Twenty20

As the clock struck 12 on the 9th of Jan 08, and my cell kept buzzing with messages and calls from loved one's, i realised that i had gone through the "best days of my life", school days were over quite sometime back, and now, the teens had come to an end.. i had completed a decade on the face of this planet.. it felt good.. to be "grown up" and at the same time i felt sad to think of the fact that i was no longer going to be the "pampered kid"... The greater journey had just begun, the journey where i would have to take on the world alone, no dad and mom to help me through, no friends to extend a helping hand and more importantly no more teachers, no guides. The battle is mine and mine alone... ok! enough of philosophical thinking...

My dear friends ensured that i stayed up through the night wid there messages and calls... the sound of the phone ringing while i was trying to sleep surprisingly dint annoy me, i kinda enjoyed the attention i was recieving..loL! the morning started off well with my mom trying desperately to wake me up inspite of me playing truant... she was successful at last, a glance at the papers and then an early bath (ughhh!) what followed was a bit of tradition, a customery visit to the temple quite some time later i returned home with dad to find my uncle had arrived from delhi... on time for the bash... after an elaborate lunch with parents, unlce and my sis, i went to the office... There i was greeted by everyone witha big smile, and for a change everyun wanted to shake my hand, a short while later i recieved perhaps the best birthday gifts of all time from my dad a secret kept well by him...
Retuned home and played around with my newly acquired digital camera (read toy) waiting for my sis to return ... we den madea short trip to westside where we bought each oder gifts and spent some time cracking jokes (thats wat we do wheneva we r together)..
After returning home, the cake was cut, bubbly uncorked and the celebrations hit the high point of the day... after some fun and games and a photosession, we went out for dinner.. had a great dinner and returned home exhausted!!!!! a perfect bday made special by my uncle and sis who took the pains to come down for my birthday!!!!!!!

2007 is over... gone.. it seems like yesterday, when i uncorked the champagne to set in 2007 but now its over... leaving me in a haze, as i collect the memories and try to preserve some of the choicest... the text messages keep coming in, the network is jammed, phone lines are busy and we are into 2008.. the previous year unravelled in a tremedous speed and it was a journey to savour..

31st nite on 2008 is perhaps the very best i have spent, the day started with my whole body aching thanks to numerous muscles pulls after a cricket match, a dust allergy leading to a sore throat and a running nose (soon to be transformed into a blocked nose)! not a very good way to start off the celebrations, to add to all this a plan wid school frends for a reunion cancelled and yeah running to office in the morning and hoping to get off early.. on reaching office, luck struck and struck BIG... there was absolutely no work in a office and more importantly getting off at 3.30 pm followed by a month off (study leave)! On reaching home i indulged in my favorite passtime for the last time in the year, the net! after chatting and wasting time, the cold took to me and i had to retire under the blanket for a much needed evening nap... dad returned home and then the fun started, getting dressed in jeans and sweats to goto Mr. Dutt's place to gate-crash (actually give him a surprise). What followed was some interesting conversation over snacks and wine (well my first new year resolution coming true b4 the year started.. amazing aint it?). After a frenzy of wishing each other on the new year, the conversation rolled ranging from school days, scholastic beats, the future of panchajoni and some useless banter.... we left his house a lil after 1 am.. and den the car inched its way along J.L.Nehru road in the search for a place to get a meal... the destination was azad hind dhaba but unfortunately, they had closed shop for the year... an alternative was found in dominoes (inspite of fact that my dad loathes pizzas like anything) after a sumptous dinner of chicken pizzas, we made our way back home in the dead of night! Reached home at 2.30 and then took refuge under the blanket.. on a happy note to begin a brand new fight for survival in the new year!!!

A great unplanned end to a mundane day and a year which had been nothing short of a roller coster ride!!!!!!!!!

The Year that was... Annual Report 2007!

2007! A year i would not forget in a long long time.... It will be fair to call it a year full of surprises of highs and lows... a nice blend of salt and sweet... but i must admit... it was good over-all... starting on a high as always (pun intended) it was a year where i have made a huge number of new friends who i treasure, i have got back in touch with certain people i had got cut off from, lost a friend and more importantly have learned a huge deal... the first half of the year was rocking full of sweet moments with friends and family, and at a point of time i thought it wud b the very best year of the life, the second half had its share of fun as well as sorrows but has been extremely valuable as i have come through all that has happened a stronger individual and more learned... the high point of the year was the day when my CPT results were declared.. a pleasant surprise after many a sleepless nights (for various reasons). the low point well i would say the closing hour of scholastic beats 007 which didnot go the way it was planned...

Lessons learned and moments enjoyed i wish the year 2007 (my 19th) adieu and look forward for surprises in what would be my 20th year....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

YIPPPEEEYYY!!! tomorrow is a holiday!!! a rare thing i must say, gone are the good days where one could a month of winter vacs, its just 3 days in the month of December that you can look forward to... tomorrow being a holiday i really wanna make it big.. and make it count... the last few days were quite rough at the office.. and theres gonna b sum relief wid a hol tomorrow a "half day" on saturday a sunday break and hopefully an early off on 24th....

Nostalgia

Right through friday to sunday last, i was feeling extremely nostalgic, i kept getting reminded of my schooldays, in fact to be precise, the last few days of school, incidentally, two years back, we had walked out of those gates for the ultimate time as a schoolboy. It was an emotional moment that day, i still remember the day, we had big plans of a luncheon after school... we were really happy that school life had finally come to an end! On the other hand, we were sad to leave those hallowed portals where we had spent the best times of our lives....

The 16th of December 2006 it was, that was the last time i broke the school rules... the last day i had donned the school colours, the last time i sang the school song as a pupil! They say once a Martinan, always a Martinian, but there's a catch, after a certain point of time two letters are prefixed, and we too were awarded the two letters which told us "your days in school are over". We graduated to become Ex Martinians! For years we had waited for this very day, the day when we could write on our school shirts, the day when we could engrave our names on the round chapel stairs (in accordance to tradition) and more important the day after which, we could sport longer hair, facial hair, we could colour our hair, wear karas, etc, etc, and do all the things which we were prohibited from doing as a school boy....

All the excitement and elation were however drowned when we filed into the chairs in the Atmodaya Bhabhan (school hall) for one last time.. We knew it, the teachers knew it, the rest of the school knew it.. it was a day when one of the longest standing relationships would come to an end.. the relationship between our uniforms and us! that white shirt which we loathed, the grey trousers which were caked in dust after our football matches, our much loved black and amber tie and belt and obviously the school blazer... we would have to bid them a bitter goodbye... We knew we would be saying the school prayer and singing the school song for one final time... and this time we wanted it to be the best... all through the years, we never took them seriously, it was a mundane part of every morning assembly, but suddenly, these two everyday things took gigantic proportions as everyone almost shouted out the words of the school prayer and the school song was sung in perfect harmony! However, on the conclusion of the school prayer a very rare sight greeted the hall, a group of somewhat 150 odd students, the senior most of all, broke down, tears rolled down our cheeks by the time we reached the final verse... it was all over... school life had come to an end!

The martinian tradition was upheld as our shirts were dotted with farewell messages from the truest of our friends... some pockets were torn off, and the flash bulbs lit up every passing moment, an attempt in vain to soak in the last few moments, more a change, even the teachers allowed us to make a noise, they encouraged our shouting, we defaced our class room walls as we signed our initials on the walls with markers... this was followed by the last football match on the school ground... it was more of fruitless running around than playing the game.

Tired after the football match we had two last things to do, engrave our names on the round chapel steps and then ... walk out of those gates...

The relation with La Martiniere is far from over, we still go back to school on any given opportunities but it no longer feels the same, there seems to be a vacuum.. a vacuum perhaps created by the lack of uniform, the lack of rules, we can now.. walk into the teacher's staff room rather than wait outside, we can go to the principals office by the visitors entrance than taking the longer way to the office... a vacuum created mostly by the teachers, who treat us compatriots now, the sternness in there voice is lacking, the jokes and laughter flows, this was what we wanted once, but when we have got it, it doesnt interest us,, it feels eerie....

The corridors however have the same old worl charm, the charm which was there when we ran about in them from one class to another, the canteen food tastes as good as better... however there's a difference.. a world of difference.... created by two letter... "EX".

May our founder's name endure

Ever spotless, ever pure!

VIVE LA MARTINIERE!!!

Last week was one tough week... 6 back to back days at the office.. yes even saturday... its a pain.. seriously.... however, all the pains through the week were compensated for on sunday... a movie, loads of bhaat boka wid a 2 dear pals of mine and den... going out wid dad after quite sum time... it was a great way to sign off a hectic week... it all started today wid another stint at going to Dalhousie Square.... i went back to the grind, however, i have got quite a lot to look forward to this week, my chums from school are back in town (most of them are studying outta cal) and we are plannin sum adda and sum oder bawal plans to relive the golden days we spent together.... and well its that time of the year again.. christmas is round the corner and its a reason to celebrate.. hit the party scene in town... so lets hope for a "rocking" time....

cheers!!

Today was a day at the office... it was not very bad though... had to go for an audit to Fairly Place, well its a part of Kolkata not many people of our generation would know of, its in the heart of the business district and its tooo far... its about 5 minutes from the writers building also... so you can well imagine, getting there was quite a hassel (my first time mind you), the work was strenous and the hands of the clock barely moved, i was trying to 'vouch' through about 400 odd sale bills, but it was a nice change, kinda liked it especially bcoz i got off at 5..lol!!! gotto head back to the same place 2moro... and i gotta get dre early.. so dats it for now.. will keep u guys updated... ciao