3 Random Things - Week 10

Innocence

Kids say the cutest things. Do you know why? Because their innocence is yet to be tainted. The way they think, the way they find a connection between two unrelated things and the way they make conclusions regarding situations around them are astounding because of this reason alone.

Don't worry. The system and us will spend a decade knocking it out of them. And when they start toeing the line, we will have won. But until then, I can enjoy the free entertainment show put on by my four year old. Well, almost free. Have you ever gone shopping with her?

***

1. Food

Someone brought Appu a small toy cat as a gift. She loved it so much that she started carrying it everywhere. My mom asked her if she wanted a real cat. Appu said yes. My mom then informed her that the cat will grow up and become a big cat, and then Appu can't carry it everywhere.

My four year old had a simple solution. "I won't give it any food. Then it won't grow up."

2. Money

This is the typical response from every child. But still it's something which really pulls on the heart strings.

One Monday morning, as I was about to leave for office, Appu came and asked me not to go to office, and instead play with her all day like we did yesterday. The conversation went like this.

"Acha. Don't go to office."

"I have to go to office."

"Please don't go. Let's play like yesterday."

"What else did we do yesterday?"

"We went shopping."

"And what did we buy?"

"Toys and candy."

"How did we buy that?"

"With money."

"So, why do I have to go to office?"

"To make money."

*Pause*

*Gets up, runs away, and comes back with a box*

"Here is all my money, don't go to office."

She had brought her coin box.

P.S. Now, I tell her that I go to office to help my friends. She's okay with the explanation.

3. Backseat driver

"Why are you going fast?"

"Do you see that lorry?"

"Why are you talking while driving?"

My daughter has been trained by her mother and her grandmother in the dark arts of backseat driving. She is now the de facto mouthpiece for them, showering the driver with the above comments. Of course, she hasn't picked up the exact science behind the theme.

This weekend, Appu insisted on going to the Park, while the other two ladies decided they do not want to walk to much. This culminated in Appu hitching a bike ride with her father and her grandfather to Malampuzha Park.

On reaching the location, it was unanimously decided to take the Ropeway. Whole on the Ropeway, my father and myself were looking and commenting on the lights put up for the flower show, when we suddenly heard her say, "Don't talk while driving."

***

So, that's all for this week then.

Have a great weekend!!

'til next week.

3 Random Things - Week 9

I can't start writing this any later. Of course, that is a figurative way of speech. There's literally two hours and forty four minutes for me to start, but that would leave me with just a minute to finish the blog.

I've had a rough week, all around. You know, the sort of week when "if it can go wrong, it'll go wrong" is the earworm. I have had two blog ideas at two thirds stage for the entire week, but haven't been able to put a beginning or an end to it.

So, this is going to be an impromptu blog, looking back at my old blogs.

***

1. Ormayundo - written on Sep 3rd, 2013

This is the most read post on this blog. No self introspection, no meandering paragraphs, no significant storyline. I guess, comedy is always king.

2. When I asked a certain someone to write a guest post - written on Aug 8th, 2014

"Due to yours truly being temporarily disposed of, I requested our last guest writer Saiprasad, my dear brother to write today's post. Mr."I can't work creatively with deadlines" declined. And I turned to my close friend, Sreerenjini, who after some persuassion decided to indulge us with a short post on the books which influenced her. So, without further ado, here's what she has to say. Enjoy!!!"

Yes. This was written when she was not just my friend.

3. Opinions - written on May 16, 2014

"A single party has won the minimum required majority in the Lok Sabha. It was something I always wanted to happen, as one of the main excuses laid out to explain the stuttering development in this nation has been the influence of regional parties.

Now, a single party can take the decision and lead us on. "To where?" is a very valid question."

Tomorrow I'm having half day off, as a half day holiday has been declared for all Central Government offices.

***

So, that's all for this week then.

Have a great weekend!!

'til next week.

3 Random Things - Week 8

 After-party

The last two posts were a bit heavy, and so I wanted to make this one lighter. This is the time people would be trying to find the funnier side of their new year resolutions. I have decided to go another way today - the fun in the after party.

Those who have drinks claim that that is the way to have a good time. Those who don't have drinks will say that you don't need drinks to have a good time. Now, those who don't have drinks, but still goes to the party will say that the best way to have a good time is to watch others get drunk and then do/say things.

And today, for your guilty pleasure, I bring to you three such stories of drunken innocence. For the anonymity of the protagonists, we will describe all of these as stories of Mr.Raj.

P.S. The stories mentioned below never happened in real life. I pinky swear.

***

1. Tequila Sunrise

This was the first time Raj had had alcohol in his life. It was a party for something (nobody remembers why there was a party, but just a vague recollection that there indeed was a party on that day). Raj started off with beer, and with enough cajoling ended up having some stronger drinks as well. One of his friends, who recently returned from Bangalore, was going on about the variety of drinks that he had had at Pubs over there.

Like at the end of most parties, the entire group went outside the room at around midnight, because someone said they wanted icecream. Shepherded by the non-drinkers, the group eventually got to the icecream parlour and everyone placed their order, as best as they could.

A poor boy, working the graveyard shift, was distributing the icecreams. Suddenly, Raj started quarelling with him. Raj was enraged by the fact that the Tequila sunrise he ordered didn't actually have Tequila.

2. Smoking is injurious to health

Raj had started drinking, but not smoking. Being a sane person, he knew the bad effects of smoking. But once he got drunk, the sane person would leave the building, and so Raj started smoking when he had drinks. This story is from the first time he smoked.

Actually, this story is from the next day. The party went on late into the night, Raj got back to his home early in the morning, and went to sleep without breakfast. By 12pm, a slightly hungover Raj came out of his room and asked for food. His mother said that rice is ready, and asked him to take lunch by himself, as she was doing some gardening.

Raj started eating the food, and his soul left his body. He could taste the smoke from last night in the food he was having. He panicked, went to his room, brushed his teeth again, came back and tried the food. No difference. He went to his room, and called his friend, trying to get some advice on dealing with the problem. His friend, who was also knackered from the party last night, was not picking up the phone.

As Raj kept trying to connect with his friend, he heard his sister call out to his mother from the dining room.

"Ammae. Chettan choor ividae vachittu poi. Ith adiyil pidichu ena thonunnae. Karinju irupunde."

("Amma. He has left without eating anything. This rice is smelling weird. I think it got burned while cooking.")

3. Orthodox drinking

As we move along the drinking career of Raj, we see him arriving late for a party one day, as he was working late at office. Actually, he had worked late, went out with his office friends, had some drinks and now reached this party - the reason being that someone had sponsored a Whisky for this party. This was the first time Raj was having Whisky in his life. He went up to the designated bartender of the group and said without much inhibition, "I'll have one large whisky - orthodox".

"Enthutt??" was the reply in typical Thrissur slang. ("What?")

It took some time and explanation from Raj for all to understand that he had meant to say "on the rocks".

***

So, that's all for this week then.

Have a great weekend!!

'til next week.

3 Random Things - Week 7

Cry.

Do  you remember crying for a feeling other than that of pain or sadness? Out of frustration perhaps, maybe out of helplessness, probably out of a dawning realisation that you are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes even out of happiness?

I've. We all have.

***

November

When you don't feel at ease with the state of your professional and your personal life, you can breakdown during your daily walk on a chilly November evening. Hopefully, you will end up evaluating your life and where you want it to go, and end up taking the Leap of faith. And I hope it gets you where you hoped to be, like it has for me.

2. Onam 2019

If you happened to be at the Neonatal ICU wing of Amrita Hospital at 9am on any day between 7th August 2019 and 21st September 2019, you would have run into me. The princess snoring next to me right now was born nearly three months premature, and that was the visiting time for parents to see their child at the NICU.

I've a very bad memory, so thankfully whatever images I had to see there have been wiped clean in my head. But I still remember one day in particular. She had a recurrence of an infection, and they had stopped feeding her altogether. The doctor told me that morning that there was not much to do, but wait for 24 hours to see how she responds to medicine.

I was on my way to office after hearing that. We were celebrating Onam at office on that day. I had reached this intersection near Kaloor, and I just couldn't drive anymore. I stopped the bike by the side. The helmet hid the tears running down my face. I called in sick and went back home.

3. Onam 2020

You don't need to be a genius to figure out why tears were running down my face on a cold morning in August 2020. It was Onam again, and I had my princess in my arms.

***

So, that's all for this week then.

Have a great weekend!!

'til next week.

3 Random Things - Week 6

Warning : Sufficient fictional license has been used in the content below to not warrant use of logic at your end.

***

Consider three individuals of the similar mental capacity and similar middle class social standing, studying the same engineering degree - A, B and C.

1. A's Father wanted to be an Engineer, but couldn't. So naturally, he decided A will be an engineer. Hence, A is currently doing this course. If someone took time to talk to A, they would realise that A wanted to become a lawyer. However, the dominant nature of the parent stifled A's dreams and A kept studying the course.

2. B's family is precariously poised financially. B's sincere efforts resulted in a seat in the present course - even though B would have liked to repeat the entrance exam and join for a better course/College. However, time was not on B's side. B's father is retiring soon and B has to get a job as soon as possible, to avoid B's family going broke.

3. "We’re the middle children of history. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression." - Fight Club.

C cannot be introduced better than that. Growing up without struggles is a boon and a bane. This might be a second world issue, but a lack of struggle leads to lack of a specific endpoint / continuous force in one direction. C wanted to try everything - and ended up floating carelessly among options, like a paper bag in the wind. Whichever way the wind tugged last, it went.

***

This is a mid-life crisis self awareness rant. I'm not saying that I'm not questioning every decision I made between 18 and 23, but boy is hindsight 20/20. I was whimsical, instead of being logical. During that period, I lacked someone, who could guide me in the long term, instead of short term. I was taking advice from my seniors, who were practically fellow teenagers at that point in time.

We always think that if we could go back in time and do things differently, and the outcome would change to our preference. I don't think it works that way though.

In Gurgaon, I was in a collision where my bike traveling at 60+ kmph hit a car perpendicularly, and I walked away with a bump on my wrist. Another time, I kept my right foot on a football while playing a match, it spun under my foot, and I ended up with all my ankle ligaments torn. A butterfly flapping it's wing at the apt time would have changed the results in both those scenarios.

There are a lot of things beyond our control. We just have to accept that. Efforts made with the right intentions can lead to horrific results, and vice versa. I'm choosing to believe that I'm the culmination of all my choices and the experience it gave me. I'm aware that I can go back in time, make the same choices, and have entirely different experiences.

And I'll say all this, and the very next second, I will wonder what would have happened if there was no recession during the final year of my college. I guess all this is just a part of existing.

***

There was only one thing I was sure in my life. I want to have my family and that will always be my priority - a priority above my work, my career and my friends. I am glad that that dream of mine has worked out splendidly.

A professor picked on me class in 2010. He was making a sweeping statement that "All you people study engineering for four years, then go do software jobs", and I was unfortunately caught in the crosshair. But that pushed me to chose to go for a Engineering based job in Gurgaon over a standard IT job in Bangalore - I chose something against my skillset.

Three and a half years in Gurgaon and the struggles it brought made a better person, and it gave me a direction - I decided that I can't stay outside Kerala. I quit my job, scavenged whatever meagre savings I had, and came back to Trivandrum to do a course in Embedded systems in February 2014.

A certain lady, who shall not be named, was supposed to join the course six months before at Chennai. As her fate would have it, she joined along with me at Trivandrum. She would be the first person to read this line once I post this online.

***

So, that's all for this week then.

Have a great weekend!!

'til next week.