ALARMed! :D

5th August 2014
12:11 am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OnnDqH6Wj8


As I hear this song now, I am trying hard to stifle my laughter because one, everyone around me is asleep and two no one would consider me sane while I laugh at this song which is far from funny. To me, it brings back a memory...

7th or 8th March 2014
St. Stephen's College
Political Science class

Our professor informed us about the Eighth Sir John Crawford Memorial lecture which was going to happen on 10th March at the Australian embassy. At first, I was hesitant about attending it, thinking I might not make it to residence within curfew time after attending the lecture. Also, I'll admit honestly and shamelessly, a lecture about Australian economy did not interest me much. But then I looked beyond these two perspectives. I could just go there, WITH MY FRIENDS, have a good time on my way to embassy and back and have the opportunity to listen to the lecture too! Brilliant! 
I signed up for it.

10th March 2014

One of my friends suggested that I should bunk the memorial lecture and go watch Queen instead ( Hi, Nivedita!!! :D ). Sounded like a good deal, but I chose to stick to the earlier plan. The bunch of people going for the lecture were supposed to report at the main gate of college at 4 pm. 4 pm - Main gate- No bus- no other soul. After about 30 minutes, many phone calls to friends and numerous trips to Rudra gate and the photocopy shop ( to get melody, off course!) , the bus was finally there and we were ready to go.
At first, everyone chose to continue conversations among their own groups ( which was very different from how the trip ended). Apart from talking, I did my favourite thing to do on a bus journey - to look outside from the window. I don't think that this fact needs a mention that how Delhi is an amalgam. An amalgam of shabby corners and rich quarters. Of struggle for sustenance and ease of luxury. The view from the window just reinforced this fact.
We reached the embassy well before time and had to wait outside for a while. We were, if I may say, a badass bunch of people on their own. The students of other colleges were accompanied by their teachers. 
We went inside. The setup looked more than of a fancy reception party than of a lecture on Australia's economy. We took our seats and planned our attack on food as soon as the lecture was to get over. 
Before the lecture began, we were advised to switch off our phones. My phone's battery was almost dead and I switched it off, knowing that its battery will be exhausted by the time I'll leave and it will be useless.

( Phone : You think I'm useless? I'll avenge it! )

I don't remember who the lecturer was. He was hardly audible. Though I tried hard to concentrate, it didn't work. The speech was interrupted by a 'witty' peacock from time to time. It was amusing. 
Not as amusing as what was to happen.

Suddenly, my phone started crying out and telling the world "how good it was feeling."  ( Refer : the song mentioned in the beginning.) It was my dinner time alarm. ( Yes, I am pretty weird. I hate being late. I have multiple alarms ringing on my phone throughout the day.) How bad was it? Well, number one,the speaker was very 'soft spoken'. Number two, my alarm was loud because alarms are supposed to be loud! Number three, because I was so embarrassed and nervous, it took some time before I could actually take out my phone and switch off my evil alarm. My phone had its sweet revenge. I could hardly look up to the speaker now for all the unwanted attention that I attracted. My friends sitting near me had a hard time controlling their laughter and made up their minds to tease me about this incident till the end of time.
The lecture ended. I was in awe of people who could come up with meaningful queries when I had a hard time focusing on the lecture- but then, I had my reason! The witty peacock confirmed the ending, cooing exactly at the time when the speaker finished. We couldn't attack the food, rather stood in a queue patiently and politely and waited for our turn. The food was good. So good, that people were lost in its taste. So lost that they stood in the open while enjoying themselves while it started raining and people were running for shelter.
Soon it was time to leave. Our bunch came together again, we had a head count and we left the venue. Till the time we were waiting for our "Neelam" bus, we had a photo clicked. (As if I am ever going to forget that evening.) 
The journey back residence was different. We played Antakshari and it was SO much fun! Very different from how we had started. I liked the change. We reached safely and called it a day.


I don't remember the speaker. I don't remember what he talked about. Even after the alarm incident, I can still say that I had my share of good feelings that day! :D