the last few days

These days, I seem to live my life from one weekend to the next. The week is a blur, with days merging into each other. Get up, get to work, look at laptop, travel a million hours, eat dinner, and sleep, invariably while on phone only to start the same routine again. Plus, I stay over at South Bombay all weekend long, so once I leave on Friday morning, I don’t get home till Monday night!

But weekends are good. With meeting friends and phone calls and D and places to visit and shopping to do! On Friday, went to D’s place from work. Had very nice dinner. Saturday was spent with Jo and a long lost college junior at Mondys. Loads of beer, loads of chicken, loads of good conversation and loads of reminiscing. And when I got my happy high, we headed to Marine Drive to Pizzeria where yummy pizzas were eaten. Sunday was a reasonably lazy day. Loads of lolling around. D and I landed up at Colaba again and beer and chicken was had at Leopold this time. Plus bought 3 brilliant tees. You know, the impractical ones that you are sure you’ll never wear, but the kinds that make you feel good when you see them hanging in your cupboard? The kind that almost inspire you to go the gym?

Also, D and I did brilliant grown up things. So we drove around in his dad’s shiny snooty car on Friday night all the way to Colaba and on Sunday he drove me around again. I think it won’t be very difficult for me to get used to a shiny snooty car lifestyle. In fact, I now demand being picked up instead of walking to his place which is 5 minutes away and things :)

On the work front things are going Ok I guess. Called up a million people at The Company and demanded they fill up my questionnaire. The pathetic intern act works. I got 5 responses in 2 hrs. :)

So basically, the last few days have been good! And just another 3 weeks to go. I'm going to miss being here!

weekend so far..

So, Bombay continues to be an amazing place to be in. Unfortunately for me, work suddenly seems to have picked up, so i don't have the time to enjoy the city. We have a 4 day weekend this time because of elections and May Day and the weekend. I've needed to work from home though, and have spent more time working in the last 2 days than in the last week put together. Feels like i'm back at XL, with sleep deprivation and night outs! For work! Wow!!

Not that I am cribbing or anything. I like what I'm doing and I get to camp at D's place with my laptop and get him to watch me work all day! But 2 days back, when i was sick of it all, we did touristy things like walk down marine drive and eat bhutta and chat at Choupati!

Also got to meet some long lost cousins, so the weekend hasnt been completely a wasted one. I did need to miss a trip to Alibaug and one to Matheran, both of which promised to be loads of fun. And watched a very cute feel good movie, the confessions of a shop-o-holic, and came to realise that even though people may disagree, i ain't one!

I have a conversation with the guide in about 2 mins.. lets hope the rest of the weekend doesnt involve work!

aaaaaaarrrrrggggggghhhh!!!!

Are relationships always so difficult? Why is it that 5 years down the line, egos still come in the way? Why is it "my-way-or-the-highway"? Why do simple insignificant things become yelling screaming ugly matches? Aren't you supposed to be happy together, thus are together, thus should be trying to make each other happy too? aaaaaaaaaagggggggrrrhhhhhhhh!! I could scream!

But in spite of the fights that seem to have become a way of life these days, that we seem to disagree more than agree these days, that conversations so often end with the phone being slammed, D is one of the only stable factors in my life, and I can almost confidently say I in his. That 5 years later, I know that come what may, when the going gets tough, he's the person I will go to. That after every fight with mom, every difficult paper and every broken nail, D is the person I will call. That every time we meet, all the fights seem so silly and insignificant. It’s strange, that D and I cant fight face to face. On the phone we are the most awful people, but the second we meet, it’s forgotten. Like I said earlier, D is my closest friend and the stability in my life. 5 years ago, when i didn’t know whether or not I liked D, during blissful months in college, he told me that you know you like someone when the thought of them not being there shatters you. I know now how true that is.

And when all around me, I see broken relationships, and breaking ones, I cant help but wonder… Do people just not try hard enough? Why is it that our relationship has managed to survive the test of time and others haven't? And how is it that I know, that through the fights and the yelling, we will survive.

Haye, I feel so much better!!

the year that was..

The other day, a cousin wanted MBA advice. Yikes! I’ve been thru a year at XL, but it doesn’t seem that way at all. I’ve been told time flies when you’re doing what you love, I now believe it.

The last year has been insane. I’ve stayed away from home for the first time ever, survived hostel food, survived a room with 3 lizards and an occasional grasshopper, slept for a cumulative of 10 hrs over 4 days, stayed awake all night to complete assignments and projects and study for exams, stayed awake to watch 3 movies back to back, danced like no one is watching, jumped into a lake from a raft, crossed a pond on a rope, sailed into the sky strapped to a parachute, survived on deep fried aloo cheese parathas, sat for interviews from 5 am upto midnight, published a magazine, almost failed a paper, and been so happy that I’ve actually cried. Yes, the last year has been insane and I’ve loved every moment of it.

And I’m now interning in Mumbai and have been thrown back into the real world. Where life doesn’t only revolve around assignments and alcohol and sitcoms. Where I need to wake up at an hour when most people wake up, work all day and sleep at times when most people sleep. Where I need to eat three meals a day and go grocery shopping and do grown up responsible things. And even though it’s completely different from the life I’ve led for the last year, it’s been brilliant so far. I love the feeling of being so completely independent, having to manage my life on my own. I love this city, I love my job, I love the fact that D is here and after 4 years we are finally in the same city again, I love the fact that there are so many friends from college and XL here, I love it that the city doesn’t judge you and lets you be yourself. 6 more weeks here! Yay!

:)

I read this most touching post P wrote that made me cry and feel good about myself. And i began to realise how lucky i am. When i started working i convinced myself that I'd never make friends there. That college was for making friends and work was for... well working and networking, and doing other fancy sounding grown up things. So i went to office, never realising that I'll meet some wonderful people and make a friend who i can talk to about almost anything.

So thank you P, for everything. And today you've made my day! I cant stop humming :)

nostalgia

My association with Calcutta University and my college came to an end yesterday, when I went back to college to pick up my degree and migration certificate. It’s been 2 years since I graduated, and even though college was the biggest, most important part of my life while was there, I hadn’t ever been back. Possibly it was the fear of going to a place that meant so much to me, and not being able to identify with it anymore. Or maybe it’s because I just grew out of the college mode after working and got too tied up in my own life.

But, while waiting for my HOD, I took a walk around college, and the memories came pouring back.

Memories of the wonderful times spent chatting under the arches of the main building, of spending hours an hours sitting on the table of the union room, of spending many unbelievable months of sitting hand in hand on the canteen steps with D, of splitting sprite and “chicken chow with chilly sauce and 3 forks” with M and S, of drinking steaming cups of masala chai in the canteen, of listening to S play the guitar, of chasing Milieu’s puppies all over college, of trudging to the photocopier at the main gate with millions of books before the exams, of spending many a winter afternoon on the canteen chatt, of proxies in class, of slipping out of the math pass class after attendance, of hanging around all evening in college promising ourselves we’ll go to GT, but ending up bunking, of getting yelled at by the Political Science prof for not attending his classes, of Milieu and the rock night, of Puja Pandals and food station treats and of insecurities and worries and crushes and heartache and love and friendships that i hope will last a lifetime.

And that’s when I realized how much I’ve missed college and the friends I’ve made there. And how much I’m looking forward to getting back to campus life. Presidency gave me 3 of the most amazing years of my life. Its given me wonderful friends, D, and plenty of smiles.

Greetings!!

My first post! Its long long overdue, given that I created this blog almost 6 months ago, but never got around to posting on it. But when a friend of mine, who didn’t blog for reasons/fears similar to mine finally decided to go ahead, I thought.. what the hell?? So here I am. Am not sure how regular I’ll be though :)