Reflections of a restless eccentric

First year of college.Sush and I were in this Kannada class,which noone listens to because it was a non-credit subject.Whatsapp was a novelty during those days.Sitting in front of us were a couple of guys,one of whom suddenly started asking everyone for their phone numbers.He probably wanted to create a class group or something,I have no idea. At that point,I was a complete introvert.All social media felt claustrophobic to me.And being added to a Whatsapp group was tantamount to being shut inside a dark coffin.At least,that's how I felt.(Now,sadly,I'm a part of so many Whatsapp groups that I find the idea laughable.) Sush felt something along the same lines,I gather. When this guy turned back and asked me for my number,I thought for a moment.I had two numbers:One which wasn't on Whatsapp and one which was.I'd give out the first number to anyone who asked,whereas this other number was my treasure--about twenty people in the whole world had it.Easy choice.I gave ...

Vidya has loads of hilarious anecdotes.She used to tell us during free periods and we'd laugh till our eyes stung with tears.I wish I remembered all of them--I actually do but just the outlines.Maybe I'll ask her to narrate them sometime.But this one is really unforgettable! Worth writing about :D Italics for thoughts.I find it annoying to use quotes sometimes. One ordinary day.Vidya had to meet a bunch of her friends at Sankey.She rode her brother's scooter that day.She met her friends and they had a good time.For some reason,she found it annoying to keep her helmet inside,so she just walked around with the helmet all along. It's time to leave.She offers to drop her friend.She puts on her helmet,starts the vehicle and begins her journey.Sometime later,her friend asks her "Why is there a Ganesha photo hanging from the mirror on your vehicle?"She ponders over this. Weird I hadn't noticed.My mom must have put it there ,she concludes.She replies "...

This was told to me by Sush. Somewhere in the 6th semester,I think.One of these lab internals was going on.She was busy writing when she hears someone calling my name in a hushed whisper. She's puzzled.She very well knows I'm not in their lab batch.She continues writing.She again hears my name.This time,curiosity gets the better of her. She turns around to find that a guy is calling her by my name:D.He's forgotten the circuit or formula and is calling her desperately,hoping that she'll help.He's still confused why she took five minutes to turn around.:D Of course,she's too scared to help and turns back.She told me he kept calling out for another ten minutes before he gave up. She tells me about this the next day in class and we both laugh.The thought that someone could confuse us tickles our funny bones. She says "He's been in our class for 3 years and he still doesn't know our names!" I ask"What's his name?" I...

One afternoon,we were at some workshop/seminar.When it ended,there was a huge crowd trying to leave the hall all at once.I walked ahead reasoning that I'd get past the crowd and then wait for my friends to join me. My strides are quite long(I was called the roadrunner because of this.I'm told I walk quite fast:P),so in a minute I was out of the hall.I hear Ramya calling me,so I turn around and look.What I see is quite-funny.She's holding up the end of my dupatta and running behind me.I really can't fathom why she's doing this.I wait for her to catch up and explain. She comes to me and holds up the dupatta for me to see.Wonder of wonders,there's a pair of spectacles hanging on to the end.She goes "Are these yours?".If they were mine,I'd be blind as a bat and not able to recognize even her.Mine are still perched on the bridge of my nose,I point out to her. "That means you flicked this off some poor guy" she says.I admit,th...

Hello,my sadly neglected blog.I can't find the time to write these days:( I surprisingly have fifteen minutes now and I figured I'd write something. This one's on request:P One afternoon,we were all heading downstairs after lab(DSP if I remember right).I felt thirsty and took out my water bottle.That's when Ramya remembers:"Hey,I forgot my water bottle in the lab.Damn.I've to go again now".Ranji and Sam volunteer to get it for her. This is no big deal.Happens on an everyday basis :P They're back in a couple of minutes with a quizzical expression.The attender isn't giving it to us.First he asked "Only a water bottle?".We said yes.And then he's like "Whose is it?Call her here." So we all go the lab wondering about this.We wait outside while Ramya goes in.She comes back two minutes later,with an armload of stuff and a mortified expression.She's carrying her water bottle,pouch,wallet,phone,lab manual,record and a 10...

We were working on the 7th floor in the Apex Block.Ramya says"You guys continue working.I'll go get the printouts and xeroxes for us." Makes sense.There's no point in three of us going to get the same thing done. She gathers up all the required books and leaves.Two minutes later,she's back.She looks annoyed."The lift isn't working.I had to take the stairs.I forgot my wallet" she says.I'm mildly amused,but given that she's forgotten her bag,this is quite what I expect.She ignores our smiles and walks away. Five minutes later,she's back again.She's panting.Obviously because she's gone up and down the seven flights of stairs twice. I wonder what it is this time! "Your pen drive"She says knowing what I'm about to ask.I can't help but laugh.This time we ensure that she has her wallet,books and pen drive before sending her off. Half an hour later,she's back with an armload of photcopies.She's visibly exh...

To offset all the philosophy and abstract thought in my previous articles,here's some funny stuff. Lately,I've been more of a klutz than usual.I've bumped into a million things,stubbed all my toes and even cut myself a couple of times.I have no idea why life decided to increase my clumsiness level.As if I wasn't bestowed with enough already:P I headed to breakfast this morning with no inkling of what awaited me.With a plate of food in one hand and a mug of steaming hot coffee in the other,I headed towards the table where my friends were seated.It had rained the previous night and I was mindful of the treacherously slippery floor --I slowed down my usual long legged strides to a haltingly cautious tread. I reached the table and heaved a sigh of relief--I made it without falling down.I said hi to my friends and took the final step to the table.One more step and I would have been comfortably seated. Ah,blame overconfidence:P I slipped.Before I knew what happened,I ...

If you tell me something funny about someone,the odds are,the next time I see them,that's the first thing I'm going to remember. Sush,Ramya,Sam and I were at the canteen eating ice-cream.(I think ice-cream was what we ate most often from the canteen.Come summer,winter or rainy season.)Ramya had just finished telling us some funny story about a guy(let's call him Y).We were still laughing,when I see him entering the canteen. "I think he's heard your story Ramya.He seems to be heading our way",I joke.She panics and turns around.He notices that.I laugh! And then,horror of horrors, he's actually heading towards our table! I freak out this time.I warn Ramya and tell her not to turn around. He comes to us.He says "Hi.I wanted to ask you about the portions for blah-blah subject." There's nothing funny about that,but I remember the story she's just told me about him.And start laughing.Ramya can't help but join me.Sam and Sush stare at ...

I have to struggle to find my way.Not only outdoors,but also indoors.:P I've long since concluded that my hippocampus doesn't work.Other people seem to put no effort into this:they just walk around and magically find their way.I,on the other hand,literally need a ball of twine to leave behind so that I can come back.I memorize twists and turns,and yet when I try and find my way out,I inevitably get lost.In those initial days,my college was my worst nightmare.Innumerable blocks,with confusing elevator levels and maze-like interconnections.Needless to say,I've gotten lost a lot of times:P However,this isn't about me. I was waiting for someone.On a particular floor in a particular block,which by now, I've forgotten.I see someone I know walking past me.There's a blank wall facing me.Nothing else.He stares hard at the blank wall,as if puzzled by something.I find this weird and therefore interesting,so I stare at the wall too,to see what he's looking for.He tur...

Jarvis, Rambo and I were working in the lab on some inane assignment the results of which were more unpredictable than the weather. It was late at night and we were alone in the lab. Building up to the scary part you know :p We were working on an extremely old machine with a turbo C compiler when we first started seeing these ghost printfs. By which I mean print statements that were never in our program in the first place. This happened for about ten minutes in which time we joked about how the computer was haunted, all the while knowing that it was perfectly reasonable for an old computer to behave this way. Soon,we were done. We turned off the lights, still laughing about something and since the door was locked Rambo typed in the username and password on the biometric device. "If you guys didn't know the password, I'd have played around pretending we were locked in here"  she laughs. A moment later she presses enter having typed in the password. The room is p...

Being hostelites,a lot of us have this habit of going to class with just a notebook and our keys.My friend,Bala has this habit of placing them on a very inconspicuously weird location on her chair--this juncture where the chair ends and the legs begin.Noone even notices they're there and sometimes even she forgets. Today,I happened to be sitting behind her.Bhavani,who was next to me says, "I bet you she's going to forget her keys." Class ended,and just as she'd predicted Bala walked away without her keys.I was the only one who noticed.I picked it up,with every intention of giving it to her right then. Just then,Minu said "Keep it with you for a while.Don't give it to her immediately." Although I don't usually do this sort of thing,today I decided to. Just two minutes.She's probably not even going to realise. I came out of class and remembered I had to meet a professor.I looked around wondering if I should return her keys but saw that...

I'm a stickler for punctuality.I don't like being late.My problem is that I'm usually too early.So,a few months ago,it was my first day working as a TA.I'd met the teacher a couple of weeks back for about five minutes.The rest of our correspondence had been through mail.Frankly,I just had a vague memory of what she looked like. She asked me to come to class at 10AM.For some reason,I was exceedingly nervous that day.Probably because it was a class of 100.All strange,new faces.How was I ever going to learn their names and faces!I was intimidated by the thought.As always,I was ready a lot earlier.I spent an hour or so pacing about and reassuring myself.Finally at 10,I headed to the class. I checked the room number twice and when I was sure I had the right room,I opened the door.It's a huge classroom.I see people everywhere.There were 5-6 guys standing right near the door.For a moment,I have this paranoid thought that I'm in the wrong class.I ask the one neares...

So,this one was actually after college--happened recently.Nevertheless it was funny. When I text,I have this habit of talking about many things simultaneously.I like to talk about multiple things and usually they're totally unrelated.It's up to my poor friends who text me to figure out what I'm currently talking about.Needless to say,it results in a lot of hilarity. I was texting Shaaz.In between classes,I think.I mention that my classmates are going on a trip.I crib about my mom turning 60 and me not being at home.Various other things in between.Then,I say something like "This is where they're going.It's a 20km long trek."And send a link to a mountain in Coorg.After that,I abruptly stop texting. In the evening,I check my phone.Her message reads:"Wow,that's so cool! Are you serious?" I wonder what's so shocking about my classmates trekking and decide that's probably the 20 km distance that amazes her.I say "Yeah".She ...

I was reading my 3rd book of the day when I looked at the stack of books-to-be-read on my table.There was just one book left.Damn! I don't want to finish it all today.What would I do the next 3 days then! I decide to take a break. I send a Hi to about ten people estimating that maybe 3 would reply immediately.As luck would have it,almost all of them replied and I was caught in the torrential maze of messages.Which means,one of these conversations is going to end up hilariously.Always does,you know:P Ranji happened to be one of the people I was texting.We were talking about something when she says:"You should take some of the stuff you get to your hostel room" referring to the myriad quote unquote complementary items my Mom gets from medical reps. "I don't.I just have a photo of my parents and a pug".I reply. I continue: "Maybe I don't want to take things there because the more I personalize my room,the more permanent it all becomes....

In accordance to the request of the most sincere and punctual reader of this blog! :P To be very honest this could have happened to any of us.Perfectly natural.But the fact that it happened to Ramya somehow made everyone view it as a consequence of her absent mindedness:P One afternoon after an exam,Ramya and I were heading to the bus stop.As is typical on such days,we both hurry so that we'd get a bus as soon as possible.(Ironically,once we get home we'd sleep for a majority of the time:P)We board a bus and Ramya opens her bag to pay for the ticket. Hey! Someone else's hall ticket is in my bag she says.We both take it out and notice that it belongs to someone from the other class.She looks for her wallet but can't find it.She looks into the other compartment and can't find any of her books.Instead,there are some random sheets of paper.That's when it hits both of us.She's got the wrong bag! Here's when I should explain how this could happen to a...

Dedicated to one of my closest and most interesting friends,Siva. A year ago, a dozen of us stepped into this hostel as perfect strangers. Now it feels like these dozen people are a part of my family. I thought I'd have two years with them,but I'm already bidding my first adieu. It's a bit early, but feels every bit as sad. Meet Siva. I first thought of her as an ordinary person. Soon,I got to know her well enough and that notion vanished in its entirety. :P She's one of the most interesting people you'd meet. Far from normal. I like this because the world is filled to the brim with boringly normal people. At times,she would be quiet for days on end. In the beginning,we all used to ask her if everything was fine and wonder if she's upset. We soon realized that those silences were a part of her. Again, this is something I like --digression, these silences remind me of Sherlock, but then a lot of things in this universe do :p. Getting back, I like th...

After a long time,I have something funny to write about:D Feels good! Some things never change,they say.It's true,you know.I thought Ramya would turn over a new leaf after she got married.But no,she's as hilarious as ever.So I'm going to chronicle one of her recent follies for posterity:P In the middle of an afternoon that couldn't be described as anything but mundane,my phone vibrates. Hey Prash! Remind me this evening.I have to tell you a story. Cool.Will do. But come evening,I was subjected to a journey that drained me of all but the will to crash on my bed and fall asleep.I didn't even remember that I had to call her. The next day though,I somehow did remember. Hey,sorry.What was this about? This evening then. I basically have to tell you the shirt story. Shirt?!! After ten minutes of mentally iterating through all the eccentric anecdotes my brain could conjure up containing the word shirt,I reluctantly concluded that none of them could possib...

My blog has been chock-full of serious stuff . Here's one on the lighter side, for a change. A real-life incident.  About a month ago, Ramya(the character who keeps appearing in just about every funny post I write:D) was visiting Bangalore. A bunch of us friends decided to meet her and catch up. We picked a place, met in the afternoon and talked nineteen to the dozen over good food. Everything went as expected and then it was time to leave. My friend(Sush) booked a cab since we were all headed to the same place. It was then that the skies decided to open up and share their vast sorrows with us. While three of the four of us had laptops, only one of us had the foresight to bring along an umbrella(kid, kudos to you!:P). This particular conglomeration of circumstances had many woeful implications for us: the traffic would, of course , go from worse to unimaginably snail-paced bordering on immobile, we stood a fair chance of getting drenched, and our laptops, our eternal companion...

I sit here with my LAN cable on the throes of death.Twist it slightly and the connection is gone.I need to sit as still as a statue once the cable is plugged in.I'm scared to even breathe,lest it suffer a cardiac arrest.I just wrote an entire article and hit publish to find it all vanish into thin air.Thanks to the aforementioned culprit.Much as I'd like to rant about that alone for an entire article,I don't imagine there's anyone who'd want to read that:P So,let me try and rewrite what I earlier wrote-which is surprisingly hard. Final year of college.Adversity seemed to follow our project like a shadow.First,our guide decided to fly to a galaxy far away and abandon us mid project because well,she didn't give a damn about the project.Not that it mattered much.But the thing is you need a quote unquote guide on paper.So,the department scoured for one to come up with the most dreaded of all.Let's call him Mr.Y.See,the thing is,no group had chosen Y for a pro...

Something I heard recently: Mature stuff.Is this really a 24 year old writing? I guess there's been a lot of abstract,serious stuff on this blog lately.For a change,it would be fun to write about something on the lighter side.I've been rummaging in my head for something suitable!  Texting people who read is like this.Every fourth message will be a link to something they read and found wonderful.Not only that,but they're genuinely excited to share this with you and will keep following up on whether you read what they sent you.It's also quite possible that they take it personally when you don't read it.(By the way,keep in mind that I'm someone who reads so this applies to me as well:P) This is quite fun when both the texter and textee(I just came up with these--they don't exist:P) are on the same page--both have the time,both like the genre etcetera.The problem is when they're not. This happened somewhere in the last week of November.Life was ...