The Last Toy

A year ago, I’d picked up a toy on a railway station; one of those cheap plastic mobiles you hang on a baby’s crib, one with ghungroos that rattle when you key the thing up and it spins. That sort of a toy is my earliest memory of a toy. The one that I picked was very similar to the one that I had as a baby. I liked it; the movement of colors still mesmerises me.

When I got it, everyone teased me; called me a baby and I gleefully played with it. I hung it on the door frame of my inner room and would twirl it from time to time. Then some while ago, I unconsciously stopped doing it. The toy collected dust. I cleaned it occasionally. Then a few weeks ago, I figured out that the mechanism had stopped working; rust, probably. So I just let it hang in all it’s colors.

Today, I realized that it was filthily covered in dust and there was no reason for it to hang there. So I took it off and asked mom to throw it; I couldn’t have done it myself and she’d been dying to do it. When she did take it away, however, I felt a tear sting my eye. I don’t know what happened but I felt like sitting right there on the ground and throwing a tantrum to get a new one or get that one repaired; anything to stop it from joining the junk pile. But I realised as I relinquished my hold on that toy that I may have a child in me forever, but I had to let go of this last toy.

I just had to grow up….. and that felt sad…..

Do you have an episode to share? Some writing you'd like me to put up? Send it in to me at 'miilee@rushhourpages.in' and I'll post it here under your name.

Rush Hour Recipe #1

Ok anyone who keeps office hours, knows what a mad whirlwind rush a morning can be. I’ve been trying my hand at cooking so that I can qualify to the position of a responsible young woman (Plus since I plan to move out into a place of my own, long before the whole ‘marriage’ scenario can happen, it is always advisable to know how to make a filling for yourself.) And I’ve managed a fair few quickie, tasty recipes (Gosh, am I sounding like Tarla Dalal?)

So for the benefit of all those young women and even men, who find themselves in need of a quick plate filler, here’s an awesome preparation I learnt from my mother. It tastes delightfully awesome if made well.

Ingredients:

a. 3 Tomatoes (medium sized, diced into small pieces of about 1cm³)

b. 3/4^th tspn Asifortedia (Hing)

c. ½ tspn mustard seeds

d. 3 Green Chillies, cut vertically into two pieces each.

e. Curry leaves

f. 1/4^th tspn coriander seeds

g. Lump of Jaggery (around the size of a little ping pong ball)

h. 2 tblspn Crushed, roasted Peanuts

i. 2 tblspn Oil

j. Salt to taste

1. In a saucepan, heat the oil. Once hot, add the Asefortedia, Mustard seeds, chillies, curry leaves and coriander seeds. Allow it a few seconds and then add the diced tomato.

2. Stir for a minute, then add the salt and jaggery. Stir and cover to cook.

3. After allowing it to cook for five minutes, take it off the heat, mix in the crushed peanuts.

4. Serve (or eat!) with rotis.

Seemingly simple and simply delicious! The best part is, this stuff tastes great even if not hot so it’s ideal for packed lunches. I’ve just made it and I’m dying to share it at work tomorrow! Try it out and do let me know how it tastes! And don't forget to clean up after yourself!

Got your own runs hour story or a recipe? Mail it to me at ‘miilee@rushhourpages.in’ and I’ll share it here. (If it’s a recipe, then I’ll try it first and then share it with my pics with due credit to you…;) )

Here's my attempt (it's still hot!)

My Breakup

Before you get ideas into your head let me clarify; I’m not smearing the details of my personal life on the blogosphere. I’m talking of a love affair a little beyond the realm of our usual romantic stories.
For a long time, I’ve had this love affair; anyone that knows me knows of this affair of mine. Right from the time I entered Mumbai three years ago, I’ve been in love with the local trains. It was a classic love at first sight. And this romance of mine has lasted a beautiful three years with the local trains never failing to be enigmatic, mysterious, hard to get yet accommodating, all encompassing, low mantainance, heavy duty etc etc. but of late, I haven’t had the time to travel in a train. Since office is close to home, the transit is via road.
So the only time I see a train is when I cross the railway crossing every morning and evening. This doesn’t seem to be sitting well for a long term relationship. Also the fact that I spend much more time with buses and rickshaws too must be irritating. So I guess this is it. This is the time we say good bye.
But it hurts, you know. I do love the trains but it is my misfortune that I can’t give the relationship any more time. I guess somewhere down the line, we may meet again; give this another shot. But for the mean-while, we’re breaking up.
It is not a pleasant decision, I know. It is difficult to see the trains huff past me at the crossing everyday, looking indifferently and resolutely ahead like they don’t care about me. It is tough, believe me. But it is the wisest choice for both of us....


Got your own Rush Hour story? Share it with me at 'miilee@rushhourpages.in' and I'll put it up here!

Of Work, Money, Stress and Friday Nights

In the face of the fact that I've started writing on this domain to catalog my morning, rush hour thoughts, it is pretty ironic that I'm beginning on a Friday night. Anyway, I'm too eager to begin writing to wait for my next rush hour; that's a good whole weekend away. So here goes.
I just got home after a night on the town with some friends from work. Basically, we just ate, drank, fooled around and got back home to our beds. It is only when I crossed my threshold at 12.30 that a thought touched my mind; it had been a long time since I'd had so much fun. Just a few months ago, fun nights were a thing so common that we barely thought twice about planing one, executing it or even after that. We decided to go, had fun, got back home without giving the evening a second thought; always knowing that we'd have another night or weekend round the corner that we'd enjoy.
But I guess with our last University examinations, we turned a corner to find ourselves on a road so long, straight and defined that there was no corner around which to find such fun evenings.
Anyway, let bygones be bygones- I enjoyed my time in college and I guess it'm my turn to start lugging some responsibility as an adult. Having a job was a thrill to begin with but as time goes by, you star feeling the miserable stress tugging at your dark circles, deepening them with every night. Money starts developing this unique quality of simply disappearing from your bank account; money that you put there through your hard work. Time dances away; day after day, week after week and before you know, months are done with and you just look at the calendar and sigh.
Movies release, hit the box office, crash off the screens and you just pass the theater on your way to and from work everyday, wondering when the thing will come on DVD. And even when it does come, it just stands in a long line of 'movies to be seen'......

I guess that is what Adulthood is about after all, isn't it? Taking risks, making sacrifices and all that? Well it does suck at a lot of times. But then along comes a Friday night when you just pull the plug and enjoy a little. And it is as you sip on beer of your earning and eat food you've earned you've earned for yourself, you realize just how far you've come...... and it hits you; in the end, it's all worth it....

Got your own Rush Hour story? Share it with me at 'miilee@rushhourpages.in' and I'll put it up here!