Two months have passed without much happenings. One semester ended, another started, and the same old routine of apartment-department-advisor-Budweiser/Courvoisier continues! Life of a grad student is mostly dull, except for the trips made throughout the year. In that respect also, I am running at a loss, with only one trip so far to my credit. The two-day trip to Denver was enjoyable, but too short to relish properly.
No happenings, and hence no posts as well. All happenings or feelings cannot be blogged as well, for that matter. Watching movies, reading novels is still continuing, and among the recent readings, I liked The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
In terms of weather, its a perfect Autumn in Wichita nowadays, clouds and sun are dividing the hours between themselves. All seems to be in perfect order, except my mind, which at times, rushes home-Puja is knocking at the door!
Each year, I start counting days for going home from now on, but never have I felt the urge of visiting Calcutta so deeply as I feel now. It is exactly 3 months left, and I am eagerly waiting for the winter at home.
Bidding adeiu for the time being, will catch up later, may be with some meaningfull post next time.
Showing posts with label RAMBLING. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RAMBLING. Show all posts
Friday, September 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Sleeplessness
One of my qualities, which I admire myself, is my ability to sleep. Thanks to the 4 year stay here, I have turned into a hardcore night person, going to bed never before 1 AM, and during weekends, it can be anytime from 2 to 4 in the morning. But when I switch off the lights and place my head on the pillow, I fall asleep instantly, and wake up after a good 8-10 hours of tight sleep. I can sleep like a log, undaunted by every possible disturbances, and on numerous occasions, when I wake up, I see quite a number of missed calls in my cellphone.
But recently, there has been a dent in my long-lasting reputation. The night before yesterday, I went to sleep around 1:30 in the morning, but had my eyes wide open till 5. I tried all possible methods to make myself sleep during that interval, but all were in vain. When you seriously try to sleep, but end up tossing and turning over the bed instead, it becomes very frustrating and sometimes, agonizing as well. However, I somehow managed to sleep after 5 AM, and slept for quite a number of hours.
I ignored this matter as an exception, which is always nice. But today again, it is the same scenario. Trying to sleep from 2 AM, I could not bear the burden of looking at the dark room, and hence decided to write this blog while munching over puffed rice and chanachur, the clock reads 4 AM.
If exception starts to happen frequently, then it becomes a rule, and as far as this issue is concerned, I have no intention to make it a rule. The ultimate result, however, is yet unknown, and let me leave it upon the upcoming days.
But recently, there has been a dent in my long-lasting reputation. The night before yesterday, I went to sleep around 1:30 in the morning, but had my eyes wide open till 5. I tried all possible methods to make myself sleep during that interval, but all were in vain. When you seriously try to sleep, but end up tossing and turning over the bed instead, it becomes very frustrating and sometimes, agonizing as well. However, I somehow managed to sleep after 5 AM, and slept for quite a number of hours.
I ignored this matter as an exception, which is always nice. But today again, it is the same scenario. Trying to sleep from 2 AM, I could not bear the burden of looking at the dark room, and hence decided to write this blog while munching over puffed rice and chanachur, the clock reads 4 AM.
If exception starts to happen frequently, then it becomes a rule, and as far as this issue is concerned, I have no intention to make it a rule. The ultimate result, however, is yet unknown, and let me leave it upon the upcoming days.
Monday, April 21, 2008
My dreams
I dream often.......quite often......in my sleep, and the key thing is, I remember most of them when I wake up. Normally, as people wake up from their sleep, they don't often remember their dreams, if it is not a nightmare. But I, fortunately or unfortunately, remember them quite accurately for a good period of time.
The funny thing is, the characters which appear in my dreams do not have any apparent connection between themselves, although each one of them is known to me in different contexts and happenings of life. It is almost impossible that a professor of my department will turn up in one of our family gatherings. But in my dream, everything is possible, and even more, that professor, who rarely smiles while teaching in the class, is seen to take my 7-year old cousin brother on his lap and sing nursery rhymes to him!! In numerous occasions, I have seen my father chatting with my Department Head about Indian politics, which I know, can never happen in reality. But dreams are dreams, as people say, manifestations of our subconsious mind. But even if that is taken into consideration, I can never think of such a weird conversation between the two persons who will never, in fact, meet each other in reality.
Recently, after coming back from home, I am dreaming a lot about family picnics and get-togethers. Only yesterday, I dreamt that our entire family, along with all my cousins, aunts and uncles, have gone to a place for a Sunday picnic. The place was at the suburbs of Calcutta, about two-hours duration in the local train. Since it was a picnic, however, we went by a rented minibus. But here the situation was like a repetation. We indeed did have a picnic in 2006, when I went home during the winter, in the same place. Yesterday's dream was just an imitation of the entire chain of events which did happen two years ago. But, in the end, as far as I can remember, all of us ended up over the top of a mountain, and the road which leads to the plainland was blocked due to the falling of a giant tree because of severe storm. The dream ended there, where everyone of us were staring at each other, but the reason which resulted this event was never explained. It was as if a movie coming abruptly to an end.
Apart from these abrupt endings, normally my dreams are quite nice, which are mostly about family gatherings (the fact remains that, I miss my family very much even though I am living alone for four years), where sometimes some unexpected guets turns up. I have never dreamt that I am along with some celebrity, or myself doing some spectacular stunts like going to the moon, beating up a gang of robbers single-handedly or things of these kinds. My dreams, sadly, does not deviate much from the family genre(What a mess, dreams are also being divided into genres!!).
Only once, I was chased by a gunman in my dream. But instead of beating him up, I fled and ran as hard as I could. After running for a long time (dreams do not allow to record the duration), I was able to see the door of my house. As I was approaching the door, I heard that the gunman unlatched his revolver, and was ready to fire. I could just open the door, led myself in, and closed the door when the shot was fired. The bullet missed me for an inch, creating a hole in the door. At this point, my dream was broken. When I realized that it was just a dream, or more accurately, a nightmare, I was relieved. After that, I have tried many times to see the ending of this exciting event, but without any success. Dreams, I think, never repeat themselves.
The funny thing is, the characters which appear in my dreams do not have any apparent connection between themselves, although each one of them is known to me in different contexts and happenings of life. It is almost impossible that a professor of my department will turn up in one of our family gatherings. But in my dream, everything is possible, and even more, that professor, who rarely smiles while teaching in the class, is seen to take my 7-year old cousin brother on his lap and sing nursery rhymes to him!! In numerous occasions, I have seen my father chatting with my Department Head about Indian politics, which I know, can never happen in reality. But dreams are dreams, as people say, manifestations of our subconsious mind. But even if that is taken into consideration, I can never think of such a weird conversation between the two persons who will never, in fact, meet each other in reality.
Recently, after coming back from home, I am dreaming a lot about family picnics and get-togethers. Only yesterday, I dreamt that our entire family, along with all my cousins, aunts and uncles, have gone to a place for a Sunday picnic. The place was at the suburbs of Calcutta, about two-hours duration in the local train. Since it was a picnic, however, we went by a rented minibus. But here the situation was like a repetation. We indeed did have a picnic in 2006, when I went home during the winter, in the same place. Yesterday's dream was just an imitation of the entire chain of events which did happen two years ago. But, in the end, as far as I can remember, all of us ended up over the top of a mountain, and the road which leads to the plainland was blocked due to the falling of a giant tree because of severe storm. The dream ended there, where everyone of us were staring at each other, but the reason which resulted this event was never explained. It was as if a movie coming abruptly to an end.
Apart from these abrupt endings, normally my dreams are quite nice, which are mostly about family gatherings (the fact remains that, I miss my family very much even though I am living alone for four years), where sometimes some unexpected guets turns up. I have never dreamt that I am along with some celebrity, or myself doing some spectacular stunts like going to the moon, beating up a gang of robbers single-handedly or things of these kinds. My dreams, sadly, does not deviate much from the family genre(What a mess, dreams are also being divided into genres!!).
Only once, I was chased by a gunman in my dream. But instead of beating him up, I fled and ran as hard as I could. After running for a long time (dreams do not allow to record the duration), I was able to see the door of my house. As I was approaching the door, I heard that the gunman unlatched his revolver, and was ready to fire. I could just open the door, led myself in, and closed the door when the shot was fired. The bullet missed me for an inch, creating a hole in the door. At this point, my dream was broken. When I realized that it was just a dream, or more accurately, a nightmare, I was relieved. After that, I have tried many times to see the ending of this exciting event, but without any success. Dreams, I think, never repeat themselves.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Back to square one
Yesterday night, I went to sleep around 12:45 AM, which is my usual time to go to bed. But then, suddenly, I woke up from the deep sleep; glancing at the cell phone, I noticed that it is only 4:45 AM! Unimpressed, I again tried to go back to sleep, but after a long futile attempt of about an hour, I decided to give up. Waking up, I brushed my teeth, made myself a cup of tea, and read few pages of a story book.
In one way, this was enjoyable, because around 6:30, looking through the window, I could see the first light of the dawn. The road was getting busy, with the number of cars passing through the intersection gradually increasing. It was nice to see the night making its way for the day, watching the veil of darkness being removed by the appearence of light. The feeling was really soothing and refreshing.
I was feeling hungry, and so I decided to have a breakfast at the McDonald's. Its been a long time since I have had a proper breakfast. It was 6:45 then, and the McDonald's opens at 7. So, I went back to bed, thinking to rest for 15 minutes, and then go to McDonald's, have a nice breakfast, and then go to the department to study. I was happy that the day was going to be unusual in my standards.
When I opened my eyes after my 15 minutes rest, the outside world seemed a lot noisier than it was 15 minutes ago. Again I glanced at my cell phone, and saw it was 11:05 AM!!!!!!!!!!!
In one way, this was enjoyable, because around 6:30, looking through the window, I could see the first light of the dawn. The road was getting busy, with the number of cars passing through the intersection gradually increasing. It was nice to see the night making its way for the day, watching the veil of darkness being removed by the appearence of light. The feeling was really soothing and refreshing.
I was feeling hungry, and so I decided to have a breakfast at the McDonald's. Its been a long time since I have had a proper breakfast. It was 6:45 then, and the McDonald's opens at 7. So, I went back to bed, thinking to rest for 15 minutes, and then go to McDonald's, have a nice breakfast, and then go to the department to study. I was happy that the day was going to be unusual in my standards.
When I opened my eyes after my 15 minutes rest, the outside world seemed a lot noisier than it was 15 minutes ago. Again I glanced at my cell phone, and saw it was 11:05 AM!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Blame it on the Weather
It is very depressing out here. For the last 4-5 days continuosly, there is no sign of the sun, it seems that the clouds have banished him away for an indefinite span of time. No notable work has been done from my part other than procrastination and watching handful of movies. Whenever I am looking outside through the windows, the gloomy sky is making me gloomier and an urge of getting inside the warmth of the comforter is growing up. So as soon as I am getting done with my classes, I am returning home and taking naps at weird hours of the day. It is unsure as to how long this will continue, but unless and until the weather improves and the sun comes out from his exilement, my sleeping hours will be more than working hours.
After all, if Mother Nature intervenes, how can a simple human being change the inevitable?
After all, if Mother Nature intervenes, how can a simple human being change the inevitable?
Saturday, March 1, 2008
The Inevitables
There are certain small things in everyday life which often go wrong and irritates us. The effect is not fatal at all, but intensely irritating. From a first hand experience, let me list at least some of them .
- While coming back from grocery, with six polypacks equally distributed in both hands, I climb up the stairs and stop in front of my apartment door, gasping for breath. Then, shifting all the six packs in my right hand, when I put the left hand in the left pocket of my trousers, it happens in 95% of the cases that the keys lie in my right pocket!!
- There is a small pocket on the side of the driver's seat in my car, made for storing the cellphone. Before driving, normally I keep my cell phone there so that I can attend any call while driving. But I don't get any calls then. Sometimes, if the cell phone remains in my jeans pocket instead by mistake, inevitably I will get a call. Twisting and turning, as I collect the phone from the pocket, the caller disconnects from the other side !
- Whenever I try to collect my homework from a bunch of copies (back home and here as well), in most of the cases, mine will be at the very bottom if I start searching from the top, and will be in the middle somewhere if I start from the bottom !!
- While making tea or boiling milk, as long as I keep staring at the burner so that the milk does not spill , nothing happens. Getting tired, whenever I turn my attention to something else for 15 seconds, the milk overflows and spills all over the burner, causing the fire to extinguish in some cases!!
- Many times it has happened (and will happen in future as well) that while waiting for a bus to take me Saltlake, I get buses heading towards every other possible routes except Saltlake. A crowded bus will appear at last, testing my patience at the highest level of tolerance!!
Distractions !!!!!!!!!
I was going through an online comic strip magazine, where I stumbled upon a series of strips titled Newton's Laws of Graduation. The third law was the best one, which goes like this:
For every action towards graduation, there is an equal and opposite distraction.
Well, who knows this fact better than me? From the point of entering the department to the point of exit, there are so many distractions that even if I am able to dodge a couple of them, another dozen come and disturb me! I am leaving out my apartment from the discussion, as when I am home, hardly any action towards graduation takes place.
There is a notice board in the department building just opposite the elevator. Pressing the 'up' button of the elevator, I walk towards the board to read the announcements. If I find something interesting, then no matter how many times the elevator beckons me, I go through it thoroughly, think about it for a while and then finally come back in front of the elevator.
As I enter my office, I settle myself in the chair, switch the computer on and keep a couple of journal papers from my bag on the table. Then, I feel a thirst for coffee, and getting myself a cup from the workroom (a few yards from my office) , sit back again . As I am about to read the first word of the paper, suddenly my brain reminds me that I've to check the department email. Deleting 11 spams of the dozen mails, again I try to concentrate on the journal. If I am able to go through the abstract, I turn my attention towards the computer screen to check the mails from yahoo and gmail!
Switching among the tasks of reading, checking and replying emails and sipping coffee, the coffee ends first. Then comes the urge of smoking a cigarette. So going down, I smoke hastily and rush back within 10 minutes. As I make progress through the paper (i.e., read the first paragraph of the introduction and grasp it), I try to scribble something on a sheet of paper, and luckily, if I am able to understand the very first equation, I feel that I should take a break by playing a couple of games of Tetris.
This game is my biggest distraction! If I get a good score in the first couple of attempts, I stop there and come back to the reading. But if I'm in a bad form, and get unsatisfactory scores, then I keep on trying to improve the score, and as a result, couple games turn into a few dozens, the eyes turn red and at the point where I can no longer stare at the screen, I take a break and go to wash my eyes. When I come back, my mood is bitter due to the failure, and there comes the need of another cigarette, another distraction!!
Suppose everything is fine and I am able to put off all the distractions aside. Then, inevitably, some friend of mine will call for nothing (because he is being distracted also!! ), and we start chatting. This happens in most of the weekends from both ends. Other than this, the office phone can ring, somebody can knock the door or I may feel to know about the result of the overnight cricket match, the review of the latest bollywood flick, the upcoming films of Aamir Khan - in short, both my mind and the surroundings conspire to distract me from my actual job.
All these will take place under the assumption that I am able to understand the journal article. But if that is not the case, then one can imagine what may happen! I will glance at the page for a while, then open the Tetris thinking that it may give me some idea, or go down to have a smoke in order to stimulate the brain cells and all sorts of things which I think will help me to understand the article. As a last refuge, I go to the library to fetch a book , but finally end up at the wrong rack (novels , drama, short stories, DVDs ! ), and so when I come back, I may not have the academic book I was looking for, but I will have at least two novels and two DVDs at my disposal!
So the key question is, what can I alone do against all these distractions surrounding myself? I think I have to find this first before carrying on with my academic research!
For every action towards graduation, there is an equal and opposite distraction.
Well, who knows this fact better than me? From the point of entering the department to the point of exit, there are so many distractions that even if I am able to dodge a couple of them, another dozen come and disturb me! I am leaving out my apartment from the discussion, as when I am home, hardly any action towards graduation takes place.
There is a notice board in the department building just opposite the elevator. Pressing the 'up' button of the elevator, I walk towards the board to read the announcements. If I find something interesting, then no matter how many times the elevator beckons me, I go through it thoroughly, think about it for a while and then finally come back in front of the elevator.
As I enter my office, I settle myself in the chair, switch the computer on and keep a couple of journal papers from my bag on the table. Then, I feel a thirst for coffee, and getting myself a cup from the workroom (a few yards from my office) , sit back again . As I am about to read the first word of the paper, suddenly my brain reminds me that I've to check the department email. Deleting 11 spams of the dozen mails, again I try to concentrate on the journal. If I am able to go through the abstract, I turn my attention towards the computer screen to check the mails from yahoo and gmail!
Switching among the tasks of reading, checking and replying emails and sipping coffee, the coffee ends first. Then comes the urge of smoking a cigarette. So going down, I smoke hastily and rush back within 10 minutes. As I make progress through the paper (i.e., read the first paragraph of the introduction and grasp it), I try to scribble something on a sheet of paper, and luckily, if I am able to understand the very first equation, I feel that I should take a break by playing a couple of games of Tetris.
This game is my biggest distraction! If I get a good score in the first couple of attempts, I stop there and come back to the reading. But if I'm in a bad form, and get unsatisfactory scores, then I keep on trying to improve the score, and as a result, couple games turn into a few dozens, the eyes turn red and at the point where I can no longer stare at the screen, I take a break and go to wash my eyes. When I come back, my mood is bitter due to the failure, and there comes the need of another cigarette, another distraction!!
Suppose everything is fine and I am able to put off all the distractions aside. Then, inevitably, some friend of mine will call for nothing (because he is being distracted also!! ), and we start chatting. This happens in most of the weekends from both ends. Other than this, the office phone can ring, somebody can knock the door or I may feel to know about the result of the overnight cricket match, the review of the latest bollywood flick, the upcoming films of Aamir Khan - in short, both my mind and the surroundings conspire to distract me from my actual job.
All these will take place under the assumption that I am able to understand the journal article. But if that is not the case, then one can imagine what may happen! I will glance at the page for a while, then open the Tetris thinking that it may give me some idea, or go down to have a smoke in order to stimulate the brain cells and all sorts of things which I think will help me to understand the article. As a last refuge, I go to the library to fetch a book , but finally end up at the wrong rack (novels , drama, short stories, DVDs ! ), and so when I come back, I may not have the academic book I was looking for, but I will have at least two novels and two DVDs at my disposal!
So the key question is, what can I alone do against all these distractions surrounding myself? I think I have to find this first before carrying on with my academic research!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Disgustingly Essential
Living alone is really challenging. You have to take care of everything starting from Apples to Zip-loc bags. For me it is more problematic since I do not have any roommates . It is not about feeling lonely, bored or things like that (in fact, I don't get time for these), but there are certain household jobs, which I dislike to do but have no other options as they are very essential as well. Here goes my list of those jobs which occupy the lowest ranks in my preferrence order:
Jeene ke liye kya kuchh nahin karna parta hai !
- Laundry : This is the most disgusting and boring task I have ever done in my life. Once in every two-three weeks, I have to carry a heavy bucket full of clothes to the nearby Laundromat and stare blankly at the rotating washing machine or the revolving dryer. Two hours seem like eternity to me. Folding the clothes after drying is another Himalayan task.
- Dish washing : It always feels good to throw the dish into the basin-sink after lunch or dinner, leave the rice cooker, pressure cooker and other cookwares uncleaned within the sink. Do this for three times (which I normally do), and the fourth time you'll be in trouble. It seems to me like I had a party the night before, and cleaning those utensils take about a quater of an hour. To trouble me more, the water refuses to go away, and my sink turns into a pool, where the spoons and plates float as if to mock me. Cleaning up the entire mess takes another 15 minutes.
- Cooking : In many occasions, I come home around 9-9:30 in the night, tired and hungry, and when I open the fridge , it has nothing cooked in it other than the overnight rice. With soaring temper and hunger, I start looking for a meal which can be prepared with minimum effort so that I can get away with the hunger. On the other hand, when there is food already cooked(i.e, on the next day), it feels like I am the happiest person on Earth for that moment. Cooking twice a week is more than enough for me.
Jeene ke liye kya kuchh nahin karna parta hai !
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Sunday
No, this post is not about the latest movie Sunday, but I must admit that after watching the movie, I felt an urge of writing something about the most auspicious day of the week, at least for me, and may be for others as well.
Sunday has some salient features, which makes it so special than the rest of the week. The following are the unique aspects of this day which I admire the most:
Sunday has some salient features, which makes it so special than the rest of the week. The following are the unique aspects of this day which I admire the most:
- Sunday is the official "no-study day" unless an exam is scheduled on Monday.
- Start the day with a delicious breakfast comprising of Luchi, Aloor dam and Jalebi. Thats Sunday.
- Spending the entire morning at the playground till noon, playing football or cricket(depends on the season) .
- Returning home around noon fully tired and exhausted, your nose gets the heavenly smell of cooked mutton, as the pressure cooker whistles for the third time. All tiredness goes away in a flash. Thats the flavor of Sunday.
- Having a tight lunch and getting some sleep afterwards.
- Sipping the evening tea and getting out for a walk or visit friend's or relatives and spend the evening gossiping. Otherwise, keep relaxing at home with parents accompanied by some music or movies or just adda.
- After dinner , heart gets gloomy again as Monday is about to arrive in a few hours.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
(In)justice of Nature
Tomorrow its going to be Wintry Mix!! By virtue of remakes and remixes, we are aware of various types of mixes like Club Mix, Party Mix, Dance Mix and so on. But this Wintry mix has nothing to do with songs, its a whim of Nature, where the raindrops, before reaching the surface, turns into ice. So it becomes very difficult to walk on the roads,and driving also gets risky.
My officemate, a very good friend of mine, gave me this information today afternoon as I was idling in the office. Then he asked, "What is your schedule for tomorrow?" "Nothing", I replied, "I have an off day tomorrow"!! "Ohhh man, I have to teach tomorrow at 11, when the chance of precipitaion is 80%. Lucky you!!!" Since it is winter, snow and precipitation are quite common,and we have to adapt even if we don't like it.
So when I told him this, he exclaimed,"Why me??????? Why everytime me??????" Then I understood his frustration. Last week also, it snowed on Tuesday and Thursday, and both are my off days and his teaching days!! So I offered him a chuckle, patted him and was about to leave the office, when he told, "See you tomorrow".
I replied, "I don't think so, I'll work from home". Hearing this, the reaction in his face was worth-seeing, a mixture of frustration, disappointment and bewilderment. As I stepped out, I heard him saying, "Its just wintry mix man!!! Nothing much serious." I was about to burst into laughter, so I quickly closed the door behind me and continued laughing till I came down. Later, I realised that till now, it hasn't snowed on my working days, but who knows??? So I stopped laughing and came back home. But even after a couple of hours, I am unable to forget my friend's facial expression, neither can I control my laughter whenever i am thinking of it !!
My officemate, a very good friend of mine, gave me this information today afternoon as I was idling in the office. Then he asked, "What is your schedule for tomorrow?" "Nothing", I replied, "I have an off day tomorrow"!! "Ohhh man, I have to teach tomorrow at 11, when the chance of precipitaion is 80%. Lucky you!!!" Since it is winter, snow and precipitation are quite common,and we have to adapt even if we don't like it.
So when I told him this, he exclaimed,"Why me??????? Why everytime me??????" Then I understood his frustration. Last week also, it snowed on Tuesday and Thursday, and both are my off days and his teaching days!! So I offered him a chuckle, patted him and was about to leave the office, when he told, "See you tomorrow".
I replied, "I don't think so, I'll work from home". Hearing this, the reaction in his face was worth-seeing, a mixture of frustration, disappointment and bewilderment. As I stepped out, I heard him saying, "Its just wintry mix man!!! Nothing much serious." I was about to burst into laughter, so I quickly closed the door behind me and continued laughing till I came down. Later, I realised that till now, it hasn't snowed on my working days, but who knows??? So I stopped laughing and came back home. But even after a couple of hours, I am unable to forget my friend's facial expression, neither can I control my laughter whenever i am thinking of it !!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Morning does not always show the day
Days of happiness pass away very quickly. My vacation of one month at home went away so quickly that I could not figure out what I did in the last 32 days as I was sitting on the bed surrounded by half-packed suitcases on the evening of my departure (The departing flight was scheduled at 2:50 AM). It occurred to me that a little while ago, sitting on the same bed, I was having a delicious breakfast consisting on hot kachuris and jalebis (that was on the first morning , a month ago !!) , and now, here I am, ready to stay away from home for at least one year living a dull and solitary life.
As I have mentioned in an earlier post, I have a typical relationship with aeroplanes, irrespective of the airlines. According to my opinion, there are very few people on earth other than me who are (un)fortunate enough to pass through the series of mishappenings as I did in a very consistent manner. This time, probably, fate decided to reward me in a very unexpected way.
In long-duration flights, I always prefer the aisle seat. As it happens, whenever I got a window seat, the person sitting next to me turned out to be a very good sleeper. Normally, I cannot sleep while on board, and so, when everybody else within the plane snores, I continuously shift positions and postures to make myself more confortable so that I can get at least some sleep in order to kill the time. Staying awake for a longer period has its own setbacks, I feel like going to the bathroom once in a while, and for that, I am forced to wake up the sleeping person which I dont like to. So, nowadays, I select my own seat while booking the ticket.
This time, when I finally boarded the connecting flight from Frankfurt to Chicago, I was surprised to see a person occupying my seat . He , very politely, stated that he wants to change his seat with myself so that he can sit with his family. Since it was an aisle seat, I told him that I can do so if his seat is also of the same type. At this moment, came the unexpected statement. The person announced that he has a business seat!!!
I was completely taken aback. I have never heard of an exchange like this before. So, not quite sure about what I heard, I double-checked with him, and also verified with the air-hostess, and when she confirmed that the exchange depends only on the respective persons and has nothing to do with the class, I retreated back, and occupied my seat in the business class.
It was a very fine experience........the seat was extremely luxurious, and it can be adjusted at will - upright, half-inclined, full-inclined, fully flat - and it took me quite some time to understand the features of the chair completely. As the plane took off, an air-hostess gave all of us a Menu card to choose our meal, which had a starter and dessert as well!!! Time and again, they were offering beverages.
For my part, I was able to sleep for the first time on board. It was a solid slumber of nearly 5 hours, which thoroughly refreshed me. It also helped me in another way. As I had less than two hours of time for my next flight, I was able to get out of the plane sooner and reach the immigration desk much earlier than I expected.
The immigration, customs clearence, luggage collection............everything went so smoothly that I was really surprised. Then came the second wonder! As I was about to tranfer my luggage, I learnt that the Wichita flight has been cancelled and the next flight is after 4 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do the erudite label this type of event as poetic justice?????????? I am not sure!
As I have mentioned in an earlier post, I have a typical relationship with aeroplanes, irrespective of the airlines. According to my opinion, there are very few people on earth other than me who are (un)fortunate enough to pass through the series of mishappenings as I did in a very consistent manner. This time, probably, fate decided to reward me in a very unexpected way.
In long-duration flights, I always prefer the aisle seat. As it happens, whenever I got a window seat, the person sitting next to me turned out to be a very good sleeper. Normally, I cannot sleep while on board, and so, when everybody else within the plane snores, I continuously shift positions and postures to make myself more confortable so that I can get at least some sleep in order to kill the time. Staying awake for a longer period has its own setbacks, I feel like going to the bathroom once in a while, and for that, I am forced to wake up the sleeping person which I dont like to. So, nowadays, I select my own seat while booking the ticket.
This time, when I finally boarded the connecting flight from Frankfurt to Chicago, I was surprised to see a person occupying my seat . He , very politely, stated that he wants to change his seat with myself so that he can sit with his family. Since it was an aisle seat, I told him that I can do so if his seat is also of the same type. At this moment, came the unexpected statement. The person announced that he has a business seat!!!
I was completely taken aback. I have never heard of an exchange like this before. So, not quite sure about what I heard, I double-checked with him, and also verified with the air-hostess, and when she confirmed that the exchange depends only on the respective persons and has nothing to do with the class, I retreated back, and occupied my seat in the business class.
It was a very fine experience........the seat was extremely luxurious, and it can be adjusted at will - upright, half-inclined, full-inclined, fully flat - and it took me quite some time to understand the features of the chair completely. As the plane took off, an air-hostess gave all of us a Menu card to choose our meal, which had a starter and dessert as well!!! Time and again, they were offering beverages.
For my part, I was able to sleep for the first time on board. It was a solid slumber of nearly 5 hours, which thoroughly refreshed me. It also helped me in another way. As I had less than two hours of time for my next flight, I was able to get out of the plane sooner and reach the immigration desk much earlier than I expected.
The immigration, customs clearence, luggage collection............everything went so smoothly that I was really surprised. Then came the second wonder! As I was about to tranfer my luggage, I learnt that the Wichita flight has been cancelled and the next flight is after 4 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do the erudite label this type of event as poetic justice?????????? I am not sure!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Activities in the last two months
It is always easy to start something new, but the hard part is to maintain it. I have been away from blogging since the last two months, although there were nothing unusual or special during this time interval. These two months went away in a mundane fashion, following the same routines, with the same familiar faces. However I thought of mentioning a few things which I did since July, and here goes the list:
- I watched Mithun classic Bengali movie Judhdho, where the opening dialogues of Mithun goes like this:
- I upgraded myself from Blended Scotch Whiskey to Single-Malt Scotch Whiskey.
- Durga puja in Wichita will be on the 13th of this month, and due to lack of enough members, I have been included in the core committee of planning and advising. I have attended both the meetings being held so far, because the Eating in both the cases was simply mind-blowing. When the part of talking comes, I manage the job with frequent "Er s", "Oh yes", " Looks good", "Not a bad idea" type of phrases. The plannings are still going on, and I hope earnestly that the execution will be done before 13th.
- Initially very much reluctant about Harry Potter, now I am just swallowing the novels at a rapid pace. At the beginning, I thought of reading only the first book of the series, but after reading the first, I could not restrain myself from reading the second, third and fourth. Presently, I'm on the fifth book, and am confident to finish the entire series by the end of this year. I must admit now that if I would not have read these, it would have been a great mistake. JK Rowling simply rocks! Along with the books, I have watched the four movies also. The movies are good in their own way, the performances are really worth-watching.
- I have started "official research work" and hope to burn the face of my country soon.
- I am going home on the 11th of December.....................WHOOO AAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Junk Mails
Dear Arijit,
We are happy to announce that our country needs you! This is the opportunity, make your family and your countrymen proud. JOIN THE ARMY !!!!!! ..........................
No, I have no slightest wish to join the army! What a joke!! Actually, I received the above letter yesterday, and mind you, this is the second call !!!
This is just one of the numerous junk mails I receive everyday in my letter box. Every afternoon, when I come back for lunch, I see the letter box filled with lots of envelopes, of different colors. Previuosly, I used to at least open the letter, glance it through, and then make four equal parts, and drop in the trash-can. But now, I don't have to do that even. I just look at the sender's name, and without opening it, drop in the can!! Almost 90% of the letters (sometimes even 100%) make their journey from my letter-box to my trash can in less than 3 minutes everyday. What a severe wastage of paper, ink and money for the US government !!
A large portion of the letters are from various credit card companies, they are very eager to offer me a credit card with a healthy credit line, I just have to fill up the attached form and send it back, or even call them. Now, if I sum up the upper limits mentioned by these pre-approved offers, I would have own myself a fortune worth about $1,00,000 !!!!! Only one change I would have needed, instead of carrying a wallet , I would have carried an album full of credit cards .
I had tested them once. I have a credit card of a reputed name. When they kept on sending me offers for another one, I called them and asked, " What would be my lowest credit line in the new card ?" " Not less than $2000, Sir", a sweet female voice answered. I replied, "Look, I already have one of your cards, so instead of offering me another, why don't you put $2000 in my old one ???" Bewildered, the lady reamined silent for a minute, and then replied, " We'll look into it, Sir". Well, she indeed looked, and since then, that company has stopped sending me pre-approved offers.
Other than this, I keep on getting mails from all possible organisations, some wants me to offer a loan, a free trip to the Carribean islands, discount for buying food for my dog, willing to offer some money to my parents for carrying on with my education etc etc. Last time, when I came back from India after 30 days, more than a 100 letters were waiting for me. I found only 5 of them worthy: my contract letter, gas, electricity, internet and telephone bills........all others occupied an entire trash-bag!!!
My friend in Wichita once told me, " You know, these people are so alone by themselves, no one ever takes notice of them. It is only these companies that always try to help them. These people feel that there is at least someone who cares about them. This feeling makes them happy." I did not pay attention to his words then. Maybe he was right, maybe thats the reason and the purpose of these junk mails, who knows???
We are happy to announce that our country needs you! This is the opportunity, make your family and your countrymen proud. JOIN THE ARMY !!!!!! ..........................
No, I have no slightest wish to join the army! What a joke!! Actually, I received the above letter yesterday, and mind you, this is the second call !!!
This is just one of the numerous junk mails I receive everyday in my letter box. Every afternoon, when I come back for lunch, I see the letter box filled with lots of envelopes, of different colors. Previuosly, I used to at least open the letter, glance it through, and then make four equal parts, and drop in the trash-can. But now, I don't have to do that even. I just look at the sender's name, and without opening it, drop in the can!! Almost 90% of the letters (sometimes even 100%) make their journey from my letter-box to my trash can in less than 3 minutes everyday. What a severe wastage of paper, ink and money for the US government !!
A large portion of the letters are from various credit card companies, they are very eager to offer me a credit card with a healthy credit line, I just have to fill up the attached form and send it back, or even call them. Now, if I sum up the upper limits mentioned by these pre-approved offers, I would have own myself a fortune worth about $1,00,000 !!!!! Only one change I would have needed, instead of carrying a wallet , I would have carried an album full of credit cards .
I had tested them once. I have a credit card of a reputed name. When they kept on sending me offers for another one, I called them and asked, " What would be my lowest credit line in the new card ?" " Not less than $2000, Sir", a sweet female voice answered. I replied, "Look, I already have one of your cards, so instead of offering me another, why don't you put $2000 in my old one ???" Bewildered, the lady reamined silent for a minute, and then replied, " We'll look into it, Sir". Well, she indeed looked, and since then, that company has stopped sending me pre-approved offers.
Other than this, I keep on getting mails from all possible organisations, some wants me to offer a loan, a free trip to the Carribean islands, discount for buying food for my dog, willing to offer some money to my parents for carrying on with my education etc etc. Last time, when I came back from India after 30 days, more than a 100 letters were waiting for me. I found only 5 of them worthy: my contract letter, gas, electricity, internet and telephone bills........all others occupied an entire trash-bag!!!
My friend in Wichita once told me, " You know, these people are so alone by themselves, no one ever takes notice of them. It is only these companies that always try to help them. These people feel that there is at least someone who cares about them. This feeling makes them happy." I did not pay attention to his words then. Maybe he was right, maybe thats the reason and the purpose of these junk mails, who knows???
Monday, July 2, 2007
Questions and "Answers"
Q : Name a country that starts with 'U' .
A1 : 'Y'ugoslavia
A2 : Utopia
Q : How many sides does a triangle have?
A1 : Four
A2 : None....err....one
Q : Who is Fidel Castro?
A : A singer
Q : Who is Tony Blair?
A : An actor.
Q : Why are Hiroshima and Nagasaki famous?
A : Wrestling and Judo
Q : What do you know about Kofi Annan?
A : Certainly I know about coffee, but "and" what???
Q : How many Eiffel Towers are there in Paris?
A : About ten, I suppose.
Q : What is Al Qaeda?
A : It is a group of suicide bombers and is led by Mr Yasser Arrafat.
Q : What is the main religion of Israel?
A : Israeli.
Q : What is a Mosque?
A : An animal.
Q : From which state of US does KFC come from?
A : You mean the chicken?? I have no idea.
Q : Do you know the full form of KFC?
A : Certainly, its Kentucky Fried Chicken.
What do you feel from the above sets of answers?? I made them? The answer is a strict "NO" ! Truth being stranger than fiction, these answers were given by the people of America which was conducted by The Chasers' War On Everything, a popular satirical TV comedy series in Australia. The motive was to show the rest of the world that the Americans are not that stupid what the world thinks them to be. I hope that after this telecast, both Australia and the rest of the world will have a better idea about the Americans, and will know about what they are really capable of.
One last sentence I want to add, which is " GOD BLESS AMERICA. THEY BADLY NEED HIS BLESSINGS"!!
A1 : 'Y'ugoslavia
A2 : Utopia
Q : How many sides does a triangle have?
A1 : Four
A2 : None....err....one
Q : Who is Fidel Castro?
A : A singer
Q : Who is Tony Blair?
A : An actor.
Q : Why are Hiroshima and Nagasaki famous?
A : Wrestling and Judo
Q : What do you know about Kofi Annan?
A : Certainly I know about coffee, but "and" what???
Q : How many Eiffel Towers are there in Paris?
A : About ten, I suppose.
Q : What is Al Qaeda?
A : It is a group of suicide bombers and is led by Mr Yasser Arrafat.
Q : What is the main religion of Israel?
A : Israeli.
Q : What is a Mosque?
A : An animal.
Q : From which state of US does KFC come from?
A : You mean the chicken?? I have no idea.
Q : Do you know the full form of KFC?
A : Certainly, its Kentucky Fried Chicken.
What do you feel from the above sets of answers?? I made them? The answer is a strict "NO" ! Truth being stranger than fiction, these answers were given by the people of America which was conducted by The Chasers' War On Everything, a popular satirical TV comedy series in Australia. The motive was to show the rest of the world that the Americans are not that stupid what the world thinks them to be. I hope that after this telecast, both Australia and the rest of the world will have a better idea about the Americans, and will know about what they are really capable of.
One last sentence I want to add, which is " GOD BLESS AMERICA. THEY BADLY NEED HIS BLESSINGS"!!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Winners or Entertainers ?
Today, as I was having lunch at the school cafeteria, I heard a group of 3-4 students talking about lawn tennis. Back home, I used to watch this sport quite often, specially the Grand Slams, but here, I don't get a chance of watching them. Even if I would have got the scope, I doubt of utilising it.
They were talking about Roger Federer and arguing about the fact that who in the tennis world can beat him. Only one name came into picture, that of Rafael Nadal, who is unanimously accepted as the "king of clay" in the modern tennis arena. But he can only beat Federer in a clay court, whereas in all the other surfaces, Federer is practically unbeatable. His records speak for him. Federer has been winning the Wimbledon title for the last four years, the US open for the last 3 years, and the Australian Open thrice in the last four occassions. But he is yet to capture the French Open, where he has been beaten by Rafael Nadal three times in succession : in semi-finals in 2005, and in the finals of 2006 and 2007.
Isn't modern tennis getting too predictable? The three Grand Slams, barring the Rolland Garros, are being won by Roger, while the French Open by Nadal. This is the scenario for the last 3 years! Isn't that too long??
It is not Federer's fault that his opponents fail to beat him in most of the cases, but thinking in terms of a viewer, there has been very little twist in the tennis world for the last 3 years. When you can predict the results of all the major tournaments of the year beforehand and there is a very sleak chance that you'll go wrong, will you not lose interest in the game? While watching a tennis game featuring Federer or Nadal, it seems to me that the surface is being occupied by a robot, whose every movement is calculated, every nanosecond is syncronised to perfection, and the player can never make a mistake.
I agree to the fact that in a game , winning is vital. But winning is not the only thing people like to see. I still remember the matches between Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker and Andre Agassi and a few other true artists in the tennis court. I had always been a fan of Becker since childhood, its not that he used to win everytime, on the contrary his form used to go up and down very frequently. The same is true for Andre Agassi as well. They were the true entertainers who used to play the game only by sheer joy of the game itself. The results did not always reflect their class or style, nor they themselves were too much bothered about it.
That is the reason why we like Brian Lara more than Ricky Ponting, Viv Richards more than Sachin Tendulkar or Andre Agassi and Boris Becker more than Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Whenever the first group has played, they have added something to the game and have entertained the crowd to the hilt. People have always loved the game due to the presence of these personalities. In their absence, the game still continues, but loses much of its warmth, charm and beauty.
They were talking about Roger Federer and arguing about the fact that who in the tennis world can beat him. Only one name came into picture, that of Rafael Nadal, who is unanimously accepted as the "king of clay" in the modern tennis arena. But he can only beat Federer in a clay court, whereas in all the other surfaces, Federer is practically unbeatable. His records speak for him. Federer has been winning the Wimbledon title for the last four years, the US open for the last 3 years, and the Australian Open thrice in the last four occassions. But he is yet to capture the French Open, where he has been beaten by Rafael Nadal three times in succession : in semi-finals in 2005, and in the finals of 2006 and 2007.
Isn't modern tennis getting too predictable? The three Grand Slams, barring the Rolland Garros, are being won by Roger, while the French Open by Nadal. This is the scenario for the last 3 years! Isn't that too long??
It is not Federer's fault that his opponents fail to beat him in most of the cases, but thinking in terms of a viewer, there has been very little twist in the tennis world for the last 3 years. When you can predict the results of all the major tournaments of the year beforehand and there is a very sleak chance that you'll go wrong, will you not lose interest in the game? While watching a tennis game featuring Federer or Nadal, it seems to me that the surface is being occupied by a robot, whose every movement is calculated, every nanosecond is syncronised to perfection, and the player can never make a mistake.
I agree to the fact that in a game , winning is vital. But winning is not the only thing people like to see. I still remember the matches between Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker and Andre Agassi and a few other true artists in the tennis court. I had always been a fan of Becker since childhood, its not that he used to win everytime, on the contrary his form used to go up and down very frequently. The same is true for Andre Agassi as well. They were the true entertainers who used to play the game only by sheer joy of the game itself. The results did not always reflect their class or style, nor they themselves were too much bothered about it.
That is the reason why we like Brian Lara more than Ricky Ponting, Viv Richards more than Sachin Tendulkar or Andre Agassi and Boris Becker more than Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Whenever the first group has played, they have added something to the game and have entertained the crowd to the hilt. People have always loved the game due to the presence of these personalities. In their absence, the game still continues, but loses much of its warmth, charm and beauty.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Down the memory lane(3)
I still remember the day when Boyoshko brought a football along with him in class. We were in class 9 , and generally we did not have that leather sphere till then. Rarely we were permitted to play with the footballs the school possessed, and those days used to come once in a blue moon. We were satisfied either with tennis balls or rubber spheres, much smaller than the actual ones.
So, on that day, all of us were overjoyed. Fortunately, we had a Games period that day, right after the tiffin break. I remember all of us finished tiffin in rocket-speed and jumped out of the classroom into the green playground. Due to the games period, we got more than one hour of non-stop playtime. As the games period was over, the bell rang, but none of us were willing to enter the classroom leaving the playground. We continued playing for about more than 10 minutes, when we saw Mita teacher approaching the playground. It was her geography period (one of the most barren subjects to me!). Reluctantly, all of us came back to the classroom and were about to take seats, when Mita teacher, in a very sarcastic tone, said, " This is the third time I called you. Why don't you listen to us? Why not you go back to the playground once more??" The last sentence was the only one which we heard, and quite obviously, all of us left the classroom once again, and went to the playground!!! Mita teacher was so surprised that she could not utter a single word, although the classroom was nearly empty by then.
Two full periods of play simultaneously!!!!!!!!!! We were literally flying with joy. At last, we came back to our classroom after the bell rang. Ohh, i forgot to mention about the rain! It was raining heavily that day, and the ground got muddy in a little while. So when all of us entered the classroom finally, it was a real scene!! Almost all the white shirts turned muddy, the hairs looked as if someone has pulled them ferociously, water falling from the head in drops! The entire classroom and the benches got wet. Mita teacher, meanwhile, informed our teacher-in-charge(Ghosh teacher) about our "non co-operation", and she , along with Thakur Sir(He was very strict and arrogant), came to the classroom.
After the usual scolding(as everybody does!), Thakur Sir, with an evil grin, told," We will not punish you, Nature will punish you! You people played for two hours in the rain??? Huummm, we'll see how many of you come tomorrow!!!" Tomorrow came, and the good thing was, the attendance was more than normal!!!!
I would like to finish up stating one more incident. We used to play in the morning also, just before the beginning of the classes (from 9:20 to 10 atleast!). One day, due to overnight raining, the ground was muddy, and the match was in its full momentum. Ghosh teacher entered through the gate, very neatly dressed. As she was passing by the ground, Kaku Das (most probably) punched the ball. It was a grounder, and carrying a lot of mud with it, the ball went out of the ground, and hit Ghosh teacher lightly! The physical injury was none, but there were 3-4 "beauty muddy" spots on her saree! All of us stood standstill. Ghosh teacher, with a very peculiar tone (a mixture of sorrow, anger, frustration, and may be many more), told, " Tomraa e ki korle???? Aaj school committee r saathe meeting chhilo!!!!!!! Ekhon ki hobe????????????"
I still remember these words , and the expressions in her face! All the memories might get wiped out, but this particular one is very difficult to fade away.
So, on that day, all of us were overjoyed. Fortunately, we had a Games period that day, right after the tiffin break. I remember all of us finished tiffin in rocket-speed and jumped out of the classroom into the green playground. Due to the games period, we got more than one hour of non-stop playtime. As the games period was over, the bell rang, but none of us were willing to enter the classroom leaving the playground. We continued playing for about more than 10 minutes, when we saw Mita teacher approaching the playground. It was her geography period (one of the most barren subjects to me!). Reluctantly, all of us came back to the classroom and were about to take seats, when Mita teacher, in a very sarcastic tone, said, " This is the third time I called you. Why don't you listen to us? Why not you go back to the playground once more??" The last sentence was the only one which we heard, and quite obviously, all of us left the classroom once again, and went to the playground!!! Mita teacher was so surprised that she could not utter a single word, although the classroom was nearly empty by then.
Two full periods of play simultaneously!!!!!!!!!! We were literally flying with joy. At last, we came back to our classroom after the bell rang. Ohh, i forgot to mention about the rain! It was raining heavily that day, and the ground got muddy in a little while. So when all of us entered the classroom finally, it was a real scene!! Almost all the white shirts turned muddy, the hairs looked as if someone has pulled them ferociously, water falling from the head in drops! The entire classroom and the benches got wet. Mita teacher, meanwhile, informed our teacher-in-charge(Ghosh teacher) about our "non co-operation", and she , along with Thakur Sir(He was very strict and arrogant), came to the classroom.
After the usual scolding(as everybody does!), Thakur Sir, with an evil grin, told," We will not punish you, Nature will punish you! You people played for two hours in the rain??? Huummm, we'll see how many of you come tomorrow!!!" Tomorrow came, and the good thing was, the attendance was more than normal!!!!
I would like to finish up stating one more incident. We used to play in the morning also, just before the beginning of the classes (from 9:20 to 10 atleast!). One day, due to overnight raining, the ground was muddy, and the match was in its full momentum. Ghosh teacher entered through the gate, very neatly dressed. As she was passing by the ground, Kaku Das (most probably) punched the ball. It was a grounder, and carrying a lot of mud with it, the ball went out of the ground, and hit Ghosh teacher lightly! The physical injury was none, but there were 3-4 "beauty muddy" spots on her saree! All of us stood standstill. Ghosh teacher, with a very peculiar tone (a mixture of sorrow, anger, frustration, and may be many more), told, " Tomraa e ki korle???? Aaj school committee r saathe meeting chhilo!!!!!!! Ekhon ki hobe????????????"
I still remember these words , and the expressions in her face! All the memories might get wiped out, but this particular one is very difficult to fade away.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
A perfect day
Yesterday was a very good day for me, more accurately, I should say it a "perfect" day. As all of us know, things always do not remain under our control. If we could have controlled things and certain chain of events, the world would have been a different place to live in. But I should also say that the life would be boring in that way, so it is better to always live in uncertainity , rather than making everything predictable.
I usually do not wake up before 10:30 in the morning. Yesterday, my sleep was shattered around 10:15 when I heard a strong "knock-knock" on my door. I opened the door with a lot of anguish and irritation, when I saw that it was the Postman. He wants my signature to deliver a registry packet. He also gave me three other mails I had.
The packet was none other than 3 cartons of Marlboro cigarettes!!!!!!!!!! I was really overwhelmed. Cigarettes are tooo costly here ( about $4 a single pack), but online stores really sell them cheap-------where 3 cartons worth $51, so each pack comes at $1.70!! Arrival of this packet will make me happy at least for the next 2 months! Glancing on my other mails, I was happy yet again. A new credit card has arrived from American Express. There is nothing to be happy for such a trivial matter, but I was, for a strange reason.
Have anyone ever heard that letter boxes attract thieves????????? This credit card was scheduled to reach me long before, at least a couple of weeks before. But it was stolen from my mail box about 15 days ago, and I was informed by the police that they have got hold of a person who has my card, although it was unactivated!!!!!!!!!! I was really amazed. I have never heard of anyne who steals inactivated credit cards!! Maybe the person is a collector of such item, who knows?? Amex agreed upon sending me a new card, which finally reached yesterday,and I was much relieved!
The rest of the day was good in the department as usual. Coming back home in the evening, I decided to work on a project due next week. To my surprise, that idea clicked too, and I did at least the beginning in a very neat fashion!! I was so happy with my progress that for celebration, I went for dinner in a Chinese Buffet!!!!! After dinner, coming home, I watched the movie ,The Aviator, and after some chatting over phone, went to sleep at 2 am!
So the eve of the Historic May Day was a perfect one for me. Today is 1st May, and I must say cheerfully:
May dibosh Jindabaad
I usually do not wake up before 10:30 in the morning. Yesterday, my sleep was shattered around 10:15 when I heard a strong "knock-knock" on my door. I opened the door with a lot of anguish and irritation, when I saw that it was the Postman. He wants my signature to deliver a registry packet. He also gave me three other mails I had.
The packet was none other than 3 cartons of Marlboro cigarettes!!!!!!!!!! I was really overwhelmed. Cigarettes are tooo costly here ( about $4 a single pack), but online stores really sell them cheap-------where 3 cartons worth $51, so each pack comes at $1.70!! Arrival of this packet will make me happy at least for the next 2 months! Glancing on my other mails, I was happy yet again. A new credit card has arrived from American Express. There is nothing to be happy for such a trivial matter, but I was, for a strange reason.
Have anyone ever heard that letter boxes attract thieves????????? This credit card was scheduled to reach me long before, at least a couple of weeks before. But it was stolen from my mail box about 15 days ago, and I was informed by the police that they have got hold of a person who has my card, although it was unactivated!!!!!!!!!! I was really amazed. I have never heard of anyne who steals inactivated credit cards!! Maybe the person is a collector of such item, who knows?? Amex agreed upon sending me a new card, which finally reached yesterday,and I was much relieved!
The rest of the day was good in the department as usual. Coming back home in the evening, I decided to work on a project due next week. To my surprise, that idea clicked too, and I did at least the beginning in a very neat fashion!! I was so happy with my progress that for celebration, I went for dinner in a Chinese Buffet!!!!! After dinner, coming home, I watched the movie ,The Aviator, and after some chatting over phone, went to sleep at 2 am!
So the eve of the Historic May Day was a perfect one for me. Today is 1st May, and I must say cheerfully:
May dibosh Jindabaad
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Down the memory lane(2)
When I was in class 3 or 4( I don't remember exactly), Verma Teacher was the Assistant Head Mistress of our school. She used to teach us Geography , and I was afraid of her. She was very strict ( Asst Head Mistresses are like that!), and also very, very reserved. Rarely any student has ever seen a smile on her face, and I never saw. But she used to teach nicely, a bit slow, but the method was entertaining.
In the first Geography monthly test, I got 23 out of 25. That was the highest number I have ever obtained in any Geography exam till then, and it has remained as my "all time best"! So, one can imagine how happy I was after the exam, and I started to fear Verma teacher less than what I used to do.
Her class was in the 4th period, that is, the one before the tiffin break. We had a 15 minutes tiffin break, and 15 minutes play break. We, the boys, used to have the tiffin secretly during the 4th period itself, so that we can have 30 minutes to play! But I feared eating during Verma teacher's class, and I feel that the other boys also had the same feeling.
One day, in the midst of the class, she asked one question to a friend( I dont recall the name now). When he was unable to answer, she told him the correct answer, and then started advicing him. The tone was so boring and monotonous that I could not help myself, but started laughing!! I have this strange habit of laughing, and once it starts, its very difficult to stop it! Verma teacher saw me trying to conceal the smile, she told me to stand up, and then again turmed her attention to the other boy. Again the monotonous tone started, and after a couple of minutes, unable to control myself, I burst into laughter!!!
Verma teacher was really surprised, probably, she had not seen such a scene before. She ordered me ," No tiffin, no play either. Stay in the class during the break!" What a strange punishment it was!! The class ended, and when the tiffin period started, my friends started eating opening their tiffin box. I had brought maggi and chocolates that day. So after a while, unable to bear the scene that Godol is putting a whole Paratha in his mouth , I opened my box, and finished the contents within 2 minutes.
Since I disobeyed the first order, I decided to break the second one also, and went to play. After 10-15 minutes, somebody told me that Verma teacher was looking for me. Fully sweat, and without a tie(while playing, all of us used to get rid of that nuisance), I stood in front of Verma teacher, and she asked me:
Where is your tie?
- I was playing, teacher.
- What???? I told you not to do so, isnt it? Did you eat your tiffin also???
- Yes teacher, I like 5 star very much, and I was hungry!!
Verma teacher, undecided about what to say, looked at me in an eye which bored the expressions of surprise, disbelief and a bit of anger! I was certain that the matter is going to get worse, but to my surprise this time, she told me," Go away! From next time, never ever disturb the class laughing, understand??" I nodded, and again went back to play. My perception about Verma teacher changed from that day, and from the next class, my fears went away, although I followed her advice, never laughed in her class!!!!
In the first Geography monthly test, I got 23 out of 25. That was the highest number I have ever obtained in any Geography exam till then, and it has remained as my "all time best"! So, one can imagine how happy I was after the exam, and I started to fear Verma teacher less than what I used to do.
Her class was in the 4th period, that is, the one before the tiffin break. We had a 15 minutes tiffin break, and 15 minutes play break. We, the boys, used to have the tiffin secretly during the 4th period itself, so that we can have 30 minutes to play! But I feared eating during Verma teacher's class, and I feel that the other boys also had the same feeling.
One day, in the midst of the class, she asked one question to a friend( I dont recall the name now). When he was unable to answer, she told him the correct answer, and then started advicing him. The tone was so boring and monotonous that I could not help myself, but started laughing!! I have this strange habit of laughing, and once it starts, its very difficult to stop it! Verma teacher saw me trying to conceal the smile, she told me to stand up, and then again turmed her attention to the other boy. Again the monotonous tone started, and after a couple of minutes, unable to control myself, I burst into laughter!!!
Verma teacher was really surprised, probably, she had not seen such a scene before. She ordered me ," No tiffin, no play either. Stay in the class during the break!" What a strange punishment it was!! The class ended, and when the tiffin period started, my friends started eating opening their tiffin box. I had brought maggi and chocolates that day. So after a while, unable to bear the scene that Godol is putting a whole Paratha in his mouth , I opened my box, and finished the contents within 2 minutes.
Since I disobeyed the first order, I decided to break the second one also, and went to play. After 10-15 minutes, somebody told me that Verma teacher was looking for me. Fully sweat, and without a tie(while playing, all of us used to get rid of that nuisance), I stood in front of Verma teacher, and she asked me:
Where is your tie?
- I was playing, teacher.
- What???? I told you not to do so, isnt it? Did you eat your tiffin also???
- Yes teacher, I like 5 star very much, and I was hungry!!
Verma teacher, undecided about what to say, looked at me in an eye which bored the expressions of surprise, disbelief and a bit of anger! I was certain that the matter is going to get worse, but to my surprise this time, she told me," Go away! From next time, never ever disturb the class laughing, understand??" I nodded, and again went back to play. My perception about Verma teacher changed from that day, and from the next class, my fears went away, although I followed her advice, never laughed in her class!!!!
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