January 18, 2006

The Wallet Pocket Love Story !!

January 18, 2006 Posted by Vijay , 2 comments
Scene : A bakery shop, which also sells milk packets.
Actors : Customer,Shopkeeper
Purpose : To buy a packet of Milk

Customer : Give me a packet of milk please, half a litre one.

Shopkeeper digs into the freezer and pulls out the magical packet. He says ..

Shopkeeper : Here you go sir.

Customer is a young man, earning pretty well. In his formal clothes. He puts his hand in his pant pocket, to pull out the wallet. At first he feels the wallet,pulls it out. It doesn't come out. He tries yet again, but the wallet just won't come out. It's been 2 minutes and the shopekeeper is waiting for the educated looking young man to pay up. The young man keeps trying, to get the wallet out. He then drops the bag he had been carrying , on to the floor in frustration and starts the same exercise. The wallet, it seemed, was in love with the pant pocket. But the young man was determined to get it out and rid himself of embarassment in front of the shopkeeper. He even thought whether he might have to end up removing his pants and get the goddam wallet out. But, the young man was determined to prove a point to the wallet and the pocket. He wanted to show who was the boss amongst him and his clothes. One final hurrah and lo, the wallet is out.

Customer(to himself) - "I did it !!"

He proudly pulls out the money from his wallet, places the money on the shelf and goes back home relieved and satisfied, but not before he got frustrated and almost embarassed. So what prevented the customer from removing his pants to get the wallet out ? His sheer determination ? No, it was his luck that he was able to get it out. Else, he would have removed his pants too !

Now that I have illustrated the events here, let me come to the crux of the matter. Wallets and their love for pockets. That's what I am talking about. Clearly, the pocket is possessive about the wallet and the male protagonist in this love story, is undoubtedly the wallet and the female one, the pocket. The pocket just wouldn't let go of the wallet easily !!! Coming back to the main point, the wallet in the pocket, seldom allows easy retrieval of money for payment when it is very urgent. Why is there no money in the shirt pocket ? That's because, the money could fall out while bending over. Thus came the wallet in picture. All the cash stuffed away in it. But, more often than not, there is a frustrating struggle to get the wallet out of the pocket. It almost seems as if the pocket is so deep, that the wallet has diappeared in it's depths. And when you do get hold of it, the leather is so smooth, that it keeps slipping away from the supposed firm grasp of your hands on it. Well, I wish I could go and slam the person who stitched my pants. But, for that I have to go to the Peter England Office ? Now, it's tough to choose a pant which has pockets which allow proper entry for your wallet. But then, you can't have your money in your shirt pocket ? So live in misery as long as pants exist and as long as you can't buy things for free.

That was w.r.t guys. For girls though, things are much simpler. Purses are a boon for the womankind. And purses are but one of the innumerable accessories that a woman sports. And what is a purse for ? Money, lipstick, sunscreen lotion, pads (Thats the best way I could put it - no offense intended), not to mention mobile phones,and what not. So, a mini dressing room is what a purse can hold ! And purses are not restricted to a single piece as in the case for wallets for guys. They come in different designs, colors and shapes. One is designed from leather, another from cotton, one has camels design on it, and another has flowers decoration on it. So, in respect to pulling out money immediately, women are far quicker I guess. But there's a hitch to this. It's a separate entity on a woman's shoulder if she has to step out of her working place. She has to carry it around everywhere. Well, no wonder it's an accessory and very much a fashinable thing. Sometimes, it does make sense for guys to take tips from girls. Maybe, using a purse will be a beginning. But surely not putting on lipstick !!

P.S. All characters in the above act are purely incidental. Any person living or alive who may have resemblance to the customer can be attributed to my existence.

January 12, 2006

Expectations ...

January 12, 2006 Posted by Vijay 3 comments
Is What you expect what you get ?
Or is there something more you wanted ?
Is what you got what you wanted ?
Or is there something else you always wanted ?

Can't but limit one's expectations,
For what they fathom are seldom met.
But there in lies wings of hope,
Desires which drive to get the best.

What if you get what you want ?
Will that be the end of it all ?
What if you don't get what you want ?
Will THAT be the end of it all ?

The former can never end a thing,
For greed is what humans are for.
The latter can never end a thing,
For hope is what humans live on.

What if you didn't get the call,
From a dear friend, living afar ?
What if you didn't clear the exam,
One which you always dreamt of ?

A call which would have sealed
More strongly the bond of friendship ?
An exam which could have sealed
Forever a career short of hardship ?

Is that all there is to expect ?
But fret over failed friendships ?
Is that all that one can do ?
But crib over fate what was destined to be ?

Isn't the expectation a sign of ego,
Misplaced in the realm of emotion ?
When the call doesn't come your way
But you never intitiate one anyway ?

Isn't expectation a sign of helplessness,
When an exam will by no means
Seal your future,
Nor make it or break it ?

When she doesn't turn around to greet,
Forget coming out to eat.
Isn't that expecting something,
Which is best left unattended ?

When you expect a hike,
For what you work for,
But it never realises,
And gets buried forever.

Isn't that expectation and greed,
That one is having to need
More to life than what it gives,
More to live than what it needs ?

Is it all in human nature ?
To expect and have what he wants,
But be disappointed when it's not
Met nor got when he wants ?

Is it all in human nature ?
To be expectant, and get disappointed ?
Or is it what we make it out to be
And miss out what happened ?

But, as is in God's wish,
The wanted happens when least expected,
And then we grapple with life,
Only to return back, disappointed.

What you do is what you get,
For by your actions are always met
The expectations that you had sometime set
Over which you should never fret.

There is destiny, there is fate,
But both can be made our own.
When the veil of expectations can be taken off,
That is when new life can be sown.