2 hours of hell

I don't know how i missed this in my previous Things that annoy me posts when it should have been number 1 on that list. But as they say, better late than never. The day was going on just fine, I met up with a few college friends, we had lunch at a nice restaurant at Andheri, The bill was much lesser than we expected, it all seemed too good to be true. Then came the suggestion that was going to ruin the evening. "Lets go to phoenix mills" they said, "why not?" we agreed. We somehow managed to fit in 7 people in the honda city and hit the road, with the radio to entertain us. There was some tone deaf covers of some old pop songs like "genie in a bottle" and "The sign" being sung, with improvised lyrics offcourse. But that wasn't as bad as what was instore. Infact I wouldn't be totally lying if i said it was a little entertaining.

Once we reached pohenix mills, We were faced by the dreaded "S" word. The memories are still fresh and painful, but i have to say it. Brace yourself.. they wanted to go "SHOPPING". I can't explain in words how much i hate shopping, The only time i enjoy shopping is when i am looking for electronics. The item the guys were looking for today was "shades". Personally, i am not a shades person, i find them too flashy. Infact, i find the word shades flashy as well, so i decided to switch to cribbing mode with hopes that they finish fast. The next 2 hours were hell. Imagine the following sentences being repeated continously at 4 different shops. "These glasses are too big, This one is too small, This one is silver i need mine in black, This one does not cover my eyes, This one is too loose, This one touches my eye brows, Do they look better in brown or in black, This ones too expensive, etc etc etc". A couple of other friends had a game going on to find the most expensive glares, and they found one that cost 22,000 rs. Thankfully after a harrowing 2 hours, they were done shopping and it was time to leave. The icing on the cake was that after that agonizing 2 hours, they still didn't buy anything. Fun evening, isn't it?

Going solo

Ever had one of those days when there are just too many people around you? or when you have been dealing with so many people that you need some time away from anything that talks? It happens many times at work these days. Fear not, there is a cure to it. That's when i like to go to the cafeteria and have a cup of coffee or a meal by myself, without anyone to bother me and without feeling the burden of carrying on a conversation with anyone. I try to go early and grab a seat at my favorite place by the window that overlooks a green lawn and the hills of national park, but its usually taken by someone else who is almost always blabbering over the cellphone. Talking on the phone kinda defeats the purpose of spending some time alone. One irritant is the reaction that i get from friends who walk in later. The get this surprised look on their as they ask "alone?" They then come and sit besides me and i am forced to hold a conversation. Makes me wonder why do people find it so astonishing. I've kind of taken a liking towards doing thing alone, it all started with a trek to lohagad where the friend who was supposed to accompany me backed out at the last minute and since i was really looking forward to the trek, i went alone (with the rest of the group of unknown people offcourse). The recent nature trail that i had been to further made me believe that it's not all that bad. It's a different experience, you get to interact with strangers and meet new interesting people, some of them who share the same interest as you. It certainly beats trying to convince friends to come for some event they are the least bit interested in. More importantly, it lets you spend some time with your thoughts, something that i rarely get to do these days.

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A birthday at the beach

Even though I'm not a big fan of birthdays, This was one of the good birthdays that i had. The reason? I got to spend it at a beach at night, with a few close friends, a couple of cold beers, the stars above us, the moon setting into the sea in front of us and the soothing sound of the waves breaking at the shore pleasing our ears along with the gentle sea breeze taking away the summer heat. Life couldn't get any better... The only thing missing was some nice slow classic rock tracks playing in the background.. but I made up for it by listening to some of my favourite tracks right now, starting with "the scorpions - lady starlight" can things get better?

Mens Room Etiquette

Although these rules come naturally to most men, I have noticed a few violations in the office.

The urinal game

This game is a good start for those unfamiliar with the mens room etiquette. I would suggest all male readers to go through this game at least once, you might just pick up a few rules which you didn't know about and save yourself the embarrassment the next time you find yourself in such a situation. A few posters illustrating the basic rules pasted on the walls wouldn't hurt either.

My take on the "pink chaddi" campaign

Ever wondered how technology has made life so simple for us? turns out that technology has a sense of humor too. My intentions were to send out a sms asking friends if they wanted to go for pink panther 2. But the T9 dictionary had a mind of it's own and translated my message to.

"Lets go for pink panties"

Lesson learnt.. always read messages before sending them

Atm Receipts - The Mystery

Ever had one of those days when your wallet is too fat to fit into your pocket? That happens almost once a month to me. Whenever it happens, the first thing i do is empty my wallet to find out whats taking up so much space and the culprit is the same every month - ATM Receipts. The funny part is I don't even go to the ATM that often. Its as if they are alive and multiplying inside my wallet. I had gotten rid of all the receipts last month and was surprised when i found the my wallet a little too much on the bulky side today, so it was time to investigate. No prizes for guessing the culprit. Out of curiosity i counted and found that there are 30 receipts!! That means i must have gone to the ATM everyday for the past one month, which i didn't. I'm pretty sure they are alive and multiplying now.

Heres a pic of all the trash in my wallet