Yet another Night-Out!!

Yesterday night, after we came back from the second show of ‘Rang de Basanti’, it was about 2 am when I had updated my latest post (read: http://kesari.blogspot.com/2006/02/my-take-on-rang-de-basanti.html). Just then my eyes were getting tired and waiting to catch some sleep, when the icon of the game ‘Railroad Tycoon’ on my desktop started teasing and inviting me like a bar-girl in one of Mumbai’s now-closed dance bars! Weak at heart I immediately gave up and entered this enchanting world. In no time, I formed a Rail company and was thick in the race competing with three other computer players building railroads all over 19th century America and linking up its far-flung cities! Additionally I also bought over several industries and made a killing by transporting freight from those plants to the major town centers processing these materials. (For people serious about Strategy gaming, this is definitely a game to try your hand at. A new 3D version of the game Railroad Tycoon III was released some months back. Check: www.railroadtycoon3.com/)

I had a Campaign-Target of hitting a net worth of $5 million by 1905 and by 1893 I had already surpassed $3.2 million. I was busy planning my next foray when I heard a sound at the doorstep. “Who at this time of the night?” I thought out loud and turned towards the door when I saw the day’s ET being slipped under the door! My heart skipped a beat..! “What the Heck, when did ET start printing a night-edition! By any standards, this is just too early for the paper to land up”. To reassure myself I pulled the window-curtains when the bright-morning-rays crashed into the room and hit on my face awkwardly! With a heightened sense of guilt, I reluctantly turned towards the alarm-clock.. 7:55 am! My megalomania and hours of empire building had cost me a full-day’s sleep.

“What next?” I thought.. I could brush and land up in the mess at 8 am sharp.. But I decided against it as I thought that I should know better than to give the mess-manager a heart-attack! Its been months since I had my breakfast in the morning, and today if I had turned up, and that at 8, I was sure it would be too much for the poor soul and so decided to spare him. So, I tip-toed to the water cooler, ‘drank’ my diet-breakfast and rushed back to the room, lest someone see me and poke fun at my mania, again! But coming to think about it, I had done the same thing innumerable number of times at FMS and during Engineering.

When I woke up again, I again had a reluctant look at the alarm-clock not sure what day it was and what time of the day it was! The clock showed 6:00.. No clue whether it was early-morning or late-evening! I had an uneasy feeling.. “Did I sleep the whole of Monday for a good 22 hours??” For assistance I pulled my curtain and peered through the window.. The outside was dimly lit – easily could have been break of dawn OR dawn of dusk! Delhi's bizarre climate and seesawing winter didn't help things.. I pulled out the paste-brush, hid it safely in my pocket, gathered courage and stuttered out of the room! There were people sipping their tea and munching biscuits.. Logically reasoning, it must be the evening snacks I thought.. atleast the mess doesn’t open up so early! Big Relief, Monday was still there for me.

Just as I passed them, one of them asked “Just got up, huh?” I replied “Yes, a good afternoon’s sleep!!” and made sure the paste-brush didn’t peep out of my pocket!