Turning 30

I remember thinking when I turned 25, that I’d be 30 in no time!  I dreaded turning 30 since I was 25! Turning 30 has been made into this really big deal and while some us of might think it’s not, there are whole lot out there who think otherwise. I have to admit, I have been a part of that lot till about a month ago. For most it’s the general social checklist i.e.  the job, car, house, marriage, kids etc and if you’ve got the ticks in.  Me thinks, the whole lot is usually people who are not 30 yet (or those pesky aunts/relatives trying to get you hitched)! 

A month after turning 20, I had moved to Mumbai because of a job.  I’m still a part of that company and would be completing a decade working there!  At the end of the recruitment season in college I had two offers in hand, one was Hewlett-Packard and other was JP Morgan.  HP had been coming to our college for years and we knew our seniors were working there; we would have someone to go to if we ever needed advice.  JP Morgan on the other hand was a company none of the students had heard of. Whoever chose it would be the first batch, I chose the latter because it would be an adventure.  At the time I thought why not discover something new? 

I’ve grown and learnt so much about life in the last 10 years!  Made loads of friends, built relationships, grown up, grown apart and even lost a few friends.   The first five years of the last decade were spent mostly at work, not just because I was a workaholic but because it was work + at office.  I made some of the best friends during this time of life and I’m to say I still have almost all of them.  I honestly did not realise the first 4 years pass and office was the first home away from home.  It was after these dear friends changed jobs and moved away that brought the differentiation of personal and professional time.

I do have a few regrets (wouldn’t be life without it right?) like not having enough time with my family  and not  being around while my little brother grew up from being 3.5 ft to almost 6ft tall. Taking some things too seriously when I should have chilled out and relaxed and other times being silly instead of having known better.  Wait, they’re not all regrets, some of them, most of them have been lessons and I’m still glad it all happened. If someone now asks me ‘Would you do it all over again?’ I’d say ‘No!’ Because its one life, you learn and move ahead.  Why would anyone do the same thing twice unless it was like the Ground Hog Day movie? :P

Today I am thinking of all the people I have met over the last decade and thanking those that have made a difference.  I also thank my parents for the values I hold and take responsibility for any shortcomings I have.  Parent’s support is one of the most important thing in a child’s life and I feel truly been blessed for the constant support my parents provide me.

Looking back at the decade I feel extremely proud of what I have achieved.  I think its living alone and managing everything myself that has taught me the most.  Although I have friends who I could call on in tough times I have weathered some storms alone and that has only made me stronger.  It’s like knowing you have a net but still making that successful tight rope walk without having a wire attached. Life is going to throw some punches but as long as you keep getting up its going to be okay.

So much of life has happened in a decade and I can’t wait to see what else is in the future store!

A Different World

I was a NCC cadet during my college days and that introduced me to a different world. NCC stands for National Cadet Corps.  Being a cadet taught me some of life's lessons - survival, time management and people skills to name a few. I'll share some interesting stories; stories that I have shared with a few of my non-NCC friends :)

I think only NCC cadets will ever fully understand what is it to be a part of this world where we march most of the times, what it means to wake up in the wee hours, queuing up outside a telephone booth during camps to call home, the camp food :D, the meaning of  the words night sentry duty, the hierarchy from Senior Under Office to a Corporal and running around with rifles and even being able to shoot at targets. The Republic Day Parade in Delhi, the passion and the struggle it takes to get there. Thal Sainik camp, NIC camp and so many more terms! :)

For those who weren't a part of NCC here's some info: There are three wings of the NCC much like our armed forces - The Army, The Navy and the Airforce.  This is sort of to have a trained pool of trained people who can be of help in times of emergency (I think).  There are a lot of things that cadets do besides marching around in the sun.  For me it was a passion, the most memorable moments of my college life were spent in camps.  I met most of my closest friends in NCC camps or parades :)  Here are a few of the lessons I learnt at camp.

Lesson 1 - No Think, No Smell: I was a part of the first batch of the girls NCC unit in our college and it was our first NCC camp. Usually cadets are given two pairs of uniforms but since ours was a new unit all of us only had one pair of Khakis (I was an Army cadet).  The camp lasted for 12 days and all of us had to make do with one uniform - imagine this now we were made to march the whole day under the sun and made us sweat a lot and we used the same uniform for at least 8 days before washing it on day 9 or 10 I think :P.  What's interesting to note was nobody complaint of body odour or smelly uniforms :) All of us hung the uniforms on hangers and sprayed deodorant on them :D  and the next morning they would be just OK :) That was the first NCC camp I ever attended :) 

Lesson 2 - Re-arrange Tasks, Make Time: The first morning at the camp and I realized I should have woken up early - there were long queues outside the bathrooms and toilets! Somehow managed to get ready and make it in time for the morning exercise.  That night I showered at night and went to sleep wearing the morning exercise dress. Saved me a lot of time next morning - all I had to do was brush and do my hair - tying two plats in the figure of 8 :) This habit stayed with me for a long time even when I started my new job I had a morning 6 AM shift so I would follow the same thing then too - showered at night and just brushed and dressed up in the morning.  I got ready in 10 minutes! :D

Lesson 3 - Keep it Simple Silly: There used to be long queues outside the telephone booth.  Cell phones were just launched that too the black and grey screen ancient ones, few people in camp owned them.  I wasn't so talkative those days (I'd like to think so ) when it came to calling home I would tell the girls ahead I would take just 1 minute and they would let me cut the line.  I communicated what my mother wanted to know in just in minute or less.  The conversation would mostly just be " I'm fine here, the food is OK, people are fine too.  What else you want to know?" she would just laugh and reply nothing else and I'd hang up :D What else do mothers want to know besides knowing how their child is :)

Lesson 4 - Ask and Only Then You Shall Receive: Its a bad world and one has to fend for oneself no matter how many friends or relative one has.  One must learn to defend and survive independently, want something then learn to ask.  Self service first is the number one rule of the jungle don't expect anyone to wait on you or to take care of you.  There was this very helpful I knew at camp which lasted almost two and half month.  She would help the other girls and share her stuff if anyone wanted anything.  Once she ran out of lip balm (it was winter and lip balm was a very important item) she asked this other girl if she could borrow her's.  Now this other girl was a meanie and behaved as if she didn't hear what she said.  But my friend was persistent, she had once helped this other girl and now she would not going to be ignored.

Lesson 5 - Life is not always Fair: I participated in the Republic Day Parade camp and this is something the cadets will ever understand.  This was the only time I ever wanted to go to Delhi just to participate in the Republic Day Parade.  Its the mother of all camps, the cadets go through series of  mentally and physically excruciating camps. The reason I went for it was to challenge my physical limits, to see how much could my body take.  It seemed all good fun at first but as we advanced the levels so did the number of eliminations happening.  I was eliminated at the third last level of the camp which was almost two and half months of camping in that year.  I didn't think I was bad but it was a numbers game and mine wasn't called out.  That hurt and it was a little depressing but well life is not always fair. But as long as you look at the bright side you will be fine - learn the lessons.

Two years after this camp I was working in a new city and doing odd hours of shift.  The lessons I learnt in camp seemed like a preparation for this new phase of life that began after college...

Its Been a Year!

My blog is one year old today! <Applause> Last year this day (few hours from now) I had posted my first ever article into cyberspace.  Its definitely an achievement for me because its one of those few things I constantly keep at.  I can tell you about some things I tried my hand at but it was because either I was busy or due to bad luck due to which I failed

Here’s to name a few:

Learning Japanese – I love to learn languages and when I started working 5 years ago it was for a Japanese process.  So I wanted to learn the language.  One of my friend is a freelance Japanese translator and also teaches the language! (Lucky me huh!) So yea She agreed to teach me and said if I study hard I could answer the level 4 exam – There are 4 levels of Japanese  Language Proficiency Test (there are 5 levels now but there were 4 back then).  Level 4 being the lowest and level 1 the toughest.  Things with me is I get really excited and agree to do things when they sound do-able.  My friend lived about 11 stations away from my house (this is not too far if you get on to the Mumbai Local) that is about 25 min by train. So the excited me was all set and attended the class for the first 3-4 weekends.  Japanese is a really interesting language (and I wish I had pursued it) I’m a visual learner and Japanese words are actually drawings that describe the word.  I still remember the word Water – pronounced Mizu in Japanese.  Below is the picture of word in Hira-gana (one of the three scripts used in Japanese writing.  The other two are Kata-kana and Kanji) on the right.  The way my friend explained it is – it looks like a drop of water splash – Indeed doesn’t it? The language is mostly drawings... almost!:P

Mizu  - Water

I guess it was because of her teaching method I still remember the few things I do.  So the question why did I not complete it? I think because I was lazy and partly also because my friend got married and moved to a different city. So that was the end of learning Japanese.

The Violin Affair – I just love the sound of violins and its such a beautiful instrument. I love everything about it! One of my favourite musical ads is of the blender's pride music CDs (the ad where the guy first keeps playing this one tune and towards the end his girlfriend gifts him a violin and learns to play the same tune herself)...ever listened to it? At times like these I wish I could read and write music.

Its a thing of such beauty!

So once upon a time, I enrolled myself in a music class (this was almost 4 years ago I think).  The first day was exciting.  I learnt to play the DoReMi chords :) and dreamed that someday I could attempt to play a Beethoven or Bach (Yeah, I'm a hopeless dreamer :D) . I guess it was the class timing (and me being lazy) did not attend more 6 classes :(  A real shame! Even today I feel guilty because I just gave up.  Now I’m just buzy and work timings are a challenge for this sort of thing. But maybe someday I would go back and learn to play... or if I don't I know I will definitely buy a lovely violin for keepsakes :) (When I have my own place and won't have to worry about space management)

Un Sueño Español (A Spanish Dream) – I was keen to learn Spanish because after Japanese this language seemed a lot easier. For starters they used Roman alphabets. Quiet a few words is Spanish are  similar to few words used in Konkani (my mother tongue), Hindi, Sanskrit and has common words used in Portuguese (I don't know Portuguese or Sanskrit but know a few words from here and there). 

So I joined the class, got the books and was super excited to learn the language in the beginning.  I learnt the alphabet and numbers :) Every day I would find a word that had a similar meaning or sounded similar in some of the other known languages. The reason I gave up was... hmm, now that I’m writing this I realise is because I was lazy.  The class was in between workplace and home - usually this is a good thing. But the problem was I had to take the bus to get to class and the buses in this city.. and that's a whole different story. I had to wait for 25-30 minutes for the bus if you missed one you would have to wait for sooo long! Taking the auto-rickshaw was not a economical option for everyday travel... The wait was killing. So I gave up and wasted a lot of money - guilty again. This was about 3 years ago. I like to say I've learnt from these experiences... and now I don't enroll for any class :P - kidding :) Early this year I signed up to learn to drive and I completed the course and I now have a driver's license :)

I guess if I was really determined I would have been able to achieve all of the above... I remember this quote by Swami Vivekananda – "Arise, Awake and stop not till the goal is reached."  Determination is the key to success... This was years ago and I have learnt few of life’s lessons through the years.  I have learnt that one needs to be relentless if we really want to make things happen. Another quote I'd like to mention is "Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough." (Don't remember who said that).

So yes... completing a year on the blog is a BIG deal for me because its one of those few things I am able to check off the list - not really going to check this one off.. yet!  Looking back and seeing 40 articles in a year, liked and commented on is not too bad I guess ;) It was a a wonderful 1st year of blogging.  Hope the inspiration continues and may my Muse watch over me :) 

I would also like to thank those who read these articles / stories that I post - Thank You! It is knowing, somebody somewhere is reading and appreciating my effort that has sometimes inspired me to write and share :) Please continue commenting, sharing and liking :D Your feedback is very much valued!

What Was Your Dream?

When I was young (like 5-6 years old) I hated it when people asked me this one question "What do you want to become when you grow up?" I those days there were just a couple professions I had heard of - Doctor or Engineer! I would say Doctor only because most of my classmates said that. I knew I did not really want to become a Doctor or an Engineer but I was not aware of any other options.  I thought may be things will change and I will do something different.

Sometime later when my Dad and I used to stargaze and Mum told me about the man on the moon (Neil Armstrong and Rakesh Sharma the first Indian in space ) I dreamed of becoming an Astronaut. I actually  had dreams of floating among stars and walking on the Moon :P I remember there was news of UFOs and I wondered what would happen if I were ever kidnapped :P  Later I learnt that Astronauts need to have a strong mathematical base - I really HATED Math so much that I changed my mind and gave up my astro dream.

When I was 10 I attended my first proper science class.  I liked biology and wanted to become a scientist. Around the same time I used to watch Captain Planet - it was a show that taught kids about pollution and how we can save our planet (Click This Wiki Link to know about him). I was totally into it and learnt the title song.  I think I still remember it - Captain Planet, he's our hero, gonna take pollution down to Zero.  He's our powers magnified .... something something and then ended with We're the Planeteers, You can be one too. 'Cause saving our planet is the thing to do Looting and polluting is not the way, Hear what Captain Planet has to say: "The Power is Yours!!" :D and even made notes of all the GK they shared (I actually wrote down the points!) that was a really good show and I miss it sometimes. So yeah, I wanted to do something for the planet and dreamt about inventing something that will save the world from global warming. Here also again.. Science students were required to be good at Math! So numbers made me change my mind again.

When I was about 12 I wrote my first poem and wrote about 49 more! :) Yep.. I wrote about anything I remember I had written one about the seed germination process.  Then something bad happened, I had a made a book of my poems and given it to someone to read.. and they lost it! Can you believe it!? They just LOST it!! That hurt me so much I had written soo many poems and this person just loses it! I cried for days over it and then decided I will never write again (Well I'm still writing now! So something nice happened and I later changed my mind  :D) But around this time I realized I could write and thought of becoming a writer too.  

When I was preparing for my board exams I had decided I would be going for Arts and majoring in Literature and Psychology (Yes I'm serious!) I wanted to be a Journalist or something to do with Psychology (I was interested in reading people).  I had even bought the admission form of the Arts college. Now, my Mum was sneaky - she asked me one little question "Do you like to write short answers or lengthy ones that span pages and pages?" I said Short ones.  She explained that arts students have to really write pages and pages for their exams while Commerce students just need to create one balance sheet or solve a problem and they get full marks.  She also said its not like Math and I would be fine. Well, that was all it took and I eventually ended up in a Commerce college and specializing  in Management. I had no idea then as to what I would be exactly doing for a profession.

When I was in college I came across this one Astrology book by Cherio and for some time I even thought about Astrology (nice substitute for not making to Astronomy :P) but this was short lived again due to all the numbers and calculations! I have a mental block around numbers.

I dreamed about a lot of things as a child but today I find myself somewhere else.  I hated math and numbers and avoided it so much that the course of my dreams changed and today I'm working for a financial company :P I don't regret it though. My work is nothing to do with numbers :P :D - I love systems and people interaction and my current job gives me that.  I think I am one of those people who are happy with with their job (most of the times :P)...

But, Zindagi abhi bohot baaki hai :) My love for writing is alive (I like to think) through this blog :) I guess somehow through all the things that we dream of the real passion stays alive no matter what. 

The Keepsakes - Short Story

Ananya and her husband were preparing to move into their new home.  They had started packing up the boxes to be moved.  There were also the older boxes from the attic that needed to be shifted.  Among those dusty boxes was an old cardboard box which had MEMORIES written on it.

When Ananya saw this box she stopped and stared at it before dropping everything in her hand and then moving toward the box.  She was suddenly excited and was opening the box like it was a birthday present.  She found a couple of slam books with old photographs of school and college friends, bunch of friendship bands, greeting cards, soft toys she had received as gifts packed a in plastic bag, some fairytale books, thriller novels, a wristwatch case with the warranty receipt still in it and an old umbrella.  All these things were really special to her each one had their own story but the most favorite item in the whole lot was a the old umbrella which had broken ages ago. She could not bring herself to throw it away and it had to be kept as long as she would live.

The slam books had stories of an era that was long gone or friends and adventures and also the first love and crushes.  It made her smile thinking of all the silly things they had done and the gossips and secrets they had exchanged. The friendship band reminded her of friends she had made, some of them still retained the glitter on them though even though they looked dusty. 

The greeting cards collected from childhood, were a huge bunch.  she had saved every card that she had got on every occasion- Birthdays, Valentines, Anniversary, New Year, Diwali, Holi, Christmas and even some really good Wedding invitations of friends.  The wristwatch case belonged to the first watch she had received from her husband as a valentines gift from before they had got married then her boy friend. The soft toys her best friends had gifted her.

But the most prized gift of all was the umbrella which was given to her by a most dear teacher - Madam Shelly.  Teacher Shelly had taught her English in school and was her favorite teacher.  Madam S had given her the umbrella because she has won first place in three competitions at a school fest - Elocution, Poetry and Essay writing.  Before the fest Ananya was nervous but it was Miss Shelly who told her that she could do anything that she puts her mind to and she was so right! She was responsible for imbibing the love for literature and language in Ananya.

It was a rainbow coloured umbrella and she absolutely loved it.  It was the most special gift she had ever received and was also the most prized possession.  She used it very carefully for years in rain and sun.  Until one rainy day when a strong gust of wind turned the umbrella inside out and broke couple of the frame wires. That was the saddest moment for her to see the lovely umbrella in a tattered state.  She got it fixed but then it did not last long. This was not just an umbrella but was her teachers blessing and love that inspired her in life. It was the most important item in the box of Memories. All thanks to Miss Shelly she was encouraged to become a writer and was an established journalist. Sadly her beloved teacher was now no more and the umbrella was all that was left of her. It reminded Ananya of the encouragement and saw it as a blessing and always came looking for it when in need of inspiration.

As for the memories, she had carried this box to her house after she got married.  It contained far too many precious memories to be left behind.  It was magical how every single time she opened the box she would go back in time. The box of memories was her little time transporter.

Big Bird

As much as I try to write about recent events I keep going back to my childhood which I think was more exciting and eventful.  Not because there so many great adventures but because when I look back now and remember how differently I saw the world then and how all the stories I read influenced me.  I was a story lover ever since I can remember.

So today I thought of sharing this incident that occurred when I was about seven or eight.  I grew up in a small town that had vast field lands and a small streams running by.  It was a safe and peaceful place to grow up in, as a kid I would wander off into the fields or play fishing in the small stream with my friends.  Some of them were skilled at fishing and caught more than a couple fish. I don't remember being able to get any but i do faintly remember to clumsily drop a fish back that my friend had caught!! I was only allowed to hold the small jar of water to hold the fish.

During summers our little gang would wander into the fields and spend an entire day gathering raw mangoes or cashews.  We would climb the low branches of trees and sit in them or sometimes make a swing out of rope and cloth. Those were some days!

Once upon a summer evening I wandered into the fields alone I was bored sitting at home and decided to take a walk all by myself.  When I was in the middle of the farmland I happened to look up and saw a huge bird perched up on the coconut tree.  It had a long neck without feathers and a bent bent beak and huge wings - It was a Vulture.  I realized it was bigger than than me and I froze.  I did not want to move lest I should attract the attention of the bird.  I remembered a story I had read some time ago it was about this merchant lying to his friend that his some had been carried away by the Vulture.  The story did say that he had lied to his friend but when I saw the bird and that it was bigger than me I seemed like a possibility.  I was alone and wouldn't be able to call for help if anything happened.  I stood there for a while without making a move hoping the bird would fly away.  It was still sitting perched up on the tree.

I decided I couldn't wait there any longer so I started taking a slow small step backward while my eyes were fixed on the bird and then another step backward and a third step back. Then I turned around and ran till I was in the house.  I told my mum about the huge vulture i saw and if I hadn't run I might have been carried away and that the story might have been partially true. My mum  quietly heard me out and then burst out laughing telling me no matter how short I was the vulture wouldn't have attacked me as they devour only dead creatures.  I refused to believe that and imagined I was lucky to have escaped... until i grew up a little more :)

The Scent of Memory

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear or read the word 'Time Travel'? Is it an idea about peeking into your future? Or rewinding time and re-living some special moments?  

Given a choice I'd go back to some really amazing days. That is also because I love surprises and if you have heard the phrase 'Curiosity killed the cat'? Don't think the present would be much fun if you knew what was in store in the future.

There is no machine built yet that can enable humans to travel through time but what we do have is Memories.... This is one of the few ways to revisit the past.  But there are also some other things that can remind us of what had been.  It can be pictures, books (remember pages from an old diary), particular kind of flowers, could even be a joke or a song.  But nothing can bring back memories like the smell of something.

Smell of new notebooks always reminds me of the 1st day of school.  The smell of wet hay or cut grass reminds me of the fields that were while I was growing up. The smell of paint - takes me back to the first memory of when our house was getting painted.  It is most unexpected when you get a familiar smell and it takes you back in time in a fraction of a second... to that place and the whole setting.  

Have you noticed that most of our memories are from our childhood and very few from the recent past.  The reason is not that we have grown old but because we stopped absorbing the moments. It comes naturally to kids as the world is new and they have lots to learn. But we can also make memories (aside from capturing pictures/ videos) by living in that moment.  Look around and absorb the people, the setting, the sound and most importantly... the scents around. Nothing can reinforce itself in your memory like the aroma of the moment! :)

 

Merlin the magician from the story 'King Arthur' was cursed that he would know the future like it was yesterday but would struggle to remember the past as if it is tomorrow.  This was a Curse!  Imagine losing your memory and you will find you have lost your identity too. Memory is a testimony of what made us.  Good or bad, memories are definitely for keeps.

Ending this post with two quotes:

The secret of a good memory is attention, and attention to a subject depends upon our interest in it. We rarely forget that which has made a deep impression on our minds.

-Tryon Edwards

A man's real possession is his memory. In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor

-Alexander Smith

Heaven and Butterflies...

Do you ever think about the time when you were just a kid and remember how huge the world looked?

I was a short little thing - stood usually second or third in the school row. I remember holding my mum's hand and going to school... she was soo tall I had to look up like at the sky to see her face.  When I was in a room with adults seemed like I was in the land of giants.  I was a very stubborn and a happy child known to be a day dreamer since those days!  My teacher complained about my day dreaming to my mum but that did not stop me.  I must say I am lucky to have such a cool mum :D she did reprimand me but never discouraged me about dreaming. She would after that day often tease me by calling me a Day-dreamer.

I am still able to recollect some of the discussions that happened between my friends and I when we were in the elementary class.  There was this one time (we were 6 year old) we were standing in line for the assembly and I happened to look up at the sky.  It was cloudy but in a good way that is.. it was covered with white clouds and I pointed it out to  my friend she looks up and says " Hey look, they are the steps that lead to heaven.  If you climb up you will see God waiting for you" And I in all honesty believed it, may be that is why I still remember this dialogue.  It was the first time someone outside the family had talked to me about God and heaven.

Catching Butterflies and Dragonflies at that age was nothing less than a great adventure.  This one friend taught me how to catch butterflies and also told me tales about how she caught the dragonflies and tied them with a thread and then let them lose (I know this is mean but sounded soo cool when she told me about it). Under her guidance I managed to capture a few butterflies myself and I remember the moment when I showed her my first catch... she was very proud of me :)

One time I caught a butterfly when I was on my way to school.  I used to see the butterflies everyday while I walked to school and decided that one day I would take one with me.  So I carried an empty matchbox and put the tiny creature in it. When I was in class I told my friends I had something to show them.  Almost all of them caught butterflies but no-one had ever got one in class.  The butterfly I caught was still alive so when  I opened the matchbox to show them it flew out of the box and also right out of class.  But there was a lot of excitement for those few seconds that the insect flew around.

Thinking about where I am now... No butterflies, no chats about clouds and the world does not seem so tall anymore.... Its a whole different playground... still a Play Ground :)

Washing Day

This story is dedicated to all my friends living away from home and have to do their own laundry, much like me.

The most critical activity over the weekend is doing the laundry. Living alone on your own teaches you a lot of things one of them is how to do the laundry (unless you are sending your clothes to the dry cleaner).  We do not realise how important it is to do something the right way unless it goes terribly wrong. 

When I was at home (my home in Goa) doing the laundry meant putting the clothes in the washing machine... just dumping them in.  Mother would take care of the rest.  But it was only after moving to this city and doing my laundry did I realise how not-so-simple it is.  The first week I would wash clothes on a daily basis after returned home from work. By the end of week two I had started collecting clothes to be washed on the weekend.  The first weekend when I had gathered a pile of clothes. I thought of home and missed not having mum around.

That day I learnt something - Always separate the whites and the coloured clothes (this applies if you wash the clothes by hand or in the washing machine)  This is very very important, I regretted not being careful before I had soaked the clothes.  I had a lovely red and white T-shirt, a yellow kurta, a white shirt and a green salwar kameez which I put in to the soap solution all together.  I kept is soaked for an hour.  It was when I got to rinsing the clothes that I saw what had happened - The red and white shirt had now become red and pink, the white shirt had patches of pink  and yellow on it, the yellow kurta had orange patches and the lovely green salwar kameez looked like rotten spinach green! (note: its almost impossible to get the colour off) That day I learnt this very important lesson and never again did I attempt washing all clothes together.

I remembered watching a show where this person goes to the laundry he had put all whites in... but when he  took out the clothes they had turned pink because there was a pair of red socks at the bottom! Found it pretty funny at the time... but when it happened to me... I wasn't laughing.  Anyway was a learning experience.

Hope you liked reading...

Lost in Big City

I was a wanderer since childhood and there were a couple of episodes when I got lost while playing and the grown-ups would then be looking for me.  However today's post is of an incident when I had just arrived in this city (Mumbai). 

When I was in the final year of college I was chosen by an MNC through the campus recruitment program to come work for them.  The office I would be working out from was located in Mumbai (I had studied in Goa). So this company provided the outstation recruits a free two week stay at a nice hotel and in the mean time we had to find a place for our stay.  Imagine this - you're in new city for the 1st time and have a deadline of finding a new place withing 14 days (that too after work hours).  We (my batch-mates) were divided into two groups or it was more like I was singled out from this group to work in a different shift.  While in college I had assumed I would be doing a night shift job and was prepared for it.  However, I was the only one from the outstations recruits from my batch who was selected to work for an 'Asia shift' i.e. 6.00 am to 3.00 pm shift and the others were going to do a night shift.

The office folks (morning shift guys) were really nice there were a couple of girls who were from other cities as well and they helped me by suggesting names of hostels, PG (Paying Guest) accommodation and apartment brokers. One lady from my team told me about this PG place that was in her area and volunteered to take me there. We took the BEST bus from office to this place, after we were done inspecting she dropped me back to this one bus stop and asked me to board a particular bus number and told me where to get off to get back to office (the hotel would send a car to take us back to the hotel only from the office).

So I was waiting for that bus and it arrived after about 25-30 min.  That day I noticed something about buses in this city... They don't really halt at the bus stop, they slow down, people run and get in and they start picking up pace and leave.  So I had to leave the first bus as I was unable to get in through the crowd (it was 6. pm and people were returning home).  I prepared myself for the crowd and getting on the next bus that comes. 

The second bus arrived after another 45 min.  This time there was some commotion happening and there was a lot of traffic so I had to move ahead about 20 steps.  By the time I had spotted the bus it had started to leave! I ran after it bit but was an useless effort.  Now the time was almost 7 it was getting dark and I was still at the bus stop... Waiting... Growing worried and tired.  I had no idea which part of the city I was and how far away from the Office.  I decided to take the Rickshaw but none of the drivers agreed it was apparently quiet far away (I realise now it would be about 1.5 hours if I had taken the rickshaw). I did not have the phone number of the lady who had dropped me there and I thought I was doomed! All negative thoughts were clouding my mind I felt like the wave of ambition I was riding had crashed on the rocks. I was lost and would not be able to get back to the safety of my hotel room. I felt I had enough of this city, I had proved my mattel when i got this job.  I just wanted to go home to my family, back to my town. I thought of calling home and telling my parents but decided not to as it would be of no help and they would be worried as well.

Two hours past this way and I was really afraid for the first time in my life it was past 8 pm.  A bus had just halted in front of me and I read the destination it was the name I had read on the office envelopes I quickly boarded the bus and bought a ticket to the last stop. I felt better as the bus started taxiing, I was at least moving to somewhere.  I got off at the last stop and asked a couple of people about this supermarket building that was infront of the office. One lady told me she knew where it was we got into a rickshaw, she then dropped me at the superstore.  I had called the hotel staff for the taxi to pick me up and it had arrived by the time I walked back to the office entrance. 

I had never before felt so relieved to find my way back somewhere as I did that day on reaching the hotel room.

I know I did not really get lost but felt much worse... First time I experienced fear when I was sort-of lost.

Three Bags Full

So here's my first attempt at  blogging after reading so many of my friends blogs.  My friends think I'm very talkative but the fact is I have things to share  (I consider myself a very quiet person) :P. So here goes nothing...

When I first left home I arrived in this big city (Mumbai) with just two big bags and a backpack. Over the years my luggage has increased depending on the cupboard space available.  Its funny as the space increases it also gets occupied leaving with again cupboard full of items.

Over a period of last 4.5 years i have shifted 3 times to different PG (Paying Guest) accomodations and have managed to adjust my saamaan in whatever space was available.  I go shop for new things only when I need them, agree there are times when I splurge on stuff  but that is only because I would be using it sometime in the future. When I'm out shopping I always think about the space remaining where I can stack up and that the total items I have can all be packed up in Three bags at any point in time (three because that is the total number of bags that I can manage to carry on my own).  Not a very good feeling.

I was out shopping last weekend and when i got home realised there was no more dumping space left! So this morning the first activity was to sort out everything in my cupboard and give away things that I have simply been hoarding.  Going through some old clothes I realised the amount of weight I had put on and how thin I was when I had first arrived here (that is a whole different story).  I clearly exceeded the limit of three bags and had to throw away old things (clothes, shoes and other things) and make space for the new ones.

Very often I wish I had my own place, not because I could shop and dump stuff at home but because I would not have to constantly think about moving.  I crave for stability, knowing only better change is the only thing constant.... until I settle down for good.