Not so much because I wanted to, but it’s a weekend, and that’s the rule!
You just have to go out. No questions.
Now, it may not seem to be as depressing a proposition elsewhere in the universe. Alas, it is, in the city I live, "correction", survive in.
***
The best part about the whole exercise of “going out”, is the repeatedly evolving, vehemently scripted plan right before it.
It starts with one boredom-induced-proactive advanced ape-man emphatically broadcasting the “need to go out”, to his cosmos.
To start with the entire cosmos responds overwhelmingly.
And THEN the cosmos faces 4 questions :
1. Where?
2. When?
3. Who’s coming?
4. What do we do?
Simple Questions. Tricky Answers.
1. Where?
a) But that place does NOT serve alcohol!
b) But that place serves alcohol!
c) Too crowded
d) No people
e) Too expensive
f) Too far from our side of town. More importantly, “not far enough” from their side!
g) Oh but we went there the last time!
2. When?
a) Oh no! Not at 4. I have to hit the gym at 4. I haven’t gone there in 3 months. But now that we have a plan in the making. I must go!
b) It’s too hot at 5
c) I’ve to get home by 11
d) I’m busy till 7. Can’t they come a little late?
e) We fixed 5. It’s just 8. That’s not late. That’s absolutely allowed for group meetings.
3. Who’s coming?
a) I’m not coming if B is coming
b) I’ll come, only if B is coming
c) We can’t ask both, P and S to come. That’s colliding 2 different friend-worlds! You can’t collide the worlds. That’s catastrophic!
4. What do we do?
a) Something. Let’s do something.
I’m in for something
OMG, are we doing something again?!
b) Movie?
Seen it. No tickets. Bad reviews. Not interested. Oh! But I’ve to watch that one with M.
c) Let’s lunch or coffee.
That way, if the conversation, which will start and end with the famous and dreaded “How’s it going?” routine, doesn’t get interesting, we at least have a sandwich to fall back on. At the end of it, the waiter will get the check, which is nothing but a sign that the torture is over, and all of us can move on, without feeling awkward.
d) Catch up?
Or, at least get the ball rolling. Because to catch up, you need events in your life. For, these events happen you must go out. To go out, this plan must work. Which it will if we decide on what we will do! Aaah, the vicious loop!
***
And then...
4 questions. 789 conferences. 8,932 one-on-ones. 12,385 msgs. 101,254,873 MOU -later:
So the plan’s chucked. Say, let’s do something next weekend?
Oct 5, 2008
SO, I bought a gift!
SO, I bought a gift for the host people of a dinner I was invited to.
Now, I did not want to startle these folks with a non-traditional-non-insipid way of presenting it; So, I let the "gift shop" guy take the lead, who with astounding speed and dexterity scratched out the price-tag and wrapped it in a colorful celebratory paper!
***
Doesn’t make sense does it?
Why do we “gift wrap” gifts? What are we really hiding? And why do we have to hide it so beautifully?
Why don’t we want the people whom we are giving it to, know what we are giving them?
Sometimes I wonder if the real gift is the 5 seconds of wild anticipation from the point they receive it to the point they actually get it; tearing off the layers of wrapping; delving through the levels of packaging; thinking,
“OMG! I’m so excited! What could be in there? A ferrari? A diamond necklace? I can’t take this anymore, TRRRR there you go useless fancy paper … TTTSHHH-TRRR ….”
Those 5 seconds are extremely stressful for me. I put in all the thinking, the trauma, the effort into getting the gift; and then their ambitious imagination kicks in, only to find a CD or a Mug at the end of their open-the-gift ride!
I always say, “I got something for you, I think you will like it.”
I feel safe that way.
I’m sure it puts the recipient in a tight position.
I bet they go, “Gee! you haven’t given me too much of an option now have you? You first don’t stick to the list. Then you fool me with all this cosmetic surreptitiousness. You refer to it as ’some’-'thing’, like you don’t know yourself what it is. And then you just want me to like it! What am I to say? …. Thanks!”
***
The scratching out the price I don’t understand!
Why can’t these folks know how much you spent on them?
What is the fear really? That they might think you are being too cheap, or too extravagant?
And will the scratching really help?
I mean, who’s looking at the 10-dollar-mug picked up at the airport and thinking “Hummm, this mug must be worth 50 bajillion bucks! Wow, this S person is a real rich & nice guy. Say, let’s invite him to dinner again!”
I want to live in a world, where I can give unwrapped meaningful gifts that have a tacit message, and a not-tacit-at-all price tag hanging around, saying, “There ya go mate! Here is your gift. I spent 20 quid on it. Too cheap for you? I’m sorry but it’s about the message, beside I’m poor. Too fancy for you? Well, it’s about the message, besides it’s my problem.”
Now, I did not want to startle these folks with a non-traditional-non-insipid way of presenting it; So, I let the "gift shop" guy take the lead, who with astounding speed and dexterity scratched out the price-tag and wrapped it in a colorful celebratory paper!
***
Doesn’t make sense does it?
Why do we “gift wrap” gifts? What are we really hiding? And why do we have to hide it so beautifully?
Why don’t we want the people whom we are giving it to, know what we are giving them?
Sometimes I wonder if the real gift is the 5 seconds of wild anticipation from the point they receive it to the point they actually get it; tearing off the layers of wrapping; delving through the levels of packaging; thinking,
“OMG! I’m so excited! What could be in there? A ferrari? A diamond necklace? I can’t take this anymore, TRRRR there you go useless fancy paper … TTTSHHH-TRRR ….”
Those 5 seconds are extremely stressful for me. I put in all the thinking, the trauma, the effort into getting the gift; and then their ambitious imagination kicks in, only to find a CD or a Mug at the end of their open-the-gift ride!
I always say, “I got something for you, I think you will like it.”
I feel safe that way.
I’m sure it puts the recipient in a tight position.
I bet they go, “Gee! you haven’t given me too much of an option now have you? You first don’t stick to the list. Then you fool me with all this cosmetic surreptitiousness. You refer to it as ’some’-'thing’, like you don’t know yourself what it is. And then you just want me to like it! What am I to say? …. Thanks!”
***
The scratching out the price I don’t understand!
Why can’t these folks know how much you spent on them?
What is the fear really? That they might think you are being too cheap, or too extravagant?
And will the scratching really help?
I mean, who’s looking at the 10-dollar-mug picked up at the airport and thinking “Hummm, this mug must be worth 50 bajillion bucks! Wow, this S person is a real rich & nice guy. Say, let’s invite him to dinner again!”
I want to live in a world, where I can give unwrapped meaningful gifts that have a tacit message, and a not-tacit-at-all price tag hanging around, saying, “There ya go mate! Here is your gift. I spent 20 quid on it. Too cheap for you? I’m sorry but it’s about the message, beside I’m poor. Too fancy for you? Well, it’s about the message, besides it’s my problem.”
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