Coffee date. With Myself and some untold stories

Wooden flooring. Wooden furniture. Muted colours and yellow lights. Sunday. Coffee date. With myself. And some untold stories.

Father and son in the diagonal corner. Quiet middle aged son and a cranky looking father. Giving life advices. Maybe finding faults in the way he has been working on his finances.

A newly married couple on their right. Their dewy eyes. The way her mehndi clad hands brush against his. Unknowingly. Or rather knowingly. The eagerness in him to see her eyes smile.

On the next. A college group of four. Too busy in their own selves. The only worry is attendance in the college enough to let them appear for the exam. Crushes. On friends. And teachers too. An overwhelming age. When everything seems possible. When your friends are your therapists and relationship experts.

Four friends again on the next table. Girl gang. Women who hold you at the time of your first heartbreak and also save you from your fashion disasters. Women who share the same impulse of buying shoes. May be bags too. Of choosing wrong guys as well? May be.

Farthest corner. Strangers. I can guess from the stiffness in their body language and also from the regular hot cappuccinos on the table. A chain marketing effort. There are pens and notepads. Ferocious scribbling. ‘For example, if you invest …’ a voice from that table.

Exactly opposite. An occasional look around the room. An occasional longing to hear what others are saying. But mostly in his own self. With his laptop and headphones. Like me. Probably a loner. Like me.

The place smells of coffee. And of untold stories. Only if you are keen to smell. The smell of brewing strong family bonds, of fizzy new love, of warm friendships, of promising business opportunities and of being complete in oneself.

Sunday. Coffee date. With myself. And some untold stories.

Ah, you weather !!

BlogAdda's Tangy Tuesday Pick

We writers always take the weather so personally. We take cues from it. As if the weather is trying to talk. To us alone. Trying to convey something not heard by others who are incapable of reading its mystic language. Like the naughty eyes of a secret lover amidst a thick crowd that is totally unaware of the electric chemistry between them.

The sudden change from a supposedly hot March day to a cold July day. Like a woman with wild mood swings. Anger gathering up one moment and smile spreading her face another moment. Air washed in the smell of rain and hope and happiness too, caressing your skin like the lips of a first time lover – slow, cold, sensual – sending ripples through the body, engulfing you like the arms of an old sweetheart, making your tresses go wild and unruly, like the real you, atmosphere pregnant with the ecstatic thoughts of your first kiss. 

Spring blooming like your favourite perfume. You don’t want the perfectly cool breeze to stop like the time when you pushed your lover's hand from going at untoward places secretly hoping he wouldn’t let go seeing your mock anger.   

The heat of a May afternoon. Cruel. Sun in its full glory. As if it is his right to make people suffer. Mocking from far away. It's acidic laughter ringing in ears. Like that cruel magician in that circus who you thought cut the poor man in two halves. Sun burning holes in your skin like the time when that magician ran the thick axe into his body. Your dilemma as a four year old as to why was it amusing to others around you. Couldn’t they feel the pain of that half-cut man?       

The last week of June. With clouds scattered all over you, forming intricate patterns amongst themselves. Open to interpretation like a woman's advances. Trying to cover the sun. Like that old charm that your grandmother tied around your arm to shield you against the evil eye.

The drizzle of a July morning. Reminding you of the butterflies in your stomach

Image Courtesy : Google

on seeing your lover's name on your phone. The sound of drizzle like that of sweet nothings in your ears. Hide and seek of the sun with the clouds, like the one you played with your siblings in the farms when winning a game of hide and seek was the ultimate victory, enough to keep you smiling for days together. 

And then the downpour. Making everything around you opaque for a while. As if trying to convey about the loneliness of life, about the fact that this journey is yours and yours alone. That you would have companions but the journey would be yours. Stillness and fury unleashed at the same time. Of life and its cruelties.

Trees shedding their leaves in autumn. Like a woman suddenly aware of her sensuality, shedding her inhibitions one by one.  

Sun on a cold November morning making you feel warm from inside. Like the first sip of vodka. Like everything is alright in life. Or atleast will be. Very soon. The feeling of contentment.  Serenity settling in your bloodstream. Like the time when you saw that everybody you love was happy. Wanting the status quo to remain forever. Like the rainbows you see when you close your eyes with sun peering in on them. Colours of happiness and warmth all around.

And what about the foggy December days. Cold and lonely. The way you felt heavy with melancholy of the first breakup that was long ago. Like a broken bone, which though healed still pains. Sometimes. 

So many emotions, so many thoughts, ups and downs equivalent to a roller coaster ride. Ah, we writers ! We take this weather so so personally. While for others it's just change of seasons. How I wish they knew, how much they are missing what the weather is trying to say. Sigh!  

His Smile

Still remember the day

I first noticed

His Smile

From lips to eyes

Reached in no time

It also beckoned mine

Warm, compassionate

He wore

His Smile

Dripped with positivity

Made our meet

Worthwhile

After mild rain

Like rainbows one could see

His Smile

Could make air around

Seem pleasant

For a little while

Melting Chocolate

On a warm winter morning

His smile

Like a walk in clouds

Sadness it could drive away

Atleast a mile

Always aware he's been

Of the mystic spell in

His smile

Gripping hearts

Many, till date

It beguiled

Enticed I am

Await to see everytime

His Disarming Smile

Hope it stays afloat forever

Sprinkling happiness

In his innate style! 

This "Fall"

This "Fall"                                                                         

Learn from Nature

Change your spirit into a beautiful new colour

Enliven your essence with indomitable valor 

 

This "Fall"   

Learn from Nature

Let get off the grudges

Leave behind the past

And forgive those cruel hearts

This "Fall"   

Learn from Nature

Celebrate yourself

Bring within a new zest

Create for yourself everyday a new Fest

This "Fall"   

Learn from Nature

Migrate from toxic populaces

Pardon your soul the ugly wrath

Reside near hearts brimming with warmth

This "Fall"   

Learn from Nature

Grow a kindness coat

Help tattered souls

Let the goodness of world remain afloat

This "Fall"   

Learn from Nature

Harvest happiness around

Feed love-famished beings

And let bounteous generosities be found

This "Fall"   

Learn from Nature

Signals it sends

Read them, decipher them, follow them with your heart

This Fall, Let’s give Life a sparkling new start !!! 

Musings and Amuzings during a Training !!

Classrooms bring in fond memories, don’t they? Right from fun, to punishments, to teasing, to cheering; everything about classrooms are special. It had been quite some time since I sat inside a classroom and hence when I got this opportunity of

Image courtesy: Google

attending a four-day training programme along with a few other colleagues on project management, I was super excited.

The training programme turned out to be insipid and all I was left to do was observe people and things around which gave birth to this post. So, here is point by point account of what I saw and what my brain thought during this training period.

Day 1: It begins

10:25 am	Reached the venue. Lost the way in the huge building.. Somehow, asking around helps and I reach the training centre on time.. Super excited about the training. Which means being legitimately away from office and office work.. Yipee !!
11:00 am	All the goody goody things are over with the organizers wishing that the program helps us in future and other such blah blah blah…
11:10 am	The customary introductions .. And then the lecturer goes on to announce that the training is for 35 hours which is a compulsory requirement in case one wants to become a certified professional. So far so good.
11:11 am	First bencher asks: “But this training wouldn’t be for 35 hours? If we count 8 hours a day, and given the four days training it would come to 32 hours and not 35 hours.”  What an observation!! We all look at each other in disbelief about the depth of question asked by him. Some suppressed giggles by people around and some disbelief looks later; the lecturer replies to his insightful question – “We can extend a few hours if the training doesn’t get completed on time” The first bencher nods and smiles.  So much for the love of training !!!  :P
12:30 pm	People start shifting in their chairs with pained expressions on their faces due to the continuous blabbering of the lecturer.
12:40 pm	I look at my watch.. Damn it’s just 12:40
12:45 pm	I look at my watch.. Damn it’s just 12:45 ??? Is my watch working ..?
12:48 pm	Another first bencher has given a few examples about his software atleast fifteen times by now. Okay, so he is one of those teacher’s pets types. The kind I am totally allergic to.. Puke.
2:00 pm	Yay.. Lunch time.. Everybody shares their mutual pain of sitting through the boring lecture and those super uncomfortable chairs
3:30 pm	While I drift off into my own world, I ask myself - What can be the new things I can write about in my blog ?? Some 3,489 ideas later I stumble upon this stupendofantabulouslyfastasmagoricallymagical idea of writing a post on my thoughts during this training itself.. Me! Little genius ;)
3:45 pm	The Software guy is on the roll.. He throws his examples at every instance possible.. Puke Puke
5:55 pm	Yay!! Yay!! Yay!!  Baji bell aur ho gayi chhutti…

Day 2: Torture on the roll

11:00 am	We have a pretty girl in the class.. This time she sits right opposite to me.. I notice her and then I notice who else is noticing her.. A few people seem to be stealing glances. Ahem Ahem ;)
11:05 am	Yawn Yawn.. Counting the number of people yawning away to glory… It’s 5,678 times that the phenomenon called yawning has occurred in this drab room full of people uninterested in listening to somebody who is speaking something about something K
12:30 pm	I throw dirty looks at the person who keeps on asking unnecessary questions again and again and again..
12:40 pm	Words such as ‘iterative process’, and ‘critical path’ fall on my eardrums and I nod at the lecturer as if I am listening to things intently..
12:45 pm	Can I throw a water bottle or some heavy piece of furniture at the person who keeps on giving his software examples again and again?
1:15 pm	Can I kill myself with the stationery? Or better, kill the lecturer..
1:20 pm	Whatapp and FB come to rescue.. Somebody already updated their status as ‘Bored’ - ‘Same here’ I say to myself.
2:45 pm	I try not to fall asleep by keeping my eyes wide open.. Observe observe, I say to myself.. And I observe the oh-not-so-good fashion sense, the pale white colour of the walls, the chipped nail paint of the pretty girl, another girl trying to eat a chocolate clandestinely and a sea of blank and emotionless faces..
2:55 pm	I throw words such as ‘change of law’, ‘technological upgradation’ and ‘cost overshooting’ at the lecturer just to let her know I am around :P
4:21  pm	Wondering why can’t some hurricane named ‘Bipasha’ or ‘Kareena’ hit the city here so that electricity goes off !!
4:22 pm	My colleague asks the person serving tea if he could have two for himself.. See, there are others as well who are finding it difficult to stay awake, not just me :P
4:25 pm	One of the persons has at last dozed off.. literally and the pretty girl makes signs for showing it to me.. I continue the trend and notify my colleague about the same.. We stare at him, smile and continue the trend of notifying others
4:35 pm	I remember a joke about lecturers which said that they have a bad habit of speaking when others are sleeping.. Seems true here as well
5:55 pm	She mumbles something about time management.. Probably unaware that she had already overshot her time of finishing her lecture.. Day 3: Heights of Boredom

11:00 am	Why is the hurricane not hitting this place, I wonder?
12:45 pm	Urghhh.. these uncomfortable chairs.. every few minutes people try and shift in their places to make themselves comfortable.. But these chairs seems to be designed to make humans uncomfortable :P
12:52 pm	The lecturer speaks about some output process.. My phone beeps. It reads: “Output here is boredom and we are supposed to prepare boredom management plan”  I chuckle at the cost of being caught !!
1:30 pm	I notice that the software example guy is silent today. He seems to have run out of his examples too!! Thank Heavens for that.
3: 00 pm	I am on self imposed ‘shut up’ spree today.. Not a word spoken in class.. Don’t wanna sound too intelligent you see, people around might get complex :P
3:15 pm	A thick layer of boredom has settled on the entire class.. No moving, no shuffling in their places.. Eerie silence except for the sound of the lecturer’s mumblings
3:45 pm	If the hurricane is not finding its way here, can I remove that wire of the projector so that the entire thing goes off ?? Na rahega baans na bajegi baansuri !!
4:05 pm	The lecture reads from the slides about quality management. Probably unaware that her quality of keeping the class engaged is not that high. Of course her quality as a ‘Boredom Inducing Machine’ seems to be of ISI grade  :P :P
4:15 pm	The boredom inducing machine (BIM for short) speaks “This activity blah blah blah is the non value adding quality of the project” Her mere reading of the slides is also a non value adding activity to this training programme.. I think !!
4:35 pm	I notice that I am sitting on second row and I might be missing out on all the fun happening at the last benches.. Make a mental note to myself to sit at the last bench tomorrow..
4:46 pm	We are on some risk management thing when my phone vibrates to a new message from the colleague – “Don’t take so much risk that you get exposure towards high sleeping doses” :D Some people have creativity for sure.. I smile sheepishly ...
4:48 pm	Yawn, yawn, yawn.. everybody, everywhere..
4:50 pm	I think I should atleast listen to something from the training. Decide that I would pay attention now for some time.
4:52 pm	Damn. I have the attention span of a two year old… Where is tea ???
5:00 pm	Okay, so I have been reprimanded by BIM for not paying attention.. I try to become smarty pants by asking her some random question but she catches me.. Damn her..
5:15 pm	I receive a message from a colleague : “Risk of this training is that we may not be inclined to take any further trainings J” I want to laugh loudly at this but I make a straight face and stifle a giggle.. no more reprimands required.

         

Day 4: Finally …

10:30 am	My plan of sitting on the last bench is ruined.. Buggers!! All the last benches already taken..
11:15 am	BIM is teaching communication. Probably unaware that her communication skills are right at the bottom of the pit..
11:35 am	I haven’t forgotten yesterday’s reprimand. I listen to BIM but stare blankly as if she is speaking Gothic..
12:05 pm	My spinal cord seems to have frozen.. The uncomfortably designed chairs have been doing their work to the best.
1:00 pm	I think about the feedback form about the BIM to be filled at the end of the training and I smile sheepishly at the thought that it doesn’t look that good for her.  ;) ;)
3:00 pm	Signboard at my brain’s entrance: “Numb. Not able to register anything more”
3:25 pm	One of my colleagues is drawing lotus flowers and some other thoughtful designs on his book and other one is watching a video on his mobile, while I try hard at understanding Gothic :P
4:14 pm	The BIM says she has one last presentation for us which would only require her to read the slides.. Duh !!! Doesn’t she know that’s she has been doing just that since last three days…  Mere reading of the slides.. huh!!
4:37 pm	She has asked the software examples guy to read through some slides.. In between he reads “We BORING” instead of “We bring…” He seems to be reading people’s minds, I guess…Everybody gives everyone a ‘yeah-he-is right’ kinda look..
5:15 pm	YAAYYYY !!! I SURVIVED !!!! J J J

All I can say after all those thoughts is that boring classrooms can bring out the best of people’s creativity in the form of doodles, intricate designs, mind sharpening sudoku exercises, mastering the art of sleeping without snoring and of course, the blog writing skills !!! :P :P

W - F - Ts !!!

So, we have all heard about the ‘wannabe’ types. Wannabe actresses, wannabe models, wannabe page 3ites! But, have you come across the ‘Wannabe Fit Types’. I am sure we all would have come across such people; it’s just that they have not been coined with this word called ‘Wannabe Fit Types’. Here are a few characteristics to see if any of the people around you or you yourself fall under this new age category called the ‘Wannabe Fit Types’

The Wannabe Fit Types or the WFTs (be careful while reading coz it’s not WTF)  :P  Anyways, so these WFTs are the people who have been taunted by their friends for their protruding bellies and expanding waistlines or have been inspired by the success stories of some other WFTs or have heard and read about the benefits of being healthy and are ready to join the bandwagon and I am definitely one of them for sure. ;)

The Wannabe Fit Types are the ones who decide to start taking care of their health and the first thing that comes to their mind is to start jogging early morning. They would be all bucked up for the same wherein the night before they would keep an alarm for waking up on time, buy good jogging shoes, keep their sports-wear in place and would have probably told their family about their plans of starting the routine. They might even get their family members into joining them.

A few of the WFTs may even get themselves registered for the nearby gym or yoga classes. Their day becomes worthwhile if they have been on schedule for their exercise. And God forbid, if they happen to miss out on a few exercise sessions in a row, they start getting anxious and cranky and if you happen to be around them, do not dare to console them by saying ‘it happens’ or else be ready to be lectured on healthy habits.

The next on their target list is food. After all, haven’t we all heard that fitness is a combination of workout and proper diet :P (Alright, I know I am sounding like those fitness magazines; call it the side effects of being a WFT) Now, these WFTs would start instructing their wives or mothers to cook healthier dishes, switch to

healthier oil options blah blah blah. They would twitch their noses if they see oil floating in the subzis of others tiffin boxes at office and wouldn’t dare take a bite of it. Take them to a restaurant and you can see them making a mental note of calories they would be taking. They would always order paranthas without butter or oil. Some would even go to the extent of asking the waiters if they could arrange for a pizza with less cheese. All the while during their stay at the restaurant, they would keep on counting the amount of hours they would have to jog to burn the calories they are having. Offer them an orange cream biscuit at evening tea session in the office and they would happily bring out a fresh orange from their bags as a substitute! :D :D

If you catch them at some party, their plates would be filled with a variety of salads, and if somebody asks them the reason, they would beam speaking about their newly acquired health regime and the positive effects it is having on them.

You can easily catch them reading the nutrition values and calories of items in supermarket whilst looking for ‘high fibre’ and ‘high protein’ stuff. Their shopping cart would invariably have a packet of green tea and high fibre oats. Any new advertisement of ‘healthy’ eatables or exercise machines in the magazines or television sets would inadvertently have their attention.

We live in the age of technology and smart phones and App-makers seem to be well aware of the WFTs and hence a host of fitness apps flood the market today. If you happen to get hold on the mobile phones of the WFTs, you would certainly come across a few calories counter and jogging apps. A weighing machine would have definitely found its way under their beds and all hell breaks loose if the poor needle in the weighing scale slips on the higher side.

The WFTs would always be on the hunt for articles related to healthy habits and would even send across some beneficial ones to friends around. Their subscription would have easily shifted from Femina or Maxim to some health magazines.

A few of the WFTs become success stories inspiring others while majority others keep on running this vicious cycle of virtue. Still, this is one ‘wannabe’ category which isn't negative in any way and I don’t mind being a part of it ;) ;)