The summers of ‘90s

Something’s in life never change. When we were in school (it’s been a decade, imagine!!) we used to crib about going to school. The thought process went like this- “what the heck, when will this bloody school end. When will we go to college and enjoy life”. When we graduated to college, we were complaining again. This time the thinking went-“When will I start working and earn some money. Then I would not have to survive on the meagre pocket money. I will have a BLAST when I start earning”. I can tell you my experiences and I guess most will agree, those who don’t are lucky; Now that I have finally started working and earning money, I am thinking-“when will these dreadful days of slogging your ass off end. Getting up in the freaking morning, hurrying to catch the 7:44 fast local, praying that you get an auto rickshaw, reaching office puffing and panting. And then thinking…. I HATE my job”. I really do.
Now when I look back, those school days were awesome. Living in a protected world, meeting friends, those lunch breaks, hogging all the food before anyone else could lay there hands on it. Going back home, go out to play with building/colony friends. Have dinner, watch Doordarshan (remember chitrahaar and super hit muqabla with Krittika Desai!!), go off to sleep. That was awesome. Not a care in the world.
The college days were also awesome. Bunking classes, proxy attendances, going out for movies on shoestring budgets, studying all nights before exams have a charm which cannot be matched.
And now our professional lives. Don’t know, maybe some years down the line, we will look at these days as also good. When we have bigger problems taking up our time. Makes me think about the quote-“Sometimes the road travelled turns out to be more beautiful than the destination reached. Enjoy leading your life no matter what it turns out.” I seriously think we waste a lot of our times complaining and not enjoying our lives. What happens is that we tend to look back on the years gone by and contemplating how much more we could have done and enjoyed. So from now on let’s not crib about life and waste valuable time. I know I am telling this to myself more than anyone else. I don’t know how to end this post…

Lovely!!!!!

Love is when you can't sleep at night because you can't stop thinking of them,

Love is when you can wake up and smile...about the dream you had last night..

Love is when you say everything with your silence and they understand it, and yet both act like nothing has happened,

Love is when you recollect each n every moment that you've spent with them,

Love is when you stare at the phone for hours waiting for that special call,

Love is when the only thing that makes you feel better is their smile,

Love is when every song reminds you of them,

Love is when you do anything to see them happy,

Love is when you're dying and the last thing you want to hear is their voice....!!!

Most Important....

What is love??

Those who don't know call it RESPONSIBILITY.

Those who play, call it a GAME.

Those who dont have it, call it DREAM.

Those who understands, call it LIFE.

Hope TH!$ Never Comes True!!!!!!!

Its 8:15 a.m. and I stand here in the bus stop waiting for the office bus to arrive. I stand here in the same manner as I did a few years back waiting for my college bus. Little did I know then that things would change so much in 2 years; the sky under which I am standing seems to be looking at me and smiling... It is perhaps the only thing that has acted as a witness... Watching the transformation of a loud and bubbly person into a quiet professional.

I wouldn't blame the professionalism for the change though. It is destiny, or may be you could call it life. Yes Life, esoteric in the true sense, for one does not understand why you meet hundreds of people everyday, work with so many, and still remain lonely.

I am now in one of the corner seats in the bus, looking out of the window watching people trying to catch up with "life”... It's an hour’s journey and the only company that I generally have is the chatter of the RJ. I seldom notice the person sitting next to me, for its going to be yet another stranger or may be you could say another acquaintance.

It is annoying at times when the radio is switched off, not because I am cut off from the melody but because I would now be thrust with thoughts of the solitary journey ahead.

I can't help thinking about the short bus journeys to college ... well it's a paradox to call a distance of 30 KMs "short", but that is how it always seemed. A typical college day always begins in the bus with all the familiar faces; you look forward for all your friends to get in from the various stops, the reasonless giggles, the loud laughter that were stifled to avert the eyes of the lecturers and professors who would watch on us as if we were their prospective prey for the day ....well as I said it was a different life then.

The pleasant memories of college are in itself good enough to save me from the misery of the bus journey.
I notice that it is time for me to get down and flash my smile of acknowledgement to all the known strangers that I see as I approach my cubicle. A few of my colleagues greet me with their morning wishes and as always, we exchange our pleasantries. Discussions jump to the weekend plans and I wonder what I'd do over the weekend.
It would be just another day staring at the mobile, wishing it would ring and bring back some wonderful moments that are now missing in life or maybe the safer option would be to come to office, for it's my new founded asylum these days. A few years back, weekends or weekdays didn't matter to me, I was always busy. I always stood doubting the authenticity of the wall clock that seemed to be in running too fast to perceive its movement. Alas, now it seems as though my clock is suffering from some kind of paralytic attack.

There is a time in life, where one needs to go ahead, leaving behind your friends and carrying along only memories. You do make new friends, but then you never get the old close ones ... you do meet people who'd be so good to you that you could tell them anything and everything, but you do not find a person to whom you needn't say things ... friends who just know you.
Occasional calls from such friends, have been the only thing that I seem to look forward to ...However, I cant help but notice the uneasy pause that lingers around the conversation...A pause not because of the relationship, but because it is too short a duration to say everything, and of course you cannot completely rule out the paucity of words!

As I sip coffee from the ubiquitous coffee mug, watching the drops of rain, trickling down the tinted glass panes, veiling the scenic beauty outside, I tell myself, may be there will be a day when things will change, when life will offer a rewind, a recap of all the events and I just have to wait.
Capricious are the ways of life, for I know there would be many who'd be able to empathize with me, ironically, even the dear ones that I miss this moment, waiting perhaps...!!
And I keep on waiting......

P. S : Read it somewhere. Never want to relate with this.....

WHAT?????

She-“Prashant, I have got engaged”.

Me-“WHAT????????”.

She- “Prashant, I have got engaged”.

Me-“WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!” again…

She-“hang on”, fiddles with her cell. “NOW, can you hear me????”.

Me-Too SHOCKED to say anything.

She-sounding wary, “Prashant I said I got engaged”.

Me-silence.

She-“you there?????"

Me-“yes”.

She-“you heard me????”.

Me-“yes, I did”.

She-“then for godsake say SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!”.

Me-“When”. (I am KICKING myself).

She-“Wednesday.I thought you would congratulate me.”

Me-“ooooo yes, you kidding right??”

(what an ASS am I!!!!!)

And so one of my BEST friends broke the news of her engagement to me. As you would have guessed I behaved like a total JERK. I don’t know what happened. Come to think of it the first reaction after hearing about someone’s engagement is that you ask about the dude. I ROCK!! Anyways the “she” in question is Ms. Sweta(It’s Shweta without a H) Daluka, often known as Topi. Anyone who knows me would have heard the name from me quite often. She has an uncanny knack of finding ways to IRRITATE me and I in turn get pissed off with her quite often. I was just too shocked and numb to react in a different way. People who have met her can understand my predicament better. She is the typical girl-next-door girl who is always falling ill and is one trouble or the other. So, the idea of her getting married and been responsible is too much to digest. Every second day the cartoon network falls BIMAAR and you wonder whether she is BIMAAR or a BIMAARI…. :-)

So another one of my friend getting admitted in the institution called marriage. Majority of my female friends are already life-time members but the guys are yet to go that way. Thank god we have retained our sanity. So what is it about marriage? Suddenly the female’s life goes topsy turvy. What she does and how she behaves is determined whether the hubby would approve of it or not. The poor girl has to behave like goody two shoes 24X7. The mother-in-law takes out the dutiful bahu to be for endless rounds of shopping. The sister-in-laws behave in a very artificial manner and pretends as if the new bhabhi is their best friend (mentally they are thinking, shaadi ke baad dikhate hein, boss kaun hai). The father –in-law always has some words of wisdom ready. I am sure the guys have to go through the same painful experiences!!!!!
I realized it yesterday that the reason for my weird reaction was that I was scared of losing a friend. But I am sure I am wrong (just consoling myself!!!). Anyways, I hope from the bottom of my heart that she has a WONDERFULL married life. Her saas and nanad do not beat her up black and blue.:-)she is an AWESOME female and deserves the best. Three cheers for Topi:

HIP HIP HURRAY…

HIP HIP HURRAY…

HIP HIP HURRAY…

Topi ROCKS…….

Chow……

Here are a couple of good one liners i bumped into..

 

•If a plug would not fit, would you socket?


•They say such nice things about people at their funerals that it makes me sad to realize that I am going to miss mine by just a few days.


•I never make mistakes. I thought I did once, but I was mistaken...


•I will kill to win the Nobel Prize for peace.


•Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned.


•If at first you don't succeed skydiving is not for you....


•If atheism is a religion, then health is a disease!


•That’s a nice suit you’re wearing. Who went for the fitting?


•I am confused. No wait….. Maybe I am not..


•Here I am. Now what are your other two wishes?


•Rehab is for quitters..


•The top ten reasons I procrastinate:
1.


•He who laughs last thinks slowest....


•Sometimes I wake up grumpy, other times I let him sleep...


•When there's a will I want to be in it....


•Impotence-nature's way of saying "no hard feelings"....


•Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.


•If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.


•Guys have feelings too. But like...who cares?


•"What made you marry Daddy, Mummy?"
"So you’re beginning to wonder, too!"

Deep down inside me, I am a superficial person..


•“What is your age?” Asked the Judge “Remember you are under oath. “
“Twenty-one years and some months”, the woman answered.
“How many months?” the Judge persisted.
“One hundred and eight”.

Happy wala b’day to 2008

Well, well, the day has arrived when we start writing ’08 in the year’s column. Another year gone by. Lemme try and recollect the single most important events in the respective months:

1st wicket-> January->the year started with an absolutely wild New Year party. It was crazy. Felt nice to see so many people enjoying themselves. My memory of this time last year is that of having time out. With the gang out in Pune, I had a quite New Year. Then, it was the pressure of the exams. The month just fizzed by.

2nd wicket->February-> remember this month for the trip to Shikharjee. It was damn good. Walking those 21 kms. was an experience (mind you, bare feet). It was BEAUTIFULL.

3rd wicket->March-> I went to a professional set up for the 2nd time in my life. It was my internship at ICICI. It was a big CULTURE shock (after Standard Chartered). It was BAD.

4th wicket->April-> one of the few times in my life I fell out with my friends. It was one of my best friends. Felt bad, real bad.

5th wicket->May-> the trauma continues. As usual the trend of b’day blues continued. It NEVER fails to happen. Ooooh, how could I forget, Tarkeshwar!!!! Went to meet Bhole Baba after 2 years and that too with the real close ones.

6th wicket->June->back to campus... It was a relief!!!!!

7th wicket->July-> started watching out for the placement season.

8th wicket->August-> the Virgo month. B’days galore!!! The movie bug HIT me.

9th wicket->September-> placements and exams on our heads... started to get on my nerves.

10th wicket-> October-> ADVENTITY :-)

Last man-> November-> LAZING around like an Elephant (is this right English????)

12th man-> December-> Faux paus. Don’ really no.

This is it. A highlights package of 2007.


Now for some of my ardent wishes in 2008:

1. India beats Australia down under.

2. Do well in Adventity.

3. Hope the company gives the bonus to people who have finished the Indian CFA (can’t study any more!!!)

4. Kick some ass at Adventity.

5. Sis’s problems take a turn for the better.

6. Gift the latest technologically advanced cell phone to my pyaree behnaa, Jhabs.

7. Sourav Ganguly retires on a high!!!

8. India does not give another chance to amazing Mr. Sehwag.

9. And the biggest. Cannot WAIT to have money in my hands and spending it. I have done the mental calculations. Only the actual implementation is left!!


Talk about spirit. A group of females in charge of cleaning up and all in the campus are sitting outside and having a BALL. I can hear their continuous chatter for the past hour. They seem to be having more fun then me. I am J. reminds me of the line from Ulysses, “Drink life to it’s lees”. Way to go.

Chow guys.

Teree maa kee @#%....

Various people have various things to do when they wake up in the morning. Some like to pray, some like to pause and plan out there day, and there are some who make a DASH for the bathroom (chalo bulawa aaya hai, Mata ne bulaya hai). :-) Don’t ask me what I do!!! Anyways, for the past two days I have been awakened by the WONDERFUL voice of some cartoon network on the floor below. I assure it’s not a good feeling to hear someone shout Maach@#, Bh&%ch#@, the first thing in the morning. Lemme explain. India is playing Australia in the Boxing Day test match. Poor Anil Kumble had it yesterday. He got a truck full of abuses when he was not picking up wickets. When the POOR guy did get wickets he got a BARRAGE of them. On been asked why is he abusing Kumble after he had picked up a wicket, the gentleman told me, “Saale ch@@% ne pehle googly kyon nahin kee”. For the first time in my life I felt sorry for Kumble. He picks up a fiver and people still abuse him like crazy!!!!

The best comments came for our Bengal Tiger, Sourav Ganguly. Unfortunately, he is at the peak of his physical fitness. In the amount of time he can run to the boundary at MCG, H.D. Dave Gowda can have a nice little nap!!! Poor Ganguly. Even the Bongs don’t leave him.

This is the amazing environment in which we get to watch the cricket matches at the hostel. The guy on your left starts abusing Ganguly’s batting (which has been VERY IMPRESSIVE in recent times). The guy on your right turns out to be a Bengali (hence, by default a Ganguly fan!!). So the cartoon on your right starts abusing Yuvraj Singh, cause Mr. left is a Punjabi. This goes on for a good hour and when they are tired of abusing the players, they turn to each other. This never fails to happen. Imagine my plight, who wants nothing more than to STRANGLE those idiots and listen to the Ian Chappell’s commentary!!! I feel really sorry for myself.

Another amazing piece of cricketing knowledge was on display yesterday. On the first day of the match when Gilchrist was batting, this sportoon sitting in the front turns around and asks the guy behind. “ abe yaar is ch@%t ka naam kya hai, Katich hai naa”. (Poor Gilchrist!!!). On been told that he has identified the wrong player, the sportoon gets into a rage and shouts “ Teree maa kee…..”.

Here we go again.

Chow guys.