Where's the fun in that?

Office sucks. If yours doesn't, then you are probably demented, or the boss (which is essentially the same thing). But even though your job is underpaid, you are over - timing everyday and the boss thinks you are under - utilised, paychecks don't come on time, it is ensured that you are made to work on weekends, you get work mail at odd hours.. umm... where was I before I went on my ranting spree? Yes, even though offices sucks, if you are even remotely the kind of person it takes to have fun, office spaces become playgrounds which offer oodles of masti (there is no word in the language of firangs which does justice to the cool sentiments of this desi word). How you may ask? Even if you don't, I'm gonna spill the beans anyway because you would have figured out by now what the blog post is about.

This is my second job so far and at each place I have had and am still having a wonderful wonderful time! And being the reserved person that I can be if I choose to be, that is saying something. And trust me, you don't even have to be cool like me to have fun at your office. Are you questioning where's the fun there? Well, then, it is right here:

1. Gossip: It just had to be the number 1 fun activity. And if you are a woman, then it steals the top 10 spots. The 'subject of discussion' can range from shoes to shoulder bags, from clutchers to clothes, from attitude to behaviour to style of speaking to not speaking to you name it! Where there is a will, there is an issue to gossip about! Every organisation has characters which deserve dedicated gossip sessions. And if there are more than one, then the lunch hour is bound to be a long one.

2. Lunch: While we are on the subject of lunch hour, I'll like to confess that my working hours are neatly divided into 3 slots: Before lunch, lunch and after lunch. And no prizes for guessing which of them is the most awaited and loved. If cultivated affectionately and with dedication, lunch hour can spice up, quite literally, your time at the office. Ooh, the fight over the kadhai paneer, and drooling over kadhi rice, and the amazing chana masala with tiffin full of halwa and poori in navaratra's and keeping an eye on that rare sweet in someone's lunch box's hidden corner... I'm salivating already! If you have a lunch group, then its a plus! Then there are days when you go out to eat. Fighting over where to go, yelling at people to wrap up their work, deciding what to eat and all of this in just the lunch hour! And I haven't even started talking of eating yet! Oh, its 1 PM! Sorry, time for my lunch break. Punctuality is a must! :P

3. Lookin' good!: Just imagine for once that you do not have any office to go to. What would your day be like? You obviously can't go shopping everyday (remember, no office = no salary = no extra cash to splurge), you can't meet your friends (they'll be at work) and there is nothing besides household work to do. I'm sure no one will be a big fan of that. So you just stay home and don't even bother to get out of your pyjamas.On the other hand, you pick a random outfit to wear at the office, and because you woke up earlier than usual, you match your accessories with it. And when you reach office, unexpectedly, your colleagues compliment you. If even a couple of compliments on a regular day can lift up your spirits, then just imagine that if you put a little bit of effort to look smarter, how good it will make you feel. And not just because of the compliments. Because dressing well is known to make moods better. There are studies on the net to prove it. Office gives you an opportunity to wear all those clothes and stuff you shopped for! Otherwise, who'll bother if you are all decked up at home with your kids (who'll end up dirtying you anyway) or in - laws/ parents (for whom you won't bother to dress up anyway).



4. B*tching: I could have clubbed it with 'Gossip' but I did not because it deserves its own space. Wherever there is a group of more than 2 people at a workplace, there is bound to be some bitching. But if done moderately, it is not a bad thing. It, I have discovered, can act as a stress reliever. When stuck in a project, just discuss how XYZ girl was acting all 'girly' in from of ABC guy to get his attention, and voila! You feel rejuvenated! And, its benefits are not just limited to that. It also helps people bond which is a great team building exercise! Especially when you together 'talk' about the boss. Letting go of all that pent up frustration is blissful! I just hope my boss doesn't read it. :P Well, the point is, that bitching at work about work, colleagues, boss, even the office boys, canteen operator or the courier guy is fun. And I bet you knew that anyway.


5. Friends: If you are lucky like I have been, and you make wonderful wonderful friends at work, then your workplace can be a playground if you want! I have shared not just work ideas but clothes; not just suggestions on projects, but life and love, not just brainstormed aggressively on new pitches but also on the next party plan. There are bound to be times when you feel low or frustrated or plain bored. And having friends at work is blissful at this time. They help you vent. And motivate you and when they realise that you don't need motivation and just need to b*tch, they'll totally pitch in too.

There are tens of other things which make office suck a lot less. But I'll leave you to find them out by yourself. And when you do, you'll maybe feel a tad bit better about the place where you spend most of your waking hours. Happy working! :)

Drifting Away...

 Friends are the family we choose for ourselves. College was the golden era of my life. And my definition of this era isn't limited to endless gossiping, our 'chit' chats in lectures, the night stays, Momo's point, mindless discussions on everything under the sun sitting on the metro station platforms, bitching and more bitching, and uncountable such things. Though these things make my three years from 2007 to 2010 most memorable, what makes this time of my life is how life changed after it. Sitting on the worn out blue linoleum floor of the freezing studio, lounging on the blue frayed velvet couch, feasting on subsidised snacks in the canteen, along with making opinions about some important and many not - so - important things in life, I made friends who taught me the real meaning of the term friendship.

In those three years, life revolved around these handful of people. Sharing joy and sorrow, we forged a bond which was to last a lifetime. It wasn't during the final examinations or the farewell party. It was in the spring of 2010, on the last day of college, forgetting and forgiving all trivial differences and grudges, when we hugged and cried and wished each other well in life, that it finally began to sink in. Sitting opposite the building where we had sat till late in the night discussing movie scripts, assignments, politics, fashion, boys and the like, that the realisation dawned that this is where our journey together ends and we take separate ways. The following few days I chided myself for being unnecessarily dramatic. Technology has advanced ample to keep us in touch and still avoid the hefty bills! But silly me, the remaining balance in my cell phone should have been the last of my worries.

Two years after graduating, time and distance have begun to prove my smartphone useless for staying in touch. There is an option to text, chat and email apart from calling, but it is just that we have begun to run out of things to talk about. 'Real life' has changed the idealistic opinions I once sweared by and changed are the friends with whom I debated endlessly defending my stand on multiple issues. It was never intentional, this growing apart. But somehow, catching up with friends, laughing on old silly jokes, talking about us kept going down the priority list. Some people with whom I shared my deepest secrets and worries have just become a name on my BBM friend list. Friends who used to know what's going in my head just by looking at me have gone so far that when we talk on the phone after weeks, all we get to do is exchange formalities. No one is to blame. Time is always too less and distances too much. Work keeps us busy and there are things to keep us preoccupied in the free time. I hold no grudges against the friends with whom I shared Rs. 2 per piece samosa, class notes and my life story. I hope they don't either. I am glad we met and bonded.  I wish things had been different and efforts had been made to stay in touch. But then friendships which require efforts never go a long way. People meet and move apart. This gradual drifting away becomes prominent on days like today, when I sit with newer friends and hear them reminiscence about their friends and their golden era.
All friendships aren't bonds. Most are just beautiful pictures which bring a smile to our faces when we think about the memories they gave us. Those friendships which survive the growing distances and shrinking times are like a film shoot which never ends. Keep adding newer scenes to your film story and visit the memory albums often. They might have drifted away, but the memories we have with them are ours to keep.

:)