True to their promise, my parents got me to correspond with and meet someone thought to be an eligible bachelor (EB). So, now that I am over the trauma of that experience, I can perhaps share my worldly advise (heheh) with all EBs on how to impress a girl with things they should NOT do while creating the crucial first impression.
1. Do not be clingy - texting the girl every few minutes to locate her coordinates might only scare her a bit instead of showing her how much you care (as I am sure the intentions are so). Do remember that until yesterday, you were strangers.
2. Do not assume she's going to meet a boyfriend if she's making an impulsive trip to visit friends in a nearby town / city. That really does not go down well with most girls I know.
3. When you are trying to fix a place to meet over coffee, do not be ruthless and make the girl travel half-way across the city to meet you at your convenient location, after office, on a week-day. Life would be more pleasant if you could contrive to meet on weekends if you can't compromise on the location.
4. If you both have agreed to a location and time, please try to make it to the place on-time, if not earlier. Texting the girl every once in a while that you would be there in two minutes or five, is not fair when you end up making her wait for forty minutes!
5. Even if you are getting late due to unavoidable reasons and you don't know when you'll get free to make it to the appointment, reschedule! - She would much rather prefer that to waiting in a public place indefinitely.
6. Please do not ask her to order something for you while she's waiting. THAT is the height of insolence. Really.
7. When you finally make an appearance, you could still save the situation by apologising, you know. Realising after 5 minutes that the girl is inwardly fuming which makes it an effort for her to even talk to you politely, and only then apologising doesn't cut it.
8. Since you were the one who were late, be a little considerate and allow the girl some space to vent her spleen. Enquiring if her job pays her well enough to cover her EMI of the education loan does not make for coffee-table conversation in such a situation.
There were many other instances that could make for good advice, but I'll abstain since you would have no doubt realised that I am a highly biased party and might reject my advice as commonplace rants. Anyway, the experience was something you can classify as "It will only get better from here" - leaving our whole family much wiser. "Due diligence" has reached another level in this respect. :P Now to see what the future unfolds...
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Yet another destination
After two months of shuttling endlessly between three cities and two weeks of shuttling endlessly between government offices, I can now say that my relocation to Mumbai is complete. :) I never realised how much I missed staying close to my family. Now before you dismiss me as an Italian mafiaso, let me explain that I am enjoying the pampering and attention from my family after seven long years, which I spent doing all kinds of things according to my credo - "Try everything once".
The realisation of how much time I was spending with my sister's kids hit me when I was setting my cupboard while humming their nursery rhymes and, for the life of me, couldn't remember any of my favorite songs. Deep thought yielded the long-forgotten song from Saajan - "Mera dil bhi kitna paagal hai". Very apt song for the occasion, but I decided to remedy the situation with dollops of U2 once I got the room to myself.
Once that little panic attack was sorted out, I looked to go shopping. After transferring all my worldly belongings from Bangalore, I needed stuff to beautify my home (A girl can always justify her shopping sprees). It was then that I began missing my Bengaluru. Stepping out in Mumbai turns on a faucet of pure unadulterated sweat. Little kids (who usually always stare at me, I don't know why) now found another excuse to feed their saucer eyes.
Anyway, it rained in Mumbai 4 days ago and has rained thrice since then - but only in the dead of the night. It's as if the rain gods are planning something naughty and want to tiptoe their way into Mumbai. Whatever their agenda, I'm happy as long as it rains.
For now, my life figures on two searches - job search (now that I am here) and guy search (again, now that I am here). While the former is under my sub judice, the latter belongs to my parents, who seem relieved to finally have me where they wanted me. To paraphrase them - "Muahahaha".
Although I have quite some bit to write about, I am now going to take a break and browse through some templates. It's about time for a change.
The realisation of how much time I was spending with my sister's kids hit me when I was setting my cupboard while humming their nursery rhymes and, for the life of me, couldn't remember any of my favorite songs. Deep thought yielded the long-forgotten song from Saajan - "Mera dil bhi kitna paagal hai". Very apt song for the occasion, but I decided to remedy the situation with dollops of U2 once I got the room to myself.
Once that little panic attack was sorted out, I looked to go shopping. After transferring all my worldly belongings from Bangalore, I needed stuff to beautify my home (A girl can always justify her shopping sprees). It was then that I began missing my Bengaluru. Stepping out in Mumbai turns on a faucet of pure unadulterated sweat. Little kids (who usually always stare at me, I don't know why) now found another excuse to feed their saucer eyes.
Anyway, it rained in Mumbai 4 days ago and has rained thrice since then - but only in the dead of the night. It's as if the rain gods are planning something naughty and want to tiptoe their way into Mumbai. Whatever their agenda, I'm happy as long as it rains.
For now, my life figures on two searches - job search (now that I am here) and guy search (again, now that I am here). While the former is under my sub judice, the latter belongs to my parents, who seem relieved to finally have me where they wanted me. To paraphrase them - "Muahahaha".
Although I have quite some bit to write about, I am now going to take a break and browse through some templates. It's about time for a change.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Friendships
Remember the ease with which you made friends when you were in school? From sharing a crayon to eating together in the lunch break - it was relatively easier to trust people at that age. And any relationship established at that age has a higher chance of going on until ever. Those friends see you grow and change, while they change themselves. But the feeling of trust never changes.
Then you grow up and go to college where you are bombarded with peer pressure and meet various kinds of people from different backgrounds. College makes you grow up, to an extent - whether it is facing the reality that you aren't really as good as you thought at your field of excellence or grappling with crushes and heartbreaks. It is then that you start choosing people you want to get close to because, obviously, you don't want to be friends with people who would utilise the potential they have to hurt you.
Once you start working, though, it is very difficult to find people with whom you can connect at the same level. Professional relationships demand a certain distance. So, although you find lots and lots of interesting people, you don't really enjoy the same level of comfort as with your childhood friends. Sure, they keep in touch and share your special occasions, but you still call your "real" friends at 4 in the mornings when you really need help.
At such a point in life, if you get to experience campus life again, don't miss it. :) At the risk of sounding clichéd, the rigour and proximity that campus life affords you will help you make bonds that you would have thought you weren't capable of anymore. The amazing part is that you are so self-assured by now that you don't really compete with these people who are as accomplished, if not more, as you. And it's surprising how these friendships just continue growing even after you leave campus. These people and relationships are the ones you actually take away from campus.
Although I might sometimes crib a lot about my ISB experience, there is one thing I am glad I have after this year. I have a few very awesome friends.
Then you grow up and go to college where you are bombarded with peer pressure and meet various kinds of people from different backgrounds. College makes you grow up, to an extent - whether it is facing the reality that you aren't really as good as you thought at your field of excellence or grappling with crushes and heartbreaks. It is then that you start choosing people you want to get close to because, obviously, you don't want to be friends with people who would utilise the potential they have to hurt you.
Once you start working, though, it is very difficult to find people with whom you can connect at the same level. Professional relationships demand a certain distance. So, although you find lots and lots of interesting people, you don't really enjoy the same level of comfort as with your childhood friends. Sure, they keep in touch and share your special occasions, but you still call your "real" friends at 4 in the mornings when you really need help.
At such a point in life, if you get to experience campus life again, don't miss it. :) At the risk of sounding clichéd, the rigour and proximity that campus life affords you will help you make bonds that you would have thought you weren't capable of anymore. The amazing part is that you are so self-assured by now that you don't really compete with these people who are as accomplished, if not more, as you. And it's surprising how these friendships just continue growing even after you leave campus. These people and relationships are the ones you actually take away from campus.
Although I might sometimes crib a lot about my ISB experience, there is one thing I am glad I have after this year. I have a few very awesome friends.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Still Impulsive, Still Alive
I just spent a awesome vacation in Dandeli :) (If you want details, go here). This was the first time I travelled as a tourist after coming back home last year - and it was so liberating! Especially the way, it happened. So, on Thursday, I was supposed to leave from campus with my friends but since I am still in the placement process, I decided not to join them. After they piled into a cab and left, I was counseled by various people trying to help me get over the disappointment (I love you guys :) ). So, by nightfall, I was all charged up with the resolve to not leave campus without a job.
Friday arrived and it was a long dry disappointing day with respect to the placement scene. One of my college friends (not on campus) actually researched the way I could reach Dandeli if I left on Friday and sent me the details by mail with the subject line directing me to open it only after I am free on Friday. So, at 2 pm, when I got back home, I saw this mail and made a million phone calls - to confirm if the weekend was free, to ask opinions and to book tickets! I tossed stuff into my suitcase and left Hyd to reach Goa by 8 pm. I reached Dandeli after a 3 hour drive through the forests and ghat region - I even saw a wild boar right in front of our cab, who very reluctantly gave way to the strange metallic contraption on wheels.
The bright starlit skies, word game, the roar of river water as it navigated through rocks, nice balmy evenings, natural jacuzzi and slacks/shorts mishaps ;) , games of Uno, sleeper class travel in good old Indian trains, kayaking, fishing - memories are made of such good stuff. Besides, I feel rejuvenated and alive after this trip. It was totally worth it. Now, to tackle the last term on campus...
PS: Stole this gem from the status message of a friend -
Oh, innocent victims of Cupid,
Remember this little verse;
To let a fool kiss you is stupid,
To let a kiss fool you is worse.
Friday arrived and it was a long dry disappointing day with respect to the placement scene. One of my college friends (not on campus) actually researched the way I could reach Dandeli if I left on Friday and sent me the details by mail with the subject line directing me to open it only after I am free on Friday. So, at 2 pm, when I got back home, I saw this mail and made a million phone calls - to confirm if the weekend was free, to ask opinions and to book tickets! I tossed stuff into my suitcase and left Hyd to reach Goa by 8 pm. I reached Dandeli after a 3 hour drive through the forests and ghat region - I even saw a wild boar right in front of our cab, who very reluctantly gave way to the strange metallic contraption on wheels.
The bright starlit skies, word game, the roar of river water as it navigated through rocks, nice balmy evenings, natural jacuzzi and slacks/shorts mishaps ;) , games of Uno, sleeper class travel in good old Indian trains, kayaking, fishing - memories are made of such good stuff. Besides, I feel rejuvenated and alive after this trip. It was totally worth it. Now, to tackle the last term on campus...
PS: Stole this gem from the status message of a friend -
Oh, innocent victims of Cupid,
Remember this little verse;
To let a fool kiss you is stupid,
To let a kiss fool you is worse.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)