The air is chilly
The sun sets a bit too soon
But here’s a frolic all around
and I hear a merry tune.

Gifts are packed, destinations booked
Leaves been taken, and delicacies cooked.
How I wish I could fly away
but I will not go as I am hooked.

and I look upwards, I have no fear
There is much joy, someone so dear.
Season’s greetings people !! Far or near.
Merry Christmas to you and a happy new year

There was this empty plot adjacent to our house. There were a few people, who’d wanted to play some game in the evening. The plan was (evidently) on for past 2 years. Finally, the defining moment happened.

Two people met up, both wanted to play,  and weren’t just talking out of their hats, when they said “LET’s DO IT”.

It is nicely leveled, floodlit, and a stone’s throw away from the house. Sanjay … thanks. You’re the man!

Neighbors .. “what is the excuse now?”.

Lets’ all play!

Pretty cryptic, the headline, you’d say. This is a true story of something that is pretty much happening as we breathe. So,  as people know my job and working style, they’d probably certify me as a “laid back” and “chilled out” in terms of the work. Not to say that I am non enthusiastic or lazy.(You should see me when the script demands me to be proactive

But this post is not about me, so I continue….

The bunch of people I hang out with, my tennis and swimming buddies. Not all of them treat the job  the manner in which I do. Or let me be more apt, not every one’s job treats them in the same way mine treats me. Yeah that sounded more better. There is this one person, who always seems to be in thick of action. Working late(I mean, really late), working on weekends, working on national holidays (when most of others would be cooling off their heels).  He would probably attribute it to a difficult boss, tough work profile , and so on.

Meet him once, and he doesn’t seem to be one of the “always obsessed with work type of people”. In fact he’d give you the impression that he’s still into studying .. you know the typical , care free attitude. He doesn’t mind venturing out to most of my crazy, off the top outing plans, but he does seem to be lazy, at certain times. He is lazy and kind of bugs me that I want to give him a hard whack and knock some sense of well being into him.

I mean this guy’s place, is a sample. His existence … is entirely on islands of things, while the rest of his house might seem a bit too spartan for example,  a couch which extends to be a double bed, despite having multiple rooms at his place. his bed would have most of the things one could wish for … a laptop, all the remotes for the gadgets, ipod, phone, munchies, glasses, booze, newspaper, books,knives (trust me I’ve seen two, a swiss army types, and a cheap imitation of victorinox), DVDs, takeaway menus, his “work laptop”, some sample of things from his work. wow. People live off a suitcase , I say this bloke lives out of a bed

Likewise, his dining table, is crammed with comics, old notebooks, boxes (not of anything edible), and old containers.

Any ways, whenever I told to be a little more organized, he’d shush shush me…  and say, “I will , eventually, when I get married”

<time zap>

So dude,  day after tomorrow is the day. It’s your wedding, and the reason I’m  still zapped, is probably the speed with which you have managed to do everything … get plenty of time off, arrange and buy stuff, plan dates, trips, and chalk out a zillion other things that Punjabi weddings are so famous for . Although you have managed to not give me a formal invitation card, you still gave me burfi I more desperately wanted, and chocolates.

I seriously think you have a knack for getting things done, when the valve is about to blow. Like eleventh hour .. that would explain a lot of things like late work hours, week ends , etc. But please no more cornflakes without milk (not because of problems with dairy stuff, but because he’s out of milk, and too lazy to get more), and no bread with ketchup. I’m pretty sure, you don’t like it either . Bread with ketchup .. HAH.

You’ll be pretty soon, a married man.

This has been coming in a lot lately. Many people, whom I know, and who might not necessarily know each other, “insist” that I have geekish tendencies.

Who is a geek?

I was always of the opinion, that a geek is someone, who is living at the limits of obsession, of their area of expertise. Maybe a physicist, a doctor, a musician or maybe an artist. By thisdefinition, maybe A.R Rahman could be classified as a geek, so could Amitabh Bacchan. Sachin Tendulkar would be a certain geek. The amount of time they dedicate to their professions, of course they look good doing it too.

Why do I get the label. Seriously, I don’t know. I admit, I have my way around some of the computing devices, which other people find complicated. Doesn’t imply I am obsessed with studying each of their functions. And I certainly do not spend time playing with them either. It’s just an artifact of my profession.

I mean I have noticed some people jut getting edgy with their iphones and blackberries, even in a party full of hot chicks.So much so, that their jokes tend to be about their latest phones/camera. They should be classified geeks.(Dorks/nerds in fact).

I cannot see myself working like a mad man, with any particular activity. Believe me, I’ve seen possessed people, and I am not one of them. Although I do wish I were one of the ones who look beautiful

haha. wishful thinking. isn’t it?

This always catches me unprepared. I have to (as if , from a habit) suffer at the onset of winters. I love when the weather changes from unbearably humid and hot to comfortably cool, in the evenings, to nice and easy throughout. That is, the transition time.

But I invariably fail to take into the account the projected temperatures the season aspires to attain. It usually happens one day (actually, on night) , that I’m like ‘nice  weather … let’s go out’ … type of mood, and when I do, I feel a bit too uncomfortable, and end up sulking.

This season, things were no different. Mom suggested prudently “Baccha, start using blankets, don’t you feel cold at night…. ” . Now, there’s also a reason for me not ready to buy into her suggestion . The room I live in, happens to be exposed to the roof, and so, it gets really warm during the day. So, naturally, I did not pay heed to the useful advice.

So one night, when I was sleeping, (actually not sleeping, I had a bad dream, and got up to drink some water), I felt it. I crawled back on to my bed, and realized it was so freaking cold. I had a various reactions to it. I shivered I tried to cover myself with an extra bed cover. No good! I just lay tossing and turning. That is how I spent the night. I call it the day “winter walked in”.

Every year I face such a day. A day when I realize, it’s time to pack up tees and shorts, get sweatshirts and woolens out. Start using blankets, etc.

I love winters. yay!

Seeing is believing? Or let’s just say most of the times.

I seem to get to a different state when I see a piece of art. Why that’s a feeling like “tongue tied and twisted … ” . So, it might be  a beautiful write up, a great photo, a remarkable piece of music, a good looking girl or a nifty piece of computer program (eh? Yeah that features as well).

Ok, the point is, i see the other person in awe, and more often than not I become judgmental about that skillful person. But the problem is, I see art in many places, others wouldn’t even consider. A good piece of furniture ,  or that seems to typical, I mean…  a clean room, nicely cut vegetables, good perfume choice, good dressing sense … yea I consider that as art too.

I mean, that would make me a terribly easy target, ie someone who would succumb to smallish things in life.This would definitely qualify as one of my biggest weakness, not that I don’t have any other. But this one’s out in the wild. Let’s see if it gets me some day.

Why am I posting this? Well, I guess I’m not a bright bloke either.

Often, unintentionally at times, one finds self in a sticky situation… you know, incessant argument, no conclusion.

You want your point to be driven across, but the other party wants none of it, and vice verse. Well, what do you suppose can be done? Have around  with you a person who’s not as vocal (a person who’s not directly affected by the consequence of the negotiation would be a good starting point, but he/she must be driven enough). He/she should be given certain premises, and well defined parameters where they could go ahead and suggest a compromise on your side.

So the opposing party would automatically presume the ally to be a friend (especially if the talk gets heated), and you as a foe. It’s an instinctive realization. You keep pressing for the important point . in fact, be arrogant about your point of view, even if you are certain it’s not entirely justified.

Keep at it, till any discussion seems futile. Don’t ever let  the guard down though.

Finally, let the ally suggest the same thing as you have been (abit in a toned down, probably, even scaled down way).

It does work . and you get a long way in.

Amongst other categorizations of people,  here’s a rather interesting one. The people in the particular segment are losers, but hey .. what the heck? They continue to be.

Of course people make blunders. There might be few who never seem to, but I call them lucky.

Anyways, people make mistakes. In the process,  some people hurt others, maybe unintentionally. Others have no plans of resurrecting the wrongful deed, which they deem righteous, or admit that their act is dastardly. And , yet, there are types, who’d say … “Oh I’m really sorry”, without even reflecting to what they’re saying.

They are schmucks!

So, today, after like what has been ages, I decided to give my gastrointestinal brain, a breather
For the unacquainted ones .. yes I do believe I have two brains. One that drives me to food, and one normal, logical one, that is pretty well documented in any school’s textbook. I say so, because I have seen the “other” one totally blemish the normal, ever so logical one and take charge of my body.

I daresay it wasn’t the sheer instinct kicking in , cause I was far from the point of starvation.

My friend suggested “why not go for some cholle bathure?” . Now those who know me would understand how important that dish is to me. I mean there’s probably just butter chicken which is a notch above, but I am guessing the abysmal frequency with which I consume cholle bathure lately, had pushed my brains craving for cholle bathure way up . Perhaps more than rational thinking as well.

“But we should go to Shadipur Depot on a metro”, I whined. The shop there supposedly gives out the best of cholle bathure, at least as far as I have had. “All the way from DLF” …, my friend here did not have the extra brain that was taking reigns as i was arguing.

Anyways, we didn’t go to Shadipur depot. We’ve postponed the trip to next weekend.
As for today, we went to Bikanerwala in Gurgaon, had a round of Dhoklas, Cholle , extra helping, and washed it all down with a glass (actually a kullhar) of Lassi.

Delhi food. I love you!

When was the last time you let yourself be?

When casting an impression did not matter. When you weren’t been scrutinized for all of your smallest, antics. When you know, you’re not being judged for every word you say, and all the people around you are behaving in a similar way.

In the process of being tactful and mature, I suppose, we as responsible adults seem to lose track of it. We know however, it still exists and it longs to be drawn out. I speak of a very important part of you. Your inner kid. The restless child. The unreasonable, uncontrollable being, for which logic is only as much as eyes see, and every action of whose is a fleeting whim of the so called heart. For when he speaks, it’s the pure form of expression, and not quite like the weighted, measured talk that we as adults indulge in. (Even, when we’re being candid ).

Today, I attended a birthday party of my next door neighbor who’s a 6 yr old kid. Well, I’ve attended his previous 2 b’day bashes also , so, it’s not something new for me. As a matter of fact, I enjoy myself, and well, some people scorn and do not quite seem to understand, the joy I get indulging in such activities.

So what’s it about kids that I so adore:

• A kid would never hold back his/her true opinions about you. I would be given thumbs up/down in such a blunt and bold manner that at times I wish I could do the same without being calculative of how my behavior would affect my relationship with the concerned person later on.
• A kid would do as he/she pleases. How it affects them in the long run, who cares. Life for kids is right here, right now!!
• Leave two kids in a dull old room, and only with their imagination, they’d turn the place into a Disneyland. And we grown ups seek pleasures outside, when it’s actually all inside us.
• Worry about tomorrow? Me? My agenda doesn’t even stretch till the next hour!
• Food …. eat what I want, how much I want!

I think adults who drink to get a high, or use other mind altering substances, are just trying to let their inner kid be.

Or say, a lose talking pair of lovers. Or a bunch of old buddies. You could be a kid around someone you absolutely trust, only that the ‘being kid’ feeling has to be reciprocated. If it works, well and good. Why pelter your brain with a rack of chemicals, that may have other side effects.

On a more serious note:
Many children in India are being robbed of their innocent childhood. It hurts me to see the small, tender ones being made to work. There was a regulation last year, where in it was a punishable offense to employ someone under the age of 14, for any sort of work (domestic or commercial). How much of it has been enforced? I still see little ones cleaning utensils in dhabas, serving tea, and what not! Please don’t encourage such businesses, and learn to use your right to vote.

Look for a party whose agenda revolves around nurturing kids, and not providing you freebies like low income tax, and cheaper food grains.