Sunset time from the balcony

I had switched off my laptop, having read and answered all posts. That was barely half an hour earlier. .

Thought i would take a nap, having been glued to it all day yesterday and today. Just then I got a call from a friend. When i finished talking, I went to the window, I saw this beautiful orange ball in the sky. We get to see some incredible sunsets from all our bedroom windows. They are all west facing. I just could not resist the temptation of recording a typical sunset and of an evening spent in the balcony.  So here I am in my balcony to give you a running commentary. 

  

"I am now sitting in the balcony. so, as I told you there is this orange globe in the sky - what perfect geometry and colour. There are light clouds around the sun and the rays pouring through them - such a soul touching experience. It's picture perfect. Looks just like those greeting cards. There is a streak of pink around the clouds, Just like the outlines that children draw around pictures to define their drawing. the one nearest the sun, which is making a grey streak across it, is shaped somewhat like a chubby, curly long-haired child lying on its right side with its back side facing me. I just love watching clouds and trying to see figures in them. Fun past time. There, the sun has just vanished out of sight - it is amazing how fast it goes down. Right from the time I used to watch sunsets at Juhu beach as a 5 year old, whenever we visited my mom's parents, the setting sun has always reminded me of a Kwality orange ice candy. I know, I cannot get more unromantic than that, but what to do, everything in life has somehow got to have some gastronomic connection. Well, that is the way i am - a foodie to the core". 

Anyway - my flat is on the third floor facing the park in our complex. Earlier the trees were much smaller, and one could observe all the children coming out with their moms to play. It is such a comic sight to watch the slightly older ones playing with their balls and the little ones toddling along on unsteady feet, trying to be a part of the scene . There are times, that the older ones humour the little ones. At other times, they just ignore them, and it is so heart wrenching to watch the little ones stand there, look puzzled and then amble back to their moms or find some other distraction to toddle off to . 

There was one day when mom and I were sitting here in the evening and watching a burkha clad lady and her husband sitting on a bench in the park. the lady was holding a discourse  The man was apparently listening . After some time he repositioned himself, so that he was facing backwards . The woman kept up her discourse, unconcerned. Then there were 2 minutes of silence. The man took the opportunity, ambled off, smoked a cigarette and ambled back . He came back revitalized, so that he could lend the lady his ear. He went and sat next to her once again. After a minute or two of silence, the lady recommenced where she had left off. After about 10 minutes, they just got up abruptly, piled onto his scooter parked outside the park and sped off . Left me thinking  - may be a daughter in law venting herself to her dear husband. They probably do not get enough alone time at home. What a considerate husband, who just sits quietly and allows his wife to let go steam! But if all men were like that, what would have happened to Ekta Kapoor and all her "saas-bahu" serials?

Now the trees have all grown really tall. Sadly, this obscures the view of the inside of the park and we are deprived of all these life affirming sights. But then when you lose out on something, you always find something else. Now we have this palette of lush green in various hues and shades. It is such a refreshing sight for the eyes! An evening in the balcony, and I am sure it is enough to turn the most confirmed atheist into a believer.

I wanted to tell you something - what was it now?

I was thinking of telling you guys something, but I cannot for the life of me think what I wanted to tell you .  It is so annoying. Now I will not get any peace till such time as I remember .

I am completely zapped.  What's happening to me?  This seems to be happening to me more and more frequently, (much to the delight of my mom, who as a function of her age forgets a lot of things). She says, "see, you are already worse off than me and then you tell me I don't remember". Good for her I say .  If it makes her happy, it makes me happy too). Okay, so where was I?  Hmm....., Yes, I was telling you what a pain my memory has become of late.

When exactly did this start?  The mildest symptoms I noticed was during my school days.  Mom used to come to drop me off at the bus stop.  About 5 minutes before the bus arrived, I used to remember, "Oh, I've forgotten, my calendar at home, I have forgotten my pencil box at home ....."  Mom would give me an exasperated look .  I would then run home, pick up the missing item and come back just in time to catch the bus, all huffing and puffing and out of breath.  But I was not always that lucky - occasionally a text book would be forgotten at home nonetheless, or homework would be left undone.  You can take a guess at what the teacher would ask me - no prizes for guessing - it would be "do you ever forget to bring your lunch box"?  Imagine my amusement and relief when I finally did that too, and thought, that it would be ironical if my teacher were to ask me that question today.

Years went by.  My forgetful remained with me.  Lost keys, forgotten slippers (I used to wear my dad's slippers when running off to my neighbour's house and then - yes, promptly forget them there and return barefoot - it would be only next day, when my dad would be desperately looking for his slippers, that the finger of suspicion would finally be pointed in my direction.  I would be totally clueless, until I was sent to check up in my neighbour's house, where lo and behold!  My dad's missing slippers would be there, neatly left at the doorstep ).

My forgetfulness got me into many a scrape during my college days and working days.  I still get frequent nightmares where I have an exam and have forgotten to open my books and study for them! During my working years, it was not infrequently that I was pulled up by my boss for forgetting to do something.  Stupid, exasperating me.  I found it increasingly difficult to live with myself.

It was really too much when I once went to work on my scooter, came back home and as I was getting out of the auto, I tried desperately to remember how much I paid for the auto that morning. .  I could not for the life of me remember.  It was about 5 minutes before I remembered that I had gone on scooter that morning and forgotten it at work 

Now I am getting on in life. in more ways than one.  My forgetfulness is playing a game of one oneupmanship with my age.  Not infrequently, I pick up my land line to call my husband and land up calling my own mobile no. or try to call someone from my mobile phone and end up dialling my own landline!  Not uncommon is for me to pick up the phone and dial the number and horror of horrors, when the other person picks up the phone, I have already forgotten whom it was I had called. The short gap between the person's "hi/hello" and my surprised, "hi" without reference to a name invariably betrays me.  So I don't call people so often these days. which leaves me short of jobs to do.  So I try crossword puzzles - what is the other word for "confident"?  The clue is 4-7 starting with "s" and the letter "a" features somewhere in between.  Oh dear, I have the word at the tip of my tongue, but it just won't come. now I won't get sleep till I remember the word .  Oh, never mind. if you know the word, let me know.   Now you know why mom feels I am worse off then her?