.jpg)
Issac Newton wondered "Why did that Apple drop down?"...
My office colleagues wondered, "What if Newton was not under an apple tree?"
Friends,
Friendship is not about "I m there for u" or "I missed u "
it's about "kahan marr gaya tha saale.."
Friendship is not about "I understand "
its about "sab teri wajah se hua manhus"
Friendship is not about "I care for u "
its about "kamino tumhe chhod ke kahan jaunga "
Friendship is not about "I m happy for ur success "
its about "chal party de saale"
Friendship is not about "I love that girl"
its about "saalo izzat se dekho tumhari bhabhi hain "
Friendship is not about "R u coming for outing tomorrow "
its about " nautanki nahi, hum kal bahar ja rahe hai "
Friendship is not about "Get well soon "
about " Itna piyega toh yehi hoga"
Friendship is not about "All the best for ur career"
its about "bahut hua, abhi toh switch mar saale"
Birthdays in SCMHRD always begin with ritualistic celebrations. They are the most awaited of events; spiced with fun, joy, laughter, revenge and plain old violence.
The ritual starts off with the preparation of the sacrificial lamb - in this case the birthday boy/girl. At 11:55, the roommates wish the lamb with a warm hug and a birthday greeting.
One minute later, the town criers arrive at the door. "MAAARRRROOOO!!!!" (Maro is a hindi word, which translated means "Hit Him"), they bellow. The cry echoes through the corridors and alerts all the souls to the upcoming ritual. This cry is uttered several times until a considerable "sena" gathers outside the door.
The lamb is then escorted down to the ground floor, to the place where the holy cake is placed.
Last minute greetings are exchanged before the sacred, plastic (recyclable) knife is placed in the hands, err.. paws of the lamb.
While the cake is cut, the closest of friends stand close, so as to be the first ones to deliver the birthday kicks.
They will also be the first ones to be given a piece of the holy cake and they will also be the first ones to smear the cake on the lamb's face.
Then the lamb's face is smashed into the rich chocolate pastry and rubbed in, to ensure the butter softens the skin. (you need to look good on your b'day, right?)
Ritualistic rule #12: Do not spare any leftover cake. Ensure it is all on the lamb.
More kicking by some of the lamb's friends.
(Tip: Hold your butt tight. It mitigates the impact. So does the shorts inside the jeans)
Then is the water wash under the fire-hydrant.
(Tip: a nice way to get rid of the cake!)
Post event photos
Then the lamb goes back, battered and bruised, soaked and buttered back to its den. After a wash up, the closest of friends join in for another cake cut. This time, for eating.
(Tip: Cutting the cake with a dental floss rather than the knife keeps the cream in tact and gives a cleaner cut!)
So ends the ritual. A few more hugs and wishes may follow. Then comes the part where the phone calls must be answered.
Then finally, for those who wish to keep their room clean, there is the cleaning ritual. But that is entirely optional :)
More photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/clintonrozario/Birthday25
This has been quite a day so far and I'm not allowing it to pass without noting the kind of obstacles I've faced. May it be a reminder of how bad things could possibly get, yet how I could be able to wade through it all.
Late start to the day with the 8.00 am call by Vetrivel. I remembered I had to wake with my alarm at 5 that morning. I had my Financial Statement Analysis assignment and the brochure of Priya Kher to complete. Already my study group was complaining about my lack of involvement in the assignment and my submission to PK was late by a day.
Conveniently ignoring these facts, I proceeded to complete my ablutions wondering how fresh a beer the previous night and a good night's sleep can make you. Good start to the day. Innovation workshop was scheduled at 9.15.
The innovation workshop was devoid of people. The 30 students had lost interest. In the midst of all the confusing PPTs people were going thru (I was not very active in the Innovation Workshop either) I ot a call for e-cell work. Strike One. Had to co-ordinate in the midst of the class for the Mira Bazaar, a fete in which we had to participate on Saturday, being part of the e-cell.
Strike Two came at 12.30 when my outgoing cell phone service got disconnected. The Airtel representative I had paid the bill to 10 days back had disappeared with the money. 850 bucks down the drain. And I was handicapped.
Strike Three was when different people kept giving me an unusually high number of missed calls and expected me to call back, which of course I was not able to do so because of my impaired phone.
Strike Four was when I found out I was to make the Innovation Workshop presentation to the client because Ashish and Sushrut were opting for the Branding Seminar to which I had offered them entry passes the previous day. I was happy that they were taking it but I was concerned because my level of knowledge on the project was very little.
Strike Five was when we found out that the regular bus to the city had a puncture. We were going to be late for the presentation to the clients. We were late by 10 minutes. The people at the client's end were top executives of a particular insurance company in India. Damn. Bad for college.
Strike Six was when we reached the Reliance Video Conferencing and realized that the facilities were not ready yet. We kept the clients waiting for a whole 20 minutes, with the video conference on, as we corrected the technical obstacles.
Strike Seven was when we found out that the client was not surprised by our findings. We seemed to have found nothing new. Ok…. So perhaps it was a problem on their side. Now we find out that our project is far from over.
Strike Eight was the biggest. Found out that the semester exams this time were postponed. Instead of ending on the 30th of Oct, college had postponed it till the 3rd Nov. I had already booked my tickets for the 1st. Air tickets. What's even worse, I had booked the air tickets initially on the 4th. Due to a free ticket scheme, I had forwarded my tickets to the 1st in order to get a 1800 Rs benefit. Now I will be losing 2600 bucks in the process. Damn! Financially correct decision at that time, strategically wrong!
Strike Nine. After the video conference I missed the bus back to college as I paid my Airtel bill. Now I wait in the Café Coffee Day outlet and type this over a cup of Ethiopian Quawah. Phew….. What a day.
And tomorrow morn I have to leave at 3 in the morning to accompany a guest from Mumbai for an Integrated Marketing Seminar at college. Apparently the guest is close to Subbu, my director. One screw up there and I'm dead. And he's in some part of Andheri. I have no idea of Mumbai city.
One day down… tomorrow, here I come!!!!
