The Upper Berth Passenger

It was early evening - 4:00 PM to be precise. The bus wasn't really crowded - just a few unfortunate people were without seats while the rest were enjoying a good rest after a long (sic) hard day's work. Off particular interest to this story is a cute looking short girl wearing a red t shirt. She had just got in and after the usual haggling over change with the conductor, she took her place amongst the standing crowds. Well, what's so great about this you may ask? It was just that the red t shirt (probably her younger sister's or is it style?) was a bit too short. So as she stood and stretched her hands up to hold the railing, the men folk were suddenly awakened from their deep slumber. An unusual silence prevailed as most men gawked (discreetly off-course).

She was sitting behind and listening to Radio Mirchi. As a keen observer, she noticed the red t shirt, but sighed away. Suddenly on a hunch, she turned back to look at the menfolk and her suspicion got strengthened. She could count at least ten people starring. She took a deep breath, got up and asked the red t shirt to take her place. The RJ's voice blared in her ear. He was asking people to call in and mention their good deed for the day !!

***************

The dark skies showed no signs of relenting. It had been pouring for the last 3 hours and boy what a heavy downpour it was. He was standing outside his small modest house. He looked at the street and sighed. It hardly looked like a street - resembled more of a swimming pool. "And this is the same street where a few prominent businessmen and politicians live" - he mumbled to himself. The traffic jam had already began and cars were finding it difficult to negotiate the water logged road. He went inside and searched for a rod. Then venturing into the middle of the road, he slowly worked on the clogged storm drain. It was stubborn at first, but slowly yielded and the rain water began to drain. He walked back into his house and began drying himself. The car engines and other traffic began humming again.

***************

Labels: Fiction, Mature, Musings

"Will the white sweater look good or the black one ?"

"God, there are too many mosquitoes here "

" He might be hungry. It's 2 hours since he last ate"

She was full of concern. Her husband just smiled at her and the baby sleeping peacefully on his shoulder.

"I should get him some good toys to play with. He will soon get bored with all these toys" - she said.

"Maybe some video games or a computer when he gets a bit older" - he suggested.

"We should get him a cycle. We would also enroll him in a swimming class. How about tennis or cricket?", she wondered.

"Naah.. We must get him started on books early. We will start him off with Tinkle, Amar Chitra Katha and slowly pass on to him my entire collection.." - his eyes glittered when he looked at his book shelf.

"What about the diet? Strictly vegetarian or some eggs" - she asked.

"Hmm.. Let him start on rice and idlis. Hopefully he doesn't start eating chicken like me !!" - he chuckled.

"He has a faint resemblance to me. Look at his eyes .." - she pointed out.

"Naah. A stronger resemblance to me. The nose somehow reminds me of my family" - he retorted back.

The doorbell rang.

It was the matron from the orphanage. She had come to check whether the baby was happy in it's new found home...

Labels: Fiction, General Blah, Mature

The Talkative Man mused -

After spending enough time outside shopping malls i am amazed at the variety of human expressions on show and the different types of people who u can find lounging around -

a) 'We-are-boyfriend-girlfriend ' category - guy tries hard to crack jokes, delibrately holds the girl's hand and tries hard not to look at the hot chicks around !!

b) 'Bored-Husband-Eager-Wife ' category - Wife prattles on excitedly often pointing and gesticulating, hubby comes up with a forced smile and wanders aimlessly wondering "if only ..."

c) 'Am-Jobless-please-dont-disturb' category - Sitting and staring aimlessly, casual glance at both the hot chicks and old couples and looking often at the watch (Litreally Killing time)

Well, there's a fourth category - but after all i cannot speak about myself :))

Which one are you ?

Labels: Blah Blah, General Blah, Slice of Life

The Talkative Man sighed -

Been a long time since i blogged. Not due to the paucity of stories to write about - it's just one of those extended bouts of laziness. Do i write about the crazy times of my MBA course - projects, assignments, tests et all (or) my days spent at home in chennai doing nothing (or) my summer internship at Bangalore where i pitch life insurance as a career i.e. convince people to sell life insurance. There have been some interesting moments, meeting some great people, renewing some old acquaintances and strengthening some new ones !! Though i certainly missed my blog, my usual stories and reading my friends posts !! Hope that i can be more punctual, ramble more, muse more and hopefully not sigh much !!

Labels: Blah Blah, General Blah, Me Myself and Agony

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Do you think its the next BIG thing ?

Does ODI Cricket have no future ?

What makes the T20 Format tick ?

If you have all such questions in your mind and a couple of minutes time, you can participate in the Twenty20 perception Survey.

Just head over to this link

Participate and let your voice be heard !!

Labels: B-School Musings

He got up and stretched. It was half past nine and the office was mostly empty. Work-Life balance- he mused and swiped out. The guard on duty gave him a blank uninterested look. 'Will this guy stay awake all night' - he wondered as he punched the lift buttons.

The security at the gate asked for his identification card. He gave him a 'But you know me for the past ten years now' look. 'Sorry sir, just a formality. The new boss instructed' - the security person's eyes seemed to say. That formality done with, he stepped out into the arms of the cool evening air.

It was a clear sky and the moon was in its full glory. 'Which one is better - the bright streaming sunlight or the pale subtle moonlight' - he questioned himself. 'Gee, that's a tough one' - he thought and kicked a stone on the road. 'Goalllllllllll' - he could hear the commentators scream when his favorite team lost the match last night. 'It's a match. One team has to win while the other has to lose. Don't feel upset' - he remembered his mom consoling him when he was a kid and his favorite team lost the game. 'Shucks, its three days since i called her' - he suddenly felt guilty and sad.

The long trek to home was largely uneventful. It was the usual routine. He stopped at the bar and purchased whisky. 'Two bottles today' - he told the shopkeeper. The guy's eyes questioned. 'Anything special Sir ??' He smiled as he paid the money. The next was the fast food joint. 'The usual Sir ?' - the waiter asked. He nodded and got the food neatly packed and resumed his journey back towards home.

He switched on the lights as soon as he opened the door. 'Let there be light..' -he waved as the tube lights flickered and lit up his living room. Then with a wave of the magic wand a.k.a. the remote, the TV began blaring. He settled on the couch, poured himself some whisky and began eating. When dinner was done, he settled comfortably and started drinking again. 'Whisky without cigarettes sucks' - he remembered telling her. 'But you promised..' - she had begun. 'Ok Ok. I won't smoke' - he told her. This was three years ago and he had kept his promise till then.

He switched on his laptop and was happy to see her email. She had sent the pictures of her first kid. It was a boy. There were other pictures of her smiling happily with her hubby. 'Looking forward to seeing your wife and kids' - she had written. He laughed loudly and stopped abruptly when his voice echoed in the empty house. He poured himself another drink and stared emptily at the football match. His favourite team was losing again and it was painful to see them miss chance after chance. 'Wish the damned referee blows the whistle soon' - he cursed as he finished off the whisky and went to sleep.

Labels: Fiction, Mature, Me Myself and Agony

Labels: Friends, Musings, Personal