Evano Oruvan Moment.

My wife and I took a pre-paid auto from place A to place B. The government generated slip said Rs.140. However, the driver said it's 27 kms from here, so you have to pay 140 + 27 because the gas prices have gone up.

I say fine, then for some reason the auto guy doesn't want to go to location B. So he puts me on the next auto in line and explains to the new auto guy that I be dropped at B and that I will pay him Rs. 170. All agreed, happy and we move on.

As we get closer to location B...

Auto guy: "Is it here ? Should I turn left ?"
Me: "No, It's B, and we still have to go 1 kilometer to get to B."
Auto guy: "What sir...it's too far. This is only B"
Me: "See, the pre-paid slip. It clearly says B and it was agreed initially"
Auto guy: "They don't know anything, I thought it is B, but this is too far, you have to give 10 rupees more"
Me: {thoroughly pissed off, Not that I am stringent about the 10 bucks extra, but I hate this approach of majority of them auto drivers}"Nothing doing, what is agreed is agreed, no 10 rupees extra. Nothing."
Auto guy: {In a mumbling tone}"It's so far, give 10 rupees extra."

Within a few minutes, we reach B. I get off the auto, take our belongings and I hand over Rs. 170 and turn to walk away.

Auto guy: [In a raised tone]"Sir, give 10 rupees sir"
Me: [Turn around and in a raised but firm tone]"No 10 rupees extra nothing, we agreed on 170 initially and that's what you get" [and turn around and start walking away]
Auto guy: [In a mumble fading tone]: "thevdiya paiya {bastard}"

I turned around walked back towards him. I was in rage. I spoke some swear words and was on the edge, just about to get physical. For a moment, I gathered myself, realized that I was standing outside my apartment, my wife with me, the neighbours who might wake up in the wee hours, the scene that had already been created.

I just grabbed my wifes hand, turned around and walked away.

Come to think of it now, I could have averted the whole thing, by paying that 10 rupees extra. But, somehow, something in me wouldn't let me do that.

The practical me agrees 'throw the money, stay away from the unpleasant experience'. Then there's the logical me which feels 'No, that's not right. You can't let them take advantage of you'

I suppose this will never change. It's something we have to live with, come to terms with.

Subject.

I tell this peer to send out an e-mail detailing the technical scenarios with which he is facing difficulties currently, just so to keep everybody in loop.

I told him to send it out yesterday, he didn't. So I went to him again this afternoon during the lunch break and said 'It need not be perfect, it's only within the team. That way, it will give time for other to digest and respond. And if they don't, you have an upper hand in the status meetings. So no matter what, send it out.'

He walks up to me in the evening, just before as I was leaving and asks ' What should the subject line be ?'

Grooming at work.

We have a huge balcony at work where people break for coffee and smokes. I notice this one person in one corner, close to one of the huge support railing, (his torso from hip onwards is not visible) leaning outside. There was also this strange sound (click, click) as if he was trying to light a cigarette with a lighter, constantly against the strong wind.

I was looking out for a particular somebody and happened to see this guy from behind and was wondering if it was the same guy that I was looking for, so I walked up close (from the other side of the railing) and took a small peep, only to catch him cutting his finger nails with a nail cutter.

He truns, sees me, smiles, and continues to go 'clip, clip, clip'.

I dropped my IPOD

Some time back, I dropped my new IPOD video 30 gig on the floor. On picking it up, it had a sad smiley with a frown and a link to the apple support center at the bottom.

Whatever, I tried to do, the sad smiley did stay.

Later, I googled 'I dropped my IPOD' and came across numerous solutions. Here's the top three.

Soln 1: [Last resort] Send it to the Apple store and get it fixed.
For which you have to pay exorbitantly.

Soln 2: [Only for the brave hearted] Open the IPOD and fix it yourself.
There was a picture-log of a step by step procedure of how you open your ipod and disconnect and reconnect the wires to your hard disk and supposedly folk who dropped their ipod got it working this way.

Soln 3: [Most widely used] Drop your IPOD again.
Initially I thought, this must be damn stupid. No way me am gonna drop my IPOD again. That's foolishness, I thought. Later, on coming across the large number of testimonials where people did just that, and it worked for them, I thought ok, why not.

So, I went, lifting my ipod up above the air and carefully dropping it on my laptop case. Thud...Thud...Thud....Thud....Thud....to no effect and still looking at the sad smiley, I thought to myself, ok, so soln1 or soln2 it has to be.

Then, before I went to sleep with a heavy heart, I decided to do it one last time. This time, I lifted it to as high as my hand could reach and, THUD. Picked it up, blinked at it a few times, and pressed the play and the select button simultaneously only to notice the bright red apple !

YaY! it worked, it worked !

Life.

It's funny.

The way I currently live my life, in contrast to the completely contradicting way in which I wish to live my life.

There are things I don't want to do, and then there are things, I want to do. But, I continue to
do the things that I don't want to do, and continue to 'want' doing the things, that I want to do.

Sometimes, I am organized, other times, I am cluttered.
Sometimes, I plan, other times, I just like doing it on the fly.
Sometimes, I am comfortable with a certain path ahead of me, other times, I'd think, I would
have preferred a life full of uncertainties.

Few years back, I had so much passion for what I wanted to become. Now, it's a fluctuating
feeling, sometimes, I tell myself, I can still become that if I tried hard. Other times, I question
myself, if that is really what I want to be.

Then there are other thoughts. People tell me I am good at that. Maybe, I'd be better off
doing that. Then there's this other voice telling me, but you haven't done anything yet, with
what you have. It's too early to be looking at something new.

Then, just when I start thinking about all this, I tell myself, let me think about it later. My
mind moves on, thinks about people, thinks about the past, sometimes they reflect in the form
of a smile, other times, I am just quite.

I have a few people, I know I love dearly.
I know what makes them happy.
I know what makes them sad.
Most times, I try to do things that make them happy.
Few times, I end up doing things that make them sad.
There are times, I do it on purpose. I would think I am bad. Then, I would convince myself, anybody would have done that then, and that I am normal.

I know I am a good person and I am afraid, that I also know, I am a bad person.

I know I am in love with life. I love living what life has to offer.
Sometimes, I look back and smile. Other times, I look back and go quiet.
Sometimes, I think I control 'my' life. Other times, I sit and let life take over.

There are times, I imagine, I am living life, the way I wanted to.
Most times, I realize, that I am living life, the way I am expected to.

There are times, I am convinced, I don't care what people think.
Most times, I keep thinking what others might think.

But again, that's probably life. As they say, that's life.

Someone said...

Everything is difficult only once, it gets easier from the second time onwards.

Bribe.

This incident happened yesterday to somebody I know. Let's call him N.

N and his friend were on a two-wheeler on their way to lunch. They were stopped by a cop, for routine license & registration check. Once done with the routine, the cop as usual managed to find something to pick on and demand money.

N [handing out a 20 rupee note]: Sir, we only have this much.
Cop: What!! Only 20 rupees...hmm.. where are you guys going ?
N: To have lunch sir.
Cop: Whaat maa, you are saying you are going for eating lunch...with only 20 rupees..aa...
N: No sir, for that we have coupons.
Cop: What coupons...
N: Sir, Sodexo coupons, most hotels accept coupons these days.
Cop: Oh ish it ? Where you got it ? Show me..
N [pulling out the coupon book] : Sir, our company gives us, every month. This is practiced in most companies. It's like money, works in hotels and supermarkets only for food items.
Cop [Examining the Sodexo coupon and the various denominations, pulls out four 50 rupee coupons] : hmmm....here..now go.
N: Sir...
Cop: Go maa..go maa....we usually don't accept all these coupons...but, I am letting you guys go... [shameless smile and pockets the coupons]