Friends Friends...And So It Ends

"So, I guess this is goodbye"

"Only, if you want it to end. I want us to be friends even afterwards."

"You know, it?s not possible. I can never think of you as just a friend"

"But I don't want it to end. We have been such good friends all this time. Why can't we forget everything and just move on?"

"You have already moved on, haven't you? You don't need me now."

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"I have been meaning to tell you this since so long. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I hope you feel the same way too."

"Uhh, but we have been friends for so long. We have been with each through our hookups and breakups with others. It would be too weird."

"No, it won't. We know everything about each other, so no surprises there. And I know you feel the same way too. Please say yes. We'll always be good friends, if it works out or not."

"Yes" (* Thinks if it really is the correct step. How do you know where friendship ends and love begins? Does being habituated to someone mean you are in love?)

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"I have met someone special, and I want you to two to meet."

"This is a big surprise. I never thought you were in a serious relationship."

"I was waiting for the right moment. And now that I know for sure, I want you to like each other. You're my best friend, and I want us three to be good friends too."

"Congratulations. I wish you all the happiness in the world. I am a little busy these days, but will let you know when all of us can go out." (* Thinks I may not want to marry you, I am pretty sure that I am not in love with you, but still losing you to someone else is not something I look  forward to.)

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Retail Therapy May Be Good For My Soul...

But not for my soles or wallet!

Having spent almost the entire last month in malls, I am ready to turn myself in rehab for shopping addiction!!! The only saving grace is that I wasn't shopping for myself. So, I am not completely beyond help!

I think I am turning into a mall rat. Almost every other weekend I visit the mall near my house and spend hours window-shopping. At least that's what I tell myself when I leave for the mall, but then it doesn't help if you have a shopaholic mom, the window-shopping inevitably turns into a guilty shopping trip. Guilty because I know that I already have a closetful of clothes, a shoe cubby which threatens to spill out every time I open it, and a collection of handbags/purses which is gathering dust. Pretty soon, I should be getting Shopper of the year award!

Put semi-nude pictures of models/actors and a sale ad in front of me, and my eyes will automatically focus on the sale ones! OK, that's a lie; I'll enjoy my fill of the semi-nude ones and then scan through the details of the sale; which mall, how much discount, sale period etc etc.

That's a far cry from the days, when shopping meant tagging along with parents to the local non-branded stores in small by lanes of the city; when shopping was restricted mostly to birthdays and festivals; when a new pair of shoes was supposed to last through one school term.

P.S.
How many handbags/shoes/clothes/jewellery should a normal female possess? To go one step further, let me add number of suitors also to this list. Is there ever a point when one can look back and say, "No more! I think that's enough!"

A Cobweb Of Memories...

What's an acceptable timeframe for letting go of an old memory? A day for a one-night tryst? A weekend for a bad week at work? Two years for a broken heart? Five years for all the battles of college? A decade for teenage crushes and whippings at school?

I have always found it weird when people start reminiscing about the good old days. When the stories of the days of yore begin, my mind starts wandering away. Now, don't get me wrong. I am not a cruel, heartless wretch with ice-water running through my veins. But all my memories are locked up in my head for me to go back and agonize or revel over when I am day-dreaming. (A technical question here: Is it really day-dreaming if you are thinking about stuff from the past? Or are day-dreams meant only for the future?)

Is it just a male thing to trade battle stories over and over again? The stories of teenage crush, the college fights, the office hottie from their previous company? This is really strange, coz women are generally perceived to be the ones who have elephantine memories and can remember minute details like the color of their guy's shirt on their first date! I am trying to recall when I have sat with my female friends and spent the whole day laughing over school/college/office adventures. Ok so all my office buddies were male so that crosses itself out. My college days were pretty non-happening and tame. And it seems really childish to go back to the memories from school years; everything seems so ancient that even the memories are in technicolor!

Eeeks, so where does that leave me? Most probably, sitting on a couch, surrounded by other people's memories! Oh well, serves me right for not holding on to any of my own, I guess...

Some Things Just Never Change...

A few days back I was attending a session on HR practices in the workplace. And the trainer was explaining to us how discreet and impartial and unbiased HR guys are when dealing with issues that the employees face. To explain that he gave us a hypothetical example of a female who had leveled a sexual harassment charge against one colleague. The issue was resolved, but in a matter of few months she raised the same charge against a different person, and then one more time against a third person. To highlight how unbiased they have to be when dealing with such cases, the trainer asked us, what would any normal person think in this scenario. The room fell silent for a minute or two and it was easy to figure out what everyone was thinking. And as one guy voiced that thought, it irritated the hell out of me! And I ended up blurting out "Or maybe there were a lot of perverts in that company who took advantage of that one woman!" Needless to say, no one else said anything more and the trainer quickly moved on to other topics!

Thankfully, I have never had to face any such serious stuff. The two or three random minor incidents that did happen, I think, every woman has faced. (Should I be referring to these kind of incidents as minor? No incident how small seems minor when its happening to you.)And has learnt to take it in her stride. It's such a shameful thing to admit to. To have to accept such things as a part of being a woman.

This is not going to be a post for women's empowerment. I was just trying to think out aloud how on top of everything else that a woman has to deal with, harassment gets added on it. Sometimes more than the harassment, it's harder having to deal with judgmental eyes of holier-than-thou people...

Love In The Times Of...

Cholera? I think cholera would be easier to handle than everything else that comes with love; the uncertainties, the doubts, the heartache. I am beginning to understand why anyone would follow the philosophy of flirting around and not committing to one person. Though, the only people who hold this view are the ones who have been hurt in love. You'll never find any happily-in-love person thinking like that.

It's not easy to fall in love and stay in love, if you are not the romantic sorts. You know the kind that thinks DDLJ/KKHH are classics and name their kids Raj/Prem. Well I certainly don't belong to that tribe (Is it hypocritical of me to swoon at the sight of Hugh Jackman/George Clooney, watch reruns of soppy movies like Pretty Woman but tut-tut at the ones who love Shahrukh? Probably yes. Oh well!).

As Feb 14 approaches, I am beginning to develop homicidal tendencies; show me a pink teddy bear and I will stab it through the red heart it holds in its hands! And just when I was planning which knife I would use, someone gifted me chocolates in office! Ha ha, it feels like I am back in school/college! This day is so hyped up, that you can go for a year without thinking about your non-existent love life but start feeling the pangs on Feb 14. And one doesn't necessarily want a proposal or an elaborate gift, even a thoughtful gesture from loved ones or strangers brightens up the day and brings a smile to one's face!

Wish you Happy Day! Why am I not wishing Happy Valentine's Day? Well, Feb 14 without a valentine is just a Happy Day, isn't it?