Driving Adventures - Part VI

Like every other day, I was driving to work.
Like every other day, I was listening to music and singing along.

I stopped the car at a signal and moved ahead when it turned green. This was a stretch where I get to drive fast because the traffic is generally less. Suddenly, something came in front of my eyes, on my windshield just above the steering wheel. I got startled, the car steered a little and I applied the break to slow down.
A rodent was trying to climb on the windshield. Thankfully, it was outside the car. I was in the middle of the road so had to keep driving on. The rodent realised that it is not possible to climb further so it got down and moved towards the wipers and tried to get inside the bonnet but was unsuccessful. So, it kept roaming on the bonnet and then moved towards the right side rear view mirror, i.e. right next to me!
I was watching it carefully as I didn't want it to fall and get crushed under the tyres. By now, it was possible for me to stop the car and I did so. I tried scaring the rodent so that he can get off the car. But, he seemed adamant and was not interested.
I was on my way to work and could not have waited for too long for it to get off. So, I started moving again. The rodent seemed to be enjoying the ride and was busy looking at himself in the mirror!
I took his picture when he was busy admiring himself.

This has not been the first time when a creature decided to take lift 'on' my car. I have given lift to a lizard too in the past. In fact the lizard had traveled all the way to my office.
Also, these creatures love to pose. After the rodent was done admiring himself, he moved closer and sat on the window next to me and started posing. Earlier, the lizard had also given a good pose for the click.
Here is that pic.

This time, I didn't click the rodent while he was posing as I had packed my camera. Moreover, I felt that the rodent was sitting in a precarious position and could fall any time. Hence, I moved closer to the central verge on the road as it had good over growth and thought that it would be a safe place for him to get off.
Sure enough, he jumped off but to my horror, started running towards the middle of the road. There was another car behind me a few meters away. The last I saw him was when he ran right under that car. Thankfully not under the tyre. Have no idea if he managed to cross the road or not.

I kept thinking about the rodent for a while and then a thought struck.
I was keen to save his life when he was outside my car. Had I found him inside my car or at home, I would have done everything possible to kill him.

Earlier posts....
Driving Series:
Prelude
Part-I
Part-II
Part-III
Part-IV
Part-V

Driving Adventures - Part I

Driving adventures, another series that I intend to start as mentioned in my prelude post.

So here I am with Story - I

The everyday 'task' of driving to work & back can get quite boring & monotonous. Therefore, I like to spice it up with music & 'views' around me. So, like every other day I was humming to myself & stopped at a signal. Another car stopped right next to me & I looked straight into the smiling face of a cute looking guy.
I smiled back & his smiled broadened. The signal turned green, just then & I almost automatically zoomed on. I saw the cute guy right behind me & I soon realised that he was trying to overtake me.

I being myself, liked the challenge & ensured that I stayed ahead & kept eying him in my rear view mirror. At occasions, he did manage to come parallel to me and at such moments the smiles continued. Broader & brighter.

Soon, it seemed that he was giving up & I didn't want that to happen. So, I decided to go slow & let him overtake. The traffic was also heavy so it took him a while to get ahead. Infact for quite a while he kept driving parallel to my car with occasional exchanged glances. Then, his lane moved faster & he moved ahead of me for the first time. As soon as that happened, I almost shouted in frustration. Not because he overtook me, because he had a 'Baby on Board' sticker stuck at the back.!!!!
I changed lanes & got lost in the traffic. I saw him slowing his car but the traffic did not allow him to.

What a waste of time, I thought.
Later, I recounted the whole thing to a friend & she told me that I jumped to conclusion too soon. As per her, he could have been driving his brother's/friend's/relatives car, hence the sticker...

Aaarrrggg, I went. Lost opportunity??? I don't know...
But, wiser, definitely. Better luck to me next time....

One of my friend forwarded this to me & said that this is being quoted from a group on facebook called fauji kids.... I loved the points & went ahead & immidiately joined the group.....
I have added my own comments in bracket next to the points

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A PURE BREED FAUJI KID IF:
1 You were born in a Military Hospital... {yeah yeah yeah.... It was MH, Danapur}
2 Half your toddler years were spent being looked after by Bhaiyas ( no xplanation here) {Differ here..It was my mom.. the bhaiya was there as a household help}
3 You went to school either on Bhaiya's cycle or in a Shaktiman {Remember the chase for the jaali ke paas wali seat}
4 You know what a shaktiman is. ( No! it isnt the TV serial about half man and half machine starring AB lookalike) {hahahaha}
5 Jeeps & Jongas dont excite you - they were your regular mode of transport! {Yep was brought home from the MH in one!}
6 The only alternative to the Central School was the Army School. {& the rivalry between the schools}
7 You always called Kendriya Vidyalaya Central School. Gosh even today that sounds better! {hehehehe}
8 Your entire family could survive in one room temporary quarters with 25 trunks, wooden crates, the dog, the bedroll and two bhaiyas flitting around. {The dog is the only thing missing from our days..... rest remains the same!}
9 The smell of Brasso & shoe polish was regular staple. {The daily dose.... morning for shoe polish & evening ie late evening for Brasso}
10 Mess was not what you created in your room, it was where you went every Friday for the free "english" movie. {or for the occasional parties where kids were allowed.. not to forget sports! Badminton anyone...}
11 The "English Movie" was very often a western and you couldnt follow a word! Sometimes you just went for the samosas and the local drink that they insisted was Cola.{Not just english even HIndi.. I remember, every wednesday the movie playing used to be free movie!}
12 At the end of the month your dad had to pay for many pink slips showing how many samosas and local drinks that they insisted was Cola you had consumed. They never missed any!!! {Add to that peanuts, potato chips & few more cold drinks courtsey the sports/swim time}
13 You attended many May Queen Balls before you knew what Miss India was.{This used to be fun}
14 Your mother regularly got dressed, perfumed and dissappeared for the Ladies Club. {& the kids had some unattended masti time..... skiding on cycle..rolling in mud included!}
15 You knew towns like Mhow, Wellington, Deolali and Bhuj..{ ::))))}
16 You werent a millionaire but hey you had Swimming, Horse Riding, Squash, Tennis and Golf!!{You bet}
17 You thought the main reason to have a Golf Course was to have a Holi Bash. {The Mess lawns were also used for it sometimes...}
18 You can still take one quick look at the epaulets and figure out the rank. {Yeah right!}
19 You discussed wednesday's Chitrahaar in the Shaktiman. {It used to be fun & full of excitement...}
20 You can still recall the special & particular smell of the CSD canteen! A special prize for the correct concoction - mine is - it was a mix of Hamam Soap, Ponds Dreamflower Talc & Surf i think. In some corners it had overtures of Brooke Bond red Label as well. {You bet}
21 Your vacations were a package deal consisting of D-forms, Sharma Uncle Ka jonga and Arty/signal/EME Mess ka kamra(ie any mess would do). {hahahaha}

Preaching....

Its something I am very good at. It seems to be an inborn trait that I would put forth my views when a 'situation' is presented infront of me. I tend to dissect every aspect like an earnest Medical student who tries his best to dissect the given 'speciman' from every angel & then present my views from all angels analysed....
I do that not just with people close to me but also with acquaintances.
I guess I should become a Lecturer or an Orator. A brilliant idea, I should write a book about my 'experiences', ofcourse the names would be changed to preserve the identity of the people who had seeked the 'advice'.
Seems like an interesting thought of the many thoughts I have daily in the hope that I would come up with an idea that would turn my fortunes.
Day dreaming, an interesting way to keep recession at bay atleast for a short time..... & may be just maybe......... Aaah day dreaming again...............

Faux Pass

Faux Pass, a very normal thing for me to do!

1. Driving back home and in midst of a traffic jam. I was stuck at a signal for quite some time and just managed to cross it before it turned red again! In my excitement, I blew a flying kiss at the signal but a man standing near it saw it and is startled! The traffic again resumes its snail pace with the 'gentleman' instead of crossing the road, staring at me for a loooong time!

2. An article in HT long back on methods people adopt to please the boss. I had given my experience and the lady printed my name with designation with my comment. The comment was, "I sit late in office, play games online or the ones in the system. My boss thinks that I'm working hard and is happy with my 'performance'!". I bought the paper on way to office and forgot it on my desk in full view of all. My boss who used to sit in the enclosure next to my desk read it!
{PS: Please don't ask what happened after that!}

3. A close friend got married. By mistake in a party I addressed the spouse by taking the name of his arm candy! This was followed by silence as it was a sort of reunion of old friends! Don't as k how the situation was saved!

4. On way to a meeting I ended up coming back home as the road to my home and to the meeting was common till a junction. I had to reschedule the meeting!

5. I ended up discussing the details of a movie with my boss which had released just few days back, when I was supposedly on sick leave!

6. I have a habit of keeping my mobile in my hand. I was on my way back home along with a colleague and were discussing things pertaining to office and bitching about our boss. I don't know how I dialled my bosses number accidentally (his was the last number dialled) and it connected and he heard our complete conversation and disconnected once we drifted to other topics. Imagine my plight when I reached office the next day!

There are many more in my life but too embarrassing to reproduce!

The Friends

Everything in life has a definite start and then it goes on till it has a definite end!

What if............................
There is no start???
Is it that there would be no definite existence if there is no definite start?
Interesting Thought........................
But this may seem a bit confusing so let me put it in form of a story....

She & Her are good friends and they share most of their deepest thoughts. Well.... most, I believe!

One fine day She decided to visit the lanes of past which had led to She & Her friendship. She remembered who had introduced She to Her but could not remember actually how they had met or how and when had they become so comfortable with each other to discuss things which they may not be comfortable discussing with anyone else!
So She picked the phone and called Her, the most natural thing for She to do when ever she was caught in a 'situation' or was in some dilemma.
She posed the question to Her and it was followed by silence at the other end.
Both didn't remember how they met or how they got so close.
Most surprising part was that both didn't remember if they had talked about or discussed anything which could be termed as personal in person. They remembered all the fun, the movies, the theatre visits, eating ordered food, watching TV.
They were not able to trace the beginning of what seemed the most natural thing to do today.

After I realised that She & Her can't figure out how their friendship started I decided to let it be.

But it got me thinking!

Sometimes God sends people who become an important pivot in your life & you thank God for being so thoughtful. The relation becomes so big that the rest is ignorable.

If something does not have a start but exists, then it may just go on for ever and ever and ever (Amen to that!).

So next time you find yourself in a relation whose beginning you can't remember, may be its a Good sign!

A Second Homecoming!!!

I'm going to Ibetza!!!!!! is what I had been singing..

Reason, I was going to Bombay, the love of my life..

The week before it passed in a bliss, the thought of going back to that city was so strong that the work stress of issue closing which was filled with disappointments of refusals and ad drops seemed to have no effect on me.

The D day finally came and I stepped out in the early night of Bombay.
The feeling was euphoric. After ensuring that my colleague is bundled off to the hotel safely, I turned to look around.

The next day had to be office, the reason I was there. So once I was done with office the rest of the evening and the next day was mine!

I went on spree of meeting old friends and finishing some old pending tasks.
I enjoyed every minute of it.
Soon it was time to fly back and three and half hours later (my flight had got delayed due to a technical snag) I was back in Delhi.

I felt good, very good to be there but there was something else too...

I realised a fact of life. Any place earns a place in your heart not just because of the place but also due to the people you meet, interact and stay with. It's the whole experience which makes a city a wonderful or dreadful place.

I was glad to be in Bombay but the feeling, the special feeling which I had for the city was not as strong as it used to be.
It confused me and made me restless.

When I had left Bombay for good, somewhere I felt that the dream I was chasing (The Dream is something I would talk about in another post) has ended abruptly.
I was hurt and sulking or maybe scared to restart things from scratch away from the city which I had grown to love.

What I had missed seeing was that I was moving to the city where I learned the meaning of Independence. The city which gave me the base & foundation to do what I am doing.

The Independence and financial freedom which I experienced in Bombay was because of Delhi.
I was speechless and in trance when I realised this.

So, when my flight touched the Delhi airport, I felt I was truly Home.

A Second Homecoming Indeed!

Treat Mania!!!

Today, I hogged!

After a long time I have eaten more than I should or can.

A friendly batter and have ended up with an over stuffed tummy and drowsiness.
I have only one wish. To curdle up in a bed & sleep.
Yes, I also wish that I had eaten less. But, what is done is done.

It started as a friendly leg pulling of a colleague in office while wishing him on his anniversary.
It went forward with a promise that he would treat us to lunch.

(Un)fortunately I didn't take him seriously and ate my tiffin as soon as it was lunch hour not to forget that I had eaten a Samosa earlier in the morning i.e. after coming to office and today wonders of wonder had even had breakfast in the morning before leaving for work!

So, here it was an array of irresistible food items spread across for us to enjoy.
We did full Justice to the food and enjoyed every bit of it. We even reordered a specific delicacy and wrapped it up with sweets.

Considering the amount of intake of food, I guess my current situation was inevitable.

I am looking for the first opportunity to slip out of office and go home and drift into sweet slumber.

Me, My Scooter & The Music

A combination of Me, My Scooter & Music.... seemed very normal and usual till few days back...

One fine day the meaning of this combination changed....

How? When?? Where???
Here it goes...

One fine evening, few days back, like always I walked out of my office, plugged my hands free to my mobile and switched on fm, started my scooter and was on way to home.

That day my scooters accelerator was giving me some problem and used to get stuck at a place if raced and had to use slight pressure to move it down.

I thought that I'll grease it when I reach home.

(Un)Fortunately the RJ was playing all my favorite songs, some which I had not heard for a long time and was enjoying it thoroughly.

A song got over and the next song which started was, Mambo No 5...

I have some very sweet memories with this song and I till today don't know what got into me then.

I broke into a dance.
Yes, while riding my scooter I was dancing.
The accelerator problem helped me here as I had coolly left the handle to guide me rather than the other way round.

So after few mins when the song ended my hands went back to the handle and I again started guiding the scooter.

At that moment I realised what I had done!

I have a smile playing on my lips when I am remembering that now.
It was a very stupid and risky thing to do but I don't know what got into me then.....

I have not mentioned this at home or I would be banned from even touching the scooter....

I do ride my scooter with my hands off but that is for very short duration.
This particular instance was the longest and the best....

Oh How I enjoyed it!!!!!

I hope I am able to muster enough courage to try this again....

I would love to....

Excitement

Another New Year Has Decended!

There is a new excitement, celebration and joy everywhere.

It makes me smile...

Life has not changed.... We all are same, have the same schedule, the same job...

In all, the same life...
But still there is Hope...

If U look closer, it's the same Hope too! The hope we nurture at the beginning of each year.
Its only the date which has changed....
Has THIS change made us all happy??

But, aren't we generally resistent to Change?

Maybe, we have learnt to accept and enjoy things which are not in our control..

A mantra for survival......
A point of View if applied not just during the onset of New Year can help us stay happy for ever..
But as I myself believe...
Variety is the spice of Life!

All sugary can also make it taste bitter so some salt is essential !!!
Well contradictory statements...

What to do life is all about living in contradictions!!!!

Freedom

I have been driving my two wheeler for a long time and I am very sensitive about it.

I get very offened if someone calls my Scooter, 'scooty' coz I dont drive a non geared vehicle as I Hate them.

I have driven my scooter at all possible speeds and there was a time when we friends used to compete to drive the slowest....On the contrary We used to indulge in racing too....
But those were my school/college days!
Driving my scooter later had become just a necessity and somehow I just stopped driving.

About 2 years back I started driving again.
I once again realised the joy of driving, rediscoverd the feeling of ecstasy when the breeze kisses your face!
But this joy was not long lived and again I went back to days without my scooter.

I was back on the seat of my scooter few months ago but the elation I used to feel was missing and driving it from IP Extn to Okhla -III & back had become a normal, monotonus routine.

But all changed today.

I like most days was running late for work and to top it all there was a HUGE traffic jam from Sarai Kale Khan till Ashram which meant a delay of atleast 1/2 hour.
I dont know what came to my mind and I made a U turn and took the Pragati Maidan way to Okhla via Jangpura and Nehru Place. After I crossed Pragati Maidan, I was pleasently surpried to get traffic less road and I raced up the accelator and was driving at a speed of slightly above 80 km/hr. But before I could start enjoying it, I reached office! I must add, in time....

But opportunity knocked my door again.
Later in the day, I was running late for a very important meeting in NOIDA and to cover up the lost time, I decided to drive down.
I took the DND Flyway and I didn't realise when I reached my destination. The most surprising part was that I didn't think about the meeting at all.

So on my way back I again took the DND Flyway and relived the joy of driving.
I rediscovered the feeling of ecstacy when the breeze kisses your face, driving with half closed eyes with a smile playing on your face.

I felt that the glass wall around me has broken!

The breeze had taken away all my worries and the capacity of few emotions to make me gloomy. Oh I was alive again.
I was free......................... yet again!