I work in a software company, like a million others in Bangalore. I have been staying here for around 18 months now. Although December 31 was an off day for me, I had to be in office on January 1, 2017. I had no plans whatsoever to celebrate and go out with friends, or to a movie or to any place as such. I am not committed yet to have something special planned for me. All I wanted to do were the things that made me happy. I wanted to cook good food, maybe try a new dish, make a paper craft, have my favourite ice-cream.I just wanted to stay back at home and watch the fireworks from my window.
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| My Paper Star |
All through the day of the 31st, I kept on planning ways to make my New Year's eve better. I chose my favourite dress to wear at midnight. I had planned on putting on lipstick, something an aunt gifted me saying I don't put on enough make-up and that I should start doing so, if I want to look happy. I had planned to cook a new chicken dish for my lunch along with fried rice; parathas, dragon chicken and tawa paneer for dinner. I marinated half the amount of chicken in soy sauce, chili powder and garlic for the new dish. I cooked fried rice with green peas, cashews and raisins. It turned out well enough. But the chicken! My God! The chicken was awful. There was no water in the tank, hence couldn't take bath before lunch. The movie I had planned to watch along with lunch was not good enough. It was nowhere close to how I planned it. I hated it. I hated the fact that I had no way to put my frustration out. I hated that I did not make plans to go out, or to watch a movie, or to go to Sankey Tank, where I had been planning to go since a long time. TV shows were bad, really bad! Nevertheless, I calmed down and told myself that I had the rest of the evening to make plans work.
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| My Customized Paneer Dish |
For preparing dinner, I marinated the rest of the chicken in soya sauce, egg batter and corn-flour. I marinated paneer in curd, ajwain, fenugreek leaves and mango powder. I prepared the dough for making parathas. It was evening by then. I sat down to watch the movie, 'Turning 30'. I am on the thirties side of my twenties and on every new year's day I realise, my age will increase by an year in just two months. The movie was a good one and helped me recover to an extent from the bad lunch that I had. I started cooking dinner at around 8 in the evening. The paneer was a total disaster. The chicken was an okay dish, though I felt the proportion of egg was more than what was required. All together , my New Year's Eve was not turning out to be so well. After having dinner at around 10:30 in the night, I wanted to do something worthwhile. I gathered my craft papers and started thinking about what I could do. I put on my favourite music and got my craft scissors. I decided to make a paper star, by intertwining papers cut from the center to its side. I picked Orange and Pink. Just 10 minutes before midnight, I got up to put on my dress and just look good to celebrate midnight. But when I entered my room, I realised I did not want to dress up to feel good. I did not want to put on lipstick. I did not want to actually go out with anybody. I wanted to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city, away from the maddening crowds proclaiming their happiness of the arrival of yet another year, which might be equally mundane as the last one. I brought my chocolate cake and ice-cream from the refrigerator and sat by my window. At the stroke of the midnight hour, I took a bite in my chocolate cake and wished myself 'Happy new Year'.
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| Sketch Outline |
By 1 o'clock, I completed the paper star. There was a certain sense of satisfaction.
On New Year's Day, after office hours, I kept sitting back at office, not knowing what I would do after going back home. A teammate of mine bid me go home. When I asked him what shall I do after going home, he replied, 'Do something creative'. I started thinking about an idea to do something creative given the limited raw material at office. I decided to sketch something, anything. I made an amateurish portrait of a boy. After going back home, I made the paneer leftover from last night and had them. When I started pondering over how I spent my New Year's day, whether I was happy about it or not, I realised I was not sad. I was contented with my idea of new year.
On New Year's Day, after office hours, I kept sitting back at office, not knowing what I would do after going back home. A teammate of mine bid me go home. When I asked him what shall I do after going home, he replied, 'Do something creative'. I started thinking about an idea to do something creative given the limited raw material at office. I decided to sketch something, anything. I made an amateurish portrait of a boy. After going back home, I made the paneer leftover from last night and had them. When I started pondering over how I spent my New Year's day, whether I was happy about it or not, I realised I was not sad. I was contented with my idea of new year.
It was my kind of new year with no partying, no music bashing, no bottle opening, no crackers. It was only the stuff that make me really happy. My favourite past time of crafting papers, self cooked food, sketching, having the season's first fruit, chocolate ice-cream and cake. And my weirdo face. What else do I love! Life is bliss!!
