The Four-Legged Cupid

It was not long since they had moved to the new place. She loved it; she thought she could call it her own. He loved it; the view from the 14th floor balcony was mesmerizing. They still did not have a double bed. Mattresses on the floor with loads of cushions and pillows made a makeshift arrangement, and they were happy with it.
It was a hot summer Sunday afternoon.

He- This mattress feels so hot. I can't sleep.
She- Get the chatayi from storeroom and sleep on that.
He- hmmm.. yeah.. good idea.

He gets up, opens the storeroom door, and looks back at her. She is still lying on the mattress, face down, eyes closed.

She- Beware of that lizard in the storeroom. It is so fat that it threatens to fall on one's head at any moment.
He- Unlike you, I am not scared of lizards.
She- Well then, get rid of it.
He- I will when I see it. Right now, it is not in the storeroom.
She- uh..huh..

He is back with the folded chatayi. Contemplates a moment for the best place to spread it. His eyes fall on her, lying on her stomach at the very corner of the mattress. He smiles. Next to her is the best place.

Holding one end of the chatayi, he lets it roll on the ground next to her.
Something jumps on her from the folds of the chatayi.
She shrieks, his eyes dart on her.
A lizard runs the full length of her terrified, shaking body and scurries across the floor to the nearest wall.

He- Oh shit!

Her screams don't stop. He is frozen. She does not turn, does not move at all, and just keeps yelling his name.
Letting the chatayi drop in a heap on the floor, he jumps on the mattress to lie down beside her. He hugs her and she clutches at him, as if for her life.
She- I hate you

He- I am sorry kid. I love you.

Her body is still shaking with suppressed sobs and fear.
His body shakes with suppressed laughter and he hugs her tighter.

The afternoon doesn't seem unbearably hot anymore.

30 Nosey Things You May(n’t) Want to Know About Me

Alright, here's the first tag on My Latest Fad. Unsungpsalm promised that I will enjoy it, so here I am.

But before you get to know the 30 nosey things about me, you first agree to pay a price. I need a new laptop and everybody knows there are so many options in the market that it's a madhouse out there. Oh, don't run away yet. I am not asking you to buy me a new laptop. All you have to do is suggest one. My requirements? Pretty simple actually. Something close to 12", lightweight, easy to use and handle, costs within 40-41K. That's it.

Now, to the tag

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? My eyes look puffy. Didn't I sleep well??

2. How much cash do you have in your wallet right now? Rs. 2100, besides debit cards.

3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR? Whore... before being judgemental listen to this. Unsung already used the first word that came to my mind. This was the 'second' that came to me.

4. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? Di.

5. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? I never download ringtones. I use only those that are already on the phone. My current ringtone is 'backpacker'

6. What are you wearing right now? I am still in my nightclothes, yes, I am jobless. Pyjamas and a spaghetti top.

7. Do you label yourself? mmmm yeah. An Intellectual. I know it's not obvious from my posts, but that's because I don't like showing off. Ha!

8. Name the brand of the shoes you currently own? Reebok shoes. Carlton London stilettos. Various sandals from non-branded stores in Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Vegas. Yeah, I shop all over.

9. Bright or Dark Room? mmm bright generally.

10. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you? Unsung. I am tempted to use his real name out here for some reason. But that would be a serious breach of trust :)

Hmmm... Unsung knows what I think of him. Awesome writer, mature for his years, cute in many ways :)

11. What does your watch look like? I am averse to wearing a watch. Don't like them, don't wear them.

12. What were you doing at midnight last night? For the first time after months, I tucked myself in bed with a book, at midnight. Trying to sleep early and wake up early.

13. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? “Powercut again. I am getting ready. Call you later."

14. What’s a word that you say a lot? There are many I guess. "Shutup", "Oh F***", "Duffer", "mmmmmm". This last is an exclamation, but I use it as a word mostly :)

15. Who told you he/she loved you last?(please exclude spouse, family, children) Di's daughter Maahi told that to me just a few minutes back, but I have to exclude family. I think GO was the one then.

16. Last furry thing you touched? Maahi's many soft toys. Last year in Kanpur at Priya's home, I held and cuddled her oh-so-adorable dog Lolo. She has a Pekinese pair, Lolo and Pluto. Lolo is sweet but Pluto is a wicked little .... mmm... dog. He won't let anybody touch him.

17. Favourite age you have been so far? 16.

18. What was the last thing you said to someone? "Aap dusting theek se nahin kar rahe ho", to the maid. For those who didn't get that, "You are not dusting properly"

19.The last song you listened to? "She's always a woman to me" by Billy Joel. It's an awesome song and my caller tune these days. If you want to listen, here's the link.

20. Where did you live in 1987? Ghaziabad. We lived there for just a year because of Dad's transferable job.

21. Are you jealous of anyone? Not anymore. Used to be, in a funny way, when I was younger.

22. Is anyone jealous of you? I don't know.

23. Name three things that you have on you at all times? Phone, money, Lipbalm.

24. What’s your favourite town/city? Dehradun (only because I have spent some of the happiest years of my life there), Delhi (I like it despite the heat), Vegas (I couldn't have enough of Vegas in 3 days), San Francisco (I would love to have a house there), and some remote towns in Uttaranchal that nobody has heard the names of. They are beautiful places.

25. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? I love writing letters on paper but I just hand them to people they are for. I can't remember when was the last time I mailed a letter.

26. Can you change the oil on a car? Erm.. I can't .... yet! I intend to learn someday.

27. Your first love/big crush: what is the last thing you heard about him/her? My first crush, that I can recall, was a classmate when I was in class 2. He was my crush for 3-4 years. We recently found each other after years of leaving school. We chat almost every 2-3 days and talk every couple of weeks. Last I knew, he was immensely enjoying his new job after MBA and was certain that he would flunk his CFA level 2 exam.

28. Does anything hurt on your body right now? Come on, what kind of question is that. Is this tag intended for bed-ridden people? Of course, nothing hurts on my body, thankfully.

29.What is your current desktop picture? A purple lotus with small yellow petals in the centre. Surrounded by big green leaves in a pond. I took it at a roadside eating joint while travelling to Dehradun.

30. Have you been burnt by love? Ah... yes!

I did enjoy the tag but I am not sure about people who read it. Don't forget to post your suggestions for my new laptop.
Everybody who reads this tag and is game for it, is tagged :)

A Fresh Beginning

I never thought that I would ever be too busy to post on my blog or to read posts of my favorite bloggers. It has happened now and I am not too happy about it. I started this blog last year and whatever crap I wrote here gave me immense satisfaction and an outlet to burst out. Moreover, reading blogs of unknown strangers (who I now feel I know since ages) gave me a sense of belonging. I am too busy to write posts and read blogs regularly now and it feels that some part of me is locked up and getting suffocated. I feel guilty when I don't post for long periods and then coming back to the blogosphere is even more difficult. It is like facing a close family member whom you have been avoiding since long.
I have lost track of what is happening in the lives of my blog friends and I feel left out. Is this weird? My blog friends would know, I guess.

A quick review of what I did all the while I was missing from blogosphere:
~I got my Visa (yippeee).
~I read MANY books, To Kill A Mockingbird, Rebecca, The Kite Runner, The Firm; to name some of them.
~I entertained guests and relatives at home. Many relatives came to visit and live with us for few days because they know I will be leaving soon for a long time. That was sweet of them. I had an awesome time gossiping, shopping, eating with them. I have gained a lot of weight after these visits and screwed my daily routine, but it was all worth it. I will miss them all in Belgium.
~I completed my French classes. Yes, sadly my French classes are over. My teacher can't continue for the next level so I have to now learn on my own.
~GO came back from US and I watched 2 movies (17 Again and Paying Guest) back to back with him again, after knowing that the last time I did that was a disaster. It wasn't so much of a disaster this time, except that Paying Guest is the most pathetic movie that I ever watched. By-the-way, Zac Efron looks cute in 17 Again.

It was enough to keep me occupied if you add it up with social networking, trying to read business related books and articles, and sleeping :)

I can see that life ahead will be even more hectic. My School has e-mailed a list of recommended pre-MBA reading and will make us take 3 online courses (Stats, Financial Accounting and Economics) in July. I have to shop and pack and generally prepare for going.

But, all said and done, I have no intentions of staying away from my blog, like I have been doing for some time now. I have realised that it is important to me, and I am going to make it a part of my routine. It is strange how we neglect many things, knowing that they hold a lot of value for us. Like family, friends, learning new things, and in this case, blog :)

It has started to sink in, now that the initial excitement is getting stale, that I am indeed going for at least 13 months. Away from people who care for me, food that I love, and the life that I am used to. It will be fun and a great learning experience, but I think it would also be difficult. All I have in my survival kit is my enthusiasm, passion (which I hope won't fizzle out too soon), common sense and intellect. I have realised that another survival tool is my blog, just rant here and it becomes easy to get along with things. More so, when unknown strangers (with blogs that I am only too familiar with) post comments that are all concerned, supportive, hopeful, energizing and considerate at the same time. I love my blogger friends. There comments are sometimes all that you need for a doze of energy :)

I changed my blog template. The new one looks fresh and professional, and goes with my present mood; to make a fresh beginning.