Move Along

It's a nice, bright Sunday - the skies are a clear azure after ages (hell, I don't even remember when was the last time we had a such a beautiful day!), the breeze that's blowing through the window is delightfully cool and is ruffling the curtain ever so lightly (not to mention my freshly washed, fragrant hair). All this should have set my heart skipping out a jolly tune and a smile fluttering lightly on my lips..why then is my heart sinking into the grips of fingers so icy they hurt as they tighten and squeeze around my heart?

Current Music :- Move Along by The All American Rejects
"When all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through"

Sigh...

Spent some lovely relaxed moments with a friend the past two days - and coming home today, I was hit by how short-lived, how ephemereal these moments of joy are...and I smiled almost sadly to myself. It makes me treasure these moments all the more, for I know that in the next couple of months my "social" life is going to go downhill again. The pampering is over, soon the fun, too shall be a thing of the past. Sigh.

Current Mood :- Restless. Fed-up of being walked all over and being taken for granted. Disillusioned and disappointed.

Question of the Day :- Why do people make promises they never intended to keep?

Thought Cloud

Rains. Torrents.
Wet. Disillusioned. Greens. Potholes. Pain.
Hungry. Not. Bored. Garam Chai. Fritters. Tears.
Cappuccino. Hurting. Where’s the Sun? Memories.Black.
My chest hurts. So does my back. And my head. And my heart.
Nostalgia. Bored. I need a Book. Anger. Questions. Bruised. Battered. Grumpf.
Defeated.“It Must Have Been Love”. Idle hours. Emptiness. Disgust.
Blah! “Hasta La Vista”. Cognac.Employment. Apathy. Resolutions.
Craters. Muck. Ick. “I Will Survive.” Am I Not Good Enough?
Wicked. Fangs. Plain Jane. Independence. New focus.
A New Day. Sunshine. Atlast. Busy again.
I Miss you Papa. A lot. Blue.

Floral skirt. Pink. Pretty.
Content. Peace.

Out Of Action

Temporarily out ofa ction due to unforeseen circumstances (that being voltage fluctutation which got through UPS and spike-buster which rendered useless the computer, which is essential for blogging!!) ...

Sigh, such is the life these days! Please to be the forgiving and to be the missing my lovable presence...

Aaj Kal Hassi Badi Mehengi Ho Rakhhi Hai Duniya Mein

Omkara. Vishal Bharadwaj's adaptation of the Shakesperian tragedy Othello. I've seen it twice and I'd gladly go for it a third time, without a second's hesitation, provided it's still running in cinemas after the release of that god-awful Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. No, I haven't seen the latter and neither do I have any intention of doing so - I've successfully avoided most of theYash Raj - Johar banner films since KKHH and I'm damn proud of it! Unfortunately Omkara is already making its way out of cinemas (atleast in Pune) - and once again I am appalled at how culturally ignorant and philistine we can get! I won't bother waxing lyrical about the brilliance of the film - the adaptation to a very believable north-Indian semi-urban milieu, the casting (yes even Kareena Kapoor failed to get on my nerves) and characterisation, the music (I simply can't stop humming the title track and "Bidi"), the attention to detail (did you notice Kareena's nails in the scene at the prison at the beginning of the film?), not to mention the performances (Konkana, being the best - how that lady transforms from a Bengali to an Iyer Brahmin to a hip-young-urban-journalist to an uneducated woman from a UP village is just unbelievably awesome!) are all worthy of a standing ovation.

I won't even bother lashing out at the junta that went for the movie and walked out saying they got bored and didn't understand it - can hardly blame them, if they've been fed sentimental crap like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam (gag!!!), or worse the Garam Masala genre of comedy (puke!!!) - ab unpadh ko kya samjhana Shakespeare kaun tha! What I fail to understand and forgive is the educated lot, who have read a reasonable amount of literature and who walk out saying the film was a torture, that it gave them a headache..and the worst of them all, that Shakespeare was a sadist to write tragedies!!! Mon Dieu - could we indulge in any more blasphemous sacrilege? How do you explain to these people what a wealth of knowledge about the human psychology is to be gleaned from Shakespeare's plays, that all the courses of psychology and HR management couldn't teach you what reading (and understanding the meaning behind the words) Shakespeare's plays could teach you? And pray, tell me what's this nonsense about cinema existing only to provide entertainment (and that too, the senseless variety?) - whatever happened to cinema being the Seventh Art and Art existing to represent Reality, not to mention make us stop and think? Where, where have we gone and donated our grey cells? Why, why are we insisting on turning into this mindless pulp of humanity that cannot deal with an intelligent subject?

[Read Aristera's review of the film - I couldn't agree more with him!]

Current Mood :- On the warpath since Wednesday - have been sharpening my talons and fangs and sinking them into every available (not to mention unsuspecting) victim at the slightest opportunity. Inner angst makes me shed my angelic demeanour!
Current Music :- Kylie Minogue - Come Into My World, In My Eyes, More More More
Current Book :- Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood

Happy Friendship Day (ahem)

For the longest time I’ve silently rebelled at being judged by others’ parameters of what’s acceptable and what’s not. Through-out adolescence I had major issues with the whole concept of “cool” and “hep” and being “in” – having gone through a tumultuous adolescence and felt excluded and to quite an extent, marginalized and yes, judged by ridiculous standards, I developed a strong dislike for pigeon-holing of people into categories, just any Tom Dick and Harry who doesn’t even know you. Till today I react strongly at being cast into a particular image…

I thought I’d left all these things behind, but it seems not. Irrespective of how old one gets, one continues to be judged by others – what’s worse is that it’s not always the stranger or the outsider that does it. When close friends who are apparently there because they’ve accepted you for what you truly are, suddenly rear up and start judging you on the basis of appearances or hold you at gun-point for what is not acceptable to them, it feels like the worst kind of betrayal. Isn’t friendship supposed to be based on acceptance of differences? It forces me to take a step back and re-evaluate my friendships – forces me to think before I talk about something…and that to me is not real friendship. That’s a bloody farce in the name of friendship and frankly I could do without it…

…oh I almost forgot, today is Friendship Day! Right then, Happy Friendship Day to all of you out there – remember to be true to your “friends” through-out the year not just this one day. (Total kill-joy, ain’t I?) :-)

Current Mood – Wierdly pensive and dark to suit the dull, grey, watery weather.
Current Music - Walk Away – Kelly Clarkson
Current Book – NOTHING! I haven’t touched a book in what seems like aeons – I need to read something and feel good about myself again. Time to hit the cartons for books not yet read…

Those Were The Days...

Goodbyes Suck!

I hate saying Goodbye...and I'm dreading the moment more than I care to admit. FUCK but I'm going to miss her so god-damn-much!

Current Music:- J'ai besoin d'amour - Lorie
Current Mood:- Nostalgic. Contemplative. Cold. Tired.

Random Tag...

I thought..such things don't REALLY happen, but they apparently do.
I said...I wouldn't fall but I did anyways!
I want to...make my parents proud of me.
I wish... I could turn back time.
I miss... Papa. Alot.
I hear... they don’t make them like that anymore.
I wonder... about many things, not all of them worthwhile.
I regret... not having said enough when I had the time.
I am... a hopeless romantic, boringly sensible and quite practical, even though undeniably eccentric.
I dance... rarely in public, but very often (and best) in the mornings all by myself.
I sing... terribly out-of-tune.
I cry... way too often these days.
I am not always... sensible, much is the pity.
I write...not as well as I would like to and not nearly as much as I'd like to.
I confuse... people alot when I "zap" into my juvenile mode!
I need... to feel like I'm in control of my life.
I should try... to let go sometimes.
I finish... things I take up voluntarily, but not those forced onto me.
I get turned on by . . . intelligence and honesty when it comes to emotions.
I seek . . . happiness.
I won’t . . . ever be such a blind besotted fool again.
I shouldn’t . . .worry so much.
I confess . . . to enjoying Mills & Boons (there goes down the drain any future attempt at Literary Snobbery!)
I claim . . .to be Plain Jane :-)

Quarter-life Crisis?

If someone asked me a month back if I’d ever stop blogging, I’d reply in the negative without a second’s hesitation. Not any longer – despite the fact that my blog has been my baby for the last three years, I find myself hesitating when I approach it these days. Unfortunately my blog has been the reason for some misunderstandings in my life, and it has forced me to question if perhaps my blog hasn’t played a hand in complicating my life a little. As it is, since the beginning of this year life has been a freaking roller-coaster with a tendency to swerve in any odd direction it wishes.

So many times over the past few months, I’ve stopped myself and questioned my actions – so many of the events in the last few months don’t seem like my life, so many of my actions don’t seem like mine. But it is my life and they are my actions – I worry constantly about what I’m doing. I worry that one wrong decision today could lead to a lot of pain and confusion tomorrow. Then again how can I be so sure that the said decision would be wrong? I worry that I’m being selfish in allowing myself to enjoy the happiness that is coming my way. Then again don’t I deserve it? I worry that the happiness is temporary. Then again isn’t happiness always temporary? Don’t troubles and worries always dog the steps of content and peace? So then I worry that I worry too much and that I worry needlessly.

Gah – add to it the confusions created by what I’ve said on my blog – it’s almost like Geebaby too is going through some kind of quarter-life crisis! Sometimes I think I should perhaps not blog anymore! * Shudder * No, I don’t think that is possible – Geebaby has been MY space to vent out thoughts and emotions and any scant creative bursts for too long now and I don’t think I can completely give it up…but perhaps it’s time Geebaby grew up and donned a different avatar.

So there, you have it, there are going to be some changes here people – I may be back from the short hiatus, but I ain’t the same no more!

Current Music:- Wind of Change - Scorpions, Something Stupid - Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman, Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough - Patty Smith, To Be With You - Mr. Big (the last two being two of my favourite romantic tracks!)

Current Book:- Brainfever Bird – Allan Sealy

Current Mood:- Swerving between contemplative and content – haven’t felt this good about myself in ages and I’m finding it bloody odd!

Low. Lost. Betrayed...

Mood Therapy Anyone?

Who needs a loony-bin or a fancy spa-resort to fix those grey moods when Bombay is just around the corner to breathe life back into me, to slay my demons and to revitalise me sending me back with a calmer, more peaceful mind? For four days, I lived in an idyllic world, where all I did was eat, drink, swing, watch television/movies, talk and laze around. Friends had been saying I need to take a break and get away from town (preferably to the city that breathes life into me) so when my usual flying visit to Bombay got extended thanks to the rains bringing the magnificient city "to a standstill" (ahem!) you can imagine the miracles it worked on me!

Activities:- As I said, I unwound totally - swinging gently, watching the world race past through a window overlooking my favourite park in the city or watching television. I discovered Sex and the City (yes, yes I'm slow in discovering such things - what to do I'm pop-culture deprived these days!) and had a whale of a time chuckling over the antics of Carey and co. I got totally mind-f***ed watching Closer on a rainy, romantic morning, when I should have been watching much cuddled in someone's loving arms (yes yes we don't need to remind that those loving arms still haven't made an appearance - gah!)! I rolled my eyes at the media reports of "baarish ki dehshat" that had the "yatayat thap" - pray tell me is it just the goverment and the civic bodies thata re to be blamed for the mess in that city? When are we as citizens going to take some responsibility? I "braved" the rains and let the "man" have his way (Muhaha), attempting to get to Bandra, when Juhu was water-logged only to turn around and come back to my "ilaaka" and head to good ol' Fame Adlabs for an incredibly ridiculous Superman Returns (please don't expect a review beyond this - "rolling my eyes"). I've had some amazingly delicious food - O Calcutta, Café Basilico, Pizza Casa, Café Biona and some very basic food - Swadesh, Appointment(!!) and Guju-ghar-ka-khana. I allowed myself to get buzzed by drinking wine too fast on a nearly empty stomach and I rejected Vodka - it simply doesn't excite my tongue enough to bother with it. I'll stick with my wine, cognac and smooth, hot-n-sexy liqueurs please! I've been made to walk, seriously walk in my completely-inadequate-for-walking sandals just because that's what we do when we are together (reference to bosom pal M). I've talked and talked till my vocal chords ached - I've giggled and chuckled and laughed over men, love and life...I realised that I've finally put my biggest mistake behind me. That chapter is closed. Finally. I finally gave into my urge to shop and indulge in retail therapy when I walked into Landmark, the awesome bookstore I've heard so much about, and bought books and music after many months. I followed that up, by picking up a sexy pair of trousers and a tee, when I was out helping a friend shop! Hehe!I got my hair chopped off - yes quite drastic this time. Actually short - shorter than it has ever been!!! I exchanged a crazy number of text messages and talked for quite a long time with friends back in the hamlet, all the time agonising over how my carefully maintained balance has been getting screwed with since last month - oh to hell with it, it's worth it!

Humans encountered:- Aristera, my graceful host who can get grumpy and chauvinistic at times and must be pampered but is on the whole one charming, adorable, huggable darling! A, my friend all set to fly off to the land of golden opportunities to pursue those dreams of hers - who I will miss more than I care to admit, even though I've tried hard to teach myself to live without her there everytime I turned around. M, who I have learnt to live without, as long as there are emails and telephones to pull into immediate use when that crazy voice is needed to inject hope back into my system - she still hasn't changed a bit! Extempore, the only friend outside the inner circle I deigned to meet (Muhaha!) - it felt good to indulge in some intellectual (ahem) conversation with her over Vodka, liqueur, pizza and Sex and the City! Got introduced to V, about whom I've heard plenty - now that I know that there is one nice person in that gang, I'm waiting to meet the others! (Hint hint)

....and then I sped back once again to reality, over an expressway that couldn't get more sublimely sexy. If I ached for some romance when I was swinging and looking out at the rain-drenched city, my yearnings for it were ten-fold as I gazed out of my window at the lush-green hills and the silvery cascades gushing down the hillsides as the bus cut through a fine misty fog that gently covered the ghats. Reality met me in the face of a pick-up from the bus-stop by AR(yes I'm very pampered these days - sue me for it!), followed by a quick-stop at work, non-stop class for 5 hours and a surprise birthday party for a senior colleague (professor) at AFP who turned 60 yesterday - my first work-party and was it the greatest fun! ;-) Good company coupled with wine, vodka, food and conversation! This morning brought with it work and freaking real issues to be faced and dealt with once again! Phew - oh well, the break has me energised enough to tackle life anew!

Current Book:- The Girl From The Chartreuse - Pierre Péju
Current Music:- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper, I'll be There for You - The Rembrandts, Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye, Footloose - Kenny Loggins(thanks AR for burning that last CD for me)
Current Mood:- Wickedly Morose and Indifferent.

Home

Misty roads led to the place where the heart is happiest - they said I'd take forever. I was home within three hours.

It's the sexiest weather. The skies are gloriously overcast. It's raining - pouring infact. From my vantage point in the swinging basket all I can see are trees beding under the onslaught of the showers. It's divine really. Sublime.

Last night was a fun-fun-fun night after oh-so-long. There was wine, cuisine par excellence at Cafe Basilico, good conversation (even girl-talk and guy-talk!) and friends. Happy - that's what I was last night. Just happy. The wine, I think, helped, but in general there was happiness in the air. Home in the rains, with my closest friends for company - little more could I ask for. Kept questioning it - it's been so long since I felt this carefree and happy. Happy. Yes I know I keep saying it...sssshhhh!

Strangely enough the overcast skies seem to have cast a shadow on my mood this morning...it's true I think, question happiness and you aren't happy any more!

On a happier note, though, am here for atleast two more days. Two crazy, fun-filled days I hope - am sure the mood will improve...and the downpour just got crazier!

Voila...

Current Music Addictions : I Wish I Was A Punk-rocker - Sandy Thom , Crazy - Gnarl's Barkeley

Mellow...

Sitting by the balcony, a lazy breeze wafting in through the doors left wide open, the scent of Ceylonese mint tea par excellence meandering its way upto my nostrils, I can't help but let my mind drift and generally take stock of things. The first-half of the year, has by any standards been one crazy roller-coaster ride, each new development taking me by surprise, good or bad.
The other day I was chatting with a close buddy away in the land of golden opportnities since a month (he objects to my flagrant disrespect of people's privacy on my blog, so I shall restrain from naming him) and it struck me on just how much has happened this month. There were the days of sheer workoholicism and there are the days of sheer idleness and daily vellagiri. I've met someone of whom I'm strangely fond. I've been at the receiving end of very flattering attention, which has made me question its source and wonder why it couldn't have been more appropriate. I've felt lost, lonely and anchorless. I've learnt how to battle my demons with greater efficacy than ever before - and yes I think I'm slowly learning to talk about them as well...i.e talk when it matters, not when the demons have been temporarily slayed! I've dealt with work-place politics and discovered that I'm quite my father's daughter in dealing with such things - something that not only reassured me but also filled me with pride. Incidentally I do believe that the winds of change have started blowing and the work-place should soon become more than just a professional stop, with the general atmosphere improving vastly because of certain developments.

Prem Joshua is playing on Papa's laptop as I type this - and strangely enough for the second time in two days I'm itching to write again, after more than a year. Speaking of music, I never got around to talking about the two concerts I attended this month, both organised by AFP as a part of the Fête de la Musique celebrations - for the uninformed, the Fête, is celebrated every year in France on the 21st June (summer solstice) since 1985. Started off by Jacques Lang, it basically is a celebration of music with concerts held everywhere - on streets, in cafés, in schools, hospitals..even prisons. AFP did its bit, by organising a pre-fête concert of world music and ofcourse the main event on Saturday, albeit a couple of days after "the" day. The world music concert, inappropriately titled Jugalbandi, was quite mindblowing stuff to put it mildly. If not for the sad choice of venue, it would have been one rocking concert - a group of people from vastly different cultural backgrounds came together to make some kick-ass music. For the brief hour or so, I was transplanted to another plane and I remembered why I used to say that Music is my Porn! :-)

The second concert, which Aristera has also spoken about was the main Fête de la musique concert, organised in collaboration with Max Mueller Bhavan Pune. The venue, this time was perfectly divine - a cozy atmosphere at the MMB lawns on a cloudy, monsoon evening. The students and staff of both institutions put up a pretty good show - whether it was the renditions of western classical masterpieces (Beethoven and Mozart) on the piano, or the utterly charming pocket choir, or the rocking performances by the AFP students and faculty - nothing like a good musical evening eh?

La Vie, Cest Une Salope!

Ah oui, ça c'est vrai. Life is so totally one rocking and completely unpredictable bitch. Ok, why am I saying something of this sort - ain't I supposed to be feminist incarnate? Even my students think so now...jesus, pray tell me what vibes I emanate that people who barely know me merrily label me feminist and manage to find enough supporting evidence for it as well! Ok digressing...so yeah, perhaps life ain't a bitch, but it sure as hell is anything but a smooth ride.
It's been one insane week - have gone from working 7 days a week, to working only weekends - I'm busier on weekends now, having accepted to take on the new kids course for the school session, but haven't a single class during the week. The whole idea of all those many idle hours has all but driven me up the wall in despair - free time is something I have come to fear, for it means too much time to think, and I fear my thoughts. Alot. So, after relaxing and restoring my energy levels for a fortnight, I intend to start exploring options - if Geetanjali can't teach, she will study. :-)

I've experienced one crazy gamut of emotions in this one short week - have gone from content and satisfied to worried sick, from exhilarated to down-right depressed, from wickedly naughty and cheeky to plain prosaic and as dull and lifeless as I could get, have given vent to pent-up emotions and exercised an iron-control over them - wondering if I've let something get out of control and hoping it doesn't blow up in my face as last night did! The whole week sure took it's toll on me. By Saturday night I was oh-so-close to exploding, and this with best buddy in town and sudden plans to hit the town (instead of the quiet dinner I'd planned and hope for) with people I didn't want witnessing me at my nastiest, weakest best when all I want to do is lash out blindly and hurt someone just as much as I am hurting inside. Boy, was my head a cauldron of wild emotions last night - still amazed at how I survived the night!

A quieter Sunday has restored the calm and peace inside me - merci bon dieu. Class was great fun today - I'd never imagined that I'd get such pleasure from teaching, and it continues to amaze me with it's healing powers. It sure as hell works wonders for my messed up brain! Followed up class with a quiet half-n-hour by myself (after oh-so-long) sipping cappucino and reading Greek plays, till friend joined me...had a nice, lazy lunch that left me satiated and lazier. Sunday siesta after a long long time - it's been a nice, lazy Sunday and much as I'd like to follow it up with a nicer, lazier Monday there are things that must be taken care of as soon as possible.

Current Music :- Donna Summer - Hot Stuff, This Time I Know It's For Real. Go West - King of Wishful Thinking, Faithful Retro Music Rocks! :-)

Current Book :- Still reading Euripedes' plays - slower progress this time, but satisfying nevertheless.

From the Freak's Desk...

Light-hearted and carefree since last evening. The skies opened up last night and it poured - oh, it was such a fine display of nature's passion. Lightening streaks zigzagged across the skies heavy with pregnant clouds, setting the atmosphere for the downpour to follow. Later everything smelt so wonderfully clean, the air was redundant with the heavenly scent of freshly watered earth. The crazy Pune roads with their potholes were a mass of delightful puddles that reflected the headlights of cars zipping past in a mesmerising patterns.

Am at home today after the longest time - have worked hard the last one month, without a single day's break. One of my two batches took their exam last Friday - feels strange to not be thinking about that class anymore. Oddly enough I haven't the faintest clue whether I'll be teaching much in the new session apart from my weekend course. We aren't too high on organisation these days at AFPune. Heh. That was sarcasm incase you didn't get it. Odder yet, instead of being lazy and relaxing I've been busy all morning cleaning, dusting, organising papers and files, creating more exercises, classifying them according to grammatical category to facilitate easier access when I need them later - shit I'm such a freak!

The skies are overcast once again - and my heart's begin to skip a merry beat again...am sitting with my headphones plugged in, my fingers dancing across the keyboard as myriad, delightful images flit across my mind's eye and my senses are electrifyingly active. It's the perfect weather for good, rocking music, long strolls by the sea or under a canopy of trees, huge mugs of coffee, meandering conversations - it's the perfect weather for words. Oh how I ache for some soul fulfilling conversation with one of my buddies.

Current Music - Bon Jovi (Miracle, Something for the Pain, Wild in the Streets, Sleep when I'm Dead, Born to be my Baby) - he rules!

A Prosaic Ode to my Pals...

I'm not an extrovert. My social skills are pretty dismal - I've never really learnt to network and have never been great at making friends. Friends, when I do eventually find them are for life - none of the "Best friends today, strangers tomorrow" business for me. Ofcourse I've made mistakes - (who hasn't?) and each of those few times I was shattered by the betrayal. I'd like to believe I've learnt from my mistakes and my choice of friends is not so erroneous anymore ;-)

My list of "friends" isn't terribly long, but I take immense pride in saying that I know that each and every one of these people would stand up for me come what may, and it goes without saying that I'd do the same. Each and every one of them is quite crazy in their own way - my brother often says that I wouldn't befriend someone if s/he wasn't a freak. I think I love that about my friends - there is never a dull moment when I'm with my friends - whether we are just fooling around, chilling out or butting heads over something, it's always intellectually satisfying, not to mention incredible fun!

Messieurs, Mesdames et Mademoiselles, je vous présente mes amis :

The Inner Circle - My guardian angels, my support system - they are my oldest friends and I simply can't imagine life without them. I've grown up with them, they know me inside out, they are the ones who've truly accepted me as I am with all my eccentricites and weaknesses and love me despite them - sometimes I think they love me for them! :-)

Kunu Baba - What can I say about him? He's my dearest friend - I don't know what I'd do without him. I'd be quite, completely lost without him. And if Kunu ever decides he doesn't want to be friends any more, I'd be shattered. Kunu and I have shared so much - all those lovely evenings and memorable conversations over coffees, our trip together to Udaipur, his trips to Pune, staying at his pad when I'm in Bombay, the long walks on the beach - we've known each other for over 15 years now... and in this period, I've learnt so much from him. He's responsible for single-handedly pulling me out of my worst phase and continues to be my pillar of support. Our connection is so great, it's no wonder so many people have thought there's something more to the relationship than 'just' friendship! It's not something I say often, but I absolutely adore you Kunu Baba!

Appu - My adorable, eccentric scientist friend. Mark my words - she's going to make it big one day. I'm so proud of her - so often intimidated by her intelligence as well and have even wondered why she chose me to be her friend. Then I stop myself and think "Well she's made that mistake now and she's stuck with it for life." We've been through our rough patch when we didn't talk to each other and if we did it was to hurt the other - but we've crossed that now. Grew up somewhere along the way, grew closer as well. She's going to fly away soon and I'm going to miss her so much - am going to miss her crazy ways, her stubborn refusals to go out when she's broke, her Bambaiyya rasta language. I'm going to miss hearing her call me "Kamini" or "Raapchik". I'm going to miss seeing her huggable form in those well-worn cotton kurtas and jeans. I'm going to miss talking to her. I'm going to miss her. Period. Wish we'd made one last trip together - it's been a long time since we went somewhere together. I know we're probably going to be on opposite ends of the world for most of our lies, but know this sweetie - I'll never stop loving thee!

Mansi - My craziest, maddest, most frustrating friend ever. She's my rock. She's heard me rant and rave. She's heard me bitch and slander. She's heard me wax lyrical about my latest passion (book/song/movie/interest/man). She's seen me cry like a baby. She's seen me laugh with wicked delight. She's driven me up the wall with her arguments. She's made me tear my hair when she refused to budge from her position. Mansi, is undoubtedly one in a million. I once threw her out of the house for trying to teach me Maths - and didn't talk to her for an entire year...can't believe I wasted so much time. Had I known that one day she wouldn't be within reaching distance, I wonder if I'd have done the same thing. I remember how lost I was when she moved to Muscat - after years of turning around and always finding her there for me, I simply didn't know what to do without her. Even today when she comes down to India and we meet - it's me who talks and talks and talks...and Mansi still has the ability of making me screech in frustration in the middle of the street. Something's never change. My Mansi will never change!

The Puneris - They are going to take my hide for referring to them in this manner, but let's face it guys, you'll are all from Pune! In the short span of one year or so, they've grown to become good friends and have been allowed to step into the inner circle. :-)

Titu Dada - My first friend in Pune - we met through a Writer's Group and bonded over a common interest in fiction writing and later our disgust with the group...only to discover we are alike in so many other things. I've shared so much with him in such a short time, it's wierd. He made Pune bearable - hell, he made me start discovering the good things about the damn hamlet. I think he's my maddest friend after Mansi - ofcourse he is Bengali, so that contributes to his eccentricites. Muhaha - I'm going to have a heated discussion over this comment. Heated discussions - that's our favourite thing to do. Actually, one wouldn't call them heated discussions, as much as fights. Neither of us would be able to digest our food if we didn't fight and argue like juvenile kids over the strangest, silliest, vaguest of things. I usually win, ofcourse, with my superior intellect and memory! LOL! I thought I would lose him as a friend, but I've come to realise that friendships like this one are rare and not only worth fighting for but worth caring a damn about the rest of the world to preserve...and worth tolerating Savera! ;-)

Kitana - Until recently, she had the honour of being my youngest friend. The baccha with whom I hang out with at Law College Road Barista, with whom I gossip about the latest at AFP, with whom I indulge in girl-talk and French-talk and Literature-talk. Sometimes I wonder why we are friends - apart from the age-gap, there was that glaring difference in our personalities. She's the quintessential hep-n-happening, smart-n-with-it collegiate, something I never was. But she's also one of the most genuine, most giving, big-hearted and warmest people I know - her bindaas attitude often leads to her being misunderstood by others, but she's a real gem inside, this kid who brings out the fun-loving, crazy girl in me. We bonded somewhere along the way - and I'm really glad we did Kitana...and sweetie, do what you want, you'll always be the baby keeda for me! ;-)

Mlle Avocat - Well not yet, but she's on her way to the Courts of Law and Justice. Strict, uncompromising, unrelenting, she's someone with a deep integrity. Aloof at first, she's someone with an incredibly warm personality and the best person to talk to when you need sensible, practical advice. Ofcourse, she can be silly and oodles of fun as well - when in the right company, read Kitana who brings out the mischievous devil in all of us! The three of us are so different, yet get along like a house on fire - I haven't spent as much time with her as I'd like to, but I hope to remedy that in the months to come. Mlle Avocat, you are truly a good friend and I'll never forget that.

...and the new kid on the block AR. A really sweet, charming guy, who very recently moved into the slot of my youngest friend, thus successfully displacing Kitana from her place of honour! ;-) In a rather short span of time he's wormed his way into my affections - I'm still not sure how though, specially since he talks non-stop about a topic I know zilch about. Wierder yet, he still manages to keep me entertained (and might just end up educating me on that subject - *shudder*) ;-) I didn't think I'd ever meet a person who could out-do me on my habit of running on like a tape recorder without a stop button, but I've actually found the person! I hope we stay in touch. I have a good feeling about this one.

Let's Go - II

Ahmedabad/Udaipur - Even though my first trip to Ahmedabad was just as peaceful (and I have Kunu Baba to thank for both the trips), the second trip with Udaipur included is definitely dearer to me. Visiting the stepwell of Adalaj early in the morning, when the breeze was slightly chilly despite it being the first week of May - those peacocks dancing in the garden behind the well, sitting on the wall not bothered about the direction the conversation took...the bus ride to Udaipur may have been agonising for my back and I may have returned with the mother of all colds, but Udaipur itself was idyllic. Venice of the East, they say and to me it truly was - from the hotel we stayed in, to those lovely candle-lit meals on rooftop restaurants across the old city, from that visit of Devigadh to walking across the lake to our favourite restaurant in town - this trip ranks high in my memories. :-)

Germany - My longest vacation! Hehehe - seriously, it was supposed to be a student exchange but given that we weren't exactly given any credits for our studies there, it was more of a vacation...and what a vacation it was! Three months away from home - friends say I changed alot during that trip. I think I did - truly came out of the shell I'd been hiding in, grew comfortable in my own skin, grew alot more independant. Germany was great in many senses - apart from the independance, dealing with different people, staying in such a completely alien environment where even the language was unknown to me - making some wonderful friends, one of whom I'm still in touch with...travelling! Wittenberg, Luneberg, Berlin, Hamburg, Heidelberg - and ofcourse Magdeburg where I stayed. I wish I'd seen more - I still hope to go back to Germany, see more of it (this time the Bavarian regions hopefully) and yes, go back to Magdeburg, of which I have many fond memories and visit my favourite German! :-)

Sweden - An offshoot of my German trip, this wouldn't have happened, if not for Papa - he pushed me into it and I stepped into it with quavering feet and butterflies fluttering nervously in my stomach. Missed trains, cancelled trains, unscheduled stop-overs, cold stations later, I reached Stockholm over 12 hours behind schedule, nervous about the strangers I was going to meet - they are now good friends with whom I correspond regularly. Sweden was great - the snow, the reindeer meat, the Viking graves, the typical Swedish meals, the hospitality of my hosts. I think I'd like to go back someday...

France - Merci bon dieu pour me donner une opportunité d'y aller! I'm so glad I got a chance to visit France - to say that it was a dream come true, would not be an exaggeration. I could go on endlessly about the trip - and oft do I lapse into rambling memories of the trip even in class when I'm dealing with the cultural part of the course. Bordeaux, St.Émilion, Paris - it was merveilleux! I walked more than I've walked in my life and got back to Magdeburg with stones as calves, but the amount I soaked in just one week, has stayed with me till now. It's been two and a half years and I'm itching to go back - meet my friends again and see more of this country who's language I so love and am teaching....let it happen next year dear God!

Bhopal - A road trip, we made just a few weeks after I got back from Germany. We drove up to Bhopal for a distant cousin's wedding - it was one big family get-together, but the best part of the trip was the drive to Bhopal, through Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, through areas notorious for the dacoits, through seedy, sleepy towns, past the imposing montains of central India, past numerous accidents (a result of the reckless driving Indians in which indulge on narrow, winding highways), stopping for meals at road-side dhabas, the mind-blowing sunsets and the awe-inspiring sunrises - it pretty much all stole my breath and convinced me that there is no country like India....

Two years later, and a few more trips later, I still echo that. There's so much more I want to see of our country. I'm planning a trip down south later this year - hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in Hampi along with Bangalore. *crossing my fingers* There's still the East which I've not seen at all - and then alot of the North...and Jaisalmer...and...and...the list in pretty endless really:-)