Operation Karisma

It was a warm summer afternoon when I was just chilling in the bathroom. What? You guys don't? Thank your stars I'm not giving detailed description of what I was doing.

Anyway, so on a warm hot summer afternoon, through my peripheral vision I noticed something black and tiny run across the floor.  My instinct told me to panic and run out screaming.  But when I realised mom isn't home, better sense prevailed and I quietly left the bathroom and locked it from the outside so that the trespasser cannot leave the property.

When the mother came home, I told her the frightening truth.  I had locked a baby lizard in the bathroom.  What is a girl supposed to do anyway?

But mothers are superhumans and immediately she came to the room armed with a full baygon and a broom.  Baygon to help the lizard pass out so we can carry it and throw it away in the wilderness where it can live with it's own people.  We sprayed Baygon right where I had spotted the lizzie go, but it didn't come out.

After about half an hour, mom gave up and told me to keep an eye open.  "How will I sleep?" I thought.  Considering a baby lizard is somewhere in the bathroom, frolicking, probably running around on my soap, while I sleep.  And, and what if I've to pee in middle of the night? What if the lizzie is staring down at me from top of the commode? :(

That night, I didn't sleep well.  I dreamt that the lizard was actually an animagus. And that there is an actual human being wizard sitting somewhere in my bathroom in form of a lizard.  This was followed by a bizarre dream of me riding a giant cobra across the Pacific Ocean. Anyway, coming back, I woke up in middle of the night, imagining a wizard inside the bathroom.

Next morning, no lizard spotting happened.

I started wondering if I had imagined the whole thing.  Was it my mind playing tricks? Was it a tumour and I was having a dizzy/fainting spell? (Yes, I've been watching House M.D.)  But, but, I could never be wrong about spotting a lizard.

And then, around mid morning when I was again chilling in the bathroom, I saw it again.  This time, it was next to the mirror.  It was blackish and since the granite is greenish-black in colour, it takes a seasoned lizard spotter to notice it.

Within minutes the mother was summoned, armed with Baygon and broom.  This time, she was accompanied by a minion, the domestic help's 13 year old daughter, who follows my mother like a puppy. (seriously, sometimes the kind of adoration the mother gets, I get jealous of her, also, SHE IS MY MOMMY, STAY AWAY FROM HER)

Anyway, so, the lizard is spotted, sprayed at, and because it was still a baby, it died. I'm sorry. Not sorry.

Operation Karisma. E.K.I.A. Enemy Killed In Action.

Well, at least it died on Akshay Tritiya, it will probably go to heaven.

One is no longer unemployed

It gives me great pleasure to inform yougaiz that I am no longer unemployed.  I'm joining one of the financial dailies and I may even see my name in print. HOW EXCITING IS THAT?

What about Chartered Accountancy, you ask? Well, it has ruined my jawaani, not letting it ruin the rest of my life. So, I'm gonna use the experience in writing, which has always been my first love.

Well, the new job is new, and I'm little scared and nervous and I have no experience or formal education to become a journalist, but there is where the challenge lies, right?  I am very, very nervous about the new job which I start from 27th of this month.

I have added disclaimers on the blog and Twitter, that views are personal. :| I never thought I will be one of those who need such disclaimers.  #TeamViewsArePersonal

Anyhoooooo. I'm gonna go now mostly because I don't really know what else to write because I'm so excited and nervous and that I don't know what to write.

And now I'm rambling.

BUT I AM NO LONGER UNEMPLOYED!

Rant

Know how I have always said how I want signs from the Universe on how things are going to be.  Or maybe some sort of background music or things going in slow motion to know something important is just around the corner?

Well, signs from the universe suck.  There is no such thing.  And I have always, always been wrong about them.

So, I have decided, no more looking out for signs or trying to read and interpret subtleties in people's words and actions.  Because, evidently, I'm invariably wrong.  Especially when I feel very strongly about something/someone.

So, here's deciding not to have any more expectations from anyone.  Or the fucking universe for that matter.  And I don't believe in myself anyway, so that is one expectation less.

Anyway, this is just a rant because I am really, really furious.

And since I am not gonna believe in things unless I see any explicit evidence in front of me, I shall refrain from talking about any kind of progress in my life till it actually happens. 

Okay, rant over.

Why should you visit the Amdavad Book Fair

We Gujaratis love to read.

We get 4 newspapers every day.  Okay, 5 if you consider Ahmedabad Mirror as a newspaper too.  Gujarat Samachar, Divya Bhaskar, Sandesh, Times of India and Ahmedabad Mirror.  Every morning we (parents and I) spend 2 hours reading them.

We also have subscriptions to weekly Gujarati magazines, like Chitralekha, Abhiyan and a few others.  I don't read them regularly, but they make for the parents' night time reading.

I have noticed, at least in my family, they love subscribing to magazines over buying books.  But we still love to read.

Whenever there are exhibitions in the city, whether it is a funfair with rides, exhibition on interior decoration, handicrafts, handloom, books - my father has always taken us there.  Even as kids.  We may not buy anything, just walk around the stalls, eat some food in the food court and come back home, but we loved visiting these exhibitions.

Last year, dad and I visited the book fair which was organized by the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (yes, it is Amdavad and not Ahmedabad).  It was a good beginning.  This year, it promised to be better.

And it was.

Here are the reasons you should visit the book fair:

1.  Gujarat University Convention Centre is quite awesome - visited it for the first time today.  Dome is nice, spacious and not crazy crowded like Sanskar Kendra where it was held last year.  The food court is on a stage of plywood, though and little scary as it is shaky. :| Didnt eat anything there, but they had gwalia, bikanerwala, havmor, shambhi, etc. So it was pretty decent stuff - go for it.

2.  It has more to offer than S. Chand & Sons books. :| last year, all I could see was educational books which were mostly for students up to class 10 or 12. But there was a stall of Navneet and all, so it wasn't completely missing. (or maybe I missed out on S Chand & Co. - not that I'm complaining)

3.  Pretty decent collection for children's books.  If you have a child in your family, you may want to give it a visit.

4.  Found 4/5 stall which were selling seconds books for cheap.  Like 50 rupees a book or 3 books for 100 rupees.  Some were second hand, some were just old, but in decent condition.  Not a bad deal.  One stall also had some hard cover books for 30/50 rupees.

5.  Decent collection on books on architecture and other professions.

6.  I spotted 2/3 stalls on literature on Islam, Hinduism and many more on spirituality.

Anyhoo, so what I'm saying is, if you're in the city, you must visit the book fair.

The Loot

I came home with that - 5 books for about 560.

Sigh, just wish that for inauguration, Narendra Modi hadn't diverted the traffic on the other routes. Man, we were stuck in traffic the other day for an hour and a half (from Shivranjani cross roads to Manekbag - including right turn at Nehrunagar) and I had to pee so bad.  I had almost started dreaming of the toilet seat.  So keep such inaugurations at midnight or so when no one is on the roads.

Or create more public loos.  Maybe I should write an open letter to Narendra Modi asking him to construct public toilets all over Gujarat.

ANYHOOO. Visit the book fair, ok?