Sunday, November 25 2007, 10.34 P.M.
I disconnected the phone, feeling very happy and content. I grinned like an idiot and then looked at P working furiously on her laptop and smiled again. She's getting married in January. I would lose my sister of 26 years to a guy who has known her for a paltry 4 years or so... (Grumble Grumble) I would not only relinquish my shopping partner but also someone I can fight with! Well that's something I will have to deal with... later. I had a bigger mission on my hand, wake up J for work. He is planning to reach office by 7.00 a.m. which would mean waking him up at almost 5.30 a.m. It was a daunting thought especially since the mornings were getting chillier and it’s difficult to take one's hand out of the warm quilt and call somebody who is thousands of miles away. Moreover, that someone sleeps like a log and refuses to answer his phone. I remembered the day when he asked me the first time to wake him up for work. I messaged back to him asking him to be his official alarm clock and he formally replaced his old human alarm clock, his Daddy, with me. I've known J for almost 3 years now, three wonderful years. We're the best of friends; we fight like cats and dogs, break up with each other at the drop of a hat and make up at a lightening speed. He means a lot. So I gear up to go to sleep early, since I've to wake up for my morning jog too. The jog was important since my dietitian has informed me today that I've managed to lose 4 kilos and 18 inches off my body in past one and a half month. so it was important to lose more and look presentable for my sister's wedding.
Sunday, November 25 2007, 11.45 P.M.
I was still awake, watching 'Monsters Inc.' for the third time. I was lured into this activity by P. Suddenly her phone rang. I knew from the ring tone that it was A, her fiancé . That was an indication that she should come online to chat with on Yahoo! messenger. I left the love-birds alone and gathered my stuff to go downstairs where I slept. Then I remembered that I had to wash my face and take care of thousands of little things I usually do before I go to sleep. That took me 25 minutes, and then I carried myself downstairs laden with my creams, lotions and cough syrup etc.
Sunday, November 26 2007, 12.45 A.M.
I was lying in my bed, woolgathering and thinking about god knows what, my phone rang. It was a message alert. I read my daily 'Tarot Card Reading' and cursed myself again for not knowing where I subscribed for that service. I don't know how to get rid of it!! After deleting the message I played a game of 'Dope-Wars' on my cell-phone, the game is addictive and it’s almost a ritual these days to play at least one game before falling asleep. After I made $56954000, was hideously rich and ran out of the time to sell narcotics, I kept my phone away and wrapped myself tightly in my quilt. I thought of J again, smiled and closed my eyes.
Sunday, November 26 2007, 1.30 A.M.
I woke up with a start. I sleep in the same room where my grandmother sleeps, and i heard voices. I sat up looked at Nani (My Grandmother) and noticed that there were other family members too in the room. They were all asking her not to eat cold yogurt which she loved. Nani was coughing badly. We forced some of my cough syrup and a sleeping pill on her and asked her to go to sleep; talking about her seeing doctor for this. My head touched my pillow and I went back to sleep.
Sunday, November 26 2007, 4.35 A.M.
I woke up again. This time i was feeling very warm and uncomfortable. I took off my sweatshirt and went back to sleep in my pajamas and t-shirt. It was dark outside but I could make the outline of the tree which was visible just outside the window across the road; it looked eerie in the pale light from street-lamps. I smiled again, thinking about childhood and the stories of ghosts on that tree. I am a horror movie buff so ghosts don't scare me anymore. Suddenly my bed started shaking and the glass of the window rattled. I was scared and I realized it was an earthquake. It was strong or rather it felt strong. I sat up quickly and asked Nani to get out of the house. I heard sounds from the rest of the House and Heard SM shouting that we should all get out of the house. I shouted for P who was sleeping on the second floor and SM called for M who was on the first floor. Before anybody could come downstairs, tremors stopped. Nani was sitting looking at us. "It was nothing." she said and went back to sleep. Everybody was downstairs and all of us gathered in the living room. We talked about the earthquake animatedly. MM figured and assumed that it was a strong earthquake and there would be loads of damage where the epicenter is.
Sunday, November 26 2007, 4.55 A.M.
All of us except M, who went back to his early morning mediation and Yoga, were huddled together in the living room. We turned on the TV and there it was; the breaking news, of Delhi being shook up by a strong earthquake. We sat looking at the screen for a long time. Till 5.20 a.m. we knew that the tremors were also felt in the nearby cities. I messaged some of my friends and I called my mom in Jaipur. She didn't feel anything. We kind of knew that there wont be any after-shocks, so we switched off the TV and all of us left for our respective rooms to go back to sleep. I slipped inside my bed. I felt the bed shaking again, but this time I knew it was all in my head. I was scared. I was sweating. I was wondering about how fickle the life is. I was thanking god for being alive. I was remembering all the people I love and care about. I thought about P and realised that she was the first person I thought about when the quake shook us all. I was worried about her. I love her. I also thought of Mom and Dad and realized that I called them as soon as I got the chance and asked them about their well being. I Thought about J who was like light years away from me right now and messaged him. I closed my eyes and was glad to be alive again....
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Delhi and neighbouring areas of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana were rocked by an earthquake at 4.42 am today, forcing people to rush out of their homes. Although the earthquake was described by the Met department as one of ''light intensity'', which measured 4.3 on the Richter scale, it felt stronger than that because the epicentre was in Delhi-Haryana border. People were shaken in their sleep as buildings rocked for a few seconds. There were no immediate reports of any damage to life and property. Courtesy: Press Trust of India
