The end

of the year, haha. I am not going anywhere, sorry to dash your hopes.

Yesterday was my first 12 hour day at work, which means i'm settling in? I'm not, though, and when people ask me i tell them nope, not settled yet and then they dont know where to look. All crazy people, lots and lots of Malayalees (not my fault if you correlate the two). The only reason i mention that again is that my inner voice now speaks with a Malayalee accent. Most irritating it is (its not personal, you understand, Malayalee accent is one of my favourites), but its my inner voice, you know. This one time when i was ODing on American TV shows, my inner voice switched to an American accent. I was terrified it would come out and then I would be one of the people with an unnecessary accent that i laugh at.

My back has given up again, i cant wear a helmet without feeling that my head will wobble off. So on most days, the car it is. And since the dude refuses to get a music system for it, i drive to my inner voice running a live commentary on the idiocy of my fellow travelers. The mad way they honk and yell if i take 2 seconds to start my car - oh shut up &#^^%$ dont you remember a time when you were just starting to drive? Or if they wait patiently for me to move - dont you patronize me you *&^@*$&^, if i'm being a nuisance, tell me. All in a Malayalee accent. Fun.

I have today and Monday off, i didnt ask why. It just stopped drizzling and the weather is glorious. There is a cook who is doing the cooking (she speaks English! I dont know how to process that). No one has asked me about "new year plans". Life, is good.

One week later

Well, it only been 3 days, but i'm not complaining! Weekends are most welcome anytime. (In theory. In practice, i still dont know what to do with them.)

Bullet points (since i'm all over the place and dont think coherence will come)

- Teething troubles, as expected. Although at the end of day 1, i did get to get home the best laptop i've ever had! Which, if you've met the laptops i've had, is not saying much. I'll try that again. At the end of day 1, i got to get home a good laptop.

- I'm like a small town girl seeing the big city sights for the first time, as far as free stuff in the office is concerned. It'll be a while before i get used to It'll be a while before i stop grinning stupidly at my laptop or the headphones or the rows and rows of biscuits or the fruits or the fridge.

- They have two buildings across the street from one another. There is the safe boring way of crossing over (by taking the overhead bridge) and the unsafe interesting way that involves crossing the two halves of MG road and climbing over 3 feet walls and wading through trash. Obviously, i do the interesting. The problem is, the moment i stand at the side of the road, all autowallas in the vicinity rush to me, because obviously a girl will not be stupid enough to try to cross over. I have to keep shaking my head at them.

- Did you know that autos and rickshaws are two different things? I use them interchangeably, and if i had a rupee for every time someone explained to me that rickshaws are a thing of the past, well, i'd probably be able to buy a polo.

- People in the office are actually friendly. Which is unexpected. When confronted with a new joinee, my natural reaction is to ignore them and nod politely when ignoring is no longer viable. Under no circumstances do i try small talk, because i run out of it after sentence two and then we are in a far more awkward position that before. Of all the things that terrify me in life, running out of things to say is pretty high up on the list.

- People in the office are also Malayalee. And given that i absorb accents and mannerisms like a sponge, you will very soon find me speaking Tamil with a Telugu accent, Telugu with a Tamil accent and English with a Malayalee accent.

- People in the office also think nothing of singing Kolaveri out loud for no particular reason.

- I still need a gym.

Employed

This doesnt feel like news, but since i announced my impending unemployment from rooftops and then went on and on about it, driving a van with a loudspeaker through your head, i suppose i should also say that i have a job. From tomorrow, i'll be bringing home the bacon. (Which, if taken literally, might be as useful as the money i bring. No one seems to want my money. Not even me).

So, yes, job. I cant get excited about it. Probably because the process was crap. And it didnt exactly end well. But, its taught me stuff. Never again am i going to be so unprepared that i will need two months just to get confident enough to go for an interview. I now know that i am not as bad at them as i thought i would be. Oh, there are things i need to get better at, and this process has shone the spotlight on them, for which i am grateful. But as the dude says, this is only the beginning.

What the hell is wrong with me i dont know. I was more cheerful when i was unemployed!