Many of you would have planned something big this New Years. A big party bash at the biggest partying places in your city, or a big house party, with the basic idea of getting bhajaofied (AKA drunk out of your brains) before entering the new decade, or even some quality time at home with your family. I am pretty sure, however, that not many of you would have spent any New Years about 15000 feet in the air.
5.30 PM
I had been staring at the clock ever since lunch, except for the couple of times I went to the coffee machine to take some of that delicious cappuccino, and also that once when I had to rush to the loo. I had to take printouts of the tickets I had booked at the spur of the moment, to go to Bengaluru.
Trying to take a printout in my office is an exercise in itself. Quite literally. You click the print button, and you will have to walk atleast 5 kms before you reach the printer. It's even worse when you find out that the printout hasn't come. By the time you take your round trips, I guarantee you would have lost a good 2-3 kgs of that "After joining work, sitting the whole day not moving that lazy body of yours" fat.
Anyways, after half an hour of jostling between my system and the printer, I finally (FINALLY!!!!!!) managed to get my hands on those printouts. It was then time to run out of the office, faster than the speed of light, because the flight was scheduled for 7.50 that evening. Given that all the other people in Mumbai (And, By Lord, that is one HUGE number. The number of people in Mumbai, that is.) would have been in the same frantic mood as I was at that time, I expected nothing short of pandemonium on the roads.
7.00 PM
I finally reach the airport. I had everything planned.
Flight leaves Mumbai - 7.50 PM
Flight reaches Bengaluru - 9.20 PM
I reach my place of stay - 10.40 PM
Well in time to celebrate the new years in style! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN GO WRONG NOW!
I reach the check-in counter, in the hope that I get a window seat. I overhear at the other counter, a flight being postponed to 9.10. Me thinks "Oh man. I just hope that doesn't happen to me!". And then it happens. Murphy's law always kicks in at the wrong time.
I get informed that the flight has been postponed to 9.10 PM. My spirits are still high. I can still reach my place by 11.50. TIJUSTME (Very very few of you who responded to a certain "Achromatica" puzzle set by me a couple of years back, while at MDI, will understand what I have just written here.) to celebrate the New Years. YIPPEEE!!
8.20 PM
I suddenly feel very hungry. I suddenly realize that I have been on Facebook for too long.(You have no idea how time flies when the only thing you do is sit and stare at the "Top Stories" section refresh itself every second with a new status message from another person who would be doing the absolute same thing.) I get up and go to the nearest food counter. All my hunger goes away after just seeing the prices of all the food items on display. (Rs. 100 for a friggin' sandwich!! YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!) After having that sandwich, I go back to doing what I do best when I have nothing else to do. Facebook.
9.05 PM
"Isn't the flight supposed to leave at 9.10?"
"Why am I still sitting here at the waiting area?"
"Have I been so engrossed at the changing statuses that I missed the flight??!?!?!"
"Why are so many people crowded at the Go Air counter and shouting their heads out?"
These were some of the thoughts going through my mind at that time. I stand up and check the departure timings on the screen, only to find out that the departure has been postponed to 9.50 PM!! Then I understood why all those people were shouting their heads out.
It's always the case, isn't it? There will always be those few hot headed people, who would blow their heads out even if some event is five minutes late. Always bodes well for us mild types. We just sit and watch the fun, and most gleefully consume all the freebies that come along.
And that's exactly what happened here. In their quest to appease those hot headed types, they gave free food to all passengers of the flight. I sighed. IF ONLY THEY HAD BEEN HOT HEADED A FEW MINUTES AGO, I WOULDN'T HAVE BOUGHT THAT EXTREMELY OVER THE TOP PRICED SANDWICH!
9.50 PM
The next hot headed session starts. Now the flight is supposed to reach at 10.15. I now secretly hoped and prayed that the flight would delay even further, for I would be one of those very few people in the whole wide world who would have spent their New Years 30000 feet in the air!!
The flight did finally leave, at 10.40 PM. It was about to land at Bengaluru, when the clock struck 12, and the new decade began. Unfortunately, this time around, there was no one to share this special moment with.
And that's how I spent my New Years. How did you guys fare??
PS : I just realized that there will be some people who, if they read this, will set out to kill me on the spot. I apologize profusely. I really REALLY REALLY couldn't make it!
PPS: TIJUSTME - Just In Time. (How many of you did get this right?? And DON'T LIE!!)
