Relax ma Relax..

Running is part of my life.For buses,appointments,movies anything.(Oh you thought I was aspiring to P.T.Usha??Sorry I wouldn't run a race even if my life depended on it.Dinosaurs don't run!)
So even today I ran to keep my appointment at the spa.I had decided to de-stress myself after a tiring week at work. The modern day woman in me decided to relax with a manicure and pedicure..So I sat down with my feet in bubbling warm water and listening to music..Aaah Heaven; before all the hell broke loose with my mind at work..
I was swinging myself on the seven scales of music. I was worried if I didn't get the notes properly my teacher would throw me out of the class. I decided to concentrate on the notations..
But my silly mind kept wandering..Project,code,bugs,client,boss,big boss..
"Relax ma relax..", my beautician had kicked me back to reality..But how could I? I have a hundred chores running through my head..
She asks me to decide on the colour of the nail polish. I sit and stare at their collection..I mentally try to suit my complexion with the colours on the rack..I'm tempted by the blue and green..I chide myself for being silly.I decide to go for something less garish; something very feminine; yet classy. Off course I had to be. This week I have client presentation.The deal was important. At least my boss felt so.Last minute my boss decided to fly to KL leaving that barbaric presentation to me.I was supposed to be only a technical consultant..
If the client dumps the deal; the first thing that flies right out of the Big Boss's window would be me..(Dinosaurs cannot fly!!) Shit happens..But for me it's just that shit always happen..
"Relax ma relax..", my beautician interjects again and smiles at me..But how could I?I have a hundred chores running through my head..
She has smeared so nice smelling lotion/creme over my legs and arms..She mentions ginger and butter...I thought ginger was for cooking..Anyways she wrapped my legs and arms in polythene strips..I look at them and think of sandwiches in Toast Box...I look funny...

Then suddenly I remember about the prescription.The new medication..Doctor had mentioned about it being anti-cancer drug and my eyes had popped out..I push away the cancer part and try to decide how to get to NUH to buy it..(Later in the evening I had spent 20 bucks on a cab for going to NUH only to find out that pharmacies are closed on Sundays and public holidays!!)

"Ma'am have you decided on the colour?" I look at her, little does she know all the colours from my life is draining..I've lost the ability to relax and de-stress..I'm on run; a fugitive of time..Racing against it..I force myself not to cry..Crying makes one weak..I've reserved all my crying to the back seats of cabs...

"Let’s try a sober pink or rose..Something very light..But I want it bright..Nothing glossy for me and no sparkles..."I explain what I want.She,a professional picks up just the right one..And we start the nail painting..

I hope the colour fills my life too..Like a fresh radiant pink rose..I wish they remain so forever..They may fade in time but let the colour fade gracefully..

P:S: I know it's a crappy post.But it feels good to blurt out these thoughts..
P.P.S:Let me get some sleep..It's 2AM and I already have a hundred chores running through my head.

An Untitled Poem

Let me sleep now,
Away from the drums and horns...
The war heralded,I hear...
To end another?
To win over the bad They say...
Who is good and who is bad...
I look at you
I look at them all...
Ain't all of you the same to me?

I found this in my archives..Written long ago...Thought I'd post it to fill up for my absence...As usual my poetic senses had terminated by the time I reached 9 lines..Yet I see a progress...From 4 to 6 to 8 to 9...

Jose Giovanni - Part I

If I had a bunch of examination papers to clear and two broken hands, I would have gone into a depression greater than the one in 1930's.But then it is not me, it is Jose Giovanni.

Jose Giovanni would have got himself a whole chapter dedicated to his sagas; if there were any book that published world’s greatest college legends. He is the hero in my college.

I emphasize on definite article (English teachers please excuse) “the”. Giovanni is not just another jerk in college. He was born with nothing lesser than a diamond studded platinum spoon in his mouth. The lucky bastard was born into a family with ancestors so rich that they could buy the entire solar system if they willed. Thankfully with the wealth, God had given them sense and ample amount of generosity. Therefore, they never did or abetted anything that put another noble living being in distress. So much for the blue blood, Giovanni was no different. He drove the most expensive car in the campus and wore nothing but big brands. When blood is blue, men just look even more handsome.

I’ve heard girls whisper...”Ooooohhhh!””Aaahhhhhhhhhh!”Yes he was one of the most handsome men I have ever laid my eyes on.Square jaw, deep-set eyes that were the color of honey, thin lips and raven black hair. He had an angular nose and high cheekbones. Yes, he looked as if he has just walked out of Phoenician mythology. Yes, I heard you girl, Adonis! I do not know how Adonis would have looked like but then Giovanni looks simply irresistible to women. He was not a rake; he was just a nice human being.

Oh, most importantly he was an excellent football player. Now that was not a great thing academically. He hardly came to classes and even if he did well; he used to sit in the back seat and sleep. Now as the storyteller; let me humbly confess I happen to be a fellow nerd classmate of the Giovanni.

Giovanni was a friend to me also. Yes the smart geek of the class. I am not geek-geek. I just happen to sit in the front bench and submit assignments on time. So inevitably he found out the easiest way to finish his assignments on time. The moment I finish my assignments; I give him a copy of it. He finds time to make minor changes to it and submits it. Therefore, I became his friend along with the football cronies.

Taking life as it comes was never my cup of tea. I worry a lot. You see I was not born even with IKEA stainless steel spoon in my mouth. Sorry to be blunt I was just another baby on earth who thought having  food two times (and sometimes one) was a way of life until I went to school with other kids. So exams give me jitters because failure would be a disaster.

Therefore, I sit at the corner seat in the study hall grinding my way through books my fellow comrades’ use for weight lifting.

It was a May; the exam heat was at it’s peak and so was the summer. I had been sitting in my seat for around two hours and my butt was burning. That is when Giovanni appeared at my humble desk with a request.

(To be continued..)

P.S.I'm really pressed for time.I'll be doing the next part tomorrow and  Thank God It's Friday!!!

The Room Mates

     She calls me TT, my darling TT. No! It’s not the short form of “Tantrum Thrower”. It’s time teller. Tonight my hood is up that means I need to “TRRRIIIIIING” at; hmmm let me see; six in the morning. See she turns a knob on my back so that the tiny yellow needle in my tummy points to my tattoo in the shape of “6”. I am a cool guy I have a lot of tattoos, all numbers!

     Oh! My prima donna, half her time she taps away on her Laptop. I don’t know what; but I guess it’s her job. At times she smiles at Laptop. I hate him for that. All I get is a tight slap on my hood when I “TRRRIIIIIING” in the morning. But I know she loves me the best. Why? Because she wakes up in between and checks out my tattoos. I think she finds me cute.

    “She loves me the best”, I declare aloud to others. Lamp knocks her flexi hood in a mock. ”You? No way, it’s got to be me. I’m the last thing she touches when she goes sleep. That’s how important I am to her. And even though it’s dark I’ve seen her slap you on the hood in the mornings.”

     Not to be left behind sleepy Miss Mirror chimed vigorously.” I’m her best friend. I tell her how pretty she is. As a woman I know how important it is to maintain ones looks. And I tell her clearly (like a good friend) it’s time for exercise or a quick trip to salon.” I don’t like Mirror either even with her smooth and luminous skin.

     That’s when the curling Iron put his head out of the drawer and seethed. ”Hey!! Don’t you dare to say so. I make her look the prettiest in a room. I add a shine to her lanky hair. I curl her mane and add a bounce to it. And then when she walks on her stilettos, head turn.” He stops and we all imagine the sight and a collective gasp escapes us. ”If you say she likes anyone better, I’ll burn you.” He tucks back in to the draw. There is a minute of silence. He is an angry young man with smoldering rage.

     Silence continues only to be broken by a gracious intonation. That’s her bottle of pills. ” Sorry fellas, I’m the one she loves the best. Because it’s me who is going to make her biggest dream come true.” Mr. Pill scratches his head and smiles triumphantly.” I’m going to help her have a baby!!” And he sits back with the expression of cat who has just gulped a bowl of milk.

     There are murmers. I’m a little crest fallen. Now that was being helpful. Does that mean she would love Mr. Pill more?

     “No. Mr. Pill you are just being an aid and nothing more. I’m her best friend. I’ve been with her for the past eight years. I’ve known her for more time than any of you.” That was Mickey. He was gifted by her friends when she was in a place College. He keeps saying he used to live with a bunch of girls in a room. Like we are dumb heads to believe that, Phew! He keeps telling tales like that. But one thing is true; she keeps him close to her when she sleeps and keeps talking to him low voices. He says she confides everything to him.

    “I’m her confidante. That means I’m more important than a lover.” Mr. Mickey snaps at all of us and adds contemptuously, “Morons!”...

    I simmer in rage and open my mouth to retort. Suddenly the door opens and a sliver of light enters from the living room. It’s her; we all know. The black needle points to my tattoo 10.She looks tired. Her hair is disarray. She sits down on the bed stares at the Wall for a long time. My heart is ticking louder and louder. I try hard to keep its beating less noisy. She lies down on her side and curls up in to a ball. She is crying now. Loud. Louder than my ticking heart.

    It’s getting queasy for all of us. She switches on Lamp and puts down my hood. No “TRRRIIIIIING” tomorrow? I wonder. She wipes her face and pulls out Mr.Pill. She swallows all of them. She kisses Mickey good night and switches off Lamp.

Two Books,A Jigsaw Puzzle and a blog-less week

Today is Friday.Why? Because I don’t feel like working. So it should be a Friday. Like last Friday I’m in a confused state of mind. I have loads of work to finish by next Friday and my thoughts are like maggi noodles; without any start or end. And curiously the song that’s running through my head right now is “Ek paheli hain tu,naarnaveli hain tu,jitna mein suljhavu utni yeh ulajthi jaye..” from the Dev Saab’s Heera-Panna…

Strangely, I can hear a voice in my head.The profusion of the same leaves me frowning like a gentleman trying to make out the cricket commentary from the garbled voices of a transistor.

In a Lonely Looney Loop

Going Round ‘n Round like a Hoop

I know it’s a cranky post. But then you forget it’s my blog.Wait! Is this what they call a writer’s block/bloggers block? May be may not be…I’ve being missing in action for a while because I’m trying to finish a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle(1.5ftX2ft;ya it is ginormous). It’s interesting and addictive. I’m half way through I’ll soon publish a snap of the finished product before I frame it. (Yes I’m ambitious and confident I got a frame too)

I was busy reading “The Room” by Emma Donoghue and “I am number Four” by Pittacus Lore. The first one was an absolute pleasure. The narrative is fresh and smooth.

Told in first person by a 5 year boy, The Room is deep and intense. The innocence of the narrator makes the story even more gripping. I finished it in a day (could barely convince myself to bathroom breaks). If not for the storyline The Room will definitely captivate your mind for the narration style.Sometimes it’s not about the story it’s about how it is told. No I have no intention to tell you what it’s all about; you got to read it and tell me. But let me warn you this is a fast read but not a light read.The characters will keep roaming the corridors of your mind even long after the book has taken it’s place in the shelf.

The second one is another alien-wars saga. Nothing new in it if you have read LOR and the likes. But then I like the conspiracy theories and the idea of existence of parallel universes. Grab a copy ,it’s a light read.

Friday (the actual one; today is virtual Friday) is diwali.I have a long weekend and I’m looking forward to some serious blogging.