4th Day on the Job

and I'm still liking it. Though I have to figure out a photo feature tomorrow and have no idea how to go about it.

I'm truly happy after a long time. Gorged on puchkas today. Actually gorged.

People in office seem to think I'm a total kid, a mommy's girl, a teetotaller, amazingly innocent, the kind who still drinks chocolate Complan. I still drink milk, but that's only because I'm scared I'll end up with osteoperosis or something. And just because I've always stayed at home does not make me a mommy's girl. I'm not really irritated (maybe slightly). Actually I'm kinda enjoying the misconceptions. Always nice to prove people wrong.

One thing I have a problem with, however, is explaining the family situation:
(1) that my parents are divorced and remarried (to other people i.e.) and live in different cities, and
(2) that I have two sisters of my own (one of the two being adopted) and two step-sisters.
It's not a very unhappy state of affairs, but it is rather complicated to explain. Say that your parents are 'divorced' and you get this embarrassed 'Oh, I'm sorry' and a 'you poor thing' look. Sigh. I'm not a poor thing (except when I have loose motions) and I wish people would understand that divorces don't necessarily mess people up.

[Job Section: Boss is still looking for citizen reporters from Kol, so drop me a mail if you are interested. Plus, if you know any male journo types, we need one. Lemme know.]

First Gold Star on the Job

My first assignment got good reviews. To the extent that the boss discussed with his boss that I should be utilized more for writing and less for backend work. Yay! :D

Maybe making those daily posts won't be too tough after all. :D
I'll try at least.

I'm feeling happy.

Love you all for dropping in on my blog. Mwoo:*ooahs!

Btw: Kolkata-based people interested in journalism: If you are interested in being a citizen reporter, let me know. This would involve 3-4 posts a week.

Working Woman

I'm employed again. I'm supposed to get paid to write, and get bylines as well. It's back to the peasant life once again, but it is a nice feeling to be getting back into the grind. At least I know how much money I will get at the end of the month unless I seriously mess things up.

The new job changes things a little. No more whimsical trips to anywhere. Between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. I'll be booked for most of the week. My hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Even though cab rides to my new place of employment take an hour, it's much quicker to take an auto, and at a fraction of the can fare.

The canteen is a snazzy one. Food is cheap-ish, though it may not be exceptionally good. Actually, they were complaining about the bad-ness of the food. The chow mein and chilli chicken did win some appreciative nods though. That's good enough for me. When noodles are around, why should I need anything else?

Was followed by a mad man cum tramp for a while yesterday. I got quite a fright yesterday when I turned my head to look at something and saw this fellow almost breathing down my neck. Today my auto driver had his license confiscated for running a red light. (I don't think 'running' is the right word in this context.) Not quite an auspicious start to a job, but what to do.

I'm sleepy now. Blogging everyday is going to be tough from now onwards. Sigh.. resolutions, like rules, are meant to be broken.

PS: Very sleepy and suffering from computer eyes. Excuse the bad grammar and awkward sentence construction this time.

Wishful Thinking

I wish
That I could wash my hands in cotton candy.

I wish
That the sun would rise in the moonlight.

I wish
That more people would write to Santa Claus.

I wish
That going to war meant having a pillow fight.

I wish
That people were uncomplicated and unrufflable.

I wish
That wishful thinking was more than just mental babble.

I wish
That I could really write poetry
And not end up with blogposts that
End up with labels like "jabberwocky".

My GHM

Got this from Ad Libber who got it from Doubletake, Doublethink.

Quoting Doubletake, Doublethink: "I'm starting a meme (muahahhaha). Anyone who has ever fallen in love with her version of the GHM, I tag you. Write a post, it doesn't have to be very big, about that person – literary character, comic book hero, some guy in a movie, a random person you'll never meet – we’ll start a list that will probably never end."

I strolled past teenagedom and the days of Mills and Boons, Barbara Cartland, and daily crushes ages ago. Those were the days when Tom Cruise was every girl's dream. I fell in and out of love a million times everyday, but some crushes never went away.

Like the handsome senior who played Judas (the only truly handsome guy that I have seen up close) in a school play. My day was made each day as I saw his class fill in the seats many rows ahead of ours. I sought eye contact; wished silently for it; but it never happened. I didn't mind. Just seeing him during assembly was enough. We were different, he and I. He was a handsome senior in class 12 while I was a gawky, skinny, hairy-legged kid in class 8. Too different to ever get together.
I never ever got to talk to him,
And I hope I never ever do.
He was a skinny 13-year-old's dream
That I wouldn't want coming true.
[The rhyme was unintentional at first :D]

Yet, he isn't my GHM (Georgette Heyer Man) -- defined by Ad Libber as being "a one of a kind lover an impressionable girl can easily be obsessed with". That place has long been usurped by Baloo the Bear from Disney's "The Jungle Book". I can't say that I was ever obsessed by Baloo the Bear in my impressionable days, but he comes closest to my GHM -- the ideal guy that I'd want to spend my happily-ever-after with.

Imagine how wonderful it must be to be bearhugged by a bear. And Baloo is no ordinary bear. He hangs out with a man cub, has no qualms in crossdressing to fool the MonkeyKing, bravely defends his homo sapien protege against the sharp claws and teeth of the much-feared Sher Khan, lives the life hippies only dream about, sings like a dream, and dances like a dear.



That's him on the right jazzing it up with the bunch of bananas. Handsome ain't he? And he's a philosopher too as the video and the lyrics of "The Bear Necessities" reveal:

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life

Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few

The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life

Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue ?

The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!

So just try and relax, yeah cool it
Fall apart in my backyard
'Cause let me tell you something little britches
If you act like that bee acts, uh uh
You're working too hard

And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true

The bare necessities of life will come to you

With a big smile and a sense of rhythm, Baloo spouts existentialist philosophy and jungle survival tips while snacking on ants and scratching his behind against a rock. He's the kind that makes you believe that everything will be aw'right, 'cause all you need are The Bear Necessities...

...And they will come to you.

[Announcement for Ladies, Gentlemen, and Others: Have you ever known of a character -- fictional, unmeetable or simply unattainable -- that you wish you could have hooked up with? If your answer is yes, consider yourself tagged.]

Rain in the City and Other Things

19th Feb:
Went out with Madz. Ate at Pizza Hut. The third part of our bitchy trio ditched us at the last minute. Shopped after lunch at Forum and South City. I have been shopping a lot of late. Guess I'm making up for all the days that I didn't. I eyed a pair of sneakers at Bata. Price tag: 1299/- I'm not sure I'm ready to spend that much. Maybe I'll tell the father to buy it for me. What are fathers for after all, other than indulging their daughters.

Spoke to Shreya and told her that she's too young at 23 to get married. Other people don't seem to think so and the poor thing has been worried and unhappy.

Boyfriend did not fall asleep while talking to me last night. He's been dozing off quite often over our phone conversations. A worrying sign perhaps. It's Happy-Four-Months today btw.

20th Feb:
Being a homebody today. Have lots of work lined up.

On a brighter note, it just rained in Kol for about 15 minutes, and the sun is already out. I must have said this before, but nothing makes me happier than the rains. Almost nothing at least. Dairy Milk chocolates and rain -- my top two mood enhancers!

Ate a big packet of chips between last night and now. I'm getting fat slowly but surely. How do I know this? My clothes are not fitting me. What am I going to do about it? I'm anti-dieting. So all I can do is spend my days thinking about exercise. Maybe someday I will start doing sit-ups or something. For the time being, at least I'm not looking like an anorexic chick on a poster which cries "Feed the Hungry Millions".

There are red "biting" ants on my bed. Again. I really must stop eating chips on the bed.

Added at 5:38 P.M.:
Just got a call from this publishing house that I had applied to. I said no. And now I am (unnecessarily) stressing over it. There are many good reasons why I said "No". But the worry emerged and has decided to get stuck on me. I think I am destined to be a worrywart. Somebody once looked at the many light crisscrosses on my palm and asked me if I worry/think too much. I guess I do. Though the lightness of the lines could also be due to low haemoglobin. The doc told me that one.

I'm also rather unsympathetic. Not mean. Very nice. Just unsympathetic.

And I still hate weddings. Almost as much as I hate job interviews. Wondering if something is seriously wrong with me. For a few days I wondered if I had social anxiety or something. I don't think I do. But there is definitely something not right with me.

One More

17th Feb:
Woke up at ten after ages. Did a lot of ultra-uninteresting things. Started with "The Old Man and the Sea". Will finish it today. Watched a lovely movie: "A Good Year". Please watch.

18th Feb:
Dull. Dull. Dull. Played Scrabble with the comp. Read the paper. Breakfast, lunch, bath. Chatted online with Rishi, Moolah, Madhurima, Boyfriend. Did a "When will you die" test. My dying date is August 11, 2069. I am hoping to extend it by two days, so that I can go for the boyfriend's 86th birthday. I will be a sprightly 85-year-old then. I think I'll die of stuffing myself with too much chocolate cake. A good way to kick the bucket I feel.

Keeping My Resolution

Posting everyday is quite a hassle. But believe me, I am trying to keep this resolution; rather unsuccessfully for the time being, but I am trying. Here comes another get-up-to-date post.

14th Feb:
Boyfriend and I decide not to talk to each other on V-Day. The long-distance factor ensures that this can be managed quite easily, though I do end up calling him (but no V-Day wishes mind you) for ten minutes at night. This has become a habit now.

Instead of going out with the boyfriend, I meet up with Shreya (my soulmate by birthday according to one big horoscope book that we have at home). We set out for New Market. Here is what follows:
(1) A long walk up and down Shreeram Arcade and great wonderment at how the once hip-n-happening place has become a sad place to frequent;
(2) Orange juice at one of those rat-infested (I saw a big grey one) juice centres outside Shreeram;
(3) Shop for shoes for me (picked up two for a total of Rs.243);
(4) Gorge on 3-rupee biscuits on the way to Park Street;
(5) Walk into CCD, realize that they have special (Read: exorbitantly-priced) V-Day menu, and walk out;
(6) Descend on Cha-Bar instead to have tea that costs Rs.30 and tastes like soap water and chat about all that's wrong with our lives (I only do this with Shreya);
(7) Rickshaw ride home where we just miss running over a cat that doesn't know what zebra crossings are for.

Apart from that a few "Happy V-Day" phone calls to my former I-Hate-V-Day pals. Now that I have a boyfriend, I am automatically chucked out of that club, irrespective of whether or not I celebrate this great gimmick.

15th Feb:
Cousin's Registry Wedding.
I hate weddings. Attending them makes me sick to the core. I hate dressing up for them, though once I'm all decked up (Read: Wearing earrings and kajal) I wonder why I don't prettify more often.

Why do I hate weddings? It's because I hate exchanging pleasantries. To me that's a supremely dull waste of time.

I guess when you go to a wedding prepared for the worst, it doesn't seem all that bad. But that does not make it good either. Which brings me to my question: Can one get married by proxy?

In other words, can I hire someone to be me at my own wedding (to keep up appearances) while I go catch a movie and stuff my face with popcorn?

Another question: Who was the bright spark that suddenly woke up one day to decide that weddings are times of celebration? Cavemen and women were happy enough with the act of making babies. Why the great need for organized celebrations in the ancient world when one could have orgies galore?

Deviating from the above high-philosophy, let me tell you that the food at my cousin's registry wedding was scrumptious (a very 18th-century-England adjective, but it fits). Ate authentic Bengali food after ages, and the rabri (the only non-Bengali item on the menu) was out of this world!!
[For those that are interested: The ceremony will be held next Friday.
N.B.: This is not to be mistaken for an invite.]

16th Feb:
A dull as nails day. Had stayed over at cousin's place. Woke up to noise and the still-scrumptious leftovers for breakfast. Got home and got to work. But don't feel like working; hence the super-long blogpost that tracks all three days in sufficient (excessive?) detail.

Will pretend to work a little more and then curl up with either Hemmingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" or Kazuo Ishiguro's "The Remains of the Day". I think I'll go with Hemmingway. It's thinner you see.

Will Soon

be employed again. :D
Yay! So now I can non-guiltily shop for clothes without counting the paisas. Such joy.
And relief.

Getting Up2Date

I'd resolved to post daily, but the Delhi trip made it all go awry. Here is a compensation post to comfort my somewhat-guilty conscience.

5th Feb
Went to Shutapa's place. Shopped wholesale for sweaters at Sarojini Nagar. Bought many packets of 50-rupee sweaters and sweatshirts, on Ma's orders.

6th Feb
Job interview at the book fair. Went off well. Bought 3 books. Plus, very cute Spanish guy manning a counter spoke to me. (He just offered to help me pick out some books... but keep that hush-hush.)

7th Feb
Another interview. Not as bad as I thought it'd be. And long ride back to Gurgaon from Kalkaji. Watched "American Gangster" -- good movie, but you have to pay attention thoughout.

8th Feb
Night-out plans: Elevate in Noida.
Needed a shampoo, but first the geyser refused to switch on, and then the water ran out and refused to run back in. Result: unshampooed hair. Wore my hot new 99-rupee top and a sweater to bust the chill factor. But it was too cold throughout to remove the sweater :( What a waste. Winter ain't a good time to go partying. Plus, the DJ only (ONLY) played trance and the rum-and-coke did not provide the much-needed kick.

9th Feb
Woke up late. Rushed to get to movie. "Mithya" -- Different. Worth a watch. Like a play on celluloid. Overpriced Yo!China lunch. A combo for two that came with only a single glass of pepsi. Grocery shopping with 2 bachelors trying to cook. Lotsa fun :D Mexican food for dinner to the background music of Vengaboyz and Aqua.

10th Feb
Travel day again. The sun is out in Delhi. India is winning the match, though the Australians ensure that Dhoni and the other guy (I forget who) take their time. I like travelling, even if my legs get entangled while trying to climb up to the upper berth on the train. Some people are just not meant to live lives of great physical activity. Travelling via Rajdhani is great. They give a lot of food throughout the journey. I have noisy, but non-interfering co-passengers. Good. I can read my book in peace (Coetzee's "Slow Man"; borrowed from the boyfriend).

11th Feb
Wake up at 7:20 in panic. The people on the lower berth seem to have finished breakfast. But no.. it's just tea. Breakfast time is at 8. Unfortunately, we are stuck at Asansol for nearly 3 hours because the overhead wires have torn a few stations away. Sigh. The result is that the train (and hence, we the passengers) is late by 6 hours. A good thing too. I manage to finish the book :D

12th Feb
No work lined up for today. Meeting Shutapa in half an hour. She returns to Delhi tomorrow. I want to buy a nice pair of jeans that do not need belts to hold 'em up.

A few hours later:
Did not get jeans. Bought tees instead. Ate mutton roll. Miss chicken.

Read

an entire book this afternoon. More on the book later. Have temporarily hijacked boyfriend's computer. Over and out.

P.S.: Saw a superhero today. More on that in a later post. :P

Still Cold

But I'm getting used to the numb hands and feet. And to my new super-basic Motorola cell phone. It's not as bad as I had been making it out to be.

In Delhi

and it's very cold.

Off

to Delhi.