Direct from my mind........

As usual, I don't think I will get sleepy anytime soon. It's only 10:45 pm and there's a long way to go. Look at my sister, she is fast asleep and I know my keyboard's tak-tak-tuk-tuk really disturbs her. She always complains but what can I do? I am helpless, and in a way, so is she.

Today's day was quite extraordinary...

At the moment, a very romantic song from Jab We Met (tum se hi...) is accompanying me and I am feeling a little better. It actually feels so good when you realise that someone in a corner, may be a little far, is remembering you, thinking about you, missing you... Love is such a wonderful feeling!! I was so wrong about it earlier, now I realise how beautiful it is.

So where was I?

Okay... my day...

I woke up early coz I had to go to college to fill in exam forms. I went there reluctantly because I wanted to sleep more. I asked for the form and the officer asked me for the admission receipt. I was literally shocked. I got myself admitted in the college so many months back and they were asking me for the receipt! Rule is rule... I sincerely told her that I didn't have any receipt but I had my identity card which had been renewed after the admission. I told her I would show her my card as a proof that I was already admitted. She told me, in a very unfriendly manner (of course I wasn't expecting her to be friendly), that I would have to pay Rs 30 if I didn't have the receipt. I was taken aback... what sort of rule was this? What was the use of record-keeping then? I had to pay her the sum as a wage for her to turn the pages of record and find out if I was actually admitted. Funny... ridiculous... insane... nonsense... systemless system... that is what Soo tells it is. Soo, myself and that lady had a long discussion. We ended up without taking the form and headed home. Bad start of the day...

Then we went to the near-by Bhrikutimandap park, took some rounds around and sat to have some fruits. I felt nice coz I had gone there for such a long time. All people seem to be at their best moods in the park. There are friends sharing good laughs, jokes going on in every corner, lovers romancing, exercising, or just bunking classes. Bhrikutimandap has all sorts of people!!

Yet again, there's this romantic song from the movie Life in a metro... In dino dil mera mujhse hai kehraha, tu Khwab saja, tu jeele jara, hai tujhe bhi ijajat, karle tu bhi mohabbat... Beautiful song.

Then after having a little chat with Soo, Prabin and Bipin (actually I was the listener as always), I headed for office. As almost always I was the first one to reach in my department. Shortly after Eva showed up and we started doing our own works. Then we had to prepare ourselves for the 'My Cup of Tea' discussion. At 10:30 am, Sharmila didi, Eva and I left for Jazzbell Cafe at Chakupat, where the programme was organised. As we didn't get seats in a tempo, we caught a taxi. Thank God, we reached there 1o minutes before 11 am (the scheduled time). The guests could come anytime so we started preparing the whole thing like arranging tables, spreading magazines, et cetera. Everyone knows the meaning of Nepali time. Only two guests, a housewife, Mrs Rumi Srivastav and Usha Khadgi, the former Miss Nepal showed up in time. We had to wait for others.

Richa Ghimire smsed me that she would be there by 11:30...okay... A little later, she called me and we could not understand each other...network problem... then I called her again. She was still in balaju and would be able to make it only at 12. What could I say? The discussion had already begun... I told Sharmila didi and she convinced her that she would be called for the next month's discussion!! She was so eager to participate, but unfortunately, we couldn't keep other guests waiting just for her. Other guests included Intern Doctor Ojaswi Acharya, Laxmi bank's Business Development officer Priti Pandey, Photoconcern's Director Shrijana Thapa and News anchor of KTV Poonam Poudyal.

The topic was "pressure to look good"... the guests spoke so much... we didn't even had to ask them any questions. It was fun. Usha, Shrijana and Rumi ji... they could speak so much. Priti and Poonam ji only spoke what had been asked to them. Specially Poonam ji, she remained silent most of the times. I guess she did so coz most of them were telling, actually making the point that, if you are not beautiful, your talent and intellect won't count. I was asking myself, is it true? I don't know. May be Poonam ji didn't agree.

I could see that all of them, except Poonam ji, had come there well-groomed, with make-up, thoughtfully selected attires... I could see that Poonam ji hadn't even got to put a layer of lipstick. She was saying that she had learnt to put lipstick only after working in TV as a news anchor.

This reminds me of my own story. You know, I had shaped my eyebrow on Poush 15 when it was confirmed that I would get an internship in Kantipur daily and it would start from the next day. Actually I did that coz I didn't want any women journalists in Kantipur to ask me why I hadn't plucked my eyebrow until then. Because that was the question I had to face wherever I went. It was ridiculous and i now feel silly about what I had done. I had actually cried when the beautician was threading my eyebrows. My sister Geeta was catching me, the beautician herself and my nini (phupu didi) were seizing me tight and I was crying with pain, tears flowing... it was tough. That was the first and the last threading I did. Since then I have not been able to recollect the bravery to thread it again. I pluck the grown ones sometimes though...

So, I liked Poonam Poudyal the most, coz I could easily relate her feelings to myself.

The article is getting longer....

And then back at office, writing, submitting... hungry... tired...waiting the clock to tick 5:30... nothing cooked at home. Still hungry. Then I went to Baneshwor chowk with my brother to buy vegetables. There we ate momo... a little satisfied, we did some more shoppping and came back home. Now it's 11:45... 15 minutes before the residents of underworld come out hunting... Oh, I am NOT scared.

Anyways, i have to sleep now.