Short Story -1

                                                                  THE CLOCK

        Ram was trying to drive fast. The smog was moderate but the heavy traffic over various flyovers on the Ring Road was making driving quite a chore. He had just time till 6‘O’Clock to meet up with Preeti, his beloved for the past 8 years…. and the car clock read 5 PM. He cursed every time a car from the neighbouring lane would try to aggressively manouvre into a space in front of him.

       Finally at 5.20 he reached near the Safderjung flyover and gave Preeti a call and asked her the precise location of the hotel she was stying in. “Holiday Inn ?  I’ll be there in 5 minutes” he said and hung up. Ram reached the hotel at precisely 5.25 and ran to the reception and asked for Ms. Preeti Chatterjee. “Room 301” said the assiatant at the desk. “Please wait while I check with Ms Chatterjee” . “Ms Chatterjee, Mr Ram Shorey from Infosis to meet you. May I send him to your room”. Ram did not hear the reply but presumed it was in the affirmative, for the assistant pointed towards the lift and said “3^rd Floor, Sir, Room 301”.

       So immersed was Ram in his own thoughts that he walked to the staircase instead and ran up all three flights. The sight that he saw on the third landing took his breath away.Waiting for him was the most beautiful woman in the world . Dressed in black trousers and a white shirt printed with black and white flowers, her hair cut shoulder length and colored in strands of copper and dark brown Preeti looked very very appealing. “Hello Baby” she said. “Hi doll, I ve got to go back early”, is all he mumbled.

      They moved into the room and bolted the door.The wall clock read 5.30. They had so much to talk, so much to tell each other, so much to appreciate each other and tell each other how much each one missed the other. Somehow that did not quite happen. Two hearts separated .for such a long time did not have words for each other….. They just melted into each others arms and the bed looked just too inviting !!!!!!!!!!

      Time stood still in their cocoon They were just two people in this world……..Preeti and Ram. There were no days, no nights, no worries no tsunamis ……. just Love……Time stood still.

        Suddenly the crash, or so it seemed, of the chimes of the wall clock stiking 6 broke the velvet cocoon The clock brought Ram and Preeti back to reality. “Its 6, I’ve got ot go”, said he. “I understand darling, I am glad you could come , I am so happy that we could atleast meet up”. Ram hurriedly got up and dressed, Preeti looked up from under the sheets and smiled…she did not have to go anywhere. The clock did not matter to her.  Their lips met for a last time and Ram left in a hurry.

          It was already dark by the time the traffic thinned out. Ram smiled and ran the video of the secret rendezvous, as he prefered to call it. Suddenly for no reason the euphoria of meeting his sweetheart died down and was replaced by immense guilt. “What have I done? Did she expect this from me? Where was the love I wanted to shower her with ? Did we make love or did the animal in me smother all her expectations of meeting her beloved? Oh God, I am so confused .Pardon me for my folly, Preeti, it was not me… it was just the animal in me. I know she will just smile her lovely smile and tell me that it was the best we could manage under the circumstances…….

RAM  JUST WISHED HE COULD SMASH THAT CLOCK !!!!!!!!!”.

                                                    Controlling One's Ego 

        Are you somebody who possesses the tendency to govern your life and actions through humility or are you somebody who tends to govern your life and actions through pride and arrogance? Do you know how to keep your ego in check? Keeping your ego in check and making sure you do not express arrogance or too much pride can help you go a long way in life.

       One way you can manage your ego is to maintain a fine line between self-confidence and arrogance. For example, if you know you are very good at something or you know you can beat someone else at something, you should not become cocky or arrogant and tell him or her, "I am a great deal better than you are at everything we do. You are a major loser."

       Another way to manage your ego is to stay humble and express a sense of humility. You can become and stay humble by continuing to give everything you do, your all and always convince yourself that you still have something to prove to yourself and the rest of the world…..even though you have already achieved success in particular areas of your career or life. You can maintain and display humility by never being too proud to admit your mistakes. If you own up to your mistakes, you will have an easier time learning from your mistakes and you will probably gain respect and admiration.

       Keep your ego in check to improve your attitude. If you do not portray yourself as being flawless or act all hoity-toity, you will increase your ability to portray the type of attitude that is likely to impress other people and encourage them to put up with you and hopefully help you when you need their assistance.

        Manage your ego to the point that you are never completely satisfied. If you strive to be a perfectionist instead of an egotistical person, you will not become so complacent that you believe you have no room for improvement.

        Keep your ego in check so you will know when to listen. There are times in life when you need to listen to others and not ignore them or talk too much.

         Keep your ego in check to acquire a vision of the "big picture". If you avoid being egotistical, you will possess a better perspective on things in general, be a happier person and realize you do not necessarily have to possess wealth or make a lot of money at everything you do to find it to be worth your time.

         Follow these tips to control your ego and advance in life

Hi All Yen-ites

There is going to be a reduction in frequency and content, of my posts for the next few days coz am commencing  the road journey to Bhopal today. Tonite the halt is at Delhi, courtsey  old friends at DIPAC.  Tomorrow the halt is at Gwalior, Sonali’s home town (though she does’nt stay there anymore). And the last leg of the journey would be day after tomorrow ie.11 Mar,  I shall reach Bhopal. Comfortable driving of no more than 7 to 8 hrs a day.

So dear Yen-ites pl do bear with me……. Though I know I am going to be extremely busy once I reach Bhopal, I promise to keep the blog updated. There are so many views to share and events and anecdotes to regale you all with.

 Ciao till I reach Bhopal.

Some Yen-ites  amaze me!  They have doubted my litereary skills. May I remind these non-believers that  one does’nt have to be a Post Graduate in the English language. All that is needed is a thought process , rational flow of thoughts and just about adequate knowledge of a language.

 I had been working on the said article for some time, primarily as a tribute to all my friends who  have accepted me for what I am. I would want all my friends to always remember me as a person who  was always happy, for whom the SUN was always bright, the SKY always blue  and the GRASS always  green.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die, or fade into anonymity. Sometimes circumstances dictate that they go in another direction leaving you to wonder; sometimes they walk away, uncaring and unwilling. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand, hoping that enmity hasn’t reared its ugly head. But when amity is afoot there can be no doubt where good intent fuels the art of reaching out. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. Reasons can go against you…but when it does, all you can do is assess it for what it’s worth, monitor subsequent correspondences, make your decision and know when it's time to move on. 

Some people come into your life for a SEASON. They may only be there for a short period of time based on premeditated agendas; they may have motives that are not condoned by you, or because your turn has come to share with them in growing or learning new initiatives for the future. If all things are good, they may bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They may introduce you to new routines and techniques that you have never experienced. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real! But only for a season -- they move on. Seasonal tidings with this situation usually deal with those that are going through changes, can’t cope with certain situations that cause them to step outside of comfort zones, or are unwilling to take chances. Other seasonal folk readily recognizes their own kind, and will not hesitate to cut you loose. The key to coming full circle after misunderstandings may have caused a rift is to humble yourself, accept that perhaps you could have done something better and move on. if it's meant to be they will return, if not then it just wasn't meant to be. 

LIFETIME relationships are harder to recognize for the moment, but with time can be the best choice you can make. But how many people do you know are willing to persevere for the long haul? Find one and I guarantee you will have him or her as someone trustworthy. Life timers teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. They accept you for what you are, do not prematurely judge you, do not have any inhibitions about taking chances for the betterment of the relationship, and surely feel that compatibility is something that is assessed as you go, not at the spur of the moment. They don't adhere to conditions and will be there during the zero hour. There’s GOT to be something that you can learn from this type of person. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. This is Love at it's core..the type of love that God is. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant. Silence doesn’t suppose to be as ominous to cut deep like the sharpest knife. To be cut loose dangling trying to fathom how it went south is to understand that directional change does not have to be defined by ill winds and misplaced logic, but by common sense and discernable options working for the best. I thank all the people I’ve met in my lifetime who have allowed me to belong, gave me love and let me love them back. I’m all the better because somewhere, somehow, and someone have given me hope that friendship is not fleeting, integrity is intrusive, and that good intent coupled with works can be a true embodiment of comraderie for as long as it is deemed necessary to embrace a true friend! And for those that I’ve called a friend at some point in my life, you will always be one…but know that you will not be forgotten. 

WHAT A STUPID WORLD

One of my all-time favourite comic strips is Calvin and Hobbes. One day as they were walking through the woods, Calvin and Hobbes found a raccoon lying on the ground.

“Is it alive?”  Hobbes asked. “I think so” said Calvin “But he’s hurt…You wait here and I’ll go get Mom”.  Hobbes says “I sure hope she can help.” Calvin replies “Of course she can.You     don’t get to  be a Mom if you can’t fix everything just right.” 

Later, after even Mom couldn’t fix the raccoon and it died, a very downcast Calvin reflects “I didn’t even know he existed a few days ago and now he’s gone forever. It’s like I found him for no reason. I had to say good-bye as soon as I said hello… Still in a sad, awful, terrible way, I’m happy I met him… WHAT A STUPID WORLD”.

Helloz All

Something tells me that this Blog is getting to be too formal….. there is just no informality. All my readers sign in as anonymous and I do not know how to address you. But it must be appreciated that we all belong to this rather unique blog, I therefore. propose that henceforth I address all readers as Yen-ites. Towards this end I seek your views ….don’t want to unnecessarily ruffle any feathers….. esp so as we all flock together on this blog.

Update on the sis front. She’s showing adequate improvement and recovery. Walked couple of steps and is now allowed to consume semi-solids. The hospital bed she found to be too high and thus difficult to climb up/down (equivalent to climbing Mt Everest in her state and she definitely is no Tenzing Norgay) , so she prefers to sleep on the attendant’s bed which is much lower. This has led to various amusing incidents. Last evening she was taking a breather during her walk and held onto the side rail of the bed and to a casual onlooker she appeared to be bent over ready to be spanked or caned, while the visitors were all sitting on chairs and three of us were lounging on the hospital bed…… And that was the time the doctor came for her rounds and didn’t see the lighter side of life. Early today morning the nurse pulled back the blanket to check Anu’s BP and other similar medical tests……. Only to discover ME under the blanket, much to our mutual amusement. Now whenever I step out of the room all the nurses giggle, probably thanking their stars that they did’nt have to give Anu a sponge bath….. I think Anu would be discharged today, and it has nothing to do with Florence Nightingale discovering me under the blanket on the hospital bed.

Anu is recovering well.There WERE anxious moments during the surgery. GA is given only for the duration of the surgery + some buffer period during this time various machines for duplicating the body functions start.Therefore post-op the patient's own body systems take on however in this case Anu's lungs did not perform.... thus the ventilator. Well all is well that ends well.

The waiting in the hospital generated some yen-isms:
What is Dawood Ibrahim's Chhabi called - Don key.
What is Early Morning Chhabi called - Dawn key.
What is the lower Chhabi called- Down key.
What is the down Chhabi called - Low key (Lauki).

My brand of humour is not appreciated much in the hospital and definitely not by the patient who finds yen-isms irritating and has not minced any words in telling me so.But Yen will be Yen.

Dear Avid Readers of my Blog

This post is dedicated to you . I did not realise that you were missing my posts so much. My apologies.

As I had mentioned in my earlier post , I am on a spot of leave...... drove down from Bhopal to Chandigarh. A pretty okay drive . Halted for a night at Gwalior. Hmmm ....that does bring forth some very, very fond memories.... any guesses ? I know of two people who would guess straight away, infact they don't even need any guesses.

The next halt was at Delhi..... Dil walon ki Dilli..... One very dear friend of mine swears by Delhi, wonder why. It is congested ,crude,intolerant and impatient. But apparently it still retains some charm for the Delhi-ites.

My sisters surgery went off ok. There were some anxious moments when the docs contemplated putting her on the ventilator. She'll be in the hospital for about 4-5 days.

Sunshine is back where it always was and belongs....... in my heart!