My Godmothers wedding

I plunged into wedlock much before my Godmother did..but that doesnt make me a lesser goddaughter!! after all, Godmother herself descended to Guwahati to grace my wedding..she smiled knowingly at me and my Husband..as if sealing and approving our match with her sipritual wisdom...she extended her hand over our heads to shower on us her blessings..i could then see the halo behind her illuminated face, radiant with the happiness to see her godchild married ...how blessed i felt to have a Godmother like her...i have always acted on her whims and fancies...SO DO SOME PEOPLE THINK!!!!
Amit thinks Zans is my godmother, that she has advised me on everything, with something as trivial as planning the dress i shud wear on his first birthday -- to the very decision of marrying him!!! He thinks i must have borrowed wisdom frm her, whenever i have talked anything that has made the slightest sense to him!! that I have always followed her advice my four years in BITs from acads to men to marriage...God knows how such weird ideas enter his head...overhearing a secret girlie-girlie conversation between us over the phone is no proof of the fact that i have a godmother in her!!!..only if He would not be so conceited on deciphering this supposedly best-guarded secret Truth!!

Zans weds Mrityunjaya....a testimony to the fact that certain things are just meant to be..specially when two people are determined to spend their lives together, come whatever may...what started as a mere tripping and teasing session in the summers of 2002 in Bits..culminated into holy marriage...!!! we have seen the two of them graduating from acquaintainces to friends, from friends to being each others support system..and now to life partners.

The wedding was something I was looking forward to from a long time........and it was worth the wait...we all had tons and tons of fun....decking up for hours before very wedding function..the numerous snaps we posed for...the heart-to-heart midnight conversations we shared...mine and lipi's descperate craving for tea every morning ....aditi parida's nonstop chattering over anything stupid and trivial...the amazing andhra delicacies served...the dawn adventure of the students hostel...to the 1/2 hour shopping session we stole while making 2 people wait for us in the airport :D....we had amazinggggggggg funnnnnnnn!!!

i always knew shilpa was demented..but my worst suspicions got confirmed this wedding..just the day before the wedding, there were a lot of gusets at zans place and Uncle had arranged for our acco in a students hostel...there were 8 beds in a room..and there was hot water available in the common area before the room...we all slept at 1:30 only to have to make it to the wedding venue at 7:30 am...suddnely i hear some disturbance around me and i wake up..i see shilpa right in front my eyes, with a towel in her hand...i glanced at my watch...5:20am!!!!!!! how could somebody wake up at this unearthly hour and that too, get up staright and head for a bath..i later learnt that she had woken up at 3..and was preparing for her beauty bath since then..i tried shutting my eyes again..fell into a half-sleepy state when i just opened my eyes to see a very old lady staring at me in my room........!!!!! heavens!!! i woke up lipi..and we both giggled and screamed at shilpa..only to know that this lady had followed shilpa to the room who had whacked her hot water bucket frm the common area!!! so much for an early shower!! huh!!!

Weddings are so much fun...yayyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!! Here is wishing both of them a very very happy married life!!

From Leela to GoldFlinch to ...@#$$%^&*@@ !!!!!!!!

" Namrata Gidra, We are please to inform you that you are nominated for a training programme in Leela Palace on RTOS starting from the 23 -26 Oct.............................."

WHATTTTTTTTT? I couldnt believe my eyes...it just cant be true......i felt a stone noisily turn inside me...i...i felt the dams of boredom and monotony slowly open themselves in front of me..........to unleash a gushhhhh of unbounded excitementtttttt.....my eyes almost popped out...my hearttttttt swelled upppppppp......my limbs moved a lil nervously now.......Leeeelaaa Palace........!!!!!!!!!!!! UMMMAHHHH....The grandeur of the architecture..the sheer elegance of the interiors...the lovely royal sophisticated ambience..and a wholsesome 4 days to spend there!!..I wanted to jump excitedly 12-13 times at the same spot in my office cube to realease my excitement which was now overwhelming mee!!! I hve always welcomed training programs in between hectioc work schedules....the thought of leaning back comfortably in a chair with arms folded and pretending to listen intelliently to the lecture in progress has always excited me!!

But then a greyyyyyyy cloud loomed dangerously over my sunnnnnyyyyy excitement- I always knew how tentative the venues could be in office...how i could be asked to attend to an urgent piece of task at work and forget about the training...how in the past, my lovely dreams of attending trainings and meetings in 5 stars were shattered...about how my daily routine could never become <5> routine even for a couple of days....how always my innocent excitement of something as trivial as a training in a grand hotel was was killed by a re-announcement later!! I thought of keeping my excitement to myself and uttered a silent prayer to let this happen this time....pls God...!!! just this time!!! I nodded at myself with a purpose...I was immensely proud of my decision to guard my little secret..and waited for the right moment to make this news public to the lesser mortals in office who were not nominated for this grand training!! :D :D Ohhhh how i smiled to myself in calculated measure :)))))))))!!! Hmmm..in the tea break at 11:30 in training, me will grab a walnut brownie in the Barrista in leela and after 5:30pm in the evening, may be I could go for bowling in Amoeba at Leela...he he he...life would be fun..thought my over-excited brain...!!

Next day at work, I enter my office cube with a spring at every step..drop my bag at the desk and open my mail, humming a cheerful bollywood number which lingered around in my brain after the morning FM.."Kachee kaliyaan naa todo....maalan dengi gaaliyaaaannnn :D laaaaaaa laaaaaa.......laaaaaahhhhhhh.....hhhhhHUUUUUUHHH"...my humming stopped midway...

"Namrata Gidra, this is to inform you that there is a change of venue for the RTOS Training...Kindly note the venue below: Gold Flinch, Race Course Road, Near Taj Residency"....

GoldFlinch what the hell is that???? the lovely melody of the hindi no in my mind was replaced with a mixed cacophony of shattered glass and screeching brakes.......SCREEEEEEEECHHH...No No No....Leela Palace was a blur now....But what is GoldFlinch..a training institute? A hotel? A what??? I typed GoldFlinch in the Google edit box andddddd.....lo! the results: "GoldFlinch...4-star boutique hotel..Race Course Road......" along with a lovely picture of the place on the left side....

The stone turned again...the dam re-opened!!!.......Hmm..Not bad at alll!!....a 4-star for a 5-star which I have already visited a million times...well GoldFlinch would be an even better experience, I decided....I have never been there before....well, my relentless excitement surged all over me again...and the rudely-interrupted-melody resumed..."Kacheeeee kaliyan hum naaaaaa tode, le jaaaaaayennnn pooora baaageechaaa..laaaa laaaaaaaa"....:D........

"Ok Giddy...Done..Confirmed..Sealed", I told myself...."now you have nothing to be scared of....". I called up Mummy back home in Siliguri and just thought how lucky she is to be the first one to hear about the GoldFlinch Plan...

Me : "Mummmmy Mummmieeeeeee sunooooo"...

Mummy : "Kya huaaaa!! Huaaaaaa kya beta????"

Me: "Mummie next week I am in a training in Goldflinch. Thats a 4 star boutique hotel Mammaaa...Imagine- I will be there for 4 days in that luxury..Such a change in my normal routine...Ohhh mummmmyyyyyyyy!!!!" I was scared I should not breakdown :(

Mummy: "Beta theek hai.....lekin isss main itnaa excited hone ki kya baaaat hai???? u are talking as if you have never been to a luxury hotel"

Me: "Please mummy, why dont u understand...to be there at your own expense on weekends and to be there for a training in weekdays with your colleagues is totally different!!!!!!!! Its a very big thingggggg!! Should I wear the black coat i bought last year??? I think it looks veryy formal!"

Mummy: "Its ok...I am very happy for you betaaa...keep me posted..Ok I am lil busy..Will hang up now"

Such a mild reaction from my Mom!!!She was always very enthusiastic about my achievements..She had always expressed her heartfelt happiness on every achievment of mine, however small it had been!! And this was Big..how could she dismiss it so matter-of-fact-ly. Anyways I had better things to occupy my mind...And I started vigorously planning!!!

Me: Amit, You know the training venue is confirmed....so excitttttting..GoldFlinch....

Amit: Ok..good for you...

Me : What nonsense! Such things dont happen everyday Amit!! Nothing doing!! I am dragging you to Adigas Delicacy for Breakfast now that I wont have to go to office premises for 4 days....and you should drop me to GoldFlinch in the morning..Its not far from your office"

Amit: Okkkk! Ok!

Me: "and listen!! I love the Idlis and Dosas in Adigas....I will carry a newspaper and we can spend around an hour there...It will be on the way to Goldflinch after all....andddd...you can join me for lunch there on the 3rd dayyy...please you are my esteemed guest there...i will pay for ur lunchhhh...listen!! you can pick me up from there in the evening...and we can go to some place closeby for dinner..and listen...we can also.... ---------!"

Amit: "Giddy please...please chilll..its just a training....if something happens and you are not able to go___"

Me : "How dare you say such things!! I always knew you would never be able to relate to my happiness..all you men are like that...and what did you say--- Its just a training???..it means a lottt to me OKKK..I dun go and stay in Hyaatt on every buisness trip like you do....I always knew you will not feel happy for my achievements...:( :( :( "

My mind was racing...Friends..what are friends for????? I immediately remembered Lipi and pinged her on Yahooo...

Me: Lipi Lippppyyyyy!!

Lipi: what happ Giddy?

Me: Lipi guess what?? I am going on a training on 4 days...

Lipi: thats nice where??

Me: Lipi, its Goldflinch 4-star boutique hotel. I just checled out their website...the conference room photos looked amazing there...I fancied myself there..I am planning to wear my black formals...

Lipi: WOOOOOOOOwwwieee..good giddy goooodd! i am so happy for you!!

Me : Thanks Lipi!!! you are a sweetheart..join me for lunch there..will be nice to see you in the lunch break!

Lipi: sure!! tuesday will come there...

Me: Fine!! Done then!!!

I always knew Lipi was one person who could always resonate my frequency...she is such a darlinggggggggg....she put so much of enthu..good goodd!!

Me to Mom-in-Law : Mummy, I am on a training for 4 days in 4star

Mummy: Thats great..betaaa...will be a good change for you....thats amazing newssss!!!

I beamed at her....she undertood...she understood....women always understand each other....

Tuesday my training would start.....and the weekend before I had good fun planning...the news spread far and wide..God knows how!! and the weekend flewww...
Monday Morning blues were no longer blue....the last day of office in this week yayy.. I happily told myself when i opened my Monday Morning Mail....

"Namrata Gidra, please note that due to some operational problems, the training will now be held in our office premises in Level 3 Training Room 3....Inconvenience caused is regretted.."