The last mile

If there is ever a test to one’s patience it is in the fag end of any event. A movie is successful or otherwise depending on the test it takes of one’s patience in the last fifteen minutes. Train travelers who have patiently endured a two day journey across the length or the breadth of the country get restless and fidgety during the last half an hour or so when the train takes its own sweet time to come into the railway station after entering the city. This is a significant reason why batsmen get out in the last one or two overs of the day in test cricket. A small bit of extra patience and composure would have enabled them to keep their innings intact.
The challenge is in finishing off things in style without letting the bugs of the last stretch get to your nerves. Such a behavior of people is actually a contradiction of sorts. In most cases at the beginning the outcomes are uncertain. When a person gets into a bus or train what he has is an ETA at the destination. The accuracy of the estimate is anyone’s guess given the state of public transport system. The irony here is that we are not greatly affected by this uncertainty but get uncomfortable about that last half an hour when the travel gets slow because we have already reached the destination in principle and only the formality of reaching the railway station/Bus Stand remains to be done.
People are successful or otherwise depending on how they handle this last stretch effectively. Do they stay in control or impose a hypothetical pressure on themselves which soon deteriorates into panic?
Thinking about this while in B’lore waiting for my new assingnment to be assigned and believe me this last stretch is quite a strain on my patience…..

Being in the twenties

BEING IN TWENTIES - SOMETHING... :)
It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.
You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.
You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.
Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure.
You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.
You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you're doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. You want to settle down for good because now all of a sudden that becomes top priority. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You begin to think a companion for life is better than a hundred in the shack and for once you would not mind standing tall for that special someone which otherwise you had never thought of until now. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!
What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. Send this to your twenty-something friends.... maybe it will help someone feel like they aren't alone in their state of confusion...
We call it the "Quarter-life Crisis"
Source: One of the umpteen number of forwards that keep circulating the cyber space.

Snoring to be punishable offence

One of my teacher's from school once told " Travel Teaches Tolerance". It is true to a certain extent. But every one is sensitive to some aspects and there are certain things which I really cannot take. The primary of that is snoring.

I am a deep sleeper and can sleep in chaotic atmosphere. Like in a noisy classroom during break, in hostel with music on in other rooms etc. But I get very disturbed when someone is snoring within earshot. I was unfortunate to have some snorers nearby in all my recent overnight travels.

There is something sinister in the monotonous droning sound that drills into my head and keeps me awake. The droning sound beats the clanking of the train or the rattling of the bus and builds up anger inside. I spend extra money planning my travel in a/c compartments or a/c sleeper bus but that extra money doesen't give me its worth. There the train/engine sounds get muted and the snoring gets amplified. The fact that these people are peacefully resting oblivious to the disturbance they give to innocent people like me makes me furious. That too just when I am trying to catch some sleep so that I do not look tired when I report for work in the morning.

These days I have started to guess among the passengers as to who is gonna be the snorer who will disturb me even before they settle down to sleep. I have got the average snorer nicely figured out. The typical snorer is a 40-45 year old guy, one or two stones heavier than average and has that extra bit of fat under the chin and neck. I just hate to see someone fitting this description settling down near me on the travel occassions.

On a couple of occassions when the snoring got on my nerves I have employed some unconventional methods to rouse them from the slumber so that I get some respite before they commence their sleep again like dropping a water bottle on them and pretending to be fast asleep or pulling off their blanket as I make way to the loo or stepping on their foot as I climb down from my berth.

I really pity the plight of the spouses of the snoring types who have to bear the torment every day. I just wish that I never become a snoring type in future.

Moneyless in Mysore!!!!

Today I got a crazy idea and actually tried it out. I was speaking to dude who suggested me to write stories on all my travels around the places.I thought why not create some stories for that and put on my crazy hat and immediately got a glowing bulb coming out my head.The idea was to roam around the city without my wallet. The idea is all the more crazy because I am in a city that I am new to. So I decided to take my chances and stepped out of the room I was staying in and had a real cool experience to speak for. What will you come across and how would you manage without any money or documents of identity on you?

The first observation was the surprising number of two wheelers on the road a majority of whose pillion was occupied already! It was woefully hard to get a lift considering the fact that I was okay with any place to go to. Anyway I waited in the bus stop in the hope of finding a decently crowded bus to get in though we cannot expect the buses to be crowded on a Sunday evening. But still after a few empty ones there was one bus that was relatively full and got in. But just after two stops the conductor noticed me but I was ready for it. I feigned ignorance and asked for the place where I boarded and the conductor ( a Samaritan) guided me how to get there and got me off the bus. That was too close to being publicly getting insulted and embarrassed, but still a mission is a mission and I carried on. This time I did get a lift with a guy who did not even ask me about my destination. Well it was convenient for my purpose and I did not bother with informing of where I had to go. But in time he realized that I should be having somewhere to go and asked me. Looking around I saw I was near the Mysore Railway Station and got down there. Then it was back to just walking around the place and a brisk walk took me to the Central Bus Stand.

A little more walking and I was at the place gate. It was one of those times when the entrance fee to the palace is suspended. Again that suited my purpose and for the first time after so many days in Mysore I got to visit the palace. I was in a palace but still penniless and that was a pleasant irony. I was really happy at this cool craziness that beat the shit out of all the boredom. But the hunger bug caught me and I realized I still have to reach home before I am in any position to get to eat. I had to end this adventure of mine but not before finding the means to reach my room.

Walking back to the city bus stand I was able to find a bus which was crowded and goes near the place I stay. On a Sunday evening the rush of people getting back to their homes after an outing was advantageous for me. This time I could stay unnoticed till I had to get off the bus. So far so good but the next was even better.

The place I got off was called Vontikoppal and there is a temple in that location that I have to pass through to get to my room. The temple had an adjacent marriage hall where some marriage ceremonies were on. Food was being served and the craziness in me urged me to test the limits and try a free dinner. Bracing myself I walked in with a smiling face to the dining place. Surprisingly and fortunately I could finish a meal hastily and walk out of the hall without an incident. God bless the couple a happy married life. A very uncomfortable meal that was but still I came out saying ‘wow, that was good’.

Thanking my stars for saving me from any embarrassing situations by way of my crazy adventure and smiling at myself for having actually done this I reached my room. I thanked the bike guy who left me in the part of city I knew a bit. Had he left me in a place from where I did not know how to get back to the place I stay my crazy adventure would have turned bad. Yeah I had the option to take an auto back to my room where I had money to pay him afterall. But that would have meant losing the basic principle of this adventure of roaming the city penniless. I had a good experience that I am never willing to try out again. Travelling ticketless in a city bus is a really stressful affair, more stressful than quarter closing pressure. Any takers for such an adventure????

Marriage ramblings

My sister is all set to get married next month. So this is how many of the conversations that I have these days go.

Me: Macha, Thangachi kalyanam fix aayidichi.

Friend: Oh.Superr da . Appo next nee thana???? ;-)

Me:Dey,next month thangachi kalyanam vachirukkom da.

Friend:Apdinna unakku route clear nu sollu.

Me: Sir, I need two days leave for the engagement of my sister.

Boss: Oh, Nice. When will u be back?

Me: Yeah as soon as it is done.

Boss: So is it it going to be your turn next,eh....?

Me: (grinning)

Umpteen number of such conversations have been happening over an over again. So there has been a lot of "stupid smile faces" and "grins" when the coversations go this way. The logic behind these conversations was unquestionable and I got to thinking as to when is it going to be my turn. When is it the right for me? Being the good Ol' Tapmiian that I am a lot of reflection went into this thought. Then it hit me like punch to my nose that I have been reflecting about the wrong question.

The right question is "Who is it gonna be?". What is it that I expect? How do I make the choice between "one girl" and all other girls in the world. Thought this way it just gets way too scary. What is basis that I should choose to help in making the conclusion. But one thing is certain. I have to figure out this all by myself.

A part of me says that the approach I have taken is flawed. I am taking the cold logic route to a emotional problem. I am looking at it as a problem to be solved instead of looking at it as a state of mind. But is it wrong to analyse this issue in this manner? If it is not correct to do it that way then I guess I have to go back and have a relook at my assumptions to check their veracity. That sounds like a typical case analysis.

So if in fact the assumptions are flawed then I have to fall back to the divine intervention theory professed by the umpteen number of romantic movies. This is like the "someone somewhere is made for you" , " If you desire something with a true heart, then the universe conspires to give it to you" and things like that. Here I have just one question. Are there people around who are genuinely convinced about such fairy tale stuff? I would like to meet up with coupla such people and get a piece of their mind. Maybe I can get a better understanding of such thought process. But if I am able to convince myself on these theories the answers for my questions will be very easy. I know them already. It is simple. You will automatically meet the person for you and when you do that something resembling a miracle will happen to tell you " yes,here is the one for you" and you will know. fanta-crap-astic.

Coming to think of it more deeply I think that here I am trying to make a choice without any options. Is this route going to be a simplistic solution because it can be argued that how can we be sure that the options that are taken are the right ones. We may end up with a set of options of convenience because those were the ones that were available with the broker whom the parents chose to visit. The believers of the divine intervention theory will say that fate will conspire to make the parents go to the right broker. Me being the champion of logic will ask the parents to get hold of a number of brokers and get an exhaustive list of probable soulmates.Following which a list can be made which can be converted to a shortlist and a shorter list till the lenth of the list reaches to just one record.

The knowledge that this decision will have a profound influence on a greater part of my life makes it that much more difficult. In this circumstances, when I actually make the decision I just hope to be clear on why have taken that choice. It is going to be a tough call to make and I hope take the call for the right reasons. I am certain of one thing though. I am not alone in my ramblings. I take comfort in the knowledge that there are countless others pondering over the same question. To all those people and myself I wish luck to find the best alternative among the right alternatives.

Rambler