Half Sweet n' Half Nuts

Lessons shmessons! Let’s get to the fun stuff now!

So I spent the four days of the Christmas weekend at a friend’s place in San Jose. Wait a minute did I say four days? You bet I did! After those impossible six weeks of pure slavery, we got 24th and 31st December off!!! So it was that I spent four days, with 7-8 friends in a 3 bedroom apartment, drinking and watching movies all night, and of course sleeping all day! I can't really remember what we did for food though. Hmmm! Maybe that's because I don't remember getting up from my corner on the couch and even looking towards the kitchen! Yes, yes, I know, everyone wants my friends. You can try being really nice to me. Else, get in line!

The trip was actually in honor of one of my friends’ birthday. On the eve of the birthday, we did up the living room as if for a children's birthday party, which some might consider appropriate given our collective mental ages. Later that day his colleagues joined the party, with two sets of cakes. Yes, one to eat, and the other, sigh! It was all over him, all over the place, and thankfully not anywhere near me! And it was not just cake. There was champagne, there were eggs, and stuff I have no idea about! Of course, four batches of vodka gol gappas made everything so much better for everyone. Trust me - they're nasty, but they get the job done!

Sadly, there was also a hiccup or two. The flu decided to join the party and soon enough scratchy throats, watery eyes and body aches were knocking down our door. Time to head back home!

I got back just in time to host one of my best friend’s brother with his 6 month pregnant wife and 3 year old son. I vacuumed, mopped and polished the apartment all night, only to see their son make a bee line for my shot glasses! I can tell you, the boy is definitely on the right track! All the same, I woke up with a horrible migraine the next day. Yes migraine, not hang over! And promptly took the next two days off, saying I had the flu as well. I stayed home, detox'd, slept and cooked for my guests. In the middle of one such cooking session, when I was cutting some onions, my boss called to ask after me. Now I usually don't have anything nice to say about onions because they seem real intent on making me cry more than any ex-boyfriend ever could. But in this case, I shall make an exception. I was all teary eyed, with a scratchy throat and runny nose on the phone, and my boss was so concerned (and convinced)! Wow! How about that for luck?!

Recharged and refreshed after my four day party and two day sick leave, I was ready for my next 5 day vacation on the opposite coast. I flew out to NJ on Friday night, met up with an old friend on Saturday, spent all day catching up, hung out in a mall that evening, helping him buy his girl friend lingerie from Victoria’s Secret, and went out for some serious binge drinking that night. Yes, yes, I know everyone wants to be my friend too. What can I say, sigh!

I spent Sunday with my cousin planning New Years Eve and had dinner at some relatives’ place where I politely declined the wine and opted for orange juice instead. When I couldn't make up my mind if I wanted pulp or no pulp, our host very kindly took out a third carton with "Medium Pulp" and poured me a glass. Unbelievable! Dinner was delicious, by the way. Unfortunately, they had ice cream for dessert. I was one of those weird children who never liked ice cream and sadly I still don't. (I remember saying this at work once and my colleague responded “.... and so you grew up to be a weird adult who doesn't like ice cream"! How rude!).

Anyway, the evening was not too bad. My cousins were working the next day, so I spent the day with my "guitar playing friend" in NY. We found a quaint little cafe near NYU that served "Darjeeling Estate tea (Indian)" in a little ceramic teapot. It was just perfect! New Years Eve was as most New Years Eve's usually are. I was with my cousins till midnight, did the champagne toast etc, got leered at by lecherous drunk men, one of whom came up to me and said "Find me at midnight and I just might favor you with a dance"!!!! I mean, seriously?! Damn it was funny! After that, I have a vague recollection of sitting on the side walk, waiting for my "guitar playing friend" (I really need a shorter nickname for him) to show up while my cousins tried to hail a cab. A big Afro-American guy came up to me and said something (I'm not quite sure what) and I remember replying to him in my best American accent ever - "I'm sorry, I don't speak English". I really was thinking in Punjabi but the words came out in English and the instant I heard them, I knew what an idiot I’d been! Thankfully, the guy just cracked up and walked away, my cousins got their cab and I managed to spend the rest of the night with two very drunk guys (guitar hero and his friend) who spent the better part of an hour finding a place to go while my heels killed my feet. The rest of the night was spent at a bar whose name none of us remember and events I really shouldn't recount here.

After that I just had to spend two days sleeping and then none too soon, the holidays were over. I'm back in my room now, enjoying the LA winter under a blanket, glad to have left the NYC cold behind, resolving to have no more New Years Eve parties.

Phew! That was fun, eh?!