break

i decided to take the day off from work today. i just needed the break. its been 3 weeks of non-stop day in and day out routine grind and i cant function that way. i was beginning to feel stifled. the weird bit is, once im at work and switch on the work-mode, i function fine. i love what i do and the work itself is not the issue. its just the routine. the machine-like existence. and im already tired of it. i guess it will take a while. im on the road to being a complete slave to the paycheck..until then, id like to make the most of these impromptu absences from work.

so i stopped the auto, completely on an impulse, just before i reached work hopped off and walked around the neighbourhood. walked into ckp (the art college here) and waited for a photo exhibition to open, but it never did. meanwhile i watched the herds of students amble in. and pretty soon i found myself wishing i was one of them. the unthinkable has happened. i miss college.

in retrospect i think what i miss about college is college 'life'. the lazy vela feeling. lazing in and out of college as and when i pleased. eating the doughnuts, drinking 3 rupee coffee, making it to class in time and then sleeping through 1st hour every single day (without fail), ragging shaji (i cant remember his surname!!) ah its isaac! and loitering around the foodcourt, wishing the day we'd be out of there would come sooner, loving poetry lessons, cribbing about exams and extra class, but i think 3rd year was one exciting year. so much happened. and all that has changed so drastically now. i miss the worn out jeans, baggy tshirt, socks and floaters attire that had become so natural, i miss the bus rides (yes i do. even with the changing buses routine, which doubly sucked in the rains) and i miss the general air of no responsibilities and nothing to bind me to anything.

but all thats changed now and life as everyone eventually gets to know it, has begun and while it is a lot of fun, today i just needed a break! so i spent the day talking, laughing, sitting in cubbon park and watching the butterflies whizz around in a frenzy, loafing around on a bike (which i hadnt done in months), eating biryani, sipping iced tea, and we also watched pirates of the caribbean. which i just loved. i havent watched the 1st part but i thoroughly enjoyed the second part. it was so bloody real. and i must say i quite fancy johnny depp and his kajalfied eyes. the crowd in the theatre screamed hooted and whistled like they would if hrithik roshan came on. i was a little stunned. but the movie rocked.

i hadnt seen what the city is like in the day time, in over a month now! and it felt like the good old days again. we sat on a bench in cubbon park, and i watched the butterflies and dogs and old men taking their mid morning stroll. we also had 3 different men approach us with offers to tell us our futures. lunch together has become a rare thing so that was fun. an afternoon show hasnt happened in forever, so we did that too. and then the hair cut. something life changing happened today. akshay got his hair cut. and that in itself was quite an event. an up-beat, expensive unisex salon and an exorbitant haircut. the 'bounce' of it all is yet to be noticed.

everything reminded me of the old days. college, bike rides, lunch date, afternoon movie, akshay with short hair..everything took me back in time. everything reminded me of a past experience. everything was so much fun. approximately 4 hours on a bike, and i think i have a few kilos of dust and grime on me..i desperately need that shower now.

a day well spent. everything was just perfect. maybe its only going to get better.