The "CALL"

Here's my attempt to preserve my moment of aniticipation and joy - forever

The Setting
I was at an "unconference" - Cerebrate 09 with a bunch of eclectic super acheivers in the Fort Hill Resort of Kumbalgarh, Rajasthan, India. The "coveted" phonecall from Tourism Queensland announcing the top 10 (and then they made it top15) finalists was due at 10pm to 11pm UTC(*GMT) April 2nd - which roughly translated to 3:30am-4:30am IST on 3rd April .

The Anticipation

My cell phone didnt have range in the hills, somehow I found internet access and managed to mail TQ the landline number of the hotel room. And then it was just this really really LOONG Wait. Time hardly seemed to fly!With the anticipation of getting the phone call in the wee hours of the morning - sleep itself was in impossibility. It is true that the chase sometimes is more exciting than the catch itself. The process always seems to conquer the result. The excitement of anticipation will never match the happiness of the news. Its something which has to be felt to understood. Have you ever felt like this??

The Faux Pas

The phone call didnt come at the planned time, and with dissapointment, disdain and restlessness, I trooped up and down the poolside until my body was giving in and so I finally decided to get some shut eye. The joke next day was that apparently I was sleep talking too (*says the CEO of Iridium - Sriram - My Roomate - the first to get the news) . Of course its a possibility. I was going through a rainbow of emotions including surprise, anxiety, dejection, stress, restlessness, confusion, amazement , shock, sadness and detatchment. Its no surprise that I wasnt mouthing my innermost, deepest feelings in my sleep! *sigh*

The Call

At around 6:30, The hotel front office calls me and tells me that I have a call from Australia. In my semi-groggy, semi-hypnotised state - I could hardly believe my ears when the voice on the other end said - "Hello Anjaan - this is Mr. Anthony Hayes from Tourism Queensland. I still remember the feeling of bouncing out of my bed and wiping my face quickly, clearing my throat and being mentally ready - or not - for what was to come.

The Prank

I guess he sensed my shock and disbelief and after hearing me profusely apologise for not being reachable on my cell phone - he said "This call is to say you didnt make it - we tried to call you but since you didnt pick up - we gave it to someone else" Usually I'm the one who throws fast ones at people - but this time it was him who got me. Hook Line and sinker! Phew! After 5Seconds of Dead Silence from my end I guess he realised that I was still shocked speechless and decided to give me the good news. I quiet dont remember how the rest of the conversation went, but I remember thanking him profusely and now am hoping that I was coherent in whatever i was saying! lol

The Next Step

Yup! Thats how I found out I was IN! Now Im part of top15 Finalists and now am headed to OZ on the 1st of May for the finals. This blog will give you constant updates on all that happens from here onwards. I hope you'll keep me company through this exciting journey! :)