The Twenty-Eight, clear

Its been long since I had blogged. So many things happened, so many things forgotten. February is a short month indeed, not for me though. I started February with the hope of a few things like returning back home, wearing skirts for the whole month as the snow was just starting to melt and days were getting longer. As an approval, the clothes that I had brought from India started to shrink..... Of course I am not growing fat!!!. Its because of the heat in the dryer. Or Am I??? Well guess what, you guys have to find out when I come back home. But I'm really in love with the skirts here, gonna buy a bunch of them on return.

Chakri's First Day.

Monkey Capped Chakri

That is Chakri. After a horribly drab month of no fun and laughter, Chakri's arrival brought back the life, atleast to an extent. (Karthik Sundeep and Hema are not here duh!!!) His first few days in office were hilarious. With painful two fingers, he escaped from sharing work at home and he had a good few days comfortable stay here because of that. His second day to office was all the more hilarious.

Chakri's Hair Raiser.

Asked him to remove the cap so that
I could take this picture :) 

Waking up on usual alarm which goes on at 6.00 am, I opened a groggy one eye and switched on the laptop to hear the music I hear everyday in the mornings. Did not notice the beeping mobile with almost no charge under the pillow. I had already asked Chakri to come to the bus stop around 8.15 ish. "He is not a baby, He would come", I said to myself. Did all the usual less hectic morning chores and got ready and was out of the house. To check on Chakri, I pulled out my phone to call his roomies moblile. My mobile went dead - Absolutely No charge. Wow!! What a timing. I always have this problem of forgetting to charge mobiles, Even back home Mom yells, Alwin thows my mobile at  walls. But still I keep forgetting.Yeah... That me. The forgetful one.

Well, That was supposed to be a flashback, Now Coming back to this situation, as usual, I waited for the bus, got into it, said "Good Morning" to the driver with my sweet, ringing voice( Common!!!, I can flatter myself), hoping Chakri would be waiting in the bus stop, I got in and took my usual seat. The bus just moved out of Franklin drive, Chakri was not there. Oh Oh... Thats Bad. It was raining, snowing, freezing almost a very messy day. I reassured myself, Maybe Chakri is coming with his friends by car.

I went to office, and started with my usual work. Glanced at the time, Oh dear!!! Its 9.30, he should be here. Is he coming? Did he get into the bus ? Did he get down at the right stop? What if he had  gone all the way to Trenton? What if had got mobbed?  were the quite "What Ifs" which did a horrible ballet in my beautiful mind.

At ten minutes to ten, Chakri comes into Office, with all his hair standing straight... Practically STRAIGHT. Boy!!! was I relieved to see him. The poor guy had been waiting in the bus stop in freezing temperature and rain mixed with sleet for more than an HOUR as he had missed the bus which comes to stop at 8.22am!!!He had seen the bus schedule on the wrong side.

600 College Road East

We were going back home in the evening, and I had told him how things work here, Not that I know of those much, I really did not have much of practical experience in doing all that stuff.Guess I get lucky, People around do it for me, and I just enjoy it. For Instance pressing the "Stop requested" button in the bus, Govind, my collegue used to do it for me, nowadays, a sleepy guy does it for me. The thing is he sleeps in the bus and gets up  at the exact place where he has to get down and luckily I have to get down there too. So he gets the honor of pressing the "Stop requested" button.

Oh! where we left.... Ya Ya that was a flash sideways (People seen LOST would understand.. he he), I asked Chakri to press the "Stop Requested" button as we were nearing his stop, He gets up peers around to make sure that he is getting down at the right stop and goes forward to speak with the bus driver to request him to drop him off at Franklin Drive, while the bus whizzes past his stop. That was Chakri's first lesson on how to ride on a bus in USA. Lesson  no 1: only if the "Stop Requested" button is pressed, the bus stops.

Chakri had to walk his way back to the previous stop to go home.

@ Trenton

Me @Trenton

I was waiting for Chakri for two reasons. One, he is funny.Two, I had to get my SSN. I needed company to go there. Did not want to go there all by myself.
 This time I turned out to exhibit stupidity. After the usual "Get Ready" process  I skipped outside in my skirt, The climate was good, I need not look inhuman with the huge snow coat around me, went to the busstop at 7.55 am to catch the bus. The SSA office was in Trenton.With a series of instructions to Chakri ,I came to the bus stop at the exact time humming my favourite tune, And then I realised it. I had fogotten to bring my Passport and that  is the most important document to apply for SSN!!!

What Trenton Makes. The World Takes

I hated myself when I had to tell that to Chakri. Me being "stupid" was supposed to be secret. Of course Alwin knows. He should, after all he has put up with me for 7 long years.Well, I had to return back, pick up my passport and returned back to the bus stop after an hour.This time I had everything, I got into the bus and prepared myself for the huge 1.30 hours of travel. I started to feel dizzy just the way Alwin used to feel when he travels up hill to Ooty. I should have caught this from him. We reached Trenton, and then we realize that we did not have the "ADDRESS" of the SSA office in hand.

I had the idea of going to TRENTON and then taking a cab to the SSA office. Chakri was strictly against it for some unknown reason. The whole place was filled with 'கருபனுங்க' and I started to feel a bit queasy. "Thank God I came to this place with Chakri, I have someone to protect me atleast", with such a though in mind I glanced at Chakri, He sounded and looked more tensed than I was. OMG!!!!!

The River Train

He further goes on to explain "You know, This is where shootings take place". I could have taken a cab from Princeton and finished the work and gone home. Atleast I would not be shot at. I have to live to wear my skirts and the pretty  little grey boots that I had just bought for 30$!!!

We did not know where the Office was and went up and down  "EAST Street"  a few times. Finally giving up, I suggested we  take a cab. His suggestion was the "River Train". Its cheaper, just 1.50$  he said. But Im sure if we had gone we would'nt know where to get down as we were visiting the place for the first time.With me nagging him to take a cab, he succumbed and we went to the SSA office by Car. "Wow Nagging works fine, and I'm good at it".

The work was done and, return was better and cheaper by 6.00$, by the River Train. Again in the NJ Trenton Transit center we had to wait for more than an hour. The "கருபனுங்க" there looked so weird and scary and horribly huge. Chakri was murmuring , and I was too freaking out a bit. Oh it was not obvious. "The Inside Me", If u guys would remember. That was the one which was freaking out.

Finally the 600 bus came in. We happily got in, we were the only ones in the bus and I sat in my usual first corner. Chakri sat behind me. I heaved a sigh of relief just to hold back my breath. A whole bunch of "கருபனுங்க", that too loud boistrous ones got into the bus. There was just the two of us and a whole bunch of them. Chakri started to murmur, He does that when he gets tensed. keeps babbling or reading whatever he sees. He will deny it though. He even read what was written on a wig shop and asked me to get a wig too.

Anyways... It was a big day, we came into office tired and hungry but safe.

Threesome in 2011

My Sweet l'il Child

Dheera turned 6 in February 2011 and its a bit depressing not to be there when she cut the "Choota Bheem" cake. May God give her the very best. Alwin took beautiful care about her B'day made all the arrangements perfect. He surprised me this year by being "Mr Perfect Dad". Great!!! "Hats off" to him. But anyway Baby, Im coming next month.
The morning dawned with the mail box flashing in a new mail, A "Congratulation " mail form Syntel. Its been three long years in Syntel and the client that I am working with. Turning back, I see two pairs of "Footprints" in the sand.

Alwin and Dheera on Web Chat.

A kindle, a new Laptop, a leapster for Dheera, and an XBOX Kinect where a few of the priced things I had longed for. Being with Alwin, I picked up a liking on such stuff too. February saw me buy 'em all. I was really exited  to go home and enjoy them all with Mom and Dad, Alwin and Dheera. Just a few more days, I kept saying to myself.  When I got "The Call" Project is extended by a month again.......Not another month of Web Chat!!!!!