Friday, July 28, 2006

Two guys and a girl

Update on my Krrish survey - 195 responses so far. I'm so thrilled about my dissertation now. I think that about 150 of the responses came from my blog buddies and their friends. Just wanna thank you guys and gals for helping out someone you've never met. :)

=============================================

I am moving again.

And cliched as it may sound, it does feel like yesterday when I moved into this house.


When I started my master's last year, I was going for classes after work. My classes were in the west and I was living in the east. By the time I got home, it was so late that it was almost time to get up to go to work the next day. The lease for my last house had expired. And to avoid the crazy lifestyle I was leading, I had finally decided that it would be better for me to move to the west.

And move I did. But now it's that time of the year again. And I am so glad I am moving back to the east. Yeay! Though I still have one more semester of travelling to the west for classes, I am going back to my beach and everything else that I missed about the east.

And as I think of the million things that I must throw before I move into my new apartment, I wonder if there's anything about the west I will miss. Not much.

Maybe the two blokes I live with. Just a little bit.

When you're fresh out of university, everyone someone manages to find someone or the other of the same gender, to be flatmates with. It's easy. But a few years down the lane? Not so easy anymore.

Okay, what do you do when all the girls you know are either getting married or leaving Singapore for an MBA?

It was official - I'd run out of single girls to live with.

Days of frustration and desperation led to the only solution I had. Answer an online ad. I found the ad and the flatmates. Everything was fine. Except for one little thing.

The flatmates were both guys.


So I called up my parents and asked them if they'd be okay with me living with two random guys. (Actually, they were not that random, they were my juniors from uni. And although I'd never really spoken to them, I'd seen them in uni a couple of times.)

Dad freaked out a bit at first.

"Live with guys?? Why?? What happened to the girls??"

"I'm out of them, Dad!"

"Out of them?"

"Yeah, most are going abroad for their MBAs and a few are getting married."

(Truth was - most were getting married, and a few were going abroad for their MBAs. But I could not tell him that otherwise I'd put myself in a "If your batchmates are getting married, why aren't you??" situation. And other than "Errr... uhhh... ummm...." I had no answer to that question.)

"Achha... hmmm... guess you have no choice then... you will be careful, yes?" He asked.

"Don't worry Dad, I'll keep three knives in my room and a water pistol under my pillow." I tried to joke my way out of it.

(Come to think of it - I do have three knives in my room - one for sharpening my writing pencils, one for sharpening my eyebrow pencil, and one for cutting fruits and stuff -- general bhaigiri-practice.)

Anyway, my parents agreed and I went ahead and signed up for the flat. Contrary to my hopes, neither of them turned out to be gay. It's now been almost a year since I have lived with these guys, and I must say it has been a strangely interesting experience.

I believe that after having seen both sides, now I am in a position to collate the differences between living with gals and living with guys.

Living with guys - the cons

  • You can't just wear whatever you want when at home.
  • To avoid embarrassing them, you gotta dry your clothes in two lots - the mentionables in the main drying area and the unmentionables inside your room.
  • There is always a pile of clothes in the washing machine that someone forgot to pick up.
  • The couches always have a pile of clothes taken off the drying rack by someone who wanted to dry his own clothes.
  • When your flatmate wants to ask you something, he will not knock on your door for fear of disturbing you. He will sms you or worse, call your mobile from the house phone.
  • You can't decorate the house for fear of making it too girly. I have not had my favourite pink gerberas in my house for almost a year now. :'(
  • "But we must have one hindi channel yaar!" is not a good enough reason to get Zee/Sony tv connection, especially since you have no time to watch TV. (In the last year, I have watched TV only thrice. I don't even know my way around the remote control.)
  • You feel like a worthless failure when a yummy smell creeps out of the kitchen as your male flatmate whips up a fancy meal.
  • You can't walk around with a multani mitti mask on your face - you may cause a heart-attack in the house.
  • You can't play Shania Twain too loud.
  • You can't have an inhouse pedicure/manicure session.
  • You can't experiment with your flatmates' hair.
  • You can't get opinions from your flatmates on silly things such as whether your ankles look fat in those shoes, before you go out partying.

Living with guys - the pros

  • They will agree to let you have the big room with the attached bathroom without any rona-dhona and nautanki. (Of course, I pay 75 dollars extra per month for it, but it was still nice of them.)
  • You will never have a situation where all the inhabitants of the flat are PMS-ing at the same time.
  • It's no big deal if you see your housemates only in the weekend. (When I leave for office, it's dark and they're still asleep. When I come back from class, it's dark and they're asleep.)
  • Your room can be as messy as you like - no one's gonna drop by at a weird time to talk about boyfriend problems.
  • You work out for longer durations, especially if you bump into your flatmates at the gym.
  • You can all be sitting in the same living room, and you don't necessarily have to talk.
  • The kitchen belongs to only one person, without interference from the others. (In my case, it happens to belong to my housemate, since I stopped cooking a year ago.)
  • Your flatmates will never borrow your precious hair straightener.
  • Of the two shoeracks in the apartment, you can have one and a half to yourself. Sometimes more.
But my top favourite one is this.

  • You enjoy hearing the shock in the voice of the person on the phone to whom you just coolly said, "I'm sorry, ____ is not at home. I'm his flatmate, can I take a message?"
:D



53 comments:

Harsha said...

*GOLD*
and now to read :)

Anonymous said...

Cool! Gotta live with girls to make my own list.

Neihal said...

I have no experience of living with girls, I grew up with my brothers and cousin brothers and more cousin brothers. So I guess I know what you mean.

PizzaDude said...

Never had the experience of having guys or girls as flatmates....
Want to do try it.. sounds like hazaar fun. :D

Inder said...

sms/phone you when you were in your room!? guess those poor guys were scared of you like hell :P actually, that is advantage of having juniors as flatmates. we can effortlessly bully those poor souls :)

Anonymous said...

heyyy
I am in top 10..hurrrayyyyy! :D
//Come to think of it - I do have three knives in my room..
bachke rehna!!:p isliye shayd woh tumse darrke rehte the aur baat karne ke liye sms karte the..
wah! sayesha "didi" ka kitna zor chalta hai..poor fellas :P
but this one was ULTIMATE:
//You enjoy hearing the shock in the voice of the person on the phone to whom you just coolly said, "I'm sorry, ____ is not at home. I'm his flatmate, can I take a message?"
hheheh
tc
sakhi.

Sakshi said...

Oh wow.. Top 10 again..
Y'know what would be even better - live with 2 gay guys, that way you have a girly person to talk about girl issues, a fashion consultant and yet it is still going to be without the other issues (borrowing of make up , hair straightener or clothes).
Good luck with the moving. I did that last year. But now I will move when I graduate.
*looks at Bapu's office muttering "kab jane dega ye mujhe ???"*

R said...

wow! wow! wow!
It sounds so terribly cool...
grandddddd

R said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
shub said...

I'm only glad the chap wasn't there that day when I coolly walked in to his room thinking that was the way out!

Dev said...

Cool. For your next post, get your flat mates views of the pros (if any) and cons of living with a girl, that too our very own Sayesha BHAI. :P

And of course, that last reason was a laugh and a half! ROTFL! :D:D:D:D:D

Siddhu said...

SMSing you, lol!!

And yeah, would be interested in knowing the other side... could you ask your flatmates to write a guest column, please? :D

Iday said...

Guys are indeed good ;)
LOL

Mohan Kodali said...

lolz!!

Anonymous said...

//When I leave for office, it's dark and they're still asleep. When I come back from class, it's dark and they're asleep

What are they, the Kumbhkaran types?:D Anyways, good luck with the move, found a new place already? And new housemates?!?!:)

Nirwa Mehta said...

HAHAHAHA..

I so badly want to live independently.. I mean.. I love my parents and all, but the very thought of living in hostel/your appartment is thrilling! :D

Hmm.. someday! :D

Nirwa

dearbharat said...

Actually, staying with a person of opposite sex makes life much more comfortable and has positive impact on one's personality.

Anonymous said...

Nice. I love the list of all the pros you have compiled. Actually, its psychologically much better to have a person of the opposite gender occupying one room of the apartment. It removes shyness and makes both genders comfortable in dealing with opposite genders in the social world.

- Anjaan Ladka

Rays Of Sun said...

I liked the ;last line:D
BTW,
If u already have an attached bathroom to yourself, to kapde sukhane ka problem kya hai??? saare room mein tera hi to raj hai:P

Shekhar said...

//can I take the message ??

:D :D Badmaash kahin ki !!!

Unknown said...

Hey Sash,

I really envy your girls for this yaar!! Iv never stayed independently :( :( :(

Anyways, nice post.. a very nice & cute analysis that was.. Loved the last one ;)

Good luck with your shifting :)

Take care,
Aarti

Preethi said...

Arey yaar.. this is cool..:)
THough I would've freaked out at the idea of living with men, (I got a story to tell on this! Will tell it at leisure) I still feel that guy roomies are cool..:)
I always had girl roomies...

Kroopa Shah (Kr00pz) said...

LOL, I've never really lived with guys other than my dad and my bro. And of course its different when you live at home. Anyways have fun moving!!!

Anonymous said...

My favourite one has to be:
"You will never have a situation where all the inhabitants of the flat are PMS-ing at the same time."

Cheers!!!!

Anonymous said...

I chose to live alone a long time back.

I'm too sloppy for girls and too neat for guys, but I think I'm just right for Amul chocolate.

Unknown said...

"You will never have a situation where all the inhabitants of the flat are PMS-ing at the same time."

Hahaaahaa. :) I could deal with guy flatmates if I didn't have to share the bathroom.

qsg said...

If none of them is gay, and one of them is a great cook, why are you still single??? ;)

Sayesha said...

#Harsha,
Gold lekar gone? :O

#Green,
Do share your list with us! :)
ps: Are you green with envy or just green? :P

#Neihal,
Haha! I think living with brothers and cousins is very different from living with strangers :)

#Pizzadude,
Yes, it's hazaar fun! :D

#Inder,
Sheesh! I did not bully them! :'(
Inder ke bache, I have been watchin' you over the last few posts - you seem to be the one bullying me! :O
*DHISHOOOM*

#Sakhi,
Didi? *shock horror*
No one calls me Didi, phew! :D

#Sakshi,
That used to be my dream - to be Grace from Will and Grace... but gay roommates are a bit hard to find! :(
ps: Yeh Bapu tujhe bahut pareshaan karta hai na? Bole toh tapka doon? :D

#Raam Pyari,
:D

#Shub,
Hahahahaha! ROTFL!! And I was like "Yeh Shub kahan ja rahi hai??" :D

#Dev,
My flatmates do not read my blog. (Phew?) :P

#Sid,
No way man! I've not told them about my blog, much less this post! :P

#Iday,
In certain ways yes. Otherwise, they are ok-ok-chalega-types :)

#Chandu,
:D

#Duhita,
Hahaha! Nahin re... they are not Kumbhus... I am the one who's the opposite of Kumbhu... I will catch up on all my sleep after my Master's! :P

#Nirwa,
Arre tu yahan hoti toh we would have made perfect flatmates! :)

#Bhaarat,
I agree. It teaches you so much more about the ways of the other sex, you end up understanding them more :)

#Anjaan Ladka,
True :)

#ROS,
Arre yaar I like to dry my clothes in the sun, and my room/bathroom does not get much of that :(

#Shekhar,
:D
ps: I can only imagine the caller's reaction - "____ ek ladki ke saath rehta hai!" :O :O
:D

#Aarti,
Haan yaar... shifting... such a pain... these days I am busy donating clothes... I have already given away about one-third!! :O

#Smiling Girl,
Hahaha! Theek hai, email par suna apni story! :D

#Kroopz,
Have fun moving??? :O :O :O Whoever had any fun moving?? :O :O :O
That's the only part I am dreading! :'(

#Vijay,
Hahaha! Yeah, you dun wanna be in a house with 3 PMS-ing gals... trust me! ;)

#Singh,
Hahaha! That's cute :)

#Ipanema Gal,
Wohi toh! I did not wanna share my bathroom with the guys, so I chose to pay more and get the room with the attached bathroom. :)

#Gemini,
If you're even suggesting that I get hitched to either of 'em, may I remind you that they are my juniors from university? :D
ps: And about the being single thing, read my rules of singlehood here.
here
:D

Anonymous said...

PMS????

psychotic mood swings??

whats so funny abt that??

Anonymous said...

:) fullto accha blog!!..do your parents know about your blog?

qsg said...

Waah waah - loved your singlehood post - so agree with sooo many of them - I have been branded a commitment-phobe by all my friends and family, this post puts it in perspective - now I know what I am worried about! he he he... that still doesnt change anything, though, but...

Born a Libran said...

I loved that part about phoning or SMSing u even if u r sitting in ur room... I can understand in the beginning but they did that till the end???

Persona non gratis said...

I get the post. For me it was 2 guys and 2 girls. It was a nice big house, and only when the rent was split 4 ways did it become affordable for students. Started out a bit wierd because I was thinking of things like what would the Indian student community think and such stuff. But I stopped thinking that way pretty soon and I have learnt guys can be good friends and very accomodating.

Sakshi said...

Are Sayesha Bhai.. Aap ki itni krup.. Tapka dene se pehle mujhe graduate hone do...Phir supari apun jaroor dega.

Anonymous said...

//may I remind you that they are my juniors from university

whats with this social taboo of girls marrying younger guys

Just Jane said...

@tulika, achchi bhartiya naari mein ye conditioning dete hain kindergarten main hi!

@sash, at the end of the day, how much of a (tom)boy did you become and/or were they influenced by your natkhat nakhre :D

Sayesha said...

#Satish,
Yeah yeah, something like that. :D
And who said it was funny??? :O :D

#Saty,
Nopes, they don't. They know what's in it, but they don't know I have one :)

#Me,
Hehehehe! :D

#Gemini,
I think we all live our lives a certain way, and are afraid of a guy we like just barging into our lives and turning it upside down. It's all the change that scares us. :)

#Sakshi,
Theek hai, tu graduate kar pehle... phir dekhenge... bole toh bapu ko kharcha pani dene se tera graduation jaldi hone ka chance hai kya? :|

#Tulika,
Nothing yaar... it's just some stupid mental block I have :) If I know from the beginning that it's a junior, I can't really fall for him. Unless he hides his age! Remember Monica in Friends? Hahaha! :D Guess I like a guy with some authority. ;)
ps: Nice website! ;)

#The chosen one,
Acchi bhartiya naari mein? Toh apun mein kidhar se aaya re? :D

//at the end of the day, how much of a (tom)boy did you become and/or were they influenced by your natkhat nakhre :D

My interaction with them is only when they are awake - and that is minimal - paid the rent? types. So no influencing whatsoever by either party :D

Harsha said...

I just left office after reading post, so here are my comments :)

I find it strange, yet it's nice. Infact it would be awesome to have a girl room-mate. But I cant stand pink, everything else is fine by me :D:D:D

And its strange that they sms you or call you on phone. They must be really gentlemen for doing that. I would shout the person's name out loud....or maybe areeeeeeeoooooooo sunti ho ;););)

>>>>You can all be sitting in the same living room, and you don't necessarily have to talk.
That would be worse than chinese toture for me. Not talk to a person and just ignore.

Just Jane said...

//Toh apun mein kidhar se aaya re? :D//

too much OJ can do this to you!!!!!!! :D

Abhishek said...

tell me 1 thing.................do u ever hit my blog anytime?

oxymoron said...

need to experience that! need to get hold of a gal roomie!
and then prepare the pros and CONS!
kya bolti sayesha? ready to be the guinea pig?
hahaa!

Kathy said...

...goshh! i envy u Kawaii ^_^ and i think guys are indeed cool flatmates.
... damn i'm married, i missed that :P

Sayesha said...

#Harsha,
Hehe... then you can't be my flat-mate... cos from now on, pink gerberas are gonna be a permanent fixture in my house :D

//or maybe areeeeeeeoooooooo sunti ho ;););)

Eeesh! Another reason why no gal would agree to be your flat-mate. :D

//Not talk to a person and just ignore.

I dunno man... sometimes I need my silence... it's stressful to have to talk when you don't want to. I'd like to have a flatmate who's okay with us being in the same room and not talking. Once in a while, of course :D

#The chosen one,
ROTFL!! I have no idea what I wanted to write!! Sheesh! I MUST be drunk on OJ! :D

#Abhishek,
Of course I do! :/
I did as soon as I read this comment of yours! :P

#Oxy,
Oye, lagta hai Sayesha ke haathon uni mein ragging se tera mann nahin bhara... apun ke saath rehna hai? Demand high hai bhai, form bhar aur queue mein khada ho ja! ;)

#Kathy,
Hahaha! But I can't bully my flatmates the way you can bully your 'flatmate'! ;)

Ramkumar said...

last one was too good.
u cud have added more points in that angle.

Anonymous said...

sayesha - do you know whether there is any website which shows the hindi movies playing at the jade theatre ? or is there any number I can call to find out ?

Turkish

Sayesha said...

#Ram,
Thanks :)
Wrote whatever I could think of :P

#Turkish,
Jade doesn't have a website yet, but you can call their hotline at 62933559 to find out what's playing.
ps: Your nick reminds me, there's a nice Turkish restaurant near Jade called 'Sofra'. Check it out :)

Girl next door said...

Living with guys is a cool experience; I also found housemates on a craigslist ad. At first, I thought it was weird but it works! It's great that your flatmate cooks. I swear I can't live with a guy who hasn't lived on his own.

P said...

Ineteresting post..
While I have lived with roomamates/flatmates.. never with a guy...wonder how that experience ultimately pans out..

Anonymous said...

50!!

:)

this is the real gold!

khara sona!

Inder said...

me bullying the bhai??? no way. yeh galatphahami hai. saajish hai. *ducking away from the bullets and running for covers*

Sudeep said...

being a single child i never shared anything with someone.. so cant imagine myself sharing a flat

lekin ab ladkiyaan dhundta hu rehne ke liye :D

nice pros n cons.. n last one really takes the cake

Abhay said...

really well written....i guess the previous 52 comments say a lot more than this 53rd one..so, planning giv this new appartment a girly touch ? ;)

Sayesha said...

#Girl next door,
Yeah my flatmate cooks really well. Damn, it's almost embarrassing! :P

#Perspective,
You will, soon! ;)

#Satish,
Khara sona?? Huh?? Oh khara sona! I thought khara as in 'salty'! :P

#Inder,
Bullets?? Bull! Bhai bullet-wullet use nahin karti, kya? Tere liye toh meri naazuk ungliyon ki ek chapaat hi kaafi hai muahahaah! :D

#Sudeep,
Hope you find someone crazy enough to agree to live with you! Hahaha! :D

#Abhay,
//so, planning giv this new appartment a girly touch ? ;)

Totally! :D