Wednesday, December 31, 2014

The year that was

I have seldom been the sort to feel any great expectations from the end of one year and the start of another. A cow placidly chewing cud is unlikely to be recollecting the last year's chewed cud or look excitedly forward to chewing cud the next year. That, roughly, sums up my attitude to life.

Occasionally, though, there are those years that impose themselves on me. Mostly, they make me want desperately for them to end and hope that the change in calendar will, like a wand waved, bring all the hassles of the year to a grinding halt. The current year has the remarkable distinction of joining the ranks of such years in my lifetime.

2014 has been a year when either I have been inflicting my presence on people in other cities or when people from elsewhere have graced my house with their presence. Almost non-stop, actually. No sooner than have waved farewell to a friend than I have either packed for departure the next day or have had a phone call about the imminent arrival of another friend. The problem with this was that getting accustomed to company on a continuous basis is not good for my mental health. If the next year balances out the average by rendering a total dearth of guests, I would feel particularly bereft. It is thus, of course, that human beings kill the pleasure of any moment by worrying about a future absence.

There are other things that I would rather have absent in my life. 2014 was also the year when ALL the devices in my house took turns to die on me. No sooner than I had set the desktop right than the laptop decided to conk off. Just as I replace my microwave oven, the mixie calls it a day. I replace the burnt coil of a fan and three of my CFL bulbs head for the grave. The taps take turns to start leaking, almost as if they were in a relay race. AND, all of these happen JUST as I am expecting guests (and, going by last year's frequency, there was hardly a time when I was not) making me scramble around, instead of my usual practice of waiting on it till I get habituated to living without it.

The year 2015 is hardly likely to start any better - since there is the small matter of holding a requiem for a dead inverter battery, replacing a couple of burnt out bulbs, having the RO filter replaced and changing a couple of taps - all of which chose to die on me just before I left for Chennai for the Music season. After that, I hope that the objects in my house will allow me to take them for granted instead of holding my heart in my hands every time I switched on something or opened something else.

And, now, let me close this rant before my laptop decides that 'bad things' should come in threes too and dies on me again!

18 comments:

  1. You do live (spectacularly) Suresh! :D

    Congratulations on you 350th! Of course, where you get the bulge is that you reached the figure in two years flat while I've been slogging at it for seven year... and still haven't reached the elusive 350 mark. Sigh! Maybe this year! :D

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    1. AND I seem to have got the bulge around the waist :)

      Jokes apart, it has been more like three years. AND quantity is not really a substitute or even apt comparison for quality.

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  2. Hilarious..you made a whole blog post with electrical & electronics getting replaced. Indeed a very unique subject to write upon... I have never ever given a 2nd thought to a CFL tube replacement...writing about it is too far a thing...

    Wishing you and all the Electronics around you a Happy & Healthy New Year

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  3. Suresh, how did you find time to write all your great posts this past year? Some crazy person once tried telling me that good luck comes by burying a statue of the Virgin Mary upside down in the back yard. That could be a whole post in itself, ha ha! But I suggest that you try burying an old battery sideways for electronic good luck.

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    1. Thanks Mary! Maybe I should try it out :)

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    2. Have a Happy 2015 Suresh.Trust you to color every subject with your humor.I think i should wish your gadgets a robust health so that you can chew your cud placidly

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    3. Just the wish I was praying for, Indu, considering the last year's hassles

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  4. In short - a lot of action!

    May 2015 be cheerful with many good things at your end.

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  5. Wish you a happy new year where your pen and all your gadgets thrive like never before.

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    1. Thanks Alka! May all your wishes come true, including this one :)

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  6. Happy New Year, Suresh. Wish all your gadgets good health. :)

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    1. Happy New year to you too, Rachna! And hope your wishes come true :)

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  7. Again seems like blogger ate up my comments - as it is I am too lazy to comment even once - commenting twice is taking a toll on my sloth (Thank God for the small mercies - atleast no captcha)- maybe I will resolve this year not to comment on blogs anymore.

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  8. CS, you can't complain about the constant flow of visitors to your house. Its not our fault that you are a wonderful and thoughtful host.
    Which reminds me, when are we having the next meet?
    And yeah.. Happy New Year!

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    1. THAT complaint, if you see, is more about the fear of future absence than the current presence :)

      Happy New year to you and your family, Navin!

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