We workers’ are like sperms; only one works in a million. Rest assured, I am NOT the one
Dooba dooba rehta hu aankhon mein teri

Even the thought of going in there gave me jitters. I had been in one before but that was definitely not huge as this one would be. Even before I had stepped in there I started visualizing about it and the people who will be there with me. Last time the sentence was for 3 months but I had managed to break out within the first month. Now don’t ask me whether it was a break or parole but I had managed it and that itself made me happy. But this one.. I could sense there would be no escape from this one. My friend assured me that he would escort me to the door but after that I would be on my own inside there. The feeling itself brought a lump in my throat and I found it difficult to breathe like someone had just took away the oxygen mask from my ailing body lying on a hospital bed. Well the situation would be worse there and there won’t be any doctors in there to save me but people waiting for a prey to pounce on and dig into the body fat. Finally the morning came when I had to walk in there..
Love (Valentine Day) and cricket fever (World Cup approaching) is in the air these days. A comprehensive win over WI team on home ground, SL team on visit, Sehwag-Chapell fued, return of Ganguly, return of the match-fixing ghosts, Tendulkar finding his form back just before his (probably) last world cup though he got out soon today.. just name it and you have it on and off the field. (Tarun, I am missing reading your match reviews a lot :().

First let me make it clear that if at all there is a concept of rebirth and I am compelled to be a human being and offered a choice to choose the sex then I would choose to be a male again and not a female. We guys just have an easy life. No labour pains, no menopausal mood swings and probably not a lot of other things. Yeah some might suffer from impotency but then Viagra is there for rescue, remember? It definitely takes a hell lot of courage to be a woman in this world.
Here, on 16th December V would be for Vijay Diwas (Victory Day). When the army celebrated the victory that day they were unaware that the nation would be celebrating the day again after 11 years but for the birth of yours truly *ahem* :P. Okk the whole nation didn’t celebrate but at least the family and relatives did 24 years back (I hope they now don’t repent that celebration :D)When the clock struck 12 at midnight this 16th (or 15th??) some of my college group guys dropped in and the power went off for almost one hour (so no pics of midnight). In 1982 Port Blair (where dad was posted then) had witnessed an earthquake.. now this earthquake and power failure have no relation with me or my birthday so stop thinking and read further.
In the company somehow I managed to save myself from the bumps in the morning (though couldn’t avoid them later :(). My team made me God (or is he God’s messenger?) with this cake :P.
A few days later the older group (associated with the company for more than 6 months coz all we see now are new faces all the time thnx to attrition) brought in 2 cakes for Gaurav and myself (Yashita, I wont complain of cake next time :)). I really don’t mind anyone wasting Black Forest but I hate when someone wastes the precious chocolate cake just for smearing it on the face. Damn those heartless souls.. hope they will never get to eat a chocolate cake again :D
The katta-gang of the company made merry at Shangrila and the meaning of ‘made merry’ is they got the license to kick the ass of the person they wanted to since a year.. he he.. but luckily I reminded people that some were having their birthdays in near future. Actually I didn’t know whose birthdays would be next but the fake warning served the purpose as many withdrew in fear.. probably the reason why I was still smiling ;)
The icing were the 2 Calvin & Hobbes books I got (yes Navdy you read it right :P). The katta-group gave the ‘The Days Are Packed’ edition (what a strange coincidence with the days now I am having) and the other one ‘Tenth Anniversary book’ was sent by Kalpana from Mumbai along with home-made chocolates which were devoured by all before I could even think of taking a picture.Thus ended the day and week of celebration of successfully living on this planet for 24 years. Thanks to all who wished me personally or in their minds.. good wishes is all we need in this world. For the whole week I was thinking whether I deserved all this love and affection from the people I love and trouble (more :D) the rest of the year. But, hey that’s what we call as life :P. I will keep the thinking part to me while you take a look at the other pictures uploaded.
So, V bole toh ekdum Vasool time with near and dear ones :)
I stop and stare at you
Thanks for all the zoology talks we had and the innumerable field trips you took me along with. Many parents have the ‘birds and bees’ talk but we actually discussed about the real birds and the real bees :D though I remember at times I could feel my ears turning red when the topic of animals mating would come up. Now they don’t turn red even after seeing people copulating in full public view. *ahem* Where were we?
Hats off to you for all the monetary help in the various sports classes and camps I wanted to go to and in fact enrolling me on your own in many of them
Though I have seen you get rarely mad I still clearly remember how angry you were when I broke your binoculars in a school trip to Lonavala (though I would say in my defense how come you gave a kid such expensive binoculars.. so not my fault :P) and the day when I accidentally bunked school when I had heard the teacher say it was a holiday instead of half-day. But still you taught me how to stay calm in the terrible situations like when mom had an epileptic attack and I was crying like shit. Thanks for that!
I don’t know if you would love to have me as a son next time
but I definitely want you back and I am happy that there are no exams for the position

and even if there is any don’t worry I will make sure you will be elected unopposed

How many believe in Santa Claus? I remember watching Joey’s nephew Michael saying “It is just basic math. It would be impossible for Santa to visit all the children in the world in one night...”. I was not that bright child to figure it out coz I used to keep socks under the pillow.. yeah we don’t have stockings here.. and it would be filled with something the next morning. Once there was a small jeep and then one time a chocolate bar. But when I started keeping it every night my parents made me sit down and explained that they were doing the whole stuff. I don’t remember what my reaction to that was but now I hope I didn’t think that my dad was Santa Claus and our family was into wrapping gifts and delivering it :D. Kidding.. I sure wasn’t dumb :P. If you still haven’t seen the movie Polar Express then do watch it. I would like to believe that there is a real Santa.. now if people can believe in ghosts then why not Santa.. with a sledge pulled by reindeers galloping down the snow-clad roads and distributing gifts to children who behaved nice the whole year. Now behaving nice the whole year clause would automatically strike me off the list and if you are thinking Santa is only for children I would say come on 24 is young.. very young. Also there is a child in every person.. so wake up that child within you and join me to say Merry Christmas. I am not greeting for the new year now coz I am hoping to squeeze some time for one more post before I leave for Goa. 



and please think about the allowance bit :D
though the reminders you serve me frequently for the same could be dropped off :)
I did not feel sad on the last day of my school or my first college for +2 and neither when I graduated from my engineering college. Though I very much miss those days now, I felt extremely happy that time as I was entering a new phase of my life. 
Okk.. the above call-distance away sentence is making me feel guilty now coz I am at the receiving end of a variety of expletives since 1-1 n ½ month now. My mobile is refusing to come out of the dandiya night hangover. First it broke free from the trad costume pocket and went flying between cars on the Mhatre bridge. 2-3 visits to the service centre and applying my gujju and marwari speaking skills I bargained and bargained and got the screen fixed. Then after a few days suddenly it started behaving erratically and since then I can’t receive/make any calls and messages. It shows full network coverage all the while but on dialing the number The user is out of coverage area or The number is switched off is what one can hear. The cost of replacing some stupid IC in it is the amount for which this mobile can be sold back. Frankly speaking I am extremely jealous and in complete awe of people who say (and really do) that they talk on phone for hours coz my maximum time on phone ranges upto a maximum 4-5 mins. I hate talking on phone so I am not missing the mobile much but yes I sure miss messaging. Anyways, my friend’s dad was scheduled to go to China next week and I was planning to get a mobile from there but now I have dropped that idea and buying a new one around next week here itself.
Best of luck to all the CAT aspirants over the country for tomorrow’s big Sunday. I am also taking that test but I haven’t prepared anything so I am totally relaxed and planning to give it next year. On other thoughts, will I be able to repeat this feat? But no it was in company and this one is on national level. Fixed then, next year. Have a great weekend!




