City of Dreams - Part 2

Churchgate - Gateway of India - Victoria Terminus - Marine Drive

I finally got the opportunity to do some solid sightseeing on my fifth day, when I managed to get off work at 1:30 itself. After a fruitless and pointless visit to the High Street Phoenix (its a mall), I took a train to Churchgate and after some deliberation, took a taxi to the Gateway of India. This monument dedicated to some Prince (can't remember whom) together with the Taj Mahal hotel forms the subject of the most distinctive picture the postcard of Bombay. Therefore, I was surprised to discover that it lay on the other side of Marine drive, a kind of obscure location. I was also disappointed to find the monument looking small and grey, not as impressive as it had seemed when I first saw it. Some renovation work was going on and the scaffolds did nothing for the general effect. The Taj Mahal Hotel however looked as old and majestic as ever. I spent sometime there just feeling the sea breeze and the watching the people delighting in the sea sprays and probably that's when I came to terms with the city and truly allowed its spell to be cast over me. The spirit of the people, the genuine pleasure with which they squealed whenever an extra big wave crashed hard against the rocks, the way they happily made friends with those whom they had snarled at just moments ago in the train..really warmed me. It was like one big, happy family! I got wet by the sea spray myself and contemplated going into the Taj Mahal hotel to freshen up but decided that my appearance was too bedraggled. Another fantastic thing about Bombay is the sea breeze. I can't say enough about the way it buffets you around and blows your umbrella and occasionally your entire person all over the place. Its a lovely feeling...and relishing these happy thoughts and walked randomly down a couple of roads before finding myself at the Cafe Basilico road (don't go there if you can help it, very expensive with tiny portions. Nice food and all but...well), where we had come on our first day. This road lead straight to Colaba Causeway and I was thrilled with this discovery! Feeling very much like I knew the place inside out, with all its shortcuts I then walked into Leopold's Cafe and ordered a beer and french fries and sat savoring the atmosphere. There wasn't really much to savour..the cafe was an interesting place with is fair mix of local and queer crowd (the latter mainly being lecherous men and hippy type foreigners).The waiter was very cute, I would like to take a moment to thank him for being so sweet to me on that day...I sat there, mixed thoughts running through my head - how it was nice that I was alone, how it might have been better if someone had come along with me, how pretty everything was and so on. I then walked down the causeway to Regal Cinema and took a left and walked down the road towards the art gallery I think. To my left was the University. I couldn't take my eyes of the beautiful architecture of the buildings (which is a serious disadvantage when you are walking). Bombay undoubtedly possesses some of loveliest buildings (Victorian Gothic style architecture, I read somewhere) in the whole of India..every graceful building was like a monument in itself. I was also strangely delighted to find these old world wonders housing hotels, Westsides, bookshops and what not. It was an incredibly charming walk.

I yearned to find more cool shortcuts, so I took another turning at a vaguely familiar place and found the back of the High Court. I'd come there the previous day for a rendezvous with Bhavya and Aishu at 'Fountain Sizzlers' so I knew how to get to its front. I walked on towards the

Another list

Time to learn things and do something new again. Time to expand my horizons!!
1. I will play the ukulele for an hour everyday and try to learn a new song.
2. I will join a gym and get fit again! Thyroid is under control do I have no more excuses.
Target - 10kgs by June for the engagement/ 18 kgs by December.
3. I will make sure I go out at least for something every weekend - either a movie or a play or any sort of event. I will go alone if required.
4. I will try to do a weekend trip every month and make use of the long weekends regardless of their proximity to closing.
5. I will write!! And try to take my blog more places once I have a sufficient body of work.
6. I will not get stressed and take everything about work to heart and a reflection of my personal inability. I am going to make those damn antibodies in my blood go down through the sheer might of positive thinking.
7. I will dance/ sing/ both on weekends. Join some sort of a class or band which helps me do the things I love doing.
8. I will play badminton whenever I am in the branch or over the weekends. At least once a week.
And that's how my life is going to be.....as rich and fulfilling as it was last summer.

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Long, Long, Long

This is going to be an intensely personal post after a long time.

Here I am, sitting in one of the greatest cities of the world - and not quite taking advantage of it.

That is because I am missing Bombay a bit too much.

I miss driving down the Sea Link or on Western Express highway and those rare, highly planned and carefully executed trips to South Bombay.

I miss the Head Office with Bru Cafe and Knorr Kitchen, playing squash and walking down The Street. I miss the people badly - that wonderful set of crazy people like myself I discovered in a place where I least expected it. I miss the security of having the constant company of people I knew and liked in something as bewildering as the workplace.

I miss the Santa Cruz guest house - the privacy or the hostel like camaraderie it offered, depending on your mood. And of course, all the Maggi.

I miss everyone in Bombay and all the fun I had with them over the last three months - going for movies, hanging out at each other's houses, getting drunk, deciding to drive suddenly to Marine Drive or over the Sea Link, playing with the cat, planning to go to plays every other weekend and not quite getting there in time and all the other fun things we did.

Most of all, I miss the boy. I miss the comfort of his presence, of knowing that I would see him at the end of the week if not during it. I miss walking down Worli Seaface, eating at Tastee or Subway, those visits to Palladium (I'm shocked it featured so late in this post!) - of spending time quietly and happily with each other. Of knowing that all our problems would some how disappear when we met.

A part of this post is give voice to these emotions inside of me - but the other part is also to get some clear direction as to what I want to achieve in the next 6 months; which is why I am publishing this post as well. I need to be held accountable to it in the future. So here goes:

1. I will get some self discipline: From ensuring I wake up on time to making sure I do my work in a manner which is less college student-like, I have to develop some self discipline in my work ethic. I have repeatedly proved to myself that if I set my mind on something, I am capable of a lot. I need to develop some rigour with respect to work. I cannot keep procrastinating and finishing stuff off at the last minute like I tend to do even now. Work hard from 8:30am to 6:30pm and then chill. That's all I need to do. I need to get this into my system before I take up my final role. 
2. I will get fit:this HAS to be done. It is not even funny how far I have let myself go. I will make sure I exercise in some form for at least 5 days a week and control my diet. No more chips and other assorted junk food. No more fatty, comfort foods - except for an occasional packet of Maggi if I can get my hands on it. This is absolutely essential (and I don't mean the Maggi).
3. I will get out and do things: I have been doing this largely to be honest. But most weekends, the temptation is to just lie around at home. While that is awesome, there is no need to do it every weekend. No. I will track plays, music events, museum exhibitions etc and I will go for them. I will absorb every bit of the remarkable assortment of culture that this city has to offer.
4. I will join classes and make friends in London: I am fortunate in that I already have some great friends here. However, it is always good to meet new people - and that is something I do enjoy doing. So yes, its time to get back into full friend making mode. I've joined Ukelele and vocal training classes already..so lets see where these take me.
5. I will be keep track of my expenses: Yes, if I want to execute plans 3 and 4, it will involve a fair bit of spending. But I can at least be mindful of where my money is going.
6. I will not keep looking forward to the boy's visit in June: sorry Bad S :P. But yes, I need to stop thinking about this so much. There is enough to do in the present and while I am really really looking forward to him coming, I can't quite let it dictate my life so much! And he will agree :).
7. I will travel and write: I've never had to tell myself to do this to be honest. But being here for so long is giving me the opportunity to plan a set of trips I have been wanting to do for a really long time. And so I will plan them well in advance and I will write about them in the promising other blog which I started and never quite continued. Cornwall, Cotswold  Ireland, Isle of Skye, Lake District, Devon and Wales, here I come!

  So there we are. I am going to make these 6 months incredibly awesome.

Hah!

I just read Surd's novel, and while I didn't entirely like it, it did remind me in a nice way about the microcosm that was Law School.

I barely had time to get senti about leaving Law School. In two days, I was packed off to the next institution and plunged into a murky world of Numbers, Engineers and Deadlines that made the Law School ones seem laughably flexible. Reading that novel made me relive some moments - not with the stomach-achy nostalgia that I used to feel during rare free moments at B-school; but more like I was visiting a set of memories that made me smile and laugh at how green I was back then.

What I relived the most was the momentous occasion of my first day at Law School. I had visited it a few days earlier when my admission was confirmed - and my parents and I went to the girl's hostel area (WHOR :D). Eager to see what the rooms were like, I peered into a room which I now realize was an Annex room - probably the same one in which Bhavya was to eventually reside. It of course looked very big and spacious and I was very happy. So imagine my shock when I walked into my eventual room in the 'Annapoorna' hostel - a tiny hole in the wall in which 3 people were expected to reside. I still remember the most desirable bed already had a mattress and some items and a slip of paper on which the name 'Anwesha Haldar' was written. I realize how historic that moment was only now. I somehow remember that she was wearing blue, her hair was braided and she was wearing specs which made her look very geeky. My parents with their usual resourcefulness found out somehow that my other roommate's name was K. Aishwarya - who was in fact the niece of one of my favourite schoolteachers. I remember meeting Aishu at the water cooler - she wasn't crying like many of the others (who were leaving home for the first time), but she looked very much on the verge of it. Later that evening, I sat on upper deck of my beloved bunk bed watching Aishu as she pottered about putting away her clothes into the almirah (I had gallantly consented to live out of my suitcase as I was the Localite - a fact that would come back to bite me in the ass later) and we discussed music. I remember how thrilled we both were to discover that U2 was our mutual favourite band. At some point, I would have visited the neighboring room and met Bhavya for the first time. She was rather intimidating even then and I had seen her howling earlier when her parents left. I remember thinking she had a very expensive looking phone.

Perfectly normal first meetings, without any drama. Like a handshake at a bowling alley in the Leela Palace followed  by a vaguely creepy Facebook friend request further followed by a meeting at Croma and a conversation that really irritated me. When I look back, I feel some grand music should have been played when I first met these people; there should have been thunder and lightning and all manner of special effects. It is wonderful how tiny coincidences shape our worlds - a fact never ceases to amaze me. 

P.S.: This post acquired quite a life of its own in the end, didn't it?

New Blog!!

Peeps I've done it! I've started a new blog on travel! Finally! I hope you like the finished product - it contains a lot of heart if not much else.

Also, I have a tendency to be influenced a lot by the author I read most recently. In my latest posts, I sound more like Stephen Fry than I intended to. Or may be, that's what I like to think. Anyways, please to be reading and commenting :)

http://aimlesswanderings-divya.blogspot.in/

More note type thingies

I am finally going to start a travel blog. I made this decision after I found myself subconsciously planning blog entries in Europe.

My job starts in a week! Help! And yet, I am really looking forward to it.

I miss college so much. I miss the camaraderie, the comfort of my room, walking around campus, the campus itself and the classes. I am just slowly realizing how happy I really was during those 2 years there.

Read 8 books in the last month and on my way to finishing another 3. Feels good. The books included 3 Malcolm Gladwells (I love him!) and my first Murakami which was amazingly moving and beautiful. I am going to get more of Murakami. And I will wait patiently for Gladwell to write some more.

The cheerleaders in the IPL and those jokers at Extraa Innings are far more entertaining than the matches themselves.

I think someone shooting Abhishek Bachan or banning those 'Old Idea, New Idea' ads would be a potentially brilliant idea.

I should start blogging more regularly. But as Bad S and I were discussing, all the angst seems to have gone out of our lives. Hmmmmm.

IIMA

The song has ended

But the melody lingers on

You and the song are gone

But the melody lingers on

Musical Notes

There is something perenially endearing about Jolene by Dolly Parton. May be it is the subject matter of the song - a woman fighting for her man, the sheer desperation in the lyrics or the beauty of the tune; whatever it is, the song is addictive. I find myself coming back to it and getting hooked every now and then. My latest 'Jolene' phase has been brought on by hearing the Norah Jones and The Little Willies' cover of it. Wonderful stuff. I want to be like Norah Jones - making incredibly cool music with incredibly cool people.

The best way to listen to The Beach Boys (especially songs from Pet Sounds), I've realised, is to reduce the bass on the equalizer and push up the treble. There is just so much happening in a Beach Boys song - so many instruments all contributing differently to make up a magical whole. An overpowering bass just spoils the effect completely. They are probably the only band I love where I actually reduce the impact of the bass.

The Beach Boys also have the knack of leaving you wanting more from a song. In some of their songs, the last 10 - 15 seconds or so are the most lovely and you wish that part would go on forever. Case in point - Caronline No. The flute bit in the end is just beautiful; and as it fades away, at least I always wish it had lasted for longer. 'Good Vibrations' and 'I Know There's an Answer' also boast similar endings.

Alanis Morisette has made some bloody good music. I should really dig up more of her.

Higher on Maiden is a pretty crappy cover band. Ok may be crappy is harsh, but Led Zepplica is much better as far as covers go. I am not a Maiden fan but I know that the Higher on Maiden vocalist is nothing compared to Bruce Dickenson and goes off tune a fair bit. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy on the other hand are fantastic, live. I mean they were simply awesome! I do wish they had played 'Uff Teri Ada' though. And that I had been properly drunk :).

Bachchan and Schubert

It's been a while since I posted on music. I've been listening in a practically continuous loop to two very different pieces over the last few days.

The first is 'Neela Aasman So Gaya' from Silsila. Silsila is one of the few older Hindi movies I have actually seen - being made to watch it by my mother at some point. I remember not understanding very much of it but quite liking it overall. I was also aware that this movie contained some pretty famous songs - 'Yeh Kahaan aa Gaye Hum', 'Dekha Ek Khwab', 'Rang Barse' and so on. Recently in the Mess of all places, the song 'Neela Aasman' (the Amitabh Bachchan version) was playing on TV and I was struck by the tune and picturization of the song.

Finding the song on Youtube, I was surprised to discover that Bachchan had himself sung this beautiful song. His singing doesn't quite agree with me in places. While his voice is a weak-knees inducing baritone with so much potential, his diction and rather flat rendering really jar sometimes with the slow and unearthly arrangement the song has. I think it is in the last minute of the song that you really see the potential his voice has. He mellows down the harshness of his tone and blends much better with the music and for a few seconds, not just the music, but the beauty of his voice also transports you.

For the musical arrangement and the picturization, I am in love with this song. It is so ridiculously romantic. The two of them aren't really doing anything - they're just walking hand in hand and as night sets in, he sings to her. There are no major displays of affection and yet the chemistry between them is electric. I could just go on watching this, it is just so lovely. And the music suits the mood beautifully - smooth and mellow with no sudden high notes.

The other piece of music is 'The Trout' quintet composed by Schubert; more specifically the 4th theme and variations. I particularly love this video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlxVTpEyMEw. I picked up this piece from 'An Equal Music' (in my quest to hear all the musical compositions described in the book. Didn't like the 'Art of Fugue' though) and just love how happy and playful the music is. The whimsical way in which notes leap around between instruments is lovely. My favorite bits are when the piano comes in for the first time (What an instrument! I must learn it) and when at 3:00 minutes in the above video, the quintet goes completely berserk playing the high speed variations. While I cannot comment critically on this music, I continue to be amazed by how beautifully instruments blend in western classical music. I should really try listening to more of it!

2011

P.S: I have major submissions tomorrow. Hence, posting time!!

2011 was probably not as momentous as 2010. As many crazily sad and crazily happy things did not happen this year. But in many ways, the process of growth and for lack of a better word emotional maturation that began in 2010 has fully taken root and consolidated in 2011. This has easily been one of the best years of my life and apart from possibly flunking SMIPR, I really cannot see it going downhill in the limited time left.

The year started on a high with winning the elections and those WAC grades (ah WAC, you are my International Law of IIMA. However, unlike IL, I understood you in the end); and it has pretty much been a high throughout. The internship and travel, the relationship, the trips out of campus, ERI, re-discovering hostel dorm life, the general sobering up and finding direction in life - every aspect of this year has been wonderful.

For sure there have been some lows. The tendency of my parents to still tell me what is good for me did cause some fairly upsetting moments. There were obviously issues here and there in the relationship. Several stressful situations as part of the Media secy role. The initial shock of not getting the PPO. The sleepless nights (yes I admit it) where all I could think of was CV building and I would agonize over why a marketing firm would want someone with a finance internship. But this year has just been so overwhelmingly positive that I am just filled with an immense sense of satisfaction and accomplishment by the end of it.

2012 is when I finally start working. And before that, I will go through the stressful and daunting final placements on campus. Handling the pressures of a job and (fingers crossed) the dreaded 'long-distance' are going to be quite challenging. Yet after this year, I feel pretty charged up and ready to tackle life and whatever it has to offer.

I am going to be very senti and thank just one person at the end of this year. And he knows who he is :)

Reviews and General Angst

I was re-reading 'Two Disappearances', one of the most beautiful and haunting stories I have ever read; the kind that unsettles you and fills you with some indescribable longing. Reading the comments on the talented Mr. Mami's story, I realised that right after he posted the final part in the 8 part story, I had commented on it saying that I wanted to review the story.

I still do, but words fail me honestly. So I will settle for the second part of this post's title.

Living in B-School has sadly made me uncomfortable with spending too much time by myself. I say sadly because I somewhat miss those law-school moments where I used to get a Maggi from Chetta with extra masala (man I really miss Chetta Maggi, it features in a previous post also) and cuddle up with that Nora Roberts novel, 'An Equal Music' or 'Like Water for Chocolate', reading them for the nth time. With the multiple interactions and general overdose of human company that law school sometimes imposed on you, I used to crave those 'loner' times.

In B-School however, human interaction is more relaxed, less complicated and somehow more enjoyable. It is less enforced and completely unemotional. Debates are on purely third party subjects which affect no one in particular and end with most people laughing about the raised voices just moments before. Consequently, I have met some persons I love spending time with; and who I would be quite happy to spend all my time with.

Those who know me probably know this is a huge admission to make on my part. I even feel a little ashamed saying it! And hence, nights left to myself make me somewhat angsty. This is where 'Two Disappearances' came in. With some tea (which I made) and choice Carnatic music (chiefly ragams from Mami's stories - too much influence I say!), my angst made me immerse myself in the story all the more and by the end of it, I had become too lost in the unreal world of Carnatic music, temples and wandering musicians, isolated romantic hill station bungalows and evocative photography to feel very much angsty any more.

A fairly difficult day awaits tomorrow and with all the conflicting emotions, I have a headache. The main purpose of this post was to thanks 'Two Disappearances' in some measure for becoming my 'An Equal Music' equivalent (I miss that book; should bring it here). And to pay a tribute to that time of my life when coming back to an empty room with a plate of Maggi and the prospect of a good read and some room-made chai were all that I wanted. Today, I rediscovered that time.

A Rival Blog :O

This is a part of a project in college:

http://theamdavadifoodie.blogspot.com/

If you are a fan of my writing in general, please read and comment on the above! Hopefully I will resume proper posting on this blog at some point!

An extra from a post way back in January 2009, before I had even thought properly about the MBA:

May be that's why I like the idea of marketing so much. I like trying to figure people and their wants, keeping various parameters in mind while doing the same. I love selling a product..provided I believe in the philosophy and ideal behind the product. While I have my reservations about advertising and the fact that it might be conning the public, marketing to my mind is a more genuine exercise because it actually takes into account needs and wants of the people...actually trying to give it to them without solely relying on making them believe its something else. To get someone to appreciate anything for what it actually is would be the sweetest victory.

Hmmm. There's gotta be something in this. And wow, I actually knew some marketing then!

I was forced to revisit some of my more embarrassing earlier senti posts thanks to Bad S and Bajaj. The middle of law school ones. It was rather mortifying actually. The funny thing is, I can't even remember why I was that senti then. The only reasons I could give them were academics and occasional rooming problems. At least the former sounded hollow in my head. I can't even in identify with those emotions anymore! Well, it's a good thing of course :). You live, you learn.

Though I must say, law school really seems far away!

2010

Hmmmm..where do I begin? This is year in which I have achieved the most, had the most harrowing experience I have ever had till date, experienced the shock of losing someone I loved a lot, fallen in and out of love with things again and again. It has been a year with incredible highs and equally awful lows - where I have lost all hope and regained it, cried with joy and sorrow in equal measure and really grown up as a person. I guess the best way to express how this year has been for me is to mention a few key people:

Appa: For being courageous and strong - an incredible fighter.

The VC of Law School: For having a heart, listening and being willing to give people second chances.

Anwesha, Bhavya, Aishu, Akshaya, Krishna and Asma: For being the best friends anyone can ever hope to have.

Badri, Manu, Ankit, Sneha, Prateek, Richa and Kruthika: For being as good as engineers can try to be :D (except you Richa - you are just awesome!)

Mom and Dad: For being the bravest and strongest people I know.

Pinky: For being a lovely sister and someone who deserves every single thing she has got.

And finally,

Ammamma: For being the best grandmother, the best cook, the most beautiful exponent of carnatic music and the loveliest person I have had the privilege of knowing. I will miss you terribly.

In Xanadu

I have just finished reading 'In Xanadu' by William Dalrymple and this has put me in a fairly restive mood. For the whole of today, I threw all caution, studies and application forms to the winds and sat (or rather lay) spell bound, reading about WD's amazing journey across 12, 000 miles through Central Asia from Jerusalem to Xanadu in Mongolia. I guess the restive mood is prompted by the fact that I have always wanted to make a journey like this.

Having several deadlines to meet, I tried to sleep but was quite hungover the book. Cold barren deserts, fierce turbaned Afghans, jagged mountain peaks and great domed mosques all flashed before my eyes. Ever since I read about Peshawar in Afghanistan in I think 'Shantaram' followed by Dalrymple's own 'Age of Kali', I have wanted to go to central Asia and visit the great bazaars, travel through maze like alleyways lined with mud brick houses and (for some reason) watch bearded Pashtuns parade around with their AK 47s. 'In Xanadu' rekindled that longing in a big way. I grew depressed thinking that my current line of study was singularly unsuited to travel on this scale. 5 years in law with small vacations spent interning and now this MBA with no vacations did not throw up vast opportunities for a long journey using buses, trucks and walking as the chief modes of transport.

Indeed, even my dream of backpacking across North India looks a little doubtful. I have always wanted to (this phrase has appeared for the third time in this entry I think) journey from the west to the east - across Gujarat (well I am there now, but no time!!), through the Rajasthani desert (romantically on a camel, braving sandstorms), upwards through to Punjab (may be I can spend more time in Amritsar) and into Himachal Pradesh moving on to Kashmir, before coming down to Delhi (a one week pleasure stop). Then I would press on to UP - through Agra, Allahabad and Ayodhya into the great Chambal valley in MP. Somehow I would emerge from there and move into Jharkhand and Bihar (and probably make a foray into Nepal). There I would finally reach Bengal, visit the mountains in Sikkim, pay homage to the tea gardens of Assam and the rock music in Mizoram. From there I would fly, exhausted, back to Bangalore and renew myself on a strict diet of dosas and beer. Dreaming thus, I started wondering - if only I had studied history at Cambridge (like Dalrymple), if only I was white (these damn white people get clear passages every where), or better still - if only I had been a journalist, if only I hadn't taken up such strenuous courses and done arts at DU instead....As the ifs started crowding into my head, I switched the laptop on and decided to rant on this blog.

I Googled some of the places visited in 'In Xanadu' and then Googled Xanadu itself - the town where Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan received the Italian explorer Marco Polo, thus cementing the latter's legendary status as the first European to have first penetrated the Far East. In fact, 'In Xanadu' recounts Dalrymple's fantastic attempt to retrace Marco Polo's footsteps across Israel, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and China i.e. through the famed Silk Route. The book is rich in detail, full of anecdotes and seems to indicate that Dalrymple faced a considerably harder time than Marco Polo as he was travelling in 1986, when both Iran and China were extremely suspicious of Westerners (my white person wish is more to do with the fawning attitude adopted by most Orientals towards Occidentals in recent times, cha). Kublai Khan is of course known to us mainly through Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem which we all would have studied and recited in school - In Xanadu did Kubla Khan, A stately pleasure dome-decree... etc etc. I never really liked this poem for some reason. It wasn't half as exciting as 'The Highwayman' or 'Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner'. Anyhow, on Googling Xanadu, I found that it was the name of a 1980 disco musical starring Olivia Newton John. Initially dismayed by this, my curiosity soon gained the upper hand and I ended up reading the Wiki entry about the movie (a refreshingly random plot involving a nightclub, a Greek muse and a painter of record covers who falls in love with her and asks her father Zeus for her hand, all set in Los Angeles) and watching the title song for the movie on Youtube. It was the usual gaudy disco affair, full of disco balls and strobe lights and Olivia Newton John at her 'Physical' best. Ah well. Music leads to travel and travel leads to music. Where does an MBA fit in?

The MBA will sponsor my travels and show biz career. Just you wait.

Top 18 Travel Memories

My next post might also be in a list format, can't tell.

1. The Maid of the Mist ride into the Niagra falls. The falls are horseshoe shaped and the boat takes you into the middle of the horseshoe. For about 10 minutes, you are surrounded by roaring water, a fine mist hitting your face. Quite an overwhelming moment in some ways.
2. The Kraken ride at Sea World, Orlando. The roller coaster last for about 2 minutes and has 7 loops! I went twice. An incredible adrenaline rush.
3. Watching Chicago in New York. Broadway has been one of my various showbiz obsessions for a while and watching Chicago on Broadway was almost spiritual.
4. My first first sight of Times Square. This was when I had gone with my family. We took a cab from Upper Manhattan and got off just before the actual junction of Broadway and 7th Avenue. A few paces took us in the midst of a whirlwind of noise, colour and people. The sheer exhilaration of being there made me want to jump around.
5. The Wayanad trek. It is definitely one of the most unique experiences I have had. The long trek upwards, subsequent qualms about going further and the final trudge to the heart-shaped lake and our photo taking session on top. One of the cooler things I have done (I hope to do more of them!).
6. Paris. I can't really pin-point anything specific moment here - everything was so awesome! But highlights definitely include the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower and Roland Garros.
7. Wimbledon and Strawberries and Cream. Our old time British guide took us on a good one hour tour of the entire Wimbledon grounds. We then had baked jacket potatoes and strawberries and cream for lunch. I could literally picture text from Enid Blighton books before my eyes.
8. Hong Kong Disneyland. Though it is called a poor man's Disneyland, we visited it over two days and met almost all Disney 'characters' including Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White and of course Mickey and Minnie themselves. It was quite satisfying in that sense :).
9. Our private beach experience in Thalaserry. Yes, it was incredibly hot and yes, we got terribly tanned but the feeling of having the entire beach to one's self was empowering. And of course all the games of hand-sand.
10. Lying on Om Beach at night and looking at the stars. No explanations needed, it was simply beautiful.
11. A mad canal ride through Bangakok. This ride was made more exciting by the fact that it had rained very heavily that afternoon and the canal was swollen and the water quite turgid. Our boatman, without a care in the world, made the both go so fast that its prow was rising out of the water and it seemed about to take off. The rather exciting but slightly scary trip was completed when we later found out that due to the swollen river, a couple of tourists had been drowned while exploring some caves. Psycho shit!
12. Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. I can't really describe how I felt looking at those frescoes except for the fact that I was incredibly awestruck. Each figure seemed to come to life in the flickering candle-light and each panel had a story to tell.
13. The entire Dresden trip. Being the first phoren locale I had visited with friends and my first hop-on/ hop-off tour (which went on to have a profound influence on Anwesha and my lives), it was a fun and interesting trip helped by the fact that Dresden is an incredibly beautiful city.
14. The dash through Charles de Gaulle airport to catch the Frankfurt flight. Man I hate that airport! It was fun though :)
15. The tequila experiments in Pondicherry. Our extreme belief in the power of tequila and subsequent disappointment is something I will never forget!
16. Driving to Mysore. Mainly because of my driving powers and all those photo moments.
17. Breaking into random song on the slopes of Munnar. This is something I have been wanting to do for a while and I was lucky had two worthy individuals to accomplish this feat with :D
18. The thrill of travelling to Disneyland Paris without a ticket and actually fooling the ticketing machines. I still marvel at it sometimes!

The list ends at the somewhat random number 18 because these experiences undoubtedly stand out from the entire bunch of adventures one has on any holiday. I am honestly hoping one comes my way soon - something longer than 4 days. Major break required!

Rehna Tu

When times get hectic, one rarely gets to think about, well may be not happier, but less hectic and more languid and idyllic times. In fact, one shouldn't be indulging in such sighing and dreaming anyway. Yet, like I mentioned before, all it takes is one song to trigger your memories.

Radio One in Bangalore, for all its flaws, used to play Rehna Tu from Delhi 6 very regularly. I recently listened to it and suddenly found myself missing traffic jams on Mysore Road (when the song would invariably play and ease my tension), Grissy, discussing the intricacies of Rahman's music and music in general with Vivek, Aishu, Bhavi, Shore, Asma, Gupta, Amber and hell, several other lovely people who let music and its moods dictate their lives more often than not. I missed the rush of sitting next to someone you barely knew in class and having a long winded discussion with him/ her about life, love, relationships and random philosophies feeling wonderfully refreshed later on. I missed the randomness and closeness that life at law school made one accustomed to. I missed sleepy 5th year evenings in Bangalore, Chetta Maggi and that Nora Roberts book which I freely admit I have read several times and really like. I even missed Radio One's 'Maximum Music, maximum choice' and Indigo's terrible yet catchy music. After some contemplation on where life had taken me, I pulled myself out of my reverie and pushed off to the library to study.

Rehna Tu is a lovely song which moves between the sad, romantic and other worldly. Its mellow pace contrasts beautifully with the anguish in Rahman's voice. And the Kamas (I think) bit at the end adds yet another layer of contrast and complexity, ending the song on this haunting and wistful note - you can't but sigh after listening to the song. Like all Rahman's songs, it is incredibly layered and complex and yet simple in its soulful message (as opposed to those monstrosities he created for Slumdog and Raavan). At any rate, the song seems to have become inextricably linked with my last few months in Bangalore, its mildness somehow suiting the mild pace and weather of the city.

I am not sure how to conclude this post now. The 'me' in law school would have sighed over the song for hours together while the 'me' in IIM rapidly shuts out these external influences and concentrates on the task at hand. In several ways, it is a very good development. And in some other ways, it is a little sad. I hope at the end of my two years here, while emerging as a smarter and stronger person (with quant skills!), I will be able to retain that appreciation and love for these things that have so moved me in the past. And well, I've already spent too my time over this entry - the library beckons!

Rehna tu, hai jaisa tu....

Flying

Written on 16th September:

I am sitting in the duty free area of Mumbai's interntional airport on my first alone-alone international trip. Cool no? Just recently, when I landed at the Bangalore airport, as I hurried to the baggage claim area with a delighted smile on my face, I caught a glimpse of the immigration counters and suddenly longed to go abroad. Not that domestic travel isn't stimulating - but every now and then you get that desire to go somewhere truly far away, with a completely different culture. (actually you can ge that in India. Ok ok, I'm a wannabe firang) And that wish actually came true. Of course its only to Singapore. You don't have the satisfaction of flying at least 8 hours and seeing full-full phoren people..but still you go through immigration and end up at duty free, so you kinda get a feel of the thing.

The que for the the shuttle to the international terminal in the swanky new Mumbai airport is very very long. I stood in it for at least 45 minutes and at one point attempted to get an auto to go to the terminal. The airport guards seemed to have prepared for such an eventuality though and prevented me from doing so. However, I wouldn't miss the shuttle ride in the night for anything. If you love planes, like I do, you will love this ride. The domestic and international terminals are sort of opposite each other and the shuttle skirts the runway while taking you to the international terminal. You see a sea of lights in every colour possible..blue, red, yellow, green...an expanse of black dotted with pinpoints of light. It is quite an amazing sight. And of course you get to see planes taking off and landing. In the dark, the wing to wing lighting of the plane actually makes it look like a disc shaped object - very UFO like. It was quite a surreal experience. The best part was seeing Boeing 747s and Airbus 340s in their hangars. You realise how big the place is when you see it parked in a plane shaped building, where you get to admire its awesome wingspan and marvel at how such a massive thing gets off the group. A note to my engineer friends - science is rather cool at times!

Right now, I am drinking beer at watching an incredibly bad movie at one the numerous bars in this airport. I have finished my first term at IIM A :)

This is what I wrote at the airport when I was rather high on two cans of draught beer. I ended up spending a lovely 4 days in Singapore and have come back to what promises to be an insane 3 months. Sigh, the too-short pleasures of a holiday.

Faff

Faff is the only constant thing. and I have moved from one faffy profession to the next. Not that these professions don't have anything to them. Faff is after all grounded in some facts. At least some. What is faff, some of you may ask? (given my recently expanded readership). Well:

Faff is the ability to talk obliquely and verbosely about a particular topic or point of contention so as to make the reader/ listener believe that the the writer/ speaker has thought about the above-mentioned topic or point of contention for a considerable amount of time and has formed coherent views on the matter; when in reality, the writer/ speaker is merely improvising by employing large words and considerable rhetoric to state her or his case.

In fact that is faff. Another example: "The current project will act in a timely fashion to increase our bottomline through top-line growth achieved by vertical intergration employed in a strategic manner". I will soon be issuing statements like this.

Faff is an awesome word.