Miss Them ...

6 months in US has been good. Not perfectly smooth but not bad either. However I do miss a few things about India and Bangalore. Missing my sister's wedding will be one of my biggest regret ever but I miss some 'things' about Bangalore. A small list of the few things I miss.

1. Legend of the Rock
2. TGIF
3. Purple Haze
4. Tavern
5. Guzzlers Inn
6. Pecos
7. 13th Floor
8. Geoffrey's
9. Ruby Tuesday
10. Juke Box
    

Date with an Eye Candy….!!!!

Ok…to begin with it was NOT really a date…but I choose to call it that. It might at least increase the readership of this post ;) . And just to ensure a little bit of privacy for my “eye-candy” I will refrain from using his real name. I will just call him Jay. Why Jay? I don’t know, that’s the first name which struck me when I wanted a pseudo name for him. Well Jay was in Bangalore for the Aerosmith’s concert and we decided to catch up for lunch. I was pretty excited to meet him, after all I believe he looks like Adonis (inspite of the fact that my friend thinks he looks like the “guy-next-door”) and seeing Adonis in person sounds like an interesting prospect.
Well that excitement was pretty short lived. For one Jay decided to bring along his friend for the lunch. I am not very comfortable with new people and am no expert in making polite conversation over lunch. However putting this across to him was not possible as I could imagine what his reaction would be if I told him I wanted to meet him “alone”. It would give out all the wrong signals. So very reluctantly I went ahead to meet him, all the time convincing myself that it wouldn’t be as bad as I had imagined it to be. I was right, it wasn’t as bad as my imagination, it was far worse. To begin with I behaved like a dork, looked like a slob and made the worst possible first impression. It was a wonder that he put with me. The cat got my tongue and I barely opened my mouth during the entire lunch. The only time I did, I told him I visited “India Gate” in Mumbai….. (yeah……India Gate in Mumbai and not Gateway of India…so much for my high IQ). I guess that was the last straw, a dumb (literally and figuratively) nerd is not anyone’s idea of good company. Next, I ate Chinese (or Indian Chinese as I call it) for lunch. I know most people love Chinese .. but I don’t. That too the Indian version of Chinese with too many spices is just not on my list of favourites. And lastly to top it all Jay’s friend’s client (or so I gathered from their conversation… since I was not introduced to him I have no idea who he was) paid for the food. It was the second most embarrassing moment in my life (the first being in school when a neighbour who owned a taxi offered to drop me to school…I and my friends hopped in thinking we were getting a free ride to school and all this while he was just doing business….when we reached school and he asked for money..we wished we were dead…between the 3 of us we didn’t have enough cash to pay him off…so he just drove off..probably cursing us..). I was thanking a complete stranger for my lunch, somebody who I had not even said a single word to during the course of the meal. How I wished I could just vaporize at that moment. But alas !! nothing like that happened and I barely managed to give this kind soul a feeble smile and walk out of that restaurant. The next thing I did was thank Jay for the lunch and walk back to office in a daze. We didn't speak after that and I have my doubts if he will ever want to talk to me again.
Three days later, sitting in front of my PC, listening to music and writing this blog I realize this is where I fit best. Nerds don’t fit in a social gatherings with too many people. Living life as a recluse suits me best and yes, I love this life. As for my next lunch it sure won’t be Chinese nor will I be sharing my lunch table with anybody else. Not for a long ..long time.

After 7 years

I never had a road roller run over me but I know exactly how it will feel. The same as it feels after having played badminton for 4 hours after 7 years. Yes, I played badminton this weekend and every single bone and muscle in my body is killing me now. Given a choice I would NEVER have ventured into the badminton court by myself. However it being a team building initiative in office there was no way I could have skipped it. We have a team building activity each month and a badminton match was what was decided upon for this month.
It was a bright sunny Saturday afternoon and I very reluctantly stepped out of home after an extremely heavy lunch for the club (the venue for the match). Yes, you heard it right. The game was to be played post lunch on a typical Indian summer afternoon. I wonder if POWs are treated any worse. Some may say (and some did) I could have skipped lunch but I was invited to a friend’s place for lunch and I promised to be there. The plans had been made two weeks earlier and I did not want to cancel that plan at all. After all it’s not every day I get good home made food.
Anyways once I reached the club I got into the mood and very happily and very enthusiastically joined the match. After all I realized badminton was the only game I could play besides solitaire, minesweeper, roadrash and their likes and if I had actually gone to the club it only made sense to try and enjoy myself.
So after 7 years I picked a badminton racquet and swung into action. I played for around 2 hours and then started feeling the first repercussions of my act. I could not bend down to pick up the shuttlecock. My back was hurting and I had a feeling that my backbone had turned into steel. It just would not bend. Anyways at that point it was just my back and finally at 18:00 in the evening we wound up and left for home. I went home and applied ice to my arm where I had hurt myself pretty badly after holding my racquet in an odd manner.
If I thought that my hand and back hurt that night I was being completely silly because it wasn’t till the next morning that the pain actually set in. Every muscle and every bone in my body was aching. I was not even aware of the existence of so many muscles in my body till then. But since I had an appointment with the dentist Sunday morning I woke up earlier than I would have wanted to and left home. Every second that day I was made aware of the existence of so many muscles and bones in my body by the extreme pain. Simple daily tasks like brushing my teeth, sitting on a chair, climbing a staircase, changing my dress all required tremendous effort and I had to bite my tongue each time I did anything to stop myself from screaming out loud. To make things worse I have my bed on the floor and every time I lied down I wished I would not need to stand up again and every time I stood up I hoped there would not be any need to bend/sit down.
It’s shocking that at my age I feel like an octogenarian. I should seriously join a gym to get myself back in shape. After all once I used to pride myself on being fit and fine, in perfect shape to go trekking at the drop of a hat. I guess those days are gone now. With my sedentary lifestyle it’s more than enough that I can still walk a few kilometers when required. All I know is my colleagues are not going to see my face at the next monthly party no matter where it is. I need to rest and rest for at least another 7 years.

The Elusive Elephant Ride

I almost caught a thief last night. Yes, almost. If only I had managed to do it successfully I would have fulfilled a childhood desire of mine. A bravery award from the President and a ride on an elephant on Janpath on 26th January. But (sigh!!) I guess that’s only for children and I would not have qualified for the prize more importantly for the “Elephant Ride”. I have spent so many ‘26th january’s of my life watching the Republic Day parade and eyeing the kids riding the elephant enviously. Anyways I guess I can live without that elephant ride. After all how many people get the chance to ride on an elephant except nobility maybe.
But wait, this blog was about the “thief” and not about me or my silly childish desires. It was the night of 18th Feb and I had been sleeping fitfully the entire night. I had a bad dream, though exactly what I could not recall. Anyways I woke up suddenly and realised I was thirsty and needed a drink…(oh .. clarification….I was just looking for plain water) The idea of getting out of bed was not tempting however with my throat completely parched I realised I could not fall asleep again without the water. I finally managed to pull myself up to sit on the bed and lo behold what do I see, a man standing outside my window. He had something in his hand and was fiddling near the wall. The curtain of the window was partially drawn and I had to crane my neck to get a better view of the man. Of course not that I got a chance to see him. It was too dark and all I could see the silhouette of the man. He was tall and appeared to have wavy hair. Too shocked to think rationally I simply went over to the window lifted the curtain and looked out. This action of mine drew his attention to me and for the first time he stopped fiddling with the wall and faced the window. He stared at me for a fraction of a second and then bolted. Since it was still very dark I did not dare to step out of the house and chase him. I thought for 1 fleeting moment I had seen a look of fear on his face but it must have been merely my imagination. It was too dark to see his features so I could not have seen his reaction at all. Within a few seconds I heard the gates being shut and realised he had left the premises already. Too shaken I did not sleep till it was daylight , luckily for me I had to wait just half an hour. It was 6:15 when I had spotted the thief. I finally went back to bed at around 6:45 and was fast asleep by 7:00.
That was the end of the episode. Nothing more happened, but for someone like me it was a big adventure. I really don’t know whether that act (of lifting the curtain) of mine was an act of bravery or plain stupidity. I am not even sure if I could have qualified for the bravery awards. I can imagine the announcement being made as I walk onto the stage to receive my certificate and award -“Presented to CD for her act of bravery, she lifted a curtain”. Ahemm….it just does not sound convincing. But as I sat alone in my room that night I was proud of myself. I could have been no prouder if I had sucessfully foiled an attempt to assasinate the President of the country. Anyways I am glad I am old enough not to qualify for the awards. I can imagine my parents distress as they would have tried in vain to explain to me why my act of bravery wasn’t good enough for the “Elephant Ride”. Well I guess I will just have to be satisfied with a bar of chocolate which I promise to treat myself to over the weekend to instead of the glorious ride. I know chocolate cannot substitute that ride but it comes pretty close.

Bollywood Ishtyle

Being the typical movie buff that I have always been I try and relate myself to various characters in movies. At times I come across situation in life when I realise I have been behaving like a certain XYZ from a certain movie ABC. And at other times this realisation sinks in much later..long after I have moved on in life.
As I think about it I realise I must write about the 2 very interesting (I refuse to use any other adjective to describe them…) characters I had come to relate to in the course of my 25 years of existence.
Well for the benefit of those who don’t watch too many movies the first character is from a movie called “flavors”. It is a small budget movie about Indians in the US. The character (sadly..very sadly I have forgotten his name….so I’ll just call him A) goes to America after completing his studies in India in search of the dream job. However inspite of the distance and his new life he cannot forget his beloved “Gita” who is back in India. He misses her immensely and even calls her home in his hometown only to be greeted by the curt tone of her father enquiring who he is. The best part is when he covers the mouthpiece of the phone with a cloth and asks “Can I speak to Gita pls” . Of sourse you have to watch the movie to hear his tone..it’s superb. ….tell me if you don’t crack your sides laughing. He tells everyone how they were in the same class and how he would ride his bike past her house and how she would glance shyly at him from her porch. However mid way through the movie he receives a parcel from home and his sister sends him a wedding invitation (of course Gita’s wedding invitation). This incident shatters him completely and he is almost inconsolable. The next day he attends a friends wedding and lo behold bumps into Gita. She is at the wedding with her husband who is a friend of the groom. She recognizes him but only vaguely as the guy in her statistics class and the guy who would always ride a bike near her house.
The moment I watched the movie (after getting over that obsession with a certain Mr X) I almost screamed “that’s me ….I am A!!!!!!!”. I had done everything like him including giving blank calls (not trans continental though..) just because I was so madly in love (or so I thot …..). This was hillarious. I was this guy who I was laughing at now. I fail to understand how my friends did not laugh at me then. Hats off to them and their never ending patience. I almost cracked my sides laughing that day when I realised I had behaved like this immature sad pathetic loser. Mr X was my biggest obsession till date ….however I managed to get over him......and fell in love with a Mr Y now.....(this was no obsession it was a honest 2 sided love)...I finally managed to walk out the the skin of “A” straight into the skin of another unforgettable character “Subodh” from the very famous movie “Dil Chahta Hai”.

“Dil Chahta Hai” was a hit movie watched by most Indians so I will not dwell too much into the details of the story. “Subodh” was the unforgettable character who was Sonali Kularni’s former beau before Saif manages to win her heart. He was one character who could never forget dates (Not the dates you go for..but calendar dates…). For instance he never forgot when he first met his gf..the first time they went out for coffee or the place , time day and date when he proposed her. Aaaaggghhh..he was bloody annoying. ..remembering dates is sweet but he was like saccharine(I just hope i got the spelling right)……. And yes I have become “Subodh” ……I find it hard to believe but how can I deny the truth…the ugly truth. I sit and count days since my boyfren(Mr Y) ditched me. …(like Tom Hanks counts days since he was stranded on an island in “Cast Away”..the only diff being I don’t scrawl on walls…my lanlord would not approve of that)...I remember the date time and year when he first proposed…..ewww.. I have become soooo revolting. I remember his birthday…(ok..so I remember everybody’s birthday), the first time I spoke to him for and even every damn topic we talked about that day hours (How did I mange that..????? I forget what I tell within a few minutes ). I remember his favourite colour, his favourite song , his favourite dish, his favourite movie, his best friend..(well I should be nice to myself …he did not have many friends so it was not difficult to remember that) his numerous admirers, his alternative career plan..(I never even made an alternative career plan….or maybe I am living my alternative career plan…chucked the actual plan years ago) , his favourite person on earth..(sorry that wasn’t me….it was his mom) and even his rank in college…I mean I don’t even know what was my rank in my college but I know and remember his rank…I know his GPA..the names of ppl he works with in his labs..his professors..and the name of his (I mean his professor's ..not Mr Y's) daughter too…phew…!!! Thank goodness he did not have a dog..i would have remembered his/her name too along with details of it's vaccinations etc…(I wana kill myself …will somebody pls do the honours).

Now that I am over both of them I am wondering who will I become when I fall in love (or so I will think...yet again) the next time. The suspence is killing me. It’s almost like watching a “to be continued” episode of a spine chilling suspence thriller. Will keep everyone posted.