It's been a long time since there has been any controversy in our utterly self-important lives. In another unrelated incident, I haven't blogged for almost the same amount of time. So I decided, it's time to please my five readers (I found another one). I am about to write down inciting stuff, but ultimately YOU have to decide how much you want to trust someone who has been living off just fried noodles for two days...
Well it all started with everyone coming up with plans for Spring Break, and it seemed like everyone and his brother were going somewhere. As usual, we were extremely quick to pick upon the going-ons in our surrounding. For about a week, J and I repeatedly discussed a possible trip. Mainly in the following set of words:
J: Kidhar jaane ka hai kya?
Me: hmm... Dekhte hai...
This would often keep us satisfied for the day. Both of us were happy in the knowledge that we agreed on going somewhere, and when the RIGHT time came, we would decide where to go. In the meantime, we decided that N would be an excellent companion to make this trip even more fun. Apart from someone to share the rent, and fun, we also needed someone who would plan the whole thing for us. To that end, we set up a conference call with N.
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J: Kidhar jaane ka hai kya?
J: Kidhar jaane ka hai kya?
Me: hmm... Dekhte hai...
N: Jaa sakte hai ... Plan karna padega...
Me: Jaa toh sakte hi hai...
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My patient approach was misunderstood by my potential tripmates as laziness and unenthusiasm. While I came to know about their opinion soon, I once again avoided an angry response and opted for an even more patient approach to calm the waters. This was labeled as more laziness. The sad story of my life is that many of my great qualities have symtoms that match activities of lazy people. Of course, it doesn't help that someone as indolent as J calls you lazy. Almost like Ganguly calling Kumble a bad fielder. Jeez.
Finally we decided to make a Florida trip. We made animated discussion about the trip in front of K. He listened in midst of watching Naruto and Becker. N decided to call the trip a Dil Chahta Hai trip. It was a firm reply to all sceptics who relentlessly expressed surprise that N and J were going together, and that I was going anywhere.
J and I discussed this many times, wondering what the deal with people's reaction was. We realized in the end, that people make quick inferences about other people from random and short pieces of information. We form opinions about others without considering so many reasons which may have caused a person to be who she or he is. And that's a bit sad.
Sometimes, when I talk to J, I feel I am talking to a wall. J is a man of few words, and does not always bother to explain his statements. He also makes curiously interesting face expressions, like showing extreme interest when he is not at all interested, or vice versa. J has earned a reputation as a entertainer in the house and tries hard to keep up with this reputation. K and I bear the pain, but perhaps it's because we incite him in the first place. I am acutely aware, that K will not be with me to share this pain during the trip, as he will not be part of the trip.
Of course, some people raised the question of whether we had invited K for the trip, and J informed them that we had made the discussions in front of him, and he had never shown any inclination or interest. This was, of course, a brilliant cover up!! First of all, Dil Chahta Hai cannot have four people. More importantly, neither J nor I, wanted to listen to K pontificating to all of us for the whole duration of the trip. We were also tired of his stories from Canada, with which he bored us to death in the first year of our room'ism'. In particular, both J and I seemed to agree that a vacation by definition is one, where you can be assured that noone in a radius of 123 meters is allowed to say "Ek Kaam karega kya?" to you.
Even as celebrations of this fact were going on, we made plans to spend 5 days in Orlando. The responsibiliy of booking a hotel was given to me. I was efficient in the job. It took only two days of threatening, namecalling, and humiliating insults to get the adrenalin flowing, and then, in a magical 5 minute phone call on the third day, the job was done. We were set to go!!
Or so we thought. Whilst this booking drama unfolded, J had, during his usually fruitless talks with fellow desis, uncovered some important information. When he came back after a talk with Kammo, he told me and N that only fools would spend 5 'fool' days in Orlando, while the world was busy having fun in Miami and Key West. While we always knew we were fools, when J calls you a fool, you feel doubly foolish. Meanwhile prices were rising, and fearing another 'patient' performance from me, I requested N to book the new tickets.
And so, we were set! Some of you may feel that this post is heavily mis-timed, since we are leaving to Florida next week. But I post this in the knowledge that all the payments are already made, and the trip will happen under all circumstances. Having got such a wonderful start, readers may rest assured that the trip will see us reaching new levels of friendship, and provide memories for future when we will fondly remember our time in Florida Spring Break 2006.
