But alas:( Still, what we accomplished within the 5 hours, was no mean feat.

Back home packing done, we had some pastries and puffs at a nearby bakery. It was really nostalgic to say goodbye, hmm, goodbye to miss A for the last time.

At the station, both K and I were reminiscing the 2 jovial days, we did not do anything, but still the time spent was so special. In the reverie we noticed that there was no sign of the train, though it was expected to depart in 15 more minutes. Thats when I spotted that we were facing platform number 6 rather than 5 (The setup is a bit weird, you cant see the platform number 5 though technically its just behind you. ) So we sccccccccccccccccccrammed to the other platform and got into the train Jab We Met style ( Ahem no no the train had nt started yet :) )

The rains and cold climes had forced me to take a couple of medicines to ward off the headache et al. But thanks to them, I slept like a dead decayed log!

When embarking on the journey, I had armed myself with the fully charged digicam for a lot of clicks. Ironically, dont have a single picture - but enormously precious memories.

Friends are the family you choose - you are an integral part of mine dearie.

Up and Down

I was on a trip to Hyderabad for 2 days. I am always so gaga about the place, that it sometimes gets on the nerves of K. So I call it the city which cannot be named ;)

I had asked Dino to book the rooms for us... and strangely.. the guest house itself was a pleasant surprise. Since Dino is awesome at underplaying his talents, he had said not to have any high hopes on the place especially since I was paying one grand per day. I somehow thought, the room would be one with the bare minimums - satisfying only one criteria I had stressed upon - cleanliness. But then when I reached there - it was neat no doubt, but was a good piece of construction as well. The wood work of the room was very tastefully done which was a treat for the eyes :) And with a tv and well functional ac - and a very BIG and beautiful bathroom(the tiles were too cute which depicted dolphins taking a splash ) - what more could I ask for?

Once refreshed I ventured to visit pals at my previous firm. It felt different, but not weird. I wanted to meet so many folks, there was so much that needed to be said and expressed in the short time. I could literally feel how I and my friends were literally rushing on the words. There was really too much to talk. I always feel that no matter, how much you talk over the phones, how many hours you spend over messengers(even if daily), there are so many thoughts which come over when you actually meet the person. Mundane things seem to jump into the forefront, demanding immediate attention and the conversations just go on. And once its time to say the good byes yet again and depart- one is left with so many more thoughts- and a hope - ok next time.


Going back through the same lane of the office after 5 odd months made me very nostalgic. Some how - afternoons make me nostalgic. During the weekdays, I am so ensconced in the office environs, that I rarely get a chance to take a peek outside. So the days I do get an opportunity I dunno why, I fall into a reverie. Every person passing by reminds me of some by gone days. As on that day, I saw a person hurrying across the street with a file. And I was reminded of my last day in that office, when I was scurrying around getting a demand draft done to pay off my dues to the company and then the whole evening of my penultimate day at Hyderabad zapped through, making the heart ache.

Evening it was time to meet my ex roomie. The easy camaraderie that we always shared was bang in place. And though I did most of the talking during dinner cos her throat was in a shape, it was a real nice time. Shes passing through times which are topsy turvy times, but then shes the same hard core optimist that she always has been! I was feeling a bit jittery that she was passing through all that she was passing through, but then she never did as much as get a crease on her brow!!Wish you much better times ahead roomie dear..... The darkest hour is just before the dawn( The dark knight :) )

The next day I had to attend my friends wedding. I wished I could be near her all the while and I could be with her for the entire duration of the ceremonies. But then I was starting back home on the same day and I had to scurry off after being at the wedding for some 3 hours. This friends wedding was a big deal at her home. It was being a bit tough finding an alliance for her. But at the end, it all went on fine. I could see the glow of satisfaction on her moms face, which nearly brought me to tears. I know she was in the midst of too much, to be aware of the events, or of the transition she was stepping into. But when I left from the wedding hall, the feeling was of regret that I could not be with her for longer and happiness that she was "settled".

As I started back, I was a bundle of a lot of emotions. Each part of the city somehow evoked some memory. The malls reminded me of the joyous evenings, some sections reminded me of the road I used to take for the CAT mock tests, the street that led to my house made me reminiscent of the quaint life there.... Phew! I cant pen down all that I felt I suppose.

If I would have written this post yesterday, it would have had sadder intonations. Cos, I stepped into a house without my niece. She was with us for 3 months and then yesterday poof! suddenly she was gone - leaving some used clothes, her smell of milk, the smell of dettol( she was all of 3 months only :) and went back to her dad s place yesterday), her empty cradle which brought both K and me to tears and a deafening silence. The house used to reverberate with her cries, with footfalls to rush to her, with endearments to pacify her. Yesterday all that remained was a lull.

I just thought, this too will pass. Time is undoubtedly the bestest healer.
So I am in much better spirits today though I miss my dear chutki dearly......

2 Weddings and Cherrie :)

Some time back I wrote a post on one of my friends doing a groom hunting. Shes finally landed up with her match. Well I cant say he satisfies all the business and functional requirements. But my friend chose him. Despite a lot of questions she boiled down on him. Even when she had to go to meet him, she was very pissed off, as she had a lot of qualms about his career streak. Since he had attempted getting into business after completing his graduation which in due course did not work out fine, his actual work experience add up to be less than hers. This made her a bit jittery initially.

But then, marriages are made in heaven as it is said(and the price is borne on earth ;) )So with a lot of questions in heart she went ahead with the alliance. After the match was fixed, the usual rigmarole of late night phone calls, thinking of gifts for each other etc etc started. But at times my friend used to pop up the most unusual questions to me - "Have I done the correct thing?" "Every one asks me I should feel something different and special, but I don't. Is that OK?" "I think I wanted some one smarter - many a times he does not understand my jokes/satire/comments." To all this, I reply "Hang on dear you will be happy with him".

After a point I started getting amused with her questions. Sometimes she would be like, he talks a lot yaar, I hope I don't get bored with him (What a quintessential Indian girl I would say, who has thoughts of getting bored with her husband. :| ) I feel like an old granny even though I have been married for 4 months only. And I think Bachchu shaadi kar le, fir baat karte hain :D

Somethings are not answered before one actually starts living that life. But it is hilarious to hear all the questions from her. I am not sure if I too pestered her with a question bank :)

At the same time, another very close friend of mine is also getting married. And she is a different specimen altogether. She too had a lot of apprehensions from the word go. Initially she used to take the whole alliance as a compromise only. But slowly when she started to get to know the person, a lot of her perception changed for the better.Her fiance too talks a lot(I think its a myth that girls are more loquacious), and sometimes she tells me"Radio ki tarah bajta rehta hai band hi nehi hota" Now this is a slap on the face of the creative directors of the Airtel ads where Ms Vidya Na-real Balan huskily reprimands Maddy for having called her 8 times. Here this my friend, has laid a curfew on the number of smses he can send and the duration for which they should talk. Earlier they used to talk from 1700 hours till 2100 hours and send smses till late at night. But then she realised, they never had anything concrete to talk, but would just while away their time. And sometimes just hanging on to each other for the heck of it, used to lead to frequent fights which she wanted to avoid.

My friends are shattering all ideas of lovey dovey couples snuggling with the cell phones till the wee hours of the morning. Even I never used to talk for long hours because K was a stickler to the rule of getting at least 8 hours of sleep. At that time I thought I was an aberration. But I think I have a lot of like minded people around me :)

I wish I could clairvoyance to know what your futures look like. But I am sure you both will make the best of the lives that you have chosen. You will over come the fears and uncertainties and forge relationships of a lifetime with your partners. And while you enjoy your courtship period, I have to figure out what to gift you both on your D days :(

Why do these tears come

I had read it somewhere, "..if everything is fine, then why do these tears come?" Wish I could remember where I had read it. I would love to revisit the book to find why the writer had said so. Because that is how I feel now a days. I should thank God for many things, for so many things he has just like that bestowed on me. I am happy for them but then out of no reason - I get the tears. As I am listening to a song, I get reminded of friends, of old times, of fun with them. When I see K in splits when talking to his friends, I get reminded of how we could laugh as if there was no tomorrow. How the jokes would just keep flowing in a restaurant with the people on other tables staring at a group of raucous girls. We would give two hoots to 'what others might think'.

I am not able to figure it out that what is the real problem.

Is it because I don't have work in office that I am whimsical and cranky?

Or is it because the new life is still rattling me? Is it that I would still prefer coming back from office, enjoy a cup of tea and talk with my friends about their day in office, cool dudes that we happened to meet, pull some ones leg just for the heck of it, make a couple of phone calls and then retire for the day. Rather than having to face the numerous responsibilities that come with making a home. I am not averse to taking responsibilities for sure. I in fact love setting things right. But maybe I want the variety that comes with staying with friends.

Or is it because I have some expectations set from my better half, which I would very well get from my best friend but I am not getting from him? Raaji had rightly said in her blog that Men are not the type to take hints. (http://raajii.blogspot.com/2008/03/men.html) But then I also get tired of saying it out aloud all the time. Some times I prefer if the unsaid is given credence to. Anyways, its the thing about men and women that makes the world go round and round for sure.

And as I am in this turmoil, one thing is for sure. I miss my old life like hell. I miss being at home and being pampered to no end by my mom. I miss cracking those jokes with my sis and pulling my daddy dears legs. I miss being with my own set of friends.

All these combined together end in these tears.

And that too in the weirdest of moments. As I lie on the bed and sleep takes a tad longer to come, I suddenly feel a tear trickle down. Suddenly I am reminded of my very last night at Hyderabad, when I was thinking, how there was going to be an irreversible change from the next day, for me and for some of my friends as well.

As K the baby of the house, comes back home, has his dinner, watches Slam Dunk and retires for the day, without so much as a Question "How was your day? " which my room mate in Hyds would invariably ask, I feel a tinge of tear. I am not sure if I am being a schmalz, maybe I am being one. But I am not able to help it either. I want to be that chirpy, no holds barred girl.I want to be the Cherrie who had the opportunity to crack incessant jokes with family, the Amrita who had hellova lot of fun with her friends.

Getting used to

The last post had me in a pretty disconcerted state. I am still far from being settled, but I am slowly getting used to this life.

The fact that I am yet to get a machine in office and the broad band connection at home is kaput is keeping me away from the net. I do keep visiting the blogs I used to frequent, but I dont have the sustained access to the sites, so I give posting of comments a miss.

But I remember the comments which were posted by people who read my last blog. And that helped me a lot in ironing out my restlessness.

Here a standard day involves a lot of loitering around. At home I follow my mom in law around. I feel like Marys little lamb ( yea the same lamb from the nursery rhymes).

Commuting to office is a big pain which burns a big crater like hole in my pocket. The killing heat of Chennai completely dissuades me from taking a public means of transport. So I end up taking an auto all the way to office which is very far from home. And in office since I dont have work, I am yet to have a machine of my own. Which means I end up sharing 4 systems with 10 odd new joinees. There is literally a game of musical chairs in and around here.

We have resource managers who are responsible for mapping us into projects. And Murphy s law is at its best, my resource manager is the lousiest one. He s a youngistaani with a scar from his nose through his left cheek. Let me call him ScarFace. Now he comes in at 0815 hours pronto. And then works till God knows what time cos I scurry out at 1600 hrs. And whole day he is attending telecons and phone calls which sound important to me. But till now I have not seen him map a resource into a proper project (#@$^&*#$^@#) I am not sure when he will be able to put me in my due place. It better be soon else I feel the chances are very high that he will get a scar over his other cheek courtesy me (#$^#^@$%@).

I reach home early in the evening, and have a nice cup of tea. If my mom in law gets on with the cooking, I give her moral support by standing next to her in the kitchen. Else if she is daring enough that day to give the task of cooking to me, I don my chefs hat and get on with the work. At 2020 hours, I get the message from K to pick him up from the bus stop. I dont miss the chance to do so, cos thats when I get to drive the scooty, and dont I love it :)

I miss my old office a lot, I miss everything about it. The work culture, the space, the people, the friends I had there. And I miss my friend Sw a lot. I still keep calling her up a lot and shes such an angel that even in office hours when she has work, she spares time for me :) And of course I miss my flat mates and room mate. But I am not clinging to the fact that I am far from them. Hyderabad as of now seems pretty approachable from Chennai.

Here I feel I am slowly reverting to my old self. I am getting used to the life here. The way of living out here. I cannot vouch for the fact that marrying the person you loved makes life any easier. The ups and downs still exist. For me I believe the best part is that I have very supportive in laws. At no point have the forced me to adopt anything. As I have a lot of time in hand now, I feel the urge to get going again. To learn some new sport, nurture some new hobby, study for some exam. I am not sure what exactly I want. May be its just the wish to be gainfully employed for all the 12 waking hours of the day.

Will miss you...

This is the last post from this lovely city .
Every time I think about leaving Hyderabad in a few days I get the shivers. And today morning the feeling was especially strong. I some how did not want to go away from here.
But some things should be done and there is no option.
But before I move this post goes out to all the wonderful people who made my stay all the more pleasing, fulfilling and enriching.

Sw :- My old room mate from Calcutta and close friend, never thought I would get a chance to meet her up for such a long time. But then, some things are destined. She has been the companion for innumerable shop-capades and general loitering around the city. Being well versed in the ins and outs of the city, shes been lovely company through and through. On top of that, shes been a counselor in times of need. A true friend whom I call hunny.

Sh :- Roomie dear. Fellow Sagi. Awesome company for any fun filled activity. Agony aunt in case you need solace. Companion for the morning walks. Some one whom I had an instant connection with.

Su :- First friend at my current firm. Little did I know this nonchalant guy sitting next to me during the initial induction sessions would turn out to be a close friend in a such a short period of time. He has always been there as a concerned friend in the office full of colleagues.

H :- Lunch mate with a child like disposition. Shes a kid at heart who has been crest fallen ever since I took the leave for my wedding. Shes reiterated it n+1 number of times that she is going to miss me like hell.

A :- My flat mate. Incessant talker. Can go on and on talking that I have to tell her to keep quiet and go to sleep please. Yesterday also it was till late night that we were chatting with each other till pretty late at night. Argumentative to the core I have had some rather entertaining sessions with her.

G :- G the dino. Friend of K who in turn became a good friend of mine. We have a silent competition as to who comes first in wishing the other over Gtalk. May be the first geek with whom I don t mind having coffee with :D

Ne/J/M :- Partners in crime when it comes to jumping over the tracks to catch the train from office. Ne is the silent devil. From the outside no one can fathom his mischievous self. But talk to him and mischief drips from his seemingly innocuous jokes and satires. J is the Josh machine, another non stop talker who beats A hands down when it comes to talking. M is the on track queen who has a never give up attitude when it comes to chasing the trains.

P :- My mentee from the the school where I go for the mentorship program from my firm every Saturday. I am going to miss her a lot.

Ma :- Silent sensitive guy from the mentorship program who used to drop me off from the school at home. Always full of nice practical suggestions and a person with whom its very easy to converse. Somehow seems a store house of practical information to me.

Ni :- The lead of the mentorship program. Eternal nag. Very persistent. And a person committed to the core.

All these wonderful people and many many more made my stay here brilliant. I guess God wanted this stay to be short and sweet. As I get jitters about my new life in Chennai, I hope I meet you people soon and keep bumping into you all again and again. And also that I get such wonderful people in future too.

Knot to be

I am writing this post on behalf of a very lazy friend of mine whose out groom hunting :)

Shes my alter ego and we often have this tag between us that we don t need to talk cos our thoughts are just mirror images :)

Now her parents are looking for alliances and after every session with a prospective groom she is sure to have a session with me, discussing what were the good, bad, ugly, immaterial aspects of the person whom she met.

She expects some one who would have all her good traits and negate all her bad ones (Perfect is boring but who would not want to have a try at some one perfect ) So she wants some one who reads, is intellectual at the same time game for a dash of fun once in a while, a sport when it comes to outdoor as well as indoor activities, not lazy, is frank, superior to her in terms of educational qualification and monthly income,etc etc.. Apart from these tangibles, she also wants some one with whom she feels an instant connection, feels mutual respect, some one who has a nice personality, some one who would support her in her future ambitions, some one who would encompass her and make her comfortable in his own circle while also allowing her room to continue all her old relations and friendships, and some more qualities which I am not able to recollect now. I know her wish list is pretty long, but being a girl, who has to leave so much and consign herself to an utter stranger, it out right SCARY.

When I was deciding upon the point whether K was the right person for me or not, I had innumerable sessions with her and another friend of mine discussing, debating, analyzing. There were more loose ends and question marks initially. But slowly there were a few but pressing reasons for me to go ahead with the alliance. I wish I remembered the deliberations that went on then. But now as I help my friend analyze the people she meets I feel scared and tensed and really worried for her. Every time she goes to meet some one I nearly pray that may she make the correct choice, may she get the nuances of the person's behavior. But just how much can you grasp in one meeting? :-S

The other day while talking she said, "I know with what reasons you can reject a person but what do people see that makes them say yes." I had no answer to that. Then she went on to say"How are you doing Amu?" I was like what kind of question is that? She said , "No dear, you are so mature. (She always feels I am mature :| ) You can handle a lot of things. But you are also a jovial fun loving person who does not like any strings attached? How are doing? How is marriage treating you? Don t you ever feel burdened? Tied down?" I did not want to answer her with the fears I have of leaving my old life. Of leaving the smooth circle of friends I have now.

Then she continued "Really I am not sure I can live with one person all the life" I was surprised at this. She comes from a pretty traditional family where some things are not questioned. Shes a thorough romantic at heart and she having doubts about living with one person brought me face to face with the fact how freaking nervous she was. She said, "I have seen people being happy when their alliances are being fixed. Why am I not feeling so? Wish I never questioned anything and went ahead with any alliance my parents got for me." I said," See dear, we are intelligent enough and free enough to questions some things. And I am sure our parents are proud of this fact. They will be sadder if we compromise and settle down thinking we are troubling them rather than speaking our mind. So please tell whatever you feel about the person to your parents and take a judicious decision."

I don t even know if I am guiding her on the right path. I just speak as I feel, what I feel at that point of time.

She s close to getting an alliance fixed. Hope things work fine for you dear friend. And as we say, marriages happen with the person with whom its supposed to happen. I just hope that person is the rightest for you dear, a real good friend and who loves you to pieces. Amen.

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*

Right time to go?

Well today was a bright sunny day. Morning I had to go out some where for a couple of chores with my room mate. Generally I get to office by 11:30 in the morning, for which I start from home at around 10:30. But today my room mate and I stepped out of the house at 10 and went ahead to the place where we had to get some bills etc done.

The morning was nice and pleasant. Though it was very bright, it was nt hot. It was just the perfect kinda morning which makes a spring season. Yea January is too early to have spring, but then, who has control over weather.
And as I got a chance to savor the weather for some time( rushing to office and scooting back really does nt give one any time at all to enjoy nature), I thought, I am gonna miss these days, this weather, this feeling of being responsible, with no family but friends acting as your support system. I am gonna miss these days of missing home but still some how surmounting them and finding solace in something. I have been out of touch with being at home. I am not sure how I am gonna find it.

As my room mate and I were getting our bills done, we were on with some chit chat. I love the personal interactions I have with her. Its not that we spill out our hearts to each other, but once in a while, some moments, we just talk about personal stuff. And we really connect. She never speaks nonsense, which is the most endearing quality about her. God bless you roomie dear. Before moving into the house, the person who had referred to this place had said, "No matter what, that girl is a gem of a person." And I vouch for that statement.
We came to office in an auto. All the while I was loving the sunny breeze. It was a weather which can make any one a poet( presuming he/she has tastes like mine :P)

And when we took the final turn to office, I remembered last year when I had come to Hyderabad as a tourist, I had come to an arts and crafts villa near office with a friend of mine. And at that turn I had asked her to buy guavas for me. Today also there was a guava vendor with some really wonderful wares. The image of the evening a year back flashed in front of my eyes in a jiffy. I became nostalgic.

Some how touchwood, I feel I am blessed with respect to the friends I have. God bless ya all wonderful people.

Work was as usual in office today when towards the afternoon my counsellor ( thats the term used for the person doing the appraisal in my firm. He s not just an appraiser, he is a counsellor in the literal sense of the term whom you can reach out to for any kinda professional help) introduced me to a girl who had joined our firm today itself. He asked me to help her get her bearings.

I went for a cup of coffee with her. We were going on with the random facts of how to get stuff done in office. The conversation then veered to me going on a vacation from next week and leaving the firm by March or so. And she seemed so crest fallen. Its human tendency to look upto the person you are introduced to on the first day in office as a friend. But when I mentioned I would be leaving in some months, I could sense how weird she might have felt. Even I had felt a nice vibe with her from the word Go. Pity I am leaving in some time.

As we were going back to our respective desks she mentioned, wish you were here for some more time, we would have caught up with each other, but you are leaving :( .

It was just the same when I had left my previous company as well. I ended up having a good friend only towards the fag end of my tenure.
I very well remember the last day of mine at my previous firm. There was to be some grand celebration. I dont remember for what. And there was a red carpet laid out and all.

And I had smsed K "Know what, I am leaving and here they have laid out a red carpet for me to go. Bozos! " And he had replied,"Hehe Red carpet. Go on Doggy. You gonna love Hyd".

I did love it. And now time for bye bye :(

Wish I had to leave places when things were down and out rather than looking bright.

I wish there was a right time to everything. But guess there is not. Things happen when they should happen. Not when we want them to happen. Hai na?



This song kept coming again and again as I was writing this post.

Year 2007

Hmm...Well I dont give much importance to the New Year Fever and the hoopla surrounding the coming new year. But some how all the forwards doing the rounds about the year ending and all, has kinda made me recollect the very first day of this year. That day I had traveled back from my home to K's place. And one of my friends had told me, you have traveled on the start of the year, guess you gonna be on the move for the whole year(This is a very common superstition every one kinda follows, that whatever you do on the first of January you do for the entire year) But as I look back seriously this year has been full of lotsa movement. First of all when I least expected, I got a job offer and moved to another city. Then from here I had the chance to travel a lot. Nearly within every 3 months I was either moving to my home town or to visit some place or the other. And being at Hyderabad brought a welcome changes.

• I started blogging
  
• I learn t swimming
• I learn t the art of makeup
• And I got some really awesome friends
• I wrote CAT again and this time during preparation I did not make the mistakes that I had made in the last attempt. I had never thought I would be able to give the exam again. But I am simply in love with the exam. Sounds weird, but I respect the format a lot and some how I feel it tests all the aspects a person should have to be an able manager.
  

Now I am at the threshold of leaving this city again- to go back to K. But I am really gonna miss the way of life out here. I am going to miss the loads of new friends I made within the short span of time. I am going to miss the folks I used to go for lunch with. I am going to miss the gang that used to take the train together with me and who was the inspiration and reason for my dare devilish antics :D And I am going to miss nearly every single thing in the apartment I live in. I some how have developed a very very strong sense of belonging for the house. I had my shares of difficulties and inconveniences which being the ever optimist I have happily decided to overlook :-) I live by the saying, Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. So here I am hoping for a new year which is better in every respect from the year making its exit.

Verdicts

These are some of the comments I have received from friends and family about myself:-

1. Your bag has everything but the kitchen sink
2. How many times do I have to remind you that you are an adult
3. Don't answer a question with another question
4. You are such a bholu (modified version of bhola which means innocent in Hindi). You feel every one in the world is nice
5. If you would have been in front of me and said this I swear I would have slapped you (*Hahaha*)
   
6. I prefer you in western formals than Indian wear. In westerns you look like a fundoo MBA grad :D (Don't I love this line)
7. Your complexion has the translucence which reminds me of Julianne Moore (My best friend said this.. I dunno whether she was giving me an ego massage.. But I simply love this remark )
8. Your faith in God gives me faith in Him
9. No matter what, Cherrie always keeps her bathroom and her cupboards clean.
   
10. Maths is not your cup of tea(This was said long ago.. But somehow this remark has stayed with me..)
11. (My roomie said this) My roomie never says no to anything I ask. Thats why I like her so much. :)
    
12. You are my pillar of strength.