No travel…sniff sniff !!!

Excuse me while I wallow in self-pity for the next few minutes. I am distraught….worse than what I normally am. No, I mean it. This time it is serious. It isn’t one of those, ‘ My football team lost hence I want to die’ moments. This is a moment of true angst, pain and suffering.

Our college is organizing an international study tour for an entire week to Singapore and Malaysia, some time September. And if you have not guessed by the preceding sentence, I am not going!!! Sniff sniff. Well, the reasons are two fold. First and foremost, my passport expired this July and I have not got the chance to renew the darn thing. The next problem which is the major pain is that I have absolutely no money. I am as clean as a whistle. The entire trip is expected to cost anything between 40 to a 50 grand and yours truly is near broke and is waiting for the provident fund to kick in. (He is yet to even apply for it) . This is probably the one place I really get mad at my old organization. While they gave me awesome work and stuff, why couldn’t they complete the package by paying me more?

There are folks here at my college who have been blessed enough to get timely financial breaks and have been able to fund the entire course on cash. Unlike yours truly who has been running around to get an education loan, which was finally approved last month. Cheers to me! Now, one might argue that I should have saved a lot and then gone on the trip. But then, my salary was so low, that even when I didn’t spend a penny during the great ‘CAT depression’, I still managed only a couple of grand savings. Truth remains that a major chunk has gone into Life insurance savings. Money for the generation that would follow. And believe me; they ain’t getting a cent….not even over my dead body. I intend to milk that life insurance account and go traveling with the to-be missus, who ever she is and not give a cent to the bloodline. Why must they reap the benefits while I sit here in college and suffer?

I am burning with jealousy right now. And am hoping that I win the lottery or something. It has been ages since my feet have seen foreign shores and looks like they might have to wait a little longer. Am hoping it isn’t too long though, or else I’m going to go really nuts. By the way, request everyone to start pooling in funds so that I may be able to go abroad for a week. I know everyone is going to have an awesome time there, while I’d probably be sitting at home in Bangalore sulking away to glory. And almost all the gang would be leaving for further studies to foreign lands, so not only can I not sulk over a nice long Island Ice Tea….I have to sit at home and sulk over a mug of hot chocolate. Score !!!! My life keeps getting better.