Delayed to miss....

Aah... been so so long since i blogged.. finally made time for this one :)
I had put up a short version of this one as my FB status, but i wouldnt do it justice if i didnt write a full fledged version of it... so here goes.

So my 2nd buying trip to Denmark was in the last week of June. After a hectic 2days in Delhi for the Super Saturday event, Shaz and Me left for Denmark. Everything went off as schedule during our stay there, the buying, the orders and the innumerable meetings. The real story starts when we were supposed to leave Denmark to get back to India. I'll add the events here chronologically date and timewise so as to provide a clearer picture :)

30th june - 3am

Shaz and me woke up and got ready asap as our taxi was supposed to arrive at 4am to take us to the airport. We had to go out the back door of the hotel as the front door was closed and everyone else was asleep. But for some wierd reason, the path from the back door till the front door where the taxi was waiting, was lined with smooth, loose pebbles. Which meant that it was practically impossible for us to drag our trolly bags, so we had to carry them. 4:03am we are safely in our taxi.

30th june - 4:20am

We arrive at Billund airport and the cab fare is a whooping 350Kr which converts to 2900INR. Getting into the airport we find it a bit crowded and there are queues at the self service counters. We try out one and it refuses to print us our boarding passes. So we moe along to the the checkin counter instead. After 1/2hr in the queue, we reach the counter only to find out that our flight to Amsterdam has been delayed by 6.5hrs Me: "Excuse me!!... 6.5hrs!!!! You do realise we have a connecting flight from Amsterdam to Delhi?"
Checkin Lady: "Yes maam, but you will need to go to the Airport ticket office to clear this out"
Shaz: "Couldn't you have announced this or something? We simply stood in line for 1/2hr.
Checkin Lady: "Sorry maam!"

So we go to the ticket office and there is obviously a huge line outside it, so we join the line. A few minutes later a lady comes around giving some instructions to each person in danish. When she came to us she just overlooked us and went to the people behind us and gave them instructions in Danish.

Shaz: That is so wierd, she just passed us by without saying anytthing.

Me: Go go ask her what she is saying.

Shazcame back after a couple of minutes saying that the lady was asking us to take a token number and stand in line and we would be then called.

Me: Yeah so what! Just coz we dont understand Danish, she would not give us the instructions in English???

For the next 2hrs we just sit around doing nothing, with me constantly cribbing and Shaz trying to console me. At one time we also sat down to relish some Danish Pastries :)

30th June - 6:30am

At the Airport ticket counter-
Checkin Lady: "Klm has booked new tickets for you via Dusseldorf and Frankfurt. So your next flight to Dusseldorf is at 7:50am" and the flight from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt is at 10:10am"
Shaz & Me : "OK"

30 June - 9:15am

In the BA flight to Dusseldorf, still in the air
Me: "Shit we are not gonna make it"
Shaz: "Dont worry Anu, we'll make it, we still have an hour to go"
Me(looking out of the window and hoping that Dusseldorf has a small airport): F**k! look how big the Dusseldorf airport is! We are screwed man!"
Shaz: "Dont worry Anu!"

30th June - 9:35am

Flight landed and we running to the next checkin counter
At the self service counter we get the boarding pass for a different flight which is as 12pm. (Klm apparently saw that we were late for the 10:10am flight and rebooked our tickets. We go to the Customer service counter to enquire.
Checkin Lady: "Klm saw that u are late for the 10:10am flight and rebooked your tickets for the next flight.
Me: But we have a flight to catch from Frankfurt at 1:45pm, will we make it?
Checkin Lady(getting agitated): You have a 55mins buffer, if you dont wait to shop around then you can make it. Junt run like the wind" (yes people these were her exact words. Shaz & Me looked liked such shopoholics to her that she automaticallt assumed that we would loiter around to shop when we were in an 'Amazing Race' type situation to catch the next flight)
So we now had 2hrs to spare so we went around looking at the duty free shops and then sat down to have some breakfast.

30th June - 11:30am

At gate no 84 awaiting the boarding call
Pilot: We are facing some technical difficulties because of which the flight has be delayed by 1/2hr
Shaz & Me: "FUCK!"
Me(After a few enquiries with the pilot): "Aah! well , we are not going to be able to get the next flight any way so we might as well go and eat some nice cheezecake. So much for running like the wind... ahhahaha"
After we picked out some delicies pastries at the nearby cafe, we sat down to eat it while still discussing the happenings of the day. At one point of time we were laughing our heads off as we actually found our situation amusing :P
The flight finally took off at 12:45pm

30th June - 1:45pm

At frankfurt Airport Searching for the customer service counter.
On finding one
Shaz - telling the whole story to the Chekin lady
Checkin Lady: " Ohh you poor dears! let me check what i can do for you." (After checking on her comp) " Well it looks like you have been booked on a flight to Helsinki. but then you will not be able to catch that too as it leaves in less than 30mins.
Me: "HELSINKI!!!!??!!"
Shaz: "Maam we were supposed to take 2 flights home, now because of all this rerouting we are taking 4 flights home andnow you say KLM has booked us to Helsinki???"
Checkin Lady: "I can understand dear. But i will not be able to help you from here. Maybe my colleagues at the Luftansa ticket counter can help you."
Shaz & Me: "Thanks!"
Checkin Lady gives us directions to the checking counter.
Me to Shaz: " Cant believe they were gonna send us to Helsinki. Have they gone fucking crazy?!!"
Shaz: "I know man. From Germany all the way to Finland"
Me: " What are we on a 'touch the airports of europe' trip?"

30th June - 2pm

Luftansa ticket counter
Me - explaining the whole story to the ticket guy
Ticket Guy: "I see... and you have also missed the flight to Helsinki now"
Me: "Ya well we didnt intend to go to Helsinki anyway. Is there anyway you can find us the next flight to mumbai?"
Ticket Guy: "Maam you prev tkts were till Delhi so we can only book you to delhi:
Me: "Ya but becoz of your flight delays we are also missing our flight from Delhi to Mumbai, who is gonna pay for that?"
Ticket Guy: "We cant do anything about that maam, it the rules"
Shaz(getting agitated) "We would like to speak to your supervisor:
Ticket Guy: "He will also tell you the same thing maam"
Shaz: "The checkin lady downstairs asked us to talk to the supervisor as he would be able to help as as manner of goodwill"
Ticket Guy goes and calls supervisor
Supervisor: "Let me see wat i can do for you maam.... There is an AI flight that leaves in the evening at 10:10pm. We may be able to book you on that."
Shaz and Me both didnt want to fly AI but the only other option was to wait another dat for the next flight and Shaz didnt want to wai tanother day. So after contemplating a bit we took the AI flight. This also meant that we were going to miss our flight from Delhi to Mumbai on 1st July at 3:45am as our flight would now arrive in Delhi at 9:30am. So we called up our travel desk and rebooked our Del-Mum tickets for 12pm.
We then enquired if we could go into the city, which train to take, what to see etc etc and left for Frankfurt city.

30th June - 4:30pm

At Frankfurt city. We look around the Central Square clicking pictures and enjoying the lovely weather. Also enjoy a huuge banana split each. Yummm.. the Germans sure know how to make their desserts :)

30th June - 7:30pm

Back at the airport and at the checkin counter. As usual an international flight coming to India has a huge Checkin line.
Me: "Hi! Finally we made it to the flight to India"
Checkin Lady: "Hello my dears you look tired.
Shaz: Explaining the story in short
Checkin Lady: "Ohh you poor dears, you've had a long journey"
Shaz: "Can you please give us some good seats?"
Checkin Lady: "Let me see what i can do for you..... I can give you some economy comfort seats"
Shaz and Me: "Yay! Thank you so much"

30th June - 8:30pm

We go and eat some really nice and expensive dinner at a Chinese place, clicking some pics and reliving the events of the day. In hindsight it made us laugh our heads off :) But we had a nice evening out in Frankfurt :)

30th June - 9:30pm

Boarded flight. Learnt that the flight is going to be 1 to 1.5hrs late.
Me: " Ohh my God! dont tell me we are goin going to miss the flight from delhi to mumbai also"
Shaz: "Dont worry Anu, They make up for the time on air by flying fast"
Me: "Ohh ok then"
The AI flight finally left for India at 11:30pm and i slept all through the flight only waking up next morning.

1st July - 10am

In the flight still
Me: "Shit we are sooo gonna miss our next flight"
Shaz: " Yah :( i'll call travel desk when we land"
We finally land at 10:40am and our lugguage arrives at 11:30am. Shaz calls up travel desk and books us a 2pm flight.
We reach the domestic terminal, each some lunch and wait for our flight.
This one for goodness sake is on time, but then again, we didnt have any other connecting flight to catch :P.

1st July - 6pm

Reached home safe and sound 38hrs later and yet smiling about the entire episode and made a good friend. Sharanpal Kaur :)

On Friends and Friendship...

Webster defines 'FRIEND' as 'one attached to another by affection or esteem', 'acquaintance', ' one that is not hostile' and 'a favored companion'.  So what really is a friend? At what point does one become a friend? What are the qualities of a friend? They say friendship comes in various degrees, so what is the degree of a friend? Why are there so many categories into which friendship get classified? And what about those that do not fall into any category? 


So what really is a friend? According to me He/She is someone whose company you like. Someone you like talking to. Someone who you trust. And someone who is by your side even in difficult times. Someone who will scold you when you do wrong and yet someone who will forgive your mistakes. Someone who will laugh with you, cry with you and also lend you a shoulder to cry on. Someone who will raid your fridge without asking, borrow your new dress for a party, or steal your favorite jacket. Someone you fights for you and who you will stand up for. Someone who knows what your flaws are and yet accepts you just the same. Someone who will call you at 3am just to tell you he/she is drunk or that they are lonely and needed someone to talk to.... Someone, with whom you can talk about anything under the sun and not feel awkward..
Wow! now thats a loooong list of qualities to be attributed to one person and yet there are people who are blessed with these. There isn't even a time frame for someone to develop these qualities, some may slip into this role as easily as a hot knife through butter and yet others take their own sweet time. None the less, both still have the same qualities.


Now there are various kinds of friends and they are classified into 3 broad categories, where friends come into you life for a) A reason b) A season c) A lifetime


Now lets look as the first classification
A reason: These category of friends are in your life to serve a motive, either for your benefit or their. And when that motive is fulfilled either you or they will end this friendship. It is nobody's fault. They were in your life for a purpose and since that purpose is over, they are no longer required in your life and will leave. 
For eg. Lets say you got your heart broken and didn't want to turn to your 'friends' as you didnt want their pity. You in turn, turned to an acquaintance or maybe even a stranger. You poured your heart out and he/she absolutely understood. You both got on like a house on fire. Your heart healed in like 4-5months and you are back to you usual self. This is when your friendship with this new friend starts wavering, rocking and finally ends. It was nobody's fault. He/she was sent into your life for a reason, the reason here being 'to help you heal your broken heart'. Now that the reason no longer exists, the friend has to leave. 
It could be the other way round too, wherein they came into your life as they needed you. But now that their need is fulfilled, they will leave.
Do not dwell upon or feel bad about this relationship. It has served its purpose and you need to move on.


The second classification is
A season: These types of friends generally come into your life for a pre-determined amount of time, in other words 'a season'. They will not cease to be your friends but they generally go from being a stranger-->acquaintance-->best friend-->acquaintance. These types of friends are generally made in schools, colleges, offices, trips etc. So you get the idea.. when you were in school you had a set of friends who you hung out with all the time. You grew out of school, went to different colleges and had different sets of friends who you hung out will all the time now and so on. You dont really end your past friendships but somehow new friends now are more important.


The third type are the ones that pass the tests of reason and season and stay for
A lifetime: He/she will be that person from school who is still your closest friend, who probably even went to the same college as you. Someone who you met at college, who works in a different office and still makes it a point to meet up with you once a week. Someone who who you met on a trekking trip who lives far away and yet finds time to chat with you every night. Someone who makes it a point to call you atleast once a month just so you don't lose touch. 
These are the people who will remember your birthday and will give you a call, although there will be some shameless ones who you forgive every year. These are the people who will come to your wedding no matter where they are and shamelessly gift you your first negligee for honeymoon night. And for 8/10 times these are the people who have all the qualities of a friend :)


I was thinking about a few people while writing this post. Can you identify yourself in here?

Things to do before i die...

So everyone has a list right? Things they wanna do, things they wanna accomplish in their lifetime... I too have one such list...

The best part about such lists are that they don't have to be realistic or reasonable, they can have things as simple as 'getting a dog' or as crazy as 'skydiving in the Arctic'. Nothing is impossible right! as long as you have the will and the passion to go for it, and just imagine the satisfaction and the happiness you feel when you actually do one of these things. In the journey of life you atleast did something YOUR way.

Not necessarily everyone religiously tries to complete their list, but atleast they have it somewhere in the back or their minds that there is something they always wanted to do but havn't done it for whatever reasons. They will keep saying to themselves that the thing in question is too crazy to be actually carried out and that only eccentric people would do it, but on the other hand they would also secretly wish that they had the courage to do it. They will find a million reasons and excuses for not doing it, but not ONE reason to go ahead and do it.
ME..!! well i wanna do a lot of things, experience a lot of things, but not everything happens according to ur will right? but i still strive to do whatever i can :) Sooo... here i am sharing my 'Things to do before i die' list . I've managed to complete a couple of them.. marked in red

Things to do before i die

1. Find love
2. Get my dream job done 1st April 2011
3. Take my ma n pa to a foreign country holiday done 20th Aug 2011
4. Earn a master’s degree done 11^th Nov 2010
5. Go to in Leh Ladakh done on 9^th June 2009
6. Get the paragliding flying license
7. Skydive
8. Take a week long vacation  - SOLO -  (did double) 2 weeks in Thailand 8th to 21st July 2012
9. Go to Paris - done 26th - 28th Aug 2011
10. Go to New York
11. Go to London- done 29th May to 6th June 2010
12. Visit the land of kangaroos-Australia
13. Visit atleast one off-beat place in the world which would make people say "Why did u decide to go there of all places"
14. Learn a foreign language - spanish
15. Get the scuba diving license - completed on 12th July 2012
16. Learn to play a musical instrument
17. Learn to Salsa – completed 3 levels in Oct 2008
18. Go white water rafting – done on 26^th Oct 2008
19. Get a dog/cat
20. Visit Rajasthan – Done 25^th to 31^st Mar 2010
21. Go to Kaziranga National Park
22. Go for a North East trip - Done Sikkim in Jan 2010 more left
23. See atleast one wonder of the world - done London Bridge-30th May 2010, Eiffel Tower-27th Aug 2011
24. Trek the Himalayas 
25. Fly first class
26. Go skinny dipping :P
27. Do something that makes someone say, "You know, I really admire what you did/do!"done on 10^th jan 2009
28. Go cliff diving
29. Finish this list before 30 so that i can make a new one :)