Its that time of the year when seniors are remembered. The one whom you hated for leaving his white gigantic small-clothes in the loo. The one who saw right through you when you walked by him. And many others. I talked to a senior and he transformed the stuff I had written about my summer project beyond my belief. I mean, its easier to believe that Jayalalitha was an actress once! [ and a fit one at that!]
CVs, companies, PPTs. The trio that decides many destinies. Not to forget interviews where, it is said, the true traits pop out. Uiii ma! If the interviewer is a good looking lady, I am doomed.
Its also that time when people find pleasure in poking fun at me.
"Why are you alone in the mess?"
"What is the story? what is the status?"
"Treat treat treat"
The first two are only harbingers of the Grand Inquisition, which I have so far avoided. It is the last one that really makes the baniya inside me flinch with fear. Say that again!? As it is, living on this earth is such an expensive proposition. Why complicate it?
A recent conversation with Sis centered on the convo. And I find it incredible that my stay at this place is coming to an end. It looks like just yesterday when I moved out of IITK. And today, another moving out... But sis had other things and questions in mind. "You don't have anyone in mind, do you?" "That girl, what happened to her" "You are not telling me the truth!"
A few more of these and a digit would be added to my phone bill for the month. The figure at present is sufficient to disqualify me from several baniya communities!
I dont know what is Core
because GameTheory is bore
Warehouse dont matter to me
Its only such insanity
Leadership and Vision are gigantic shit
in 22 minutes I humbly quit
Economics is dull and slow
I only wait for the time to go
Those trembling limbs and pounding heart
Is such a work of God's art
Snuggled in the arms of quiet,
I wish I could forever hide...
.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Monday, December 25, 2006
Back to old ways in Wimwi-pur
Wimwi-pur is awash with the cries of phoren-return junta. Their eyes are still gung-ho with the memories of the beauty [and beauties] of Europe. I took a walk along the brick laden campus and the feeling of having arrived really arrived. I mean, I expected to feel wonderment at why I had landed in a brick factory. Instead, I felt as if I had never gone anywhere. Only the faces seemed new.
But I can't really call these ways old. They are so new, its almost like a dream. Sapnon ka mahal. Khayali Pulao? That last word brings back such vibrant memories of the frantic activities that used to take place at dinner time in Tauschie Dorm. Onion getting sliced to pieces, old dishes being cleaned, new recipes being mulled over. . .
And I return to the old question I once mulled over. Yes, people do get incredibly lucky at times. Like the time when I got sick and the doctors said, "Ise dawa ki nahi, dua ki zarurat hai". Or when I almost sank into a water tank like a polythene bag full of wet mud but was rescued just-in-time.
People do get lucky at times.
People now ask me if some developments have taken place. Oh come on, we live in a developing country. What do you expect?
On other developments, Ghalibiano has developed a soft corner [or rather, a 3 bhk chumree] for a certain French girl, widely known in WHU for her oui sounds and uiimaa! looks.
Strato's bheja is turning out to be tastier than the mess food here. And I am no less than hooked. While her threats to ban remind me of a certain Mr Khomeini, I have a demonstrated capability of lift and throw. Now, that is deadly. So deadly, its wise for people to buy medical insurance policies by the dozens.
What is real, and what is true,
until it gets all over you?
Ah this feeling, so divine,
never thought she would be mine!
But I can't really call these ways old. They are so new, its almost like a dream. Sapnon ka mahal. Khayali Pulao? That last word brings back such vibrant memories of the frantic activities that used to take place at dinner time in Tauschie Dorm. Onion getting sliced to pieces, old dishes being cleaned, new recipes being mulled over. . .
And I return to the old question I once mulled over. Yes, people do get incredibly lucky at times. Like the time when I got sick and the doctors said, "Ise dawa ki nahi, dua ki zarurat hai". Or when I almost sank into a water tank like a polythene bag full of wet mud but was rescued just-in-time.
People do get lucky at times.
People now ask me if some developments have taken place. Oh come on, we live in a developing country. What do you expect?
On other developments, Ghalibiano has developed a soft corner [or rather, a 3 bhk chumree] for a certain French girl, widely known in WHU for her oui sounds and uiimaa! looks.
Strato's bheja is turning out to be tastier than the mess food here. And I am no less than hooked. While her threats to ban remind me of a certain Mr Khomeini, I have a demonstrated capability of lift and throw. Now, that is deadly. So deadly, its wise for people to buy medical insurance policies by the dozens.
What is real, and what is true,
until it gets all over you?
Ah this feeling, so divine,
never thought she would be mine!
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Back to apna desh...
When we boarded the flight in Frankfurt at 11 am, it was 8C outside. Slightly raining, and cold winds were blowing. And before we landed in Mumbai, the stewardess made an announcement that made my heart melt. The outside temperature in Mumbai was 28C, and this was at midnight! Even the thought of noon hours left me flinching. The sweater and jacket that I had put on were now hanging on my shoulders.
I couldn't have asked for a warmer welcome on return to apna desh!
The first thought that comes to one's mind [apart from 'Oh! so we have finally arrived' ] is , 'Oh, Mumbai airport isn't even as good as many railway stations in Germany'. True indeed. The number of shops in Cologne hauptbahnof [central station ] would put any decent sized mall in India to shame.
But this pessimism doesn't last long as you begin to imagine about the implications of your having arrived. Ah, so&so is gonna be around in 2 days. Ah, we can go to so&so place and hog. And oh, I can clear my backlog of movies, and talk to didi and bhaiya without worrying so much about the time. And finally, no more multiplying prices by 60!
Its already been 2 days since I came here. Acclimatization to the new surroundings didn't take long though. The cool air from ceiling fans, the taste of roti smeared in ghee, the not-so-odorless air, the horny cars and bikes and not having to cook before eating or wash dishes after eating!
And now, I am sitting in my room, eating sleeping and watching movies. Only few things can make life more fun, and they'll all come an eon later!
I stumbled upon this piece and I think its among the most beautiful juxtapositions of words I have ever come across:
"If there's ever a time that I should learn everything you
know, I will unlearn everything I know and start all over again.
The time shall never come when you cease to amaze me,
amuse me or excite me."
I couldn't have asked for a warmer welcome on return to apna desh!
The first thought that comes to one's mind [apart from 'Oh! so we have finally arrived' ] is , 'Oh, Mumbai airport isn't even as good as many railway stations in Germany'. True indeed. The number of shops in Cologne hauptbahnof [central station ] would put any decent sized mall in India to shame.
But this pessimism doesn't last long as you begin to imagine about the implications of your having arrived. Ah, so&so is gonna be around in 2 days. Ah, we can go to so&so place and hog. And oh, I can clear my backlog of movies, and talk to didi and bhaiya without worrying so much about the time. And finally, no more multiplying prices by 60!
Its already been 2 days since I came here. Acclimatization to the new surroundings didn't take long though. The cool air from ceiling fans, the taste of roti smeared in ghee, the not-so-odorless air, the horny cars and bikes and not having to cook before eating or wash dishes after eating!
And now, I am sitting in my room, eating sleeping and watching movies. Only few things can make life more fun, and they'll all come an eon later!
I stumbled upon this piece and I think its among the most beautiful juxtapositions of words I have ever come across:
"If there's ever a time that I should learn everything you
know, I will unlearn everything I know and start all over again.
The time shall never come when you cease to amaze me,
amuse me or excite me."
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Last day @ WHU
And just like a flash, the time to say goodbye has come. Actually I am saying this just to feel pleasant about my stay here. I now know that the theory of relativity isn't as bizarre as it sounds. Its very much for real; the last few days have been as long a year each!
In fact, I wonder why people have not been updating their blogs. Most of the people on my blog roll haven't updated in many days. A good, albeit poignant post came up in Smoochy's blog and it struck a chord in my mind.
Some people really do stand out, and that they stand out does not take time to figure out. You instantly trust them and you trust them without misgivings. And it doesn't matter whether or how they reciprocate. You recall the remotest memories from your childhood because you are no more afraid of being stupid. And even the darkest corners of your heart are accessible to them on a coffee table. God forbid, you know in your heart that whatever comes of it, it would all be worth it. For in those sweetest moments, when you are yourself without any masks and are loved for what you are, lie the treasures that can last a long, long time.
Speaking of other concerns, packing all my stuff within the space and weight constraints is turning out to be a tricky business. The Swiss and Belgian chocolates, the gifts and souvenirs are all packed. I have skillfully packaged the glass stuff, and positioned the PlasterofParis statue. And feel like a mule who is about to carry all that luggage. Well, at least the cabin luggage would need to be carried around at times, and my gawd, it IS heavy!
It feels great to be leaving this place before the real chill has set in. Come to think of it, even my definition of 'the real chill' has changed. The 4-5 C that we frequently live in doesn't seem like an aberration. May be the 30C temperature at Mumbai will thaw a lot more than just packed chocolates!
Fodder for the chewy minds:
Oh, like it was meant to be,
a lonely heart by a lonely sea,
The sinking sun, then almost gone
and waves worn out of rocking on.
Its then that you stumbled on me,
on a dark night, by the lonely sea.
I waved across, you smiled at me
and filled my floundering heart with glee.
In those thoughts and words you said
You painted me all bright and red !
Since then I never thought of me
as a loner, walking by the sea...
.
In fact, I wonder why people have not been updating their blogs. Most of the people on my blog roll haven't updated in many days. A good, albeit poignant post came up in Smoochy's blog and it struck a chord in my mind.
Some people really do stand out, and that they stand out does not take time to figure out. You instantly trust them and you trust them without misgivings. And it doesn't matter whether or how they reciprocate. You recall the remotest memories from your childhood because you are no more afraid of being stupid. And even the darkest corners of your heart are accessible to them on a coffee table. God forbid, you know in your heart that whatever comes of it, it would all be worth it. For in those sweetest moments, when you are yourself without any masks and are loved for what you are, lie the treasures that can last a long, long time.
Speaking of other concerns, packing all my stuff within the space and weight constraints is turning out to be a tricky business. The Swiss and Belgian chocolates, the gifts and souvenirs are all packed. I have skillfully packaged the glass stuff, and positioned the PlasterofParis statue. And feel like a mule who is about to carry all that luggage. Well, at least the cabin luggage would need to be carried around at times, and my gawd, it IS heavy!
It feels great to be leaving this place before the real chill has set in. Come to think of it, even my definition of 'the real chill' has changed. The 4-5 C that we frequently live in doesn't seem like an aberration. May be the 30C temperature at Mumbai will thaw a lot more than just packed chocolates!
Fodder for the chewy minds:
Oh, like it was meant to be,
a lonely heart by a lonely sea,
The sinking sun, then almost gone
and waves worn out of rocking on.
Its then that you stumbled on me,
on a dark night, by the lonely sea.
I waved across, you smiled at me
and filled my floundering heart with glee.
In those thoughts and words you said
You painted me all bright and red !
Since then I never thought of me
as a loner, walking by the sea...
.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Experiences in Europe - Part 2
It was around a year back that I signed up for an exchange program. Many of my friends who had initially shown interest had backed off. And I felt a little stranded. While the thought of going back to Europe sounded interesting, the financial implications were daunting. I was going to drill a hole the size of Bombay High into my future earnings. And all this, when I wasn't even sure what job I would land , how much I would earn and so on. In the end, I decided to take the risk even though I had come to consider as incredible the idea that I would be leaving all my friends behind.
The first thing one notices about Germany is cleanliness. The next blink on the radar screen is the use of technology in simplifying the most mundane tasks. And then you notice the subtlety of German humor, the German beer and bread, the polished politeness, the almost religious following of traffic rules, the blandness of food, sometimes even the racial overtones, the high standards of living, the low cost of food, the culture of family, the contempt bordering on scorn for the old, the efficient public transport system and the fickle weather.
If you stand in front of a zebra crossing without traffic lights, even a speeding car will stop to give you the right to passage. And people do that with a smile. You will only rarely hear people honking - it is considered the equivalent of swearing. If you do money transfers [not the online version], you will also notice that the banking system here is not so fast. In most offices, one can find people almost always on time, though Friday after lunch hours are exempt from this consideration. Technology dissipation as also internet penetration is high.
The thing that makes Germany so mobile is its efficient public transport. DB, the national train company offers trains that run on time, train connections that are very methodically scheduled and train staff that are courteous and helpful. Within cities, howsoever small, one can find a backbone of buses that run with high frequency. In most cities, the bus network is supplemented by trams, metro trains and local trains. However, don't bother to think about the complex classification system for trains.
Tourism in Europe is facilitated tremendously by the unbeatable combination of great value travel offers, efficient transport systems and easily available information. For instance, we bought the two month unlimited Eurail pass. With that, we could travel in any of the 18 countries, for 2 months. The only extra payment would be for the reservation or sometimes for the supplements. While ours was a hit-and-run kind of tourism, necessitated in part by the desire to compress as many tours as possible in the 2 months, anyone who travels extensively can save enormous amount of euros using travel passes. In short, extensive travel is cheap, one time travel is costly. Sometimes, it is outrageously costly !
Speed and comfort: When we cruised in the international ICE train from Brussels to Cologne, we realised what acceleration does to body. The neck becomes a little stiff, the ears frequently block out, and you can feel your back pressed against the seat. But the ride is almost as smooth as a glide, even at such speeds. We missed sitting in the TGV trains in France, but I am sure we did get to travel at around 270kmph on that ICE. Another pleasant aspect of travel in Europe is that there are very few people in the train, unless there is some special occasion. So, empty seats are aplenty and there almost always is space to stretch out. Watch out for Italy though. Trains there can get late, they are often crowded and petty crimes are frequent.
A sense of history: Pantheon was built around 50BC and Collosseum was built around 70AD. Its a brilliant feat the Greeks have achieved by building such long lasting structures. You might argue that even Ajanta and Ellora caves have survived, but these are architectural wonders. Huge, intricate and imposing.
A pleasant climate: While the weather is unpredictable, the climate is very amenable to tourism, except during the extreme winters. The vegetation that grows in this climate varies from trees that shed their leaves to trees that remain green throughout the year. Hence the variety of colors. There is no dust in the air, and pollution levels are low, hence it is difficult to make out how long someone has been wearing some dress. So you can manage with a lighter luggage.
Various moods: Romance in Parisian lanes or Venetian gondolas, wonder at monuments like Eiffel Tower and St. Peter's, bask in nature's beauty in Switzerland, explore the mysteries of BlackForests, experience the weather beyond the Arctic Circle by going to Rovaniemi or gawk at the technological marvels. There's something that suits every taste. And there is no dearth of activities.
I guess thats an inch too long. Should end the verbal spew now.
Meanwhile, 5 more days!
The first thing one notices about Germany is cleanliness. The next blink on the radar screen is the use of technology in simplifying the most mundane tasks. And then you notice the subtlety of German humor, the German beer and bread, the polished politeness, the almost religious following of traffic rules, the blandness of food, sometimes even the racial overtones, the high standards of living, the low cost of food, the culture of family, the contempt bordering on scorn for the old, the efficient public transport system and the fickle weather.
If you stand in front of a zebra crossing without traffic lights, even a speeding car will stop to give you the right to passage. And people do that with a smile. You will only rarely hear people honking - it is considered the equivalent of swearing. If you do money transfers [not the online version], you will also notice that the banking system here is not so fast. In most offices, one can find people almost always on time, though Friday after lunch hours are exempt from this consideration. Technology dissipation as also internet penetration is high.
The thing that makes Germany so mobile is its efficient public transport. DB, the national train company offers trains that run on time, train connections that are very methodically scheduled and train staff that are courteous and helpful. Within cities, howsoever small, one can find a backbone of buses that run with high frequency. In most cities, the bus network is supplemented by trams, metro trains and local trains. However, don't bother to think about the complex classification system for trains.
Tourism in Europe is facilitated tremendously by the unbeatable combination of great value travel offers, efficient transport systems and easily available information. For instance, we bought the two month unlimited Eurail pass. With that, we could travel in any of the 18 countries, for 2 months. The only extra payment would be for the reservation or sometimes for the supplements. While ours was a hit-and-run kind of tourism, necessitated in part by the desire to compress as many tours as possible in the 2 months, anyone who travels extensively can save enormous amount of euros using travel passes. In short, extensive travel is cheap, one time travel is costly. Sometimes, it is outrageously costly !
Speed and comfort: When we cruised in the international ICE train from Brussels to Cologne, we realised what acceleration does to body. The neck becomes a little stiff, the ears frequently block out, and you can feel your back pressed against the seat. But the ride is almost as smooth as a glide, even at such speeds. We missed sitting in the TGV trains in France, but I am sure we did get to travel at around 270kmph on that ICE. Another pleasant aspect of travel in Europe is that there are very few people in the train, unless there is some special occasion. So, empty seats are aplenty and there almost always is space to stretch out. Watch out for Italy though. Trains there can get late, they are often crowded and petty crimes are frequent.
A sense of history: Pantheon was built around 50BC and Collosseum was built around 70AD. Its a brilliant feat the Greeks have achieved by building such long lasting structures. You might argue that even Ajanta and Ellora caves have survived, but these are architectural wonders. Huge, intricate and imposing.
A pleasant climate: While the weather is unpredictable, the climate is very amenable to tourism, except during the extreme winters. The vegetation that grows in this climate varies from trees that shed their leaves to trees that remain green throughout the year. Hence the variety of colors. There is no dust in the air, and pollution levels are low, hence it is difficult to make out how long someone has been wearing some dress. So you can manage with a lighter luggage.
Various moods: Romance in Parisian lanes or Venetian gondolas, wonder at monuments like Eiffel Tower and St. Peter's, bask in nature's beauty in Switzerland, explore the mysteries of BlackForests, experience the weather beyond the Arctic Circle by going to Rovaniemi or gawk at the technological marvels. There's something that suits every taste. And there is no dearth of activities.
I guess thats an inch too long. Should end the verbal spew now.
Meanwhile, 5 more days!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
The Lull ...
... before the storm?
I don't know.
I have failed a covert mission last week. And I may have compromised my identity to FSB.
I will ruffle many a feather when the news of my daylight robbery spreads.
Who knows, one of my sneaky plans might incite the ex-gymnasts from UP into plonking me in broad daylight!
Any of these would be more exciting than the current lull in my life. And the only activities in the next 6 days that will break this monotony are cleaning up the kitchen, making the oven's exposed surface shine like Anupam Kher's takli, packing my suitcase and cleaning my room. Quite a wishlist, and irrespective of whether you think it is sad or weird, I am actually looking forward to these activities.
Khali dimag, stoopid shaitan ka ghar!
KamJo knows how to make hearts melt. And without casting aspersions on either his tendencies or mine, I must admit that he is one of the few people who have the ability to make me feel really special with their compliments. Like he did with his comments on my previous blog. Vielen Danke, Herr Joshi!
The boredom is aggravated by the conspiracy of these people at thinks.com. I play the codebreaker and crossword puzzles on this website almost daily. And now, they have reduced the number of initial hints in codebreaker from 3 to 2. So, from a position where I could finish the codebreaker in anywhere between 1 min to 3 mins, now I struggle to finish it at all. I end up having to do at least one 'reveal letter' cheat but I am going to beat it one day. About the regular crossword, the lesser said the better.
Its that time of my stay here when these realisations dawn:
"Oh no, how am I supposed to take these glass thingies without getting them manhandled and heartbroken by zaalim luggage handlers at AirIndia?"
"Oh holy smoke, what am I gonna gift so&so? Why didn't I buy something when I went giftshopping? How could I be so insanely stupid?"
"Should I buy more chocolates?"
Ghanta leaves for apna mulk tomm. That only aggravates the longing to be back to what I call my home [and home away from home].
~Sigh~
I don't know.
I have failed a covert mission last week. And I may have compromised my identity to FSB.
I will ruffle many a feather when the news of my daylight robbery spreads.
Who knows, one of my sneaky plans might incite the ex-gymnasts from UP into plonking me in broad daylight!
Any of these would be more exciting than the current lull in my life. And the only activities in the next 6 days that will break this monotony are cleaning up the kitchen, making the oven's exposed surface shine like Anupam Kher's takli, packing my suitcase and cleaning my room. Quite a wishlist, and irrespective of whether you think it is sad or weird, I am actually looking forward to these activities.
Khali dimag, stoopid shaitan ka ghar!
KamJo knows how to make hearts melt. And without casting aspersions on either his tendencies or mine, I must admit that he is one of the few people who have the ability to make me feel really special with their compliments. Like he did with his comments on my previous blog. Vielen Danke, Herr Joshi!
The boredom is aggravated by the conspiracy of these people at thinks.com. I play the codebreaker and crossword puzzles on this website almost daily. And now, they have reduced the number of initial hints in codebreaker from 3 to 2. So, from a position where I could finish the codebreaker in anywhere between 1 min to 3 mins, now I struggle to finish it at all. I end up having to do at least one 'reveal letter' cheat but I am going to beat it one day. About the regular crossword, the lesser said the better.
Its that time of my stay here when these realisations dawn:
"Oh no, how am I supposed to take these glass thingies without getting them manhandled and heartbroken by zaalim luggage handlers at AirIndia?"
"Oh holy smoke, what am I gonna gift so&so? Why didn't I buy something when I went giftshopping? How could I be so insanely stupid?"
"Should I buy more chocolates?"
Ghanta leaves for apna mulk tomm. That only aggravates the longing to be back to what I call my home [and home away from home].
~Sigh~
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Experiences in Europe - Part 1
KamJo asked me to share some of my wonderful experiences from the Eurotrip. I think its high time I did.
But since there was so much that we saw, I will first talk about what we saw. And this post will be full of links to photos that illustrate all the superlatives that I am going to use. We all know how many words a picture can speak!
Beautiful Natural landscapes: Switzerland is by far, the most beautiful place in Europe, especially if you arrive during autumn. There's something about European trees that gives them leaves of vivid colors. And when fall comes, you can see just about every color hanging from the trees. Put a blue lake and a beautiful and snow-capped mountain in the backdrop and you would know what I am talking about.
However, more vivid and beautiful colors can easily be seen in Scandinavia. In the northern regions of Finland and Norway, especially if you drive in the country side, you will feel like you are inside a giant rainbow. Only, the colors are all intermixed making it the among the most beautiful natural kaleidoscopes. Similarly, though not quite equally beautiful scenes are to be seen in the BlackForest region in Germany.
Recommendations:
The bus ride from Haparanda to Lulea, both in Sweden. Quite easily among your most endearing view of Mother Nature's colors.
The train ride from Lucerne to Interlaken in Switzerland, called the 'Golden Panoramic Pass' and dubbed the most beautiful train ride. Hop off at Brienz and stay there for 2 days, doing nothing except gazing at the scenery, and I assure you, no landscape will ever look beautiful enough.
Close in competition is the train ride from Oslo to Bergen in Norway. As the train chugs along, the landscape keeps changing, and you see green mountains, golden forests and snow covered regions in this one ride. And to top it all, you reach Bergen which is famous for its fjords.
Beautiful Urban Landscape: If I were to call one city beautiful, it would be Venice. For the weak hearted, it is enchanting to say the least. Canals and pigeons abound in this city, as do gondolas. A ride in a gondola with your loved one is among the most romantic things ever [along with Parisian adventures]. And if you come to Venice and don't notice the special things about Venetian masks and Murano glass, you must be incredibly stupid or completely blind.
On the more modern side is Stockholm, which is beautiful for the magnificient juxtaposition of the old with the new. Walk along the seaside, venture into the museums or watch the Royal Guard Change ceremony at the Royal Palace. Or gaze and marvel at the modern buildings. For those who are still wonderfully single, it would be interesting to note that Swedish ladies are amongst the most beautiful in Europe, alongwith Greek, Spanish and Italians.
Imposing Architecture: Quite clearly, a city which has a history of many millennia can be tough to beat on this count. Rome stands out as the city with innumerable imposing monuments. From those that are old enough to be ancient, may be even prehistoric, to the newer ones. From St Peters's Square to Collosseum to Acropolis. While the Basilica is simply stunning, other lesser known monuments are also very big and beautiful.
Paris and Rome are architecturally the two most well endowed cities in all of Europe.
Mercedes Museum: The multi-storeyed museum in Stuttgart is simply among the best structures in Germany. Technologically advance and aesthetically well designed, its the mecca for Mercedes lovers. It houses a dazzling variety of cars - from the first ones degined by Otto to the concept cars.
This is what I saw. In a next post, I will talk about how I felt.
Meanwhile, through a noble but sudden scheme of things, I realised how awfully bad I am at impersonating people, even through the web channel. To my credit, the impersonation was across genders :O and I was talking to Strato, so I was excited and typing at supersonic speed! :))
Also, I am almost done with the gift shopping. For myself, I have bought a plaster of paris statue which I liked, but needs to be clothed a little before I can put it up for public display in my room.
And here's one of the best quips I have heard in some time :
Me: But I put in so much effort to produce these PJs and you don't even appreciate that.
X: Arrey yaar, "in constipation, even crap is hard to produce"
But since there was so much that we saw, I will first talk about what we saw. And this post will be full of links to photos that illustrate all the superlatives that I am going to use. We all know how many words a picture can speak!
Beautiful Natural landscapes: Switzerland is by far, the most beautiful place in Europe, especially if you arrive during autumn. There's something about European trees that gives them leaves of vivid colors. And when fall comes, you can see just about every color hanging from the trees. Put a blue lake and a beautiful and snow-capped mountain in the backdrop and you would know what I am talking about.
However, more vivid and beautiful colors can easily be seen in Scandinavia. In the northern regions of Finland and Norway, especially if you drive in the country side, you will feel like you are inside a giant rainbow. Only, the colors are all intermixed making it the among the most beautiful natural kaleidoscopes. Similarly, though not quite equally beautiful scenes are to be seen in the BlackForest region in Germany.
Recommendations:
The bus ride from Haparanda to Lulea, both in Sweden. Quite easily among your most endearing view of Mother Nature's colors.
The train ride from Lucerne to Interlaken in Switzerland, called the 'Golden Panoramic Pass' and dubbed the most beautiful train ride. Hop off at Brienz and stay there for 2 days, doing nothing except gazing at the scenery, and I assure you, no landscape will ever look beautiful enough.
Close in competition is the train ride from Oslo to Bergen in Norway. As the train chugs along, the landscape keeps changing, and you see green mountains, golden forests and snow covered regions in this one ride. And to top it all, you reach Bergen which is famous for its fjords.
Beautiful Urban Landscape: If I were to call one city beautiful, it would be Venice. For the weak hearted, it is enchanting to say the least. Canals and pigeons abound in this city, as do gondolas. A ride in a gondola with your loved one is among the most romantic things ever [along with Parisian adventures]. And if you come to Venice and don't notice the special things about Venetian masks and Murano glass, you must be incredibly stupid or completely blind.
On the more modern side is Stockholm, which is beautiful for the magnificient juxtaposition of the old with the new. Walk along the seaside, venture into the museums or watch the Royal Guard Change ceremony at the Royal Palace. Or gaze and marvel at the modern buildings. For those who are still wonderfully single, it would be interesting to note that Swedish ladies are amongst the most beautiful in Europe, alongwith Greek, Spanish and Italians.
Imposing Architecture: Quite clearly, a city which has a history of many millennia can be tough to beat on this count. Rome stands out as the city with innumerable imposing monuments. From those that are old enough to be ancient, may be even prehistoric, to the newer ones. From St Peters's Square to Collosseum to Acropolis. While the Basilica is simply stunning, other lesser known monuments are also very big and beautiful.
Paris and Rome are architecturally the two most well endowed cities in all of Europe.
Mercedes Museum: The multi-storeyed museum in Stuttgart is simply among the best structures in Germany. Technologically advance and aesthetically well designed, its the mecca for Mercedes lovers. It houses a dazzling variety of cars - from the first ones degined by Otto to the concept cars.
This is what I saw. In a next post, I will talk about how I felt.
Meanwhile, through a noble but sudden scheme of things, I realised how awfully bad I am at impersonating people, even through the web channel. To my credit, the impersonation was across genders :O and I was talking to Strato, so I was excited and typing at supersonic speed! :))
Also, I am almost done with the gift shopping. For myself, I have bought a plaster of paris statue which I liked, but needs to be clothed a little before I can put it up for public display in my room.
And here's one of the best quips I have heard in some time :
Me: But I put in so much effort to produce these PJs and you don't even appreciate that.
X: Arrey yaar, "in constipation, even crap is hard to produce"
Friday, December 01, 2006
Bunder-fool
Weeks of idleness can make a bunder-fool out of any sane person. I am trying to remember the last time when my IQ wasn't in the sub-zero region. My own jokes are becoming yuckier [like they show in Bollywood movies, I have begun hearing echoes of 'eww eww' in my dreams]. However, I didn't like Borat. Nopes, not at all. Letterman's interview with Borat was funny, but thats about all.
Intermittently, I am propounding theories. Life's like a bicycle ride, na!? You go too fast and you risk an accident. You go too slow and you fall. And unless you know where you are going, you are bound to crash into something you didn't foresee.
Like this one time when my didi crashed straight into a rustic lady, who was on her way carrying groceries to the market for selling. And there can be few things more unwanted than crashing into ladies in Banda. If it had been me instead of didi, I would be wearing a wig by now.
It looks like just yesterday when we were standing in front of a noticeboard, looking for group members. That was one of the first few days at IIMA. And now, the last term will start in less than 3 weeks. So much has changed. I entered some 'circles of trust' and exited some. Somethings haven't changed so much. My weight still refuses to cross the magic figure of 53. I still like to surprise people. And my plans are stil foiled by fate.
I guess the next 12 days are going to be the longest so far!
Who gripes too hard the dry and slipp'ry sand, Holds none at all, or little, in his hand. - Robert Herrick
Intermittently, I am propounding theories. Life's like a bicycle ride, na!? You go too fast and you risk an accident. You go too slow and you fall. And unless you know where you are going, you are bound to crash into something you didn't foresee.
Like this one time when my didi crashed straight into a rustic lady, who was on her way carrying groceries to the market for selling. And there can be few things more unwanted than crashing into ladies in Banda. If it had been me instead of didi, I would be wearing a wig by now.
It looks like just yesterday when we were standing in front of a noticeboard, looking for group members. That was one of the first few days at IIMA. And now, the last term will start in less than 3 weeks. So much has changed. I entered some 'circles of trust' and exited some. Somethings haven't changed so much. My weight still refuses to cross the magic figure of 53. I still like to surprise people. And my plans are stil foiled by fate.
I guess the next 12 days are going to be the longest so far!
Who gripes too hard the dry and slipp'ry sand, Holds none at all, or little, in his hand. - Robert Herrick
Monday, November 27, 2006
Al Italia
I can bet that 99% of the o-sounds originating on globe come from Italians. So much so, Ghalibiano has begun to sound more natural a sound than Ghalib.
We just came back from a three day trip to the land of pizzas, the o-sounds and so on. Roma was enchanting, Venezia was interesting and Milano was haute coutour-ish.
But I still can't believe I had the spaghetti with sea-food. I almost thought I saw something wriggle. And one of the pieces almost looked like the claw of a duck. I somehow managed to eat it and avoided all the suspicious looking pieces. Not to mention the sidey looks others gave when I struggled with the noodles. Did I tell you I hate spaghetti !?
I also liked the idea of throwing coins in the famous Trevis Fountain. Felt like a kid. I actually frown upon this tradition in most places , but this one time, I let it be. And it felt great. The best part was actually thinking that if there were one wish I wanted, what would it be! Enter Grandma.
I just had an idea of jotting down some of the phrases that I have liked over the years. Here they are:
" ...
For what I worshipped stole my love away
It was the ground beneath her feet
..."
from U2's "The ground beneath her feet"
"And he beamed with a desire that was so fiercely intense,
his eyes burnt ."
"More than you can understand, others can believe or I can express..."
"Love means never having to say you're sorry."
And now I don't have to reference this one, do I ?
"He smiled as he saw the drop of sweat trickle down her glistening face..."
"Here's looking at you, kid. "
from the movie Casablanca
"And though I want and could ask for everything, I just ask for your time. For its not only in the promise of a future, which is so uncertain anyway, but in the ecstacy of the present that I want to be with you. I wish this could last forever. I wish this didn't have to change just because God had other plans."
We just came back from a three day trip to the land of pizzas, the o-sounds and so on. Roma was enchanting, Venezia was interesting and Milano was haute coutour-ish.
But I still can't believe I had the spaghetti with sea-food. I almost thought I saw something wriggle. And one of the pieces almost looked like the claw of a duck. I somehow managed to eat it and avoided all the suspicious looking pieces. Not to mention the sidey looks others gave when I struggled with the noodles. Did I tell you I hate spaghetti !?
I also liked the idea of throwing coins in the famous Trevis Fountain. Felt like a kid. I actually frown upon this tradition in most places , but this one time, I let it be. And it felt great. The best part was actually thinking that if there were one wish I wanted, what would it be! Enter Grandma.
I just had an idea of jotting down some of the phrases that I have liked over the years. Here they are:
" ...
For what I worshipped stole my love away
It was the ground beneath her feet
..."
from U2's "The ground beneath her feet"
"And he beamed with a desire that was so fiercely intense,
his eyes burnt ."
"More than you can understand, others can believe or I can express..."
"Love means never having to say you're sorry."
And now I don't have to reference this one, do I ?
"He smiled as he saw the drop of sweat trickle down her glistening face..."
"Here's looking at you, kid. "
from the movie Casablanca
"And though I want and could ask for everything, I just ask for your time. For its not only in the promise of a future, which is so uncertain anyway, but in the ecstacy of the present that I want to be with you. I wish this could last forever. I wish this didn't have to change just because God had other plans."
Monday, November 20, 2006
Wingies at IITK...
A consecutive set of rooms in IITK hostels is called wing. It is normally the first level of platonic bonding on campus. You see the same people when you brush your teeth, and you bid them goodnight. You probably also sleep with them sometimes, when your brother visits you. You go out on dinner treats [to mess or beyond] and trips to other places. You begin to love them.
This is my wing:
We were an eclectic bunch of people, ranging from one who couldn't distinguish between contraceptive pills and kaun-domes to the one who was famous as the complete man. One was alleged to have distinctly girlish choice of colors and other stuff while one pushed heavy iron in the gym. The latter had a chest to show, and later, he supposedly even had breast cancer! We had a badshah among us as also the guy who wore only full sleeve shirts, or thats how the juniors recognised him. There was a budding goalkeeper, a talented AOL chat specialist with friends named kerala, bangalore and so on, a hawa-22 who was a mentor to many an IITian, a reputed contributor to wikipedia and a reincarnation of Jonty Rhodes. Not to forget, the only IITK MTech amongst us, whose legendary thighs and cake cooking skills were the envy of many a girl !
We are all in our own worlds, some doing jobs, others MBA and the rest sweating it out for MS/PhD.
But I miss them all.
Its been over a year and a half since I saw most of them. I met one, and saw that his biology had improved, as also his acquaintance with girls. The ones with jobs are doing well. Badshah is doing well with wing bhabhiji. [The real one, not the one to whom this moniker had stuck!]
This one doesn't seem to have had a good luck with photography:
Not to be misconstrued, I intend no slander. I possess no malice. But I want to have some fun.
Another photo is in place here:
With best wishes to one and all. Hope to bump into you somewhere, sometime soon!
This is my wing:
We were an eclectic bunch of people, ranging from one who couldn't distinguish between contraceptive pills and kaun-domes to the one who was famous as the complete man. One was alleged to have distinctly girlish choice of colors and other stuff while one pushed heavy iron in the gym. The latter had a chest to show, and later, he supposedly even had breast cancer! We had a badshah among us as also the guy who wore only full sleeve shirts, or thats how the juniors recognised him. There was a budding goalkeeper, a talented AOL chat specialist with friends named kerala, bangalore and so on, a hawa-22 who was a mentor to many an IITian, a reputed contributor to wikipedia and a reincarnation of Jonty Rhodes. Not to forget, the only IITK MTech amongst us, whose legendary thighs and cake cooking skills were the envy of many a girl !We are all in our own worlds, some doing jobs, others MBA and the rest sweating it out for MS/PhD.
But I miss them all.
Its been over a year and a half since I saw most of them. I met one, and saw that his biology had improved, as also his acquaintance with girls. The ones with jobs are doing well. Badshah is doing well with wing bhabhiji. [The real one, not the one to whom this moniker had stuck!]
This one doesn't seem to have had a good luck with photography:
Not to be misconstrued, I intend no slander. I possess no malice. But I want to have some fun.
Another photo is in place here:
With best wishes to one and all. Hope to bump into you somewhere, sometime soon!
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Been blogrolling and nothin'
I guess I have had too much free time off late. The clothes were washed, dried and ironed out sometime back. The room is clean. There is no lecture in a week. No travel plan for 4 days.
Though I have been obsessively watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. episodes, I begin to feel like a desperate housewife. I want some work.
Its a pity the fellow banterer is busy herself. I look at the cobweb of friends around me and wonder at how small this world is. But it still gives me creeps. Nothing can be too good to be true, isn't it?
In my childhood, I used to dream about icecream fountains and chocolate walls. I dreamt of winning a lottery. Some people do win lottery, don't they? Some people do get unimaginably lucky sometimes, don't they? I thought I was lucky to be blessed with some things, but a strange thought once clouded me. What if I woke up one day and realised that it was all but a happy dream...?
Should I pick up some morphine now? Will that make the dream last forever?
A friend of Strato says its only as complicated as you make it. Thats a simple sentence. Or is it complicated?
I was reading a rather serious article. At least the kind of discussion it has evoked in the minds of some people does give that impression. The article is titled Should IITians keep away from IIMs? and the most interesting thing I found there was the mention of Bundelkhand University. Thats the university in my city, Banda. I couldn't help noticing how it was contrasted against IITs. I mean, should I feel happy for the IITs or should I feel sad about the univ. ! ! !?!?!
At this point in time, I guess I should be branded as the champion of the most ignominous debates. When they start discussing serious topics in small chitchats, all I think is "how does it matter what you think". May be what they did would matter, but in the words of my HR prof, I don't see the connect... between what they say and what they do.
That just ignited another thought. What would an exact opposite of me look like?
Someone who :
-is good at debates and quick repartee
-has hair that just refuse to settle down
-is athletic
-has a good taste in music
-is well learned in childhood literature and other serious-er forms of writing
-is interesting and has a good sense of humor
A law in physics says that there is a good chemistry between opposites. They attract, don't they? The description doesn't imply good things about me but still !
In my free time, I also discovered a few blogs. I liked mavernik for his was a good way of presenting a serious thought. Something even a naive [or knave, if you wish ] person like me could comprehend. This blog sounded more like a commentary inspired by Sex and the City for one post, but others are interesting. Or is it just the voyeurist in me :O !
...
Let them say I'm crazy,
What do they know!
...
Though I have been obsessively watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. episodes, I begin to feel like a desperate housewife. I want some work.
Its a pity the fellow banterer is busy herself. I look at the cobweb of friends around me and wonder at how small this world is. But it still gives me creeps. Nothing can be too good to be true, isn't it?
In my childhood, I used to dream about icecream fountains and chocolate walls. I dreamt of winning a lottery. Some people do win lottery, don't they? Some people do get unimaginably lucky sometimes, don't they? I thought I was lucky to be blessed with some things, but a strange thought once clouded me. What if I woke up one day and realised that it was all but a happy dream...?
Should I pick up some morphine now? Will that make the dream last forever?
A friend of Strato says its only as complicated as you make it. Thats a simple sentence. Or is it complicated?
I was reading a rather serious article. At least the kind of discussion it has evoked in the minds of some people does give that impression. The article is titled Should IITians keep away from IIMs? and the most interesting thing I found there was the mention of Bundelkhand University. Thats the university in my city, Banda. I couldn't help noticing how it was contrasted against IITs. I mean, should I feel happy for the IITs or should I feel sad about the univ. ! ! !?!?!
At this point in time, I guess I should be branded as the champion of the most ignominous debates. When they start discussing serious topics in small chitchats, all I think is "how does it matter what you think". May be what they did would matter, but in the words of my HR prof, I don't see the connect... between what they say and what they do.
That just ignited another thought. What would an exact opposite of me look like?
Someone who :
-is good at debates and quick repartee
-has hair that just refuse to settle down
-is athletic
-has a good taste in music
-is well learned in childhood literature and other serious-er forms of writing
-is interesting and has a good sense of humor
A law in physics says that there is a good chemistry between opposites. They attract, don't they? The description doesn't imply good things about me but still !
In my free time, I also discovered a few blogs. I liked mavernik for his was a good way of presenting a serious thought. Something even a naive [or knave, if you wish ] person like me could comprehend. This blog sounded more like a commentary inspired by Sex and the City for one post, but others are interesting. Or is it just the voyeurist in me :O !
...
Let them say I'm crazy,
What do they know!
...
Friday, November 17, 2006
The [Dis]Advantages of long hair.
First the advantages.
+My receding hairline isn't so visible. The havoc it can wreak on my prospects is considerably reduced. Something in my brain tells me that now I shouldn't worry about my prospects so much. But then, a bald face can do wonders, not excluding dissuading interested people!
+I don't feel so cold in the head. Its almost like wearing a woolen scarf.
+I am saving the precious euros I would have to spend on a visit to the barber. In the amount that it costs here, one can get a nice therapy/treatment done back home.
+Vatika Nariyal Tel Company has spotted me as their most prized customer.
And now the disadvantages.
-People with uncommon tendencies can take signals that I am not giving out. Some people will never appreciate the difference between metrosexual and homosexual!
-They poke into my eyes, at times irritating me so much that I pull at them, and shriek out with pain.
-They make me feel untidy, almost as much as a pair of smelling-like-hydrogen_sulphide socks do.
-I am afraid of asking some girls out for date, as I might end up being the one with the longer hair!
-Some of the thoughts I want to let go of get caught in them and stay literally at the back of my mind.
Disclaimer: Not everything stated here is factually correct! :P
.
+My receding hairline isn't so visible. The havoc it can wreak on my prospects is considerably reduced. Something in my brain tells me that now I shouldn't worry about my prospects so much. But then, a bald face can do wonders, not excluding dissuading interested people!
+I don't feel so cold in the head. Its almost like wearing a woolen scarf.
+I am saving the precious euros I would have to spend on a visit to the barber. In the amount that it costs here, one can get a nice therapy/treatment done back home.
+Vatika Nariyal Tel Company has spotted me as their most prized customer.
And now the disadvantages.
-People with uncommon tendencies can take signals that I am not giving out. Some people will never appreciate the difference between metrosexual and homosexual!
-They poke into my eyes, at times irritating me so much that I pull at them, and shriek out with pain.
-They make me feel untidy, almost as much as a pair of smelling-like-hydrogen_sulphide socks do.
-I am afraid of asking some girls out for date, as I might end up being the one with the longer hair!
-Some of the thoughts I want to let go of get caught in them and stay literally at the back of my mind.
Disclaimer: Not everything stated here is factually correct! :P
.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Life sciences !
Its one of those times that remind me that geography and physics are for real. The distances aren't just for the maps, as are the time differences. Flying isn't for humans in the real world.
Our life saviour McD turned devil for Strato, and she is down with illness. She is hot as well, and I am referring to her temperature. Here's wishing her the speediest journey back to the world of strong and healthy. :)
Life in Vallendar gaon has come to a standstill. Its the phase when the feeling dawns that the time to return is coming. A guy from IIMC has already gone. Few more will go in 2 weeks. We will be gone in another 2 weeks.
On looking back, I realise that both of my major investments, the Eurail pass and the laptop have turned out to be pretty worthwhile. I wouldn't have known that earth is such a beautiful planet if I hadn't made those investments. Without the laptop, the lousy lectures, dull evenings and boring afternoons would have been intolerable. And the beautiful morning afters would never have come. Without the Eurail pass, a Eurotrip would be unthinkable.
I look at CM and wonder. He is changed. At times, he tries to sound like a professor. Just this afternoon, I was making fun of his 5micron ego and he became serious. Quite a contrast from the usual him, he who laughs at his own jokes and sometimes is the only one laughing.
I was also wondering about why and how Chashmish hasn't featured here. He is a childhood buddy I was always proud of. His awareness of insider information so frequently gives him the upper hand in the battle of wit-less humor. Too much, however, can never be said about this gentleman. He is so naive, he confuses Casanova with Kournikova. And I feel utterly unsafe taking panga with him, so I will avoid more such descriptions! :D
I wish everyone had a brother and a sister like I do. An elder brother who recommends spending now and saving later, and an elder sister who just wouldn't let me live girlfriendlessly!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
The Swissing and the missing...
So we swissed some and missed some, but thats life.
I just came back from an enchanting trip to Switzerland. The most panoramic scenes were to be found on the stretch from Lucerne to Interlaken. We decided to ditch the ride to the top of Jungfrau peak, but ended up spending an hour in Brienz. I will let the photos do the rest of the talking...
If they keep saying Switzerland is a beautiful country, you better believe it. Build your expectations and they will be surpassed.
There are a couple of things one can't help noticing about the Swiss.
First things first. They understand that human beings have urges which need to be attended to every once in a while, and for which, backpackers on a shoestring budget may not be willing to shell out the precious euros [or Swiss Francs either!]. So they have made public toilets at convenient locations. And they are damn neat too.
The Swiss cows aren't so horny. Probably they have been vaccinated with sterlising hormones or something. Probably their horns don't grow so well. Contrast that with the sturdy and insanely horny cows of Ahmedabad, and probably the whole of Gujarat.
Switzerland is a rich country. You go to an information counter in the railway station, and get a printout for your query. You will feel it in the quality of the paper. You can also see it in the way public systems are managed. But after travelling to many European countries, one must concede it to the Germans that they have a talent for running an efficient railway network. DB trains mostly arrive on time, often with a difference of only a few seconds!
In exactly a month from now, I will fly back to apna desh. Even the thought seems so comforting. I won't be able to go back home, but I will at least break out this monotonous routine of cooking and eating. And fending for myself for most things!
I just came back from an enchanting trip to Switzerland. The most panoramic scenes were to be found on the stretch from Lucerne to Interlaken. We decided to ditch the ride to the top of Jungfrau peak, but ended up spending an hour in Brienz. I will let the photos do the rest of the talking...
If they keep saying Switzerland is a beautiful country, you better believe it. Build your expectations and they will be surpassed.
There are a couple of things one can't help noticing about the Swiss.
First things first. They understand that human beings have urges which need to be attended to every once in a while, and for which, backpackers on a shoestring budget may not be willing to shell out the precious euros [or Swiss Francs either!]. So they have made public toilets at convenient locations. And they are damn neat too.
The Swiss cows aren't so horny. Probably they have been vaccinated with sterlising hormones or something. Probably their horns don't grow so well. Contrast that with the sturdy and insanely horny cows of Ahmedabad, and probably the whole of Gujarat.
Switzerland is a rich country. You go to an information counter in the railway station, and get a printout for your query. You will feel it in the quality of the paper. You can also see it in the way public systems are managed. But after travelling to many European countries, one must concede it to the Germans that they have a talent for running an efficient railway network. DB trains mostly arrive on time, often with a difference of only a few seconds!
In exactly a month from now, I will fly back to apna desh. Even the thought seems so comforting. I won't be able to go back home, but I will at least break out this monotonous routine of cooking and eating. And fending for myself for most things!
Friday, November 10, 2006
What could have been!
I just came out of a what-could-have-been moment.
I mean, I once fell into a water tank and survived. What if I hadn't been rescued in time?
Would I still have made my way to IIMA?
I guess I would. And then, some of those weird monkey cries [mating calls, some people claim] people hear in the old campus at IIMA would have come from my throat. The monkey I saw being scared away by cracker bursts could have been me. Or may be the dog that was kicked by the drunkard next door.
What if I hadn't been selected into IITK that year? All those friends I cherish now would have been my seniors. Would I have met Talisma, Sweety, Roy, Rama, my wingmates and so on?
It's a complex thought process. But one that leaves you clueless about what-could-have-been.
There's a problem with dreaming too much. And that is, that they shatter a lot. If the moment a girl smiles at you, you start thinking about what your kids are going to be called, then there is a problem. The Classical Dreamers' Dilemma.
To dream or not to dream, that is the question!
Whether its nobler in the mind to live like a dud,
or to dream and win or lose and suffer...
I mean, I once fell into a water tank and survived. What if I hadn't been rescued in time?
Would I still have made my way to IIMA?
I guess I would. And then, some of those weird monkey cries [mating calls, some people claim] people hear in the old campus at IIMA would have come from my throat. The monkey I saw being scared away by cracker bursts could have been me. Or may be the dog that was kicked by the drunkard next door.
What if I hadn't been selected into IITK that year? All those friends I cherish now would have been my seniors. Would I have met Talisma, Sweety, Roy, Rama, my wingmates and so on?
It's a complex thought process. But one that leaves you clueless about what-could-have-been.
There's a problem with dreaming too much. And that is, that they shatter a lot. If the moment a girl smiles at you, you start thinking about what your kids are going to be called, then there is a problem. The Classical Dreamers' Dilemma.
To dream or not to dream, that is the question!
Whether its nobler in the mind to live like a dud,
or to dream and win or lose and suffer...
Monday, November 06, 2006
On resolutions and wishes...
Its that time of the year when I make resolutions and wishes.
Previous resolutions have included calling home more often, not forgetting friends' birthdays and acting normal.
This year calls for strong resolutions and dreamy wishes.
1- Weaning away from too strong addictions.
A few months without eating jalebi and I think I have shed a few kgs, had to discard a few trousers and buy a new leather belt. As I sit back and think about jalebis all over the country being devoured by afficionados, it kills me. I guess I wouldn't feel so bad if my feelings for jalebi s were under my control.
I will start by not looking at the MessMenu every evening.
2- Learning to love life for what it offers.
Once when I was in class XI, I was following a girl. And a streetdog in her lane bit me so hard, I think I must have passed out. Once I bought a 3-euro coffee at Munich Airport to help deal with my headache. I ended up with one of my worst memories about headaches. Never drank coffee in Germany after that, unless I was the one preparing it.
I guess there's a risk-return tradeoff in everything we do. You wake up in the morning, brush your teeth and hurt your gums. End up being unable to eat anything not on the same temperature as your gums. The next day you decide not to brush your teeth and your girlfriend kicks you away. You see what I mean?
I will start by loving my socks for not smelling as bad as my neighbour's. And still loving them when they stink.
3- Improving my digestive system.
It stinks. I don't intend to ignite ewwwy thoughts about bile juice, salad marinated in saliva or the first thing one would think after hearing 'digestion' and 'stink' in the same (smelly?) breath. Well, I am talking about my ability to hold on to facts. May be there's nothing wrong with my system except that it has been overloaded. Numerous secrets about current affairs, and other trivialities reside in my heart. Sometimes they spill over.
4- Visiting a cardiac specialist.
Heart ek hai yaar, can't take risks. I have miss-used it quite a lot, spent it on charming ladies too often, let it slip away unnoticed only to find it a week later lying drunk in chandni bar.
5- Never say never again.
Its a fantastic movie and I will watch it as soon as I can get my hand [or eyes] on it.
Now its time to enumerate my wishes.
1- Blood Donation.
Once in an adventurous mood, I went to a blood donation camp to donate blood. They put me on the receptor's line! Many a mosquito have starved to death in my room. Bro says I look like a shirt has is hanging over a skeleton. Its only recently that clothes of my size have become available in showrooms.
I hope one day they will let me stand in the donors' line.
2- Swarovski
Those crystals look so insanely awesome. In varied hues, shapes and sizes, they just take my breath away.
I hope I am capable of gifting one to someone sometime... or may be, anyone anytime!!!
3- Mercedes
Hang Kamlesh for putting this thought into my head but its so many years and I think it still remains among my most desired things. I don't know nought about racing cars, or even normal cars. But I do know that whenever a Merc passes by, I still can't stop having a second look. And mind you, very few sights are capable of provoking that second look!
4-Hmm.
Grand ma says thats enough wish-revealing. And I really want them to come true.
Aaameen.
Previous resolutions have included calling home more often, not forgetting friends' birthdays and acting normal.
This year calls for strong resolutions and dreamy wishes.
1- Weaning away from too strong addictions.
A few months without eating jalebi and I think I have shed a few kgs, had to discard a few trousers and buy a new leather belt. As I sit back and think about jalebis all over the country being devoured by afficionados, it kills me. I guess I wouldn't feel so bad if my feelings for jalebi s were under my control.
I will start by not looking at the MessMenu every evening.
2- Learning to love life for what it offers.
Once when I was in class XI, I was following a girl. And a streetdog in her lane bit me so hard, I think I must have passed out. Once I bought a 3-euro coffee at Munich Airport to help deal with my headache. I ended up with one of my worst memories about headaches. Never drank coffee in Germany after that, unless I was the one preparing it.
I guess there's a risk-return tradeoff in everything we do. You wake up in the morning, brush your teeth and hurt your gums. End up being unable to eat anything not on the same temperature as your gums. The next day you decide not to brush your teeth and your girlfriend kicks you away. You see what I mean?
I will start by loving my socks for not smelling as bad as my neighbour's. And still loving them when they stink.
3- Improving my digestive system.
It stinks. I don't intend to ignite ewwwy thoughts about bile juice, salad marinated in saliva or the first thing one would think after hearing 'digestion' and 'stink' in the same (smelly?) breath. Well, I am talking about my ability to hold on to facts. May be there's nothing wrong with my system except that it has been overloaded. Numerous secrets about current affairs, and other trivialities reside in my heart. Sometimes they spill over.
4- Visiting a cardiac specialist.
Heart ek hai yaar, can't take risks. I have miss-used it quite a lot, spent it on charming ladies too often, let it slip away unnoticed only to find it a week later lying drunk in chandni bar.
5- Never say never again.
Its a fantastic movie and I will watch it as soon as I can get my hand [or eyes] on it.
Now its time to enumerate my wishes.
1- Blood Donation.
Once in an adventurous mood, I went to a blood donation camp to donate blood. They put me on the receptor's line! Many a mosquito have starved to death in my room. Bro says I look like a shirt has is hanging over a skeleton. Its only recently that clothes of my size have become available in showrooms.
I hope one day they will let me stand in the donors' line.
2- Swarovski
Those crystals look so insanely awesome. In varied hues, shapes and sizes, they just take my breath away.
I hope I am capable of gifting one to someone sometime... or may be, anyone anytime!!!
3- Mercedes
Hang Kamlesh for putting this thought into my head but its so many years and I think it still remains among my most desired things. I don't know nought about racing cars, or even normal cars. But I do know that whenever a Merc passes by, I still can't stop having a second look. And mind you, very few sights are capable of provoking that second look!
4-Hmm.
Grand ma says thats enough wish-revealing. And I really want them to come true.
Aaameen.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
German quirks!
They say you should never see a dog or a monkey in its eye. If you are new to the German way of living, I think you should not see anyone in the eye. I mean, like every dog has his area defined [ though demarcated by pretty unhygienic means], I feel like even I have an area. Anyone whom I see inside the imaginary circumference wishes me Hallo, Guten Tag or something. Some people do it so sweetly, you feel running to them and... ok, forget it, they are mature nuns busy in the work of God. But some people look at you and say the hello in such a grotesque manner, you wish you'd never see them again.
Water is supposed to be water. Hydrogen two atoms, Oxygen one. Somehow, that is not the case here. Un-carbonated water feaures in the same extinct species' list as dodo and dinosauraus. Especially when one is travelling and drinking so much CO2, there is all this green house effect going on inside. And it makes your stomach go queasy at the very mention of bottled water!
Just about everything can be made more convenient and hands free using technology. We bought a bottle of strong adhesive and couldn't figure out how to open its capillary like nozzle. So we decided to take a look at the instructions [ it was in German, so looking was all we could do.. luckily there were some photos and photos don't have any language so far! ] . Flip the cover , place it securely against the nozzle and twist. Lo and behold! the nozzle tip is open.
Of course, the sensor fitted doors are found everywhere - from local banks to supermarkets to railway stations.
Speed. Its not just a Hollywood movie, its also a passion for the Germans. Look at the autobahns. Or the ICE trains. You can travel at 260kmph in an autobahn and you would still find people whooshing past. As for ICE trains, well, the less said the better. The way trains cruise at 250+ kmph speeds, you wonder if they are on magnetic levitation. But they are not. And thats the biggest deal.
Language. If you can say 'Danke Schoene' and 'Tschuss' with the same elan as Germans do, you can win their hearts. But if you can't, be prepared to be surprised. Not always, may be, not often. But sometimes, you can see faces twitch and twist when you communicate that you can't speak in Deutsche. 'Ich sprache nicht Deutsche'. That will kill you.
Beer. If you can't bear beer, you can't enjoy any party in Germany.
Bread. There are more kinds of bread to be seen in a German cafe than there are kinds of insects in this world. [Wasn't that a huge number?]
This list is by no means complete. Nor is it meant to be in bad taste.
To a ill-mannered guy who comes from India, the German politeness and sense of humor is inspiring. But it takes time to get used to these things. Till then, you are allowed to say you don't like it !
Water is supposed to be water. Hydrogen two atoms, Oxygen one. Somehow, that is not the case here. Un-carbonated water feaures in the same extinct species' list as dodo and dinosauraus. Especially when one is travelling and drinking so much CO2, there is all this green house effect going on inside. And it makes your stomach go queasy at the very mention of bottled water!
Just about everything can be made more convenient and hands free using technology. We bought a bottle of strong adhesive and couldn't figure out how to open its capillary like nozzle. So we decided to take a look at the instructions [ it was in German, so looking was all we could do.. luckily there were some photos and photos don't have any language so far! ] . Flip the cover , place it securely against the nozzle and twist. Lo and behold! the nozzle tip is open.
Of course, the sensor fitted doors are found everywhere - from local banks to supermarkets to railway stations.
Speed. Its not just a Hollywood movie, its also a passion for the Germans. Look at the autobahns. Or the ICE trains. You can travel at 260kmph in an autobahn and you would still find people whooshing past. As for ICE trains, well, the less said the better. The way trains cruise at 250+ kmph speeds, you wonder if they are on magnetic levitation. But they are not. And thats the biggest deal.
Language. If you can say 'Danke Schoene' and 'Tschuss' with the same elan as Germans do, you can win their hearts. But if you can't, be prepared to be surprised. Not always, may be, not often. But sometimes, you can see faces twitch and twist when you communicate that you can't speak in Deutsche. 'Ich sprache nicht Deutsche'. That will kill you.
Beer. If you can't bear beer, you can't enjoy any party in Germany.
Bread. There are more kinds of bread to be seen in a German cafe than there are kinds of insects in this world. [Wasn't that a huge number?]
This list is by no means complete. Nor is it meant to be in bad taste.
To a ill-mannered guy who comes from India, the German politeness and sense of humor is inspiring. But it takes time to get used to these things. Till then, you are allowed to say you don't like it !
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Gumnaam
I read the post of a blogger whom I admire, and felt incited. If he were a she and within a reachable distance, I might be hiding my face right now. I mean, finger marks across your cheek aren't yet in fashion! And girls in India still slap if kissed on the cheek by a stranger, don't they?
As it goes, he incited me to write something really sensational. The sort of stuff that would make headlines in all the leading tabloids. You know, the "Yeh khabar faila do akhbar mein, poster lagwa do bazar mein.." kinda feeling.
He didn't say a word to me. He doesn't even know me. But he wrote something beautiful. And I tried as well. No booti-fools. Only a longer leash for the brain waves. So far those waves were on ultrasonics, so only nocturnal insects and bats had heard my mind.
I did try. But the one who inspired me had reneged by then.
I felt like a naked man in front of Chenghis Khan's army. I retuned the frequency. Added some jungle noise. And wrote garbage.
And you are eating that garbage now.
But thats the problem with me. I have never been patient. Except when I fell to typhoid and malaria in boarding school. And it was bad, so I gave up patience.
Very few things have been able to keep me waiting for them. Jalebi [Lal or otherwise], yoghurt and chocolates top the charts.
Friend Popes won a cool 90K with Batti. I mean is that cool or what? I can already imagine him all dollar-eyed, sort of like Uncle Scrooge. And if he doesn't give the treat he has promised, BhaiLog from Dubai are eager to share the bounty! But he's a good person. Has been an accomplice in many conspiracies, past and future. I often ask him when I am in doubt.
"PizzaHut se kya order karne ka hai! "
"Manaa kar diya yaar usne, ab bol kya karun! "
"WashingMachine mein kaun sa knob ghumane ka hai? "
"Sach bolun ya nahi... pitai bhi ho sakti hai! "
And for a change, no concluding italicised text.
Garbage is better than all-revealing expressions!
As it goes, he incited me to write something really sensational. The sort of stuff that would make headlines in all the leading tabloids. You know, the "Yeh khabar faila do akhbar mein, poster lagwa do bazar mein.." kinda feeling.
He didn't say a word to me. He doesn't even know me. But he wrote something beautiful. And I tried as well. No booti-fools. Only a longer leash for the brain waves. So far those waves were on ultrasonics, so only nocturnal insects and bats had heard my mind.
I did try. But the one who inspired me had reneged by then.
I felt like a naked man in front of Chenghis Khan's army. I retuned the frequency. Added some jungle noise. And wrote garbage.
And you are eating that garbage now.
But thats the problem with me. I have never been patient. Except when I fell to typhoid and malaria in boarding school. And it was bad, so I gave up patience.
Very few things have been able to keep me waiting for them. Jalebi [Lal or otherwise], yoghurt and chocolates top the charts.
Friend Popes won a cool 90K with Batti. I mean is that cool or what? I can already imagine him all dollar-eyed, sort of like Uncle Scrooge. And if he doesn't give the treat he has promised, BhaiLog from Dubai are eager to share the bounty! But he's a good person. Has been an accomplice in many conspiracies, past and future. I often ask him when I am in doubt.
"PizzaHut se kya order karne ka hai! "
"Manaa kar diya yaar usne, ab bol kya karun! "
"WashingMachine mein kaun sa knob ghumane ka hai? "
"Sach bolun ya nahi... pitai bhi ho sakti hai! "
And for a change, no concluding italicised text.
Garbage is better than all-revealing expressions!
The morning after.
No!
Nobody ate the pill. Neither the poison pill, nor the morning after pill.
Though my evening was like any evening before,
[ Cooking dinner, resting, chatting, watching some episodes of Friends, some more chatting and so on]
the morning after was like I have never seen before. It was drizzling slightly, the trees had all turned golden and I had this smile that just wouldn't leave me.
I watched myself in the mirror and jumped in surprise.
"Who is this smiling shaitan!!!!!" ?
I washed it with my facewash. Didn't help.
I applied the Peach Milk Cream Moisturizer [Gawsh, I can't make out a moisturizer from a toothpaste! ]
but the smile was still there.
Scraping my face red with the loofa my sister gave me
didn't help either. Now I was all red and smiling.
May be its the weather that is perfect, I mused.
I tell you, before I came to Germany on this exchange trip, I had cried only a few times. Very few times. And never in a kitchen.
Now, it seems to be the norm. Twice a day, sometimes even thrice.
My lachrymose gland is working over time.
"Bas*ard"! See, it just called out!
This exchange trip has done other things to me as well:
-Every time I see a loo, I feel the urge to pee. But only when its for free.
Doesn't that mean that my bladders have evolved into a more intelligent species? I mean, apart from the Pavlovian effect of seeing-and-peeing, they also factor in the whether-its-free-or-not information! Thats what I would call a smart machine down under. Hey man, I should take an IQ test now!
-Every time I see a map, I try to read it.
Helps me get over the feeling of being lost in my life. At least there's something I know about directions.
-Every time I think of that evening, I smile.
And I still don't know how to stop it.
"...
and just because you smiled at me,
its sunshine again
..."
Nobody ate the pill. Neither the poison pill, nor the morning after pill.
Though my evening was like any evening before,
[ Cooking dinner, resting, chatting, watching some episodes of Friends, some more chatting and so on]
the morning after was like I have never seen before. It was drizzling slightly, the trees had all turned golden and I had this smile that just wouldn't leave me.
I watched myself in the mirror and jumped in surprise.
"Who is this smiling shaitan!!!!!" ?
I washed it with my facewash. Didn't help.
I applied the Peach Milk Cream Moisturizer [Gawsh, I can't make out a moisturizer from a toothpaste! ]
but the smile was still there.
Scraping my face red with the loofa my sister gave me
didn't help either. Now I was all red and smiling.
May be its the weather that is perfect, I mused.
I tell you, before I came to Germany on this exchange trip, I had cried only a few times. Very few times. And never in a kitchen.
Now, it seems to be the norm. Twice a day, sometimes even thrice.
My lachrymose gland is working over time.
"Bas*ard"! See, it just called out!
This exchange trip has done other things to me as well:
-Every time I see a loo, I feel the urge to pee. But only when its for free.
Doesn't that mean that my bladders have evolved into a more intelligent species? I mean, apart from the Pavlovian effect of seeing-and-peeing, they also factor in the whether-its-free-or-not information! Thats what I would call a smart machine down under. Hey man, I should take an IQ test now!
-Every time I see a map, I try to read it.
Helps me get over the feeling of being lost in my life. At least there's something I know about directions.
-Every time I think of that evening, I smile.
And I still don't know how to stop it.
"...
and just because you smiled at me,
its sunshine again
..."
Monday, October 23, 2006
Lessons!
Lessons from the biggest teacher. May be she is the strictest and the most unforgiving teacher as well. May be, she is not so hard.
-If you have come this far, you can reach anywhere!
Irrespective of whether you are walking, driving or flying. Often I thought I won't last much longer. Often I wondered why I didn't choose the easy route for myself. Now I think there is still a long way to go, and I am sure I will get there.
-If she is your choice, she must be nice!
Yes. Irrespective of what people say, or opine. If you have eaten your heart thinking about a person, and asked yourself the same question every night and heard the echo of the same answer from deep inside you, she must be that good and more!
-Ants in the pants can be painful literally.
Unless you've got an ant eater inside your fly, ants are better left in ant-holes.
-She is beautiful doesn't imply she is dumb.
Irrespective of what all the engineering days' formulae imply, it is not true. I know many a beautiful and smart ladies myself. And before you begin to get ideas, they are all committed! ;)
-Sometimes life can be so beautiful, it seems like a dream. But it is true.
And I am not describing why I think that ways.
-The best way to see stars on a starless night is one-tight-slap. Masti ka chataka.
Got that by first-hand experience.
-Size matters, until you learn the tricks.
Those tricks can help the skinny me kick butts weighing more than my body weight. But when those sizable masses come in velocity, run for life.
-Some people have innate talent for onion-cutting, boiled-egg-peeling and map reading.
And you are reading the blog of one such gifted person.
-If you really really want something, tell Him. Tell Him every night till He listens.
Kyunki is duniya mein der hai lekin andher nahi.
-If you have come this far, you can reach anywhere!
Irrespective of whether you are walking, driving or flying. Often I thought I won't last much longer. Often I wondered why I didn't choose the easy route for myself. Now I think there is still a long way to go, and I am sure I will get there.
-If she is your choice, she must be nice!
Yes. Irrespective of what people say, or opine. If you have eaten your heart thinking about a person, and asked yourself the same question every night and heard the echo of the same answer from deep inside you, she must be that good and more!
-Ants in the pants can be painful literally.
Unless you've got an ant eater inside your fly, ants are better left in ant-holes.
-She is beautiful doesn't imply she is dumb.
Irrespective of what all the engineering days' formulae imply, it is not true. I know many a beautiful and smart ladies myself. And before you begin to get ideas, they are all committed! ;)
-Sometimes life can be so beautiful, it seems like a dream. But it is true.
And I am not describing why I think that ways.
-The best way to see stars on a starless night is one-tight-slap. Masti ka chataka.
Got that by first-hand experience.
-Size matters, until you learn the tricks.
Those tricks can help the skinny me kick butts weighing more than my body weight. But when those sizable masses come in velocity, run for life.
-Some people have innate talent for onion-cutting, boiled-egg-peeling and map reading.
And you are reading the blog of one such gifted person.
-If you really really want something, tell Him. Tell Him every night till He listens.
Kyunki is duniya mein der hai lekin andher nahi.
My wish-list and Tushe tushe tushe!!!
On the issue of dreaming, well ... I dream a lot. Especially in boring lectures.
The sequence is almost always the same: the prof starts singing his lullaby, I yawn and dhoom. My head starts to fall on either side. Quite like a gyroscope.
Anyway, recently, something magical happened. I bought my laptop in a highly leveraged transaction and the deal was worth it. My eurail pass investment seems to be paying off.
[ By the way, one ends up spending a lot more in trying to recoup that investment!!!! ]
And I am on a course that leads to fulfilment of some of my dreams. Inshallah. Ameeen.
[ The dream list is still out of bounds. My grand-ma insists they should not be shared! :P ]
Just yesterday, we were on a trip to Brussels, which is aroud 300 miles from here. We went on an ICE international train, and gawssh, it was amazing. On the autobahn beside us, we could see a car driving fast, then another car swooshed past it and then, our train swooshed past the swooshing car. We estimated the speed to be above 150 kmph, more like 180, and the LCD screen started mocking at us, proudly proclaiming the speed to be 249. And the train picked up more speed!
Brussels is an international city, with a nice juxtaposition of Art Noveau with more modernistic designs and older architecture. It turns out that the most famous monument in Brussels is 'Mannekin Pis' - a pissing boy. We thought it would be at least a big sized statue. It turned out to be life-sized. And the omnipresent Japanese tourists were there in droves gawking at it. I almost wanted to tell them, "You may as well look down and see the same thing". But I refused to indulge in any such attempts at their mockery.
The starting point for the retrn journey was at the southern end of the city. We were at the northern end and realised that either we took the train which left in 40 mins from then, or waited 4 hours for the next train. We decided to give it a shot, and I tell you, we walked all the way from the north to the south and reached there a full 10 minutes before time. And we collapsed by the time we reached there.
Belgium seems to have drawn more from the French than from the German. On our way back, we wanted to ensure we were on the right track. The Master Map Reader [Yours Truly] was sure he was correct, but just to make sure we asked a passerby.
"Whats the way to [loud]Brussels [louder] Midi?" The voice accentuation was a direct result of his indicating to his, through his facial gestures that he was not able to comprehend our English.
"Midi?"
"Yeah"
His face and hands pointing straight."Tushe tushe tushe tushe tushe", in such a hurry of sounds that we thought he might collapse the next moment.
Then some garble. "Uber bingle bingle" accompanied by a violent nodding of his head and a gesture to his left. If the previous excitement hadn't killed him, we were sure he was about to collapse now out of sheer exhaustion. His face belied a sense of genuine concern for us.
"Ok, straight". We almost wanted to congratulate him for telling us something in French and getting us to understand it with his facial gestures. And for all the anxiety he exuded.
And we thought the game was over, and we will say Thank you and leave.
"Tushe tushe tushe tushe tushe", and the same violent series of expressions were revisted.
We ran away, fearing for his safety. While on the flee, we looked back and waved and shouted a giant thank you to him.
And just for the records, Master Map Reader was right on track. Even literally, he was on track.
Its a crime to kill your dreams
its a sin to murder hope
There's no hurdle you can't overcome
there's no problem you cannot cope.
(Copyrighted :P )
The sequence is almost always the same: the prof starts singing his lullaby, I yawn and dhoom. My head starts to fall on either side. Quite like a gyroscope.
Anyway, recently, something magical happened. I bought my laptop in a highly leveraged transaction and the deal was worth it. My eurail pass investment seems to be paying off.
[ By the way, one ends up spending a lot more in trying to recoup that investment!!!! ]
And I am on a course that leads to fulfilment of some of my dreams. Inshallah. Ameeen.
[ The dream list is still out of bounds. My grand-ma insists they should not be shared! :P ]
Just yesterday, we were on a trip to Brussels, which is aroud 300 miles from here. We went on an ICE international train, and gawssh, it was amazing. On the autobahn beside us, we could see a car driving fast, then another car swooshed past it and then, our train swooshed past the swooshing car. We estimated the speed to be above 150 kmph, more like 180, and the LCD screen started mocking at us, proudly proclaiming the speed to be 249. And the train picked up more speed!
Brussels is an international city, with a nice juxtaposition of Art Noveau with more modernistic designs and older architecture. It turns out that the most famous monument in Brussels is 'Mannekin Pis' - a pissing boy. We thought it would be at least a big sized statue. It turned out to be life-sized. And the omnipresent Japanese tourists were there in droves gawking at it. I almost wanted to tell them, "You may as well look down and see the same thing". But I refused to indulge in any such attempts at their mockery.
The starting point for the retrn journey was at the southern end of the city. We were at the northern end and realised that either we took the train which left in 40 mins from then, or waited 4 hours for the next train. We decided to give it a shot, and I tell you, we walked all the way from the north to the south and reached there a full 10 minutes before time. And we collapsed by the time we reached there.
Belgium seems to have drawn more from the French than from the German. On our way back, we wanted to ensure we were on the right track. The Master Map Reader [Yours Truly] was sure he was correct, but just to make sure we asked a passerby.
"Whats the way to [loud]Brussels [louder] Midi?" The voice accentuation was a direct result of his indicating to his, through his facial gestures that he was not able to comprehend our English.
"Midi?"
"Yeah"
His face and hands pointing straight."Tushe tushe tushe tushe tushe", in such a hurry of sounds that we thought he might collapse the next moment.
Then some garble. "Uber bingle bingle" accompanied by a violent nodding of his head and a gesture to his left. If the previous excitement hadn't killed him, we were sure he was about to collapse now out of sheer exhaustion. His face belied a sense of genuine concern for us.
"Ok, straight". We almost wanted to congratulate him for telling us something in French and getting us to understand it with his facial gestures. And for all the anxiety he exuded.
And we thought the game was over, and we will say Thank you and leave.
"Tushe tushe tushe tushe tushe", and the same violent series of expressions were revisted.
We ran away, fearing for his safety. While on the flee, we looked back and waved and shouted a giant thank you to him.
And just for the records, Master Map Reader was right on track. Even literally, he was on track.
Its a crime to kill your dreams
its a sin to murder hope
There's no hurdle you can't overcome
there's no problem you cannot cope.
(Copyrighted :P )
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
The Fear of Small Things.
Thats how I like to refer to it.
When I was a kid, there used to be an aunty in our neighbourhood. Whenever she visited our home, I was ordered to carry out ethnic cleansing of our house. Any sight of the dreaded species and she would start making excuses for her next visit to our home. Aunty's kids were master lizard hunters, having many a slain or pulped lizard to their credit.
So at WIMWI, when Cheenz asked me to shoo away the lizard from her room, it was an old game revisited.
Once, I saw aunty walking around with a bandaged and plastered left hand. I asked mom and she told me that aunty was washing clothes.
"So, their water tank collapsed?!"
"Kalmuhe, chup kar. Can't u think of anything good!"
It turned out, she was washing clothes and saw a lizard on the wall facing her. She fled in such a flurry and tripped. Landed on her elbow and fractured her ulna/radius.
Even as a kid, I wondered. Could the lizard have caused her any more damage than the one she inflicted on herself?
My grandfather was a good man, but he was scared of injections. Nothing could convince him to allow a syringe to come near him. He suffered because of that, led a life where his movement was stunted and people would even avoid him. And all for the fear of syringes!?
Sometimes, I look inside myself and wonder!
from the celebrated song "Solah baras ki..." :
...
ulfat ke dushmanon ne
koshish hazar ki,
fir bhi nahi jhuki jo
us nazar ko, salaam!
...
When I was a kid, there used to be an aunty in our neighbourhood. Whenever she visited our home, I was ordered to carry out ethnic cleansing of our house. Any sight of the dreaded species and she would start making excuses for her next visit to our home. Aunty's kids were master lizard hunters, having many a slain or pulped lizard to their credit.
So at WIMWI, when Cheenz asked me to shoo away the lizard from her room, it was an old game revisited.
Once, I saw aunty walking around with a bandaged and plastered left hand. I asked mom and she told me that aunty was washing clothes.
"So, their water tank collapsed?!"
"Kalmuhe, chup kar. Can't u think of anything good!"
It turned out, she was washing clothes and saw a lizard on the wall facing her. She fled in such a flurry and tripped. Landed on her elbow and fractured her ulna/radius.
Even as a kid, I wondered. Could the lizard have caused her any more damage than the one she inflicted on herself?
My grandfather was a good man, but he was scared of injections. Nothing could convince him to allow a syringe to come near him. He suffered because of that, led a life where his movement was stunted and people would even avoid him. And all for the fear of syringes!?
Sometimes, I look inside myself and wonder!
from the celebrated song "Solah baras ki..." :
...
ulfat ke dushmanon ne
koshish hazar ki,
fir bhi nahi jhuki jo
us nazar ko, salaam!
...
Monday, October 16, 2006
Risk Aversion.
I was afraid, at times, of the unknown. But my siblings did a very good job of driving the fear out of me. They would challenge me to go and touch the big iron door which was on the other side of the lawn when it was late in the night, and the lawn was all dark. I did that a few times, and the fear simply vanished.
The same fear haunted me in another form. Having fought bitterly with a very close friend, I almost swore never to let myself feel the same for anyone. What good is it if you end up like that?
As it happened, I had another of that cycle. Close relationship, then doom.
When it ended however, I didn't think about retreating into a shell. Because by then, I knew that if I had to live my life all over again, I would choose to live all those moments exactly the way I did. The pain wasn't too much a price for the beautiful things that preceded it.
For that window of time, saat janam kurban!
Sometimes I am risk averse to an extreme. Sometimes, all of us are.
Moms refusing to send children to boarding schools, guys refusing to come clean about their crushes, fathers wary of sending daughters to hostels.
But the limited experience I have had in life tells me that so long as you are afraid of falling from the sky, you can never learn to fly. And you will never know what it could have been like. You will at best dream of flying, wake up happy and go back to sleep.
To while away some of my free time, I have started watching episodes of 'Friends'. And Gawd, ich bin liebe es !
Meanwhile, our culinary skills are diversifying and our menu list is increasing. We cooked cholle the other day, and it was good! Inshallah, one of these days, our menu list will be long enough to make the idea of opening a dhaba in vallendar gaon viable!
From 'Friends' :
[http://www.requestlyrics.com/read.php?1,637856,638058]
So no one told you life was gonna be this way
(clap clap clap clap)
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A.
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year
But
I'll be there for you (when the rain starts to pour)
I'll be there for you (like I've been there before)
I'll be there for you (because you're there for me too)
-------That's the end of what they play on the show, the rest of the song as originally recorded continues------
You're still in bed at ten, but work began at eight
You burned your breakfast, so far things are going great
Your mother warned you there'd be days like these
But she didn't tell you when the world has brought you down to your knees
That
I'll be there for you (when the rain starts to pour)
I'll be there for you (like I've been there before)
I'll be there for you (because you're there for me too)
No one could ever know me
No one could ever see me
Seems you're the only one who
knows what it's like to be me
Someone to face the day with
Make it through all the rest with
Someone I'll always laugh with
Even in my worst, I'm best with you, yeah
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year
But
I'll be there for you (when the rain starts to pour)
I'll be there for you (like I've been there before)
I'll be there for you (because you're there for me too
The same fear haunted me in another form. Having fought bitterly with a very close friend, I almost swore never to let myself feel the same for anyone. What good is it if you end up like that?
As it happened, I had another of that cycle. Close relationship, then doom.
When it ended however, I didn't think about retreating into a shell. Because by then, I knew that if I had to live my life all over again, I would choose to live all those moments exactly the way I did. The pain wasn't too much a price for the beautiful things that preceded it.
For that window of time, saat janam kurban!
Sometimes I am risk averse to an extreme. Sometimes, all of us are.
Moms refusing to send children to boarding schools, guys refusing to come clean about their crushes, fathers wary of sending daughters to hostels.
But the limited experience I have had in life tells me that so long as you are afraid of falling from the sky, you can never learn to fly. And you will never know what it could have been like. You will at best dream of flying, wake up happy and go back to sleep.
To while away some of my free time, I have started watching episodes of 'Friends'. And Gawd, ich bin liebe es !
Meanwhile, our culinary skills are diversifying and our menu list is increasing. We cooked cholle the other day, and it was good! Inshallah, one of these days, our menu list will be long enough to make the idea of opening a dhaba in vallendar gaon viable!
From 'Friends' :
[http://www.requestlyrics.com/read.php?1,637856,638058]
So no one told you life was gonna be this way
(clap clap clap clap)
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A.
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year
But
I'll be there for you (when the rain starts to pour)
I'll be there for you (like I've been there before)
I'll be there for you (because you're there for me too)
-------That's the end of what they play on the show, the rest of the song as originally recorded continues------
You're still in bed at ten, but work began at eight
You burned your breakfast, so far things are going great
Your mother warned you there'd be days like these
But she didn't tell you when the world has brought you down to your knees
That
I'll be there for you (when the rain starts to pour)
I'll be there for you (like I've been there before)
I'll be there for you (because you're there for me too)
No one could ever know me
No one could ever see me
Seems you're the only one who
knows what it's like to be me
Someone to face the day with
Make it through all the rest with
Someone I'll always laugh with
Even in my worst, I'm best with you, yeah
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year
But
I'll be there for you (when the rain starts to pour)
I'll be there for you (like I've been there before)
I'll be there for you (because you're there for me too
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Balanced
Thats a word I love. Though not in the manner in which HR professors seem to love Balanced Score Cards. Two people whose opinions I value have called me a balanced person.
The first of those was in Class 11 when I was in CMS. Our English teacher Mrs Chandra was, in a very different way, fond of me. Not that I was her favorite student, nor did she give me the highest marks mostly. In fact, at times, she could clearly see that I hardly put so much effort into her subject. Those were the heady days of JEE and anything except PCM was junk for us wannabes. One of those days, when I wrote a book review that she liked [ not a frequent thing to happen! ], she told everyone how balanced she thought I was. She thought I was living in a hostel for preparing for JEE and at the same time putting efforts into English! Its debatable how much effort I had put but anyway... I remember a dear friend of mine telling me how he hated it when she had said that. But I loved that and it got embossed into my memories.
The second one is Strato. Hmm. I just have this to say, "May be I am not so balanced after all! " But the compliment is embossed nevertheless!
I have had my share of imbalances like everyone else has, may be worse than average.
If there's one thing I am proud of, I think its the coterie of friends that I have developed over the years. Spread across the seven seas....
Not to forget my cooking skills, wine bottle and tin can opening skills. Make for a good resume for the shadi.com website, don't you think!
The lazy bag of bones that I am, [ and I really am just a bag of bones, my brother insists!] I always like to drop a big folder full of songs into winamp and then letting it run songs of its choice. Unless some song more suitable for being played in Kanpuriya tempos pops up, I mostly let it play. Suddenly this song started playing. The opening sounded like a first time mother inciting her child to urinate. Isssh. Ishhhhhhhhhhh. Then the song went into droves of words about kangana bedardi! Ufff! I think I need to pee.
Devdas sounds too wordy today. Reminds me of a fine saying I read somewhere which amounted to saying this.
Its through the eyes that the loudest truths are revealed, the loveliest words are said and the most probing questions asked.
Beware. I have been treating my eyes to a hefty dose of onion juice, and now even green chilli vapors.
Nigaah ki tez dhaar se bach ke rehna jee!
The first of those was in Class 11 when I was in CMS. Our English teacher Mrs Chandra was, in a very different way, fond of me. Not that I was her favorite student, nor did she give me the highest marks mostly. In fact, at times, she could clearly see that I hardly put so much effort into her subject. Those were the heady days of JEE and anything except PCM was junk for us wannabes. One of those days, when I wrote a book review that she liked [ not a frequent thing to happen! ], she told everyone how balanced she thought I was. She thought I was living in a hostel for preparing for JEE and at the same time putting efforts into English! Its debatable how much effort I had put but anyway... I remember a dear friend of mine telling me how he hated it when she had said that. But I loved that and it got embossed into my memories.
The second one is Strato. Hmm. I just have this to say, "May be I am not so balanced after all! " But the compliment is embossed nevertheless!
I have had my share of imbalances like everyone else has, may be worse than average.
If there's one thing I am proud of, I think its the coterie of friends that I have developed over the years. Spread across the seven seas....
Not to forget my cooking skills, wine bottle and tin can opening skills. Make for a good resume for the shadi.com website, don't you think!
The lazy bag of bones that I am, [ and I really am just a bag of bones, my brother insists!] I always like to drop a big folder full of songs into winamp and then letting it run songs of its choice. Unless some song more suitable for being played in Kanpuriya tempos pops up, I mostly let it play. Suddenly this song started playing. The opening sounded like a first time mother inciting her child to urinate. Isssh. Ishhhhhhhhhhh. Then the song went into droves of words about kangana bedardi! Ufff! I think I need to pee.
Devdas sounds too wordy today. Reminds me of a fine saying I read somewhere which amounted to saying this.
Its through the eyes that the loudest truths are revealed, the loveliest words are said and the most probing questions asked.
Beware. I have been treating my eyes to a hefty dose of onion juice, and now even green chilli vapors.
Nigaah ki tez dhaar se bach ke rehna jee!
Friday, October 13, 2006
Finally at lasht!
Finally at lasht, mera bad luck ka period khatam hua. ab interval chal raha hai.
iske baad i hope good luck ka period shuroo hoga!
Right now I am reading 'The Kite Runner'. Its a marvellous book, very touching, albeit almost depressing as well ! I mean, I used to think I could survive the worst tragedies without the remotest sign of flinching. But with this one, it was difficult to avoid the lumpy throat. Not once, but many times over. If too much of this doesn't distract you, I would recommend this book to you.
Of course, the biggest news in the town is that my laptop is finally here. Like me, even my processor is solo [Intel Core Solo, to be precise]. Its bright though, quite unlike me.
I was talking to a friend recently. I choose to refer to him as Ninety. When he was in his first year at IITK, he was asked by seniors to introduce himself as 'I am XYZ, and I am in my nineties'. [With minor variations] Thats the first memory I have of him. After that, I used to meet his room mate quite often to prepare for a pending scholarship test. He would often drop by and disturb us, and then get kicked in his ass. Thats my second memory of him. That 90 kg of heap somehow pushed aside and then me kicking his posteriors. I noticed that by modulating the intensity of my kicks, I could regulate the volume of his cries.
Those conquests held me in good stead as he never took panga with me. Instead, we went on to become very good friends. My most recurring memory of him is me waking him up at 5 am one day in summers and asking him for help with a terrible mess I had landed myself into.
Now that my laptop is here, I think I can afford to write a post on Ghalib bhai. Inshallah. I was worried that if it were not to his liking, he would banish me from his room. Tadipaar. Nadiya ke paar. That would snatch away my lifeline, what he refers to as my useless chatting with "people who have no work to do"!
Me and another friend were once discussing about this song called Nadiya ke paar. I mean, if you listen to the lines, you get confused about who is which paar. We could imagine the ferry-rider giving up in frustration.
Amaa yaar, ek baar dhang se clear clear batao, kaun kis paar hai aur kisko kis paar jana hai.
The latter half of the italicized text reminds me of Henry Kissinger. Or may be, just the more relevant part of his name.
[ I shudder to think of how sheetty my firsht posht from my lappytopp is going to be! ]
iske baad i hope good luck ka period shuroo hoga!
Right now I am reading 'The Kite Runner'. Its a marvellous book, very touching, albeit almost depressing as well ! I mean, I used to think I could survive the worst tragedies without the remotest sign of flinching. But with this one, it was difficult to avoid the lumpy throat. Not once, but many times over. If too much of this doesn't distract you, I would recommend this book to you.
Of course, the biggest news in the town is that my laptop is finally here. Like me, even my processor is solo [Intel Core Solo, to be precise]. Its bright though, quite unlike me.
I was talking to a friend recently. I choose to refer to him as Ninety. When he was in his first year at IITK, he was asked by seniors to introduce himself as 'I am XYZ, and I am in my nineties'. [With minor variations] Thats the first memory I have of him. After that, I used to meet his room mate quite often to prepare for a pending scholarship test. He would often drop by and disturb us, and then get kicked in his ass. Thats my second memory of him. That 90 kg of heap somehow pushed aside and then me kicking his posteriors. I noticed that by modulating the intensity of my kicks, I could regulate the volume of his cries.
Those conquests held me in good stead as he never took panga with me. Instead, we went on to become very good friends. My most recurring memory of him is me waking him up at 5 am one day in summers and asking him for help with a terrible mess I had landed myself into.
Now that my laptop is here, I think I can afford to write a post on Ghalib bhai. Inshallah. I was worried that if it were not to his liking, he would banish me from his room. Tadipaar. Nadiya ke paar. That would snatch away my lifeline, what he refers to as my useless chatting with "people who have no work to do"!
Me and another friend were once discussing about this song called Nadiya ke paar. I mean, if you listen to the lines, you get confused about who is which paar. We could imagine the ferry-rider giving up in frustration.
Amaa yaar, ek baar dhang se clear clear batao, kaun kis paar hai aur kisko kis paar jana hai.
The latter half of the italicized text reminds me of Henry Kissinger. Or may be, just the more relevant part of his name.
[ I shudder to think of how sheetty my firsht posht from my lappytopp is going to be! ]
Thursday, October 12, 2006
And pray, what is the problem?
A friend talked to me yesterday. I was playing the role of agony unkle. I mean, insiders would jump out of their seats and lament on the fortune of the poor soul who had to resort to consulting me! But people do. Some people definitely do.
In fact, one person event went to the extent of making a case study of a recent sad incident of my life. It seems he wanted me to document the learnings from my case. Thats how deep WIMWI can imbibe its case methodology into its sincere students. May be, from his perspective, each incident is a lesson to be learnt. Sure it is, but to be able to articulate it to some third person is completely out of my abilities. Almost as bad as asking Sunny Deol to dance or Laloo to strip.
Getting back to my friend, his problem is fit enough to be declared the national problem. May be even the international problem. A guy finds a girl interesting and begins to wonder. Also begins to fear, and suspect.
Something made him think I was a good guy to reflect on this. I don't think I am but anyway.
When he began talking, I knew what he was hinting at.
I just remebered the lesson I had learnt from our Hall Warden at IITK. When I was in deep blues once, he had asked me to formulate my problem for him. I struggled for sometime and in the end, I could see that there was no problem at all.
I did the same to my friend. And guess what, he msged me today saying he was happy. I felt even happier. I mean if something I do makes someone else happy, it makes me feel at the top of the world.
Incidentally I posed the same question to myself. Then I realised that except for the occasional hiccups [ the odd meal that we skipped, or not being able to watch new movies or missing home and friend ] my life is going almost absolutely fine. Almost.
His case reminds me of a simple principle of Finance. If your company is worth $1, then a $1 bet is a verrrry risky bet. That is, if you think something is really really precious to you, you don't want to take a bet on it. And thats human nature. Mostly.
Random musings...
A question in my heart is a question in my mouth.
...
What are you afraid of?
What is the problem?
In fact, one person event went to the extent of making a case study of a recent sad incident of my life. It seems he wanted me to document the learnings from my case. Thats how deep WIMWI can imbibe its case methodology into its sincere students. May be, from his perspective, each incident is a lesson to be learnt. Sure it is, but to be able to articulate it to some third person is completely out of my abilities. Almost as bad as asking Sunny Deol to dance or Laloo to strip.
Getting back to my friend, his problem is fit enough to be declared the national problem. May be even the international problem. A guy finds a girl interesting and begins to wonder. Also begins to fear, and suspect.
Something made him think I was a good guy to reflect on this. I don't think I am but anyway.
When he began talking, I knew what he was hinting at.
I just remebered the lesson I had learnt from our Hall Warden at IITK. When I was in deep blues once, he had asked me to formulate my problem for him. I struggled for sometime and in the end, I could see that there was no problem at all.
I did the same to my friend. And guess what, he msged me today saying he was happy. I felt even happier. I mean if something I do makes someone else happy, it makes me feel at the top of the world.
Incidentally I posed the same question to myself. Then I realised that except for the occasional hiccups [ the odd meal that we skipped, or not being able to watch new movies or missing home and friend ] my life is going almost absolutely fine. Almost.
His case reminds me of a simple principle of Finance. If your company is worth $1, then a $1 bet is a verrrry risky bet. That is, if you think something is really really precious to you, you don't want to take a bet on it. And thats human nature. Mostly.
Random musings...
A question in my heart is a question in my mouth.
...
What are you afraid of?
What is the problem?
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Singers and Happy people
One of the tauschies here has a special way of singing while he takes his bath. Not that he is as bad as I am, but then, he is trying to reach there for suar! Now, that should be extremely unsuprising for most guys, but it becomes a little too painful to my heart when he begins to mouth some of my favorite numbers. Rather than words, I hear a garble of words that makes me hate the sound. Its a big relief that the people in the adjacent quarters [ in the loo] don't join in the chorus with background music! [ now say 'ewwww' ]
Another tauschie, who sat beside me in the Corporate Restructuring class wanted me to call the guy sitting in front of me, as he happened to be her groupmate. Instantly it struck me that this was the same guy I was warned about as being happy. I mean, its ok to be happy, but I don't want to share any of 'that' happiness. I did as she asked me to. Two minutes later, she repeated her request, and I told her that it was enough. Already the guy was beginning to eye me with amorous eyes. Any more pen poking and who knows what he might construe next!
Yet another tauschie eats with such a truimphant earth-shattering noise that you can accurately figure out which teeth he is using and what stage of the chewing process is currently on. In fact, his mouth is wide open like a hippo's, so you can verify your estimates by looking at the gaping chasm. It is difficult for me to eat when he's around, and I can only think of Chinese torture techniques as being a worse form of treatment than sitting beside him and eating.
Its an irony that suddenly the weather here has become cold, and the schedule has become hot. Double whammy!
I sometimes wake up in the morning with the usual lethargy of a tauschie only to realise that I have my time from 9 to 5:30 booked for lectures. The lunch in the student menza only adds to the trouble, what with all the pork and potatos that look as miserable as they taste. Probably the pig had typhoid when they cut it. May be potato blight. Whatever.
from The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini : [ a link ]
...
And that's the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.
...
"Do you want me to run that kite for you?"
"For you, a thousand times over."
...
Another tauschie, who sat beside me in the Corporate Restructuring class wanted me to call the guy sitting in front of me, as he happened to be her groupmate. Instantly it struck me that this was the same guy I was warned about as being happy. I mean, its ok to be happy, but I don't want to share any of 'that' happiness. I did as she asked me to. Two minutes later, she repeated her request, and I told her that it was enough. Already the guy was beginning to eye me with amorous eyes. Any more pen poking and who knows what he might construe next!
Yet another tauschie eats with such a truimphant earth-shattering noise that you can accurately figure out which teeth he is using and what stage of the chewing process is currently on. In fact, his mouth is wide open like a hippo's, so you can verify your estimates by looking at the gaping chasm. It is difficult for me to eat when he's around, and I can only think of Chinese torture techniques as being a worse form of treatment than sitting beside him and eating.
Its an irony that suddenly the weather here has become cold, and the schedule has become hot. Double whammy!
I sometimes wake up in the morning with the usual lethargy of a tauschie only to realise that I have my time from 9 to 5:30 booked for lectures. The lunch in the student menza only adds to the trouble, what with all the pork and potatos that look as miserable as they taste. Probably the pig had typhoid when they cut it. May be potato blight. Whatever.
from The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini : [ a link ]
...
And that's the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.
...
"Do you want me to run that kite for you?"
"For you, a thousand times over."
...
Monday, October 09, 2006
It could have been me.
I just saw a photograph and thought it could have been me. No, it wasn't another of Indian Railways tragedies. Nor another airlines hijack. Just a simple photograph. Only, I wanted to be there, inside.
But sometimes it is surprising. I mean, in my childhood, I was taught the lesson of truth in a truthful, and rather forceful manner. Every lie was treated like a treason, and the lesson impounded well. I don't really think it was the best way because it ignited the curiosity in me, and whenever I could, I tried to venture away. Away from the strict discipline.
Life taught me the same lesson in a very different way. As a child, I used to make lots of excuses. Friends from those days, [Suryansh etc] would be sufficient witness. I mean, one of those days he was banging at my door at 3 am for a supposed trip. I never woke up, nor did anyone at home, and the trip never materialised. Not to say that the thing was intentional. But it happened because I wasn't really too keen.
Even later, I felt the sting of painful misunderstandings whenever I tried to have my way without telling the truth. The attempts were never fruitful anyway.
Some of my friends had begun calling me JKG [ short for Joru Ka Ghulam ]. When Talisma asked me what JKG meant, my instant flush of embarassment left me wanting to craft a plausible explanation. I came up with some weird incredible stuff, but within an hour or so, I was emailing her the truth.
Gradually I learnt the lesson. But it comes with its own set of difficulties. You have to avoid mention of somethings lest the unanswerable questions be put forth.
Here at Wee-Haa-Uuu, they have some arbit rules. Class schedules are really weird. Four sessions [ 2 each before and after lunch ] of an hour and a half , 3 days in a row, and the course is complete. That is how they plan to teach us the nuances of Corporate Restructuring. Given the propensity of tauschies to shirk, it was tough anyway. They have made it impossible!
But the prof is good. Its spooky though, because at times he begins to resemble George Bush Jr a little too much.
...
Aaj fir dil ne ek tamanna ki
aaj fir dil ko humne samjhaya
...
Hum jise gunguna nahi sakte
wakt ne aisa geet kyun gaya
...
But sometimes it is surprising. I mean, in my childhood, I was taught the lesson of truth in a truthful, and rather forceful manner. Every lie was treated like a treason, and the lesson impounded well. I don't really think it was the best way because it ignited the curiosity in me, and whenever I could, I tried to venture away. Away from the strict discipline.
Life taught me the same lesson in a very different way. As a child, I used to make lots of excuses. Friends from those days, [Suryansh etc] would be sufficient witness. I mean, one of those days he was banging at my door at 3 am for a supposed trip. I never woke up, nor did anyone at home, and the trip never materialised. Not to say that the thing was intentional. But it happened because I wasn't really too keen.
Even later, I felt the sting of painful misunderstandings whenever I tried to have my way without telling the truth. The attempts were never fruitful anyway.
Some of my friends had begun calling me JKG [ short for Joru Ka Ghulam ]. When Talisma asked me what JKG meant, my instant flush of embarassment left me wanting to craft a plausible explanation. I came up with some weird incredible stuff, but within an hour or so, I was emailing her the truth.
Gradually I learnt the lesson. But it comes with its own set of difficulties. You have to avoid mention of somethings lest the unanswerable questions be put forth.
Here at Wee-Haa-Uuu, they have some arbit rules. Class schedules are really weird. Four sessions [ 2 each before and after lunch ] of an hour and a half , 3 days in a row, and the course is complete. That is how they plan to teach us the nuances of Corporate Restructuring. Given the propensity of tauschies to shirk, it was tough anyway. They have made it impossible!
But the prof is good. Its spooky though, because at times he begins to resemble George Bush Jr a little too much.
...
Aaj fir dil ne ek tamanna ki
aaj fir dil ko humne samjhaya
...
Hum jise gunguna nahi sakte
wakt ne aisa geet kyun gaya
...
The trip to Scandinavia
[ Travel blog disclaimers ]
[ link to photos : Flickr Pbase ]
8 days.
7 thousand kilometers.
A whirlwhind tour of Scandinavia.
I have just returned from a trip that took me across the whole of Scandinavia. From the Finnish countryside to Norwegian fjords, I saw an amazingly huge variety of landscapes. Our group was the group of 5 – me Ghalib Ghanta Danko and Jhaag. I must call the group an eclectic mix of crazy bums.
Anyway, the trip started Saturday night from Cologne, where we took the direct train to Copenhagen. Little did we know about the issues at hand. In Scandinavia, every country has its own language and currency, not to speak of its own stupidities. So Copenhagen was spelt as Kobenhaven [ with some dots and crosses to garnish the word ]. We alighted there after spending a tiring night on train. Copenhagen isn’t my favorite city, I must tell you. It is old, and it was cold. And I have already seen a lot of old buildings in Europe, so the little we saw wasn’t so enchanting. But the ferry ride around the city was interesting. It took us around the main landmarks of the city though the main part of the trip, which was the last leg through the city [ yes, canals criss cross the city ] had to be cancelled due to bad weather. By this time, I had rediscovered my penchant for reading maps and was beginning to demonstrate competency in this area.
From Copenhagen, we took the train to Malmo, which is in Sweden. But it is very close to Copenhagen and is connected by a long bridge which has its 17kms stretch over the sea. If Copenhagen was cold, Malmo was colder. But we found some of the best houses we have ever seen there. Facing the sea and surrounded by walkways which run beside the sea, it looked like the perfect location to settle once the bank balance issues are settled.
We moved on to Stockholm, the journey using up most of the night. We had couchette tickets, and we guessed that it would mean reclining chairs. To our pleasant surprise, we discovered that couchette were quite akin to Indian sleeper class trains. And it was much, much more comfortable.
Stockholm, if you ask me, is among the most beautiful cities in Europe. The golden color of the leaves spawned everywhere by the onset of autumn made it look like the perfect calendar landscape. In Stockholm, we had our lunch at a small restaurant near the Swedish Royal Palace, where we had gone to see the change of guards. Swedes call the daily lunch menu @$# [something I can’t seem to remember ]. It was amazing food, served by a very cute and sweet lady.
A quick tour of the city later, we found our way to the Silja shipping line. We were going from Stockholm to Helsinki on a cruise ship. Now, we had only heard of a cruise, and at times, we heard that our ship was like a ferry. Some of us were confused, other were imagining a mediocre sized boat just good enough to carry people across the sea. When we saw the ship, we were all dazed. It was Titanic rescaled. And we had a cabin to ourselves. However, the spoiler was the unique combination of incredibly costly shops and our shoestring budget. So we had to be content with just walking around, and buying fast food. We spend early parts of the night playing DumbC and the latter half sleeping like dead donkeys.
Helsinki was another cold but interesting city. Another language, another currency. But it was hard not to notice the similarities between Norwegian culture and Russian culture. Not that I am an expert in either, but the similar phonetics in the language couldn’t be missed even by laymen. We had our lunch at the Porthania, which is the student mess of Helsinki University. There, Ghalib bhai decided to ask them a question which they had never encountered before and they could only answer it after a round of consultations. It turned out that he asked if he could take a second helping, since the menu said it was a buffet lunch. They decided to let him do that, and I think it was a cardinal mistake on their part. They have been reeling in debt ever since then. We also saw the Helsinki Olympic Stadium and a few other things before we decided to start the most happening part of our trip.
We took the overnight train to Rovaniemi, which is in the heart of Lapland. It is known for housing the Santa Claus’ office, and the arctic circle passes through it. God ki kasam, it was freezing cold there. Must have been close to zero degree Celsius. We found very few people in that place [which is 8 kms from the city] except the stupid 5 of us. In freezing cold at 8 am, when everything else was closed, we were roaming around in the Santa Claus garden. We only had a little time to spare there, so we hurried back. Took the train to Kemi, then the bus to Torneo. From there we walked across the Swedish-Finnish border and reached Haperanda. Then the bus to Lulea, from where we took the train to Stockholm.
All these minor details would really be inconsequential except for the fact that most of this journey was through the Scandinavian countryside. And it was awesome.
From Stockholm, we headed towards Oslo. We already knew that we had very little time to spare for Oslo if we wanted to reach back to Vallendar in time for my next class on Monday morning. So we headed straight towards Bergen. It is a town famous for its fjords. And that was where or trip ended.
The main lessons from the trip:
Swedish ladies and Finnish trains are the best of the lot in Scandinavia.
If there’s a dream Eurotrip [ for the purpose of travel or honeymoon or anything else] , then Scandinavia has an indispensable place in it. As far as I am concerned, time and money constraints notwithstanding, I already have my honeymoon trip planned out. I am just hoping the travel bug catches up with the-someone-somewhere-who-is-waiting-for-me!
On the trip we met a guy who has been traveling for the last 17 years, and has seen an incredible 76 countries. When we asked him about traveling alone, he told us that his wife couldn’t take so much so much of travel and they split after four years. That’s the time between two consecutive Olympic games. And that’s why my wish for a she-Marco-Polo. But he had some really nice things to say about India. He was upfront about the lack of cleanliness and all that, but he praised us for being so brave against adversities.
On other trivia, my group tested me time and again on my map reading skills. Except for the time when I misread the scale and estimated a distance as 600m which really was a kilometer and a half, I think I fared pretty well.
The quest for free WC and free water continues.
I think I have put enough travel details for one post. Some top-of-the-mind-thoughts are waiting to come out now. They can wait till later!
[ link to photos : Flickr Pbase ]
8 days.
7 thousand kilometers.
A whirlwhind tour of Scandinavia.
I have just returned from a trip that took me across the whole of Scandinavia. From the Finnish countryside to Norwegian fjords, I saw an amazingly huge variety of landscapes. Our group was the group of 5 – me Ghalib Ghanta Danko and Jhaag. I must call the group an eclectic mix of crazy bums.
Anyway, the trip started Saturday night from Cologne, where we took the direct train to Copenhagen. Little did we know about the issues at hand. In Scandinavia, every country has its own language and currency, not to speak of its own stupidities. So Copenhagen was spelt as Kobenhaven [ with some dots and crosses to garnish the word ]. We alighted there after spending a tiring night on train. Copenhagen isn’t my favorite city, I must tell you. It is old, and it was cold. And I have already seen a lot of old buildings in Europe, so the little we saw wasn’t so enchanting. But the ferry ride around the city was interesting. It took us around the main landmarks of the city though the main part of the trip, which was the last leg through the city [ yes, canals criss cross the city ] had to be cancelled due to bad weather. By this time, I had rediscovered my penchant for reading maps and was beginning to demonstrate competency in this area.
From Copenhagen, we took the train to Malmo, which is in Sweden. But it is very close to Copenhagen and is connected by a long bridge which has its 17kms stretch over the sea. If Copenhagen was cold, Malmo was colder. But we found some of the best houses we have ever seen there. Facing the sea and surrounded by walkways which run beside the sea, it looked like the perfect location to settle once the bank balance issues are settled.
We moved on to Stockholm, the journey using up most of the night. We had couchette tickets, and we guessed that it would mean reclining chairs. To our pleasant surprise, we discovered that couchette were quite akin to Indian sleeper class trains. And it was much, much more comfortable.
Stockholm, if you ask me, is among the most beautiful cities in Europe. The golden color of the leaves spawned everywhere by the onset of autumn made it look like the perfect calendar landscape. In Stockholm, we had our lunch at a small restaurant near the Swedish Royal Palace, where we had gone to see the change of guards. Swedes call the daily lunch menu @$# [something I can’t seem to remember ]. It was amazing food, served by a very cute and sweet lady.
A quick tour of the city later, we found our way to the Silja shipping line. We were going from Stockholm to Helsinki on a cruise ship. Now, we had only heard of a cruise, and at times, we heard that our ship was like a ferry. Some of us were confused, other were imagining a mediocre sized boat just good enough to carry people across the sea. When we saw the ship, we were all dazed. It was Titanic rescaled. And we had a cabin to ourselves. However, the spoiler was the unique combination of incredibly costly shops and our shoestring budget. So we had to be content with just walking around, and buying fast food. We spend early parts of the night playing DumbC and the latter half sleeping like dead donkeys.
Helsinki was another cold but interesting city. Another language, another currency. But it was hard not to notice the similarities between Norwegian culture and Russian culture. Not that I am an expert in either, but the similar phonetics in the language couldn’t be missed even by laymen. We had our lunch at the Porthania, which is the student mess of Helsinki University. There, Ghalib bhai decided to ask them a question which they had never encountered before and they could only answer it after a round of consultations. It turned out that he asked if he could take a second helping, since the menu said it was a buffet lunch. They decided to let him do that, and I think it was a cardinal mistake on their part. They have been reeling in debt ever since then. We also saw the Helsinki Olympic Stadium and a few other things before we decided to start the most happening part of our trip.
We took the overnight train to Rovaniemi, which is in the heart of Lapland. It is known for housing the Santa Claus’ office, and the arctic circle passes through it. God ki kasam, it was freezing cold there. Must have been close to zero degree Celsius. We found very few people in that place [which is 8 kms from the city] except the stupid 5 of us. In freezing cold at 8 am, when everything else was closed, we were roaming around in the Santa Claus garden. We only had a little time to spare there, so we hurried back. Took the train to Kemi, then the bus to Torneo. From there we walked across the Swedish-Finnish border and reached Haperanda. Then the bus to Lulea, from where we took the train to Stockholm.
All these minor details would really be inconsequential except for the fact that most of this journey was through the Scandinavian countryside. And it was awesome.
From Stockholm, we headed towards Oslo. We already knew that we had very little time to spare for Oslo if we wanted to reach back to Vallendar in time for my next class on Monday morning. So we headed straight towards Bergen. It is a town famous for its fjords. And that was where or trip ended.
The main lessons from the trip:
Swedish ladies and Finnish trains are the best of the lot in Scandinavia.
If there’s a dream Eurotrip [ for the purpose of travel or honeymoon or anything else] , then Scandinavia has an indispensable place in it. As far as I am concerned, time and money constraints notwithstanding, I already have my honeymoon trip planned out. I am just hoping the travel bug catches up with the-someone-somewhere-who-is-waiting-for-me!
On the trip we met a guy who has been traveling for the last 17 years, and has seen an incredible 76 countries. When we asked him about traveling alone, he told us that his wife couldn’t take so much so much of travel and they split after four years. That’s the time between two consecutive Olympic games. And that’s why my wish for a she-Marco-Polo. But he had some really nice things to say about India. He was upfront about the lack of cleanliness and all that, but he praised us for being so brave against adversities.
On other trivia, my group tested me time and again on my map reading skills. Except for the time when I misread the scale and estimated a distance as 600m which really was a kilometer and a half, I think I fared pretty well.
The quest for free WC and free water continues.
I think I have put enough travel details for one post. Some top-of-the-mind-thoughts are waiting to come out now. They can wait till later!
Friday, September 29, 2006
Wee Haa Uuu mein pehla exam!
Hmm... Phew.
If I thought mugging models [instead of lechering at them] and cramming theories was meant for highschool students, I couldn't be more mistaken. I chose the subject called Brand and Pricing here at Wee Haa Uuu and today, a mere 21 days after it began, it is over. I gave its end term exam less than an hour ago. Wheeewwww!
As must be clear by now, we were expected to cram a lot. The exam reflected our expectations, except for the Question number 1 which took us so much by surprise, I thought I was gonna fail this exam!
Later however, the extensive years of sitting in exam halls and thinking and writing a lot of fart helped me. And when I saw badi_murgi walk out of the hall a good 15 minutes before the exam [ ina 75 mins exam], I knew at least a few more people were being cool about this exam.
The ghost of why-did-it-happen-to-me haunts me again. This time for Eurail pass. I don't know what this will lead to, may be a mangled head and some arbit dreams.
Trying times, I must tell you. Just last night, I saw another of my series of arbit dreams. I woke up at 5 am, almost eager to record the dream before I forget it. And maa kasam, I had it in my mind till around 5 mins before I decided to finally pen it down. But it was Lost. Forever.
Just yesterday while I and Ghanta were coming back to our dormitory, we ended up talking about beautiful ladies of different nationalities. There was unanimous assertion that French women are the sweetest talkers. I opine(d) that Greek and French must be the two most beautiful countries to belong to. Ghanta would rather wait to observe a few more samples before he expresses his opinion! Italians, by the way, have a wonderful skin color [mostly] but their voice doesn't really please your ears. Who cares ;)
Today is my sister's birthday. Thank God for all the good times you have given her so far, and send her more such wonderful things in the future.
If I thought mugging models [instead of lechering at them] and cramming theories was meant for highschool students, I couldn't be more mistaken. I chose the subject called Brand and Pricing here at Wee Haa Uuu and today, a mere 21 days after it began, it is over. I gave its end term exam less than an hour ago. Wheeewwww!
As must be clear by now, we were expected to cram a lot. The exam reflected our expectations, except for the Question number 1 which took us so much by surprise, I thought I was gonna fail this exam!
Later however, the extensive years of sitting in exam halls and thinking and writing a lot of fart helped me. And when I saw badi_murgi walk out of the hall a good 15 minutes before the exam [ ina 75 mins exam], I knew at least a few more people were being cool about this exam.
The ghost of why-did-it-happen-to-me haunts me again. This time for Eurail pass. I don't know what this will lead to, may be a mangled head and some arbit dreams.
Trying times, I must tell you. Just last night, I saw another of my series of arbit dreams. I woke up at 5 am, almost eager to record the dream before I forget it. And maa kasam, I had it in my mind till around 5 mins before I decided to finally pen it down. But it was Lost. Forever.
Just yesterday while I and Ghanta were coming back to our dormitory, we ended up talking about beautiful ladies of different nationalities. There was unanimous assertion that French women are the sweetest talkers. I opine(d) that Greek and French must be the two most beautiful countries to belong to. Ghanta would rather wait to observe a few more samples before he expresses his opinion! Italians, by the way, have a wonderful skin color [mostly] but their voice doesn't really please your ears. Who cares ;)
Today is my sister's birthday. Thank God for all the good times you have given her so far, and send her more such wonderful things in the future.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Mera bad luck hi kharab hai ...
Its one of those days when you get the feeling... "why did it have to happen to me !"
I mean, how could I have known that transferring money from one a/c to another would take one week. How could I have known that coming back to square one would take the better part of a fortnight!
The quest for a laptop has taken a frustrating and actively hostile turn. With the doggedness of a dhobi-ka-kutta, I insist that I will procure a laptop. I truly need one to keep up with the times. And to keep myself sane.
As of today, I am waiting. Dry throats and hungry eyes notwithstanding, I am waiting.
Us unkhareede laptop ki kasam, no more purchasing online.
I wish I hadn't been told about the movie PKSE. Now, I think I will have to rename my friend CoffeeMate. I think I can call him Popes. Much much better! The idea of "coffee at 12" will never feel the same again!
I read a post on a friend's blog about dogs. He seems to take a very sympathetic stance towards them. Incidentally, street dogs really piss me off. Not in the reclining-against-the-pole sense, but they have created enough nuisance for me in the past. Interrupted and almost scared me when I was walking around with Popes in the road in front of the campus one early morning [ or late night if u will]. Scared us on our adventurous walk to the Kashid beach one dark night.
And who can forget Strato's stunt that night... We were all scared, trying to form a small bunch. And there she was, holding the burning candle, quite in the 'Gumnam hai koi' fashion. Luckily, it did scare the dogs, I think.
There's something strong about German nationalism. Almost to the extent that sometimes, it creates a lot of troubles. The online banking webpage is entirely in German language, all ready-to-cook food comes with instructions in 4-5 languages (and English isn't one of them), the newspapers and TV channels are all in German! Except the movie on Sunday late night, there's very little you can understand on German TV. If for the sake of consumer convenience, businesses provided an option of communicating in English, life here would be so much easier.
Till then, ready-to-cook food is better referred to as ready-to-translate!
People in Ahmedabad are worried about dropping water table. I wish someone in this part of the world was worried about the dropping waist lines. To the extent that some waistlines begin at the absolutely limiting levels... beyond that, both the waistline and the trouser/jeans/skirt doesnt make much sense [except for the Supermans and so on...]. Granted that God is great and that everyone has the right to make his or her own choice, but still... Some of these people look more like brand ambassadors of inner wear! Details not worth mentioning/discussing/thinking about. Do what you want, but don't sit in the chair in front of me. Please.
Strangely but luckily, despite all the provocations by these @#$#@%#@ online store people, I am happy. Because in small windows of time, I have been doing what I like best to do. Garbled nonsense about serious issues, or serious discussions about nonsensical concerns. Anyway, the weather is clear and lots of clouds have been blown away.
Only If
by Enya
When there's a shadow near, reach for the sun
When there is loving here, look for the one
And for the promises, there is the sky
And for the heavens are those who can fly
If you really want to, you can hear me say
Only if you want to will you find a way
If you really want to you can seize the day
Only if you want to will you fly away
..snip..
I mean, how could I have known that transferring money from one a/c to another would take one week. How could I have known that coming back to square one would take the better part of a fortnight!
The quest for a laptop has taken a frustrating and actively hostile turn. With the doggedness of a dhobi-ka-kutta, I insist that I will procure a laptop. I truly need one to keep up with the times. And to keep myself sane.
As of today, I am waiting. Dry throats and hungry eyes notwithstanding, I am waiting.
Us unkhareede laptop ki kasam, no more purchasing online.
I wish I hadn't been told about the movie PKSE. Now, I think I will have to rename my friend CoffeeMate. I think I can call him Popes. Much much better! The idea of "coffee at 12" will never feel the same again!
I read a post on a friend's blog about dogs. He seems to take a very sympathetic stance towards them. Incidentally, street dogs really piss me off. Not in the reclining-against-the-pole sense, but they have created enough nuisance for me in the past. Interrupted and almost scared me when I was walking around with Popes in the road in front of the campus one early morning [ or late night if u will]. Scared us on our adventurous walk to the Kashid beach one dark night.
And who can forget Strato's stunt that night... We were all scared, trying to form a small bunch. And there she was, holding the burning candle, quite in the 'Gumnam hai koi' fashion. Luckily, it did scare the dogs, I think.
There's something strong about German nationalism. Almost to the extent that sometimes, it creates a lot of troubles. The online banking webpage is entirely in German language, all ready-to-cook food comes with instructions in 4-5 languages (and English isn't one of them), the newspapers and TV channels are all in German! Except the movie on Sunday late night, there's very little you can understand on German TV. If for the sake of consumer convenience, businesses provided an option of communicating in English, life here would be so much easier.
Till then, ready-to-cook food is better referred to as ready-to-translate!
People in Ahmedabad are worried about dropping water table. I wish someone in this part of the world was worried about the dropping waist lines. To the extent that some waistlines begin at the absolutely limiting levels... beyond that, both the waistline and the trouser/jeans/skirt doesnt make much sense [except for the Supermans and so on...]. Granted that God is great and that everyone has the right to make his or her own choice, but still... Some of these people look more like brand ambassadors of inner wear! Details not worth mentioning/discussing/thinking about. Do what you want, but don't sit in the chair in front of me. Please.
Strangely but luckily, despite all the provocations by these @#$#@%#@ online store people, I am happy. Because in small windows of time, I have been doing what I like best to do. Garbled nonsense about serious issues, or serious discussions about nonsensical concerns. Anyway, the weather is clear and lots of clouds have been blown away.
Only If
by Enya
When there's a shadow near, reach for the sun
When there is loving here, look for the one
And for the promises, there is the sky
And for the heavens are those who can fly
If you really want to, you can hear me say
Only if you want to will you find a way
If you really want to you can seize the day
Only if you want to will you fly away
..snip..
Sunday, September 24, 2006
A birthday and Oktober ka Mela
Today is Strato's Birthday. This is for her :)))
With the accompanying wishes and hopes and all that.
I wonder how some people are able to tolerate so much of me. I am a little keen to make fun of people while I often suppress the compliments. Strato had a taste of that recently ;)
And when I end up revealing the compliments, my ability/tendency to exaggerate things makes the whole atmosphere a little too stoopid.
That doesn't mean I don't mean them. I mean, that post about a girl being deliciously beautifool wasn't written for nothing. All the stoopidity apart, the compliment was truly intended! :)
So was SISGB - a term I use when someone deserves to be complimented with a straight-from-the-heart She Is So Goddamn Beautiful.
We spent our Saturday at the Oktoberfest in Munich. It was great. Surrounded by people drinking around 4 liters of beer on an average, the atmosphere felt really festive. It sorta reminded me of the fare we used to have in Banda. Multiply the scale by a few thousands. [It is said that Oktoberfest is visited each year by around 6 million people]
We spent an incredible amount of time just walking around. McDonald rawksss. We just walked out the main festival gate and went in the direction that looked like it led to the market. And after a little walking along the straight road, we reached the McD outlet. I have grown a surprisingly huge appetite. This time, even the BigMac seemed to vanish into a corner.
One word summarises the Oktoberfest like nothing else. Masse [ written in German as 'Ma' followed by beta ... sort of like Maa-beta]. It means a flask. And you can see that it is really big. It measures one liter and if you consider that the Bavarian beer is stronger than other beer, you can understand what it does to people who gulp down some 3-4 liters.
When we travel around in Germany, the things uppermost in our mind are
-free WC
-water to drink
-McDonald's
I mean, who wants to spend the equivalent of Rs 30 on such trivial things as loo. And it is really difficult to find non-carbonated water anywhere in Germany.
Ghalib bhai showed his master culinary skills in cooking chicken curry for today's lunch. And he did a very good job of it. Of course he was supported by the master onion-cutter Your Truly. And YT was a little busy in trying out whether gTalk can really be used to Talk.
After all the walking last night, I was wondering if going to CC would be worth all the pain. But had pleasant conversations with CM, Cheenz, Strato and AshKD. And also did the scanning job.
Incidentally that PC on which the scanner is connected has German Windows XP. And while scanning, my only concern was that I should not accidentally print the document... it would some euros. Luckily, I knew that print is drucken in German. So I managed to scan the documents. Phew!
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Bible, Matthew vii. 7.
Friday, September 22, 2006
No I don't need them.
Them. The People.
They make such a mockery of my name. :(
Last night I went to a party and there, they misspelt my name. For a moment, I should have looked like the typical Chinese tauschie. They had called me 'Vyong'!
I mean, in the two weeks since I have come here, I have seen many different mutilations of my name. 'Vom' 'Vo' 'Vyon' 'Om' 'Yom' 'Yon'
Yes, all these and more.
Its not as if the experience has been less traumatic in India. A proff at my college gawked at my name plate and blurted out 'Bhom'. When I was young enough to wear clothes shown in kids' section, my friends , especially the more enterprising ones, called me Bhai-bho. Some teachers called me Y-om.
What do I do?
I keep a name tag handy so that I can avoid having to spell out what some people find an incredibly difficult name.
Bad look!
And no, I am definitely not a dealer in vaccuum cleaners. And my sofa is clean, so don't come with a vaccuum cleaner.
What had all the ingredients of an interesting conversation was struck out by a bolt from the blue. Its always at the wrong time that your mind decides to rebel.
When Greek beauties were beginning to get intoxicated in Sangri etc at the party last night, my stomach was growling at me. Loud enough that the inebritated Spaniard next to me mistook it for music. So Vyong went back to his apartment and had a semi-fool filling dinner.
Or may be, it was the right time. Words were beginning to come with a falter. Lack of enthu, energy or courage?
And what was it that cut it short?
I don't like obese people either. And its not related to aesthetics in anyway. Just that when I used to play see-saw in my childhood, people would come and sit on the see-saw opposite me. And I would be left hanging in thin air! It felt bad. To top it all, they would leave suddenly and that would hurt you in ways they would never get to know. The sudden fall from the top followed by the loud thud and I would scream in pain!
So I learnt the lesson the hard way. One shouldn't be in see-saw relationships with people stronger than him/her. It hurts. If you go weak on your knees when you see someone, it may not be a good idea to play see-saw with them. Try some other game!
Sorry for using the same quote again, but I like these a little too much.
from Movie Dor:
yeh honsla kaise jhuke
yeh aarzoo kaise ruke
yeh honsla kaise jhuke
yeh aarzoo kaise ruke
manzil mushkil to kya
dhundhla sahil to kya
tanha yeh dil to kya
rah pe kaante bikhre agar
us per to fir bhi chalna hi hai
shaam chupale suraj magar
raat ko ek din dhalna hi hai
rut yeh tal jayegi
himmat rang layegi
subeh fir aayegi
yeh honsla...
hogi hamein jo rehmat ada
dhoop kategi saaye tale
apni khuda se hai yeh dua
manzil laga le humko gale
zurrat sau bar rahe
uncha ikraar rahe
zinda har pyaar rahe
yeh honsla...
They make such a mockery of my name. :(
Last night I went to a party and there, they misspelt my name. For a moment, I should have looked like the typical Chinese tauschie. They had called me 'Vyong'!
I mean, in the two weeks since I have come here, I have seen many different mutilations of my name. 'Vom' 'Vo' 'Vyon' 'Om' 'Yom' 'Yon'
Yes, all these and more.
Its not as if the experience has been less traumatic in India. A proff at my college gawked at my name plate and blurted out 'Bhom'. When I was young enough to wear clothes shown in kids' section, my friends , especially the more enterprising ones, called me Bhai-bho. Some teachers called me Y-om.
What do I do?
I keep a name tag handy so that I can avoid having to spell out what some people find an incredibly difficult name.
Bad look!
And no, I am definitely not a dealer in vaccuum cleaners. And my sofa is clean, so don't come with a vaccuum cleaner.
What had all the ingredients of an interesting conversation was struck out by a bolt from the blue. Its always at the wrong time that your mind decides to rebel.
When Greek beauties were beginning to get intoxicated in Sangri etc at the party last night, my stomach was growling at me. Loud enough that the inebritated Spaniard next to me mistook it for music. So Vyong went back to his apartment and had a semi-fool filling dinner.
Or may be, it was the right time. Words were beginning to come with a falter. Lack of enthu, energy or courage?
And what was it that cut it short?
I don't like obese people either. And its not related to aesthetics in anyway. Just that when I used to play see-saw in my childhood, people would come and sit on the see-saw opposite me. And I would be left hanging in thin air! It felt bad. To top it all, they would leave suddenly and that would hurt you in ways they would never get to know. The sudden fall from the top followed by the loud thud and I would scream in pain!
So I learnt the lesson the hard way. One shouldn't be in see-saw relationships with people stronger than him/her. It hurts. If you go weak on your knees when you see someone, it may not be a good idea to play see-saw with them. Try some other game!
Sorry for using the same quote again, but I like these a little too much.
from Movie Dor:
yeh honsla kaise jhuke
yeh aarzoo kaise ruke
yeh honsla kaise jhuke
yeh aarzoo kaise ruke
manzil mushkil to kya
dhundhla sahil to kya
tanha yeh dil to kya
rah pe kaante bikhre agar
us per to fir bhi chalna hi hai
shaam chupale suraj magar
raat ko ek din dhalna hi hai
rut yeh tal jayegi
himmat rang layegi
subeh fir aayegi
yeh honsla...
hogi hamein jo rehmat ada
dhoop kategi saaye tale
apni khuda se hai yeh dua
manzil laga le humko gale
zurrat sau bar rahe
uncha ikraar rahe
zinda har pyaar rahe
yeh honsla...
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Why?
Sometimes you stand on the balcony , feel the breeze brush past your hair. The chill in the air pinches your nose and creates a painful sensation in your ears. You suddenly begin to resemble a red-faced monkey sans a full-blown tail. And your mind begins to wobble.
Why on earth did this have to happen?
I mean, granted that I have more expertise in this field than the other two guys, but why did I have to be the one who ends up cutting onions before every meal we cook? Why do I have to cry before every meal?
A few thousand kilometers away, a full billion people are merrily sleeping. May be some nocturnal types [who live in some hostel or work in a call center or are on emergency duty of any kind] are awake. May be some are reading this and wondering why I wrote this.
Ye ye ye ye [ with all the animated intonations, that make it the favorite expression of joy for a typical German ! ]
I wonder why I have to go back. I wonder why I have to wonder.
Ghalib bhai's loud snoring drowns out the soft sound of my keyboard tapping. Downstairs, a group of guys are going to practice their dancing skills. My dbabble is refusing to log me in.
You get the atmosphere right.
Still I wonder. Like Arun, Amit and Raja [ my friends ]. I wonder and worry.
I wonder if it is a good idea to start experimenting with the binge sessions. Germany would be the best place to do that should I decide to go ahead. The free beer, the festive atmosphere and spirited people eager to invite me - this combination is difficult to find. It might be a good idea to drown away my thoughts in a giant vase. I mean, so what if I am only one-gulp-old. There's always a beginning and there's always an end.
I try hard to hide my thoughts behind thin veils. Some people may not like to see me change my habits. I mean, except for the one gulp I took to see what German beer [ or beer of any kind ] tastes like, and except for this rare musing, beer isn't something I would find so acceptable. Not in the normal course of things.
I feel like a dealer of vaccuum cleaners. Vacuum in, vacuum out. Someone brings in some vaccuum, someone takes away some vaccuum.
If it gets any more arbit, I promise I will jump off the window. At this time of the day, the garden lights will switch on by themselves. These Germans use engineering so ubiquitously in their lives. I mean, the lights in the corridors are timed to switch off automatically after a few mins. When you enter the WC, you have to start the light timer, and after that time, the light goes off by itself. Crazy or ingenuous?
It did cost me a lot of trouble on my first day. The WC details are best left out but you can imagine having to use a WC at midnight when its completely dark all around.
Its about time I woke Ghalib bhai up and signed off lest I write something that betrays the true mood of the day.
[ Ye ye ye , beer bars of Vallendar, here I come!]
The last perusal of this blog to ensure nothing leaks out is over.
[Sorry for treating you with this, but I like this expression!]
Takdeer mein hamari to aasmaa bhi nahi tha
Fakr se ud chale hum kate pankh liye hue.
Woh sookhi daal, hawa ke jhoke,
kab tak rokegi aakhir
Ek roz hum sabhi ud ud ker
ufaq mein kaheen chchip jayenge!
Why on earth did this have to happen?
I mean, granted that I have more expertise in this field than the other two guys, but why did I have to be the one who ends up cutting onions before every meal we cook? Why do I have to cry before every meal?
A few thousand kilometers away, a full billion people are merrily sleeping. May be some nocturnal types [who live in some hostel or work in a call center or are on emergency duty of any kind] are awake. May be some are reading this and wondering why I wrote this.
Ye ye ye ye [ with all the animated intonations, that make it the favorite expression of joy for a typical German ! ]
I wonder why I have to go back. I wonder why I have to wonder.
Ghalib bhai's loud snoring drowns out the soft sound of my keyboard tapping. Downstairs, a group of guys are going to practice their dancing skills. My dbabble is refusing to log me in.
You get the atmosphere right.
Still I wonder. Like Arun, Amit and Raja [ my friends ]. I wonder and worry.
I wonder if it is a good idea to start experimenting with the binge sessions. Germany would be the best place to do that should I decide to go ahead. The free beer, the festive atmosphere and spirited people eager to invite me - this combination is difficult to find. It might be a good idea to drown away my thoughts in a giant vase. I mean, so what if I am only one-gulp-old. There's always a beginning and there's always an end.
I try hard to hide my thoughts behind thin veils. Some people may not like to see me change my habits. I mean, except for the one gulp I took to see what German beer [ or beer of any kind ] tastes like, and except for this rare musing, beer isn't something I would find so acceptable. Not in the normal course of things.
I feel like a dealer of vaccuum cleaners. Vacuum in, vacuum out. Someone brings in some vaccuum, someone takes away some vaccuum.
If it gets any more arbit, I promise I will jump off the window. At this time of the day, the garden lights will switch on by themselves. These Germans use engineering so ubiquitously in their lives. I mean, the lights in the corridors are timed to switch off automatically after a few mins. When you enter the WC, you have to start the light timer, and after that time, the light goes off by itself. Crazy or ingenuous?
It did cost me a lot of trouble on my first day. The WC details are best left out but you can imagine having to use a WC at midnight when its completely dark all around.
Its about time I woke Ghalib bhai up and signed off lest I write something that betrays the true mood of the day.
[ Ye ye ye , beer bars of Vallendar, here I come!]
The last perusal of this blog to ensure nothing leaks out is over.
[Sorry for treating you with this, but I like this expression!]
Takdeer mein hamari to aasmaa bhi nahi tha
Fakr se ud chale hum kate pankh liye hue.
Woh sookhi daal, hawa ke jhoke,
kab tak rokegi aakhir
Ek roz hum sabhi ud ud ker
ufaq mein kaheen chchip jayenge!
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