Reality Check 101

The world and its uncles are getting married. Designer weddings. Choreographed sangeets. Fancy Destinations. Pre-wed shoots. Photoshopped memories. Everything made to look glossy, classy and Instagrammed.

The world and its uncles are also building their first homes. Brick by brick. EMI by EMI.  Not a house. A home. Playing hosts. Throwing parties. Cleaning the mess after everyone's left. The first Holi, Diwali, Rangoli. Straight out of an Asian Paints ad.

The world and its uncles are also getting pregnant. And having babies!! Creating actually living beings. Of flesh and blood. Of pee and poop. Gurgling laughter and late-night cries. Something about motherhood and being complete...now that they have delivered out a part of themselves.

And in the meanwhile. Here I am. Fretting about where my career's headed and when will I add more stamps on my passport. Hmm.

So on a day like today, when my life pauses for a tiny little moment, and I finally get some time to  ponder and wonder, all those seldom-pushed-back thoughts run amok.

'Go ahead...take the leap!' the silly heart prods. 

'Wait a minute here...are you sure about this?' the mind double-checks.

They say its the most important decision I would ever make. Then how come no one ever prepared me for this? After pouring over textbooks and truckloads of photocopied notes (Mumbai University style. Oh yeah!) I thought I was ready for the death by power-point. And I endured...hours of excel, jargons and frameworks. Not just endured...survived. I even gave in and made peace with the system! So you see, I spent a majority of my life prepping for the career while no one bothered to inform me that this was only the second most important thing in my life? Hmmph.

So spare me your raised eyebrows while I google for relationship advice or better still...for a crash course on Coursera. Heck, I have even taken to exclusively listening to romantic music, you know...just to get into the groove. Oh! And I am also reading threads on Quora such as this one here, on friend's recommendations. (One a separate note - Don't we love friends like these who help us a day before exam? Stay up all night just so we don't fall asleep? Making us maggi and coffee and bearing all our last-minute hysteria?) 

And so, my dear readership of 23, I hope that in some time from now - I would have done my research, collated enough data points and drawn insights *sniggers* to finally be able to finally take the most important decision of my life. *insert prayers here*

Phew. Getting married seems like a critical life project with a stringent deadline and no scope for mistakes. Unraveling the mysteries of life with a partner after the dating niceties are done and dusted! *shivers*. So on that upbeat note, just one question to all married folks out there. How long into the dating process did you decide to tie the knot? Before or after you got comfortable enough to burp/fart in front of each other? :D

Tomorrow will shine with promises ahead...

The past tugs and pulls, tying you down,

Leaves a tear stained face and many a frowns.

The battle of past can never be won,

The pain and misery is never undone.

But heed to your heart & it will find a way,

Sooner than later, it will have it's say.

And like worn out robes the past will fade,

Your tomorrow will shine with promises ahead.

Image from here

Dear readership of 21,

Silly how I cannot bring myself to write in spite of great many things to write about. The Opposite of Writers' Block - something like a Bottle Neck.

Anyhow. There are stories and stories and stories I wish I could pour out on this blog right now. Let me start off making a list of things to clear some of my cerebral clutter.

1. My oh-so-awesome Europe Trip...ok, UK trip...but Scotland, Ireland & London man!!
2. Latest obsession - Pygmalion & other works of George Bernard Shaw (He is half Irish, half British...no points in guessing my UK trip hangover is far from being over)
3. My first impressions of the Rosogulla land  - Kolkata. Oh! and how I stayed at the country's first Floating hotel aptly named Floatel on Babughat opposite the marvelous and majestic SBI HQ office and a mere hop-skip-jump from Eden Gardens Stadium!!
4. Staying alone...Staying alive.. in Biryani land - Hyderabad
5. And finally since my work involves some bit of traveling, I am contemplating writing my own version of 'The Terminal" (Desi Tom Hanks anyone? Feel free to contact me :P)  

And so deadlines and hectic schedules be damned. Here I am..making a start all over again to make peace with my blogging alter-ego so as not to piss her off and shoo her away for months at end like last time.

Its nearly office time...and I hate the fact that this post doesn't really have any purpose other than a quick 'hi, wassup world. me still alive, ok bye.'

So a post this is! And  I promise to update to my lovely audience of 21 followers and any other misguided random lurker...thou shalt blog regularly from this day onwards...till death and/or bad internet connection do us part.

Amen.

Asian Paints Ad...Ver Rutuja1.0

Kabhi aisa ho jaye ki hum office hi na jaye..
ghar baithe hi anokhi ek picnic manaye

khidkiyon se kare baate, pooche hawaaon ka haal-chaal..
"kya chahiye rangeen parde?" unse hum karein sawaal

kitchen ke bartanon se bhi aaj ho jaye baatein do-char..
cheeni ki meethi chhuri aur achar ki tej-khatti dhaar

tapakte hue nal ke aaj aasoon poch le..
geyser ki garma-garmi se bhi sulaah kara de

bedroom ka aaina kitni baar bulaye..
aaj phursat se usme apni parchhayee taak le

jab arse se balcony ke paudhe sirf hari pattiyan ugaaye..
tab toh phulon ki gowd bharai ki aaj maang kii jaye

darwaza chup chap jab door khada reh jaaye..
aaj uski bhi dosti deewaron se kii jaye

ek hasi aaj is ghar me bhi baaton..
kabhi is ghar ko waqt aur pyaar se sawaron

kuch na keh kar bhi ghar bahot kuch kehta hai
har ghar yeh kehta hai...andar isme mera apna rehta hai!

Adhoore Khwaab...

choti aankhen dekhe bade khwaab
mushkil sawaalon ke mange jawaab
khwaab dekhne par na thi pabandi
ziddi mann chahe unka hona puri

My very first...

haiku.

Have been wanting write haikus for a really really long time now. But like most other good things in life, I simply kept postponing the writing part and consequently regretting it. The vicious circle can be quite unfailingly endless and takes some serious effort in shaking off that inertia. But lo and behold, one does overcome the said inertia provided with just the right amount of time and that perfect mood.

So here it is... 

Dodging eyes

just a hint of guilt...

Strangers again.

P.S: Have been reading 'A web content strategist's bible' recently and if you landed here curious by the title name...I think the book is wonderful ;)  

Last page scribbling...

ज़ख्मों को कुरेदना मेरी आदत नहीं मजबूरी है
ज़िंदा होने को एहसास अब दर्द से जो होता है |

यादें अब अक्सर आँखों में नमी लाती है
पुरानी हसीं का एहसास अब आसुओं से जो होता है |