Back again...

After almost a month ( so much for a new year resolution of blogging every three days) I am back here.

The upside of not blogging for so long is having a lot of things to write about.

The downside of not blogging for so long is having a lot of things to write about.

I could, for example, blog about how much spam I receive in my Yahoo account - so much, so that certain regulars like Editor Bob and Carmen, trying to make me buy medicines which will enlarge body parts I don't have, email me more frequently than many of my friends.

Or else, I could take the lazy way out and post some pictures here of the Sweden trip that me, BR and BT took.

Else I can blog about BT. How for two years, even though we lived pretty close, she was just a random chick for me. How joining the same company has made me see a different side of her, and how now she is one of the few people who's comments I take time to think about, and try acting upon.

Or about the new bunch of Indians, whom we met here, who were helpful and ready with a thousand tips.

Or about the adventure of living alone; with no parents, no flatmates, not even that staple of all Indian homes - a बाई ( bai = female servant) - to help you out.

About some of the most well mannered and beautiful looking people I have even seen. Sadly, this place has more women ( who are mostly hot looking) than men...

About seagulls with attitude.

About the dogs and kids around here. well mannered, throwing tantrums at times.

About keeping in touch with friends back home.

About my fear of winter.

About a beautiful city.

But I think I have made my come back post now... :)

Four years back...

It has been almost four years since I started blogging.

When I started out, I thought I knew everything about Internet.

And today, I bemoaned the fact that ' I know nothing about the Internet.'

Still, my usage and discovery of internet is happening at a faster rate than what it was four years back.

Internet is now my primary medium for communication, entertainment and self discovery ( and self projection too).

However, during this time I realized that I opt for more and more real life experiences.

When I started as a know-it-all 21 year old and started blogging; there was a time when I used to interact more with my online readers than my real life friends.

I measured friendship on the basis of the number of comments that they added on each post. Suddenly, the time they spent on my blog was more important to me than the time they spent with me.

Thankfully, my friends thought nothing about tweaking my ear and pulling me out into the real life. Looking back, I think they provided me with a healthy appreciation of life and different options to spend my time.

So I guess I should be thanking the June 16 batch. Thanks guys; if not for you, my life would have flicked according to the whims of broadband which pumps webpages into my blood.

Listed

In the next few months to one year, I would like to:

Learn to ski : I haven't even seen snow; but I plan to learn how to ski around...

Take better photographs : Now, my photography is more about instinct. I need to learn the science of taking better pictures, and need to train my eye that the pictures are as striking as they can be.

Learn photo-editing: I need to understand and learn how I can use softwares to make real life look even more realistic. Beautiful, striking, thought provoking - definitely yes; but very much realistic.

Be a better cook: Like photography, I need to apply a certain discipline to my cooking. Being a maverick is all very well; but a lot of cooking is about the familiarity that certain smells, looks and tastes evoke. I need to develop this skill.

Write : I need to put down what is in my mind to paper more often; and preferably in a way so that I can satisfy myself as a reader.

Tech savy: I want to participate and understand about the online world and technology. I would like to make sense out of it, and help others also to do the same. I need to develop my knowledge & skills for the same.

Travel: I want to travel more; and experience the different things that life has to offer.

Any suggestions, ideas, comments - most welcome!

S'long!!!

Settled bills.

Had / gave treats.

Said goodbyes.

Booked everything.

Ready for take off.

Feelin' good.

Off to the real world... will be back by end of this month!!!

Comfortably....

Its always a ritual to pack your bags.

You make that one last stop to your favorite bookshops and stock them up. You go to the ' out of my way arty place' and end up buying 'the cutest arm chair! and its only 350 bucks!!' to ship it all the way to santaland.

You try a round of all your favorite eateries. You gorge on phuchkas. You enjoy the seasonal fruits and have mangoes for breakfast lunch and dinner ( well, almost). Mangoes, the rare fruit in santaland.

You buy the same movie titles which you called horrible not so long back. They dont release them in Santaland.

You realize that Santaland is dictating you, getting into your taste buds and consciousness.You accept it passively, and glide through the rest of your long list.

You try meeting up with friends and colleagues. You feel disgusted with their you-forgot-to-call-me-so-i'm-gonna-stand-you-up antics. Then you remember that this is probably the reason why you are friends with them anyways. But so much to do, and you are so tired to respond to what could be grown into a amazing man v/s woman war. You are more in the walking-away mode, not in the I-will-try-to-win-our-argument or I-will-beg-with-you-till-you-say-yes mode.

You sigh.

You think of the people whom you met for the past couple of days, how you could have become good friends. You think of seniors and juniors and batch mates and colleagues whom you would have liked to know better; but its too late, too futile now.

You feel bad that you may not see some people again. You feel happy that you will never see some people again. You pray to God that you would never get to see some people again.

You book tickets. You arrange for travel and other accommodations. You are assumed to be a man, then a married woman. You sigh again, and correct them each time - no; I am traveling alone. Somewhere along the line, you just give up.

....numb.


PS:Those who know of some good place near North Goa, please let me know... the more happening, the better!

Love

At kindergarten, love was all about who had the most succulent mangoes in their backyard.

At class three, love was about who was the hero, who solved all the mysteries and who was the leader.

At class nine, love was about academics. The brainier, the better.

At class twelve, love was divided amongst the ones who could smile the best.

In undergraduate days, it was about the one who was the most idealistic in my mind.

During first job, love was about who wanted to be individualistic.

At post grad, it was about a mirage of all those past loves.

Now, for the first time in my life, I am not worried about the fact that I am single.

I love me.

Duffer men never know that...

A woman is fickle with her emotions - yesterday's undying proclamation of love, if not reciprocated, can turn today into tuning out when you drone on...

It's just a little crush (crush)
Not like I faint every time we touch
It's just some little thing (crush)
Not like everything I do depends on you

That women do not hate each other as much as you think they do

That women bond better with each other than men

That a woman may love you with all her heart, but if you lie to her - well well... "the female of the species is more deadlier than the male..." unless, she choose to ignore or forgive you

That they love the trill of the chase

That they chase

That they can be "frequently kind and suddenly cruel" and they will "carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding"

That they learn to leave behind feelings like flower petals falling, converting each frown and drooped mouth into a wrinkle of wisdom and power

That they conjure up curses in the tears you make them shed and send them off to haunt you till the end of the earth

And then say....

You bored me with your stories

I cant belive that I endured you for as long as I did

Im happy its over, Im only sorry

That I didnt make the move before you

And when you go I will remember

To send a thankyou note to that girl oh that girl

I never really loved you anyway

No I didnt love you anyway

Valentino, I dont think so

You watching mtv while I lie dreaming in an empty bed

And come to think of it I was misled

My flat, my food, my everything

And thoughts inside my head

When men act like bitches, women act like witches. They call in their coven, and the curse follows the man across time and space; like a recurring bad dream which would frighten them into insomnia.

Two-faced daddy dont hand me no doublecross

Youll see any time Im ready

I can tell you baby get lost

Duffer men... they never know...

Strong inside but you don't know it
Good little girls they never show it
When you open up your mouth to speak
Could you be a little weak

Do you know what it feels like for a girl
Do you know what it feels like in this world
For a girl

Hair that twirls on finger tips so gently, baby
Hands that rest on jutting hips repenting

Hurt that's not supposed to show
And tears that fall when no one knows
When you're trying hard to be your best
Could you be a little less

Kiddo, we will have our vengeance. Bill will be killed.

NB:

1. This post is for the woman I love the most in the whole wide world. A wuss fooled her for a while, but she is nobody's fool. Amen to her!
2. The colors are my subconcious drooling over the news that Tarentino is planning a movie - love the flicks, love the man. Bring 'em on!

Plans for a journey

I have decided to pack my bags and be off. I plan to take a break during late April / May. I want to be either close to mountains, the sea or some old buildings. I would prefer to tour India, Srilanka or Nepal. It would be as economical as possible - local modes of transport, eating local food - except for stay.

I am looking at anything from 3 to 7 days. I would like to have company on this trip. Given that many people read my blog, let me know if you - yes, I mean you - would be interested.

Perfect strangers / first time visitors to my blog need not reply to this. Your gender or sexual orientation does not matter. I am looking for a person with whom I would feel safe enough to share a room (and vice versa) . And I really dont think that physical intimacy happens on autopilot when two people are staying in one room. No. Nyet. Nada.

What I am looking forward during these days:

Eating & drinking local food - but strictly hygenic food
Some amount of shopping, if possible - now now... give me brownie points for being truthful...
Taking many good pictures - arbit and random pictures, mostly.
Exploring the less travelled local roads - walking, tractors, bullock carts, camels, elephants, boats... I am open to them all.
Some time smack in the middle or far away from the madding crowd - I'm a girl of contradictions : live with it.
What you can expect:

Change the travel timetable midway : If you want to loiter, linger, feel free. I am not taking a watch along for these days.
Have local 'friends' : As long as your casual flings do not encroach into my living space, I will be fine whatever you do.
Go crazy : Because on the craziness meter, I can match you notch to notch.

What you cant expect:

Getting lucky with me
Expect me to drag you out of crisises created by your own stupidity - esp if it involves an armed crowd of pissed of localites.


If you like the plan, feel free to drop a comment. I'll be in touch.

Prologue

Yes, this is a definite southpark hangover.

Some basic guidelines I would follow here:

Blog every 3rd day. My life is not that boring to not blog, and it is not that exciting to blog daily.

Be irreverent. I take things too seriously, giving myself cardiac arrests over the floatsam and jetsam of life.

Be cruel. If I am not cruel to others, I often end up being cruel to myself. There is not enough me for myself and the whole world.