TGIF

This has been an extremely productive day so far :

Refreshed my memory after elaborate discussions on 'Office Space'. I now know every scene, every joke, every concept it ridicules, like the back of my hand.

Solved one medium difficulty level Sudoku puzzle.

Chose between going for Hancock vs going for Happy Hour.

Followed the stock market.

Small-talked with everyone I know on this floor.

Researched the top 10 list of books that I want to read. 'The 4-hr workweek' tops my list.

Overate at lunch.

Blogged. Left comments on friends blogs.

Decided that I want to do an MBA from one of the top B-schools.

T(ed)GIF.

Yays and Nays of the week ahead

Yay's!

1) Going to CT for 10 days.
2) 3rd Wedding Anniversary coming up.
3) Spending the weekend in a Catskills resort.
4) Working out of the World Financial Center in NYC.
5) Train commute to work with coffee + donut + newspaper + laptop bag in in tow.
6) Eating tasty Aks-cooked food for as long as I'm there.

Nays.
1) None.

When small cuts bring big tears

Like a burn while trying to place the sausage on the grill and your hand touches the 375F hot roof of that damn oven.

Like the thin paper cuts, when all you wanted was to fold a piece of harmless looking paper.

Like the eeeooowww pain when you bang a limb - esp the little toe - against the edge of a wall, a door, a sink, a dining table or anything that doesn't make it's presence felt until you hit it.

Like the pinch when your skin gets caught in the tiny space between two desks or chairs.

Like when you loose your balance in the bathroom and your flailing arms reach out for the ornamental cactus in front of you. That sucker.

Stories of the contorted mind

One time, when I was probably in my teens, a kid came up to me on the club jetty and said her mom had forbidden her from talking to me. Wow! 'I am finally the girl your parents warned you against,' I thought and immediately began to gloat. Then, out of curiosity, I asked her why was she told to stay away from me and she replied 't was because I hang around with guy friends.

How lame!!

'Hmm', I tell myself, 'so, I am being talked about ... well that's good but next time try not to find out the 'why' something was said ... sorta dulls the pleasure.'

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So, I'm walking past the Calcutta GPO with a friend. He says , 'Wow isn't this building huge! Imagine how many lacs of mails and parcels it has at any given time.'

I'm awed too. And I muse, 'Wow, this building IS huge! Imagine if it catches fire.'

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My Rule Book. And it applies to you.

1) When you have nothing to say, say nothing.

2) If I really want to hear what you think, I'll ask you the third time. Until then please keep your opinions to yourself.

3) Stop trying to tell me what kind of person you are. I'd like to find that out for myself.

4) Learn to pick up hints. When I don't answer your question the first time, it's not because I didn't hear you.

5) Make up your mind. It's important for me to know that you have one.

6) Be open to new customs and no, being what-you-are is not always acceptable.

7) Don't talk for more than 2 minutes at a stretch. My response after you've spoken that long, is usually a "Hmm".

More coming up ...

When you can't beat 'em nor join 'em

Everybody buys a car for it's resale value, right?', ' We desis don't drink wine, right?', 'When you get married everything changes, right?'

Right?

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

W.R.O.N.G.

Constantly arguing, trying to fix stupidity, being forced to have an *opinion* and remaining tactful about it is so damn stressful. I wish people stopped being so curious about what I think.

Well, unless they plan to write my biography in which case I can give them more than what they want to know as long as I can get a cut of the profits.

Anyway. I wish people understood the pain it takes to develop into a laid back, have-no-strong-feelings, whateverrr kinda person. All this interrogation plays havoc with my equilibrium. And unfortunately, the mind cannot process being opinionated and sensitive at the same time.

So if you really want to know what I think - don't ask. Just observe.

Wardrobe upgrade

Oh the world of well fitting clothes! Never one to care about what I wore as long there was a denim and a tee to get in and out of, I am absolutely thrilled by the compliments I've been getting at my workplace. To quote one colleague who I often meet in the hallway and don't yet know her name : "One day I'll go shopping in your wardrobe" :-)

How do I tell her that it took me more than five years to finally break free of my tee-kurta-jeans-tracks wear. That I had to borrow party clothes from friends and use pins and tucks to fit my petite frame.

But gone are those days now! My current wardrobe has clothes which actually are my size and well ... flatter my curves (never knew I had them in the first place!!).

Guess I'm ready for my thirties - Stylish and Sexy. Ain't that the mantra !

Coming up : The Rule-Book !

Another page from the rule-book

Ever seen those commercials on TV where a kid tells you how much he/she is enjoying that product because ‘it is rich in calcium, proteins … yada yada yada … and I lovvvve it because it is good for me’. One big, well enunciated sentence.

Ugh.

I can’t even begin to tell how much these commercials irritate me. For the life of me I cannot appreciate a two or a three year old talk like that ! Calcium, proteins, what’s good for you what’s not – you have enough time to figure that out for yourself (and learn to ignore, I kid you not!). Well, there aren’t many things that irritate me but this one makes me roll up my eyes each time and I realized what exactly bugged me – it’s someone talking and acting beyond their age. And THIS I am NOT a fan of.

I respect age. I respect wisdom. And I respect wisdom that comes with age. The natural age progression exists for a reason and there should be no messing around there.

That's what my rule-book says - loud and clear.

The Berkshires, MA

One of the most beautiful places I have been to. This place is in Bershires county , MA and the resort where we were put up had such panoramic views of the mountains and fall colors that had it not been so cold, we would have probably stayed out the whole day and night. It was the kind of beauty that you just can't get enough of. Although we had reached a coupla weeks before the fall colors reached their peak, I was absolutely delighted by what we saw. Did the legendary Mohawk Trail as well. And on our way back the Taconic trail was just as spectacular.

Gotta go back again !