Mumbai.

So it was actually the other way around.
Incessant Rainfall. Messy hair love. Cha. Evernote. Conventional smiles. Alfanso aahhness. Flustered evenings. Inebriating Marine drive. Prawn biriyani at Ambar / bheja fry at Bade Miyan. Walk down the moonlit Ballard Estate. Hurried breakfast of  tasteless sandwiches. Meetings. Purple Peeptoes. Pao bhajis at 1 am. Midnight ramble. Lonely hotel nights. Sleeplessness. Desire. Cogitating over the past. 

Life happened, love did not! 

Smriti....

When I look back now I could feel the pain, an intense one. These four years were lot. And as I sat that day with friends, little high I wondered 'bout all that, that lay scattered in my head- Oly, Zhong hua and the craziest get togethers.
Each time I visited Zhong- hua or Oly and let that chilled stuff pass down my throat I could feel the pain and the feeling of togetherness all at same time. And pami's place where we sat most often with black rum, breezer n Maggi or the times at nandan, college street or coffee house over endless debates and uncontrollable laughters- the little things that would make my day. Growing up was this fun I never realized before and as I stared agape at the wild charm of my campus I realized that there are certain things in life that could never happen again- getting sloshed at binayek's garage, birthday '08 or intense puking after taking the shots for the first time.
And as I shuffled through those random clicks that day the ache grew stronger somehow. I knew I wont ever get to hear the Floyd in the same way, neither Calcutta blues will make us cry our hearts out. And I will keep missing those bawals, the birthday parties, the random treats, the never ending addas and those shoulders even more. The vodka shots would never taste the same again. The cozy taxi rides would never again be this beautiful.
And so as the car sped through I closed my eyes to feel the strong air and at times things never turn blue, they remain just as it is, only that we grow up, move on leaving behind promises, bonds n words and so it remains, smriti..........

The year

Last year 1st january was good enough- the long road trip to shantiniketan, the babli resort, the baul gaan, the food out there, the dance masti...yess almost everything.
The summer training started in a while and came with it the worst part. Sometimes it is hard to take the pain and its even harder to cope up with the memories that u create in the process, the memories that make you sit straight and think back all over again. 12th Jan was the last day we talked.
On the better side 2010 gave me my first experience of getting sloshed...sigh! And it introduced me to a whole new life of BBC, Oly, Zhhong- hua n all those kickass parties. The mandarmani trip, the pujas, the family get togethers that were best in their own ways...And oh ya the hair cut that made me cuter n happier.
The Darjeeling trip was the best trip ever for: being perfect 10, the eventful long 14 hours of train journey, the Kanchanjangha, the roof top breakfasts, those yummy momos, the car trip from sikkim to darjeeling, lunch at glenary's, intense shopping, the mal road, the news of direct PI- moments that would be treasured forever.
24th Dec was an absolutely new feeling: SPE, HHI, Underground all in a night n dancing like crazy....

Lastly the interview on 30th. It couldnt have been better, just couldnt...And the text from K on 31st, "congrats baby" made my day...yes I got into TCS, the best way to end the year perhaps...
To 2010,
You took away something I thought I loved but you made me tougher anyway, you made me happier when I thought everything was going wrong , you made me maturer from one gawky girl I once was....And so heres raising a toast to you for bringing the bests, for all the wonderful moments, for letting me understand friendship a bit too well.

Btw happy new year guys!

Reunion.. :)

I shall be meeting some of my old tuition friends this weekend almost after about five long years, the moment I have been longing for years.
And it brings back so many memories. I remember the old damp room where we used to sit, the place which witnessed so many of my firsts- first crush, first fight, first true friends, first book of Harry Potter, first pair of sneaker and all the little things I used to crave back then. I used to go there every Saturday afternoons and Tuesday evenings and I hardly used to study there, ever :P. But things I gathered from Sir are way too important than those stupid physics or chemistry lessons. His beige colored shirt, his sparkling eyes, his lovable words and some odd bunch of twisted incidents are all that I remember now.
True that I have been growing too fast, learning to wear that mask, to put up a fake smile, to lie. And just then I remember those stupid fights, the fresh smell of the saraswati pujas, those evenings with rain and jhalmuri, the dairy milks after bijoya, those bunking tuitions- having fun. I remember it all, perhaps you just cant forget your firsts, they are real memorable, real treasure.
These 5 years have been a lot. I became way too matured, bit too settled and calmed down a lot. No long do I crave for those candies and ice creams at odd hours. I have now other things to take care of, huh? But when I sit back and think about the times bygone, tears come so unknowingly and my fingers curl up with a feeling so rare, so fresh that I allmost feel weightless.
And while I am writing this out in the office with a coffee in my hand and the rain pouring outside I guess I really have grown up a hell lot. Growing up is part of life I guess. And while I see the children clamouring outside, jumping in rains, shouting like anything, I know I am missing those days of innocence when love was so simple, when friendship was all about sharing lunch and secrets and when life was all about scoring good grades.
The air inside the office smells so metallic, so stale that it is making me sick, but I guess I have to get used to this, to grow up even more, to put up even more masks, to hide back tears, to show that pink smile.

P.S.- Thanks to faisaal for the treats (chinese, coffee, bhuttas n ice creams), gtalk for I can talk to all my friends n to all them in the office who did'nt block fb and eventually makin my life a little better here.

P.P.S- Thanks to nilu for every little thing in this world.