To Bargain Or Not

I can't haggle to save my life. I don't like to haggle. My mother though can run a certification course on the same. Sadly, I havn't inherited an ounce of that art.

We've been looking for a particular kind of cushin cover for a really long time. Today at CP Mumma found the perfect match. This, after looking through an insane number of covers and trying out different combinations. Then of course came the inevitable

"Kitne lagaogi ?"

"Madam, maine toh aapko theek theek hi lagay hai. 75 ka hai, maine aapko 60 ka bataya hai."

"Chalo 50 ka de do."

"Nahin madam usme toh humara kuch nahin bane ga."

"Arre de do na."

I'm already squriming at this point.

"Nahin, madam"

Chalo theek hai phir, hum aage se dekh le ge

And then the walk away. Now this I've always thought to be the riskiest move. Also, the one that is most likely to get you the best bargains. I mean if you really like whatever it is that you're buying and the guy doesn't relent, you'll end up regretting the walk away.You can't really go back because then the shopkeeper has the upper hand. Or as my five year old cousin would say " Aap ki chop ho gayi " .
Of course, if he does relent and holler for you to come back, you're the lucky winner.

So yes, coming back to my mom's shopping strategy. We walked and she hollered back. We walked a little more and we could hear her scream in the background. So I told my Mom that we should go back and get them. I took her purse and walked back. Now, Mumma thought she'd bargain for 200 (50 *4 ). But when I went back, I some how managed to agree to 220. Mom was furious. But I managed to convince her. The cushion cover lady didn't have change so my Mom got impatient and decided to walk. For twenty bucks. We walked away for twenty bucks.

And this is where my problem with bargaining begins and ends. If you like it, you should get it. That is, if it it involves as little a sum as twenty rupees. Its not a hundred or a grand. Twenty we can afford.

Cushion cover lady follwed us and got the change with her. So we ended up paying 220.My Mom of course, has vowed to never go shopping with me.

My Dad thinks we should have started with 30!

Here Comes That Train !

The Metro's finally reached Noida !!

I've lived through a lot of construction work, diversions and traffic jams for the last 2 and half years. Needless to say I've really anticipated this moment. The sight of the train being tested a week before gave me such a kick! So yes, I couldn't wait for Friday, the thirteenth.

Mumma couldn't stop talking about it on Friday. She even clicked a photo of it from our balcony. First day was going to be mad so we figured we'd risk Saturday and go for a ride. Of course, half of Noida would have used the train on Friday. The other half, unfortunately decided to turn up the exact moment that I did. So the station was jam packed when we got there. I'd quite literally dreamt of the day I would buy my Smart Card ( yes, I am slightly dramatic). The platform was a total mess !! There were just too many people trying to spot the train. I love the fact that I can spot my house from the platform. So yes, fifteen minutes later the train decided to grace us with its presence.

And then the pushing and shoving began. I've travelled in blue lines and DTCs before so I'm used to it all and over the years have learnt to hold my ground even if it is a few square centimetres. Mumma though hasn't been in a bus for quite some time. I could see how much the rush was bothering her. We ended up standing right next to the doors. So she tried telling people not to get in at several stations. Obviously, that didn't work. And just as we were pushed and shoved in, we were pushed out at Rajeev Chowk.

I'd like to believe that the once the initial excitement wears of, the rush will get staggered. But I'm also painfully aware that there's no way that I can avoid all that rush always. Sadly, the Metro can't make people disappear. Or may be everyone will travel by the train and the roads will be emptier. Maybe not.

The ride back was much better. We got seats and watching the lit up line from the Metro was great.

Thank you DMRC :)

Mumma's Birthday And Going Back To Where We Belong

We celebrated Mumma's fiftieth today in compensation for last year. I felt so bad for her, completely ruining last year because of my papers and I had promised to make it up to her this year. So we celebrated her 50th today and we celebrate her 51st tomorrow :)

I gave her tons of options and wherever she wanted to go we'd go. I knew she wanted to go back to Khan Market. She's been wanting to go back for years and some how I've never managed to get her there.

Mumma's grown up in Khan Market. Spending winters there because Kashmir was way too cold. So naturally, I've grown up hearing stories of Khan and how much fun every one had together.

Over the three years in college I've spent a lot of time in Khan myself. I even looked up Flat no. 10 and reported back to her that it now housed a salon.

As I drove towards the parking I could sense her excitement. She started looking around and told me of how she remembered it. I let her lead the way. I knew where she wanted to go first. 10, Khan Market. She stood there and just looked. I could sense all those memories flooding back. We even went up and looked around, as she proudly announced to all in sight that she used to live there earlier.

We went all around the market. I heard stories of night stays, bike rides, morning walks and more. I've heard most of them before and I know I'd love to hear them all over again. She told me of shops that were there even when she was young. She told me how much the place had changed.

I thought we'd go to CP next but she wanted to go to Lodhi Garden. I know how much she used to love those morning walks with Papaji. She looked around like an excited kid. We walked all over the place and I loved the fact that she was completely enjoying herself.

Its been a wonderful wonderful day. We haven't spent this sort of time together in a very long time and I'm very glad we did.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUMMA :)

Of Home, Audits, Train Rides And All That Jazz

I've just come back from my first out station audit.

It was my first trip alone in years.

I wasn't looking forward to it a lot but it eventually turned out to be a lot of fun. I suddenly realised how use to I am to staying in Delhi. I crib about the traffic but deserted roads in Panchkula made me uncomfortable.I complain about the millions of people and zero breathing space but an almost empty mall on a Saturday evening made me feel like I had landed on Mars.

I love Delhi.

But I never really knew that. I've always wanted to move out. I've made extravagant plans of moving to DC or owning a farm in Vienna. I'd never even considered that leaving would ever be an issue.

I also didn't love the whole being alone bit as much as I thought I would. Mornings just dragged on forever. I must have called home some three times even before breakfast. The silence at night wasn't soothing and that stupid coir mattress didn't help either.

I discovered family and the fun of hanging out with cousins. I've never felt so loved by relatives in a really long time. Those late night gossip sessions still have me in splits. I hope we get to meet more often !

To top it all the work wasn't that bad either. Tons of new stuff that I will hopefully remember.

It was a great week and I'm glad to be back home !!

Of Blue Elephants and Disappearing Parks

I see those statues everyday. Wrapped in blue plastic waiting to be unveiled. It makes me sick every single day. Mayawati and her army of blue elephants trampling over every park in sight.Endless articles have and will be written on the money and environment. But she's also managed to single handedly destroy much more than that.

I remember driving by those walls a couple of months back. Kari and I thought it was to border the parks. Little did we know that Mayawati was just trying to keep all the demolition out of sight. I remember how Papa came home all distressed one day. He had managed to get a glance behind those massive stone walls. He couldn't stop talking about how everything had been razed to the ground. He could see the swirls of mud spilling onto the road from his office.

I don't remember the last time I went to Nandan Kanan but I have a lot of happy memories there. The endless orange bars I've had there, the school picnics, sleeping in the winter sun and taking a drive just to see the fountains light up the night.

Its all gone now.

And even though there's a stay and the court might intervene, what was is now all gone.

If I could, I'd love to go throw a shoe at those stupid statues.

21 it is!

I wanted to mark the day on my blog.

And even though I'm three days late, I still wanted to write this post.

I'm not one of those people who start counting down days a month before their birthday or get really super duper excited.

But this one I was really looking forward to. 21 has a great ring to it and I get to use it for one entire year. I'd planned to do tons of things, some plans worked out and others didn't. I didn't get the dress or the haircut. But I had great two days and I'm trying to stretch and spill the happiness over to this.

So even though Henna might say I'm already half way to 42, I'm really kicked to be 21!!

Of Tax Reports, Five Audits and Six Whole Months

Its been six months.

Six whole months.

I didn't thing I'd survive this long. Half a year seems like a really long time!

I don't think I've made many friends but that's not really something I was looking for any way.


I'd promised myself that I'd give the work my best shot. I figured maybe, just maybe I might like something. Six months and a tax deadline later, I know at least one thing for sure. Tax is way cooler than any audit.I like looking up stuff on my own or figuring what the act really wants to say. There's a certainty to tax that in some weird kind of way is vaguely comforting. I hate asking people around and new audits scare me slightly.I don't know what to do, who to ask, where to go.

Mumma used to constantly tell me that she can't imagine me spending all my days buried in files in front of a computer.But honestly, I don't mind it one bit. I like having my own desk and my own laptop.I like labelling files and sorting out papers.

But it also worries me that I might get too comfortable. And then not have enough guts to get out when I really want to.

Hopefully, by the end of the next 6 months I'll know exactly where I want to be.

Baby Noor

I'm not too fond of lizards but unlike most people I don't think they're creepy and disgusting. I do hate mosquitoes though. Lizards eat mosquitoes. So all my life I've followed the simple logic of a lizard being an enemy's enemy and thus, my friend.

But for a while now I've been noticing these baby lizards all over my house. They're just beyond cute. With tiny hand and feet that look like they're been sketched on the wall, these lizards are just adorable. Watching them run around the house has been so much fun. Many an exam night I have spent looking out for these lizards for some entertainment.

I can't believe people shoo them out of their house or even try to kill them!

Since I have been so in love with these baby lizards, I decided to name them! I can't really differentiate between them so they're all called Noor :)

The last baby Noor was spotted a couple of days ago but I haven't seen her since. I'm waiting for a new one to pop on my walls soon!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Believe it or not, your life does not depend on the Direct Tax Code.
Really.

-Pa

HAPPY FAMILY.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROGER!

Why so sad.

How are you feeling now?

I'm ok. No fever now.I just feel all fat.

But you're not fat.

I am.

Why don't you watch something on TV? Watch So you think you can Dance.

Look at them. They're all so thin.

Ok, so maybe this was not such a good idea.

Its just so hot.

Then why don't you switch on the AC?

Because then its just too cold.

Then just increase the temperature.

but it doesn't go above 25.

Are you sure you're ok?

I just feel like crying.

Umm..why? Did someone say something at work?

No. I just get this feeling from time to time.

__________________________________________________________

Are you feeling better today?

I spent the entire afternoon crying.

Why?

It happens sometimes. I'm fat, I haven't studied and I'm not motivated enough.

But you're sick. You can't be motivated.

Still.

_____________________________________________________________

Hello.

Ok woman here's the deal. I know you really like to, but you need to stop wallowing in self pity. Stop wallowing.Stop.

umm..ok.

Have you cried in the last two hours?

No.

Have you eaten anything?

I want to eat Spaghetti.

You know you really make it impossible for anyone to help you.

Of Audit Reports, Excel Sheets and Traffic Jams

I figured it is high time I start documenting my work days :)

It has been one hell of a week. I've just finished my first Internal Audit report. I've gotten up at 4 in the morning to work on a presentation. I've spent 2 entire hours trying to get home from CP. I've learnt a billion Excel short cuts. I'm discovering office politics.I've also counted everything from beer glasses, knives, pillow cases, examination sheets and fans.

Work has been fun. But I'm guessing that's because everything is new. Once the sheen wears off, I'm fearing its going to get slightly boring. Thankfully, I start at a new place on Monday :)

I've been working since May 14,2009. The days are all sort of flying by and I can't really tell one day from the other. That really can't be such a good thing. Hence, the blog post.

Of Greener Grass And Sour Grapes.

Twenty suddenly seems so old.

I've finished college, I have a job and I drive my own car. As a ten year old I wanted nothing more than to grow up and have my own cabin and computer.I'm living the life I hoped I would.

And in that same ten year old brain I had a list of things that I hoped I'd never let go of. I couldn't imagine life without them. As I discussed school gossip with Ratik on Pranav's birthday, I realized how much of that list had already disappeared or was fast vanishing. Now this list is not a profound collection of ideas, values or even people. It was just normal everyday stuff that I thought I'd absolutely die without.

I used to love the summers regardless of how hot it would actually get. Summer meant bhutta and mango every evening. I used to pity people who didn't know what an excellent combination they were missing out on. I've started to hate mangoes and I can't even remember the last time I had bhutta. With the advent of frozen corn, even corn rice is not exclusively summer anymore.

Summer was also when the swimming pool would become my second home. And now three entire summers have gone by and I can count the number of times I've been to on one hand.

I'm a TV addict. Or was till some time back. I had a couple of friends who didn't have one at home and frankly their life just seemed so sad. It sounded insane that people actually lived with little or no TV in their life. I count myself lucky now if I get to watch even one Seinfeld episode a week.

The movie hall-every weekend has been my family's motto till as far back as I can remember. I love everything about the movies. I love the trailers. I love the pop corn. I love talking for hours about the bad ones. The works basically. So when Papa told me about movies releasing that I hadn't heard of, I sort of started freaking out.

There's almost nothing on that list that hasn't disappeared except possibly the phone, the fact that I live with my parents and that I still love to underline.

The "coolness" of this life is suddenly lost one me. I have to start rediscovering it before the discontentment descends.

All I need is another list.

For the lack of cheesy titles

I don't like farewells or good byes. They make me uncomfortable. But they still need to be perfect for me.

I'd rather people leave and then call from wherever as if they never really went away.

I've been dreading this moment for the past couple of months now. That one moment you realise how pretty soon everything constant around you will change. Yes, these three years have flown by but July 16,2006 doesn't really feel like yesterday either.

It has been an eventful three years to say the least :)

Everytime I cried over friends in school, Mumma would tell me of how true friends are always found in college. I rarely believed her. Of course now I think that she couldn't have been more right.

It hasn't been the easiest three years. I didn't make it any easier with the constant bickering and howling. I'd hate it when I was constantly told how everything in the world happens for a reason. I couldn't see a single reason.

Now I see a million !

I'm not sure I'll miss college that much. But I will miss the people. I will miss my van and how there was never a dull moment.

I know that things are going to change and possibly not always for the best. But right now I just want to think about all the fun and happy stuff that made these three years so memorable :)

DANCE FOR DEMOCRACY

I’m a 20 year old Indian citizen eligible to vote. But after 4 failed attempts to get a voter ID card, I’m beginning to wonder why we’re even called a democracy.

One of the first things my parents insisted on after I turned eighteen was to apply for this all essential government document. So this becomes attempt number one. I waited and waited for those verification lists to be released. But nothing happened. No list no name. I figured that it wasn’t that bad a situation. I was sure loads of people apply more than once.

So we come to attempt number two. Again form filled, again no name. By this time I had completely lost interest. My parents still had some hope.

What changed my mind was this campaign by some RWAs to help people get voter-id cards. I made my enquiries and made my way to Rockwood School. So this became attempt 3. This time I was confident that I would FINALLY get the card. But then again I trust the system way too much for my own good.

This brings me to attempt four. Furious and agitated, Mumma and I made our way to the Election office. It wasn’t difficult to find, half of Noida seemed headed in that direction!
There were 2 windows for submitting the forms and a lot of people. Obviously, as Indians we still don’t understand the concept of lines. So basically everybody was on top of each other trying to reach that elusive window. Pushing and shoving people in my way I finally reached the counter only to be greeted by a signboard that said” Submit form, no enquiry allowed” . There were so many people that none of the forms were being checked. I was handed my fourth receipt and told to wait at least a month before I even enquire.

The whole exercise seemed like such a farce. There are no codes or receipts numbers on the acknowledgement I’ve been handed out four times. Even if I want to, I can’t track down the status of my application. I have a feeling that somewhere in some dilapidated government office millions of forms are just rotting away.

Not the poverty nor the unemployment or terrorism, this feudal voter-id issuing system has been the biggest failure of our democracy. I want to vote, I’ve done everything in my power to be eligible to (except bribing someone) but I still can’t exercise my right.

We might be called the biggest democracy in the world, but I’d like to see how many people of this huge population actually had a stress free ride while obtaining their voter-id card.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Powered by: Chakpak.com	Slumdog Millionaire

I've just got back from watching the movie and I knew I *had* to write this one before I fell asleep.

Q & A is one of my favorite books of all time. I still remember how all of us had fallen in love with it as 17 year olds. I couldn't wait for the movie to be made. Of course all the Oscar-Golden Globe buzz just made me even more excited.

I had my doubts when I heard snippets of the story but I promised myself to not think of the book while watching the movie. That obviously did not happen. I kept going back to pages and wondering why they changed so much.

Ok, first things first, it is a good movie. Brilliantly shot and edited. A.R Rahman most certainly deserved that Golden Globe and definitely has his name written on that Oscar statuette. The kids were a great cast as well.

I totally understand why so many people have liked the movie. I'll even understand if it actually does sweep all the Oscars. But as a great fan of the book I was left with a sense of loss and disappointment at the end.

The book is no longer called Q & A and everybody who picks up Slumdog Millionaire from a book shelf will end up reading a story completely different from the movie. It makes me sad that even though the sales of the book will pick up, no one will experience the same joy or amazement at what a marvelous piece of literature it really is.

Or maybe that will always be the problem with screen adaptations. The director cannot film every page written but has to make you feel the same emotions as that of the book. And this is where I think we need to appreciate Mira Nair ( for Namesake) and even Satyajit Ray ( who turned two books into a series of three movies).

There was just so much in that movie that wasn't needed. And I'm not one of those who have a problem with all that poverty being shown. The entire second half of the movie was original. It shouldn't be called an adapted screenplay, inspired is actually the right word.

If the same thing had been made in hindi I'm pretty sure it could have easily been labelled as a typical masala-potboiler. Ironically it gets made in English and sweeps the world of its feet.

The biggest problem I have of course is still the title. Funnily enough the book never even mentions the term.

Ghajini

Powered by: Chakpak.com	Ghajini

I've been waiting to see this one for quite some time and frankly speaking I feel slightly disappointed.

Maybe I should start with what I liked. I liked the music. I loved Asin. I think it was she who was the high point in the movie and not Aamir. I loved the whole Aamir-Asin romance, it was quite nice.

But there was just too much wrong with it.

For starters, the villain was awful. Beyond awful. Plus, he had the worst dialogues ever! Sample this : "Yeh short term memory loss patient mujhe mare ga, mujhe? " or "Dekh short term memory loss, delkh mujhe!".
He wasn't the least bit scary. What they needed was a villain who evoked fear. What we got was a two bit actor and some shady-sidey goons. Technically if the movie is named after the villain then he should at least have some screen presence. I think this was a major shortcoming of the movie.
And the violence. Too gory, too bloody and sickening. I think it is time we officially ban iron rods from hindi movies!

I don't think it was a brilliant performance by Aamir either. I mean all he did as the short term memory loss patient ( no pun intended) was growl, fight and look around.

The director doesn't give the audience time to even feel an ounce of sympathy for his character or the great loss he has suffered. We just shift from happy to violent in a split second. And thus, I didn't really feel a connect with the character at all.

And then there were just too many loopholes. I think the script writers just dug a hole for themselves when they proclaimed that the protagonist could only retain information for 15 minutes. Very conveniently Aamir would remember and not question stuff for long periods of time. And then just as conveniently suddenly look lost. I mean they can't expect the audience to be *that* stupid.

And we also have the Rajnikanth-science defying stunt scenes. Aamir survives a rod being pushed right through his belly, manages to kill the villain and even eventually have a happy and peaceful life. Now that's something.

Would I recommend it. Not really. It is not that great and definitely fell short of my expectations.

On Education

Half Yearly Examination
Class V
Subject : English

Name:__________ Section: _____________ Roll no. _____________

Q.1 Read the following passage and answer the given questions:
There are eight crows in the picture. Seven crows are flying. There are seven ducks in the picture. Five ducks are in the water.

Q.1a How many crows are there in the picture?
Ans______________________________________
________________________________________
_________________________________________

Q.1b How many ducks are in the water?
Ans_______________________________________
__________________________________________
___________________________________________

Q.2 Complete the sentences:

This is an elephant.
Its ears are _____.
Its eyes are _____.

This is a rat.
Its tail is _______.
Its eyes are______.

This is a rabbit.
Its tail is ________.
Its ears are______.

Q.3 Fill in the blanks-
R_d ,
C_pb_ard ,
O_ange

Q.4 True or false?
a. Butterflies do not fly.
b. The frog scares the birds away.
c. Pigeons and parrots are birds.
d. Frogs can crawl.

Q.5 Fill in the blank-

A Gardner _______ of the garden.
A barber _______ hair.
A caprpenter_____ furniture.
A teacher _____ us.
A doctor _____ his patients.

Q.6 Give the meaning of :
Long: ____

Sky: _____

Field: ____

People: _____

Colour: _____
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I volunteered for Teach India in July this year. I though it was a great idea and I could easily spare two hours every Saturday.

And so I started teaching Class V English at the Primary Government School, Chalera Village.
I remember my first day. It took me at least 40 minutes of driving through narrow lanes to finally find the school and a decent place to park.

The school is bigger than the other government schools in the area. There's a ground in the middle and a series of classrooms around it. There are no tables or desks. No fans or lights. Just a bare classroom with a dilapidated black board and some charts on the walls. The children sit on mats which are threadbare. They clean the class room themselves in the morning and I think even contribute to buy the Jhadu as well as the chalk. I don't have the courage to go look at the bathrooms.

And so I began my first class. I didn't really have an option but English because all the other subjects were taught in Hindi and frankly its been years since I've written full page in Hindi.

The children are all very sweet. More so because I refuse to use the cane their teacher promptly handed me when I started teaching. Slowly I discovered how far behind they were in English to any other child possibly in my school in class V. But then again, they don't really speak it outside the classroom. They treat it exactly like I used to treat Sanskrit in school. It is just something you have to get by. They're probably know as much English as some child in class I in a public school.

I am no excellent teacher myself. But I try. The problem is that they don't even understand what Grammar means. So I try different ways to make them understand simple rules. At the same time I've discovered how complicated a language English is!

And it all came down to this paper. But that turned out to be a bigger scam. I was told to tell them all the answers. And that's what I did. So now I know how they have passed all these years.

It is not really the teachers who are at fault. There is one teacher teaching class V six different subjects, that too at a ridiculously low salary.On top of that there are transfers and stupid government duties. How can you expect anyone to be that proficient? I can't expect anybody who'd like to either teach or study in those conditions.

Going there every Saturday is like entering a new world. A world that is completely alien to me. The place is no castle yet everybody is very happy. They don't complain or crib. Maybe because they know nothing better. Some of the children are genuinely very bright and so many of them really want to learn something. I just wonder what happens to them after this class.

And these kids are the future of our country.

This is it :)

They're done.



The papers have been over for a really long time now.

It has taken me more than a month to get over the laziness and get back to writing.

I have more exams in a month but I'm not really thinking about that for now :)

The happiness and relief have sort of faded away by now.

I don't exactly know what this post is supposed to say except that I'm back!

63 days to go

2nd November is 63 days away. * I started writing this post last week*

Exams that seemed millions of years away are finally year. I figured, since they're all that I've been thinking about, I might as well blog about them.

I don't remember the last set of November exams all that well. I wish I did. Maybe it would have taken some of the pressure of, knowing that I've been through it once.

I 've made my schedule. Nothing feels better than to tick a chapter in that little red book ( Sounds slightly Communist?).

My Dad keeps telling me to take it one day at a time. I prefer it that way as well but time really seems to be flying by. And every time I start talking of all those things I want to do after November he gives me this look and tells me to think of only the exams.

There's so much to do!

I didn't imagine it would be this tough. It is tough because there' s no constant evaluation. I have no idea how I'm doing or whether I'm really on the right track.

So this is what I've decided to do. Since I am really going to be at home for the next two months I am going to take out all my exam stress on the blog.

So this blog is going to witness all that I am going to go through as the exams get nearer *shudder*