C'est La Vie....

Everything is a sham.

Disclaimer: These observations are my observations and are thus limited to my knowledge of my world and can / should not be generalized. They may / may not be true for the entire population at large but they hold true as far as my knowledge is concerned

1. Girls can get jealous / insecure with other girls they don't even know for no reason at all. A slight glance by their boyfriend at another girl, the mere mention of another girl's name in a conversation with her guy (more so if she is someone hitherto absent from his life), the slightest appreciation of another girl by her boyfriend, the slightest appreciation of that girl by another friend (!!), can all be sources of this irrational jealousy.

2. Autowallahs ask double the fare when you are all dressed up and everything as opposed to the normal exorbitantly high fare that they ask for otherwise when you are plainly dressed. On these special occasions they finally settle for one and a half times the original high fare.

3. Naukri and chokri are not just two similar sounding words. There's much more in common between the two:

>> You keep thinking that you deserve something (someone) much better but do not make any efforts to move on, as you are extremely comfortable in/with the current one and are scared of whether or not the next one will even be worth it

>> You have this constant feeling that your efforts are not even noticed, let alone appreciated

>> Your guards go up at the very instant of a new entrant in the scene and consider him/her as competition

>> No matter how much you crib about it/her, how much you think it/her makes your life miserable, it all becomes 'worth it' at the end of the month when you receive your salary/when you receive that one hug, one kiss from her



P.S. I suddenly get this feeling that this post should have been titled "Similarities between naukri and chokri" :D

Dusk - that time of the day when light surrenders to the darkness around. When it's neither day nor night, quite like the much-talked about "grey".

The time when a husband, after a day's hard work, drives back home with the hopes of seeing his wife soon and enveloping her in his embrace.

The time when a wife frees herself from the household chores to get ready for her husband and lays out the dinner for him in anticipation of a great evening.

This is the time when I travel in my cab, (on some few lucky days) reminiscing about the day's events. Some bitter moments, some sweet, and some insanely irritating.

This is the time when random songs playing on the stereo make you go through a gamut of emotions.

Some make you smile despite yourself...and the cab driver looks up i the rear-view mirror wondering what's wrong with you.

Some make you lean your head against the car window and stare outside at the thousands of twinkling headlights. You see the traffic around you, but what you are looking at are random scenes from your life playing in front of your eyes.

And those of us who are lucky enough to have found their someone special inadvertently imagine their rosy future with them.

This is the time when you observe people around you - a group of young girls in an auto, all dressed up for a party; office people stuffed in a cab, glad to be on their way back home; the guy in the swanky car at the red light eyeing the light-eyed beauty in the bus and what not.

This is the time when I sit in my cab and switch off my cell to write this inane post.

I took up the pen. I wanted to write something on this lank white sheet. No questions, no answers, and no topics to chain me. Just free thought and pure imagination, no reason, just illusion, no falsifying materialism.

I searched my thoughts to find an instance but all I could find were vicious circles.

I rummaged through my emotions; I could only find chaos and disorder.
I asked my words to grant me speech but even they seemed mute.
I questioned the leaves outside my window, glistening with the radiance of the summer sun. They could tell me but eluded.
I asked my eyes to give me a story. In reply they wept a tear in my cheek, a tear of fading colors.
I asked the ink, but it was too dark,
I asked the air, but it was too fast.
I asked water to give me thirst,
But it had to satisfy a desert first.
So I went to the woods to get myself a break,
Ashes were all that I could take.
I hunted for the earth to dig up something new,
But in it lay at rest some beloved one I knew.
I asked the thorns to give me some pain,
I asked light to show me a lane.
I sought for fire for me to myself burn,
I spoke to the road in search of an elusive turn.
I went to God to ask for a line,
He refused, He said that he has no time.

Here I stood, that was me, without word, without utterance, with no address, no enunciation and no expression.

But hark! Who is this looking at me? “Leave me alone”, I said. He was not listening. How stubborn! I changed my view. But he did not move. He wanted to say something. I moved near, deep into his dry eyes. I saw fables floating around in vast darkness. I am telling you the truth as I saw it. Perhaps a spell was cast on me. As if I was a visitor to some cosmic dance. And moments, still moments floated around me. It was ephemeral, yet never-ending. I was standing at the vertex of space and there were pulses of time moving all around me. I outstretched my finger to catch one, that intangible form. I received a shock and a flash blinded my eyes.

I began to witness life as if being played out on a sheet of clear water with nothing beyond it – abstract, imperceptible, incorporeal yet scintillating!

At first I saw a girl, big eyes, not more than 8 years old. She was returning from school. She saw an ice-cream vendor and her friends relishing a candy. She looked at the ice-cream and kept looking. She had no money to ask for one. All that she could do was to savour it from a distance. She kept on looking while life passed around her.

I drifted to another moment….

I saw a body covered with a white cloth and lifeless air blowing over it. I saw a woman sitting next to him with tears in her eyes….still as a stone, with lifeless breath…but no words.

I could not understand what was going on. The sequel continued as I grazed for another feeling.

I saw a deserted platform with nobody around except a few workers. A train comes, waits and whistles. But just then I saw an old man sitting on a bench. I could read the wait in his eyes. H e has spent years on the same platform, on the same bench, day after day, at the same time waiting for his son who has not returned from the war. The train whistles again, moves, and departs filling his eyes with the smoke of stillness. He kept on sitting there with no emotions, no words, no soul.

It continued….

I was in a hospital. I could see some tension, people buzzing all around. I saw a man with folded hands in want of something. But just then I saw a nurse accosting him with something wrapped in white cloth. He was a father now! I saw the cheer in his eyes, the spirit of rapture dancing on his lips which were again silent.

Another drama followed.

This was a scene of war. There was smoke all around, roaring guns subduing the sounds of cries. A soldier was entering the enemy camp secretly. He was brave and it was his first war. He crept in slowly, as carefully as possible. But just then he heard a tap, a rustle of leaves. He turned around, only to find his forehead at gunpoint. Death was standing in front of him, sharp and dumb.

The play proceeded into a dry field with a farmer looking at the burning sky with barren eyes, with dread crops, with no strength to articulate a prayer.

Many more cyclones followed through my frail body…moments that were captured in a glass-pane. I saw them…that was all that I could do.

That emptiness resumed form and I found myself in that same stretch of life and death. There was one last window that appeared, more brilliant than the others. That was the last one I had to touch in that vast span of still time. I could see light waiting eagerly to touch me. Everything paused….the whole universe, time, space an all else….still.

The next moment I found myself on my chair strangely looking towards my blank paper. I felt as if it was laughing at me. I knew it now. This was my present. I recalled everything, that expanse of emptiness and form, that cosmic dance, that eternal swirl, that moment of indulgence, that ephemeral time, those stories and that stillness.

There was one thing common to all these stories that reflected equally in all those magical fables, in all those odysseys.

It was the silence of a moment, the fulfillment of emptiness, the completeness of voids, the speech of mutes, the sound of silence.

None of them spoke for a moment – the girl, the woman, the old man, the father, the soldier, the farmer…none uttered a word. Deprived of words, unknown to speech. Everything was still.

And I, a silly writer kept asking for words from everything? How foolish of me! That blank sheet told me all. What emptiness is. What is it to say nothing. The paper told me the essence of being silent, of being white, not spotted, of being unmarked, of being nothing.

I now realize how vital it is to write nothing, just leaving things blank. Bare, empty, unsaid, unadorned, inscrutable, emotionless, impassive, unresponsive, vacuous and lifeless.
So today you are reading something derived from pure silence, dead. Something which has nothing, yet everything.

It is in emptiness that the world takes form, its stillness all over and in God’s voice, you can hear His silence. Try to be empty someday. And you will enjoy the joy, the ecstasy, the mirth, and the fulfillment.

Did you ever sit alone on the sea shore? You could always hear it shout, you could hear waves breaking on its vast body. But did you ever hear the silence beneath?
Did you see the silence of a bird taking flight?
Did you see the butterfly flitting from flower to flower?
Did you hear the silence of mountains?
Did you hear the silence of a forest dimly lit with glowworms?
Did you hear a glass before it breaks?
Did you hear the notes when the night sets in and the morning wakes?
Did you hear the sigh when the raindrop breaks?
Or when you drop sand from your fist?
Did you hear the silence when you look into the wet eyes of your mother who just scolded you?
Or the waiting lips, when your beloved just proposed to you?
Did you hear the silence of the last breath?
Did you ever hear them?
Did you?

I know, I know it’s been super duper long since my last post. But I have been really really really busy. And for once I mean it for real. :D

This internship has driven me crazy!! I knowwww!! I too thought I was already at the maximum level that anyone could go on the crazy scale!! :D

So anyway, if you thought that with time my goof-ups at work would have become lesser or at least of lesser intensity, Yup, you are WRONG. For the uninitiated, try this >> OFF THE RECORD, STRICTLY.

Alright, so let me tell you a bit about my work. It’s this really edge-of-the-seat kinda work you know, where one has to stare at the workstation, do number-crunching, read the stupid Income Tax Act - all while sitting on the seat!! Oh you wondering about the edge part? We are supposed to take a hard copy of all that we do, so yes, we constantly have to be on the edge of our seats to take those damn print-outs which eventually land up in the bin as my current erstwhile employers are too much of perfectionists. They’ll tell us to waste some more paper as “Oh!! But this thing should be in times new roman 12.5 and not 12 size!!” Ughhhh!!! “Let’s waste as much paper as we can!!” seems to be their motto!! I mean it’s so heart-wrenching you know. Especially for someone who writes less in the exams just so that she can save some paper. :D

So as you can guess the only exercise regimen I now have is that of walking to the printer. Now, me being the restless person that I’m, could not take it after 10 days. I just had to go out and release my pent-up energy. But where?

The queen of stupidity has an epiphany and marches off to the nearest washroom. Once there, she begins to jump up and down like a maniac. Had Jeetendra been there to witness the scene, I’m sure he’d have had inferiority complex. And just as I was about to put a stop to the torture I was causing to the floor, a lady comes out of one of the loos and stares at me with an expression that clearly said “Note to self: Stay away from this girl. She is a potential threat to mankind.” I of course dashed to the closest loo available.

After lying low for a few days after this incident, Neha (another intern) and I were once chatting nonchalantly in the office. Here’s what happened:
Neha: So how’s work?
Me: Usual ya. They really meant it when they said it’s going to be very demanding.
Neha: I know. Hey, have you seen that cute Transfer Pricing guy today?
Isha: Haan…wahin tto baitha hai. (points in his direction discretely) Kya yaar, there are NO cute guys in this office. No incentive to come every day. I hate this place.
The topic was then changed as is usual when two girls are chatting and soon we moved from guys to shopping to movies to what not.
Suddenly one of our senior managers passes us by. We happily say “Hi!” to him and he moves on. We resume chatting in the middle of the corridor leaning on one of the desks for support. Once again suddenly, he turns back and stops in front of us. And says “Itna mat socho, jis se baat karni hai bindaas karo.” And walks away.

And we realized that the desk we had been using as a support was no one else’s but his!! And we had conveniently failed to notice and had chatted there for at least 10 minutes. But still the two of us were lost on the comment he had made. It did not really make a lot of sense with what we were talking about at that time (movies).

So anyway, realizing that it was about time we both head to our respective seats, off we went in different directions. And it was while working on something that it hit me. I immediately dialled Neha’s extension and told her that I’d figured out what he was referring to. He was of course referring to our conversation about the “cute” guy!! He thought that we wanted to talk to him and were just a li'l too shy!!! The two of us, embarrassed as we were, could not help laughing our wits out.

Told you, I AM the queen of goof-ups.

So you think goof-ups are funny right?? WRONG!! :P (Get used to it – most of what you think is just that – wrong) :P

Allow me to apprise you of a very very sad goof-up. In my office (like in most offices), all social networking sites are banned and no, proxy sites are of no help either. So in my free time (alright alright!! – most of my time spent at office) I used to blissfully log in to apna dear blogspot and read your beautiful blogs and reply to your comments on mine. But alas! After 3-4 days of my prolonged stays on the blogspot, I realized it had been banned too!!! Apparently the IT department keeps an eye on what all one is doing while pretending to be super busy with work on the computer. Hmmpphhhh!! Now you know why I hate technology.

And now comes the last one. Pakka pakka!! Aur nahi pakaungi!!
Some news channel had come to our office for a shoot prior to the announcement of the Budget and all. And these guys decided to get the firm’s partner’s views in the bay rather than in his own room. I was as expected working my ass off (read checking my yahoo mail), when suddenly the girl who sits next to me comes from the printer and says “Isha, can we sit and keep working?” Without looking up from my computer screen, I said ”Of course ya!!” (I had started to get a bit irritated with all the fuss being made over the interview) and then thinking that I had been a bit rude looked up to smile at her and BAM!!

I see a huge camera placed right behind me directed halfway at my computer screen!! I swear, the speed with which the window was minimized would put the fastest keyboard player to shame. (that’s Adnan Sami btw right?)

My college is re-opening from the 13th and my internship does not seem to end. These guys want me to work till the 15th for them. I’m trying all that I can so that they kick me out. Wish me luck.

P.S. And I’m really really sorry for not being able to read a lot of posts lately. Please forgive me. With college due to re-open shortly, I shall be visiting your blogs soon hopefully. J

As you all (meaning those masochists who read my blog to get tortured no end) already know that I have taken my first step in the big bad corporate world (I just love making everything sound so melodramatic!) as an intern at a financial consultancy, so I thought it was time to report what I have been up to and how the company is still managing to stand, what with me in its premises! ;)

Well, those who are familiar with either me or this blog, know the kind of experiences I have had with the corporate world and for those who are not, chinta not!! Here’s all you need to know. :) "The Third Degree"

So, let’s start at the beginning. The first day. I arrive on time. (!) The waiting room soon swells up with loads of people, most of who seem to be interns too. But for the number of people in that room, there was very and I mean very little conversation. How was I to stand it!!?? Meri presence mein itna sannata!!??

So I took it upon my naazuk shoulders to bring some life into that dead room. And then began a round of introductions, some small talk and pleasant chit chat. In the course of this bonhomie, I decided to entertain all present with the anecdote of my interview at that particular company. I told them how surprised I was that I was actually selected for the training, as my interview had been anything but good. I barely knew any answers in the technical round - the most important of them all! And I described to them in detail how two people had taken my interview, one – a somewhat older, strict-looking guy and the other – a young and seemingly friendly kinda guy and how I answered all the questions I knew the answers to while looking at the older one and how I just flashed a dazzling smile at the younger one, each time I didn’t know an answer. ;) And I also told them how confidently I had given them a wrong answer. And how when they cross questioned me on it, I gave the same answer with the same confidence!

Na na, the story ain't over yet. Apparently there among the sea of interns, were also two three Assistant Managers, one of who was sitting right next to me and turned out to be in the same team as me!!

The moment I saw her being introduced in the office as the new AM of my department, all I could think was “There goes my PPO!” :( :(

And to think that that would be the end of me and her, was foolish of me. It turned out that her temporary seat was the one – yeah, you are on the right track- right next to me. :( :( :(

Now she had gone and collected all the stationery from the administration and kept it in her drawer. Now anyone who has been in an office knows the maara-maari there is for such petty things there. I being the blissfully ignorant new intern, think that all that stationery belonged to the person who had resigned and whose seat now lies vacant. So, what do I do? Rather than waiting to be issued an ID, access card, employee number, e-mail id and n number of other things before I get the allotted stationery, I pick the easier route. The route of course went through that particular drawer. And what happens next is very predictable; she asks me if I know where all the stationery went and I make the most innocent possible face ever (trust me, never have I been more grateful to the hours of practice put in those theatre classes) and say “No clue!” with a nonchalant shrug. And add “I took this one pencil though!” with a slightly flushed look on my face (Damn! I’m good!) :D

And the moment she moved from her seat, I promptly put all of it back and some extra stuff too, just in case! Later when she opened her drawer and realsied that it had all come back, she said “Look Isha, the stationery has come back on its own!”

And God bless the other intern for showing up at that precise moment and asking me to solve a problem he was having, for it helped me to completely ignore the AM’s comment. :D

The next day, she had been assigned a seat far away from me, thankfully!

And of course, how can I forget the introduction round? The moment my introduction began, there were sounds of crockery breaking in the cafeteria! : And it rained and hailed on my first day there. And I missed my cab and had to take a private cab back home.

All in all an eventful first day. :D

But if only the goof-ups ended there. :(

I ended up bad mouthing a very eminent college of the city, saying that only those who can cram facts and figures and are nothing more than mugging parrots end up in that college, to a team member, who it turned out was a pass-out of that college! I love you God, and I’m sure you love me too. It just shows You know. :P

Another one took place just two days back. A guy, somewhere in his late twenties, started talking to me out of the blue, while I was trying to figure out where to find my cab. This guy, at an earlier occasion too had tried to make conversation with me at the printer. For the uninitiated, the printer is akin to what the water cooler used to be in school. The place where people catch up with each other. So anyway, I listened to him, ohho, alright!, pretended to listen to him for some 2-3 minutes before getting irritated and saying “Listen ya, I really need to find my cab or else I’ll miss it” in a well, let’s just say, not-a-very-friendly tone!

On another occasion, while in the cab, one of my team members tells me about the other AM of our department and I’m totally clueless as to who she is talking about. The next day I look where she told me he sits, and lo and behold! The irritating chape guy was sitting on that chair!! Booo hoooo…..I wanted to cry!!

Why me??? WHY???

What now? Isn’t all this enough?? The post ends here. :P Gosh! What do you think of me haan??

P.S. Would love to know if any of you have had similar devastating experiences!
Well I’m sure this post gave you some re-assurance, time to return the favour now!! :P

P.P.S. As you might have noticed, it’s not so easy to master goof-ups such these, and hence I won’t be able to blog all that much. But dare any of you forget me or my blog!

P.P.P.S. Enjoy the lighter side of “C’est La Vie” while it lasts. Will be back to the grim posts soon. :D (Main grim bhi itni happily hoti hoon…he he…hmmm…I AM weird!! *shudders*)

It started as a usual day for the five of them, and like always, none of them wanted to attend the class. Amit was feeling giddy at the thought of attending the HR class; Ira nauseous, while two more, Siddharth and Parul were having sympathy symptoms of a similar type. Only the last one was somewhat keen to attend it. “My attendance, and the fact that the assignment is to be submitted… none of you care about that I guess!” said Minisha to the group.

“Well, isn’t that a bit obvious that we honestly don’t care?” quipped Ira.

“Now that almost all of us have agreed on the fact that the classes are a waste of time, and we shouldn’t attend them,” said Amit, and three pairs of eyes, and one pair of glasses glared at Minisha, daring her to contradict. “It’s time to decide where to go,” continued Amit.

“We can decide that on the way. Right now, let’s just get in the car, out on the road, and burn some rubber!” screamed Ira; living up to the reputation of her usual overexcited self. The catcalls and in-group jeers led them to the parking lot, and they clambered into the car as fast as they could. Travelling at speeds to rival a rally sedan, the dilapidated tiny Alto sped along the highway, and all too soon they reached one of the many malls dotted around the NCR. Amit looked over at the stereotypical structure of the shopper’s haven, looked in the rear view mirror, and said “Ladies, no shopping please!”

Hooting with laughter, they entered the mall and headed straight for the food court. After placing the order for her favourite Paneer Pizza, Minisha made a beeline for the nearest accessories shop. “Hey! Wait Up. I wanna check out some tattoos that I can get done,” Siddharth exclaimed and followed her. The two of them got lost in the crowds, while the others placed their orders. Eating through the feast in front of them, they almost forgot the college, their studies, even the two friends who weren’t present at that time.

“You ate the Pizza too?” asked a shocked Minisha when she returned, while her poor unfed tummy growled in protest, and the others rolled around laughing.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get you a compensatory pizza,” said Parul. “Ice-cream, anyone?”

“Choco Chip for me,” said Ira

“Weren’t you on a diet?” asked Amit without looking at her, and promptly got a smack on his head for his quick wit.

Four ice creams and one pizza box accompanied them, as the incredible trip continued. The near perfect weather outside, topped up with a gentle breeze and a light drizzle jogged all brains to a common idea – long drive to India Gate. About one third down the way though, the five fickle minds changed track – one by one.

“Don’t you think India Gate’s a bit too far?” asked Parul in a small voice.

“Yeah, even I think so. I have to be back home a little early myself,” voiced Ira. “Plus, we keep going there almost every other week.”

“I’m tired!” yawned Siddharth.

“Are we going home already?” asked a bewildered Amit.

“Hmm, I guess. Anyway, what are you complaining about? You’ll still get your long drive. You have to drop off all of us remember, Mr. Driver?” teased Parul

“It’s getting dark already. I know a short cut from here to Ashram. We’ll reach in no time,” claimed Amit confidently.

At the next red light, just to be sure, Siddharth asked the person sitting in the car next to theirs if the road indeed led to Ashram. The man, probably in his late twenties, nodded his head in answer.

“See, I told you,” said Amit, and sped down the road.

“Always better to be sure, my man,” said Siddharth, while the small car bumped and jumped along what was clearly a Kuccha Road

“Guys, are you sure we’re going the right way?” asked Minisha, her eyes wide with a glimpse of terror reflected in them.

“Aah, you worry too much,” said Siddharth, turning and smiling at her.

At that precise moment, the car hit a small ditch that caused a round of small shrieks from the girls. Ira, who wasn’t really paying attention, was the most surprised to find themselves in the middle of a long dusty road that stretched forever ahead, and dark, looming banana trees, swaying eerily in the chilly, dark wind. Not a soul to be seen on either side, not a sound to be heard, except the soft whoosh of the wind blowing. The headlights flickered and died with a tiny ping, and a small “Oh Shit!” issued from Ira’s mouth.

The only light there now, was emanating from the five swanky cellphones.

“I think we should get down and look for someone, who can guide us out of this place,” Siddharth said, while proceeding to open the door.

“Are you crazy? You’ll get down here? God knows who or what might be out here!” Minisha said, holding his arm with all her strength. Everyone reflected on this for a few seconds, and it was only then that she realized she was still clutching his arm. Embarassed, she let go of it and settled back.

“But we can’t stay here forever guys!” said a visibily irritated Ira.

Once again, a round of silence followed. By now everyone’s cell phone lights had gone off, and none of them bothered to switch them on again.

In the pitch black silence, they heard another shriek and a thud.

Minisha had fainted.

~~~~~

Poor Me : "Good afternoon, ma'am."

CCMA ( Chatur Chalaak Moti Aunty) ( with a smirk on her face ) : "Have a seat. So, what do you remember of our presentation in your college ?"

Poor Me (to myself) : "Man I'm so doomed right now!"

(to CCMA) : "Fluor Daniel is basically an engineering, maintenance, procurement and" [(construction) - which I didn't say, rather this is what i blurted out)] - "...there is one more thing which I don't remember- services provider."

[ Helllooooo !!! What was I thinking ?? ( Oops, don't really wanna answer that one) What was the need to say that ?? Anyway....]

It was established in 1912...blah blah blah.....started off as a construction company ( Nope, I still didn't remember that this was what I had missed out)....Fortune 500....

CCMA : What exactly do you understand by a Fortune 500 company ?

Poor Me (to myself) : "Damn I gotta upgrade my GK soon!"

(to CCMA) : Managed to say something about Time Inc's Fortune magazine taking out a list of the top 500 U.S. companies according to the profit that they make. ( Yay !! My blog is turning informative!!)

CCMA : What about the job profile ?

Poor Me : After answering almost correctly, I messed this up in the end by saying that Fluor, India manages the accounts of countries like Japan, thinking, thinking, blank, Japan, still thinking, still blank, Japan......Philippines !!

The expression on CCMA's face makes me realise my folly and I realise that I've mixed up Wipro with this company's PPT. So having no option left, I admit the truth to them.

CCMA (smirk on face intact) : "And what do you recall of the compensation ?"

Poor Me : Of course I answered this flawlessly. What do you think of me ??

CCMA : "Okay Isha, so tell me something about yourself."



And from this point on, the interview was more or less a piece of cake because this happens to be one of my favourite topics - myself !

And guess what ? However intimidating the interview room might be, it is one place which does not mind boasting. ;)



P.S. Yes, surprising as it may sound, I did manage to clinch the job. But ended up pursuing MBA, which btw is one step further than working as here, I actually PAY to get tortured.

Well, what can I say - C'est la vie.

Now don't think me to be insane after reading this but I was really nervous - not because I was scared or anything but because of the fact that everyone around me seemed to be nervous save me. And somehow this ended up making me nervous !!
Anyway, there were two HR people taking the interview. One was a middle aged lady who liked the typical chatur chalaak moti aunty of the neighbourhood and again a middle aged guy who looked kind of sweet though in my opinion he was merely serving as a showpiece.
So these people seemed to be interviewing each candidate for an eternity. After the candidates had appeared for the first level of interview, they were taken to another room so as to prevent us from asking them anything. (Yes, apparently they were oblivious to the concept of cellphones.)
Luckily I had three of my besties for company who made the interminable wait bearable. But after two of us had gone for the interview, the remaining two - which included me and Champa (yeah, that's the latest nick name that she has been bestowed with :D) - started talking about - make a wild guess....DOPING !!! I mean of all things - DOPE ??!! Sometimes I surprise even myself. And it wasn't until my name was called for the interview that we were sucked out of this immensely interesting topic.
So with my mind trying to block out any thoughts about dope, I entered the interview room and this is what ensued.
( to be continued)

Being a final year student (yes, I had written this almost a year back. But it's being put up now as I'm kind of at a similar stage again.) I too had to go through the gruelling process of giving interviews after interviews in the hope of landing that elusive "dream job".

And today was my first real corporate interview so to say. Fluor Daniel, a company which provides engineering, maintenance, construction and procurement services had shortlisted 16 students during their campus recruitment process, who were to appear for the final interview at their office in Gurgaon.

The day couldn't have started on a better note. I got up super late and of course didn't make it in time to the college. And to top that, our cab driver was someone whom Michael Schumacher would have gladly buried alive. I mean, the guy wouldn't drive above 20 km/hour. And thus we ended up reaching half an hour late at their office, courtesy our aforementioned driver, the new Gurgaon expressway (yes it was new THEN), and of course me!

Once there all of us were completely in awe of the building. But our happiness was shortlived, for soon began what is known as the third degree.

(to be continued)

(Just for the record, this was written on 8th may, but me being the lazy bum that I’m, it’s being posted today:))

Since as long as I can remember, the one sport that I’ve followed throughout my life is cricket. Yeah, basketball and soccer have their own importance but nothing beats cricket. Like every true Indian, I too consider it my religion. And today I achieved nirvana according to my religion, because for the first time in my 20 orbits around the sun, I watched a match – LIVE!!

Match – Delhi Daredevils vs. Chennai Super Kings
Venue – Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi
Time – 2:30 p.m.

The scorching heat did not seem to be a deterrent for the hundreds of people queuing outside the stadium. The match itself was by far the closest encounter IPL had seen so far. Chasing an imposing 188 for victory, a beefed up Chennai batting order got it down to 15 off the last over. With Gony on strike, Sehwag, in a gamble gone horribly wrong handed the ball to Shoaib Malik. Soon it was scores level, down to the last ball. The audience went numb as Sehwag had a long chat with Malik. With chants of “Malik, Malik” in the background, he bowled to Badri who hit hard and Shikhar Dhawan, at deep mid-wicket, made a valiant attempt but it was all over. Chennai had broken their losing streak, winning by 4 wickets. Had Dhawan held on to what would have been a brilliant last ball catch, the match would have seen the first bowl-out of the league.

Gambhir’s blistering 80 off 49 balls (which went in vain) got him back the orange cap for the tournament’s highest run-scorer from Sehwag.

The turning point of the game was when Albie Morkel hit 3 consecutive sixes off an over by Sehwag and took a total of 25 runs off it. That one over changed the complexion of the game.

The disappointed crowd did not even stay for the presentation. And as if in protest of the outcome of the match, the weather brewed up a strong dust storm as soon as the game ended. Well, as they say, you win some, you lose some.