Trip to my office!!

“No Monday morning blues… I love to go to office! I love work! “. I start my day with that positive attitude. But that positive air around me vanishes the moment I step out of my house to travel. I have two options of traveling to my office. One - depend on the share autos that are readily available in Chennai. Those motta-sized autos that can take you to any nook and corner of the city provided you don’t complain about the rash driving and the bumpy roads. Two – depend on my own bike. The first option will sound good to anyone who hasn’t stepped into share auto. Yeah right… You don’t have to strain yourself by driving the auto; all you have to do is sit and enjoy the ride. But do you actually enjoy it? In the place of three, five people would be forced to sit and that too if you are unlucky like me, every time you take the auto, you will be surrounded by hefty people and among them, one would definitely be leaning completely on you. :-( You try to squeeze yourself so close to one corner trying to avoid the big fat guy, then what happens? A bump on the road... there you go…the fat guy will comfortably fall against you. If you somehow manage to avoid him, be careful and always look out for the screws that hang loose in the autos. One more bump on the road, the screw will directly drill your head. Here is what you have to do

1. The moment you enter into the auto, go to the left most corner.
2. Make sure that you pay the driver beforehand.
3. Hold all your belongings (your hand bag, purse or whatever) in your right hand there by preventing anyone to lean on you :-)
4. Rest your left hand on your head or place your hand on the loose screws, there by you get to save yourself.
5. Sit properly so that you don’t loose your grip when the autowallah take you o on the rollercoaster ride.

Now that I know lot about share autos, I prefer riding my own bike. But there are few things that you gotta do before actually riding the bike:

1. If you are dust allergic or if your skin gets tanned, wear gloves that cover your hand completely. Make sure that the gloves are not soft and not too tight as it may leave impression on your hands.
2. Next is your hair. Duppatta serves well to save your precious hair. Knot your duppatta in such a way that your hair is completely covered.
3. If your path involves subways or shallow roads, beware of the puddles. You can always wear an over coat over your chudidar or formals to safeguard your dress.
4. For safety purpose, put on your helmet
5. For shielding your eyes from dust, drop down the helmet glass.

There, I have done all those, how do I look?? Well…I am totally covered. I can avoid the dust and heat…Though I look 2 inches fat with over coat and duppatta. Well…. That’s ok…This is perfectly fine as far as I am not traveling in that dreadful auto. All said and done, I also gotta keep saying “I love to go to office”!!! :-)

Take time to look around!!

“Why don’t we put that between the grills of the balcony? It is worth a try” said my dad to my mom. My mom thought it was hopeless. But she didn’t want to disappoint my dad and so she asked him to give it a shot. So with that determined look, he carefully lifted the artificially entwined hay, dried roots and leaves and placed it on a thick cardboard. Then he lifted the cardboard and placed it between the grill links on the top right corner of our balcony. He stood there for a minute staring at his work and then beaming proudly he said, “This will be not be empty for long. I am sure it will be inhabited.”

Everyday, my dad used to observe if anything new has happened. You gotta be really patient if you are gonna test nature. Sheesh…. I can never be patient like this. I often tease my dad saying that he is wasting time but he just walks away saying “I will not do that if I were you”.

April- May is the period during which I would never invite anyone to Chennai. Dreadful Chennai… Temperature shoots up; with the sweat and dehydration you feel restless and irritated all the time. Oh Man… Chennai sucks. And above all traveling in such climate, makes everything worse. I used to be dejected and tired when I reach home late at night after traveling for an hour from my work place. It was one particular night; I came home very late and went to the balcony to relax. It was pitch dark outside, cool breeze, rustling of dried leaves, clear sky, and the twinkling stars… It was a very relaxing sight. To compliment this amazing view, a soft chirp was coming from nowhere. But the chirp was very clear and distinct as thought it was coming from near by. I looked around and then I remembered… I ran inside to switch on the balcony lights and as I expected, there it was…!! It was an amazing sight. A small bird was sitting in that nest…. Is it the color of the bird or is it its pointed beak or its sharp eyes, I don’t know what captivated me so much. I stood there for some time relishing the sight. And then I went inside and woke my dad and told him what I found. He said “Yeah I know…”

“That’s it?? That’s your reaction? You waited for all these days, to get it inhabited. Why don’t you enjoy? Come and see it…” I compelled.

My dad looked at me for sometime and said “Your life has become monotonous. You have time to SMS for hours, you have time to watch a movie every week, and you have time to roam around. But you don’t have time for me. You don’t even have time for yourself… I just want you to understand simple things... Relax... Look around... Spend sometime everyday for yourself… there are lots of things to notice… That is a gift for you! Take time to enjoy and relish the simple things around you. Good night!”