The Year It Was!

Like all good things, this year too is just about to come to an end. With the year-end, we have also come to this blog's 7th birthday! In terms of content this year has been the most dismal for the blog. I have written very few posts, I mean like I can literally count them on my fingers. I have been busier, been without a laptop, without an internet connection and still managed to churn out post after post for my beloved blog. But this time despite no such challenges there was no fire to write for months altogether.

When I look back I can see multiple reasons that amounted to this very dry spell on Rendezvous. Firstly, I started year 2016 on a very low note. I used to consider myself extremely self-sufficient but early months of 2016 really showed me what loneliness could do to you. I was suddenly left alone in a very unfamiliar zone and I had no cushion to fall back on. There was no one to talk to or share. Of course, friends were just a phone call away but everyone was busy in their own lives. Then there was this immense work pressure at office for few months which was good for loneliness but drained out all creative energies I might have had.

To add to this I faced rejections about my writing and writing style consecutively and that too in the most unprofessional way possible. First happened last year so that’s old news. The latest one affected me more because the opportunity arrived through a friend. Now this person with whom I was working was all praises for my work, snippets of which he had seen and read on my blog. His expectations from me were very different from my writing style but I am always up for any challenge. His initial talks and discussions with me gave me an idea about his passion towards the ecommerce site he was planning to open. After some discussions I agreed to work for the peanuts (in the name of monetary remuneration) he was offering.

I started to received loads of work from him. This did not involve just writing but major research, googling, picture hunting, burning midnight oil and what not! And he was huge on deadlines, before even assigning the work he made sure to let me know the delivery date. Believe it or not I once literally slogged myself and did not sleep an entire night to complete the work assigned. I have never sacrificed my sleep for anything! Not my board exams, not even any of my engineering exams (however underprepared I must have been), not for any lover, not even during my sisters' wedding!

Well after this all nighter, I received a list of changes that Mr Wannabe Perfectionist wanted me to incorporate. And my friends, that was the last I heard of him. I mean from messaging me, calling me and emailing me 10 times a day, he just vanished away in reallly thin air! I assumed him to be busy or something and decided to take a chill pill. After a couple of weeks while chatting with the common friend I came to know that Mr Wannabe was not too happy about my writing skills and I did not match up to a picture he had in mind. So, he had decided to move ahead (without letting me know, of course). He also happened to mention to my friend about how he once asked for a quick result and I stayed up all night completing it. He apparently found it very amusing. On the other hand, I was far from being amused. But a lady as I am, I only swore under my breath and took it in my stride.

But this was highest level of unprofessionalism I have ever encountered, I mean I know I ain't no Margaret Mitchell but just at least let me know that you are not digging my writing skills, suddenly cutting all ties is not a solution! No one expects this kind of behavior from an aspiring entrepreneur. Last I heard his endeavor is not going all that great and I am not surprised about it!

Moving on, these episodes of my rejections somehow had a very negative impact on me. I lost the confidence on my writing skills and drowned my sorrows in TV series, Web series and autobiographies of Padma Laxmi and her ex Mr Salman Rushdie. But the more I read, more I started to miss writing. I always had this dream of writing for someone - a website, any magazine, any start up, mostly just anything. Although I have received many opportunities for the same in the last 2 years, it has somehow always left me incomplete. With the excitement and efforts that I put in during writing, the pain of rejection for me has double the impact. So, for the sake of my self-respect, I have taken a decision to be content with only writing for my blog. This blog has stood by me in my happiest moments as well as in my lowest of low moments.

So here’s to new beginnings, smarter decisions and no more letting people taking me for a ride! Happy 7th Birthday to Rendezvous and a very Happy Near Year to all of you!

Love:
Sepo!

They Shoot Single People, Don't They?

Have you ever noticed that the world we live-in was designed to be enjoyed in pairs? There are very few places where one would feel at ease with one’s own company. At the movies we have all sorts of combo offers but none for the poor single visitor. Dinning out with yourself or meal for one options are unheard of, except maybe for a few places we can count on our fingers. No fancy restaurant will ever server you half butter chilli noodles or half murg malai tikka. So you just cannot enjoy a proper 3 course meal all by yourself, unless of course you aspire to be a sumo wrestler.

What hurts more than absence of such places is the behavior a single person is subjected to, dare he/she venture out alone. The only way is it somewhat acceptable to be seen alone is if you are busy on a laptop or your smartphone or maybe busy reading something. That gives an illusion of you waiting for someone or leading such a busy life that you have to come alone for a quick bite. But god forbid if you are seen without any of the above mentioned props. Then the askance glances and pitiful looks you get will be unbearable.

Spotting a girl alone is a bigger risk because all the guys and uncles will automatically assume that she is 'asking for it'. They will leave no stone unturned to make her uncomfortable by approaching her to 'fill up' her loneliness. What people don’t get is that not everyone shopping, eating or watching a movie alone is a pariah. Sometimes it is circumstantial and other times purely by choice.

Once you grow up it is not always easy to find yourself in company of people who would love to accompany you to every mundane task you need to accomplish. Similarly at times you would rather be with yourself than be at the whims and fancies of others. Like when I go shopping I survey the options before shelling out money. I go from shop to shop and sometimes end up going to the first shop I entered. Successful implementation of this formula mandates that I have an understanding partner. But let’s be honest this is not everyone’s cup of tea. Most of the people just like to get in and get out while shopping. So, in order to not invite the wrath of an individual and put up with tantrums I prefer shopping alone. And when I get hungry I stop by to enjoy a meal solo. I also go to movies alone because not all people I hang out with share my taste for movies. SO what? Big Deal! 

Being alone, spending time with yourself teaches you so many things. It teaches you to be self-sufficient. To engage your energy with fruitful and creative ventures. It teaches you to observe, observe everything around you - people, nature, little children, cracks in the ceilings, dust on the walls, spider working on its web…. It also makes you appreciate company of people and the fact that nothing and no one should be taken for granted. Having little to no contact with the girls staying in my PG has taught me to be more considerate and attentive towards our bai. It is her I am totally dependent on in the mornings while getting ready. I bombard her with questions asking her opinion about my look of the day. And man is she critical or what! She gives me helpful advice like "keep the dupatta only on one side", "add a bindi" or "that belt is not matching" and once "hair is looking too oily". She maybe not have access to the latest issue of cosmo but for me she is a valuable fashion advisor. Under normal circumstances I would have laughed at the idea of a bai giving me fashion advice but now I have learned my lesson.

Agreed its great being in relationship or having a great bunch of friends to hang out and have fun with. But having experienced both I can tell you that being alone does not have to be a sad or a contemptable experience. Sometimes it is with yourself you can have the maximum fun. Cheers!

Love Sepo

Intolerance Any One?

With the entire country going gaga over the statement made by Aamir, the last thing we need is another write-up about how Aamir is a jerk. Don't worry I am not going to talk about Aamir and Kiran here. I am here to share few instances with you and let you make some decisions based on them.

Just yesterday me and 2 of my friends went over to have some chaat in front of our office. Waiting patiently for our Chinese bhel out of nowhere a beggar kind of a mad man came abusing and blabbering while continuously staring at us. He kept doing this for almost like 5 minutes and suddenly angered by the smiling face of one of my friends, he shouted "Hass mat, honth kat dunga tere" (Don't laugh or I'll cut off your lips). In no mood to laugh now, the three of us were shell shocked and pretty scared. Suddenly he started to spit towards us and unable to take it anymore, I shouted at the top of my voice. Three of us ran hither and thither away from the mad man. Here i may point out that, near the Chaat wala, few guys from my company were also standing. And it being broad daylight and a place right in front of an IT giant, it was heavily crowded. Yet we three girls felt tormented and helpless. No one offered any sort of help, or shooed away the man. People did not even turn their faces or stop doing their chores. The chaat bhaiya finally attempted to scare him away ONLY when he started to come dangerously close to his stall. He only went away before any turning around towards us and abusing us to his heart's content.

Picture Courtesy - sploid.gizmodo.com

 Now I really don't want to sound like a whiny girl wanting people to rescue her. But don't you think under such circumstances at least someone from the crowd should have stood up? It that asking too much? At least those guys from my company, they could see the company tags around our neck..But no, they did not even bat an eyelash during the entire scene. This is really a scary scenario - people not standing up for each other. And it was not the first time I got to witness it. I had a somewhat similar incident some years back.

I was traveling in a shared auto rickshaw and a middle aged man was trying to be over-smart. His elbows kept poking me at all inappropriate places. First few times I thought it to be an accident (although I knew it wasn't) but when that jerk did not stop I decided to teach him a lesson. Little did I know that it would be me and not him learning all the lessons. The moment I confronted him he started shouting that all my accusations were false and that he was innocent. None of the 3 other people in the rickshaw spoke a word. Feeling that I was loosing the battle, I forced the rickshaw guy to pull off and demanded that I will not travel with that guy by my side. At this point I thought that the guy will get down or be forced to get down the rickshaw. But to my horror again no one said a word. And since I had proclaimed that I will not travel with the man and he refused to move, I was left with no other option but to move out myself and continue my journey to office by foot. I was so shattered to think that without any mistake of mine, I have to face the abuse - both from that man and everyone else in that rickshaw. That man got to sit and ride in the rickshaw while I had to walk in the scalding sun. How is it justice?

Now tell me, is the place we live in tolerant? Are we really tolerant? Do we need to change our outlook first and then throw dirt at Aamir and other?

Everything said, even after facing many issues and disappointments in this country, the thought of leaving this country never entered my mind.

LOVE:
SEPO

Some Keen Observational Theories

1. The closer you are to a person the harder it is to tell them the truth – an honest opinion you have about them. On the other hand the closer a person is to you, higher is the chance of you venting out all your accumulated anger on them.

2. Some people get up in the morning, open their cupboards and wear the first thing(s) they spot. Irrespective of whether they are event appropriate or matching with each other. Now we are not expecting you to be dressed up to nine, looking like diva’s or studs. But green colored pants with purple Tee, red colored polka dotted pants to office and a tight fitted top struggling to stay on a plump frame is not a sight for the sore eyes.

3. While we are on the subject of clothes another important point. Leggings are not pants. Yes, even if you are a proud owner of a 26inch waist. They were made for kurta’s and look horrible with tops and shirts.

4. There are some people who go grocery shopping and forget one very important article every month. We are talking about the DEO here. Small word big benefits. Coz, sitting in cramped spaces with air conditioner blowing the same stale air, trying to breathe through your elbow or hair in public transport ain’t no fun.

5. When you finally get that motivation to join gym and one week down the line you start feeling somewhat fabulous about yourself – people will start commenting on how fat you look. Well, that drives you right towards those creamy macaroons and Dutch truffles.

6. An observation based on the above point. People criticize you when you are thin, they will criticize you when you are fat, and they will probably find something wrong with you when you are actually pretty alright. Listen to the people who matter, ignore the rest and do what YOU like. Just do your thang.

7. After a particular age you just loose interest in making new friends. You become content with the close set of fools you have managed to keep over the years. Friendships often sprout during those carefree phrases of live. Once responsibility kicks in, you’d rather make acquaintances rather than friends. That said, some rare exceptions are always there.

8. You start developing a “taste” for things. Now this can be anything ranging from clothes to furniture to alcohol. While in your teens and early twenties you are ready to experiment, as you mature you’d probably invest and explore something that you are familiar with!

9. However hard you try, innumerable promises you make – People still drift apart. In spite of all the wtsapp, skype and vibers long distance things rarely workout. And for those it does work, well congratulations!

10. Even though you may not realize it and in fact hate using SMS and texting lingo it still reflects in your writing. I just had a hard time understanding why MS word refuses to acknowledge “yourself’ which in my writing flow I had spelled as “urself”. OMG. I gave myself the biggest palm-slap after realizing my mistake.

11. The more you stay alone, the more impulsive and short tempered you get. Adjusting, patience and compromise become pariahical qualities.

12. A heart felt compliment makes everyone happy, no matter how old. So go on and don’t hesitate to make someone happy.

13. When women go on criticizing and complaining about themselves, all they are looking forward for to is some reassurance. "You look great" or "You are awesome" are some acceptable answers. Go not agree with her on this one. Its as simple as that. And men say women are hard to understand.

14. There should be at-least one that thing in life for everyone doing which makes you happy.

15. Lastly, everyone should watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S atleast once. If you aren't, you are definetly missing something really special in life.

LOVE:
Sepo!

Single & Footloose

There is something so liberating about being on your own. Just imagine no unwanted questions no tiresome explanation. You act and face the repercussions. Fair and square. Right?

There are many other benefits of being on your own. Well, you can cook whatever you want to and most importantly eat it the way you want and not care about what others think. You can wear whatever you want to : shorts, skirts, toothpaste stained clothes, the options are endless. The best thing according to me is taking decision at the spur of the moment. No one to stop while you indulge yourself in extravagant shoes or want to take a mindless trip somewhere far off.

I recently was in a situation which allowed me to be a little crazy, a little careless and a little foolish. This Saturday I was feeling more lazy than usual. After a lazy brunch, surfing internet and just about the enter the sleep mode I suddenly had an idea. What not watch Cocktail?

The movie was planned with my roomies and ex roomies for next week. But WTH I was bored and not-so-sleepy. So I started checked show timings at 2:45PM. The next closest show was at 3:20PM, I challenged myself to make it on time, so I ran and grabbed my black jeans and some random top, plastered my unruly hair with a hair band and off I went. Fought for an autorickshaw and reached the star cinema in the vicinity of my place at 3:05PM *WOW*. Only to find a long, well queue. I would still have made but damn houseful at 3:20PM show.

In my excitement to catch the movie, I totally forgot to stop and think that if I do not make it to the 3:20Pm show, I will go mad because the next show was only at 4:30PM. Well as they say whatever happens, happens for good! Never mind 3:20Pm, I took the tickets for 4:30PM. So what if I have to kill 1 hour alone...huh Big deal! One can always indulge in some window shopping and to my good luck the multiplex is right there in a mall.

This window shopping actually cost me close to 1500 bucks, but then who's complaining? I had fun (and additions to my wardrobe) and that is what matters the most. So after shopping with one medium popcorn and one small coke I entered the theatre premises. In case I forgot to mention it before, it was my first time of watching a movie alone. So I was a little uncomfortable sitting between a family and a couple. A little awkward: Yes but boring: No. I had a lot of fun all by myself. The movie was meh, if you must know. But the trip was awesome and I plan to do it more frequently! Why do you need company when you have YOU!

It’s fun being single and footloose in the city :-)

TALK ABOUT BEING CARELESS!

I had an exam (JMET) last Sunday @ Delhi. HB pencil was a prerequisite for it. I had seen it on the admit card but I DON’T KNOW WHY refused to take it seriously. I thought it’s a mere pencil afterall, I can get it anywhere! Alas, on the morning of my test what I see is that there are no shops, none at all in the vicinity of my exam centre.



I still am not bothered though. A pencil can be borrowed can’t it? So after entering the room I started to look around for my prospective shikaar. My row was mostly vacant save for a guy who had just one pencil and one pen on his table. I did not want to attract attention by widening my horizons. I started feeling a little scared then. What if no-one comes in my row? What if I have to tell the teachers that I don’t have a pencil? What if the strict looking male teacher shouts at me?????



With all these questions in my mind I got a major shock. The answer sheet asked the details to be filled by BLACK BALL POINT PEN ONLY. I carried only blue as it was mentioned in the admit card clearly “BLACK OR BLUE”. But the answer sheet had a totally different story to tell. Well the pencil went out of my mind now. Thankfully the black ball point pen problem had many other takers as well.



After a lot of deliberation teachers said it was alright to use blue pen as the same was mentioned in the admit card. Already having committed a blue error I did not want to be disqualified for not carrying a pencil, so tension and desperation was at its peak now. It was then he (angel) came and sat right in front of me. I tapped his shoulder lightly and with a smile asked “do you have an extra pencil”? He gave me the pencil together with a puzzled/weird look! Ohh. A sigh of relief! I was very embarrassed, so embarrassed that I could not even ask for sharpener when the lead wasn’t sharp any more!



I have another exam this Sunday @ Chandigarh for which I am leaving just in a few minutes! This time I am carrying all the requirements and also the things not required. 2 blue pens, 2 black pens, 2 HB pencils, eraser, sharpener … you name it and I have it. I have 2 of everything to maybe help a someone like me!

p.s This post has been written in a state of hurry. Please excuse any typos.

DARKNESS.

Isolation sometimes for some people becomes a necessity. Just like some people crave for company, others crave isolation. Aloofness.




There is in fact nothing wrong with being alone. It’s good to spend some with “yourself”. Trying to know one’s self. I too am a sucker for it. I lovvve (it’s not a typo, it’s my way of showing intensity!) spending time all by myself. I love my company, I love going shopping with me...! Yea..! it’s True...!

But on the other hand it has serious and severe affects on the personality traits of a person. It can lead to a condition where you can experience a fear of meeting people. Excessive isolation can lead to depression and some other psychological traumas. It creates darkness in life.





What complicates the problem is the fact that such people are just a face in the crowd, therefore difficult to separate or let’s say isolate. They are so good at creating a facade. You can never ever guess that something is wrong with them. More than often these people are common at high profile and glamor jobs. Look at someone like a Viveka Babajii, she achieved all that a girl in the modeling world could aspire for. Yet she failed in striking a healthy relationship. After a series of heart breaks, she found an easy way out of it all. To blame an estranged relation for her taken decision according to me would be a tad too harsh. The foundation of it maybe was laid way earlier, during her peak days. Insecurity, lack of friends, broken trust............

Trust once broken is hard to rebuild. When a person’s trust is broken again and again, it becomes e hard to demarcate between friends and foes. Suddenly the world seems to be a cruel place. Full of pretentions and vicious circles. Fake promises, false smiles, so called friends....... the only easy way out of this mess then seems to be ________ .( don’t need to write it down)...!

Well, many a times it is said that people who commit suicide are cowards, don’t have the guts to face difficulties... blah blah blah......! But I think that it actually takes a lot of guts and courage to take such a step. To break ties and end everything drastically. To leave behind the dreams and aspirations. People who you loved and who loved you.....! Just imagine the amount of pressure /tension on such a person who overlooks all these factors and goes ahead with the decision. Statistics clearly indicate the huge number of suicide cases in India alone.





Friends, there are a lot of people out there who need help. Guidance. Someone to talk to. Such people don’t come with a tag, you have to recognize them. They can be one of us. Maybe one of our friends.

THE FOUR LETTER WORD.

Love- it is not merely a word. It’s an emotion. One of those which is impossible to predict. You can never ever justify this feeling. You can never explain why your heart beat suddenly accelerates on seeing someone. Yet love is also one of the most natural feelings, example, a mother’s unconditional love for her child, love for your friends, pets... the list is endless.....


Every place shouts the presence of it. Movies, magazines are full of it. Love stories, which are bestsellers. How can one not get inspired/influenced by this? There have recently been incidents in my life which have both strengthened and weakened my belief in love. Also this topic in itself is so complicated, that I was sceptical as to whether or not I will be able to do justice to it. But I had to take this load off me and also I had promised a friend of mine that I will write about it. Now I seriously have no idea as to what exactly I am going to write about... but have to start, so ......

I ll begin by the story of a guy, who loves a girl from the past three years. The girl however refuses to acknowledge the fact and the guy. The guy refuses to give up. The situation now is that the guy has just one ambition left, and that is to somehow or the other get her or just talk to her some way. Career, hobbies, friends ... all these things hold no meaning to him. Everything is just about that girl. He keeps talking about her. Keeps on making plans to somehow just talk to her. His whole life is centred around her. Sometimes I feel, she is all he’s living for and at times I fear she is the one he could even die for.



This guy happens to be a good friend of mine and I care about him. Sometimes I get so clueless as to how should I help him. What should I say to make him feel better? What should I say that does not sound like a cliché?”I cannot live without her”. How to reply to that. Who is at fault here, the girl the guy ...who? And what exactly is this thing called love..? You meet someone and suddenly your whole being is around and about that person. your days are gone thinking about them, wondering how great it would be to have them around.... is this what love is...? This longing, the need to be together, .........!!!

And even when you are lucky enough, and your feelings are reciprocated, what happens then...? Naturally, everything looks heavenly. Life is suddenly beautiful. There is no greater source of happiness than knowing the fact that there is this special someone, who constantly cares, worries about you. Reminds you constantly, how special you are. Your days and nights belong to them and you feel you have attained the most precious gift ever. But love doesn’t come with a guarantee, there is no permanence.



Coming to another story, a love story straight out of the pages of mills and boon. Innocent love, not knowing the true realities of life. Lovely beginning, great start, perfect understanding. When the couple attained stability and settled down, there were suddenly cracks visible in spite of the strong foundation. It seems like love left them. There is nothing to talk about. The long never-ending, pocket-emptying telephone conversations are now a thing of past. The initial hellos are followed by uncomfortable silence and ended with formal talks. No endearments. Now what went wrong here....everything was so perfect, so true, just like a fairytale...

But as they say “life is no fairytale”. The harsh reality is that, even when two persons are committed to each other and practise fidelity, things can go wrong. Distances occur which are impossible to bridge, like two banks of a river. There was a time, when every detail of “what all you did the whole day” was disclosed, but now you call only because of habit. The communication gap at one point of time gets so huge, that you realize that the person you at one time loved is now nothing but a stranger.




It becomes so difficult to take a step towards improving your relation. Always waiting for the other person to make the first move. And when the other person fails to do so, thinking “if he is not bothered, why should I care”. Small problems change to bigger ones and the distance keeps growing.

Amidst this enters a new person, who suddenly gives you attention and appreciation. You would go towards that person like a piece of iron towards the magnet. However hard you try to stay away, make promises with yourself, it becomes impossible to think rationally. When the person you love criticises you, has no time for you. That new person gives the required comfort and a great boost to your self-esteem and self-confidence. Is this cheating....? Infidelity...?




Do you even realise the fact that what you are doing is wrong, does this fact register in your mind..? It’s injustice to yourself, your partner and that “new” person. Then what to do....? What is the right thing to do..? Go back to the place you receive no respect, or break all ties and set yourself free...? I know there are “n” number of solutions available... just Google it and you ll be spending rest of the day reading great answers to your queries. But how badly I wish it was that easy. In reality when you are under such a situation (or for that matter any situation relating to love) your brain refuses to acknowledge the solution or the easy way out (saying this on basis of personal experiences...!!). Maybe it’s true that love is synonym of suffering...!!

So what exactly is love....? does it exist or is it just a gimmick. Is it popular only because it’s all over the movies, and it’s kinda “cool” to say that I am in love...? I am still in a dilemma. Hope I get my answers soon....!!
For then
keep loving ...!
I ll like to end the post by quoting a line by someone who’s been there and done that...
“Don’t confuse love with desire
It comes from the ashes of desire”.

p.s
I think this is my longest post...!! (:D) ohh god this love...!!

WHAT NEXT...?

Life is full of surprises. Peasant, unpleasant both. One you get used to the flow of it, it seems nothing but a cakewalk. But then what’s the fun in living a guarded life. What I mean is that, when you know what you have to do or are supposed to do... you surely, undoubtedly lead an organised life. But hell, you miss the fun filled element in your life. That rush or doing something out of the blue.... totally unexpectedly......!!

There are people with me in college, who come to college, attend all the lectures, jot down all the notes, go back home straight from college. They know they have to fight amongst the likes of them to reach the top position in the class. They have already decided what/ how their future will be. I am nowhere close to them. Believe it or not, I am still totally clueless about my future. What will I do, where will I go..? Will I manage to get a job...? Should I go for an MBA...? All these questions are still unanswered. When in my 12th standard I faced a similar situation. As to WHAT NEXT...? Now after 4 years of this wonderful journey I find myself at the same place from where I started. Someone rightly said “LIFE IS A CIRCLE”. There are moments when I get really worked up and tense thinking about my future. But for the most part, I remain blissfully unconcerned. I have no idea as to what my future will be, where or what I ll do. So, at this point of time I want to enjoy the few left moments of my student life.....





The feel of sitting in a classroom, texting in the classroom, eating the Tiffin in the classroom, fighting over seats, exchanging looks and smiles, the numerous plates of momo’s @ canteen, photography (which is imperative to my existence now)....! Want to enjoy the spontaneity of a moment. When suddenly a plan is made. Fights over the bigger slice of pizza, avoiding the bill, creating ruckus...!! I may not be sure about what my future is going to be like.... but I can guarantee that when I look back, thinking about this phase of my life, in my memories, in the huge huge collection of pics that I have..... I will smile, laugh and cry... all at the same time....!!

Now that I am about to complete this circle, I am apprehensive about the new beginning. Excited as well as intimidated. Just hoping that whatever it may be, it should at least be half as wonderful as my college days. Also, I get disturbed thinking about the fact, that who’s going to take care of me, with my friends no longer with me. It’s so hard to even imagine that after a few months, we will not be together. No more “kal kitne baje jaana hai...”? “Sorry I ll be late”..? “Let’s bunk”....!!









Well still there are some two, three months left comprising of- a major project, final exams and not to miss the sessionals (have one tomorrow). Thinking of living life as it comes, with great zeal and vigour. At the same time, keeping few shutters open for the making of decisions of the FUTURE.

RIDING DOWN LIFE’S HIGHWAY IS HARD WORK,
YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO HAVE FUN ALONG THE WAY.

p.s don't know when my net will work.... so when i got the chance to use net, i posted all that i had written in a few days...

A MONKEY AND A MEMORY....

Can a title be weirder than this....? You must be wondering, what sort of a memory is related to a monkey..? But, I have one. Sweet and special. Now this memory is not one of those which I recall when sitting alone, thinking, and smiling. Nope. It’s one of those which is etched up in your mind, somewhere far behind, an area which is not easily, readily accessible. The presence/remembrance of which is entirely situational or circumstantial. My idea of writing this post is not to confuse you but to share with you such an incident which was somewhere in my mind but needed a trigger to get resurfaced.

Now, without much ado I would straightway jump to the fact......

I was reading a book in which there was a mention of monkeys. Now whenever I read a book, each line of the story forms a picture in my mind. While reading, I simultaneously keep getting this pictorial view of the person, location described, scene, a room....... so, when the monkey thing appeared in the book. I got this picture of a monkey. Not just any monkey, but a special one with whom I had a face-to face meet some 15 years ago.




*FLASHBACK*

The story henceforth continues in my mind.
Once upon a time, in a place where I lived in my childhood, there was this monkey, who had lost his mental balance and was on a rampage (literally). (And, no I haven’t been bitten by the INDIA NEWS or IBN-7 news bug). This is a true story. This monkey, who had been given a name ROMEO, had created a panic amongst the people. He used to bite children, small innocent children and there had been a number of cases. Everyone was wary, little children- including me, were naturally petrified.

One fine day, I was playing on the terrace, dancing in my mum’s dupatta and her shoes. When I spotted the dreadful monkey some two, three houses away. I still remember and can swear on it that he saw me too (getting Goosebumps, even now). I immediately ran towards my door and could sense him following me. And I wasn’t wrong, the moment I reached inside the safety ofof  home, he was there right after me waiting outside the door. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes....... time passed slowly and he stayed glued there. When I couldn’t take it anymore sitting jailed inside, I picked up the doormat and stuck it on the mesh door, in order to shoo him away. Far from getting shooed away, he got wild and angry. Big time. He started jumping, getting at the door handle (which was bolted....). and I merely some 5,6 years of age was scared like hell. I don’t remember much after this apart from the fact that the monkey left at some point of time and I keep crying, refusing to move, eat, go out...

I stayed like that till late in the evening, when finally papa came back. He was told the whole ordeal, with me crying in the background. My dad took me in his arms and carried me outside, ignoring my protests, shouts and cries. I had this notion stuck in my mind that the monkey was hiding somewhere, within the premises of my house, waiting to attack me. My dad carried me up the terrace and explained an important lesson to me.... I remember the exact worlds





“God has created the world for both animals and humans. Both have an equal write to live. If someone hurts you, you will protect yourself, won’t you..? Similarly animals too have to protect themselves. That’s why, bee stings, snake bites, to protect .If you leave them in peace, they will do you no harm. You were a threat to the monkey, what he did was so protect himself”.
Slowly the fear reduced in me and I enjoyed the breezy dark night with my dad. And yeah, came back down on my own feet.


Inspite of the number of years that have passed since then, this chapter of my life is so clearly etched up in my memory and will always be. And I will never forget, what my dad taught me that day. Since then ,and even now, I am never too scared of any animal. Errr ummm... apart from cockroaches... well ... that I really can’t help, they are soo ewww...!!

ALL ALONE.......!!

Why is that when you are all alone and desperately want someone to simply just talk to you that people somehow suddenly get all busy and have no time for you. You call them up feeling all excited and happy, thinking you will brush on your happiness and a bit of your loneliness on to them but they get “IRRITATED” by you. You get stiffed, hung up on. Feeling ridiculous and foolish. It happened to me and trust me I had no hard feelings with the person but wanted to slap myself. I am one big narcissist but at that time hated myself to the core.....

I am very sensitive and could already feel tears growing in my eyes, tears of hurt and humiliation. But I did not want to spoil my mood (and eye makeup) by crying, so I called someone else (a friend) to divert my mind. But things were definitely not on my side as that “someone else” was busy. I had no guts left to call anyone else and to stop my tears now. Actually it always happens with me... whenever I am feeling down, upset and desperately want someone to talk to I can never ever manage to do it. I don’t know what happens but somehow everybody suddenly gets busy or has no time to listen to me coz of other important issues.

So here I am crying my heart out, when a few minutes ago I was all happy and excited about my birthday and all I wanted was to talk to a person. Seems entirely another time now. Do hell with this birthday now. I hate everyone (me included). Thank god for my blog, atleast now there a place which is entirely mine and where I can come whenever I want to, and write whatever I wish to without irritating or disturbing anyone. And I swear on my blog I will make myself soo strong that I will never ever need anybody to support me (emotionally). I myself am/will be self sufficient and will take good care of myself.

Can’t tell you how much better I feel now, after pouring my feelings into words.....
p.s this post has been written under a raining spell of tears, I don’t have the energy left for checking errors. So excuse any mistakes or grammatical errors.

CLOSE THE DOOR, AND SORT IT OUT!

I am a strong believer of the fact that personal matters should be solved personally, on an individual level without involving the whole world in it. People who open their problems ka “pitara” in front of everyone not only end up making a fool of themselves but also make people around them freaking uncomfortable.

I was travelling in a local bus, few days ago and sitting right in front of me was a girl and a guy. I was dead tired and kept looking out of the window until I heard this sniffing, sobbing sounds. The girl sitting in front of me was wiping her eyes. Ohh some drama here, I though. Now the couple had this undivided attention from me. And the detective inside me was busy figuring out the slightest bit of hint. Now it’s not like I kept looking at them but yea whole of my concentration (and one ear) was entirely focused on to their conversation. The guy periodically kept looking and whispering something in her ear. Ufff. A bit louder buddy I wanted to tell him. He wanted some privacy I guess, but the girl was livid. Me and the whole bus could hear her voice “I have had enough”. “You don’t need to bother any more”. Then some more crying and more wiping. It was getting quite boring by this time and I shifted my attention back to the scenery outside. Then came the final DHAMAKA.

The guy got out of the bus and went, the girl followed. I thought the problem might not have been serious enough after all. But my misconception was short lived. The girl had something in her hand (maybe a gift or something from the guy) which she threw directly in the direction of the guy from the bus and came back to her place in front of me with a dangerous look on her face. Suddenly everyone was quiet and mesmerised. All eyes were on her.

What I learned from this incident is that  while Public Display of Affection is still tolerable. But public display of dishum dishum is so not happening. It is just so embarrassing and filmy. Whenever I have fight scene I ll make sure I never make a public display of it. 

VALENTINE BUZZ

With the most awaited day of the year approaching the market is full of things red and heart shaped. Every season brings with it new special things. This time there’s this thing called love capsule which contains love notes...for every day before the Valentine’s Day... popularly known as the valentines week... comprising of chocolate day, rose day etc etc....!!

Now when you know that you are not going to get any of these cute things you just end up getting bugged up of them. I mean so many pretty things out there... and you not gonna get any of them. Well you can buy them for yourself but that is just soo boring.
We went into this gift shop( E wanted to get a birthday card for her jiju).We asked the shopkeeper “where is the section for cards”. He replied “valentine cards...??” the three of us were like grrrrrr. And telling each other “shit yaar.. wish someone would buy this for us”.

E was like I will buy these for myself ( I found the idea soo boring...but who listens to me).But going through the various sections of the shop and seeing such pretty stuff all our hearts melted.
In the end we decided to buy little cute stuff for each other.

memories... ;)

I have been meaning to write this post since a long long time. But never got the opportunity to do the same as it involved recapturing a lot of stuff. Nevertheless, I present to you this very very special story.

It’s basically about a childhood friend of mine who I would not like to name so let’s just call her Ms M. Now Ms M had been seeing this guy (also a very good friend of mine) for quite some time now. And things were going okay between the two of them. Until of course we came to know through some source (which skips my mind..!) that the guy was kinda two-timing her. Now this piece of news had us all (gang of girls) fuming. We were pissed off and mad like hell. And poor Ms M couldn’t believe.

There is something about two timer guys that exposes the dangerous side of any “gentle” and “touch-me not-I might-get hurt” kinda girls. We being no different decided to get even with the guy but of course in STYLE...!! Meetings were held, notes were made, dialogues were written and the whole thing was scripted and named “OPERATION THA THA”. The whole thing basically was on the shoulders of K (an important member of the gang) and ME. Our role in the operation was that of a catalyst, we had to ignite the fire on the other side. We were supposed was to gain the guy’s confidence and use it against him (simple enough...duh..!). Meanwhile M was getting all sentimental, but was strong and directive: P

I being the catalyst got to hear the other side of the story as well and my heart at one point kinda melted for the guy but the girls (including M) would hear none of it, the cat was out of the bag now. And we stuck.... big time. Using all the info we had gathered M dumped him. But it wasn’t easy for her as she loved him a lot and it wasn’t easy for us to see her suffering. But M is such a sport... she even gave us a BREAKUP PARTY....!!!

And then came the big turn, a big big big U turn...
M was out of station immediately after her breakup and I wasn’t in touch with her for quite some time. It was during this time the guy went ahead and caught up with M. Sorted out all the differences and was with her AGAIN. I came to know all this much later. And we also came to know the fact that the information (about two timing) was vague. It so turned out that someone told someone and that someone told someone else and someone else passed it to somebody who told us about it. And the information while getting passed on in this chain got all mixed matched together leading to a series of miscommunications and misunderstandings.
So K and I ended up looking like big fools. But when I look back at it I laugh, thinking about those meetings, those serious looks that wonderful breakup party where I gorged a whole pizza all by myself...!! And the best part is that my love buds are still together and rocking. The guy forgot all about the flop operation and my role in it (thank god for that...!). As they say “All Is Well That Ends Well”.

It ended on a good, bright note... bringing the love buds closer
Love you both and S (part 2) :P

SENsational SINGLE MUM

I have like always been an ardent admirer of the ever dynamic Sushmita Sen. Recently my respect for her multiplied when she became the proud mother of little Alisah. There are only few such people who utilise fully the power available to them and help others. Sush is definitely one such person.

 She first became a mum when she was some 20 years of age, high on the ladder of success. That time many people criticised her of taking a reckless decision. But today I m sure they eat their hats when they see the beautiful Renee....!!

There is this Hindu adoption law (of which I was unaware until now) which states that if u already have adopted a child u cannot adopt another child of the same sex. It so happed that this particular law was changed recently and Miss Sen. made a jump at the opportunity and after many legal hassles brought home an angel 

Now this adoption thingy is no child’s play (especially for singles) the legal formalities can blow the air out of any superwomen. It is really tough to get the adoption agencies to process your case on same footing as that of couples. One has to reiterate one’s sexual orientation (gay or straight...!), financial status and the fact that whether or not you can provide a good and wholesome environment like couples.

So you need to be passionate and fervent about the cause. U have to have the fervour in you a la Sushmita...!! So hats off to her and I think I too will someday adopt a baby.... some 10 – 15 years later that is.... :P

p.s the law I have mentioned was read by me in some newspaper so I m not sure about the exact words. I have written what I remembered of it...!!