Today for the first time since I moved into my building I invited the fisherman to my house to show me his wares...... Usually I ignore the guy and pretend like I have better things to do than chase after fish... but I knew the fondness my parents have for fish and I decided to ask them to see whether they would like to buy anything.... and this is how the bargaining went...
Mom : How much?
Fisherman: Two for Rs. 100
Mom (completely aghast): No, No!
Fisherman: How much will you give?
Mom: Four for Rs. 10.
Needless to say the fisherman was a little taken aback by my mom's offer .... and to be honest, so was I.... I wonder whether my mom realised that in Mumbai you dont get anything for Rs. 100, forget Rs. 10....
Well you cant blame her for trying her best to get the lowest prices....
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Being Alone vs. Being Lonely
At the end of a long stressful day in office I usually dream about a nice dinner at Noodle Bar (a popular chain of restaurant) where I can toss up my own style of low fat healthy yummy noodles, sip a glass of their iced lemon tea and read some interesting book or just think through the things of the day... ALL ALONE!.... Just me and my thots .... with the rest of the world caught up in its crazy motions and little schemes... tranqulity, calmness, oneness...one hour of complete connection with self....
Many people have reacted adversely to this cosy little plan of mine.... "No way!!! You cant go alone!!" shout some... Others ponder "But people will think you are all alone.." Others just bluntly ask me "Are you crazy?"
I dont know whether wanting to be alone for a few hours is crazy... Does a person need to be accompanied all the time?? Its a debate that has been ongoing for a while and will probably be ongoing for as long as mankind is able to debate... Does being alone mean that you are lonely??
Frankly I cherish the time I spent alone with myself... no its not arrogance or me shunning company... I cannot be alone all the time, I dont want to be alone all the time and I am not alone all the time... I just love stealing away moments for myself from the world- from family, from work, from worries and the general humdrum of life... and no matter what age or what stage in my life I am, I am sure that this is a luxury I would want ... the people closest to me would vouch for the fact that me taking time off once in a while just makes me come back lighter and fresher....
Its a basic lesson that every person forgets when life begins... to appreciate and understand the one thing you will have for life - YOURSELF!!!
Many people have reacted adversely to this cosy little plan of mine.... "No way!!! You cant go alone!!" shout some... Others ponder "But people will think you are all alone.." Others just bluntly ask me "Are you crazy?"
I dont know whether wanting to be alone for a few hours is crazy... Does a person need to be accompanied all the time?? Its a debate that has been ongoing for a while and will probably be ongoing for as long as mankind is able to debate... Does being alone mean that you are lonely??
Frankly I cherish the time I spent alone with myself... no its not arrogance or me shunning company... I cannot be alone all the time, I dont want to be alone all the time and I am not alone all the time... I just love stealing away moments for myself from the world- from family, from work, from worries and the general humdrum of life... and no matter what age or what stage in my life I am, I am sure that this is a luxury I would want ... the people closest to me would vouch for the fact that me taking time off once in a while just makes me come back lighter and fresher....
Its a basic lesson that every person forgets when life begins... to appreciate and understand the one thing you will have for life - YOURSELF!!!
Friday, November 24, 2006
Toxic People
They are everywhere.... in many different forms...friends, relatives, teachers, work colleagues...somewhere or the other you are likely to encounter one of these toxic kinds....
What are these toxic kinds??
they are the ones who will always dampen your spirit, the ones who will highlight the "flaws" in your life leaving you to ponder over issues that you didnt even know were issues in the first place, the ones who will downplay your achievements giving some reason or the other- "oh, you got the scholarship only cos that year was a pretty lean year for applications" or "who wants to become a lawyer these days?"... every query to them is turned into a rendition of how much better their life plan in... and god forbid you fail at something...they come to you with the "smiling sad faces".... I remember a specific instance when a friend didnt get a prestigious scholarship and the way I got to know about it was an equally good friend of that person telling me through a "smiling sad face" that she feels bad for that person ... TOXIC!!!
Call it growing up or call it just wiser I have realised that some people in my life are indeed toxic... dont mistake me ... I have had very very good times with these people.... they have stood by me through some pretty tough times ... and I have stood by them in their hard times... but what was a relationship based on unadultered affection soon changed for the worse... jobs began, competition began, pressures started... in short life began... and it was no longer about taking that junk of a scooter and taking off to the distant hills for some unexpected sights ... it all became about "success"...who gets the bigger salary, who has the better house, who has the better spouse/GF/BF, who has got it all sorted out in their lives... soon it was unannounced competition with no one having any idea about what the prize was..... was it mirage of a perfect life? it just became complicated and unpleasant....
I dont know whether I will ever get rid of these toxic people...whether I will ever have back that period when it was uncomplicated.... I also dont know whether I am toxic to some people..perhaps I am... in a vain attempt to drag down a person to feel good about myself...all of us are victims of such temporary feelings of inadequacy.... but I do pity the people who are seized of this problem all their lives... who seek to achieve a life that others decide is perfect.... who fail to realise their true potential cos they were just too sacred to try.... or worse...who just doesnt have a moment's feel of contentment as they are constantly measuring their life against others....
whenever I see people like this, I almost telepathically tell them that in life, there will always be someone better than you, someone worse than you, someone richer than you, someone poorer than you, some more beautiful than you, some one uglier than you, someone more lucky than you, some more unlucky than you....
where and when are you going to draw the line???
What are these toxic kinds??
they are the ones who will always dampen your spirit, the ones who will highlight the "flaws" in your life leaving you to ponder over issues that you didnt even know were issues in the first place, the ones who will downplay your achievements giving some reason or the other- "oh, you got the scholarship only cos that year was a pretty lean year for applications" or "who wants to become a lawyer these days?"... every query to them is turned into a rendition of how much better their life plan in... and god forbid you fail at something...they come to you with the "smiling sad faces".... I remember a specific instance when a friend didnt get a prestigious scholarship and the way I got to know about it was an equally good friend of that person telling me through a "smiling sad face" that she feels bad for that person ... TOXIC!!!
Call it growing up or call it just wiser I have realised that some people in my life are indeed toxic... dont mistake me ... I have had very very good times with these people.... they have stood by me through some pretty tough times ... and I have stood by them in their hard times... but what was a relationship based on unadultered affection soon changed for the worse... jobs began, competition began, pressures started... in short life began... and it was no longer about taking that junk of a scooter and taking off to the distant hills for some unexpected sights ... it all became about "success"...who gets the bigger salary, who has the better house, who has the better spouse/GF/BF, who has got it all sorted out in their lives... soon it was unannounced competition with no one having any idea about what the prize was..... was it mirage of a perfect life? it just became complicated and unpleasant....
I dont know whether I will ever get rid of these toxic people...whether I will ever have back that period when it was uncomplicated.... I also dont know whether I am toxic to some people..perhaps I am... in a vain attempt to drag down a person to feel good about myself...all of us are victims of such temporary feelings of inadequacy.... but I do pity the people who are seized of this problem all their lives... who seek to achieve a life that others decide is perfect.... who fail to realise their true potential cos they were just too sacred to try.... or worse...who just doesnt have a moment's feel of contentment as they are constantly measuring their life against others....
whenever I see people like this, I almost telepathically tell them that in life, there will always be someone better than you, someone worse than you, someone richer than you, someone poorer than you, some more beautiful than you, some one uglier than you, someone more lucky than you, some more unlucky than you....
where and when are you going to draw the line???
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