Personal Musings

I wrote this way back in 2005... kinda liked it when I re-read it... so decided to post it here. The writing is so pretentious that I had a good laugh!!!

01/ 06/ 05

I am caught in this amazingly crazy situation. On one hand there is this need to get to office on time ie exactly by 0900 hrs and on the other hand is the non-availability of transport – a convenient mode of transport which would drop me at the doors of office preferably at 0857hrs. I am partial to the thought of a four-wheeler but a three- wheeler will also do.

I do not own a four-wheeler. So, I have to take the transportation provided by the government! Now, let me clarify that, I have no complaints about this chauffeur driven, right on time vehicle. But … (as there always is a but after a good sentence) I do tend to feel a tad bit claustrophobic inside these not-so-good-looking four wheelers. Then again, claustrophobia is good since, it makes one appreciate the space and freedom one has inside a private vehicle! However, I do object to being subject to such ungainly phobias first thing in the morning. It is ruinous to my sunny disposition. And to add to this, these vehicles have specific routes laid out for them and stick to these routes without taking into consideration the passenger’s destination. Bringing down this issue to a more personal level I do not have a vehicle that picks me up from my residence and drops me off at the doorsteps of my office. So I am forced to mix – and – match my mode of transport.

You may wonder why I do not then opt for the three-wheeled transport. Well, let me explain - after having experienced few rides in the aforementioned vehicle I have come to the conclusion that I would be more comfortable on a roller-coaster, which appears to be more stable, than the funny-shaped, permanently out – of – control machines. Also, I am forced to mention that traveling in one of these vehicles makes one’s pocket shrink considerably faster than the slot machines in a casino.

Hence, my quest for a convenient mode of transport to the office to reach just-in-time is thwarted even before it starts!

And the consequence is that the travel to earn my bread and butter involves maximum amount of discomfort and inconvenience. To start, I have to get on to one of those unseemly four-wheeled giants that ply the roads at the crack of dawn. Why crack of dawn? That is to avoid the claustrophobia induced irritability at the office. This journey is flagged off from a stop close to my residence at 0730hrs. But the journey is incomplete as the vehicle travels only ¾ of my destination. For the rest I am forced to take a three-wheeled transport.

The end result: I land in the office a good ½ an hour in advance.

At this juncture I am forced to ask the question - what do I do once I get to the office???

Under normal circumstances I would have a lot to do… and my ½ hr will be well utilized. But this is no normal circumstance … I am a new recruit here… I have been assigned a task but I need to be properly introduced in order to start the day’s work. So here I am twiddling my thumbs in the early hours of the day. I have been asked to chill out for a couple of days. So here I am, sitting right under the swinging nose of the Air-Conditioner, chilling out.

I have read every single magazine, write-up I can lay my hands on … in order to read I have stuck matchsticks through my eyelids to keep my drowsy eyes open. My sleep-drenched brain singularly lacks comprehensive power so I decided to awaken it by writing. So here I am typing out this junk in order to keep myself awake. I fear that if I chill out anymore the tiny, shriveled, almost dead grey cells inside my head will get frozen!!!