Tintin in Ratnagiri

Sizzling anticipation. The morning starts of well. Yesterday was a tiring day, starting with a late night, a full day of work, band rehearsal, and finally a couple of hours at the mechanic (par for the course) getting Cockroach (my motorbike) back. But worth it. The bike felt really good this morning on my way to work. I'm seeing visions of endless roads and sunshine. Twenty four hours from now I should be riding under canopies, fields on either side, a sea breeze almost in my hair, and a smile on my face. I've taken the whole of next week off from work and it's been ages since I took Cockroach out for a spin. Yummy.

Dodge ball

2pm on a weekday summer afternoon. Back at my apartment to get something. The security guy tells me I have mail. Is it my electricity bill? No, something else. Well has my electricity bill come in yet? No. Are you sure I ask him. "What apartment are you in?", asks a squeeky voice from way below. I look down at a little girl in a pretty white dress with a big green ball in her hand. She's about two feet tall. "S2 right?" Yes, I stammer. She opens up the security guy's desk and starts sorting out the mail. "You know how an electricity bill looks?", I ask with a smile. "Yes. She's in charge of the mail actually", says another squeeky voice soothingly but with authority. I turn around. She's much taller than the first little girl, maybe two feet + two inches, which is what gives her the authority I suppose. "She handles the mail?", I ask. "Yup" is the reply. So concise. "How come?", I venture. At which 2-2 leans over and says, "You know these security guys no? They're new, they don't know how to do it, so...". Ah, I see. "No electricity bill", declares two feet, and they go back to their game of throw-ball. Thanks.

Friendly advice

Dialysis is the way to go...

Half-half

I open my eyes. Darkness. The last thing I remember about this planet, the sun was in the sky. My cell phone's vibrating and emiting this blue glow into the night. 9pm and Jitu's calling. I pick up the phone and mumble, "I fell asleep". "We're waiting outside your door, doesn't your doorbell work?" "No. Hold on I'll be there in a second". "Take your time, we've been waiting an hour...." Oops. Some relaxation and fruit juice later, it's midnight and I'm alone again, reading a book. I drift into sleep again. I wake up around 3am and look at my phone for some reason. Four missed calls and some poems. Everyone but me is in overdrive tonight. I'm a lotus eater, I think and drift back to sleep. 8 am I wake up sleeping sideways and the first thing I see opening my eyes is my cell phone about one inch from my right eye. I look at it for a while and decide that it's worth photographing. Bring out the camera and tell it to smile. In the middle of the photoshoot, it starts vibrating. It's Moushu, I haven't spoken to her in months, is she calling from Delhi or is she back in Bangalore? "Hello", I answer half groggy half cheerful. "yabalabkhwaa shsannfslfs..." starts the male voice reply "Hold on", I tell him, "Could you repeat that? I just woke up..." "Sir, I'm calling from the Ramada International in Istanbul, do you know who's cell phone this is?" Heavily accented voice. I start laughing. I do have a few friends capable of pulling a prank like this, so i ask him to tell me more. "A cab driver just brought this phone in and we believe the person who owns it is a guest at this hotel. But we don't know the guest's name and so I'm just calling the last person who was called from this phone and that was you." "Me?", I think to myself. Well not much has been adding up anyway so I give him the name he needs, he finds it in his computer and thanks me with a good night. Good night, I reply, and wake up. Put on some Stan Getz on my stereo and get back to reading my Murakami. Suddenly the morning noises are shattered by the sound of electric guitars and drums and growling vocals. The metal band is practicing again somewhere out there. 8am! I go out to my balconey and look outside. Heavy metal, Murakami, Stan Getz, Istanbul. What a lovely start to the day, I love India! I go inside with a big smile plastered on my face, I gotta write this somewhere I think, and head towards my computer.