The first one

Today was one of those days that I would mark “important/defining/ MAAAD” in the calendar of my life…I was going to take up a job offer that I had received from a reputed IT company(only and only for the money), an offer that was made more than two years ago, and they finally asked me to join today. So I was all set to take it up and set off from home. I took the local suburban train, all excited because I hadn’t been in a train since college days… I was proud I could still identify some stuff from back then – mainly the eunuch beggar, he/she still wears the same, horribly dirty yellow skirt, sells the same safety pins and colorful rubber bands – for the same three bucks a dozen sigh, proud me … Well, I was having these major déjà vu attacks, the crowds, the dirty seats, the working women combing their hair and doing their make-up-oblivious to the fact that the person next to them has to smell their hair/ feel it in their mouths at times too … and the best part- standing at the door and feeling the wind on your face, hair flying and men on the opposite side gaping at you Oh c’mon, everyone gets a kick out of it, so admit it.

So I reach this place, a mile long queue awaits me (like a ration kadai I remember noting).We get done with the procedures and then get shooed into an auditorium. This really smart chic(HR) says hello and starts this sermon on what the company is all about and stuff. And then its q & a time!!! There were a few hopeless, lost souls in the group who came up with the most mundane questions and put 300 others through the torture of sitting through those as well. Now tell me, how many 23 year old grads(engineering) wouldn’t know the difference between verticals and horizontals in an organization? Or for that matter, what retail trade is? Apparently MANY.All I did was grunt in exasperation every time a hand was raised to put forward a question. Anyways, we got done with all the procedures and I was whining all the while in my head. Should I, Shouldn’t i? Should I, should I should I?? (Sign the offer letter: P) Look the HR guy was cute and all, but dint really make up for the rest of them. Well they had a clause I dint agree with. But anyways, I signed the agreement, fully in doubt, walked up to the cute chap, gave it to him, butt FLASH #1!  - In a moment of intense clarity (everything around me turned all white and hazy – I mean REALLY), I took it back from him, struck out my signature and said am declining the offer. He asked me why and I just said – I cannot do SOFTWARE. I just can’t put myself through that J you should have seen the expression on his face. I said my thanks and walked out, picked up a sandwich from the cafeteria (where all my potential but now ex-colleagues were having a free meal – first day is on the house I believe, hehehaha ) and took the train back…

I had taken a very important decision in my life and I was glad about it J …And then the floating, and light and all-excited me and Sethia – Intro 1 : saving grace – fun factor – adopted brother- punching bag #2 (#1 will be introduced soon) in my life – decided to catch a movie urgently… Bought tickets in satyam, attacked adai avail and pesarettu at their awesome resaurent called ID(for idli dosa) and ran for the flick… It was terrible… Mind you – I hate watching movies, especially badly scripted, masala movies. I either walk out or sleep to make it through such movies. Well we walked out, kolai padam. Took an auto, dropped off Sethia and that is when FLASH #2 happened! I dint have my file with me – read THE FILE with all my original documents. The next one hour was a blur- my phone was dead, somehow found Sethia on mount road, went right back to sathyam and searched all over the place. Finally I had a brain wave and ran to the security office, only to find my file on top of the chiefs’ desk. Listened to a well deserved, lengthy lecture from him as well, picked up my file and we left.

We had to celebrate my good luck, so I drag S into this awesome place for desserts, only to find that they dint have eggless pastries(S is a veeery strict veggie, am good with eggs in cakes J ) I shamelessly order something for myself, we heave a big sigh of relief and sink into those super comfy chairs when this major commotion gets our attention. There was a middle aged man who was suffering a sudden attack of some sort, he got all breathless and was carried into the café. We fussed a bit and helped him out in whichever way we could and finally went back and settled into our chairs, I couldn’t wait to attack the cheese cake I had ordered. We waited. The man started throwing up. He threw up his intestines I think. And add my appetite to that. We cancelled our orders and walked out, all yuck and miffed and headed home…

That was how my day turned out and it was all the madness that finally pushed me to write about it. More later

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