Love in a Time lane

I am standing here in the drizzle, waiting for her. I zipped my jacket and clutched it close, the wet red roses even closer. I dipped my hand to the inner pocket of my jacket, fumbled with the cigarette pack, and extracted one. While still struggling to find the lighter, I glanced at my watch. 15 minutes more. Though I consider punctuality as a virtue, I was never successful in adopting it as an idiosyncrasy. And here was I today, full 15 minutes earlier.

I was finally able to light the cigarette. I inhaled the lungful of smoke. It wasn't the first; but it was surely one of those very few times in my life, when I have been nervous. I could feel the time slowing down, eventually stopping. I could see each rain drop slowly sailing through the air, falling to the eternity, before hitting the ground. I was happy.

The exhaled cigarette smoke hung in the wet air, blurring my vision. This helped me in boarding the train of my thoughts to the past.

She worked with me. I haven't known her for ages, but unless I make a conscious effort to realize this fact, my wretched memory makes me feel the opposite. What I mean to say is, I feel that I have known her since ages. She is very pretty. I am not very good at describing beauty in words, considering the fact that unlike her I never prepared for GMAT or GRE. Of course, I am planning to do so in the near future, but till then, I can only say, she is very pretty. Ok, to be a little more poetic, let me say she is as pretty as an angel.

I was never a sucker for beauty. To me, the sense of humor, the presence of wit, the courage to withstand your decisions and some grey matter in the top floor always mattered more. And slowly as I came to know her, I found she has ample of all these. This made my feelings for her even more dense and viscous.

Finally one day after praying to all my idol superheroes, including Batman & Superman, (P.S - I have been a die hard fan of Superman, since childhood, however the Hollywood movies they make, do no justice to my favorite superhero) I gathered enough courage to ask her out for a coffee. And the mistake which I committed in dutch courage brings us to my present situation. Needless to say I was very nervous, and had cold feet; of course the weather was also playing some part in this.

A bright 'Hi' from the familiar voice, snapped me back from the heavens of my thoughts and dumped me in the chilly reality of today. She was looking Beautiful (Please notice the capital B). She gave me her all time, to die for smile, and ordered a cappuccino. I glanced through the menu, and then asked for the same. I didn’t wanted to take any chances today, even if it meant sacrificing my regular Espresso.

I gave her the Roses.

"Oh they are Lovely" She said.
'Not as lovely as you look'; my heart was screaming, but fortunately my mouth has a habit of malfunctioning on such occasions.

We got talking, regular things ...Some of them quite boring. I consciously stopped my self from bringing up any topic which had the slightest technical angle, knowing that she hated all computer talks. In midst of Coffee, I blurted out what I felt for her. I was waiting for her reply, expectantly. That was the last thing I remember.

I glanced at my watch again, and realized that it was close to half an hour since she had left. I fumbled in my inner jacket pocket once again, and lighted up the cigarette. I crammed my hands deeper in the pockets, and asked for an Espresso, from the passing waiter. A drop of rain grazed my eye, rolled down my cheek and hit the pavement below.

She had refused in a polite but very firm manner. She was seeing some one. What could I say to that? She had offered me her friendship as a token of 'no hard feelings'. I had smiled and said nothing. She was sympathetic. "You will forget me with time. Time heals everything. Just remember Time is a great healer".

The waiter bought the espresso. I placed the change on the table, and got up. I gulped my espresso, and threw the cup in a bin. I may have been a familiar customer to the waiter. The coffee was extra strong, which made it all the more bitter. 'Appropriate', I thought. Suddenly a thought occurred to me; this was the second occasion when time was stopping for me in a single day.

I got up and started walking. The rain drops making a beautiful noise as they plattered on the cobblestones. I was still cursing the time. Only if it had stopped before, so that I could be the guy she was seeing. But then again, would it have changed anything?

P.S - The writing style of this story is inspired by a book called "Einstein dreams" by Alan Lightman. Its a nice book, worth reading.

P.P.S - The motive of writing this story, is to be decided by the subjects of the story :))

My Adventures in Scotland

It’s my first day in Scotland. I de-board the plane and slowly move toward the exit, trying to absorb my surroundings. My body is a little cramped after the 10 hours journey. Oh, I forgot the one hour spent in travelling from Heathrow to Edinburgh. But the journey was uneventful, except perhaps my encounter with the nurse at immigration counter.

I had dutifully got a chest X-ray, but my ignorance led me to place the report in the check-in baggage, instead of my hand baggage. The nurse was pretty furious, when I told her the reason, for my not having the x-ray. Her reply was “ Oh I hate you college kids. You guys forget something everytime”. Amused at her comment at my being a Kid, I tried to remember when in the past had I been called one. When I told her that I wasn’t a College student, and had come here on a project, she gave me an even nastier look. “ I have 9 people who are ill, and they can be rightfully called as patients, so you have increased my work, which I could do very well without”. I didn’t reply anything and waited for her to stamp the papers.

The chilled air snapped me from my retrospective memories, I had reached the Airport exit. Reality dawned on me and the first thing I did was to reach for my Cigarette pack stowed away in my jacket. I was quite happy, seeing the slightly chilly weather. However, my happiness was short lived when I couldn’t find the book of matches in my jacket. My jacket had 5 pockets and I searched every pocket at least 4 times.…that makes it 20 pockets.

At this point of time, my highly intellectual but completely disoriented brain was analysing a highly complex problem. What if there would have been 10 Pocket in the jacket? Would the probability of finding the book of matches increases by any factor? Well, I know I might be boring you by this complex stuff, naturally its not meant for you, Its significance can be truly realized only by highly mathematically oriented, logically streamlined intellectuals researching for a book of matches. Oh did I say research, I meant search! Ahem…I hope you will pardon me. My brain was again calculating the probability of... Well, Never mind.

Hmm...coming to the grave problem in hand, I Searched frantically for some saviour who would be killing himself while smoking. All scholars, can actually ponder on the irony in the previous sentence, the rest of my dumb friends can read on. Somehow found such a person, of course, as the fate would have...She was a girl. My naturally shy self was a little hesitant asking a girl for a light. However, steeling my nerves, I overcame all my fears and for that fraction of moment, I became the deadliest warrior that ever walked on the face of mother earth. “Hello, err..err...Miss...I am sorry to ...But can I ask you for a Light?” And as they say, the brave conquer all... And I finally got a Light.

So after the back-breaking fight, I was standing there in full glory, enjoying my cigarette. Of course the adventures of the bright Indian Techie, in Scotland didn’t end here. But then, as they say, was another day.

If you can't be the pine at the top of the hill

The most inspiring piece of Poetry I have ever read. Hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I did:-

"If you can't be the pine at the top of the hill,
Be a shrub in the valley below.
The best little scrub in the valley below,
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.
If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,
And some highway happier make
If you can't be a muskie, then just be a bass,
But be the liveiest bass in the Lake!
We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,
There's something for all of us here.
There's big work to do and lesser to do,
And the task we must do is the near.
If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,
If you can't be the sun, be a star.
It isn't by size that you win or you fail,
Be the best of whatever you are."

- Douglas Malloch (Be the Best)

Calvin and Hobbes

I first read a "Calvin and Hobbes" strip when I was in my third year of Engineering. My uncle had bought 2 volumes for my cousin. My cousin, who incidentally is least interested in books, just threw the volumes away. I picked up the torn one, and kept it, to read on my journey back. That was my introduction to this amazing Comic strip which ran continuously for 10 years. I still have that volume, and along with a copy of "Tintin in Explorers of the Moon", is one of my prized possessions.

The "Tintin in Explorers of Moon", was gifted by my uncle when I was in 8th standard, and he was doing his Engineering. It costed him something around 250 bucks, which happened to be big money at that time.

I got my collection of Calvin and Hobbes for a whooping 6000 bucks. People often do ask me, why do I love Calvin so much?

I generally do answer them incoherently, at least, according to them. So I thought I will put up my thoughts in words, and may be it would be a better answer for those people.

First of all, I love Comics, I am an ardent fan of those, but you wouldn’t find me spending 6K for every comic book. I love Calvin, because it's truthful. The kid does act like a 6 year old in many ways. He thinks like a kid. His ideas are quite weird, at least similar to those of mine, when I was of his age. He does depict all the emotions, which a child, or a grown up for that matter, does experience. Bill hasn’t depicted Calvin as a loving kid. I would say there lies more truth in his selfish, impulsive, day-dreaming, lazy but adventurous and intelligent self than any other Comic character.

The relation between Calvin and his Dad is also awesome. The way Calvin mocks his Dad's boredom filled office routine, and the way his parents see his problems, can make you see the difference in the thoughts of the generations. I bet a Father who is a true fan of "Calvin and Hobbes" would experience less of Generation Gap, than his non-Calvin fan counterpart.

I also like the way, in which "Bill Watterson" sometimes tells his grown up audience that being a child is fun. The subtle indications by the author, in which he tells his mature audience, that they are indeed loosing some things by being a total Grown up, that most of the problems, we face are not as important as they seem. But best of all, I like Calvin, because it tells you the way one should live. "Making the most fun in the limited time" as Calvin, himself says.

These are some of the things which I adore about Calvin. There are some other things also, which I am not able to put into words. Because I am not good enough with words, to put those ideas into some. And for understanding these you will have to try the strip for yourself.

P.S - "Bill Watterson" never sold the rights of "Calvin and Hobbes" to anyone. He considered it to be an art, and that is why you don’t see "Calvin and Hobbes" on Coffee mugs, T-shirts, etc.
P.P.S - Besides "Calvin and Hobbes" I also happen to have the complete series of Tintin.

The Seasons...

The Fury of the Gods,
made the blue skies crimson and Red,
The sand became parched,
And all the water up there dried,
The death was naked and dancing,
And wolves being merry and Howling,

The Weeping eyes of the God,
And the torrent of rains,
And down came the Lord,
With the sword of lightning,
And the shield of rippling droplets,
Followed by the numerous courtiers of Tornadoes,

And as anger gave way to wisdom,
Reason seeped in the form of Cool Winds,
Filled with regret,
The heat turned into breeze,
The worst was over,
And still there was lots to see,

He washed away all his anger,
And blessed all his children,
Shooed away the illness and Wolves,
And trapped the death,
Saplings rose new and fresh,
And the old bark became again but green,

The old man in the heaven,
Filled with remorse,
Cried and cried on his deeds,
till the tears in his eye froze,
the whole world became quiet,
and only the howling chilly wind spoke,

And the Humans on earth,
Thinking of the fortunes ahead,
Were happy,
Hoping he was pleased,
Started praying for the coming year.