Not really a Monopoly

Monopoly Lover??

Yes – have you seen the new versions on the stands? The American one with all the skyscrapers and New York neighborhoods???? Eww! They actually have cars, and limos…talk about lame! And the INDIAN version???? Much as I love India, I cant think shelf of  Old Kent Road as Gawhati :( And I cant imagine a board without Liverpool St.

And what the heck is Monopoly Mafia Wars??

Why can’t they just leave good things as they are? Do they HAVE to customize it and pander to the tastes of masses and make it into just another game on the shelf?? :(

No – you’re really missing something!

My firm belief is that there isn’t a third, because no one can just know it and not love it!

Has it really been a year??

Because thats how old this blog is today :) I would like to say it seems like yesterday, but it doesnt.  The last one year has been the worst and each day was a painful drag. I remember so well how and why I started blogging and how low I was...addicted I was to it, partly because I had no one to talk to for a long time! But I am so glad I made it through without doing anything stupid.....

And I still love this blog even though I dont spill my heart out on it like I used to. But thats mostly because Ive been pretty steady over the past few months with few emotional roller-coasters :)...and of course, Ive lightened up like a LOT...Incidentally, this is my 100th post which means Ive been posting once in 4 days roughly. Thats not too bad now is it:)

So heres to blogging and a year of happy posts ahead :) Oh and this is a pic I took sometime back, just enlarge it and see the symmetry.....nice no?? :)

One moment in time

The news is all I can think about!

A person named Umar Farooq actually jumped out of the aircraft which was on fire! Can you jump even out of a moving car if you are not guaranteed a safe landing? He is certainly a hero!

How big a gamble do you think it wouldve seemed to him at that instant? The ability to throw caution to the winds, especially when it is not tested in the course of our daily life is certainly not innate in all of us. There are those who just wait for the worst and those who take ownership for what happens to them and make an endeavour to save themselves. 

That said, imagine the impact of such moments on people's minds. That throughout their lives they'll relive those moments, either thanking their goddamn stars for their flash of inspiration or breaking out into cold sweat at the thought of what if!

So many of us are fortunate to go through life without having to make such heavy choices when there are just microseconds between life and death. Can you even bring yourself to scream for help when in fear? I cant. I actually carry a whistle because my voice fails me!

 

Some say if God brings you to it, he brings you through it! I am not sure if thats true, but I really hope it is.

Once a papa met a mama under a mango tree...

Its official now...and a post on it is overdue. I have not understood so far the supposed pleasure men experience in harrassing women. Their only motive I can think of is power and it works both ways - if we dont react, then we're pinned as scared of them, and if we do, they're totally invigorated. Isnt that so?

It can be anything - prolonged stares, sexually explicit remarks, cat-calls, shoulder brushes, grabbing...all depending on where you are and how far they think they can go!  There was a time when I used to take these very personally. In fact, I am riddled with such memories especially  from when I was a child. Heres a scary fact - its easy to get over it if you think its not your problem, which is totally justified if you were not equipped to react.

That dispensed with, what do we do when we are greeted with it the minute we get on a bus or walk by a wine shop? There are those who advocate ignoring them and I go with that as long as it remains verbal. But most people misinterpret your silence as a go-ahead to treat you worse.

I would like to relate an incident that took place last friday on an overnight bus. I was totally exhausted from the day's fieldwork and started sleeping as soon as I sat down. In the middle of the night, the girl sitting next to me woke me up saying the guy behind was harassing her. She was literally in tears because he had been  making lewd remarks, pinching her under the pretext of adjusting the window etc.

I couldnt really comprehend what she was saying becuase I had a splitting headache and everything  seemed  vague...Whats is wrong with you? They were pinching you too...In fact they even touched your face, didnt you feel anything???

No, I really didnt! I was dead beat and lost to the world...I am ashamed to say I just told her not to worry and went back to sleep....When I woke up at 6 am, she wasnt there...she had already gotten down....now that I could think clearly I turned around to look at the guy she was talking about...the man with the mustache in blue and gray clothes...he was fast asleep!

Soon it was the last stop and we all had to get down..the guy behind got a call... from his wife I would say by the sound of it...and he was positively sweetness and light....

On an impulse, I stayed where I was and allowed him in the queue in front of me...just when we were about to get down, I mustered all my courage and might and kicked him as hard as I could on the shin....he yelped in pain, stumbled and almost fell....pepper spray in hand I was ready in case he hit back...but he didnt...the coward just picked himself up, didnt even glance back and proceeded as if nothing happened....everyone saw it..the driver, the bus-boy, the other pasengers...no one asked me why I kicked him and I didnt bother to explain...

A giant step for me, a small step for womankind...

I too have one :)

A new person was hired on our field team. Another one of those! (I get quite crabby these days)

Resignedly, I asked my colleague what his job description was to be.

Well, hes basically going to be your bitch!

Oh how I loved that!!! :) I dont mean it in a disrespectful way at all; the person in question is a highly qualified field expert...but just think about it.....my bitch !! :) just when my nerves are stretched to a snapping point due to the stress at work over the last few months....the tedious phone calls, the ridiculous errands, the never ending field trips, the brain-numbing amount of planning ...its not as if Ive not had a project assistant before, but just the thought of someone whos job is to make your life easier is such an amazing luxury :)

Now I too have one :) And I'm loving it :)

Back to basics

They say history repeats itself. And my belief in the statement gets reinforced each time I see the so-called rich kids squandering money and doing nothing else. And I wonder when it will catch up with them and how many generations it'll take when they eventually fall back to being financially mediocre, even poor. Because thats what it takes to understand the value of something you dont have and work to earn it. And when someone comes along that conveniently inherits it, the cycle continues...

This post was actually inspired by the "alternative" lifestyle choices we make not realizing it was in fashion centuries ago!

You've got mail

Felt like penning down this fleeting but intense moment....

The guy walking beside me was good on paper. Just when I was beginning to think maybe it all needs more credit than I give, he startled me by shouting out to an auto across the road....

AUTO!!!! M.G ROAD????

Auto: What?? 

M. G ROAD!!!! 

Auto: Shakes his head..

I pitch in... M.G ROAAAAAAAAADDDD we holler ...

He says no, like I thought he would....I would never have screamed out like that...I always believed that a lot of the response lies in how you ask....

I suddenly  remembered myself a few months ago on the same road...with colorful clothes and silver jewellery... all dressed up and nowhere to go...but really hopeful and happy in the moment...

I dont think I'll ever be ready to put my single self on the shelf...