I have a dog phobia

I have a dog phobia
On 18th evening when I left from office after a long and tiring day at work I was greeted by a very affectionate street dog just outside my office entrance. As soon as the dog came to me I screamed “somebody help me, take this dog away!” but the dog did not seem to understand that and came more closer to me. Few of my office colleagues were passing by and instead of helping me they just teased me and drove way. I was so scared that now I wanted to scream my lungs out but thanks to a watchman who came to my rescue and diverted the dog’s attention away from me. I fled the sight the minute the dog looked the other side and did not even wait to thank that man.

The whole instance was so funny that I kept laughing the entire time on my way home. I wasn’t so petrified by dogs ever in my life until some time back my boyfriend’s dog, Tipu bit me. This incident happened couple of months back when I went to visit my boyfriend at his home. In the beginning his dog sniffed my hand and then sat beside me. He’s always been a friendly dog and I began playing with him. A queer quality about Tipu is that he doesn’t like anyone touching his tail. Of course, I was unaware of this fact. While playing with him, I accidentally happened to touch his tail. He immediately pounced on me and bit my hand. By the time my boy-friend could come to my rescue Tipu had already bitten me.

Since that day I have developed a dog phobia and I don’t even dare to pass by a dog. But the dogs in Mumbai are unaware of my phobia and so land up chasing me every second day on
Mumbai streets.

Working in my head office

After the whole rearrangements and shuffling done with the Zones and reporters I have been assigned the health beat and have started working from the head office which is an out and out new experience for me.

Before when I worked for the zones we all always wanted to come to the HO and do our stories and write for the city pages. And now when that is actually happening I am not really very happy. May be I’ve got used to the comfort zone in my bureau office, but the main thing that bothers me is the long hours of work that I have to put in and without any monetary hicks in my job. In the zones I started my work relatively early and was done with two stories a day by the time it was evening. I also had time for my family and especially Rahul, but now I don’t have time for myself and nor for anything else that I enjoy.

Now I start my day in the morning at around 11 as usual but my actual work starts only after 3.00 pm and gets over not before 8.00. then I forcibly wait for the daily editorial meets and then leave for home only at 9.00 so by the time I am home I am exhausted and don’t even feel like eating when I am home. Mostly I sleep empty stomach and have sleepless nights since I don’t know I am suppose to be doing the next day and this vacuum pisses me off.

Another thing that bothers me in the HO is the pressure which I feel on my head; I sense a sword hanging on my head all the time when I am in the HO. I guess it’s just the presences of all my immediate seniors around me and their eyes forever questioning on what I am upto in the office.

I guess I will have to learn to live with it as I can’t do much about it and may be tomorrow I’ll get use to this pressure and anxiety around me. I just pray I get something better and be a bit more relaxed in the next few days I am not started to feel sick and hope I don’t hit the bed with a ice pack on my head.