Heading south east

.....first south and then south east. I'm heading home after 20 days of vacationing at the University when the university is closed, after days minus the fancy BMW/ Merecedes/ Jaguar in the parking lot with not many nice English men [Han, specially, has this thing for tall, well built English men ;P] around it to look at too :( :(( We shall be shifting to our new home tomorrow which at the moment does not look to have a broadband connection. So after tomorrow, I will see you all when I reach home, Bangalore....I can already smell the soil and the rain, hear my Mi calling me, feel my brother pinching me and look at my sister running for me....Home...here I come......

The face behind those hands is not that of a girl , not anywhere near. The creature in the picture belongs to a very rare species that genuinely dislikes the female sex [except its mother, grandmother and sister ,or so the creature speaks] So no sajnas or sajnis. This creature here is my little brother Yashas. It was his birthday on the 25th of June where he shouted into my ears I'm a teenager now[....yikes!!!] He looks shy but he isnt. He looks innocent which he isnt. Oneday he'll grow to be a tall, dark and handsome dude that I'm sure he'll be. To my fearless devil....Happy birthday.

This one was taken at Nakshatra, a restaurant in Bangalore during my last visit.

The trip

Original plan : Leave on 19th early morning-visit Edinburgh-stay there for a day and night-proceed to Glasgow-stay there another day-move further north to Fort William-conquer Ben Nevis-stay for two nights- travel the next day in the Jacobite train to Mallaig- if possible visit the Hebrides [the north-west islands]

What happened : We did travel to Edinburgh and Glasgow but had to return by the very first train on 21st afternoon due to some very unavoidable circumstances.....I always ponder upon these words "unavoidable circumstances" on what they could mean, now I know it :(Anyways, I'll let your imaginations run wild on this one :P

Scotland is an awesome place and I did'nt quite expect anything from its capital Edinburgh. My jaws dropped down the moment I stepped out of the Waverly station. Could any other city be more picturesque and artisic? People even call it 'the Athens of the North'! Your Scot trip would be so incomplete if you didnot visit Edinburgh. I've visited London a few times now [I know comparing aint good] but I definitely like it better than London. Heritage flows along with nature here.....the Scot monument located in the beautiful gardens of city centre, the museums and art galleries in between, the church [I think its St.George's] and the graveyard next to that looks breathtaking [I dont know why, but my jaws dropped for the second time and a "Wowww....its so beautiful" sang out of my mouth when I saw the grave yards there...] The castle built on top of a hill overlooks the city and is adjacent to the gardens. There is a place called DYNAMIC EARTH, a must visit which has the backdrop of Arthur's seat[a small but elegant green rocky mountain]. Climb up the Arthur's seat in the morning to get an fantastic view of the Lothians. Around the city there are more places like Hopetoun house [which looks to be used in the movie Yaadein].Travelling in train around Scotland is the best option so that you never take your eyes off the window. The one I liked the most was the route from Darlington to Edinburgh via North Berwick [where the sand on the beach shines with the sun]....its over a cliff beside the sea and I hope you get an idea of what it would look like :)
Glasgow is another city 50 minutes west of Edinburgh and I did not find anything exceptional there except the lighted house....well girls might like it much cos they dont call it the shopping capital of UK without a reason!

Note : I would love to put some pictures on the blog but unfortunately something is wrong with the USB of my camera. The pictures work on the camera but the camera appears unplugged to the computer whenever I connect it. The batteries are full, I double checked the Nikon guide but its of no use. I checked the settings of the camera too and the pictures are not hidden. I will be grateful if someone could help me out :( The camera is a Nikon 4100, about an year old :(

Roundabout

I'm back...suddenly, unexpectedly :( One fantastic day, one terrible day, one tiresome day and two missed out days. All of it in the post to come :D

One more but first.....

let me tell you all that I will vanish [yes, yes, I'm informing]for the next, say, 1 week. I'm not telling you where I'm going but if I you guys dont see my post on the 24th or 25th of June then you know whom to contact [the nearest police station that is!!]. Gonna have a wonderful time wherever I'm going.....see you all in a while!!

A lot of tagging going on.....is there any record of who started this? Parth tagged me on books. I was away from the non-academic books until just last December when I was introduced to books by a friend. Since then, let me say that I'm quite a bit addicted to reading.

Last book I bought/got : The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy [gifted to me]

Last book I read : Freedom at Midnight by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre

Book/s currently reading : Gone with the wind by Maragaret Mitchell

No. of books I own [non-academic] : 19 books

Books that mean a lot to me :
1. Freedom at midnight
2. Michael Palin's Himalaya
3. Nenapina Doniyali by Kuvempu.....I dont know. I havent read a lot. Books that woul d mean a lot to me are yet to be read :)

Most bloggers I know have been book tagged. I'm clueless of whom to tag.

Someone please tell me why...

1. Why is there a 'RED BULL' on every table in the examination hall except mine? I know that its a energy drink but is it that efficient and tasty? Do answers flash like light when one drinks Red Bull??
2. Generally, what is wrong with most F-R-E-N-C-H people? Are they really that dumb or do they pretend to be that stupid?
3. Why do shops close down at 4:30 or 5:00 in the evening? I thought that night-life is supposed to begin at 5:00 or 6:00 PM?
4. Why do people drink so much everyday that they cannot handle?
5. Why do they shout a lot at 3:00 in the morning on the street?
6. Why do people here use the 'F'word [which I consider too filthy to be published on my blog] atleast twice in every sentence or phrase?
7. Why does the University look like a circus-town right after the exams with picnics/barbecue on the lawn, a beer or vodka in every hand, a bikini on a womans body at a temperature of about 5-6 degrees and a few hookahs too??
8. Why do ""STUDENTS"" at the ""UNIVERSITY LEVEL"" behave so immaturely, throwing eggs and cream at each other during 4/5 AM causing nuisance to others?
9. Did I read somewhere that Picasso and Leonardo davinci have re-incarnated so that I see modern-art everytime in the lift?
10.Gosh....why did these people even need University education? To get a good job? Phbbttt....!!!!

Drifting apart

Welcome to the world of reality. The end of the year and I just realised that the words 'goodbye', 'miss you', 'love you' exist in the dictionary. When people you met just a while ago would be leaving, forever. If fate does bring us together again, we're never going to be the same again. We're not going to live under the same roof, share the same food or talk the same trash! People come and people go and unfortunately, we have to get used to it. Sure there would be mails flowing across, talking over the phone, the usual routine of 'do keep in touch', but I know, its going to fade away with time too. All one would have is just memories to cherish.
I would be carrying one such bag of memories, memories of 'once' a 'stranger'. I saw her off at the train-station and it was like something in the movies. She at the window, tears dropping from our eyes, the train moving slowly until the sight of her face is gone. Returned back to walk without her down the corridor. I wont hear her voice echoing inside her room when she talks over the phone or her loud laughs which always caught attention. She's not going to ask me anymore "Archana, would you like to try the soup?". No more movies in the late night with her. No more talks about Osama and Bush now. I knock on her door and I hear no one answer....she's gone....forever.... Melek, the woman with the headscarf.....I'll miss you Melek, I will!

No comments for this post.....I dont want to hear "It'll be alright" or "Its just life!" cos I am sure I will be fine when tomorrow comes and that life will go on.

A tag and a life

Arun got me into doing this. Its a music tag and its tough :( Here it goes :
1. Total Volume [this sounds like physics] of mp3 on my computer : NULL.... ZERO. I'm not happy storing music on my computer.
2.Last CD I bought : lets see....Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma's The Inner Path, Rashid Khan's Voice of India, Mystic India 4 [fusion music anyone?]
3.Song playing right now : 'Somewhere only we know' by Keane [I could go on with the album 'Hopes and Fears' the whole night.....thanks Raghu :D]
4.Five songs that I like a lot [this is not fair.....there are tons of songs I like. I cannot limit it to 5. Songs I listen to depend on my mood :( ] :
International :
a) Dont speak by No doubt
b) November Rain by Guns'n'roses
c) Soul Cages by Sting
d)Dont Panic by Coldplay
e)Leaving on a jet plane by Chantal

Closer home :
a) Ghar se nikalte hi from Papa kehte hain
b) Naguva Nayana from Pallavi Anupallavi by SPB , music : Ilaya Raja
c) Communion by Tanmoy Bose
d) Nanna jeeva neenu from Geeta by SPB, music : Ilaya Raja
e) Tanushree by Ananda Shankar
List goes on but I'll stop. Sheeshers, Sumit and Game....you guys are tagged!

Next........

Finished my 1st year exams --> done with 1/3rd of my Engineering undergraduate [yes the course is not for 4 years, its only 3 unlike in India :D]--> 3 and a 1/2 months of vacation --> Its about time that I start spending a lot of time with me :)
The last one month was heavy on me. My lifestyle changed completely. Wake up at 13:00 in the afternoon, eat at 15:00, study from 21:00, watch the sunset at 22:00 while eating dinner, get back to studying, hear the birds sing at 3:30 in the morning, watch the sunrise and feel the freshness of a new day at 4:00 in the morning [a lot of nature huh?] and then finally at 5:00 in the morning, go to sleep! I just cannot study during the day.....nodi swaami, naavirodu heege! I lost appetite, lost sleep , became sick and.......I think I'm losing a few kilos :(( I hate being unhealthy! I have to do everything possible to keep myself fit and bright. I shall follow a healthier lifestyle from now.

Green-tag

Smyts started a chain blog a few days ago and she tagged me [sorry I'm late Smyts].....this one's about environment....
My fives that I'll try my best to follow for a better environment around me
1. No more non-degradable things in the place I live in....I'll minimize the use and finally try to stop it.
2. I confess I waste a lot of resources - water and electricity included. I will feel the pinch now as I will start paying up bills....but thats no reason. I will try not to waste it anymore :)
3. Papers - I'll use the back of a sheet to work out math or anything. I will not run to Waterstone's to buy a workbook.
4. I cannot stand people who throw rubbish on the street. The next time I'll see someone doing it [specially someone I know], I shall usher them into not doing it.
5. The front of the house we're going to move in is barren. We'll bring in as many plants possible.

Mother Earth is too precious.....save her!
I forward the tag to :
1)Arun [my revenge which you'll be glad to complete I'm sure ;D]
2)Utkarsh
3)Vasu Venkat

Criminals and why?

I read in the TOI today about a German lady [47 years of age] being raped in Rajasthan by two guys. Now, since I've read a lot about such incidences in India,I was thinking of why foreigners in India are subjected to such crimes. "Women-hungry-beasts" [I'll use that term whether it exists or not], did we run short of Indian women or did you want try something new? But seriously speaking, tell me men, what is it that you get out of raping a woman? Can't your eyes resist a beautiful woman? Or may be your eyes dont search for a beautiful woman. The lady in that case was'nt young, she's 47 years of age! May be your mum's age! Did you not think of the consequences? Or did you think that you are so powerful that you could get away with that? Now that you are sentenced to life imprisonment, you can spend the rest of your precious life introspecting your past. Maybe you can think of what your family would go through. Maybe you can think of whether your kids will look upto you to call you "FATHER" or whether your father would be happy to call you his son. Maybe you can think about the disgust your wife had to go through or the anguish the victim felt. Maybe you can think whether it was all worth it and feel sorry for what you've done....but its too late now. You've wasted your own life and have ruined someone else's too. Maybe now you can learn to respect women around you.
Of robbery and theft : Since the rate of our Indian rupee is lesser than anything else on earth [or so the criminals think], foreigners , specially westerners, who happen to carry pounds or dollars or euros are robbed off. Listen robbers, a foreigner would carry as much the same amount of money as that of a normal citizen. His/her credit or debit cards are of no use to you because you donot know how to use them or most of them are secure. But that does not mean you have to snatch a desi's wallet!