The one in which I talk of being corporate, and housewifely

So, I'm a fortnight into the job. Wow. How hectic has it been is evident from the lack of posts on this page and a growing list of to-read stuff on the reader, among others.

Has it been exciting? Yes, I'd say, for the most part. It's a little confusing at times, a little lonely and slightly intimidating, but mostly there's a buzz, so far. It should stay for the first project, methinks.

Has it been tiring? Most definitely. My body revolts at 14-15 hour work days after so many months of lethargy.

What else does it feel like? Slightly weird, very grown up, and all the corporate frustration around me feels (so far) very unfamiliar. The people are good though, and things look sure to get warmer and faster in the next month. And the 35 km commute to Gurgaon is killing me.

Oh, and I got my first salary. :)

The lucky bit is that my first three weekends are all 3-day. Talk about spoiling habits! And so, last weekend I took a wonderful trip to Lansdowne (more on this should follow) with a bunch of friends, that ended up a nice roadtrip and jungle trekking combined. This weekend, I took a trip to my "home" in Mumbai. Had to finish some formalities, and wanted to know how it felt like living in 'my' home (at an outrageous 10k bucks per night :P ). Spent a lot of time setting up, cleaning, buying provisions, mopping, putting up the curtains, making the kitchen functional (cooking the ritualistic coffee and maggi etc) and generally being super housewifely. (My housemate is a little lazy at all this and struggling very hard at living all alone in a new city) Now the home is fairly habitable, though my housemate doesn't intend to cook, so it would have to wait for me to move in to make it totally home-like. There was nothing more to do in Mumbai though (everyone hits at my housemate, none at me :( :( :( ) except watch society Dandiya and meet Yashshri (finally, after several attempts over at least 2 years!) :P

So bottomline is that in the last two weeks I got a taste of the corporate and the housewifely shades of evil, uncomfortable grown-up life, and though it'd take more time to grow into it, and it's gonna be a bit before I have to be a superwoman and do all of it simultaneously, I will survive.

I think.

Anti-climax II

Imagine a heavily melodramatic sentimental movie scene featuring a judaai among loved ones, or a farewell of some sort. Imagine, for the sake of the effects, a teary bidding-adieu moment at a railway station where one person is leaving for some xyz place for long, and in the final few moments before the train is about to leave, looks back at the place people and memories he/she is leaving behind. In fact, add flashbacks, loaded dialogues, background scores or even full-fledged sob-songs to the scene just so the flavor is complete.
So, the person finally breaks the embrace of his beloved people and place, who're perhaps secretly thankful they're gonna get a reprieve from this person but give nice sobby goodbyes anyway, and gets on the train. The train moves a few metres and suddenly comes to a stop. The station master tells you that because of "technical difficulties", the train cant leave right now, and there's a full 24 hour delay. So you have no choice but to go back, bag and baggage, to your home or whatever, and those people who just bid you goodbye and had already reallocated your room have to accomodate you again.

You understand the anti-climax, right?

Well, that just happened to me. :)

Okay, of course there wasn't so much drama and I still retain a room here at home, but you know, I was supposed to shift to Mumbai today and stuff, and everybody said goodbyes (I'd even done the packing!) and suddenly my company HR says, why don't you report in Gurgaon office on Monday instead of Mumbai office :)
Apparently, the project I've been staffed on, the team is in Delhi, so it made no sense to fly to Mumbai on sat and back on Sun because the mon morning meeting was in Delhi office and my ticket's cancelled. Now I don't have any other details at all, including whether this is a one-day, one-week or a one-month delay. I don't know anything yet, except that people who're happily calling me since last evening hoping to say bye, shoo, go to bombay, are being met with disappointment that the teary farewell has been postponed.

So, I'm gonna shift to Mumbai afterall (I'm so not unpacking!), but it could be later than sooner, and I have no clue when. Meanwhile I continue to pay a gigantic rent on a place in Mumbai I'm still not living in, and my poor flatmate has to grapple with setting up the house all alone. All this, when I'd always asked for a Delhi posting in the first place.

Life's suddenly exciting again. Fingers crossed for Monday. Wish me luck.

Phew, welcome to consulting, Taru.

Getting there, somewhere

अंत का आगाज़ है यह
या स्वागत गीत का अन्तिम छंद
Is it the end of the beginning of life
or of something more important, the beginning of the end?

हाथ बढ रहा है आगे एक, क्षितिज की तलाश में
लड़ रहा है दूसरा कि वक्त पर पकड़ बनी रहे|
An excited hand stretches out, towards the horizon limitless
The other struggles to keep its hold, on time running fast, away...

Ghar hai, ghar wali chahiye ;)

In Mumbai, househunting for the past few days, I've discovered how hard it is to make a home. Finally found a decent place, 2bhk fully furnished et al in Prabhadevi, but it's been three days and signing the papers stays a struggle still. Hoping to get possession by tomorrow evening, so I can peacefully return to Delhi.
Not entirely peacefully though, for I still need:

• A third roommate, preferably someone who works in Nariman Point/fort area itself (koi mumbai mein ghar dhoond raha hai kya?! Please batao!)
• to make lists, pack and arrive by 12th, and settle in!

Phew!