11 March 2009

My kingdom for a rupee


When I spend, I rarely need to think about it. Saving up is a task that requires oh-so-much willpower..  So I never thought of myself as the stingy type.

But then there was that day..

After a few long hours of traversing up and down town, I was thinking about how I should get home. The bus-stop was less than 5 minutes away but I was feeling so tired.. Nonetheless, I mustered up my strength and turned toward the bus-stop. But before I took more than 5 steps, my bus passed me at a crawling pace and halted some 3 feet from me due to traffic. I thanked my lucky stars and hopped on.

I handed the conductor a 10-rupee note and he gave me a Rs. 5 ticket and change. 

"Heyy, isn't the ticket from here 4 rupees?" I asked him. He cocked an eyebrow and said, "You got on before we reached the bus-stop, you know.."

And in my head I actually went, "Oh man! If I walked another 2 minutes, I could have saved myself that 1 buck!"

Now that's bad enough on its own. But there's an additional fact that makes it worse. The whole day, the 'traversing' I did from place to place was all by taxi. Put together I'm sure I spent more than Rs. 150 on taxi fare. 

And here I was cribbing about a buck.

So I've learnt I do have my stingy moments.. good to know

8 March 2009

Names I've been called (on purpose, by mistake, whatever..)

Now, I realize I have a 'different' name. I do. So I never particularly mind when people decide to call me by petnames. But the things people come up with! Not least my mom..! It boggles the mind.. And they just keep on coming
  • Aradrayyar arunachalam
  • Asswoman
  • Batli
  • Bhadri
  • Bharatmata
  • Bharitimalaparzee
  • Billivedya
  • Blabby
  • BM
  • BM 6.5
  • BMC
  • BMP
  • Brat
  • Brattles
  • Bratty
  • Bratty-poo
  • Cat
  • Catty
  • Catwoman
  • Chakkar paani pakkar pakkar
  • Chancellor
  • Color
  • Color malar
  • Drama queen
  • Dhoti damsel
  • Expressionslos
  • Felina
  • Flaky
  • Himalay Parbat
  • Kootie
  • Kootie-footie
  • Lungi lady
  • Maami
  • Mahabharat
  • Malada
  • Malan
  • Malaree
  • Malli
  • Mallu
  • Mallu papu
  • Manda
  • Meowlar
  • Mighty wonderwoman BM
  • Mobo
  • Mundu Malar
  • Mylove
  • Parvati Color
  • Periyamaami
  • Pipsqueak
  • Saapad-rani
  • Sammy
  • Stoopy
  • Talumbharsee
  • The-lanky-one
  • Veshti woman
  • Wonderwoman

5 March 2009

Coming soon to an elevator near you..!

I stepped out of an elevator today, and the person waiting outside shrieked. I looked at her but she just ran inside the elevator so i couldn't read her expression. Granted I hadn't combed my hair, but then I never do.. So do I really look scary enough to evoke shrieks of terror in people?!

4 March 2009

My two cents (chaar anna?)..

It's only upto a certain point in life that others can dictate what is best for you (well, somebody's got to when you're too young to know better right??). But everyone comes to a point in life when you know your own mind and are capable of deciding for yourself whats right and wrong. Its at this point where you decide what (values, morals, ideas, pieces of wisdom, whatever you wanna call em), out of everything people have laid down in front of you, you'll actually keep, and what you'll toss. Even if you have a twin sibling, who's grown up with you, been influenced by the same things, who's to say you'll both adopt the same principles? 

Morals are important to us. And not just because people are beaten up, stoned, set alight, ostracized, threatened, etc in the name of morality. Even if we've never thought about it or refuse to admit it, we do need our own set of morals - things that we're cool with and those that we're not. Because at the end of the day, even if we don't care what the rest of the world and even God may think of us, we'll always care what we think of ourselves. Could you ever be happy, when you don't like yourself?

And so morality is personal. You decide your own boundaries. Set your own limits. 

There are of course, laws that have (for the most part) been laid down for peaceful co-existence of our species. Fail to abide by them and you're punished. Period. Obviously, whether murder is okay if you think its okay, is not something I would question. I stand by this: if you want to push the rules a little, do things society frowns on, I think its okay if you think its okay - as long as there aren't any casualties. Nobody should be hurt. Because you do not have the right to hurt anybody but yourself.

Go ahead that is, if you can take all the judging. And there will be judging. 'There's all kinds of people in the world' as the song goes, and the majority seem to think that if they think its wrong, it damn well is wrong! If they wouldn't do it, you sure shouldn't either! If they don't believe it, why the hell do you?? Everyone's got a different opinion and everyone's convinced what they think is all that matters. No room for different beliefs/opinions/ideas.. Judge judge judge..

Judgement is often unconscious. We don't even realise we're doing it. You usually just act on the verdict - you know you don't like that cheapo guy or that slutty girl or that annoying kid. For all you know though, someone out there thinks you're cheap/slutty/annoying. When you know you're not.. am I making sense here?!

Who are we to judge after all? Like good ol' Jesus said, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." There's only one person each of us can judge and that's ourselves. For you're the only one, who knows what is okay and what isn't for you. 

So, to each, his own. You live your life, I'll live mine. You don't judge me, I won't judge you..

Ha! 

Good luck with that..

23 February 2009

There's music everywhere..

I get into a crowded bus and am focused on finding a nice 1 square foot of floorspace without (too many) intruding elbows to occupy for the (thankfully not long) ride, when i hear a male voice at my ear sing out "helloo-o-o-o-ooo". I freeze for a moment in disbelief. Am i getting hit on?? Turning around (and it was quite the task, mind you) with eyebrows raised as high as they go (pretty high, in case ur wondering, i have a big forehead u see..) i look the singer-wannabe in the eye.

Well, look who it is..

Its the friendly bus conductor, waiting (not very) patiently for me to buy a ticket. Well he certainly got my attention, alright.. I buy my ticket. He moves on serenading anyone (men, women, children) who hasn't yet bought their fare with hellos. And I'm left wondering if they're taught this in conductor training academy. Maybe they have an optional music course.. or something like that :)