Flying

I am not disorganized. But as I travel, I mostly fail to reach the airport on time. Even if I got out of bed at 5 AM for a 10 AM flight, took a shower, packed my luggage and traveled only a few kilometers to the airport, I reach at the very final minute that I could have reached. Then, I scamper to the check-in counter, pick up my boarding passes, flit through the security checkpoints at the final call, and when I nearly tumble into the plane, flustered, out of breath, it seems like a classroom where everybody else are at their seats waiting politely for the lesson to begin, and it’s just me who is terribly late. I feel quite embarrassed.

That apart, I love flying. And since I cannot take to the air on my own (as I do not have wings), I love airplanes. I am thrilled by its first motion dispensing boundless power, its strutting on the runway, and its lifting itself up in the air mightily into a smooth glide. I love the feeling of swooping over the hills, the cities and the landscapes, and cutting through the clouds, as I look out of the window.

As I look around inside, I contemplate that it indeed (always) looks like a classroom of pupils with serene faces, who seem very prepared for the lesson. On my last flight though, I was seated next to someone who looked a bit unprepared, as if having come to the class without completing her homework. I witnessed her closing her eyes and pressing her hands against her ears at take-off. She fidgeted on her seat, crossed her legs, tried to get absorbed into reading a book, and then listening to some music, without much success at either. Next, she lowered the window shade and tried getting a nap. She woke up and declined the refreshments. (I didn’t. I opted for a sandwich (that didn't taste quite like a sandwich) and a bottle of lime juice (that was close to lime juice)). We spoke for a while, and soon, she fidgeted some more, crossed her legs the other way, and started all over again at reading the book. After what seemed like a long, long period, as we were landing, she closed her eyes and pressed her hands against her ears one more time.

At the baggage belt, I helped her claim her red suitcase from many other red suitcases. The task was to look for the green tag on the handle. She appeared relieved, like there was no getting back to the classroom at least for some time.

Walking away, I thought, not everyone loves flying.

At crossroads

As the signal flashed a ‘Don’t Walk’, I was distracted by an abrupt purr. I looked around and discovered, next to me, a cat on the pavement. It seemed unruffled, with a definite expression on its face, and was very persistently wagging its bushy tail.

I am not an animal person (and it didn’t seem like a people cat), so I wasn't able to interpret the expression on its face- was it baffled or was it grumpy?

With its head lifted up, showing its black and white chest, it seemed waiting for me to reciprocate, moving its ears impatiently as if directing them to hear what I had yet not spoken.

I looked around again. I watched the busy street. I wondered if it required help to cross the street. I took the first step, it followed. Amazing, I thought, a cat and I were at crossroads, literally!

(After we crossed over, I noticed the second similarity- both of us were slightly overweight, but that isn't so relevant here).

People I meet

Because of the nature of my occupation, I happen to encounter new people every day. I do well to remember their faces and their names for the most part, and as I meet them again, days or weeks later, in the corridor or in the elevator, I quickly recognize them, smile, and say an acknowledging hello!

(There are occurrences however, albeit rarely, when somebody walks into my office, greets me with a grin and a remarkably firm hand shake, while I strive and fail to recall his or her name in those speeding moments. A bit awkwardly then I try steadying the ship, saying without much seeming conviction something like, “I certainly remember having met you but I am so embarrassed I am not able to recollect you name”. That isn’t good for a conversation starter, so it barely helps, and leaves me feeling quite odd and incapable- a whole lot more odd and incapable than failing to recollect my Internet banking password every fortnight!).

Now this isn’t about my occupation per se (we shall speak about the trials and tribulations of my occupation another day). The point I started off making is about that the most fascinating part of my occupation which undoubtedly is the chance to get to meet with new people every day- people who are talented, and hardworking, and successful, and at the same time warm, and modest, and considerate; people who I delightfully interact with, or who inspire me in one way or the other, or who even influence how I do what I do; people who are enthusiastic, and expressive, and often funny; people who are very different from the other as to how they approach a problem, or what kind of coffee they drink, or their upbringing, and even their backgrounds (as in physical backgrounds like deserts, oceans or mountains- because they come from every corner of the world!).

Even as I walk the path of life, I realize, it is the wonderful people I have met along the way that ranks among the best of life’s experiences. It is amongst these admirable ones I have found those that have gone on to become my friends- friends that I as enjoyably have a conversation with today, as I foresee having, when I am possibly ninety years old!

Time flies!

And that's true! So much so, that I couldn’t write a single post in the first six weeks of this year. As you get older, the days, months, and years seem to pass more quickly!

January was fantastic mainly because of the gifts and the New Year greetings I kept receiving through the month. It felt nice to catch up with friends, old and new, exchange emails, or even speak, and be reassured that everyone’s still around, just an email or a call away. And there was this greeting, I recall, that made me sentimental- a card from a friend that came in by post. Honestly, I do not remember the last time I walked into a post office to buy an Inland letter card or a postcard or even a stamp. I do remember, however, that as a young boy, it was solely my responsibility in the family to run with the letters my parents or my siblings wrote, and drop them in the somewhat capsule-shaped, bright red coloured post boxes. And I remember how I always double-checked, rather dutifully, if the letters I deposited, freely passed through the aperture. Very rarely, I would also bump into this person who would empty the box into his khaki bag, and cycle away. I don’t see these post boxes, or these men, in my city any longer.

February was relatively unfantastic. I needed to submit my investment proofs by the first week- my last chance at saving my tax deductions. So, I snapped into action, and made a whole lot of investments. Well, I am as good with investments now, as I was with Calculus in school! I simply don’t comprehend them. I don’t comprehend the purpose of spending my earnings to get a return twenty years hence, when I am not certain about what I would be doing two years from now (it is uncertain people like these who need to invest even more, you would perhaps argue). But what if I became so rich in the next twenty years that I didn’t even require these investments? I would have wasted my entire life’s sacrifices. What a loss!

I could have bought a Beetle instead. And some mocktails on a warm afternoon like this. One that I drank last was called “To get her”- hard to believe a mocktail could have such an intriguing name!

A wet winter's day

Today has been severely cold and misty. And it has been raining throughout the day. It’s hard to venture out, and is quite amazing how people have had to pull their raincoats out on a December day. However, it seems perfectly 'holidayish' to me, as I continue to stay indoors, and eat, drink and sleep- not necessarily in that order.

I hope tomorrow is a sunny day though. The city looks geared up to celebrate the New Year’s Eve. The morning newspaper was full of advertisements by the top hotels and clubs who are organizing extravagant parties, carnivals, and special dinners. Out in the street, people would revel and cheer, and watch the fireworks go up in the sky at midnight- it wouldn’t be as much fun if it’s raining.

I also hope everyone keeps their resolutions in the New Year. I haven’t made mine yet, but I wonder what could be everyone else’s. Buying a new house or the world’s best smartphone? Traveling to newer destinations? Shop more, shop less? More music, more books? Preparing more edible food? Or losing a few kilos?

Of the ones I heard so far from everyone I know, the prominent one is: losing a few kilos by starting to run and exercise regularly. There you go! A terrific rush at the parks and the gyms- that's January for you!

If you dislike that, till the rush wears off, how about some slimming tea?

Another year is waning away

A few lines I scribbled in the past three days-

Monday:

6:30 PM it is, and I am back home from work. That is fairly quick for a Monday evening, or any evening for that matter, and it turns out to be quite relaxing to reach home early, have a couple of hours to idle, do this, that, and the other, before having to worry about anything as serious as preparing dinner.

Early morning, the commute to work was smooth. Most of the city has journeyed elsewhere, apparently, to spend the Christmas vacation, so there was virtually no traffic anywhere. And the office parking lot was empty, so I got to choose a spot, and reached my desk.

A cup of coffee and barely a dozen of emails later, two of my colleagues and I, decided to step out for lunch (basically eating out is our favourite thing to do under all conditions). We reached the nearest Au Bon Pain, bought some sandwiches and soup, and sat down at a table- mine was a bowl of cream of green pea soup and a vegetable sandwich. Expectedly that wasn’t sufficient, so we further devoured a few slices of plum cake that had a rich content of wine making me feel slightly dizzy, and some freshly baked cookies.

Wrapping up work, while driving back on the ring road, I watched the sun setting in the horizon in front of me with the last of the sparkling rays falling on my windshield. The sky slowly turned from blue to crimson to grey.  Another day waning away, of another year waning away, I thought to myself, looked outstanding!

Tuesday:

Today was unpredictably a busy day, as often happens with the days when you don’t foresee much work but a lot of it suddenly lands up. There were a lot of phone calls, a lot of emails and a lot of follow-ups to complete. Finally when I finished, it was late evening.

Back home, before I went off to sleep, I finished the second of the three chapters of Jonathan Livingston Seagull- it’s a very inspiring tale, and the book has some remarkable photographs accompanying the story. The author, Richard Bach, is one of my favourites. His other book The Bridge Across Forever is one of the most absorbing books I have ever read.

Wednesday:

I am on vacation for the rest of the week. That essentially means that I would get back to work only in the New Year; it sounds like a long time away, and though it is actually not long, I quite like the way it sounds.

In a way, I am often fascinated by how things sound to me- like Prague sounds very mystic and glorious to me, and Budapest sounds stylish and adventurous, while Bali sounds enchanting and limitless, Ulan Bator sounds outlandish and unexplored, again as Guatemala sounds historic and traditional, Viena sounds very contemporary and young. Indeed they make me want to find out for myself, and someday I possibly will, if what they sound like, is similar to how they really are.

And, another word whose sound I forever like is: wonderful. I rather use it too often, possibly to describe a holiday, a dinner, a landscape, a film, a present, a person, or almost any other thing that needs my describing it. Just like now it feels wonderful to string together many incoherent thoughts!

Thoughts on Christmas Eve

The days got shorter. The nights got darker. And both the days and the nights got colder. I haven’t walked up to the fridge for a bottle of juice in the last few weeks. Instead, I stuck to tons of steaming hot beverages at all hours. It’s been a cold December. And tonight, I think a delicious soup packed with seasonal vegetables for a starter would be a comforting winter warmer as I step out for dinner with friends- it’s the Christmas Eve!

The city is painted in red and white and green. The shops, the pubs, the eateries are decked with colourful lights. Christmas trees, images of Santa Claus, and carols playing all around have added to the grandeur. Shoppers are out on the downtown streets store-hopping and picking up the best bargains. Friends, family and loved ones are who everyone is reaching out to, to party, exchange gifts and good wishes, and celebrate the festival together. It's very Christmassy!

There’s going to be virtually no one at work through the next week. I have taken off for most of the days as well. It’s going to be different from the otherwise madly-rushing-through-life schedules and that’s the nicest thing. I have bought a few books which I plan to read. I would listen to some music. I will write if I am able to gather some thoughts. Or I would take the car and drive down to nowhere.

And be back in the New Year. I will, by then, have made my resolutions for 2012, and hopefully would have made a note before I fail to recall any of them!