Now that I drive... though only since a short time, I can and I will comment on the different types of drivers on the roads of Mumbai city. There are two types of people in this world and so are there two types of drivers – Men and Women...Initially (when I did not drive) I hated women drivers myself. I believed they are a misfit in cars and on roads and that when I am behind the wheel, I will change the story. So now that I am behind the wheel, I understand what really goes in the minds of the women who drive. Below are just a few happenings and my justifications for the same.
1) Her car speed will either be below 40 or above 80. Nothing in between. To top it she will never let you over take her either. And if you try to she will give you a look that says... bloody lecherous rash driver. Just can’t let a ‘women’ drive in peace.
Justification: We are safe drivers that’s why the speed of below 40. And as far as the speed of 80 goes that is for the runways only (runways for us are the 1 feet space between our car and the front car at the traffic signal). The fact is we never bother whether someone over takes us or not. It's just that when your car increases its speed, it gets us disoriented and we feel you are trying to show off your driving skills and put us down. Now that is something that we don’t like.
2) Honking is her birth right. If u hear a very noisy car from a distance know that the wheel is ruled by a lady.
Justification: We know (though we will never accept) that our driving sucks, big-time! We care for your safety so we honk well in advance so you have your time to flee the road and be safe.
3) If you are moving in from the side, she will not slow down, ever. You will have to break and wait for your brother to give you some space to join in. What would she have lost if she would have just slowed down a little?
Justification: Well, She never really knew you wanted to move in. She didn’t see you either. If she would have seen you she would have surely slowed. The key word being ‘if’. And to make sure she sees you in a light traffic road, you better be listening to Abhishek’s interview on radio with full volume, or use her technique of honking like a madman or use a bolder method of passing a sleazy comment and then get her attention to you.
4) Why can't they never park properly? It is always parked such that 3 other cars will not be able to move without her car moving first.
Justification: Reversing and forwarding is a pain and also very time consuming. When we have to shop, every minute counts and every minute wasted on parking the car properly leads to lesser minutes to devote to criticising our girlfriends new buys. By the way, who told you we know to park and any which ways, how long are we gone, not more than 4-5 hours. That much anyone can wait!
All in all we women are patient drivers with firm belief in our driving skills. We will never land up killing anyone (coz we never drive at higher speeds. Even if we bump someone he might just fall on the road, get up, curse and move away). We are high nosed and that’s the reason why most of us are unable to see the cars moving in from the sides (try holding your nose up high and then looking around and you will understand what I am saying).
And the best part, women drivers confuse each other too. The other day when I was driving, this car from behind was honking like crazy. That car was in the other lane slightly behind mine. A slight turn of my car n there the cars horn went. I slowed thinking it might want to move ahead but even that car slowed. By the end of it I was so irritated I just slowed and further slowed so that car could go ahead which it eventually did. And yes that was a women driver!
From this post you must have concluded that I am anything but a feminist. Well I don’t know what I am. Still trying to figure that out. All I can say is that I believe
I don’t know if women are better than men, but what I do know is that women are no worse.
Saturday, 23 June 2007
Thursday, 21 June 2007
Answers
(view the first post before reading this to understand this post better)
With so many questions running through my head and the kind of thinking that goes behind answering those questions it's inevitable that you do reach the next logical step – the ANSWERS. We all find answers, some sooner than the others. Some find it within themselves; some find it in their day to day lives. Some answers just stare at you when you least expect them, some come face to face after a lot of penance and toil while some others bump into you just by chance! But I believe you find them one way or the other.
Funny thing are these answers. Have you ever wondered how certain answers are never satisfactory, some answers just bring back the joy in your life? Some others make you want to ask a few more questions while some answers make you wish you had never asked that question...
Exceptions are always there of questions that cannot be answered. It's the process then that matters. The process of finding an answer. We all do that. Flow through life looking for answers of questions that blind us. That is a part of our life. The other part being making choices.
It's this constant state of questioning and answering that makes life more interesting and worthwhile. When the questions diminish, the answers stop flowing in and the whole cycle of life stagnates. What is life if one accepts everything as it is? When one decides there is nothing more to find out in life or worse that he knows everything that he needs to know in life. Rarely will we find people blatantly vocal about these thoughts or even aware of it. It's the way they conduct their life that make us wonder, when did they stop asking questions!
I wish my brain never stops questioning me, my every thought. I do take for granted some thoughts, but what the heck! I am still learning.
P.S: This post was for all those concerned souls who wished to know what happens with so many questions in my mind. How do I ANSWER those questions… I hope u now understand the full circle.
With so many questions running through my head and the kind of thinking that goes behind answering those questions it's inevitable that you do reach the next logical step – the ANSWERS. We all find answers, some sooner than the others. Some find it within themselves; some find it in their day to day lives. Some answers just stare at you when you least expect them, some come face to face after a lot of penance and toil while some others bump into you just by chance! But I believe you find them one way or the other.
Funny thing are these answers. Have you ever wondered how certain answers are never satisfactory, some answers just bring back the joy in your life? Some others make you want to ask a few more questions while some answers make you wish you had never asked that question...
Exceptions are always there of questions that cannot be answered. It's the process then that matters. The process of finding an answer. We all do that. Flow through life looking for answers of questions that blind us. That is a part of our life. The other part being making choices.
It's this constant state of questioning and answering that makes life more interesting and worthwhile. When the questions diminish, the answers stop flowing in and the whole cycle of life stagnates. What is life if one accepts everything as it is? When one decides there is nothing more to find out in life or worse that he knows everything that he needs to know in life. Rarely will we find people blatantly vocal about these thoughts or even aware of it. It's the way they conduct their life that make us wonder, when did they stop asking questions!
I wish my brain never stops questioning me, my every thought. I do take for granted some thoughts, but what the heck! I am still learning.
P.S: This post was for all those concerned souls who wished to know what happens with so many questions in my mind. How do I ANSWER those questions… I hope u now understand the full circle.
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Summer Project!
Have you ever seen a small kid chew more than it can eat?
Well I am that kid. DNA showed me 2 options. A small chocolate gooey pastry and an orange cheese cake (both from 210 degrees. The best cake shop at churchgate)... chocolate gooey I had already had before (and it was small) so I choose a huge chunk of Orange cheese cake. Just to try it out. When I was asked to cut out a piece for myself I cut a huge one. I was greedy. And to top it I stuffed myself with all of it in one go. I was stuck. Stuck with lotsa cheese cake in my mouth... Can’t eat it, can’t throw it out (throw it out coz it tasted yuck!). Not even mentioning the amazing calories that come with it. Before I get side tracked with the cheese cake imagery, I’ll come to the point. The cheese cake is my The great Indian Summer project. Stuck with it for life and death.
What is a summer project.
Professor: Where you get your first tryst with corporate life.
Placement Co-ordinator: It's a waste of my time
Parents: Whatever it is, should be back by 7.00 in the evening
Friends: Who cares! What’s your pay like? No pay, cool join the gang!
Me: Uhhh!!! Hmmmm....... I think...... I dunno... lets go there and see!
So now that you are clear as crystal with the summer project funda let me take it forward.
May ‘07
1st week: Didnt know who to talk to. By the end of it I and my boss decided on a topic only to realise a couple of other summer trainees already savaged my meaty project around a month back. So next Monday I was as clean a slate that I could ever be.
Next week: The boss decided a project and explained me the concept which till date (project submission this Friday) I have no clue about. I like sheep in the herd, nodded along.
This continued for the next 2 weeks without any issues. It was a comfortable stay at DNA with rounds of coffees and other unmentionables* throughout the days. Endless chattering and office gossips took up a lot of my time. And before I could realise a month was over! And to top it all I got my heavy stack of 500 rs notes as summers internship stipend... Yipppeeee, not bad at all!
June ‘07
4th June is what I call the day of Happy Realisation (1st, 2nd and 3rd were Friday, Saturday and Sunday, no work happens on these days). Happy realisation happened because it was then that it touched my ever so naive brain that the summer trainees before us have made PRESENTATIONS and left! LEFT! To leave this coffee vending machine dominated office you need to PRESENT your project and sumbit a HARDCOPY of it too. Well to do all this u need a PROJECT... and I have none. I HAVE to make one.
That was the time that I sat down and took note. Of all the things I had to do and all the things I did not understand. Well the latter had the maximum bullets. But there was no time to UNDERSTAND my project! None the less I continued till what has come the last 2 weeks of my so called summer project. The boss has spoken now. Project analysis by end of this week i.e Friday (coz Saturdays we don’t work u see). And I am as screwed as the screw on your coffee table. And with all this pressure and tension and stress the only thing that I can feel passionate about is writing this post here. I sat to do my work and here I am, doing something much more creative. Atleast thats wht I suppose. So wish me luck and I go for slaughter this Friday!
*= to know more about what are the unmentionables call me!
Well I am that kid. DNA showed me 2 options. A small chocolate gooey pastry and an orange cheese cake (both from 210 degrees. The best cake shop at churchgate)... chocolate gooey I had already had before (and it was small) so I choose a huge chunk of Orange cheese cake. Just to try it out. When I was asked to cut out a piece for myself I cut a huge one. I was greedy. And to top it I stuffed myself with all of it in one go. I was stuck. Stuck with lotsa cheese cake in my mouth... Can’t eat it, can’t throw it out (throw it out coz it tasted yuck!). Not even mentioning the amazing calories that come with it. Before I get side tracked with the cheese cake imagery, I’ll come to the point. The cheese cake is my The great Indian Summer project. Stuck with it for life and death.
What is a summer project.
Professor: Where you get your first tryst with corporate life.
Placement Co-ordinator: It's a waste of my time
Parents: Whatever it is, should be back by 7.00 in the evening
Friends: Who cares! What’s your pay like? No pay, cool join the gang!
Me: Uhhh!!! Hmmmm....... I think...... I dunno... lets go there and see!
So now that you are clear as crystal with the summer project funda let me take it forward.
May ‘07
1st week: Didnt know who to talk to. By the end of it I and my boss decided on a topic only to realise a couple of other summer trainees already savaged my meaty project around a month back. So next Monday I was as clean a slate that I could ever be.
Next week: The boss decided a project and explained me the concept which till date (project submission this Friday) I have no clue about. I like sheep in the herd, nodded along.
This continued for the next 2 weeks without any issues. It was a comfortable stay at DNA with rounds of coffees and other unmentionables* throughout the days. Endless chattering and office gossips took up a lot of my time. And before I could realise a month was over! And to top it all I got my heavy stack of 500 rs notes as summers internship stipend... Yipppeeee, not bad at all!
June ‘07
4th June is what I call the day of Happy Realisation (1st, 2nd and 3rd were Friday, Saturday and Sunday, no work happens on these days). Happy realisation happened because it was then that it touched my ever so naive brain that the summer trainees before us have made PRESENTATIONS and left! LEFT! To leave this coffee vending machine dominated office you need to PRESENT your project and sumbit a HARDCOPY of it too. Well to do all this u need a PROJECT... and I have none. I HAVE to make one.
That was the time that I sat down and took note. Of all the things I had to do and all the things I did not understand. Well the latter had the maximum bullets. But there was no time to UNDERSTAND my project! None the less I continued till what has come the last 2 weeks of my so called summer project. The boss has spoken now. Project analysis by end of this week i.e Friday (coz Saturdays we don’t work u see). And I am as screwed as the screw on your coffee table. And with all this pressure and tension and stress the only thing that I can feel passionate about is writing this post here. I sat to do my work and here I am, doing something much more creative. Atleast thats wht I suppose. So wish me luck and I go for slaughter this Friday!
*= to know more about what are the unmentionables call me!
Monday, 18 June 2007
Questions
My head if full of Questions.
Why is my car not starting? Why do i have to go to office?
Does happiness always have to be selfish?
Why did that jerk delete my files? Who took my sharpner?
When will they understand what i mean by freedom?
Cant she see me walking on the road?... Women drivers!
Am i beautiful? Am i mad?
Why does mac d's get me so nostalgic? Why cant i remember where i saw him last?
Why dont i get a chance to travel by trains anymore?
Why do people percieve silence as submission?
Is it wrong to go numb about things that hurt you a lot?
Why does the beggar, asking me for a penny, not invoke any sympathy in me? Am i dead?
When will people realise that they need to walk on the foothpath and not on the road?(drivers like me can get them killed man!)
What does rain bring with it that makes me so ecstatic?
and many many more...
(i tell you about all these questions cause i will be speaking about such questions only in my forthcoming entries)
Questions make me think, they make me wonder. They get me irritated and they get me tired. They make me silent and sometimes make me want to catch somebody's collar and ask, Why me? Sometimes they restore the peace in me, sometimes they help me silently bear the torture of indifference.
And more practically, questions sometimes take up so much of my time, i suddenly realise that i just slept through my entire class...
that i spent the entire day with myself! Weird things are these questions... they make you and they break you. but whatever be the case they are a part of us (most of us). And for those who do not have them, get a life!
Why is my car not starting? Why do i have to go to office?
Does happiness always have to be selfish?
Why did that jerk delete my files? Who took my sharpner?
When will they understand what i mean by freedom?
Cant she see me walking on the road?... Women drivers!
Am i beautiful? Am i mad?
Why does mac d's get me so nostalgic? Why cant i remember where i saw him last?
Why dont i get a chance to travel by trains anymore?
Why do people percieve silence as submission?
Is it wrong to go numb about things that hurt you a lot?
Why does the beggar, asking me for a penny, not invoke any sympathy in me? Am i dead?
When will people realise that they need to walk on the foothpath and not on the road?(drivers like me can get them killed man!)
What does rain bring with it that makes me so ecstatic?
and many many more...
(i tell you about all these questions cause i will be speaking about such questions only in my forthcoming entries)
Questions make me think, they make me wonder. They get me irritated and they get me tired. They make me silent and sometimes make me want to catch somebody's collar and ask, Why me? Sometimes they restore the peace in me, sometimes they help me silently bear the torture of indifference.
And more practically, questions sometimes take up so much of my time, i suddenly realise that i just slept through my entire class...
that i spent the entire day with myself! Weird things are these questions... they make you and they break you. but whatever be the case they are a part of us (most of us). And for those who do not have them, get a life!
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