On the birthday eve, I suddenly had this debilitating attack of, what can only be called, temporary neurosis. I felt like I was losing grip of time, I shouted and cried and was in an erratic mood for most of the morning. (But my friends who bore the brunt of this, say they actually expected it to be much more pronounced!) Anyway, we went to the Park for lunch to get my mind off it and figure out how I wanted to celebrate. (Damn, why do I give birthdays such extraordinary significance? Stupid vanity!) S suggested I should just check in and pamper myself. And I did! I went to the Sky spa for 4 hours and it was pure indulgence, even experienced the chocolate body wrap. Then dressed up and had the buffet dinner till we were stuffed! Came back to my room to find a lovely Dom Pérignon and decadent chocolate cake which simply said, 'Happy Birthday, Div C'. Ah, what a luxurious birthday. Got the expected calls and messages and a few pleasant surprises too (Thank you Facebook?!?). I did not set myself up for disappointment like I did in 2005, when I kept praying all day that John Abraham would accidentally dial my number on my birthday. Yeah okay, I know I was all of 21 then!
Decided to have dinner with mom, so took the evening flight back to Hyderabad. Damn, I'm such a homebody.
Was about to take a Meru cab back home when I met someone who stayed at Valley a couple of years back. Got a ride home in a Merc S class. We discussed the ISB Board Meeting that he'd just attended, the infrastructure and real estate industry and my favourite topic, carbon credits. It was quite an engaging, 1 and a half hour conversation. Talk about birthday bounty! Mom was surprised, even though Dad sent her a "Your horoscope says you will get a surprise visitor tonight" message. He's adorable! Cut another awesome chocolate cake and a blueberry cake. Thanks D and dad!
Hated: Those kids who've just begun to talk and have the fabulous vocabulary of exactly 20 words or phrases and repeat them every 2 seconds to the cooing appreciation of their mothers. Hate it even more if this happens on the same flight where I'm trying to get rid of my hangover by getting some shut eye. And absolutely hate it when the mother relates every single incident from the exact moment of birth to the first step to the first word in a voice matching the frequency of the baby's, to some hapless stranger seated next to them!
Loved: Reading Outlook's 100th edition with 100 best travel destinations in India and marking of most places as those I've already been to and amazed that some of the best were not even included. Also enjoyed talking to an oldish couple who were coming back after meeting their daughter in the IRS. When I told them that I would stay in Delhi, they rattled off a list of the best coaching centers for the UPSC examination and told me that I had to take it next year. Atleast try, they said.
