Oct 29, 2006

Pasir Ris Theory


Zooming boxes zipped in silence in to Pasir Ris MRT (Mass Rapid Transit). Pasir Ris is the last destination that people in this lion city can ever reach via the green line starting from Boon Lay, connecting its east -west corners.LED boards at MRT read accurately the countdown for arrival of trains.Penetrating Pasir Ris Library in floor 3 at Pasir Ris mall, in a minute’s time I went aphonic gazing at the integrally automated library & the huge collection of books on exhaustive categories at display there. My pash for books raptured that very minute. We were alike I felt, containing volumes of words inside but a streak of folded silence for the onlookers. On stepping out, silence still remained frozen in our minds. We exchanged no words. She stood beside, escorting me all the time until I was with her, with million thoughts crossing her mind in series. Life was silently pleasant that very minute waiting to experience another journey in the lap of luxury, by MRT, to get back home in simei.

I looked at her. Thoughts coiled into the past … I knew how hard she struggled until a couple of years back shuttling between her township & city right from her college days until she settled as a mentor in one of the city colleges.Her day dawned with a demanding bus journey till the city border. And then a drudging train journey in those suburban trains to reach the city junction, from where another local train to reach her city college on time. And back home everyday all the way to complete her assignments, demo preps, record works & to add meaning in her partially deserted parent’s life. She inducted many minds in her township by mentoring them in quantum ways in her subject of expertise everyday on reaching home back.She was not one of those cribbing babes, for traveling so far everyday. She added new colors in to her own life by taking new challenges at every new turn in those years. It all stood as bright feathers in her cap of victory.Oofff ... at last her struggle vanished like a dry ice in hand. She locked eyes with me dragging herself away from her rushing thoughts & smiled.

The train arrived in silence by then. When it stopped, the glass doors opened to offload & upload passengers. All the time the glass doors pointed right in front of the arrow painted yellow on the floor at the platform. No hassles no where. People just walked in straight before the doors shut themselves.From transit to transit the city stood more colorful. Obeying rules ran in their blood from birth. None touched none. None spoke to none. None looked at none. They believed to live their solitary e-lives even when amidst the crowd - typing messages, playing games, checking mails, tuning music on their ears, surfing net but never bothered to scan even the most stunning damsel (of their own breed ) who stood beside.They all looked alike. Fair like flour & flat like a four. They were all the same to my eyes. For a moment, where am I ? a prompt in the mind. A world far away from mine I realized. In intrinsic wrapped silence,sound of train zipping in and out of tunnels resonated in my drums.We dissolved the silence that we gripped in Pasir Ris when the train offloaded us back in Simei.

Oct 10, 2006

Playing Pranks


Rohit is my bessssss friend @ work place. The company hired us in the same quarter when we freshly stepped out of college.We worked in the same team closely, for long, amidst other seniors, on an assignment from a leading news agency in the world. Innocence had a bright stamp on his face, I felt initially. We hardly knew each other then.Days rolled by, when we stumbled upon the topic of crushes one day, while sipping coffee in a near by cafĂ©. He chose to reveal on his crushes – explaining to me right from his puppy crush to his peppy crush that he had. I was taken aback when he revealed his outstanding crush count. If he meets them all one by one in a month’s time, still he would meet each 12 times in a year. Even I’ve had crushes – one in high school, another one in junior college & another one during my graduation. All vaporized like camphor cubes now.
Me: But your count seem to be alarming, buddy.
Rohit: I know daa… I got to wind up soon.
Months passed by. Now we are in different teams, working with different people. Yesterday, we happen to leave office at the same time. On the way home, what started as a mild drizzle, progressed as little heavy showers.To break the silence amidst cold winds, I started …
Me: Howz life buddy?
Rohit: Sighingly - Am happy that work is keeping me on my toes but then u c this CC of mine doesn’t want to settle for any less figures I guess.
There was a pause. Being his best buddy I thought I should give him my piece of mind on that.
Me: Buddy this isn’t the time for all this. You are not in your teens to dwell on this anymore.U got to realize that u will soon hold responsibilities beyond your age and will be expected to challenge the limits soon. Are you really behind it. Think again….
Rohit: I know daa …I know. I decided firmly this time. I know what to do now.
Me: Whatz that buddy. Can I also know ?
Rohit: As u said, not to dwell too much on this anymore but to begin another one soon.
My eyes spotted a big Manhole kept opened on the road side.

FYPI - Thankyou god, now people know all about Rohit and his mind blowing CrushCount.With this I can now sleep peacefully.