The past weekend just went by in a blur. There were meet ups with friends who have come home after getting in there colleges, end of exam parties, family dinners, IKEA runs with my dear parents and not to forget the most important of all, the annual Book Exhibition.
Every year I wait for the sign board to go up on the round about near my house and when I finally see it, I light up like a Christmas tree. Even thought they hardly ever have the latest books. This year, I just went in for 20 minutes, firstly because it was so crowded and secondly because that is the same day my parents decided to go for the other million errands.
I am the worst negotiator in the world. The whole point of a Exhibition is bargaining. And what I do is simply pay the first price the guy tells me. Which leaves me with no money after five books. And I realize my error 20 miles away, on my way to someone's house.
The one thing that I embarked upon was to never ever and I mean ever go to IKEA with your parents. Unless you want them to take you somewhere else and going to the other hundred places is your bargaining chip. See, I told you I suck at bargaining.
You see, they will tell you that its just an in and out trip to get the chairs they saw in the catalogue. But I promise you that they will stop at every thing, from cutlery, shower curtains, kitchen fittings, lamps to even the decorations aisle. And your younger siblings will be having the time of their life because they would have converted the IKEA map into a treasure hunt. Meanwhile you are standing there in an aisle full of plastic containers, looking like an idiot, thinking to your self that how the hell did I get here.
From there, I ended up at an aunt's place for dinner. It was supposed to be low key but they have a misprinted dictionary so I am sure they are not fully aware of the meaning of 'low key'. Its the kind of dinner that I go to after I have asked my friend at least ten times if she is absolutely hundred percent sure that she will be there.
Other wise you end up sitting with a bunch of aunties who ask you about your roti making skills. Which, lets be honest, are none so far. Then go on to enquire about the 'khana pakana skills' (making food). Then starts the comparing of your skills to the other people sitting there regardless of the fact that they are 25 or have an interest in doing things. The best part is yet to come. That is when aunties, you have never met join the conversation and talk about you like you are Kim Kardashian.
Here is the thing, these things annoy me to the point that I want to stab myself and pretend I am suicidal. But I still love these aunties. Because in their own weird way they love me. They will pack a huge container of Russian salad especially for you because its your favourite. They will give you a laptop or a tablet so that you do not get bored at their house. They make sure that their house is stocked with your favourite chips and drinks. They will adjust their outings and family beach plans around your exam schedules.
And this all has a plus side. Firstly, you got the measuring spoons for your baking and now you don't have to convert everything from grams to cups and stuff. You have books in your hands which you not only can read but admire the gorgeous covers as well. Nothing can better therapy than books. The night ends by meeting your amazing friend, eating the best food, taking it home and having a great time with her.
Find the positive in every negative that you get. Sometimes we make even the good things bad. What we need to do is to search for that one tiny dot of Saffron that makes the whole room smell like paradise. Life is much easier when you start seeing the positive things in the negative ones. Maybe they were positive all along.
Adieu !
S
P.S. Just do it till you get your driving license.
P.P.S. This weeks song on repeat in my playlist happens to be Set Fire to the Rain by Adele.
