THE SPOT!

I kept telling myself- never get attached to any place. And just when I was almost successful at doing that, I came home.

At first is all the exhilaration of having come to the place I grew up, spent most of my life.

Then comes the state where I get used to being a fixture in that place and before I realise time flies and throws me back to where it all began. Its time to leave.
I was on the phone with a friend. He felt it was too noisy a location wherever I was standing. I was parked on the landing of the stairs. I told him I was in my favourite spot.

The space is shielded with a heavy iron door leading to a gate, both of which are always locked. On to my right is the stairs and behind me is the door to the ground floor.
Countless have been the days when I used to give the slip to people- I used to tell them,or rather announce " Am going upstairs", close the door and just stand there leaning on the iron door. The iron door had a fabrication a few inches at the top from which I could view the outside world. Being the shortest in the family, my height was never considered for anything- right from height at which mirrors were to be fixed to fabrications on iron doors!
And that was my favourite spot. The spot from where I watched people go by. All kinds of people- of whom I knew nothing, something to everything.The place was the perfect hiding place from the world. It was almost like an attic where I was staying under cover because I could watch the people pass by and no one would even notice me for only my eyes were visible from outside.
I made up imaginary conversations in my head, made up character sketches of people passing by, caricatures formed in my head about the neighbours.It was my very own story board.
I have stood there, innumerable hours, on the phone talking to people and simulatneously watching people pass by, carrying out duties of their mundane life.

Daddies dropping girlies at the school bus stop, teenagers chatting up just before they part ways, auto drivers wasting their life on the pretext of waiting for customers, aunties on their way to the temple, fighting couples, the cheap uncle in the opposite house, childhood friends who are now all grown up- all the mundane stuff.

It was the perfect spot to answer phone calls when guests came visiting(the kinds who want to know every single detail of what you do), share a secret with a friend over the phone. It was the best place to cry. With no lights on, no one could see me cry and with the door closed no one could hear me whimper. That spot where I was all alone in the midst of everyone . Visible and yet invisible.

As I stood there today, I wished I could carry that spot with me wherever I go. My spot where I can just be, like a fly on the wall, not disturbing anything around me and watch whatever is happening around me, shielded with so many doors that protect me from the world outside- the world I watched with like watching a film through a peep hole. My very own invisible cloak. If only I could take it wherever I go and watch the world pass by around me.

If only.....

Let them fight!

Ah, today was nice.
I felt I was truly back to being myself.
I am at home. Have been for the past 3 days.
I have been sleeping like crazy.
I had my tea and cookies, read my book, watched my share of TV, read some poetry on the net.
I have no idea what lies ahead of me. Not even the next day. I havent planned for the next minute.
I am back to being myself.
Guess thats what home does to you.

I had a discussion with my brother today. He was wondering what I felt about the whole blogger issue.
I told him-
" To me, it is just a news item. Just another news item of which I happen to be a miniscule part of.A news item which is progressively moving from first page importance(9 O' clock news material to) 8th page importance. By the time it reaches the last page, the search algorithms would have got corrected, people might have moved on to different blog sites.
I dont want my fifteen minutes of fame. There are people who have taken the mantle of being the spokesperson for all hurt bloggers. But to me, The government has closed the door, locked it with a huge lock, got two guards and left the window open.
I can still write. I can still log into blogger.com. As long as they dont stop me from writing, the rest of the world can fight for me."


Pssst: Just as I published this piece and tried viewing the blog...hurray it worked...I told you...it eventually will!!!! I think I just stepped into the threshold of free riding.

I am a male.... shoemaker/sailor!

My reviews went off well and now am off to Chennai- TAM LAND


According to http://www.thebigview.com/pastlife/index.html

as in this life my past life has been quite sad and uninteresting and if not anything mundane!!!!!!!!!



Your past life diagnosis:
I don't know how you feel about it, but you were male in your last earthly incarnation.You were born somewhere in the territory of modern North Japan around the year 775. Your profession was that of a sailor or shoemaker.
Your brief psychological profile in your past life:Such people are always involved with all new. You have always loved changes, especially in art, music, cooking.
The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:Your lesson is to learn discretion and moderation and then to teach others to do the same. Your life will be happier if you help those who lack reasoning.
Do you remember now?

Of course....I do...

Good byes and such things

I am almost done with my first stint- my sales stint.

And I thought life seemed long and endless.


It has been almost three and half weeks in Ghaziabad and noida.Three and half weeks of sales , of various kinds of illness, of various blood tests, of various doctors, of various drivers.


As i prepare to move on from here ,I go through within myself this strange feeling- of leaving. Well face it I am not exactly a great fan of this place. but....

I feel like what Suketu mehta often says in his book "Ullo".Ya an idiot who has been conned by yet another city into believing I belong there.


My driver asks me " Madam aaj last day hai?(is it your last day?) My usual retort to such questions is " Ya since I am going to be dying , this is my last day." I have used that line shamelessly through various times- Last days in school, engg college, TISS.


He goes on about how much his mother wanted to make a nice home cooked meal for me( This driver of mine happens to be one of the richest people in Ghaziabad. He lives in the most posh locality here and as he says, he drives around for fun. His name is Anurag Saxena. He could well be an investment banker with a name like that and definitely a far cry from Pushpinder!!)


He asks me" Tho madam Chennai mein power cut hai?"


I used to keep thinking how Mumbaikars make the most mundane thing in life bigger than life- train timings. Any mumbaikar who travels by train will adjust his life according to the local train timings and that defines his life. Just when the 5:15 fast left, as crowded as the virar fast.....

All his verbs and adjectives will be in some manner related to his train. His friends are those from the train.

In Noida, it is the power cut. Life is shrouded by things to be done when the current is there and what to do when it is not.

I tell him " Bhaiyya mujhe patha nahin."( I dont know)

He is surprised and reaffirms if I am from Chennai.
I say no.

Oh then you must be from Tamilnadu? ( I will forgive him)


The truth is I dont know anything about Chennai. Ask me if it is okie in Coimbatore I might have a vague idea.Mumbai, I thought I knew but only of the little world that I was a part of. There are so many parts to Mumbai I cant even fathom.

The truth is I really dont belong anywhere.

I never felt I had assimilated what Coimbatore's inner fibre was all about, I didnt imbibe Mumbai's spirit, I wonder if Ghaziabad and Noida have one.

As much as I am living a life I have always wanted to, it isnt close to what I was expecting it to be.


As I move on from this place, I wonder if I am any close to finding the city I truly belong to.Yet as I leave each city I let myself into being fooled that it has been home to me for whatever little time. I recount the good and bad times and sometimes as in this case, be thankful while saying my goodbyes.

The effect I have on ppl!

This friend of mine had picked up The kite runner, which happens to be one of my all time faves.

So he had this conversation with me. After the conversation I noticed 2 horns on my head!!!

fd98698: dude I am at the end of the book
cuttysark555: cool i will tell ending
cuttysark555: :))
cuttysark555::D
fd98698: but I do not have guts to read on as I know something sad is gonna happen
cuttysark555::P
cuttysark555: u want to know if itz sad or happy ending??
fd98698: could not sleep on sunday after reading that book man
cuttysark555::))
cuttysark555: sooper macchi!
fd98698: I know its sad...
cuttysark555: hmmmmmmmm..........
fd98698: ok dude will read it today...
cuttysark555: I THINK U WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS THE ENDING
cuttysark555: i will tell U
cuttysark555: in the end....
fd98698: NOPE
cuttysark555: they all go and ......
fd98698: I am logging out
cuttysark555: bruhahahahaha - the evil laugh!

HOMEWARD BOUND

I am bach and I am leaving this place called Ghaziabad(which incidentally happens to be among the ten most dynamic cities of the world according to a survey by Newsweek)

It is bye bye to the land of roti and makkan(albeit for a short while) and holaz to the land of idly and dosa!!!


I am going to CHENNAI!!!!! yohooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!


It is almost like breaking fetters and running free.


I keep imagining how nice it would be to speak in tamil again.I would meet people who understand why I speak the way I do. I am going to madras!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not to mention the joy of reading The Hindu everyday instead of having to wake up to Mallika Sherawat's half clad pictures and nonsense ramblings of socialites.

I keep imagining how horrible it will be to meet southy men again-men who would wonder why I am working and not getting married, men who would comment on every metre of cloth I wear.

I am looking forward to see the metro chennai my friends keep bragging about.


Best of all I will be a nights journey away from home. Nothing can beat the joy of having near and dear ones at an arms length!

My friend Hari(who writes nonsense comments in every piece I write) informs me with glee that I am going to get roasted alive. He also takes cheer in telling me I have to commute for almost 1 hr to work everyday!!


But buddies I have survived Delhi/noida/ghaziabad. I am ready to take chennai head on!!!!

2 much hai

Ads which have got me cracking in the past few days:

1)heard on red fm:

PRINCE PHARMA presents " 2 MUCH HAIR OIL"

First of all Prince pharma sounds like a company that can only be named by an erstwhile classmate of mine(Tissians am sure u know who)!

and second of all- 2 much hair oil? I thought nature power soap( southy soap brand) was funny but 2 much hair oil takes the cake.


Seen in sector 18 noida( a posh shopping locality):

2)FAMILY SWIMSUITS AVAILABLE HERE.

Now, wonder why its is called family. Like chandler says to monica looking at her fat days swimsuit"that could cover manhattan", I think this is a one swimsuit for all package.

Greetings!

I am bach and if you have been a loyal reader of my blog you should be replying- am mozart.


When you are working so hard- hard enough to save an organization from crumbling, accessing your mail and blog from your lap top becomes a luxury. A luxury that I have been granted today!!

My sales office just got shifted- from a residence building to something to a semblance of an office.

An office with no fans. Some bright soul thought- Why need a fan when u have an AC. Well unfortunately the bright one forgot that we are in Noida- the land of power cuts.

people here cant walk because they are slipping in their own sweat. They cant type becuase the sweat makes the keyboard go haywire


The AC doesnt work on generator back up and so here I am sweating by the gallons making up stupid trivia in mind.


for eg:
If all the sweat oozed in this noida office was to be collected it would serve to wash the leaning tower of Piza once.

gross aint i?

My sales stint is coming to an end.Coming up next is a review at the division office where I have to make a fancy ppt with flying objects and try and con ppl into thinking that I have indeed worked and that my data makes sense.


After that I am off to a location which has not yet been confirmed.

Watch this space for details of that lucky location.

The world is green!

After shelling out a bomb for my phone bill this morning, I walked out of the hotel Kangaal(Pauper) Had worked up a bill of 9500 bucks for my employers by way of food and hotel rent. Thank God, I didnt have to pay that!!!

As I walked out of the hotel, with absolutely no money in hand, my driver brought a car in front of me. NO AC. NO RADIO and wait there is more...the driver didnt know his way to the office.My phone currency was running out.

Damn. Today sure is my lucky day.

Stopped at the ATM nearby to replenish my resources.

Voila!!! My salary had been credited.

MY FIRST EVER SALARY.

What a feeling!!!!!!!!


Wish I had worked the first five days of the month, so that I could have got my full share.
Actually nah! Am quite happy with this.

Calls went flying- first to folks.

then to other co interns- "Buddies, the moneys has arrived" Ah I like being the harbinger of good news. The heralder of hope.

LET THE CELEBRATIONS BEGIN!

Alas, no one to celebrate with!


Wishlist: New wallet to carry all the money

Color of the month: GREEN

I felt like the Mcdonalds Ad...tarapum papa..... i am loving it...

My first ever hard earned green notes. Okie now am pushing it.

So off I go to work today and ya, earn more!!! While the youth of India can waste their lives by ambling out of malls with PYT(pretty young things) .


PS:

I except all congratulation messages only over phone.
I also except cash, gift vouchers, credit cards, any other form of material loving!!!!