Secret Diaries Part 4 - Bands of Engagement

Where were we last time? Oh yes, I said Yes and so did he. And then things just went haywire at home.

"Nischayadhartham eppo vechikalam?" My Gran asked is hurriedness I've never seen before. She wanted to know when to have the engagement. Looking at the way she was functioning, one would think there was no tomorrow and everything would end that day. Ma and Paati (Grandmom in Tamil) were so occupied the whole day taking, making and contemplating phone calls. Everyone needed to be informed, arrangements had to be made, etc..basically my sister and I were given the royalest of royal ignoring! I mean they all talked about us, in front of us, but not to us! Annoying!

Anyway, after much back and forth, I came to hear the Engagement was set for July 14. Talk about a whirlwind engagement...it had been barely 48 hours since VJ and I had met and things were moving sooo fast! I decided not to thin about it too much and freak out about it. Thing was the parents wanted to seal the deal now that we agreed to go further. And VJ was going to be in the Middle East for a good 3-4 months from the end of the month. So..basically, the Parentals didn't want any room for delay.

Both VJ and I would've liked the engagement to be much later, but what were we to say..what say do we kids have anyway in a larger than life thing called wedding planning!

D-day was not too far. Before I knew it the 14th on July came. It didn't hit me until the morning of the 14th, on the way to VJ's place where the function was happening. Once I entered the house, everything became a haze...and pretty much remained a haze until everything was over. The families got a chance to meet, so that was great. Comfort factor was that VJ's family was much like mine...so there was a strange sense of familiarity. Anyway, the function went on really well..with every moment being captured on camera by a photographer. The whole function was over in about two hours, we had our breakfast that we all call tiffin, and headed back home. VJ and I were to spend a day together, we decided that would be the following day, because we were both beat!

We all headed back home, had lunch, and everyone parted ways. Paati, My Uncle and Aunt headed back to Delhi, while my Aunt and cousin headed to Chennai. And what did I do? I slept like there was no tomorrow, like I was dead, like a log! I slept so peacefully, that when I was up in the evening all well-rested, it struck me! I was engaged to be married soon! OMG! OMFG! But then it was not a 'Oh God! I'm screwed!' kinda realization. It was a pretty happy realization.

When I Miss the Gaon

"Come back..i think moving to hyd is bad idea...bad career move etc etc."


Trust my girl to say that. Hyd was treating me just fine. Usual..I was in training, so I couldn't be having a happening life yet. But PG's ping made me all fuzzy-wuzzy about Goodgaon.


I miss the random pings and conversations I have with her. Our pings mostly consist of "wtf," "come to my desk,"at desk?," "coffee," lunch," etc.. I miss those pings. Cos I can't ping her these things now! Barring "wtf!" 


And the random conversations and her silly jokes. She's very funny! Don't think I could find anyone like her here..and I don't want to!


Anyway, I need to start looking for a place to stay here. I'm already imagining a wonderful place, that I can set up and keep all ready for when PG, her B, and the gang are in town! Wooohooo! I forsee some fun times in hugh spirits ;)


OK, back to training now..need to focus. Over and Out!

Farewell Delhi

So it's official now. After weeks of role-hunting, I finally landed an interesting role in the Hyd office. I was really excited when I got to know I got the role, but after that things just started snowballing! Training starts next week! Which technically means this is my LAST week in Delhi, my home!! It's bittersweet actually.
I'm really looking forward to living alone in a new city, with friends. Learning how to cook, how to maintain a house, how to live alone and the works. But I'm super sad about leaving my Gran and Sister behind, I'll miss home-food, Gran's piping hot filter coffee...and a lot more.

And I couldn't possibly pack up in four days! So I'll be back after training for a couple of days, pack my stuff and head off for good. Now THAT is going to be tough. Right now..I'll leave with the sense that I'll be back soon enough. 

Guess who's back at the Gaon!

When Tina left Gurgaon for Hyderabad, we were all broken. Not only cos she was a good friend, teammate and an integral part of the team...she was one of the most entertaining people I'd known! C'mon, we wouldn't name her Suppandi for nothing right?!

She was one fo those people who'd crack the funniest jokes by sheer curiosity. Imagine this...we'd all be talking about something, and 5 minutes later, we would've shifted to another topic..but Tina would still be at the previous topic and would continue to participate in the conversation as if we were all the previous topic...only to realize minutes later that we were talking about different things. It's happened so many times.

Say for instance, Vineet asked Tina something to the effect of "How's Hyderabad and how're you doing?" And Tina replies, "Susan is dancing..." Ankita, Vineet and I are totally stumped as Tina looks at us like WE'RE crazy and says with a smile.."yeah...Susan is dancing no?!" That's Tina for you!! :D

So you can imagine how happy we are that she's in Gurgaon for a couple of days. I planned to WFH tomorrow, but seems like I'll make it to work...I wouldn't want to miss on unadulterated, innocent entertainment! :)

Go Tinayyy!!! :D

Little Things

Isn't it quite strange that the smallest things in life, make us smile, make our hearts skip a beat, make our hearts race twice as fast, make us react in the weirdest of ways?!

For a complex race such as ours, we're quite menial when it comes to the happiness quotient. And in this complex race, if you're a woman - menial just gets even more menial. Check this:

Get up to an overcast-cool breeze blowing-day, I'm happy! I smile, I'm greeting everyone, I'm just thinking happy thoughts.

A girl buys a new pair of shoes, she's happy! She walks around with a confident strut and an even more confident smile.
Get to eat your favorite flavored ice-cream? Are you wearing the perfume you love today? Did you wake up to wonderfully brewed coffee and an even more wonderful breakfast?

....OK..I see that this is leading to a "only food makes you happy" post! :P Maybe it does..but I did mention shoes right? Yep..food and shoes! :)

Those are the little things that bring a 'yayyy' to my heart! :)

My Three Bs

I was whiling away time reading posts from the blogs that I follow and I was reading one of my favorites: Three Beautiful Things (http://threebeautifulthings.blogspot.com/), You guys have to check it out. It's nice how the writer records three things everyday that sum up their day! So I thought, let me do my three beautiful things..at the risk of plagiarizing of course! ;)

1. Sleep - It's a weekend and today I got the best ever snooze time ever! I feel fresh and alert as the energizer bunny!

2. Write - I've spent a good two hours on my lappy, updating my blog on my very amusing life and the turn of events..(be sure to read!)

3. Friends - Today is Friendship Day. Happy Friendship Day to you, my friends! Hoping I'm able to love and be loved by friends for all my life! And the Star Word Channel just made the weekend even more wonderful by playing 'Friends' all day. Yep, I watch as I type this. (For the curious..it's the episode where Chandler can't fire this cute girl at work despite the ugly looking WENUS, Joey wants to take Ursula out, Ross's monkey is going crazy..)

Secret Diaries Part 3 - Meet & Greet

July 3 - this was it! The day had come. Would I pass the acid test, and would he?!?! I was going to meet 'the boy' to see if we wanted to take this forward. I had already made up my mind, but no one needed to know that. My friends got engaged the night before at Bangalore, so I was taking an early morning flight from there to Hyd. Ma and my Uncle were flying down from Delhi to Hyd. We booked our flights in such a way, that we'd meet at the airport and head to the Guesthouse together. The itinerary for the day had been pre-set. I was going to meet the boy around 11am and we'd spend a little time together. We'd then head back to our respective places and tell our parents if we thought we should go ahead. If it was a green light, the two families would meet in the evening. So I just needed to stick to plan and take every moment as it came. Sigh!

Ma and My Uncle landed in Hyd before me. We found each other, got our bags and headed to the Guesthouse. We didn't have too much time. I had enough time to get ready and have some chai, before heading out to meet the boy. (I've decided to refer to him as 'the boy' until the end of this post - depending on my verdict of whether or not we were going to take it forward :P).

So, the boy was waiting for me at a popular mall in Hyd. We had to choose a place that was easily accessible to both of us in terms of distance and familiarity. I reached the place and gave him a call and came out to meet me. He wasn't much different than what I'd imagined. After all, I had seen a couple of pictures of him before. Also, we'd added each other on Facebook. So, there was no room for extreme surprise or shock. He looked the way I thought he would. We found a coffee place and sat to chat. It was weird for the first few minutes. Maybe finally being able to attach a live face to the voice I'd been hearing for three weeks was the reason. So most of the first few minutes was just an exchange of pleasantries while we were actually stealing looks every now and then. 

We talked about what we though of each other. We talked about where we may be post-wedding. He asked me what I thought of living with the parents and living alone. We talked about working after marriage, what my preferences were, where I wanted to be and what I wanted to do.

He struck me as easy-going, casual, fun, very easy to talk to...much like what I drew him out to be on the phone. I liked him. His smile was refreshing. So yeah - I think I'd made up my mind way before and I was right. I was very happy and relieved to know I was right. 

We didn't spend too much time..just a little over an hour, before we decided to head back to our respective places. I got back home and told Ma I was good to go with this. I called my Dad and let him know the same. We had a brilliant chat about what to do next. Then, I called my Gran, she wanted to know everything..every detail. Once that was done, Ma got a call from the boy's Dad. We were all going to meet at a restaurant in a couple of hours. So we all got ready and left for the place.

We got there and they were there too. The meeting went well. The parents were sweet and so was his sister. I think everyone was at ease. The Father was pulling the boy's leg from time to time..making sure we all laughed. It was nice, pleasant and comfortable. And it felt good to feel that way. We had our coffees and heading our own way. My Uncle, Ma and I headed to the airport, to fly back to Delhi.

We reached Delhi and Gran and my sis were filled in with the details of the day. The next day, the phone just wouldn't stop ringing! Congratulatory messages, planning for the Nischyadhartham (where the boy and girl are deemed committed to each other for marriage), etc...Everything was going in 'overdrive' mode! I wouldn't say I enjoyed it a lot. It was getting a little too much for my comfort. But I guess that's how it is. 

That night, I was lying still in bed, trying to absorb everything that had happened in the last couple of days..the turn of events, and how things may turn out to be. And then it all made sense. All the hullabaloo was just positive, happy vibes. The family was obviously extremely happy that their first daughter was going to be married soon! It was something they were all waiting for. The friends were ecstatic, because they knew how crazy the man-hunt experience was, and how much crazier it could've been. They were happy that it ended happily for me, with a wonderful person. Things started to fall in place, in my mind. I was beginning to accept the noise around me as happiness. Sigh! With that sigh of relief, happiness, uncertainty, nervousness, and a lot fo other emotions....I drifted into a peaceful zone..something I hadn't had enough of. I slept like there was no tomorrow...almost like in a coma, but a happy coma. And yes, I did wake up the next morning. (For those who were worried if it was an actual coma).

P.S - The boy's name is Vijay. Better get used to it. Going forward, it won't be 'the boy' anymore..it'll be Vijay. (I need to get used to it!)

Snooze...zzz..

Today I had the most perfect snooze-time. I have taken the odd nap every now and then at work. Tried different beanbags, corners, etc., but nothing like today's nap. Half an hour of peace. I could hear a friend of mine trying to wake me up, but I didn't budge. It was one of those naps when your eyes don't want to open even though your mind is alert. So I completely ignored the random babbling that was happening in the room. It was just me, a yellow beanbag and my shawl...thirty minute of bliss! (Attaching an old picture of the last time I enjoyed a snooze at work) . Tee hee!!

Secret Diaries Part 2 - Found!

After many random profiles being pushed my way, and after many more straight NOs, the manhunt had come to a subtle standstill. Ma was going to be back in Zambia for a month or two and she herself, called it a break. "If anyone calls about alliances, don't let me know. I need a break from all this!" So, the manhunt was officially getting to everybody. And who was the happiest person to hear the word "break?" Yes yes, I couldn't have been happier. Things were back to normal. I felt like I had my life back! Umm, ok not really..but I was just relieved!

Things were going good. My Aunt from Chennai and her son were going to visit us for 2 weeks. It had been a long time since we spent time with them. We were all looking forward to it. Ma was so excited that she preponed her return from Zambia by a couple of weeks, so she could be here when her sister was around.

I was also having the perfect time personally. I was in Hyderabad for 3 weeks. My best friend from school was getting married in Hyd, so I extended my business trip so I could see her on her big day! It was a brilliant wedding! And my time in Hyd was wonderful - several night outs, drunken nights, good dinners, midnight chais, early morning chais under flyovers, etc. I was having the time of my life.

I got back to Delhi a couple of days after my cousin and Aunt had arrived. Ma was going to come the following week. So while my Aunt was here, she was curious to know what was happening on the manhunt front. There we go again, I thought.

I took her through some profiles. We were actually having fun looking through profiles - making fun of some :P We were being mean, but all in good humour. We came across two profiles; they seemed pretty good. One of them, we came to know, was an alliance one of my other Aunts in Hyderabad had suggested when I last when I was in Hyd. She also mentioned it to Ma, who said she'd come to India and see. So we decided to take that one forward and email the person, for more details on family, and about the boy.

So much for the short-lived break from the manhunt. Ma was back and she seemed like she never was on a break. My aunt and her just went all hammer and tongs! Horoscopes were exchanged, now I had to tell them if I liked the picture enough to talk to the guy. And I did. He was a smart looking fella, so I thought, what the heck, let me go for it and have a conversation.

It was a Sunday, my Aunt and cousin had left after a brilliant two weeks. Late afternoon, I got a call from the boy. He sounded nice, and was easy to talk to. He mostly spoke in good English and Hindi (given that he's Tamilian, it was a big deal for me). We talked about our jobs, basic stuff in life, a couple of hobbies, etc. Our conversation went on for an hour and half!! That was a chat that went beyond expectation for me in terms of time and quality. I felt like I was talking to a friend. He seemed very easy going. So it was all good for starters. On the third day of talking to the boy, he told me he had to tell me something. "I'm a guy who really enjoys his drink." "That's cool," I said. "Cool? Sure? you're cool with it?" "Sure, I am." He went on to say that he'd have a good night's sleep that night. :) Then I thought that was my moment too..."While we're on the subject, I enjoy my drink too," I said. And that was that. We went on to talk about how we could drink together. He asked me when was the last time I got sloshed, if I drank responsibly or not, etc. I was ecstatic. Not just because he drinks. No. Because it's a great deal if the person you're considering spending your entire life with is at peace with how you like to enjoy in life. And it's a greater and more beautiful deal if that person can enjoy the same way with you. We went on to talk a little over three whole weeks before we decided to meet.

July 3 - we were going to meet in Hyderabad and decide if we wanted to take it forward. Wow! Things were moving really fast. To be real honest, I was kinda convinced that this was the guy - but I didn't want to decide or even think so before meeting him once. Even he wanted to meet me in person before deciding on what to do next.

I was going to Bangalore for a friend's engagement and the very next day was going to be judgement day for me. So much for enjoying other people's happy days. This was one engagement where I was nervous beyond understanding for my own reasons. I told myself to be calm and not get worked up until the morning of July 3. So at the engagement, I drank my vodka and mojito, and other things and left the rest to the good old spirits! :)