Picture abhi baki hai ?

08-08-08 ---- A Snapshot

Not a good week so far, what with Perm going in audit, and workload increasing beyond capability. I have also been down with cough and cold for the last 2-3 days, and today had fever,so decided to skip office to take some rest, or 'work from home' so to say , a practice quite widespread in IT world.

Though couldn't continue after 5pm, and felt asleep only to be waken up by a call from a friend , and realizing in horror that I have skipped dinner time, and its 10 pm ! So what to do now ? Cook something, which current health condition doesn't encourage, or drive through to Taco which appears an equally ordeal task? The friend was gracious enough to offer to bring something , which I declined. Rummaged through the refrigerator, found the leftover fried rice from yesterday...saved for the day. Thank god for all these inventions, or should I thank Germans/Americans credited with invention of refrigerator?

Dinner over..what to do next ? Body has its own way of reacting, and more you rest, the more rest it demands. Lethargy breeds more lethargy...don't feel like doing anything. But the date today, 08/08/08, seems so inviting that it goads mind to do something .....probably take a snapshot of life for 08/08/08?

Often when you are alone talking to yourself, often when you are sick, lying on bed doing nothing, you think about a lot of things which you normally wont in your day to day existence, or maybe you don't have time to. How has life been so far, and how is it going to be? Whats the state of mind today ? I don't know...but for this moment the predominant mind state is that of 'contentment'. I feel satisfied. The course life has taken so far, I get the feeling that it has been years well spent. Its very surprising, considering that I am a very edgy person, almost always restless.

Lots of things flash up in mind.....growing up in the by lanes of Varanasi, ghats on Ganga, mom, dad, brothers, baba, aaji, bua, cousins, amitabh..... regular visits to Sankat Mochan temple, school life, fooling friends, bikes, fruit beer, first love, long phone calls, the 'S' factor..... preparing for competitive entrance exams , meeting that special someone , mom and dad coming to drop me to a college on a hill near Nainital , first time away from home,seeing tears in dad`s eye for first time,......pulsating hostel life, rum and chicken parties, acting in plays, girlfriends, cruel ragging, street fights, topping the batch, cheating in exams, expulsions, moist eyed farewell from college ..... Delhi, Call Center life, preparing to fly to States, the realization of losing someone very close to you, heartbreak.......flying to the States, faces of some very special friends coming to drop off at station, mom breaking up at airport.......Texas, working round the clock in a restaurant, first Car, clubbing/parties to the extremes, sitting through the nights in labs doing projects, proudly wearing Graduation robe......moving to the most vibrant place in states, California, working in one of the biggest companies in world, awards, promotion, fulfilling few responsibilities towards parents ....been there, done that. Have probably experienced life in all its forms....What next?

Is the most important phase of life yet to start ? Is a good marriage, a caring life partner, or that million dollar house, or adorable kids, or hefty bank balance....are they the factors from now on which take your life to blissful conclusion , towards that perfect ending ? Don`t know, really clueless. Right now it certainly feels like intermission point, though the story after intermission looks linear, with no surprises ? Or as the popular movie dialogue goes, 'picture abhi baki hai' ?

Maybe another snapshot on 12-12-12 will give an idea.