Another year has gone by and as usual it went pretty fast. I guess as you get older, time flies faster than before. One more year deposited to your nostalgia bank and one more year worth of events to memorize. 2010, though, unlike some of those nasty years before it, hasn’t been a up and down sine graph for me – instead my joys and sorrows have kept the curve generally flat, with the ups dominating the downs. Ok, I will not indulge in further geeky analogies from science, you have my word :)

This year was an year of changes. I have relocated to a new place, a new home, a new job and even a new career to an extent. And I am happy that I made all those switches. I have a job that I love, I am doing stuff that matters more. That’s upside #1, and somehow that has floated this year really high in terms of endearment. I miss a lot of things too though. I miss Bangalore, I miss Bosch, I miss the evenings with friends there. But to gain you have to loose some. And eventually I guess the balance tips in favour of the new life. So not a bad decision in the end. Pat on the back.

2010 was also seems like a season for weddings. Two of my dear cousins, umpteen number of close friends – everybody seems to have chosen this year to get married. And as the year ends, the bachelor count in my friend circle is being heavily battered. I am wondering if I’ll end up being the last man standing, the next year I write the post. Watch this space.

Travel wise too the year was good. I finally got to see a lot more of India. Mumbai, Gurgaon, Delhi, Kolkata, Sikkim, Bihar, UP – all first time visits, all happened this year. So yeah, I traveled to my hearts content.

Material gain was also quite high. I’m obviously getting paid more, and with that spending a lot more too! I bought a new car, my new house is nearing completion and I got a new camera. So some of my dreams are finally coming through. Life’s become more extravagant, but I don’t mind that. Whatever the philosophers say, materialism is still important to some degree, atleast for me. Thanks to 2010 for that.

On the flip side, I bid goodbye to a few close friends, whom I might never see again. Having a life built around friends, that needs some adjustments from my side too. But yeah, things won’t remain the same forever can it? I’ll consider that a small blemish amidst all the positives. And yeah, atleast there’s Facebook – which is why I don’t care about the privacy stuff.

All in all – 2010, you were a super-duper-awesome year for me. And I can quite safely say that it was definitely one of the best years in my life so far. 2011′s peeping by the door – welcome, but you do have a tough act to follow!

A few years ago, I had an email conversation with my friends regarding life in Bangalore. Most were of the opinion that it was just too trashy and mundane a life and that the main reason for that was the city itself. I had more or less concurred with those thoughts there. But many days and months after, I think I’ve slowly started coming into terms with Bangalore.

I come from a sleepy suburb of the small city of Trivandrum, with all its old world charm. Compared to Bangalore, the hustle-bustle, the traffic and the noise is almost non-existent there. So I was brought up, being used to a bit of peace and quiet. The transition to the metro life of Bangalore was quick, and it wasn’t a very easy one. It was like you had gone fishing beside a serene lake and then suddenly getting kicked into a Metallica concert.

One thing Bangalore gave to me (and a lot of us) is freedom – financially and otherwise. Used and misused it, and in the meanwhile enjoyed it a lot. It gave me new meanings to life and allowed me to see things in other dimensions. I appreciated all that but still it never felt like home. I could never imagine a settled life here. There was always a feeling that I was a stranger in a strange place.

But that was some time ago, and time changes perspectives. I spent last week in my dear own Trivandrum celebrating Onam with my family. It was good, but strangely for the first time really, I started badly missing Bangalore – the congestion, the traffic, the crowds and everything associated with it. That was when the realization came that I had indeed accepted Bangalore as my new home. Bangalore has now become the routine, and Trivandrum the (welcome) aberration. They say home is where the heart is… I guess I have learnt to give some part of my heart to Bangalore… 3 years down the line.

I would describe myself in the weight attribute as a little bit over average; 5 to 6 kilos above the technical norm for my height. And I am pretty consious about that. So when my friend Anu told me that she had undergone this magic diet going by the name “GM Diet”; I thought if it shaves off some kgs and since it lasts only for a week, why not give it a try. So I did.

Surprising myself; I actually managed to more or less follow the diet up until the sixth day with minor altercations. And I did loose 2 kgs (though the claim from Anu was atleast 4kgs). But the thing that interested me the most was why would General Motors; the car manufacturing company in dire straits; come up with a diet plan? With the “Internets” at my disposal; I went searching. And as I suspected; GM had nothing to do with their namesake diet plan. That too from the reputed New York Times. So why did I still follow it? I saw no harm at that point of time and the article writer himself said that he too had lost a few pounds.

After the whole experience though; I would suggest not to do it. It’s not worth loosing 4kgs in a week only to gain it back in half that time. Though I’m not an expert in the way the human body works; I suspect such rapid cycles of weight-loss and weight-gain would not do any good for your body. The best thing to come out of it though was a no non-veg week after a long time (I took the vegetarian diet). I don’t feel any rejuvenation of the mind, the soul or the body after undergoing it, like various sources on the net claim it to do.

Lesson? Nothing beats exercise. If only GM had come up with a plan to cure laziness! :(

It is a very strange point in my life now. I turn 25 in less than 2 weeks; and if you ask me: Am I what I wanted to be at 25? I am undecided.

This is a season of changes for me. Friends getting married; people going off far far away; my parents almost into retirement. And me? Well; I am just going where the wind takes me; rudderless. I suppose that’s not how it should be once you are 25. You need to have a sense of direction I suppose; but even as I write that; it is extremely difficult for my mind to consider that reality. My friends tell me I still act like a teenager sometimes and some others say I act like a 50 year old. Maybe they are right. But what’s a 25 year old supposed to act like? Well – I am even more confused.

The easy-go attitude seems to be very difficult to shake off for me. Nothing affects me profoundly; despite my outer mask suggesting otherwise. You call me; I always pick up. There’s no bad moment to talk to me. I have seen many people tell; this is a bad time to talk. But honestly I don’t remember a moment (ok one; but that’s it!) when I’ve said that. Others of my age have already started tackling life’s difficult tasks and they already have had that turning point but I am somehow stuck. I started building a house on my own (“my own” is relative) and I thought such a huge responsibility would mean that would make my life change. But it didn’t. Even that for me seems to be a snippet for conversation with my friends and nothing more. It doesn’t give me the tension I wanted it to give me. But no. Not even that. Some people say that’s a good thing; but no; not for me. I am bored; I need some stress to cure it I suppose and to feel like not being an alien in a strange planet.

I have a job I like (despite peer pressure to not; hating your job seems to be in-fashion); I have a steady income; I am surrounded by friends; I have a supportive family and my problems are miniscule compared to others’. Even then I feel incomplete. Every single day; even the productive ones; even the entertaining ones; seems to be one more day wasted. But “wasted” vs what? I am unable to define that.

Is this my quarter life crisis? I think so… and I have no clue as to what the remedy is. Here’s going back to where the wind takes me… see you at the next place I crash into.

When I entered the corporate world, I used to be proud with these calls I used to get from time to time. “Sir, you have a pre-approved credit card from {insert reputed bank name here}.” Hmm.. So I am someone important to the economic system now. But as experiences were gained these grew from minor annoyances to whenever the phone shows an unknown number – “oh! not again!”. I used to just ignore these calls, picking up and mumbling “Not Interested”.

But off late, I decided to make use of such situations in interesting ways. My friends always seem too busy to call frequently nowadays and my family never really has gotten into the habit of talking long over the phone. So who did I have as an alternative? The credit card girls off course (I say girls because if it is a guy who is calling then the old mumbling is still the norm). So began my experiments and adventures.

One

Caller: Hello sir, do you have a credit card?
Me: Yeah.
Caller: Sir but this is a card from HBHBH bank. It has offers that would make your eyeballs jump out of their sockets.
Me: Hmm. Ok. But I am still not interested.
Caller: But whyyy sirrr?
Me: How did you get my number?
Caller: Database gave it to us sir.
Me: Which database? I haven’t registered in any database.
Caller: No sir. I can see your number here.
Me: Ok, miss then can you tell me what my name is.
Caller: Er.. Sorry sir, they have not mentioned your name.
Me: What?? They just provided you with a list of numbers without names?? You want a list then I can give you one too. What are the rates of your provider?
Beep. Call disconnected.

Two

Caller: Hello sir, this is a call from GCEB bank regarding credit cards.
Me: What’s your name?
Caller: Thoolika sir. (Nice name .. dilemma.. should I flirt or talk stern? Hmm.. voice doesn’t sound good, so stern is the go again.)
Me: Are you calling from GCEB bank?
Caller: Off course!
Me: But I work for the HR dept. in GCEB bank. I know for sure that we don’t do direct phone call marketing.
Caller: Actually sir, it came from Database. We are calling from an agency.
Me: Can I speak to your manager?
Caller: No sir.
Me: Why not? If I don’t speak to your manager, I’m going to register a complaint.
Caller: Sorry sir, we work without managers. (I wonder if their agency is hiring)
Beep. Call disconnected.

Three

Caller: Hello sir, I’m calling from RAH bank regarding credit cards.
Me: Are you from an agency?
Caller: No sir, I’m calling from the bank.
Me: Can I speak to your manager
Caller: Sorry for disturbing you sir. Thank y..
Me: If you disconnect now, I’m going to sue you.
Caller: Er. Er.. Just a minute sir, I’ll get my manager.
Manager: Hi sir. This is Priyanka.
Me: How did you get my number?
Manager: Sir its in our database sir.
Me: Whose database?
Manager: HBHBH bank sir.
Me: But your colleague said you were calling from RAH bank?
Manager: Er sir.. er.
Beep. Call disconnect.

If only I could catch hold of Mr. Database one day. Who the hell is he to blurt out my personal details to every Tom, Dick, Priyanka and Thoolika about my personal details? :D

Some of my friends tell me they are only doing their job. Well I respect that. But if you choose a job like this, taunts such as these come as occupational hazards. Call me a cruel pig, but I value my privacy. As far as I am concerned my mobile phone is for me to communicate on things relevant to me. But well, if you encroach… well I have my right to have some fun.

So if you are the next credit card girl who is going to call me, we’ll strike a deal – go out for dinner that day and I’ll definitely subscribe to the card of your choice. Dinner’s on you, though! :)