Monday blues

Mondays are meant for feeling blue,
So do people say,
Much has been said about this day,
But I have felt like that
Only on very few a Monday;

However, today is different,
I am just back from a holiday,
Poor me is back in a confined space
After a week of freedom,
Back to the usual routine
After a 7-day vacation,
Back to my home
From the land of Chennai.

Back amidst familiar faces
Back amidst known voices,
Back after laughs and hugs and tears
Chitchat and gossip,
And roller coasters of emotions;

There is a load of work to do,
But my mind wanders,
I yearn for the lost freedom,
I wish I could have filled in
More enjoyment into these few days;

I wish to go back
And do all the things I didn’t,
I missed out on a lot of things,
Visits to relatives’,
The usual visit to the beach,
The shopping spree
And the dining out in glee,
The long hours of sleep and rest,
The books I meant to read,
The movies I meant to see,
All the things I had planned to,
But didn’t do
Due to constraints like time and health.

I am just back from a trip
And my heart longs for another,
But I know I cannot do that,
That makes this Monday bluer than ever,
Hence this poem I write
To let out my pain,
On my dear blog
I let my grief be etched.

:-((

Am I a human being?

Earlier today in office, I was reading some articles on the net. I was trying to open an article when I received the following message:

"In order to allow you to view this page, we need to verify that you are a real human being. Please enter the code given below in the box alongside to confirm."


?????????????????????????

Couldn't help but LOL at this....

For your information, it was proved that I indeed am a human being.:-)

Rain! Rain!

Yay! Looks like monsoon has finally set in in Ahmedabad city. We had the season's first shower yesterday evening, just about an hour before I was about to start from office for home. It was beeeeeyyyyyooooootttttiiiiiiifullllll......Finally a respite from the heat...

Everybody rushed to the windows and corridors to see the rain! :-) Funny, how a spell of rain can change a busy and serious work day into chaos, fun and laughter. Soon, it started raining cats and dogs. Complete with lightning and thunder.

For once, the office didn't seem so drab. The light above my desk did not look like the one above a criminal being interrogated by a policeman in the police station. I didn't feel like dunking the punch machine in the sweet syrup that is brought in by the office boy that they call tea. I didn't feel like hitting a few selected characters in office smack on their grinning faces. For once, the egoistic attitude of certain other characters seemed bearable. Deadlines seemed achievable.

I couldn't find an auto and had to walk down home all the way! Not that I minded!!:-)The only problem was that my new leather chappals that I like a lot got soaked to the core. :-( As I walked down, I saw people thronging the 'dalwada' and 'corn on the cob' stalls on the roadside. There were literally traffic jams near these stalls! Both the customers and the stall owners were having a field day! People here sure know how to enjoy themselves to the fullest.

On the way, I noticed a poor family cooking food huddled inside a large drainage pipe, sheltering themselves from the rain. They were laughing and enjoying. Talk about contentment and making the most of what you have! Somehow, it brought a smile to my face. Yesterday was one of those days when I was grateful that I had a warm home and a family to go back to. The bowl of steaming Maggi noodles I had last night seemed heavenly after that!

It is cloudy today. Might rain. Might not. According to the newspaper, monsoons have not officially set in. :-( Full fledged rains are expected only towards the very last part of the month. A few hoardings and trees fell down and 2 people have been reported dead in yesterday's rain! Idhu trailer na real movie yepdi irrukumo!!:-) God save us!

Gems from work:-)

I used to work as a proofreader with a medical transcription firm earlier. Today I came across my old notebook which I used at work, in which I have noted the various mistakes made by transcriptionists and the correct version. I am posting some of them here.The transcriptionists had typed in something totally different from what the doctor was actually dictating, resulting in a great gaffe. Here goes:

1) Sentence typed: She feels like putting eyes on her thighs. (How do you do that?)
What the doc was dictating:She feels like putting ice on her thighs.

2) Sentence typed: She has food flow in her legs. (Wow!)
What the doc was dictating: She has good flow in her legs.

3) Sentence typed: The doctor is happy with money.
What the doc was dictating: The doctor is happy with my knees.(Thank God the doc didn't get to read that!)

4) Sentence typed: Dr.X has agreed to treat medicine.(Good to know that science has progressed to the point that even medicine can be treated!)
What the doc was dictating: Dr.X has agreed to treat Madison.

5) Sentence typed: She has got running ears. (Great, at what speed do they run?)
What the doc was dictating: She has got ringing in her ears.

6) Sentence typed: She is a muscled female.
What the doc was dictating: She is a Moslem female.(Poor female!)

7) Sentence typed: She does lift when she is at work and some of these when she was weighed more than 40 lbs., but she lifts some of the coworkers. (Must be one amazing female!)
What the doc was dictating: She does lift windshields at work and some of these weigh more than 40 lbs., but she lifts them a coworker.

8) Sentence typed: He has no blood pressure. (Wow! How is this man alive?)
What the doc was dictating: He has low blood pressure.

9) Sentence typed: The patient was noted with maintaining sleep on the way to the clinic. (One awesome driver he must be!)
What the doc was dictating: The patient was 10 minutes late due to automobile accident on the way to the clinic.

10) Sentence typed: She noticed that the cat had no color.(No comments!)
What the doc was dictating: She noticed that the cat had no collar.

11) Sentence typed: He has likely got a stomach bulb. (Oh really? And does his stomach glow in the dark?)
What the doc was dictating: He has likely got a stomach bug.

12) Sentence typed: She licks urine all the time. (Yuck!)
What the doc was dictating: She leaks urine all the time.

Go ahead, enjoy!!!!!!!!

To work or not to work?

I was surfing the net earlier today when I came across this.

I have been having the same kind of discussions lately with friends and with Amma- whether to work or not after marriage? From the article and the comments made by readers, the following questions emerged:

1) Why is it that only the woman is asked to make such a choice? Why not the man?
More or less, in Indian society, it is believed that the man is the breadwinner of the family and it is the woman's responsibility to raise the kids and to instill values in them. Well, I think a woman is emotionally programmed to take care of the kids, be patient with them and bring them up. It is a great role that has been traditionally assigned to women. It is a privilege to be able to mould someone's life and teach them the lessons of life. Of course, the child would have a better and fair understanding of life and its complexities if both his/her father and mother contributed equally in its upbringing. But, when it comes to staying at home with the kids and looking after them, women are naturally and instinctively better.

2) Why can't a woman have both - a career and a family life?
You can, but only if you are TERRIFIC! Having a full-fledged career and having to manage the household and the kids simultaneously does become nerve-racking at times. If you are lucky enough to have someone really dependable with whom you can trust the kids and who can also manage the house in case of emergencies, it is a pretty tough job. Of course, there are women who manage both, but ultimately it takes its toll on you.

3) Why does this question arise at all?
Women by nature are highly emotional. If they are career-oriented, they usually feel guilty after marriage for not being able to take care of the family and the home. On the other hand, modern-day women like to be better prepared for the challenges of life. What if my husband leaves me or passes away or he loses his job? - these are questions which many young girls think of before marriage, while contemplating whether to be a stay-at-home wife or a career-minded wife. And there is always the issue of financial dependence. Today's woman does not prefer being financially dependent on anyone. They also realise that it is a tremendous waste of talent and education to not work at all. Hence, the choice of making a decision arises.

I feel both these situations are extremes- either be a stay-at-home wife or work full-time. There are some in-between options too, like:
1) Pursuing a part-time job
2) Freelance work
3) Working from home
4) Taking up soft jobs such as tuitions instead of a full-time office job
5) Keeping oneself updated and active so that one can join the work force after the kids do not require staying at home
6) Making sound investments before getting married or before having kids so that you do not have to worry about being financially dependent

Of course, every case is different. One should decide upon her course of action based on her individual circumstances.

What's in a name?

This is an excerpt from an actual call made by the marketing team in our office to a customer:

Marketing executive: Good afternoon, this is M$$$$$$ calling from xxxx. I would like to talk to you about a membership in our firm.

Customer: Good afternoon, M@@@@@@. Tell me.

Marketing executive: Madam, M$$$$$$ here. Can I talk to you now? Are you free?

Customer: Can you please say your name in Hindi? (???????)

I would love to know how one says one's name in Hindi! :-)

Sweet memories

Today is 1st May, 2007. Exactly one month since I quit my last job, where I worked for 2 years. Quite an emotional upheaval that was - quitting that job. I thought about it for months together and finally decided to take the plunge. I had to do it for the sake of my career.

I still remember my last day in that office. It was quite touching to see everyone behave extra-soft that day, making special efforts to ensure that I left with beautiful memories of the place. I had stuck around for so long that people hadn't expected me to leave. They had gotten used to having me around, just as I had gotten used to the place. There were quite a few colleagues who said, "Next time, when we are doing this, please remind me to....", only to remember, "Oh, God! You won't be here from tomorrow onwards!"

One of my colleagues and friends remarked wistfully, "It's an April fool joke, na? You'll be back tomorrow?" Saying no to that was the one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. That colleague went out of the way to rush home earlier than usual and when questioned by others why she was behaving like that, what she said tore at my heart. "Priya is leaving. I am afraid I might cry. And I don't want to bid her a tearful farewell." Sigh!

I was surprised to see even colleagues with whom I didn't have much interaction come forward to wish me 'All the best' on that day. One of them said, "You have been a very sincere and good person.May God fill your life with happiness." Sigh! Sigh!

My boss told me, "This is your office, Priya. You are always welcome here, any time you want to come back. Our doors are always open for you."

Taking photos with everyone was the fun part and the most touching part of that day. At that time, it struck me that I would maybe never return to this office again.

Amidst hugs and smiles and handshakes and 'farewell's and 'all the best's, I finally took that last step out of the office.

A week after I had left the job, one of my other colleagues and friends sent me a beautiful message which left me speechless. It was: "Kitni raatein beet gayee, Kitne din beet gaye, Bus beeta nahi toh.... Yaadon ka woh pal, Woh guzra hua kal, Beeti nahi toh aankhon ki nami Aur aap ki kami......" Sigh again!

My last job was actually my second job, but my first real one. The first job lasted for only 2 months. That place has been like a home to me. I have never felt like I have been away from home in that office. I used to call it 'a home away from home'. My colleagues there have been with me through thick and thin, even my boss. I am still attached to that office, though I am not part of it now. That place holds a special importance for me, maybe because it was my first real job. It's not that I am not satisfied with my current job, but that place somehow is very special and close to my heart. I have a whole lot of memories associated with the place.

That organisation and the people there have impacted me and my outlook in more ways than one. I'm still learning the ropes at my current job and I hope to form a similar bond with the people here as well.

Maybe as I go ahead in life, I will outgrow the feeling of getting so emotionally attached to everything. But today, I am feeling nostalgic...........Missing all of you guys...............