The Guard, The Girlfriend, and The Good Old Trick
One evening, my girlfriend Sanchita and I were quietly enjoying our usual hideaway in the college campus, doing what lovebirds do best. Out of nowhere, a guard appeared and caught us in an embrace. The guard went from zero to…
Suggested Reading
The Guard, The Girlfriend, and The Good Old Trick
One evening, my girlfriend Sanchita and I were quietly enjoying our usual hideaway in the college campus, doing what lovebirds do best. Out of nowhere, a guard appeared and caught…
Floppy Disks and Last-Minute Risks: Code Confessions
New brooms sweep clean, they say. That certainly held true for me. With newfound love and finally shedding my dreaded stag status as a perpetually single guy in the college…
Ashes of Affection: When Love Burns Up in Smoke
It was my third year in college, and I was still stuck with the dreaded “stag” tag, a badge for single folks who hadn’t yet scored a girlfriend. Ragging sessions…
Accidental Dating on My First Business Trip: Starbucks Serendipity
As the clock ticked down on my three-week business trip in the US, I arrived back at my hotel on a Friday evening after work, ready to celebrate my last…
Mastering Bargaining in Canada: A Pre-Groupon Strategy
Back in the day, getting your hands on a camcorder during an overseas trip was like striking gold. These were quite pricey in India, if available at all, and owning…
Nicotine Nightmare in the USA: A Smoker’s Expensive Dilemma
When it came to spending greenbacks, I was an Uncle Scrooge. After all, a dollar translated to 45 rupees. I had diligently brought enough cigarette packs to last me three…
Pursuing The American Dream: Embracing A Leap of Faith
Canada, my first overseas trip, was an overwhelmingly amazing experience, leaving me craving for more. “But what about my UPSC plans?” I pondered. “I’m only 22, with 8 more years…
First Visit to Starbucks: A Halloween Horror in Canada
Not long after my Subway fiasco, it was Starbucks’ turn. It was Halloween, and the streets were a wild parade of the bizarre and the spooky—Ghostface, Alien, Superman, you name…
First Trip Abroad: Veggie Ventures and The Subway Spectrum in canada
“Ka-nedda,” that’s how most aspirants from Punjab who dream of settling in Canada pronounce it. A few months into my first job, I was asked to visit a client in…
First Face-Saving Job: Post-9/11 Market Jitters and Recession
It was the last semester in college, and campus interviews were in full swing. The year was 2002, and the aftershocks of 9/11 still rippled through the economy. A recession…
The Watch That Stopped Time
One of the most memorable days of my childhood, etched deeply in my memory, is when my dad gifted me my first watch. It was a basic digital watch, but…
The Great Coin Chase: Childhood Sprinting Nightmare
Ah, the vivid childhood memories. My dad often tasked me with the noble duty of depositing the quarterly installments for his sole savings—a life insurance policy. In our household, we…
Pennies and Pain: A Canister of Wheat and a Pound of Bania Wisdom
What does it take to be a bania? You’d know in a moment. As was the norm in India back then, my father would regularly purchase raw wheat in bulk,…
When Life Gives You Legs: A Mopedless Topper
The 10th standard in school is a rollercoaster of emotions. Sometimes you’re treated like a kid, other times you feel like you’re on the verge of adulthood, and vice versa….
Love Bytes: Typing my way to rejection
Love bites…err love bytes! I had always heard that college years were a time to savor, a brief window of carefree living before the heavy weight of adult responsibilities set…