To the year that was..

To start something on a good note, one has to end something on a positive note ;)

With this thought in mind I started my 31st morning by getting up early. The sleep late in the night and get up in the wee hours of afternoon routine had to be changed. So I decided to twist it a little, to let it not become a thing of the future (many of us call it a new year resolution). Early morning sun rise with some kick-ass yoga session and a 2 course breakfast with NYT and TOI in 2 windows felt really awesome. The rest of the day that followed has been great. Finished a lot of pending work on a lot of fronts.

Now as I get ready for the dinner party with a bunch of friends, I realize instead of calling anything I decide as a resolution, I am going to call it a 'thing' I am going to follow (The word resolution sounds might scary to a person like me, who has a tendency to break one by the tick of the clock). So my 'thing' for 2010 is not to be lazy. On any front. Be it health, relationships, studies, getting up early or even finding myself a job ;)

On this note a big cheers to 2009! clink ;)

And I wish you all a super duper fantastic and wonderful year ahead.

lots of joy, sunshine and love,

~nightlfier

3 Idiots and the emotions it evoked

I just finished 3 idiots and somehow I do not feel compelled to write a review. The movie obviously is pretty good with loads of flaws, but I dont feel much critic-ky as I sit to jot things down. Hence the title.

First of all, 3 idiots came real close to resembling college life as we all know it (specially if you have lived in a hostel). I have actually grown up watching movies like Dil Chahta Hai (thoda 'hi-fi only' for me, I studied in a government college, the most de-glamorised engineering school in Pune), Mohabbatein (truthfully trashy) and the likes of RHTDM etc etc. So these movies in a way created a kind of wannabe-ness among normal college junta. I very well know most of us wanted those DCH types pensive snaps atop a hill :P (In that case me too is guilty as charged ;)) So classes apart...

The very first connection I drew with 3 idiots was of sharing hostel room with more than one person. Thats where real fun and college life started for me. Sharing and caring became synonymous. The 'ye dosti hum nahi todenge' types bonds were formed in those hostel rooms. And even though rooms changed, floors changed, my roomies never changed. We had our share of sweet-bitter stuff, but no one parted ways. I give you 100 on 100 for depicting that, Mr. Raju Hirani!

And the funny hostel stuff that was shown in 3 idiots, like fighting for water and shower in a common bathroom, the late nights before exams and praying for good results, struck a chord too. I fondly remembered those hassles over who should get how many buckets of hot water (believe me when I say that!), that bathroom hogging and partially, booking a bathroom for dear roomie and never letting others take charge :P 

These fights became grimmer during exam times. Girls already used to be pretty edgy due to all the stress and all nighters. And such triggers would just worsen it! Also in spite of being from different tracks of engineering, we always had the compassion (thats just the correct word!) to listen each other out or hear stories, before and after any practical and written exam. We particularly had this going to Dagdu Sheth or Pataleshwar ritual, after every result. We did (I still do) pray to god for good results :D

So-oh many innumerable memories were evoked, that I actually overlooked many stupidities and flaws in the movie. 5 point someone was a fun read. Movie is actually loosely based on it, would be the appropriate way to put it. Also I felt a bit annoyed by the feel good factor that Hirani infuses in each of his movies. The movie definitely had its highs and genuinely good and light moments. But somehow those weren't consistent enough. Anyways alll izz (definitely) well, as far as touching hearts is concerned. And hence the movie works :)

3 idiots is a good end to this 'year of bad cinema' in bollywood! At least its heart is in the right place :)

~nightflier

An ode

An ode to all the cities I have resided in till date :)




That was the first feeling I got after listening to this song. Apparently Haniya (the lead guitarist of Zeb and Haniya) also said similar stuff in the making of video, that its an ode to Islamabad, the city where she grew up.
I guess it touches those chords of a strange longing inside you. The words and Zeb's haunting voice are captivating.


I have become a huge follower of the whole enterprise behind coke studio. I think Sony TV had started something similar in mid nineties. But they had obscure singers like Sudesh Bhosle and Amit Kumar performing old melodies. Coke studio sessions and the whole troupe is just amazing. They give a feeling of being in a mehfil and still have that cool and hep touch. Oh and most of the original songs have been tweaked to create semi-classical fusions. I think its a fantastic attempt. Because the results are superb!


Anyways enjoy!


~nightflier

Ramifications

'So you will not drink again, ever ?' asked he.


She went back in time, exactly an year ago, on the same day. It was his birthday, a nice evening. Everything had gone as planned. He had always wanted her to host a drinks party with his friends. And today as part of the biggest surprise she had decided to drink too, for him!


It is always difficult to be a first timer at anything. You never know how you would perform at the given task. In this case she had no idea, when was the time to stop. In the making merry spree, she had outnumbered the most experienced of the lot, to everyone's shock and amazement. The only thing she remembered was waking up late the next day to a tingling sensation in her head, which was just the start of the worst headache of her life. She smiled fondly at herself and looked around at an empty and neat room. Well, at least we cleaned everything before sleeping. And so she tried to remember. The only thing which came to her mind was calling a number. Everything after that call was blank. Not even a single image flashed in her memory. Panic replaced  the initial amusement. Well that was just the start of the hangover. Its indeed difficult to be a first timer at anything!


She stressed herself for any clue about what happened after that call. But to no avail. She even asked him and other girl friends. Everyone replied the same, 'you drank too much and passed out'. She thought may be they knew better. They seemed a little less affected and hence she agreed. After 2 days when the headache was gone and things had become normal, she again started thinking about that night. She vividly remembered a phone call. Now back in her senses she checked her phone logs and found a call to her ex on the same night, at 2 in the morning. Things were falling into place now. She had called him up in her drunken revelry and proclaimed that she still loved him. She felt like getting eaten by a dinosaur at that very moment. It was her husband's birthday and she had done the most unforgivable thing in the world. Well may be she thought, it wasnt that bad. May be no one was around when the whole call took place. She still had a chance to explain herself and rectify any misunderstandings, because he had been unusually quite since past 2 days.


She tried to broach the topic for the next few days. What and how he must have felt was eating her up. She wanted to explain things and apologise. But he never seemed interested in the topic. The silence was killing her. The distance was growing. The most amazing bond which they had build, had broken because of her. And then it became the itch of the relationship. The itch which was there but about which no one talked about. May be they both valued the relationship so much that they wanted to forget it. May be no one wanted to face the truth and accept it and move on. May be they were scared as the stakes involved for a fallout were higher. May be sometimes its better to reshape some misshapen memories by ignoring the bad part and outcomes. The possibilities were so many.


Which one had they taken.


It was his birthday again. No fancy party. It was a quite dinner. Just the 2 of them. He ordered drinks for them and asked her 'So you will not drink again, ever ?'
She smiled. Picked up her phone and called up her ex. She had tears in her eyes as she spoke, 'It isnt an yearly ritual to call you. But some mistakes need to be corrected. There was a time when I did love you. But I am truly in love with my husband now, a person who respects us so much that he wont risk a fallout for a mistake his wife committed over few extra shots of vodka. I am glad that I am saying all this in my senses now'.
He just smiled back at her and opened the bottle.


Sometimes its simpler to re-write a few memories and make bonds stronger. It is worth every drop in the bottle ;)


~nightflier

(500) days of summer

Its hard to resist  not writing about this movie!

I watched it yesterday after knowing about it for months. Perfect start to the movie watching spree.

Light, sweetly romantic and refreshing.

The USP is its non linear style of narration and acting. I really dont want to spoil anything for you so recommend it highly instead!

Very simple story presented in such an awesome way, that you want to watch it in spite of knowing how its going to end. Well, the director makes it a point to tell us whats going to happen eventually and then keeps us thoroughly involved and engrossed. Very clever!

Another 100 points to Joseph Gordon Lewitt and Zooey Deschanel. Zooey plays the strange and complex Summer really well and effortlessly. Also I think she is really beautiful in a fragile way. JGL on the other hand had to emote very complex emotions. Both have done a great job! 

Well rotten tomatoes says its 88% fresh. One more fact to add to its highly recommended status!

Do watch it. :)

~nightflier!

Priorities

Note to self: Never opt for a project group which has full time working people in it. No matter however good friends you are. Friendships can be saved, but its hard to change professional opinions. I hate to say this, but working people seem to have different priorities. 
For ex. A (sensible) student would never party, when all his other mates are trying to make things work on the project front. But it seems when you start working, you HAVE to party, otherwise your boss will not give you the much needed good appraisal. Really? Is the economy and recession so bad, that priorities have changed for so many people ?




Note to you working guy: 
1. Never get enrolled in a master's program without knowing/gauging the responsibilities.
2. There is no need to claim ownership in the hour of crisis. First you write wrong logic (excusing yourself with the age old 'hey, i work for 12 hours, I am tired' excuse) and then go on bragging about how 'it is your wisdom and brain-work' and then say that 'umm I am not sure how its supposed to work'.
3. Get a Life.


Highly irritated!!!


~nightflier


P.S. I know this isnt going to help, but outbursts do help!

twitter ka funda

I am not a woMAN of few words..I like to prattle..about random stuff..


I just realized this when I was tweeting and it went beyond 150 characters..
Thank you blogger for being there..as long as you give us a no-word-limit bar, I know people will keep writing.
And I am not saying this cos I feel twitter is stealing your thunder.


Twitter is good to gain information, to follow real celebrities and their uhh..normal (??!!) life, is less intrusive (something I prefer these days, more and more), and for me personally, tis great medium to send messages to friends and well many related perks.


So on a concise day I am more twitter-y and days like today more blogger friendly. I have also realized that I tweet more when I am studying (which is supposedly a good sign for a grad student). Whereas I blog when I am drifting (which happens every 84 seconds to be precise).


Anyways, you both rock! (that was supposed to be the moral of the story)


~nightflier

dilemma

OK so here I am. 

We are group of 4 people as part of a course project. 3 guys and me. 2 guys are working and the remaining 2 (me and other guy) are full time students.

And a very tricky part of the project requires that we all sit together and scratch our heads to optimize time and output. This working together process can be accomplished in a number of ways.

1. We all Skype.

2. Working guys come to school and we work from there.

3. Me and other guy go to the working guys place and work from there. This requires us to stay over, as they live in far off suburbs. (one of the working guy is a real good friend btw).

And here's what happened.

1. We skyped and worked through screen sharing. It was a chaos. Understanding accents in front of each other is different. But on phone, it can get really tricky to understand what exactly the other person is saying.

2. The working guys came to school, to get some work done. But half our time got wasted in finding a place where people were not getting disturbed cos of our brain storming. We did get some real work done this time. But then the working guys were tired and anxious of missing the shuttle bus to back home every 15 minutes. In short it was an evening full of distractions.

3. We (non working) people also went to the other school campus, so that it would be easier for the working guys to join us. Again travelling time, finding a suitable conference room etc reduced the efficiency.

4. Now we are needed to travel to the suburbs, to finish off the project.

And here's where it all started.

I am normally a flexible person who would not mind working extra hours and staying up late to get work done. So when I told friend 1 and 2 about this, they said, are you sure you want to go and stay over, being the only girl ?

Ummm seriously, this thought had not entered my mind (I do think of myself as a girl :P). I dont have any trust issues (or may be I have, me blogging about it kinda proves it!). The only thing I was concerned about was travelling for 2 hours (yah yah, lazy me!) with my 3 kg inspiron. So the whole only-girl-in-the-group-being-flexible-about-working-and-staying-up-at-a-guys-place thing, has started to make me uncomfortable. There's one side which says WORK is important who doesnt want to have a time crunch at the end and who thinks that, if she doesnt go then they will judge her for being Indian in her attitude (no offence but we are considered orthodox). वैसे मैं भारत के लिए कुछ भी कर सकती हूँ. 

May be I am giving it too much thought. At least now!

And then friend 3 said that 'You can always get work done! But first you should think about being comfortable.' Nice thought, miss practicality. 

As for me, I am still in doldrums over what to do.

Suggestions ?

Btw the project has 30% grade and its real important that we get an A on that one to maintain a good GPA (its a grad school thing, tum nahi samjhoge, non-grad-school-Rahul ;))

~nightflier

P.S. In such classic situations where I am in a dilemma, I normally go by my last minute decisions. I wrote it down, cos I know as girls, we do have to face such situations all the time (ok, at least once in a while). 

my lil prayer for you :)

A very dear one has hurt himself and is in a lot of pain. :(


Here's my little prayer for him.


May it be that the hurt goes away
and you be happy and gay.
May it be that the scars fade away
at the most, by this april or may.
May it be that you embrace life
and take the pain in jolly stride. :) :) :)


Take care my dear :)


~nightflier

movie-list

A list of movies I am looking forward to, in this winter break!


1. 3 Idiots - you guys should catch the making videos on u-tube (of course, those of you who cant watch it on TV)
2. Rocket Singh - Salesman of the year - It has my Ranbir!! so-oh charming ;) And its a Shimit Amin movie (ab tak 56 and Chak de fame)
3. Paa - I know, I know, you all have heard and seen it all by now. But if you have seen Cheeni Kam, then you will be waiting for it even more eagerly. R. Balki had given something really refreshing and sweet with the old guy meets younger girl, love-story. And I am really liking Mudi Mudi/Udi Udi by Shipa Rao.
4. The men who stare at goats - I have already tweeted about this one (its already released but I cant watch it cos of some stupid promise I made to myself). Kevin Spacey and George Clooney. Oooh la la!! 
5. Sherlock Holmes - This is the wackiest transformation of my childhood hero, I could have ever imagined. And Robert Downy Jr. (Iron Man..what a superhero!!) playing the role, takes it to my 'must watch' list.


I also saw the trailer/song (whatever that was supposed to be) of Pyaar Impossible. And I shrieked. Uday Chopra!! Come on dude, dont take advantage of that last name anymore. Mercy god! 
After a long discussion with a dear friend about movies being released this year and reading a close to reality review of Kurbaan, I mustered up the courage to watch that atrocious movie. What was I even thinking ? I guess I wasnt thinking :| 
It is so full of pretentious-ness and wannabe-ness. Anyways, I think everyone gets a chance to commit worst movie-mistake of the year. And I am at least over with mine. ;)


So right now I wait like a regular movie buff, for the listed 5 movies. (Every title is a u-tube link to the trailer)
If you guys have any more suggestions, then flood my mailbox puhleez :) Its been a drought this year, good movies wise, generally.


~nightflier :)

Pursuit of life..

Another year older but none wiser!


Thats how I feel on my silver jubilee. Questions have become deeper. Answers or the pointers to them ever confusing. If you would ask me, life could not be any less crazier. And the funniest thing is I had wished for crazy stuff, on my last birthday. If only I knew god had this crazy algorithm of granting your crazy wishes! I would have asked for a trip to Barcelona/Rio in the middle of the sem, instead. Sigh..


Well, I have this routine of writing down my thoughts on my birthday. So keeping the tradition, I decided to bore you guys as well.


Truthfully, there is no excitement about birthday anymore. It feels like just another day, with a chocolate cream facial. I have been on the phone attending calls and replying to birthday emails, most of the time. A friend cooked special lunch for me (super nice of her :)). A bunch of us also went out for dinner to this nice, tasty place in China town called Joy Yee Noodle (I really like the name!). Everyone had a generally good time.


Now as the day is finally over and I am forced to do the yearly ritual of forming some new resolution, I realize I feel too lazy for anything. So I am going to stick to normal things for a change. I will try to gain 5 kgs by dec 31st! Yeah, you heard it right. I love all my clothes and the idea of fitting into them. I wonder how my wardrobe will look after dec 31st. The point with being skinny is your clothes cant become anyone else's envy. Its been the same since childhood. Mom is always wary when she has to discard my old clothes. She always tells me that she cant find anyone of my size to give away those clothes (I think she hasnt heard of Somalia!). So I end up with really old (read antic pieces) clothes in my wardrobe.


Proof: I still have (rather wear) a tee bought in standard 12 :D


Anyways, now having bored you all with my silly clothes woes, I will wrap up. 


I shall live and let live!


~nightflier :)

:(

At this point, if given a chance I would really really like to go back 2 years in life.
Things around are falling so badly, tis hard to believe..
Not because I cant see/take it..I just think its not worth it..


~nightflier


P.S. And I always thought I was a person who was always happy with the present. Sigh ..

J.E.R.S.E.Y. boys

There is so much I dont know about music! Bah!


Experienced Broadway musicals for the first time yesterday! And boy what an experience!
So thrilled I am, that I have to blog about it. To share it with you. And if you are not much of a fan of musicals/theatre or have not experienced it, then to urge you all to please please try it. At least once! 


To start off, Jersey Boys is a musical about the most famous American pop and rock band The Four Seasons. It tells the story of a class act, some pure musical genius and talent, in the form of Frankie Valli (the lead Italian singer with an I and not a Y), Tommy De Vito (the leader), Nick Massi (the sentimental Italian) and Bob Gaudio (pure genius and far sighted businessman). The four seasons who started off as the Four Lovers, to become Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons ultimately. 
The narration was crisp with the right touch of humour and wit. Nothing dark, shady or sad about it. The sombre moments were handled with an easiness. The lighting was perfect. The stage just transformed the whole theatre into the 60's and even me, a person who does not know the abc's of rock-n'roll travelled back to the era of handsome guys (no offence to this generation :P), Italian mafia, funny clothes (stripes and all yaa!!). 
The music and the dances were the essence of the play. Not at a single point did I feel out of sync. I think thats the best thing about plays, there s always something going on the stage. The energy these guys put up in making those 3 hours memorable, is commendable. I think thats why I have always been awed by my college theatre group. It must be a different world, performing to a full crowd and riveting them. I literally laughed, sang, tapped my feet, anticipated in anxiety as to what will happen next, as the show progressed. I enjoyed it more than a movie would not be an understatement although sounds a bit dramatic. 


Recently Ketaki wrote about how frustrated she was with movies (Hindi) in general. And I realized how much sense she was making, as I stood there transfixed and mesmerized, clapping till my hands ached, to the last performance of the Four Seasons. Why theatre remains so less explored is a mystery though. (I have figured out a few things but thats not what the blog is about, so lets leave it for a rainy day)


So that's my returning post! About the musical that moved me. So much, that I had to write about it :)
I hope and wish that at least those of you who are in the US, watch it.


Sharing one of my favourite tracks with you all. This Frankie Valli is one hell of a singer. Enjoy!





~nightflier!


P.S. Now lets move to the topic of your concern. Kindly lower those raised eyebrows for moving away from blogger without any notice or reason. I dont want you guys to understand my reasons, cos I know you understand ;) 
I think we lie to ourselves. On a daily basis. And I needed to do some serious introspection to find some answers. Well, the deep side of me had taken over. I was worried cos she never takes over unless its something to do with SRK. But anyways, now that I am back in blogville, I am sure you will re-welcome me with warm hugs and comments (convenient assumptions and more lies to myself ;)). And as to those who really missed me, thanks guys!  I appreciate it. I mean it! And for those who thought I had deleted the blog, how could you ???? BOOOOOOO ya!!! Its an integral part of me, and you just dont throw away your cell phone cos its old and out of fashion, but you upgrade it. A really bad example, but I know you have understood what I meant. Smart people you all are ;)

Lets play the music tag!

Reporting from ER@ Mercy hospital.

Dont worry guys, a friend has been admitted here for what seems like a case of Kikuchi disease after complaints of trouble swallowing and a real bad sore throat. The doctors are still unsure of her mysterious medical condition btw. So in between taking care of her (read boring her and the visiting docs, making fun of the docs, nurses and the staff in general) I decided to blog. (I know real real mean of me!). Yes, hospitals here have a pretty good bandwidth of wi-fi. Lets us stream shows, download homework assignments, and play farmville.

First, some funny facts about hospitals here. My friend with a bad throat problem has been given all kinds of tangy foods like orange juice, curds, pine apples, and anything else you can think of. Now back home, things like these are forbidden with a sore throat. Specially the mother clan will make sure that one gets only soups, hot teas, and dal-bhaat (rice and lentils) in an unwell condition. So what was to be avoided in India, is something not to be worried about in the US. Strange!

So coming back to the cause of my return to the fun world of blogging. Recently nishant tagged me for what sounds to be a fun tag.

this is how it goes .. List down 5 songs running through your mind / Playlist right now.

I normally dont have a 'songs' pattern. I am slightly dyslexic when it comes to listening to songs. One can find me listening to anything, from classical to rock. It is strictly mood based. And I normally pick up songs randomly. As far as my history goes, I have got introduced to really awesome songs long after they have been released/become legends. My friends and family to an extent, with varied taste of music are a major reason for whatever my music appetite is.

Mom had a thing for Marathi music (still has..one should listen to her going ga ga over sa-re-ga-ma-pa champs) and we practically grew up listening to the same tapes over and over again. A music system was a tape-recorder then. And her collection was on TDK tapes, I remember! Then at home my bro introduced me the videsi (english) music. Boyzone, backstreet boys (Nick Carter :P), MLTR, westlife, savage garden have been my teenage music crushes! Then I moved on to Bryan Adams. Lately beatles (thanks to last.fm radio) have been a great addition to my music food (And telling people that I listen to beatles also sounds supercool btw ;)). Then I remember my engineering roomie being a total lovey-dovey songs freak. Another friend at hostel (whom I think has a real good sense of music) introduced me to lots of jazz, gazals and random hindi pop stuff. Nowadays as far as Hindi music goes, I rely on new music releases and YouTube.

So after all this blabber (I hope at least one of you found it interesting :P), my random 5 songs are

1. rehna tu - delhi 6 - this song is awesome!

2. masakalli - delhi 6 - its tune just cheers me up. Have been listening to it for quite a few days now. I also make my patient (the one in the hospital and not the quality, duh!) friend listen to it at least once during my visit.

3. single ladies - beyonce - Me and my roomie have a new found dance instructor in the form of Beyonce. I know quite a tough dance form to practise with my agility! sigh..

And funnily I hum this song as 'I am a single lady'. That 'deciphering the english accent' disorder is rooted methinks! :-/

4. pachai nirame - alai payuthey (saathiya) - I was humming this tune (I say the tamil song cos I know the words were definitely 'not hindi'!) throughout the day. Btw pachai nirame means green leaves. I thought they LITERALLY translated tamil songs to hindi! (dont mind me, but I used to listen to tamil songs as a kid-courtesy neighbours, and they always used to tell me that the tamil lyrics are literally translated to hindi!)

5. kabhi kabhi aditi - jane tu ya jane na - again a song which cheers me up, these days! (Mind you, I am quite a cheerful person meself :P)

Thus, I am done listing my 5 random songs. It was a fun (not much thinking required) tag indeed. Thanks Nishant!

I am tagging all my readers :)

~nightflier

Girl

Girl (then)- always remembered birthdays, special days (like exams, promotion, last day at work), anniversaries, all the little things worth celebrating, enjoying and caring for.

Girl (now)- forgets asking people about their life, forgets wishing close friends on their special days, forgets things which she thought she will never ever forget!

God, please please please help her wash away this unoriginal cynicism and the busy, self involved adult that she has become!

~nightflier

NetWork

Howmuchever I might be in denial, or not wanting to change, I networked today!

I approached people with positive attitude (not just for the freebies!) and we discussed what they did, what I do (not the general whiling away time bit!), what interests me and what interests them (F-1 visa holders definitely not!).

In all, the number of resume(s) I distributed to employers was definitely lesser than last year's (In the end they just don't mail you and update you, so I decided to be the nature and paper lover this time!)

And did I say goodies ? Loads of 'em! (I have a super cool water bottle now, which can be fixed on my bike!)

But network I did! Yay!

~nightflier :)

Net Wor(k)th

I come from a culture, where talking about oneself and one's achievements is considered impolite, arrogant and self obsessive.

I am in a culture which needs me to talk about myself, my achievements in an impressive manner in order to socially network.

Ghor samasya.

(Thoughts of a demented mind one day prior to the Job Fair!)

~nightflier

it happens only in America!!

1. When you start using tissues from house cleaning to wiping 'you know what'.

2. When you stick 'stick notes' all over your desk wall, your refrigerator for TO DO (grocery list to schedule of the day) things.

3. When you don't venture out without checking the weather forecasts on weather.com for the entire day.

4. When while/after cooking you light scented candles to make sure the Indian spices aroma is neutralized.

5. When you start arranging pot lucks to avoid cooking. (I simply do it to avoid myself my amazing company)

6. When facebook games and twitter updates are integral part of your life.

7. When long weekends and weekends are the days, you HAVE to plan something fun and exciting (A trip to walmart or downtown counts!)

8. When extremely long showers are in no worry of getting snapped by power cuts (load shedding).

9. When surfthechannel.com and last.fm is your way for salvation!

10. When stale (made 1 day before, refrigerated and stored) food tastes better (May be the refrigerators here have some sensors so the taste settles down!).

~nightflier

Se7en

7 wonders of the world

7 voyages of Sindbad the sailor

7 the movie (and 7 original sins)

7 famous eating joints in Chicago

7 years away from home ...

The last one makes the most sense to me. Lately one of the comments made by mom triggered a lot of thinking on my part. I was home after almost an year and for the first time for 2 months, without any baggage of studies or office work or for that matter even meeting up friends. I was home in 'the mom-dad always approve of' sense. Most of my time was spent being doted over by mom, neighbor aunties, mamis, mavshi (mom's sis), nani, mama, bro, buwa, cousins, (dad wont show it much hence he is in brackets :D). During one such senti moments, mom said in pure marathi -

विद्यार्जन ही एक प्रकारची शिक्षा आहे.

I suddenly remembered a comment I had passed out of homesickness (owing to really amazing food at hostel) during my first year, when I had blurted out to mom 'May be I am being punished!'

May be not considering it a punishment and turning every possible opportunity into a learning experience has been the greatest takeaway from these 7 years. Also the sense of adventure I still feel while boarding a train/bus/flight, makes me remain truthful to myself. I quite vividly remember my first reaction to admission to an institute in a foreign city (I was one of the wont-stay-away-from-home, 'whiny' types!) and then considering my foray into hostel life, as nothing but a 7 day camp after which they will happily let go of me. Contrarily, I ended up in the 'hostel' for 4 years and turned out to be an engineer! Everyone who knew me had their doubts, as to whether I would be able to stay sane away from home (they had their definite REASONS). I did pretty well. I guess.

I also remember how I would never cry while saying goodbyes or on the phone, but I would puke my guts out, on return journeys from home to Pune. I guess, that's my style now, to express my emotions through actions :D

Oh, and though I miss Pune-nagpur trips with Kt, I like travelling alone too. This time I was thinking all the what ifs. What if I would not have studied away from home ? I think I would have taken many things life has offered me for granted. Its these 7 years which have taught me the value of relations, small joys, friends, family. They have taught me to respect certain aspects of life and people. They have helped me make my mental armor stronger.

Agreed I still get homesick and sad beyond measures, but I like the springing back from it part. I like the way life has shaped up for me so far. I like it even more because I can still see many things through those rose tinted glasses. I somewhere cherish this innocence in the age of un-innocence.

And as my plane landed on foreign soils in Paris for a 3 hours stop, I made fine acquaintances with an old couple from India travelling to Boston to meet their newly born grand son.

So even if it might be a punishment, I think with the freedom to visit home on your whims and the freedom to be on your own making sense of it, again on your whims, makes it all the more enjoyable and memorable.

I wont deny that I did not have that familiar queasy feeling again while the plane waited for landing signals over Chicago. I was unsure where I was headed. But as I went through the customary immigration checks, I knew I sure was headed home. Yeah, an apartment I can make a home out of. Not just a place to crash at night. A place where I had met very nice and amazing people from different parts of the world. A place where I will always be physically away from home but emotionally and mentally strongly attached to my people and my country.

I don't know when I will be home in the real sense. I don't know what life might unfold at the next turn. But I am sure it wont be that bad. 'Cos in the end

हमारी हिंदी फिल्मों की तरह सब ठीक हो जाता है.

(Everything turns out to be for the best in the end :))

~nightflier :)

Signs

How much shall one read into them ?

When shall one stop ?

Do they really exist ?

Isn't it better to pretend your obvious ignorance about them, then ?

~nightflier

Jab we met !!!

I met him after an year today !

As I parked the activa and went inside, there was slight hesitation in my mind.

Will he recognize me ?

Will it be like the old times ?

Will we meet like kids, without caring for what others think ? OR

Will we meet like two adults who care for what people might think about such public display of affection ?

Will we hug or just pat each other ?

Will he let go of me ?

Will he jump at my purse to see what I have got him ?

Will he scold me with his typical growling voice for not visiting him for so long ?

Will he come outside to say me goodbye, later ?

Well, when we did meet finally, he did not move from his place first. His gaze was fixed on me. Yes, the same heart mending look, which had made me fall for him. My heart skipped a beat, but then he stood and started walking towards me !!! After the initial awkward moments, we let go of inhibitions and met like kids! I patted him and caressed him. He returned it with the heart warming hug. He had not forgotten me at last :)

Well, then I proceeded towards meeting other folks. As the evening progressed he could be seen to be constantly around me. He did everything he could to grab my attention. And I kept on pretending that I was not getting any of those 'subtle' hints ;)

Yes, Bruno still remembered me. Like the old times.

I just did not have any answer for his inquiring gaze, asking me where his real girl friend was ? I just said, sorry dude, she wont be here till December.

And yes, he did come till a very long distance to say goodbye, in his own caring and affectionate way of racing with my vehicle, till he could match with the activa's horsepower.

~nightflier :)

P.S. Bruno is a friend's dog :) And we have our history ;)

Spectacular !!!

It was my childhood dream. Something I nurtured since I was may be 6.

May be since I got to know the power of eyes and how much they could express. Or may be I was just fascinated.

Whatever may be my tiny brain's excuses then, my wish finally got fulfilled at the age of #^ (Girls don't reveal their 'real' age!! what!!). In retrospect it did take me a lot of years!! Geez!!

Anyways when I finally came out of the doctor's cabin holding my eye check-up report, I triumphantly acknowledged to my uncle 'Yes! Finally, some doctor agrees that I should get spectacles made! And yeah that to numbered ones!'

So this childhood obsession of donning my own chashma, started when my dad got his reading glasses done. I would wear them and ask my parents to click snaps (which they never did :|). After some years came my mom's turn. I used to doll up in her feminine glasses and get pleased when people used to tell me that I looked like a teacher (teacher-teacher is a favorite Indian indoor game for girls!). Then one fine day an older cousin gave me a long lecture on how one's eyesight goes bad because of wearing numbered spectacles, and my obsession became private limited from a public affair. And as I started growing up, mom-dad's spects had started to become less fashionable. As there was no other way of fuelling my passion of trying other people's spectacles, I asked dad to buy me those zero power glasses. I did not quite like the actual buy and hence stopped wearing them. But the little girl inside me who had always loved them, did not stop dreaming. What did she know, that it will take her more than 15 years to fulfill it!

So today I finally went to make the spects (you buy a lens and a frame and ask the optometrist to make it for you). I went to Lawrence and Mayo store first. Well some sale caught my eye. Apparently it was on a specific brand of frames, obviously out of which I did not like any. Then I moved to the lens part. The sales guy there did not take any pain in explaining me anything. So naturally giving him the usual 'budget ke bahar hai' reason I exited.

Then I entered Titaneye+, a tata enterprise. Entry to exit I was made to feel like a person who should be wanting to buy herself a pair of glasses and not hating her doctor for giving her the report! (I was obviously naturally inclined towards 'wanting to buy glasses for her own Sukh, Shanti and Samadhan' (Mind you these are not Rakhi Sawant's prospective better halves)). So I almost tried their entire aisle of 'on display' frames and ate the sales guy's and my brother's head over which frame suited me the most. Both proved pretty useless in the end as they started approving anything random I was trying. After settling down on a slight geeky, less nerdy and more Yo! frame, we turned towards the lens section. Titaneye+ people sell only essilor, nikon and canon lenses. The most reasonable for me were of course Essilor starting from 1800. I gulped. And decided to take off, when my brother pulled me back. The sales guy tested his 'always works' marketing gimmick. He said local vendors might sell you anything under the name of Essilor, whereas here you get guaranteed stuff and also an year's warranty (I felt like blurting out, its of no use as I am not going to be in India, mr. smarty!!). Anyways the next thing he did was open up the big fat lens booklet and give me some jargon. I understood a mere 5%, but I was impressed. I ermed and errrred and finally said yes. Then he also gave me a free eye check up (again!) where their doc told me some really cool eye exercises. Sharing them with you, as I know most of you just cant take your eyes off the laptop :P

1. 20-20-20 rule : take a 20 second break for every 20 minutes work on the laptop. In the first break consciously blink you eyes. In the next break concentrate at your infinity (distant) point. This would avoid your eyes from getting dry and the occasional blurring syndrome will also disappear.

2. tip of the pen exercise : take any pen and concentrate on its tip. Keep moving the pen towards your eyes until you get blurred image of the tip. Do this every hour.

So as I finalized my bill and payment, I was told that my spects would be ready in an hour. My jaw almost fell to the floor. Otherwise I will get a call, as to when I should pick it up. So much attention !! I was mighty impressed.

In a long long time I have had a truly satisfying experience in terms of shopping. I am recommending it to you. Sadly they are not paying me. Yet !

~nightflier :)

When a prick reads an epic!

Recently I read a Marathi novel named Yayaati. (Mind you its a dynanpeeth award winner, which is the highest award any book can get in India). It is written by V.S.Khandekar.

It's a great work of art. It carries deep social message. But frankly I did not like it. I guess my faculties are not yet developed to understand such heavy stuff.

Some things which I did appreciate about the book are its strong characters and mythological background.

There are 4 main characters in the book

1. Yayaati - the lecherous prince (and of course king) who has no control over his mind

2. Kacha - the godly man. the real hero. I went weak in my knees as his character started developing!!

3. Devyani - the ultimate self centered bitch!

4. Sharmishtha - the unconditional lover/friend anyone can desire for.

Actually all the 4 were the extremities of human behavior.

The story develops around the 4 and engulfs their fate. There are so many twists and turns, that one feels like caught in the middle of a K series serial. So many villains, so many 'situations', so many emotionally shitty circumstances, so many monologues, so many co-incidences, so many returning characters, so many curses and counter curses, the list is pretty endless..

At one point, I actually went like 'Aww come on!! Don't tell me this is the girl who wants to marry Yayaati's son, and looks like Yayaati's ex-lover who accidentally got killed some 20 years ago!!' I know this wont make any sense to you. But mind you reader, great works of art never make sense!

So moral of the story, is (or was considering the 'k' magic is fading now) Ekta Kapoor reading all this for inspiration ? The thinking part of me took over so never mind!

Read at your own risk reader! As for me, I shall just keep away.

Sorry mom! (its one of her younger days ka first novel and kinda favorite! She read it sometime in the 70's!)

~nightflier

Have I earned it ?

I don't happen to listen to the President's or the Prime Minister's address on the 15th of August or the 26th of Jan. Normally! Past few years have given me the benefit of doubt, in terms of staying in hostels, work life, no TV at apartment, etc. This time I happened to be at home and dad as usual asked me to renounce my rights on the TV remote, for he wanted to watch the live telecast (Read he's very religious with such stuff). Reluctantly I sat through the whole speech. Not that I was paying attention, but the line 'Our ancestors have earned it with great efforts' caught my ears.

Seriously, being born and brought up in an Independent India, I am like that Indian, who has not voted till date, who has no idea when the budget gets announced and how it affects people, who does not care if its the Prime minister or the President addressing the nation, who has ideas about improving things but is still clueless about what she is going to do about it, who does not even know (till recently) who heads which ministry in the newly elected parliament, who follows bollywood/hollywood with fervor and gusto, but has shamelessly poor appetite for national news. (I hope and pray that you agree with 'at least one' of these!)

In short I do symbolize the Rang de Basanti youth (though I know I wont go to their heights to bring about a change). I belong to the generation who are a link between the coming 'super power India' and the 'generation our parents belonged to when they were young'.

I think though we have heard and learnt about India's Independence struggle and the stories, my generation is more about individualism. I find great satisfaction in being independent. But my independence means, having my space (my blog!), being able to take my own decisions (whether to write this particular post or not :|), doing things at my will (well, of course I am talking about staying up late :P), having the courage to stand by my own decisions (deciding to buy a new brand of shampoo to solve the agonising problem of hair fall!!??), etc etc. This can be called micro independence. I think this is what the freedom fighters fought for. A free individuals country! The individuals rights!

And I think we all have earned it if,

we have thought about the power of choices we make everyday.

we have been responsible and considered the effect of our decisions.

we have acknowledged the importance of being independent and to be able to take our own decisions.

we have not taken our independence for granted.

(I speak in collective pronoun cos it somehow makes me feel less guilty if I have failed my independence anywhere)

I know I speak in self introspection. The post was supposed to be less serious and more funny. Guess I lost it somewhere.

To many such independence days to come, which make me value it and treasure it :)

~nightflier!

Perspective

There are times, when

I don't feel the need for words.

I don't feel the need to feel.

And times when I am too tired to understand anything.

Then I give myself the tiny little potion called perspective. It is a heady mix of life from a third person's view. It takes me to a state of being a mere spectator, an observer. When the dose finally ends and the effects wear out, life is not rosier, but yeah greener for sure :)

It's all in the perspective !

~nightflier.

Better late than never..

My blog turned 2 on 26th June. I was busy packing, shifting and planning my India trip then. So that special day kinda skipped my mind.

And when I finally reached India and decided to post my wishes, I thought let's make it special by gifting my blog a new template.

I searched endlessly, sometimes for hours together for a suitable xml template. I used my jet lag period on googling random sites and templates. I would ask people for opinions. I would make my mom sit with me and ask her to choose a template. I even asked random friends who had never read my blog about their choice. But a common verdict could not be reached. And slowly I forgot about the gift and change my blog deserved.

But they say better late than never..

So here's wishing my blog (1.5 month) belated birthday wishes!! As we move on and ahead, may you be my partner in trying to capture some memories along the way. May you continue to witness my growth as a person :)

Ab aur senti nahi maar sakti..sob..sob..sniff..sniff (I don't have the swine cold :P)

jiyo mere laal !! :D

~nightflier!

the book bug

Most of my friends do call me Hermione Granger. So a tag justifying this name tag !

Rules - take 15 minutes to list out 15 books that come to your mind, of course, the ones you have read (in no less than 15 minutes). Next, list out the reasons (take your time for this) what makes the book special. (I kinda modified the otherwise simple tag)

My list is as follows:

1. Partner - V.P.Kale - It's one of those books, for which I kept book-reading sessions for my non Marathi friends, during hostel days.

2. Harry Potter and the deathly hallows - J.K.Rowling - It is the only fiction book I carried to the USA. I still read some chapters before going to sleep.

3. There's a hippie on the highway - James Hadley Chase - One of the first thrillers I ever read.

4. The Fountainhead - This book had hypnotized me (Well, the writing style was supposed to do that). I would like to read it again.

5. Swami - Ranjit Desai - I read a marathi book almost after 2 years. So this book is special.

6. Eagle in the sky - Wilbur Smith - Love stories can't get any better :)

7. Yayaati - V.S.Khandekar - I always wanted to read award winning books. This is my first Dnyanpeeth award winner read.

8. To Kill a mocking bird - Harper Lee - Simple and moving. To the core. It's one of my favorites!

9. Lord of the rings (The fellowship of the ring) - JRR Tolkien - I have read this part of the epic 3 times now. :|

10. Life of Pi - Yann Martel - An astonishing tale of survival and life. I managed to lay my hands on the copy which had illustrations by Tomislav Torjanac.

11. Panchatantra - According to wiki there is no specific author, it's just a collection of verses. (and sadly I also dont remember). But these were my favorite bed-time stories.

12. Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - I was (still am) so much influenced by Mr. Holmes that as a kid I wanted to be a detective. :D

13. Mrityunjaya - Shivaji Sawant - One of the literary classics. I like history and mythology and this book epitomizes all that I love in a book.

14. Ek hota carver - Veena Gavankar - One of the awesomely inspiring books I have read during my school days.

15. Love story - Eric Segal - If you ask me the one book which made me cry like a child, it's this one. I liked it's sequel too.

I am tagging every book lover (if you have a blog or don't, doesn't matter), who would like to refresh old memories.

~nightflier :)