Bad start of the day

A real bad one at that.
Disclaimer : Terribly frustrated rants ahead.

As soon as I reach office into the jam packed parking, I hurt my leg with an oddly parked bike. Damn they cant provide proper parking also!!! But there was more drama awaiting at the reception.
I was greeted by the HR lady at the reception with the information that I was not properly dressed according to the company policies. I wondered what was wrong with my dress, a jeans and a casual T-shirt and scandals. Apparently we are not supposed to wear round necks according to our company rules...as if we are those sex objects around, who need to hide their necks lest the rest of the hungry sharks (men) pounce on us. Earlier during the HR dress code information which was given to us on the floor meet, they had asked us to avoid wearing round necks although its actually not considered to be an offense.
Now here she was, eating her own words, asking me to register my employee id in the list of offenders, for which she was going to cut one of my casual leaves and also I go back home and change and come back. I told her if that was the case, I am not going to travel 30 kms to and fro to change a mere T-shirt and also if she is gonna cut a day of my leave balance, I return straight from here back home and actually take this day off.
Now that isn't permissible.
You have to go home and change and come back and lose a day of casual leave as well.
You can't have both the sides of the coin to your side.
I stared straight into her face, I said its your policy to cut a day off for so-called nondisciplinary actions, but I refuse to work on a day I am not gonna get paid for and you have no policy to stop me.
She agreed.
I decided to leave and inform my manager and client that she didn't let me in since I was wearing a round neck today.

Now when I see my manager, he gives me that why-are-you-here look. I told him the matter and said I was leaving.
He threw the words at me saying it was my fault for not being appropriately dressed and that I should have read the notice board.
I was like what notice board...there is notice on it.
He took me to the notice board to prove his point only to see there was none.
Ahem....

Manager :Well...you have to go home and change and come back. I am giving you two hours.
Me: I am sorry, I cant travel another 30 kms for such a petty stuff. If at all I am going home, for sure I will not come back.
Manager: In that case I will take strict action you. I will make sure they cut your salary or two days instead of one.

Now that pushed me to the edge. People who know me, know that I don't lose my temper easily, but when I do God-save-you. I hate it when people treat me like charity. I work much more than what I get paid for, and nobody is doing me a favor by giving me this job. I am here because I work and I am worth it. Still they expect us to become scientists, while the systems that they provide to employees are from the Mugle-Azam era, and run slower than snails.
And I have a question...if I am all that genius...why the eff* would I work here for peanuts...I would rather work for Google for a hefty package. Your expectations from your employees is sky high, while you cant even provide a pantry or toilet tissues in return. Damn the CMM Level 5!!!

All I wanted to say then was 'Eff* off' and leave... but this was office and we are professionals. I donno how controlled myself, I gave him a stare which could melt the Alps and just managed with...
'I am not going home and if I do I won't come back. You can suit yourself.'
I turned back and left without waiting for an answer.

As I came out from his cubicle, I felt like a wounded cobra, fuming with anger.
I started looking at the portal site for the RESIGN option, but I couldn't find it. Its not just for the today's episode, I am ever so frustrated with this company, its policies, its facilities, its expectations and the effing managers.

So I waited for my anger to ebb down, which it didn't. Washed my face, had some tea...didn't help. Spoke to Db, sent a mail to the HR sending me a copy of the dress code policy since I couldn't find it on the portal site.
My lead came, again in a round neck T-shirt but had escaped somehow. The manager came to us and warned her to be careful next time. He then turned to me, saying you were just unlucky, you are a thief only when you are caught...and smiled away to glory.

And just now I felt the pain in my leg and checked out that it was bleeding of the injury I got the first thing I entered the office premises today. I had totally forgotten about it amidst all this drama.

I don't have a title for this one...

Its 2.30 in the night now...I am just not sleepy and D is not around to force me to sleep with his usual 'Which part of NO do you not understand???'

I had a meeting this evening with my clients, to discuss the new project that my previous employer has lost to us. But my name was convieniently missed in the meeting request. I dont't mind...more so since this meeting was supposed to start at 8.30 pm and was expected to run for at least for a hour. So I decided not to be too generous to offer to be a part of the meeting was not invited to. Also since Db is out of the city now, I didn't have the nerve to drive back home so late.

Times have changed now.

I remember my days when I was new to Bangalore, I was working with my previous employer in a crappy project, an irritating moronic team lead, even more moronic manager and going through an ugly breakup. With my previous employer, working till 10-12 pm in the night was standard for a weekday and working on Saturday was taken for granted.

On one particular evening, it was almost 12 midnight by the time I finished my work...and when I called the security for a cab, he said that due to some technical difficulty they were not providing cab service for door step drop. I got so pissed off...I was new to Bangalore and wan't sure of my way back. I was scared to take an auto so late in the night. But I managed...and I managed every single day of my life on my own. Most of my life I had been single, and handled myself through every phase of my life...alone. This is something I have always been very proud of...the fact that I am an independent person.

But ever since my marraige to Db, I find myself dependent on him. I can't work late if he is not in town, I let him handle my phone bills and credit card bills, I am not sure when,how and where does he pay the electricity and internet bills.

I am not an independent person any more...not half what I had always been.

I donno what else to write...I am feeling aimless while typing, but I insist to continue...

I have the laptop on my lap, a book on Springs to my right which I was reading a few minutes back, and the TV is on infront of me...the movie Damini being telecasted...multitasking at its best...hai naa!!!

I was reading book called 'Spring in Action'. Its a nice book, covers most of the chapters in Springs and AOP. Planning to finish this one an one more by the end of next month and start appearing for interview after that...can't work under this sadist manager anymore.

I like this movie Damini...loved Sunny Deol in the movie...he had few of the most awesome dialogues that Indian movies would ever write, 'Yeh Dhai kilo ka haat...'. I relate to Meenakshi's character in a lot of ways...even I would have done the same...may be. This is something Db has always been worried about...the fact that I am an idealist.

This post is going no where...looks like I am blabbering now.

I think I should go to sleep now.

In less than twelve hours...

In less than twelve hours Db would be starting for his three months long assignment to pune.
I wanna be with him now for sometime, but damn this job, I can't move my a** from my chair...
So its gonna be a long long period of home alone, and back to single hood again.
And there is gonna be a lot of blogging, I mean real lot of it...

...in less than twelve hours.

Enormously irritated

Disclaimer : This post is going to be full of random ranting. So before you go ahead, you have been warned.

Every single time I have a meeting with my manager, I feel like throwing my resignation on his face right there. I mean, despite of the fact that they have screwed the ratings of 80% of the people in the account, slashed our salaries by 10% citing the aforementioned excuse, they still have the face to ask us to work harder for things which we are actually not supposed to do under any compulsion.
I mean I did not have a problem, if they had cut my package on the pretext of recession. I understand this is a tough time, but they slashed my salary by reducing my appraisal ratings, despite of the fact that I, and for that matter my entire team had a good customer satisfaction rating and also held decent certifications. Yet they screwed the ratings for all of us.

Now we have a meeting to ask us to have some kinda idea generation which would give a cost benefit to either my employer or my client...and this is a part of our goal settings, which would result to further cut down our ratings if we fail to do the same. I mean, if each one of us is supposed to come up with such ideas, wouldn't we all have scientists in our organization.
And if I forgot to mention, we also have to do two certifications in a year...one domain and one technical and take a few trainings and also gave a few of the same.

And then on a lighter note, he asks...so what is your motivation to work at office other than your salary (of course, that not a motivation, rather it's something that demotivates me), to which there was an uncomfortable silence.
So he adds, I want you guys to take initiative in making team activities, outings and doing social activities. Take some time out and volunteer for such activities, go and teach at orphanages and handicapped children on weekends, tree planting outings and stuff. This is also a part of your goal settings and if not complied to will result to reducing your appraisal ratings.

Fucker...!!! I whispered to myself.

I don't mind being a volunteer for team activities or social service, but that should be something I want to do myself and not compelled to do so as to secure my appraisal ratings...

I mean...Argh!!! I donno what else to say...I am just too pissed off.

Dirty mind at work

Is it just me me to observe that on the sponsors of the popular show Rakhi ka Swayamvar are I-pill contraceptive pills, condomns and revital.

What's the connection dude...!!!????

Singlehood days coming again

Yeah...yours truly is again going back to her single hood days for a while, starting next week, while Db would be away for a good 3 months.

Well...this time I am more determined than ever to utilize this time in a way better way than just sleeping, brushing, bathing, eating, office and streaming movies. I have already enrolled for Salsa lessons and also am looking forward to swimming lessons. And not to mention update myself with Springs, Hibernate and Spring webservices and Struts(hopefully) and start appearing for interviews by the time Db is back...and in the process might lose a few kilos ;)
Now Howzzzat!!!

Now that my parents are here for a week, I really would need those extra kilos to be shed off which my Mom has fed into me...while all the while she scared the living daylights out of Db by feeding him all vegetables known to human race(Db hates each single one of them) on the pretext of good health. Db was scandalized the day they arrived with a bag carrying at least 10 kilos of green vegetables which they carried all the way from Rourkela while traveling by train for two days...only to be fed to their dear DAMAD who cant stand the sight of them.
And don't get me started on the Saas Bahu serials (courtesy Ekta Kapoor), the torture that she puts him through, as if my Balika Vadhu was not enough (that's one serial I watch)...
My sympathies with him.
Tch Tch!!!

Irony...

My previous employer has lost a dear project to my current employer and I am here receiving KT from my old folks for the same.

And I still see the same problems prevailing there...
- overworked,
- sling the mud onto others to keep your back safe.
- I-give-a-damn attitude.

Somethings never change.

Sigh!!!

Sometimes I hate to be a part of a middle class family.

When I was younger, I remember my Father asked me once…so how much money is enough for you. To which I had replied that, I want enough money so that whenever I wanna buy something for myself I don’t have to think twice.

And I am proud to say I have reached there today.

Also I always wanted that I depend on no one, which is again something I take pride in. But yeah…I never considered that if you are independent yourself, you will always find people who are dependent on you…which is now, my problem.

I find people dependent on me…so much so that at times I can’t get what I want for myself. When I sit to prioritize things I find them at more dire situations than I am.

But what hurts me more when some of them don’t understand the responsibility of the money, the efforts and sacrifices you put in on them.

Being from a middle class family, I know the value of money, and I feel bad each time I have to shell out a few tens of thousands for people, more so when they don’t feel half the responsibility of the same. I want to save some money for myself, my future, a house, some property…despite the fact that I(rather WE) work our as* off for the same, I don’t seem to go any where close towards it.

Well!!! I had started this blog so as to keep a log of my feelings at various times and circumstances of my life and in a way it makes me happy that not many people read my blog...hence the post.

To conclude…if you would have invested 10000 rupees in Infosys shares in 1993 it would be equal to 2 crores today...

To quote Db’s words

काश यह मेरे बाप को पता होता !!! *Sigh!!!*

The Jamalghota Experience

My friend today was asking me for something that I could recommend her for constipation.
Like a flash in the pan, I say JAMALGHOTA.
'You must have heard this name in some bollywood movie, I am sure it doesn't work'...she said.
'It does...I know'.

This is an incident that happened 5 years and 10 kilos ago.
Gone are those days when I didn't have to think twice before savoring a delicacy...but Ah the irony of life, I didn't have 1/50th of the kind of money that I can spare today.

Me and my roomie LP were starving for some good food. My mess owner, lets call him Budha(that's exactly what we called him then) was very fond of both of us (still we called him Budha). We just happened to mention to him that we were craving for some good food and neither did we have money to afford it nor a boyfriend who could sponsor the same.
Budha senti ho gaya...
He mentioned this wedding reception that he was to attend the same evening at the Hotel Marriot and offered us to join him if we wished. That was most certainly an offer that we couldn't refuse and we hoped onto his car when he was about to start.
To our luck, the food at the reception was great to be an understatement. We hogged the food as if we had come from some famine affected area and haven't seen food since a couple of weeks. Of course we had no idea what table manners meant then.

But the trouble in paradise came when the food which looked so great and tasted even greater landed us constipated for two days. Finally we went to the Budha for rescue. He gave us some medicine which looked like Cadbury Gems which we were told was JamalGhota. We had heard about it in various bollywood movies and how you are supposed to run into the bathroom as if you have fire in your a*s after having it.
Since we had only one bathroom attached to our room, we asked SM in the adjacent room to keep her bathroom available since one of us would be hitting it in another ten minutes. And then we waited with bated breath for what looked like ages but nothing happened. We cursed our luck, cursed the all the Jamlghota makers on earth and all bollywood scriptwriters who made us believe it would work and went to sleep late in the night.

I looked at the watch, it was five in the morning. I could feel something building in my stomach. What's wrong with me...okay..flashback...good food, hotel Marriot, the reception, constipation, Jamalghota...Gawd is working. I ran to the bathroom, its locked from inside...I start banging, its LP inside...'how long will you take'...'I donno' she says 'my brakes are failed'...Damn her!!!
I ran to SM's room. They are all sleeping. I bang her door with all my worth, no response...I bang harder, now I hear some grumbling sounds, the sounds of being disturbed from sleep at five in the morning...but then what are friends for. I know they are all awake but just waiting for each other to open the door. So, finally I threatened to help myself right there in front of their door if they don't oblige...now that worked and the door finally opened to my rescue.

So that's how I know.

So much for a vegetarian meal

I have this friend at office who is pure vegetarian, who doesn't eat paneer and mushrooms either. I wonder what a pain it must be.I am a pure non-vegetarian...I love to dabaofy chicken at the buffet meals. Good food makes me really happy, works great as a mood enhancer.

But I donno what got into me to agree to a vegetarian buffet with my friend last friday...that too at Sukh Sagar of all places.

I could see it coming within a few hours post lunch, but I chose to ignore it. Then came Db's friend whom we met for dinner. I didn't have a proper dinner there but whatever I did,again vegetarian, added royally to my misery.
If you haven't figured it yet, I am living in and out of the bathroom since last two days. So much so that I am on leave from office for the same reason. So much for a vegetarian buffet lunch, I have never had half the trouble with dabaofying double the amount of chicken.

But I am quite better today. I could have managed office if I wouldn't burden my stomach too much. But Db wouldn't lemme go...and history has it that whenever I had defied him and gone for office, I have been in trouble.
Db went on to convince me to take a leave which I wasn't ready for. He tried to convince me with his logics.
-You are not well,take rest.
- What if you get the nature's call on the way to office...sheesh!!!
- There is anyway no work at office for you.
Didn't work.
And he gave his final stroke...
They screwed your appraisal and reduced your salary, and you still wanna work even while you are not well.
TUM CONVINCE HO GAYI YA MEIN AUR BOLUN.

He didn't have to...I was more than convinced.

I am feeling better

As a victim of low self confidence that I am, sometimes I am a little worried that I am not half a good wife that Db deserves.

But at times, I come accross some people who make me feel better...aahaa...a lot better.

One of Db's friends, N, was in town this week, so we went to meet him for dinner.

During a Casual conversation...

Me - So you are here for business.
N - Yeah.
Me - How long is your stay in Bangalore?
N - 5-6 days. I normally do not go for long trips, this time is the longest I had to stay.
Me - So your wife is putting up alone in Delhi?
N - Yeah. It wasn't possible to get her along in such short notice.
Me - Oh...Never mind. I am sure she would be enjoying the break. When Db was off to London for a month,I throughly enjoyed my time, though the third week got boring.
N - Oh is it.

He streached his hands to fetch his mobile...and handed over to me. It had a SMS from his wife which said 'What have you been doing, you haven't even messaged me once since morning.'
I gave him a smile. He said there is more and showed me the next message which said 'I don't need this favour from you...don't bother to call'.
Awhhhhhh...I said.
And then he went on to add...on the top of all, when I try calling her now her cell is switched off. He rests his case to a speechless me.

So I am a happy person now...a nagging wife is the last thing I am...is Db listening!!!!

Pissed off today

My lead, who also happens to be a good friend of mine, is the reason for my dissatisfaction today.

We were a team of 6 earlier, which has been reduced to 3, thanks to the slow down.

The other guy in the team is a person with almost double my professional experience…but my lead trusts me instead to work on urgent deliveries. The reason being…the senior guy is great technically, but he is too slow. The task that I would complete in a weeks time, he would take almost 3 weeks for the same…as I like to quote it…USSE SAFAI KI BEEMARI HAI. As for me I finish the entire functionality first and then go around looking for missing method comments or code clean up. He is a perfectionist that way, so he takes a real long time. Many a times we were on the verge of missing deadlines unless I wouldn’t have bailed him out.

But what upsets me, is the fact that she chooses to take him along for other things.

For example, our manager wanted a few people from our team to conduct the trainings for freshers, she choose him. Later I approached her saying, I was interested and she gracefully obliged. I did it to secure my appraisal ratings.

But later there were many such opportunities where she conveniently ignored me.

Also today, they are interviewing a few people for our team and I am conveniently not invited to the interview panel. Initially I dismissed these things on the pretext that why should I bother doing extra work when neither they me any extra penny for the same nor am I going to benefit from it in terms of knowledge or appraisals. But it’s slowly getting on my nerves.

All I want at the moment is, try and get off the hook of this company. I am really through this…the stringent appraisal procedures, the unfriendly managers and the tacky facilities (not to mention the absolutely inedible food...don't get me started on that) given to us as employees. The only thing that holds me back is my project, it uses all the latest technologies, the clients are coolest that I have ever dealt with and the office timings are just perfect.

But…I donno…let’s see.

BACK FROM SASURAL

I am back from my SASURAL this morning...The experience wasn't half as bad I thought it would be. I was pretty much at ease and everyone treated me in a very loving and caring way. The biggest compliment I received was I seemed less like a BAHU and more like a daughter to everyone...it can't get better than this!!! The only issue was the weather which was horrible, I kept sweating like a pig, which took away most of the fun in the trip. If they say Kashmir is the heaven on Earth, then for sure Andhra is the hell on earth during summers. It was sooooo bloody hot, I feel the temperature rising even while thinking about it.

With my in laws, I get to taste the flavor of joint families, a concept very alien to me since we are a nuclear family back home. I like the way elders invite you home and treat you, I like the lighthearted relationship the DEVARS and BHABHIS share, I like the way cousins care for each other, pull each others legs, exchange gifts on occasions and hang out at places...and yeah gamble. You heard that right, we had a game of cards with some similar aged cousins, which was a proper gambling and lasted almost till the middle of the night. Db lost a good 120 rupees I gained almost fifly.

I visited a place called GUPTESHWAR with my family, one of the oldest Shiva temples, which was a great experience. An entire post coming up on that soon.

And yeah...not without worries.
Db's native is a small town, and his relatives not very competent with the fast growing generation. But a few kids including Db, have managed to break free from the circle and have been able to make it big in the bigger cities.
But as they say Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers...
Not everyone has the the ability to sail smooth when they take this huge leap from a small town to the fast moving metros...I see so many young people going in wrong directions and getting into things which they cannot handle, in the pretext of being a part of the smarter generation in question. Not that this is the first time that I see them, I have come across a lot of such people and also closely witnessed their plight when the time of self realization comes for them. That's the reason why I have always called them the confused generation.

And the worst part is, you can't do a thing to bail them out. Somehow they dismiss you as a older generation who don't understand their lifestyle, they have developed a mid-your-own-business kinda attitude and to make things worse then don't realize that what they are getting into and they might not be able to handle the consequences.
So you are left with nothing but just wait and watch till they realize their mistakes. And the person in question here is actually someone who might have to pay a hefty price for what she's got into...

I wish she comes out of things in the best possible way and with minimum damage done.
Yeah I do care for her and wish I could help her...but for that matter I have never been able to help anybody who was ever in her shoes...
**sigh**

ABOUT PERSPECTIVES

Last night, while we were returning from Oasis, I was telling Db, that the people who work in the office space of the same building must be real lucky, they would have no issues with the food. If you don't like the food at office, hop on to Polynation. So unlike our office where the food is inedible and you don't have any choice than reconciling to what is served to you.

Wait for this one now:
Db begs to differ. He says, if the husband works in here, he would have to buy vegetables from Spar on his way back everyday, which is scary. But scariest of all is, if the wife works in here, she would go for shopping everyday at Lifestyle and Max...
Now the second one is a blunder...ain't it????

Talk about individual perspective...

****************************************************************************************
Two posts in a day, she must be really sitting Welle...
Yes...you are right...So wot!!!???

HOLIDAY MOOD

A week long holiday coming for us ahead...
I have almost stopped working at office since two days, since I have already got into the holiday mood.
We are traveling to Db's place tomorrow. Well...this is not exactly the kinda break that I was looking for since some time...but I am happy with anything that keeps me away from office for a while.

Hmph...a long and tiring journey coming ahead. Almost 40 hours of traveling, wish our parents could stay closer to make the traveling part simpler for us.
But in a way it works fine for us, the farther the parents are, the least they interfere with your life.
The thought of my Mom breathing on my neck all the time, to keep the house sparkling clean, cook lavish food...not to eat out, and save money like a penny pincher, scares the daylights outta me.
Similar for my in laws, being overdressed and, with mangalsutra, toe-rings and wot-not and doing elaborate pooja-path...Nahinnnnnnnnnnnn...not my cup of tea.

So, this is convenient, and worth the pain. So lemme just brace myself for the journey tomorrow.
Will update some pics after I am back, in the typical Hindu Pativrata Stree(which I am...ahem!!! at heart I mean) avtar.

YOU KNOW YOU HAVE PUT ON

…when you take awfully long time to get ready for office.

I have been telling this to Db for quite some time that I feel I have lost some weight.
He replies in negative each time (he needs a lesson or two on how to pataofy your wife).

But last night while I was speaking to my Mom on the web cam (it’s like a godsend thing for parents who stay such long distance away), she was all so thrilled when she saw me…okay, I exaggerated, she just said that I look a lot better and seem to have lost a good amount of weight…okay some weight.
Ah…Moms I tell you, no one understands you better than them. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear from somebody.

But looks like my Mom wasn’t all that correct after all, I took equally awful amount of time to get ready for office today morning, trying my entire wardrobe to find something which fits me…boo hoo hoo!!!

THE CONFUSED GENERATION

Yeah!!! Confused...that's wot I call this generation.

Otherwise how do I explain why my friend got his so-called ex-girlfriend married to his elder brother...
Or why another one of my friend's wife chooses to continue her affair with her ex-boyfriend even after she is married to a descent family and a nice guy...and somehow his one affects me more than the first one.

I really feel like hitting her hard across her face...to call her all kinda names, she being the reason for the misery of the family so close to me.
But she doesn't deserve that.
More so, since she is a victim herself...victim of her own confusion.
I don't know what is she thinking while doing this, cheating her husband, cheating her boyfriend, or herself.
And who is the other guy kidding, romancing a now married woman.
I feel sad for the husband though, being cheated by his wife...

Forget conscience, do people not think about their own future before doing these things...
What is she up do...does she think sailing on two boats will take her anywhere at all???

I donno how to react...
I was very pissed up with the girl when I got to know about it...but now, after pondering over it for a while, all I feel for her is sympathy.

The problem is here...
These girls come from villages, from downright conservative families, where even the girls wearing pants (literally) is a taboo. Being brought up with these families, these girls leave home at at a very young age for studies and later leave to work at one of the metros or Bangalore or Pune. In an effort to be a part of the much forward culture and crowd there, they transform into confused individuals, not able to choose between the values given by their families and the culture that they are currently a part of, and hence get stuck in the middle of the evolution cycle.
Alas....there is nothing we can do about it???

My friend's life has turned into a living hell with her, and I donno how to bail him out of this. I feel so helpless, due to the sensitivity of the matter and also due to the fact that the law favors the women blindly on such matters.

Well...got to think of something and faster too.

MOBILE TESTING 1 2 3...

Testing to see if I can blog from my HTC.
My client has blocked the very little freedom that we had
by banning the news sites, trading sites, and of all other things, the
blogger too...

Now this is what I call 3rd degree torture.
Nevertheless there is always a way out, and thanks to Db for this one...
I always knew you are my little survival kit.

SATYAM BREAKS EVEN

Finally Satyam stock shows up green for us.
Today the Satyam has hit the upper circuit second time in a row...gaining over 10 percent the second time.

This was our loss percentage with Satyam dated 18th May 2009...

This is the one today...

And if experts are to be believed, the share value of Satyam is expected to go up to 100 soon.

Update 11th June :
Satyam breaks the upper circuit yet again...

I TURN A YEAR OLDER TODAY

A very happy b'day to me.

Though it doesn't feel the same now...as it did a few years back. I would stay awake till midnight for people to wish me, and I would be so disappointed if the no. of calls are less to my expectations. And contrary to that, last night when my brother called up to wish me, I was already snoring to glory.
I guess they are signs of getting old... **sigh**

Frankly, I don't want to get any older. It seems just yesterday when I was 17, the best period of my life, seventeen to twenty years of my age. The time I spent with my friends at hostel. I wouldn't count it as my happiest time, but yes it was the greatest learning phase of my life, learning with fun...and the time I made the best and strongest friends of my life.

The time wont come back and now I feel awkward every time
the children in my building call me Aunty( I d0n't feel like one),
my Mom asks me if I have finished cooking the meals(that's something Aunties ask each other),
every time I keep the Savitri upwaas (something like karwachauth),
When ever my SIL calls me Bhabhi(I am the youngest in my family, and there was hardly anyone who would even call me Didi),

Ah!!! How I wish birthdays would come and go by, but won't add to my age.