Old Friend, Old neighbourhood, Old memories still afresh

A week back , sitting in my hostel room I was thinking about two old friends of mine from tuitions... the name of all three of ended with the same sound and the three of us were the only three girls who were regularly irregular with our assignments....at least we were not the nerdy types(we used to convince ourselves) who wore round rimed specs oiled their hair and never put deo...I remember this one girl, she had this horrible body odour and she’d always come and sit next to me, Onisha would say ‘Ally she likes your Deo’....Esha would say ‘maybe she is in into you’ and sir would say “the three sha’s stop talking” and the whole room would start laughing. And then the fights we used to have with this other huge girl...dunno why she had so much of attitude...was basically a loner...and this loser guy after Esha...man all our lives were so screwed up then, since all three of lived in dwarka (diff secs) we wud hangout everyday after class...not Esha that much but Onisha and I would go the vans that served Chinese food all of’em parked in the same chowk one on each side..that s one of the best thing about living in dwarka you’ll find hawkers after every two step mpst of them selling Chinese food. So Onisha and I would go to anyone of these and eat just one thing MOMOs it was fun.
Talking about dwarka it is in south west Delhi and It was known as Pappan Kalan in the history and now it is being developed under the 'Urban Expansion Projects' of the Delhi Development Authority. The largest residential Area in Asia, it is supposed to have a "Zero Tolerance" policy towards common misuses of land and the transgressions of any existing laws and regulations which are frequently thought to be flouted in other parts of Delhi. It is also frequently referred to as the "Model Township".
There are two main markets one in sector6-10 and the other one is ashirwad chow which comprises or the markets of sec-4,5,12 and 11. When I had moved in here in the year 2004 the ashirwad chowk market was almost non existing with two three local aggarwal shops and a couple of groceory stores and end no of real estate offices and then sun dawned upon the market in 2006 Pizza major Dominos which was closely followed by Pizza Hut probably the largest in delhi with a maximun of 25 tables and a week after the first (only for now) coffee shop in Dwarka opened to be precise Costa Coffee...and the food there was free of cost for the first three days ..if only I had known..anyways and slowly many family restaurants opened, and so did two major sports brand Reebok and Addidas opened their showrooms in Dwarka which was followed by Pizza corner in the Sec-6 market but it is was not until 2007 that the market became highly populated with major brands opening their showrooms here, major brands like Lee, Levis, Wrangler, Newport university, The Raymond shop, flying machine, Berco’s and latest I have heard is that KFC has opened its chain in Ashirwad chowk and also an upcoming Resto-bar....man I can’t wait to go to Delhi because my home is right next to the market. Whenever I’ve been to Delhi in the past one and a half years I always take a walk through these markets, everything one needs can be found here one shop I really love this store Kitchen Affairz in the sec-12 market it specializes in herbs and spices and other food materials which are a little difficult to get in the ordinary grocery shops.
So ya back to old friends..It was in the 11th-12th grade tuitions when the three of us joined the same tuition centre where the teacher hated the three of us...for obvious reasons...we for some reason never bunked classes but regulary went to class with incomplete or undone assignments and talk and talk and talk, maybe it was something with that room...and after class Onisha and I would stand out this society (Sanghamitra...for reasons only we both know) and talk until dark during summers and till our parents came to pick us up during winters.... even though it was a five minute walk from my parents place I used to wait and chat about college and stuff..about what profession each of us will pursue and how we'll somehow join our work and stuff...crazy dreams I guess only girls do dat. It’s like those kind of days you’d do anything to live all over again. But yeah it kinda got lonely sometimes here because most of my friends from school lived in south Delhi and rarely came this side..but it was cool coz i had few good friends.
So after 12th I went out of Delhi to pursue higher studies and last I met Onisha was a day before I left we cried, we hugged, we ate momos we had coffee at Costa coffee, and we promised to stay in touch whenever I came back to Delhi, but after my first semester in november 2007 when I came back I tried her no. It was not in use , I asked Esha if she had any clue about her , she said no, and then I remembered that she was supposed to be moving to Vasant kunj in south Delhi, and I dint have any of her new numbers and it was very difficult to track her because I dint know any of her school friends coz we were friends from tuition, and she never went online ,dint even had a mail id, she thought it was all a waste of time and she had better things to do. After a couple of days I gave up trying.
A week back like I said I was thinking of those days and wondering if I’ll ever meet my friend again...maybe 5 years down the line we would bump into each other over the coffee shop, or maybe some office......so anyways two days after that I was just checking all my mail accounts mail, networking sites, and to my surprise I had a friend request from her on one of the networking sites I was on...and it took me by surprise I thought it must be some other girl by the same name...but then I read her scrap which said ‘hey ally rem me we went to tuitions together..so whr have u been? and not o flatter u but u r the reason I joined orkut..coz I was missing’...hmm so I was surprised coz it was all so sudden , it felt like one minute I am thinking bout her the next thing I knw we are joking about the good old days
Sometimes things happen when you are least expecting them...no... my bad its always like that for some people like me..lol
I am dying to go to KFC...there is no pleasure like just walking to KFC for once and walking back with two bucket full of chicken without much effort.... lolz...i love that place....

And some never leave you...

A week after I got stood up by my friend, My sister told me that one of her batch mates wanted to me...at first I was confused why would a junior wanna meet a pass out...then it struck me I had an old friend in her batch....she was one of my very good friends during school days though being three years junior to me we always got along pretty well. So I called her up asking if she was free in the evening...she said she was and so we decided to meet up at a coffee shop in a nearby market. I dint wanted to meet her coz we had had a falling out which was one sided that is from my side... But I guess what the hell, it won’t hurt to give a try, after all she had be the one person who had constantly kept in touch while I was in Pune, through text messages scraps on orkut, she had always been worried as in questioned about my disturbing facebook and orkut status updates and whenever I was in Delhi I never had to call her up and tell her I was back...she would already know...coz she knew when I had semester breaks and she would constantly ask my sis if I was back or not....writing all these good things about her I am feeling bad ...why did I try to cut her out of my life....but seriously every time I tried to cut her out she crawled back into my life...and I am damn glad she did .... The best part is she always wants to meet me twice...one during the first few days of my vacations and second before I leave. She has always been like a little sister to me and I hope it’s like that always, coz I like taking care of her.
So in the evening we met at the coffee shop ...this time I was early, the first time I guess, every time we had met before, she would always be standing outside the coffee shop and waiting for me (I was so proud of myself) we talked for a very long time and then since it was the weekend before diwali she had to get mehandi work done on her hands...so we hung out at the market for sometime...the market was flooded with people buying sweets and crackers and new clothes and getting mehandi work done on their hands ...lucky for us when we reached the guy who put mehandi was just done with on customer...and so both of us sat down on the pavement and again talked...i had missed talking to her, after putting mehandi I thought she would go...but no she had the whole evening for me... I was so happy and glad and I felt really really bad for wanting to cut her out...though I never told her ...but I know I would have missed something really nice had succeeded in cutting her out of my life. And then as usual my dad called up and said that it was getting late it was just 8 o clock...hmph...so I said goodbye and gave me the tightest hug ever which said a lot of things and that i did mean a lot to her and as usual she said she wanted to meet me before I left...but that dint happen coz I was very busy doing last minute shopping the last few days...but on the day I reached Pune I did get a message from her saying safe journey and have an amazing semester ahead..she never forgets to send me that message... and i hope i can be as good as a friend to her as she is to me...

school ties

The first thing you have to do once you are back home...is to give all your friends a call and tell them that you are back... coz if you don’t you will be the one who does not want to keep in touch....even though you left so many wall posts and scraps on facebook and orkut respectively...which were never replied...you’ll be the one not wanting to keep in touch....
So anyways after of being back in Delhi I called up some of my friends and told’em I was back and we should meet up sometime. One of my friends Kritz from school, can’t come to any other place but Priya’s ...its a place in south Delhi very popular among the school kids in vasant vihar and vasant kunj...since my school was in vasant vihar it was popular in my school as well...all the girls wanted to bunk school and go to that place just to hang out ... go watch a movie...or just sit in McDonalds and have burgers....Personally I never liked that place...coz I dunno ...i felt all the wannbes came to that place ...for me it was pretty boring there..and mostly because I was afraid I might run into people whose faces I swore to never see again..the only place I like there was Om book shop ...coz I would be in there for hours and hours and read books, and also priya cinema was one of the cheapest movie halls in Delhi ...so that was one other reason why I would go to that place.
For past one year I hadn’t met her coz she couldn’t come to any other place but that one...one place I hated the most in Delhi, but this time I had to meet her, it had been too long since we last saw each other , so I agreed to meet her there and since coz it was her birthday as well, so I dint mind the one hour bus ride. So we planned and decided to meet outside McDonalds at 2:00 the day after her birthday. Lucky for me my uncle was at home so he dropped me to Priyas (and saved me from the fucking long bus ride) I was there at sharp 2:00 pm outside McD’s I thought she’d be there , but she wasn’t ...so I waited there, just watching people walking from end to the other, it was still the same, school kids bunking school and hanging out there, the street shops were still there, there was still a huge crowd outside RPM the disc in priyas , which was open during the day (who goes clubbing during the day?) , the second hand book shops were still there...and then out of nowhere ...i saw my music teacher walking up to..damn of all people I wasn’t expecting him..he as usual trying to look as charming as possible said “so what brings you here today? Haven’t seen you around”,a s soon as I could I tried to rap up the conversation..so that no I know saw me with him...and after 5 long minutes he left (Thank god). It was 2:15 and she was still not there, she had said she would be there by 2 sharp, but she was not there...i was getting angry...coz I am always very particular about time. 15 more minutes and there was still no sign of her . I saw a couple of my juniors from school going into McDonalds...though I dint know them..but they did know me...all of’em were looking at me, staring ,as they passed me by...whispering something to each other ...but I dint care much coz I dint knw them and it was a habit of all the juniors to talk bout the pass outs they’ll see here and there...even I was them once....
So now it was 3:00 and still no sign of her my temper almost about to burst, when I saw someone familiar coming towards..at first I ignored her... but then I looked closely ...it was one of my very old school friend...Swati... we had been in the same division since the 9th grade ... had the same subjects.. at first sight of each other we both screamed them we hugged each other with the tightest hug ever .... we had never ever been in touch...she had no messenger ID... she was not there on any of the social networking sites..for her these were all waste of time...she had more important stuff to do..i still don’t know what... though we were not very close friends ...but we were friends....and I guess she was one person...not being a very close friend had seen me through all my ups and downs..she had always been there through every heartbreak...though her life was always secretive... even I dint invade into it much coz thats the way she wanted it ...so I was always kewl with it...she was always there for ..when I needed her ...and all of a sudden seeing her that day brought back all the past memories, I was surprised that in one moment how many past incidences of your life you can remember ....that time it felt as if I just watched the fast forwarded version of my life from my 9th grade to the 12th grade . We talked for a very long time ...asking bout where both of us were doing college from...and the usual question ‘hows life?’...we could have talked for like forever but she was with a friend so I she had to go...and that friend unfortunately stays in the same hostel as I do ..So now it was 3:20 and still there was no sign of Kritz....i was so pissed..coz I never come to priyas and only and only for her I had come to this place I hate the most and she stood me up ...so I went into archies bought myself I gift ...went into McD’s and got something to eat... I sent as many hate messages I could ....i decided I’llnever talk to her again... I don’t want... I don’t need such demanding friends who first make me come so far and don’t even show up...i waited there almost for more that 2 hours and she dint show up...yeah later that evening I got a message from her saying that she had completely forgotten that she had to meet me that day .....that angered me even more to the core, I was hurt coz I probably dint mean anything to her anymore, the girl who used to freak out everytime I took a day off school ...dint really care bout me anymore... and then I never replied to any of her scraps on orkut or her messages ...i was just so pissed at her ....I guesss two three years down the line I will talk to her but not in the near future..coz I guess when I am pissed ...you really cant make out what I’ll do and neither can I . But it was ok...if she dint bother to care ...why should I ... she was the one who stood me up ... not me... so I guess I should not be feeling guilty about not keeping in touch anymore .....but damn i do feel bad

sowie

i wont be updating this blog till my xams r finished that is like aftr mid nov....

Going back

My alarm woke me up, I moved my hand under the pillow trying to place my cell phone so I could put off the alarm, finally after lot of searching I found it under my sweatshirt which was again under the pillow i looked at time, a very foolish thing to do as i already knew that my cell phone beeps every morning at 7:15. I got up suddenly realising that my bed was moving and finally my eyes wide open with the sunlight falling right on my face i remembered i was on a train ,sleeping on the side lower berth. I put the pillow at the edge of my seat placed by back on it , brought my knees close to my chest and just stared out the window 'good morning sunshine' i said to myself 'Delhi here i come' i thought and then thinking again i said to myself 'ok so a month of drama trauma and fights here I come'
Yeah that’s all Delhi meant to me fights with my Sister ,her logic and her way of looking at things it all just irritated me every day because they were so different from mine and again i was goin towards that life for a month damn a whole month i could have come to Delhi a little later in the month but I had to leave pune as soon as possible .as soon as possible so as soon i heard that our third semester exams had been postpone due to commonwealth youth games i called up dad and told him i wanted to get out of Pune as soon as possible i dont wanna stay here another minute and so he booked the tickets for me and my friend Deepali the very next moment. We got tickets from Bombay so we had to travel all the way to Bombay , my second time in Bombay was not as fun as the first time...we were 4 hours early so we just sat in McDonalds and eat and slept for some time.
"Good morning" she said
"What? I thought u were asleep"
"nah I got up like 15 minutes back saw u sleeping so just went to freshen up, i think you should go freshen up the breakfast will come soon"
"yeah ok" I said and dragged myself off my seat and went towards the toilet
When I returned breakfast had come I sat down and opened my bread omelette.
"So did you call and wish you mom?" i asked Deepali
"Nah i think me goin there without anyone knowing will probably be the biggest surprise" she replied. It was her mother's birthday 10 Oct 2008, but according to her family she was coming to Delhi on the 12th . It was a nice plan and it was all going really really well. I was happy for her .And so finished our breakfast both of us slept for another half hour and then we reached Delhi .The train had not reached the station and his picture came into my mind, even he was from Delhi 'but there are no chances of him coming to Delhi this diwali' i told myself 'he is too occupied with other girls'
"We should take out our luggage from below, because we are almost there" said Deepali interrupting my thoughts. As the train stopped i saw my dad standing on the platform we ran towards the exit and i waved with the most happiest face i could come up with and i think it was cool and den we dropped Deepali to her place and drove to my parents place yeah ‘my parents’ I could no longer call it home I left that place a year and a half ago to pursue BBA from symbiosis in Pune, and for now my only home was my hostel room with my best friends Sharon and Ekta. Two people who meant the world to me my family in Pune.
We reached home and I went to my room it was filled with my sister Jennifer’s painting stuff and I wanted it all cleared but she was sleeping in her room all tired from her camping trip so I just kept my luggage and changed and waited for lunch. The rest of the day I kept missing my friends back home, my bed , my walls which were full of my collage , full of my feelings about him, full of me, I missed Pune like hell I missed everything about it . ‘Why did I come so early I should have stayed in Pune?’ I asked myself the answer to which came automatically ‘because you have to move on you idiot’ I told that to myself the entire day. But it had all started, my life of a year and a half ago had started my mom and dad being evermore demanding and dominating , my freedom was once again lost and all I wanted was to go back but I couldn’t because I had sort of runaway from Pune .
Somehow the day passed and I was getting ready to sleep when again nostalgia struck me and I was gain transported to Pune, how there Sharon, Ekta and I used to talk and talk for long hours in the night, how no one in the hostel slept before 1 and how I missed Sharon my roommate and how I never sleep before 2 am, sometimes chatting with my friends and him, sometimes waiting for him to come online....and then my cell phone beeped I got a message from Sharon
‘Puchu missin u’ teary eyed I replied
‘Me was jst thinkin bout u ;-( Gunyte’ I messaged her
and she replied back‘Gud nyt puchu’
.All of a sudden I remembered my first few days in Pune , I was all like Delhi this, Delhi that Pune sucks ...what the fuck there is nothing here .... I hate this place.... Delhi is like the best place ever. I still remember that day I had gone out with a couple of friends to meet this guy ..someones family friend and I was all about how fucking boring Pune is
“Aryan yaar, you are from Delhi and still you think Pune is better?” I had said
“You know A even I was like you when I had first some to Pune” Aryan said “but then one year in this city changed everything, everything . Now I never want to leave this place ever again but I’ll have to I know. Meet me after a year and then we’ll talk about which city is much better”That time I dint believe him but now there is no place other that Pune I would wanna be but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. With these thoughts I plugged my earphones into my cell phone and turned on the radio, yeah one thing good about Delhi you have over 10 radio channels here but in Pune you have just two which is sad, and with this I went off to sleep.