Hot coffe in a clean white mug, and a smile when the waitress hears

Surprise parcel from Flipkart at work! Its The Gunseller :) I'm at once totally thrilled, totally shocked, totally, totally touched. So few times in life. Thank you, Monkey :) And totally confused as to how I should return the gesture. :P

--

Simple pleasures - the make-do window seat! And I can now climb precariously over the grill and look at the rain shaking up the outside world, while sipping away at my drink and reading my book. And there's music in the background. And sometimes people dancing or being randomly happy, or talking, or just sitting and being there.

--

I could stop the looking, the waiting, the reading into. But can I just be free, and give and say, and feel?

Riding the bus :D

I am, quite literally riding a bus. The lovely, air-conditioned, upholstered, big windowed AS-4. This is how I go back home every evening after work. The ticket fare is Rs. 35 and it takes a good 2 hours or so to reach. But these are 2 really well spent hours for me, where I catch up on my reading, music, and starting today - writing :) Plus, its often raining during the ride (Bombay, hello) so to the left or right of me is the heartwarming sight of water swishing across the windows, blurring the brilliant Bombay skyline and reflecting back all its colorful lights.

--

Office. I realized I really enjoy my quiet table, strategically positioned an arm's stretch from Amrita's. I enjoy her constant banter with Mak and me and whoever else stops by. Most of all, I enjoy her, the way she operates, the energy, the enthusiasm, the quirkiness. Working with her is incredible learning and incredible fun, and I don't know if things could have worked out any better than this for me. Also, its a major comfort knowing this profile is real, ground level stuff that will get implemented and will drive sales, and will contribute somehow to the business. I also somehow like the "give it to the trainee" work that everyone seems to keep handing out to me. I like pottering from floor to floor looking super efficient and super busy and having my finger in these many pies. SO much better than the sorry days of unproductivity at Delhi. The other fascinating person in HR is Jackie. WOW! What. a. woman. Poised, intelligent, practical, totally with the times and oh-so-chill. I hope I work with her too one day.

--

This week was probably the best time living ever. Wamuuuu, carriage rides to Gateway, the paaaaan, my ditcher girlfriend, Booby Trap days, Paddy, revising the alphabet, viciously ripping apart movie plots, character names, titles. The songssssss, so many songs. Inventive meals, supremely predictably irrational behaviour, friday house parties, experiments with song and smoke, sambar rice with a hole in them, the SHOWER, late night cruises, and having water, water everywhere and nothing, nothing to spare.

Bombay equals automatic happiness. :)

*a thousand kisses to the skies!!*

Bombay, here I come!! :D :D

The whole story when I really, truly GO, coz I don't want to jinx this deliriously happy moment! :)

Sold :D

Sales stint khatam! :) :) Oh lord, walking, walking, walking through the dust, the heat, the flies, the damned South Delhi sun beating down on me to no endddd, and then wading through knee deep waters in the North! Wet with sweat, or drenched by rain, and still beating away. The long, long afternoons of talking! Talking endlessly to shopkeepers, salesmen, stockists, hanging on every word for dear life! Peeing in horrid filthy places hahahaha! The tongue twister languageeee, frowning and cringing, trying to understand what on earth they meannnn! And then slowly learning it, speaking the language! Of numbers, margins, bargains, clandestine meanings. Rather fun times, actually :D

Man. The traditional trade visits were exhausting, the characters encountered on the way were super entertaining, the wholesale market was mind blowing and finishing with modern trade was just charming! The best part was definitely the week in UP with Rajinder. But what I enjoyed the most is just getting to know that life - the field - the hustle and bustle of trade, these people who do that kind of work, and live in this city on 5000 bucks a month.

It really was an experience. But God, I don't get how anyone can do this for life! Insane, sheer, bottomless capacity for talking! Endless talk! Exhausting, hehe! Boy am I glad I didn't choose to do this for life! Thank you for a super interesting month, but bye bye Sales! :)

Babies all grown up :)

Maybe it's silly. But listening to Pinky excitedly tell me about the new Admissions team selection makes me beam with pride. And that PPT, my god! I can just about picture Shiny at it! :) And picture Jabu and Subi delivering the impassioned speeches, taking the interviews. Awww! I miss those crazy days. Those crazy two years. :)

Blog post excerpt from this time last year:

So is the experience of interviewing people for something you really care about and don't want to see in the wrong hands. Wrong has so many definitions, so many realities, so many existences. It can tear you up, beat you down, make you cry, make you smile to silliness. It is unbelievable. Having that power is scary. Feeling totally powerless is scarier. Watching people turn away in ignorance, wondering if their irrationality is a dis-satisfier, being pulled one way and the other in utter panic is totally nerve wracking. Looking down at yourself, wondering why you're doing and saying what you are, wondering what made you believe something so strongly a second ago and what makes you believe the opposite now, trying to keep your sanity in a topsy turvy world and all the while falling, falling helplessly into this void of your own self creation, this finale, this ultimate that there is no way out of.

Here's to the best thing he has done in the last 6 years :)

The best thing I did in the last two years too.

Also, weirdly enough, this happened too in that post last year:

After all of this and all of that, when he calls up like that and says all these things, I can't help but melt. When he goes ahead and does something about it, I can't stop. Love is so much deeper than logic.

I wish I could remind myself of that more often.

He called up today too. Said - "If you wait long enough, the Right Time sometimes returns" :)

10 on 10 still :)

Just another one of the old-me type things I thought I'd do, while we were on the subject of whatever works for me :)

Me:

hahahahah

no actually im okay with it

its fun to be in the field

and the DSRs are a riot

:D

especially this one who im supposed to supervise

plus its an experience :)

so you know

its the damn SO i cant stand!

god, what a PAIN!

Anonymous

:-) i like how you've come to be someone who throws those abbreviations in a casual conversation like the other person is supposed to understand it all..

Welcome onboard madam..

PS - Remember, Mr. ESPN - in life, as in sport, timing is the most critical of all things. Pun intended :)

Forever-ness!

My mittens-wearing, heart floating riot, who lives to amuse, is a little weird thinget, and everything about me loves her :)

{Let's Get It On music!}

As I do my funky boy, who finds rurals interesting and wants to go to TGIF with my damaged chemically straightened thought process. All the rest just meltsssss! Melts, I tell ya! <3